The Last Red Year

TWO: Of Worms and Wine

 "Now--now hold steady, foot in the stirrup like so," the Yellow Mage, having introduced themself as Kizlane, says to Isri, helping them stay steady on the horse they've just mounted. They've said their goodbyes to their parent, to the other townsfolk, and now they're both at the edge of town, mastering the art of getting on a horse. Isri is having a hard time.

"It's a whole living animal...you saw what happened to Mage Hadling!" Isri says, voice shaking a little. "It could spook! It could throw me off! Horses don't like me!"

"You've never seen a horse in your life, Isri, how do you know they don't like you?" Kas teases. "Plus if you get bucked off and break all your bones you've got me to fix 'em."

"I don't like this. I don't like this at all." Isri reaches out for Kizlane again, getting down from the horse. "Thank the Angel we don't have to ride all the way back on our own."

"It was a good try!" Kizlane says encouragingly, taking Isri's hand and leading them to the front of the procession. "All right, you. Up ya go." They lift Isri up behind Mirei, and go to help Kas onto Hadling's horse.

Kas wobbles a little, but manages to stay steady, gripping at Hadling's satiny green robes the way a baby who has just learned to grab reaches out to hold anything it can find. It's a little scary at first, and they feel bad for making fun of Isri, but in the end it's...actually kind of fun. "This is cool. You can go places without having to walk. I want a horse."

"You'll certainly learn to ride at the Magescourt," Hadling says, reaching back to help Kas stay steady. "Kizlane, could you get on your horse already?" Kas turns around to see Kizlane on their knees, squinting at something on the ground. "Kizlane."

"Sorry, sorry, I saw a worm," Kizlane says, standing up and quickly mounting their horse with a practiced ease. "It was a really cool worm."

"We have no time for worms, Kizlane," Mirei says from the front of the procession. "Stay focused, please."

"Y'all're no fun," Kizlane mutters under their breath, shaking their head with a little laugh. Kas likes them immediately. They're less stuck-up and formal than the other mages. More down-to-earth. And they have to trust someone who cares deeply about really cool worms.

The cavalcade sets off, Kas holding the slack of Hadling's reins while Isri clings so tightly to Mirei it looks almost like they're going to tear their robes. They both turn to watch their little village as they ride away, the little shacks and dilapidated docks growing smaller and smaller until they're little more than a mote of dust, then until they're nothing at all. They've lived their entire lives there, and now it could be years before they return.

This is good for us, Kas reminds themself, trying to picture Tallin comforting them. But Tallin was never really the comforting type. They kept a distance between themself and their children--not wanting to grow too close, both for the twins' sake and their own. They'd already lost their spouse. They couldn't bear to love these children that much and lose them too. This is what we're supposed to do.

Yet, somehow, a part of them feels like they're riding straight into the swirling winds of a hurricane.

They stop to eat and rest once the sun has reached its zenith, the morning having been a mostly quiet affair. Kizlane goes looking for more worms, and Mirei takes it upon themself to actually introduce the other mages while a mage in orange robes, rather plain in comparison to the other five, sets out food. All sorts of preserved meat--a much greater variety than back in Callocast, but still just dried and salted. Kas supposes the food won't get fancy until they actually get to Tenacitas.

"I, as you know already, am High Mage Mirei," says Mirei, fluffing out their robes and sitting down on a rock with some hardtack and jerky. "In violet is Mage Ghiliss, and you know Mage Hadling in green and Mage Kizlane in yellow. In orange and cyan are Mage Brittleith and Mage Claret--Claret's an odd one. She's a bit eccentric."