The Bright, the Burning, and the Wicked

Five

Juniper Valo

This was a cruel joke, it had to be. A wicked game Casimir wanted her to play. The Creature of the South resided in the Ashlands, of all places. A place said to be worse than death. But Casimir had never been one to joke and the glint in his eyes told her that he had never been more serious about anything. He would get that creature, regardless of who he had to step over to do so. 

The Ashlands. The words felt stale and heavy in her mouth. Foreign and misplaced. It was located in the South of Eshra, a land that had once belonged to her people but was now nothing more than a graveyard. She wasn't entirely sure what happened to the land. She had heard rumors and stories, of course, but it seemed no one could quite remember what exactly had taken place there. Apparently, it had once been a beautiful and bright city, called a name long since forgotten to history. It had been one of the first places the Kareeve Council had attacked when they passed their Losvek relocation law. Relocate those who complied, murdered the rest, which was nearly everyone, since Losvek were quite proud creatures.

It had been decades since it had happened, leaving the lands burnt, scorched and nothing more than a mourning ground. The lands had split, as if cracked under the weight of the horror which had taken place there, leaving a deep canyon, caked in a layer of fog. No one dared enter there, except those who never wanted to return.

Juniper had always found it bitterly ironic how such strong and powerful creatures could lose their homes to such weak and mundane humans. But if humans were one thing, it was cruel. 

It must've been a surprise attack on a cloudy night, since Losvek gained their power and strength from the stars. When bathed in starlight, they soaked in the power of the heavens, but on cloudy nights, much of their power was dimmed and useless. Of course, a few days in darkness wouldn't do much, but unfortunately for Juniper, she had spent the last four years trapped in darkness. So much so that it had nearly chased all the magic from her, leaving her more cold and empty than she ever thought possible. She had been abandoned, in more ways than one. 

She rode with Baze the rest of the way, her pride hurting worse than her wounds. She had to grab onto his coat to keep from falling off and would kick him every time he snickered. He was warm, unusually so, which gave her some sort of comfort from the bone biting cold, though she'd die before she ever admitted it.

She craned her neck up, trying to catch a glimpse of the sky, but it was masked by dense layers of evergreens, leaving nothing but the occasional whisper of starlight which managed to escape through the branches.

"How much longer?" She asked. Juniper was still contemplating her options, which, in all honesty, weren't many. She knew Casimir well enough to make good on his promise. He wasn't below knocking her out and dragging her away. She wondered if she could outrun them, but that thought was just as absurd as the whole situation. She wasn't in much position to do anything at the moment.

Baze didn't answer her, so Juniper repeated her question louder. When she was met with silence again, she punched him in the rips, finally drawing out a reaction. He turned so suddenly she nearly toppled off the horse.

"Do that again I'll throw you off this horse."

She did it again.

Baze winced and sneered at her. He grabbed her shoulder with the intention of throwing her off, but before he could she clamped an iron hand down onto his arm. They glared at one another. Her silence was threatening enough. If I go down, you're going down with me.

"Enough." Casimir called. The winds had slowed, allowing them to speak without screaming their lungs out. Juniper found she preferred the screaming wind to talking. "I see you two still act like children. At least that much hasn't change."