Servitude: The Hydrangea Chapters

Chp 6: An Unnerving Proposition

'What a fascinating flock these people are,' Marlina thinks. During her years in Urush, anyone who spoke of The Everlasting Expanse only stressed tales of caution—either regarding the rugged terrain, the creatures beneath the sand, or even the desert driving men to madness. Despite the hazards, these people have created a haven against such opposition. They have skilled warriors strong enough to slay the giant monstrosity that swallowed her whole, with leadership that is swift to decide the best course of action in tense situations, and individuals who show great compassion for both the living and the dead. When Aurea mentioned defenses, Marlina wondered what that entailed for beasts like the one before. But being underground, she wouldn't be able to find out.

Locating the seed she had shown to Elek and Tessa, she struggles for a few moments to push it from the crowded trolley into one of the holes at her wrists. It isn't the most straightforward task for someone without hands. Once it was in, she had to shift and twist her arm to avoid the other holes so the seed would drop down to her foot, where she keeps it for safekeeping. She steps outside the door after she hears it drop and shakes her foot to confirm the rattle. Peeking out of the tunnel, she no longer saw Elek. As she walks, her footsteps made a soft metallic clank against the sandstone beneath her feet. Not wanting to upset Elek, she remains inside the building so no one would see her outside.

As she traverses, the structure differed from what she was accustomed to seeing in Urushian architecture. The corridors and larger rooms were quite open, featuring few walls and only lightly segmented by the wide arches and pillars that lined the space neatly. While the pillars and arches bore aged cracks, Marlina notices shutters made from tightly woven palm fronds. Upon finding a lever at the end of a long row of pillars and arches, she hesitates momentarily before using her forearms to push the lever up and down, causing the shutters to shift from open to closed with each movement. This must be what they use to keep the sand out.

It took her a few moments to find an incline that led to an upper level with a more open space filled with mismatched furniture scattered throughout. By examining the pieces closely, one could use their intuition to determine which room was for dining, which was for tools and sled making, and the living spaces, among others. Compared to some of the large homes and lavish castles she had stayed in within Urush, this seemed to be a more humble dwelling that made use of a long-abandoned space.

Finding a window that overlooked the courtyard she and Elek had passed through earlier, she spots Aurea and Tessa standing at the lake's edge. Marlina, barely able to make out what they were doing from a distance, was sure she saw Aurea trailing her hand over her staff. Her hand moves from one end of the staff to the other, forming a long spire that appeared to be ice at the tip. 

She can create ice? In a place like this? From what Marlina learned during her travels in Urush, she understood that Urushians could only manipulate certain aspects of nature, and ice wasn't one of them. Then again, Aurea didn't resemble Tessa and Mordecai, who are Urushian with their tan skin. Come to think of it, Marlina didn't see any markings that Urushians had to show the element they were bonded to. 

Aurea lifts the staff out of the water as Tessa holds up a piece of paper. Using the tip of the long spire on her staff, she draws a magic circle of ice in the water. After placing the tip in the circle's center, Aurea lifts it from the water and presses the circle into the sand, creating an impression. Once Aurea pulled it away, Tessa squats at the circle's impression and places her hands on it, causing it to glow; the sand collects and condenses, rising from the ground to form a thick spire as tall as they are, protruding from the ground. 

How strange; any Urushian Marlina had encountered would have been able to do that effortlessly. And what was with the circle? Urushians typically manipulated their element using movements of their arms or feet, as far as she knew, never a circle. As the two repeat this process, it appears they are creating a perimeter of these spires, set yards from the walls surrounding the outpost. Marlina was so engrossed in watching that she hadn't noticed the man with the eyepatch, Mordecai, from earlier, standing nearby and observing her.