Forged in Frost

The Battle for Lockmire

When Asher and Evelyn return to camp, Evelyn goes straight to the stream without meeting anyone's eye. She crouches by the flowing water to wash the dust and grime from her hands, cool the hot mark on her neck, as if stream water could rinse away the event entirely. She scrapes her skin with her fingernails, trying to focus on the sensation rather than the sense of collapse inside her. 

Men mill about as if nothing has happened. Evelyn does not know where Leo is now, if he returned to his horse or his friends or if he's telling everyone a string of lies to protect himself. She turns her hand over and scrapes the other side until there are red lines in her skin from her fingernails digging in. She splashes her face once, twice, almost wishing to drown herself.

"Clean enough yet?"

Evelyn flinches and looks up at Alec, smiling crookedly next to her.

"Where'd you run off to?" he wonders.

Evelyn straightens, wiping off her wet hands on her trousers. "Went for a walk."

Alec nods and holds out a strip of dried venison. "A bite?"

"No, thanks."

"You all right? Your neck is all red, but you look so white."

Evelyn's hand flies up to her throat. "I'm fine. I think I walked into some poisonous branch. It itches."

He shrugs and turns away. He seems to have believed her. But she can't go on acting strange forever. Suspicions will mount. If Leo hasn't told anyone yet, she'll tell them all herself by acting like a snivelling victim.

Evelyn catches sight of Leo at last, fiddling with his saddlebag before mounting his horse. He glances around, meets her eye, and looks away.

Evelyn's stomach twists with nausea. She crouches by the stream again, trying not to calm her breathing. The breaths shudder out. Her burning eyes threaten tears again. She must hold herself together. They're about to go into battle. She cannot fall apart now.

Asher resumes his place on his horse. Evelyn stays near the water, not looking up. She knows she isn't acting normally, but she'd be even more unwound on her horse, around Leo... And what does Asher know, anyway? Has he ever had his world crash down on him the way hers has today? "Act normally," indeed.

In time, armour clinks as the men mount up again. Horses paw the ground, steady conversation slows. Any moment now, the troops will arrive. The battle will begin. Helmet on now, Evelyn wishes for it to start already, to stop the pressure of this waiting.

Evelyn stays back next to Alec. His light conversation falls on numb ears. She tries to keep up with short acknowledgements, but she can't follow what he's saying.

"Are you nervous?" he finally asks.

"Oh. Yes." She shakes her head. "Terrified." It's a good cover, at least.

"Me too. We haven't faced real enemies much. But it probably won't be that bad. If we come in from a good flanking position, we'll have them cornered."

Evelyn nods. "Right, right."

"Weird that Leo is here, eh?"

For once, he catches her full attention.

"Mm," she says.

"With his injury and all. And he was pretty torn up about Edwin and Rutwig. Suppose that gives any man a reason to fight."

"Yes."

"You should hear some of his stories," Alec chuckles.

Evelyn snaps her head toward him. "What stories?"