Shadow Bands

IX. Harvest

 The Everfire breathed warmth throughout the room. Its peaceful cadence helped relieve aching pain and weary minds. Every ounce of light from the sun has already retired for the day, painting the view outside the window nearly black. If it weren't for the moon's silvery light, it would've been total darkness.

Lyra sat bored in Aeris' mother's office watching her do paperwork. She never imagined a senator's life would be so mundane.

Aeris let out another sigh as she scratched her head in frustration. Another letter tossed in the direction of the Everfire. Lyra glanced down at the floor next to the hearth where at least a dozen crumpled letters laid to rest. She decided to pick up the most recent scrap and straightened out the paper.

Lyra was no politician and some of the words were foreign to her, making her admire Aeris even more.

"How come this version was scrapped?" She asked, genuinely curious as it would have convinced her. "I feel like this would have passed."

"Pass for a joke," said Aeris, smashing her face into her palms. "How did she do it?" She mumbled to herself.

Lyra couldn't help but notice a portrait of Aeris' mother that sat above the fireplace.

"Maybe you shouldn't think what your mother would do, but rather find a different way, the Aeris way."

"That way is amateur and definitely not a viable option."

"So you do have a way?"

Aeris' head shot up from the desk to look at Lyra but not with eyes of excitement, rather annoyance.

"Regardless, this letter needs to announce our proposal and negotiation without sounding like a chicken wrote it."

"Chicken's don't write." Lyra chuckled at herself.

Aeris crumpled another paper and threw it at her, causing her to flinch as it fell short in front of her.

"This is serious, Lyra!"

"If you were to think of your mother and what she would do, what comes to mind first?"

Aeris paused in her frustration to seriously consider the question. Her brain scrambled words together until eventually they formed an answer.

"She would just go," she said simply. "I'll have to write an announcement letter, noting our arrival perhaps tomorrow at noon."

Lyra let out a deep sigh. "I don't know why you keep roping me into your political squabbles."

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As sure as the rising of the moon, the sun once again blessed the frigid lands. As winter approached them rapidly, the skies curtained the rays of the sun. The net of darkness casted earlier within the day, causing the timing of the world to go out of balance.

For the one moment of uninterrupted sunlight, Kaelen awoke slowly to the warmth of its grace. The aching of his body was still reminiscent of the previous night. His mind was hazy with what felt like to him, a fabrication of a warm memory. Before he sat up, he gently brushed the areas of where his wounds would have been but bandages protected him from touching his flesh directly.

Getting up was a whole crucible in itself. All of his aches begged him to stay down but he refused, for now.

His hand eventually ventured upwards to his neck but that too was bandaged. He knew it was all his mother's doing. Thinking about her, he wanted to thank her. His body twisted until his feet were dangling off his bed. He painfully scooted to the edge where his feet finally met the floor. He took his first try at getting up but pain surged through his body as if he stepped in a pillar of fire. Collapsing to the ground, he felt his heart race. The feeling only meant one thing, the beast was trying to come out again.