Defying Equilibrium: Book III

Chapter 20: Magdelin once more

Oscar never thought he would see the town of Magdelin again. It had seemed years since they had first stayed the night in the small village town, with its cobbled streets and narrow, winding alleys that reminded him so much of his hometown of Damakis city. And more than that, Ahmed had one more surprise for them upon arrival.

The stable boy that Ahmed had generously paid had kept his word. Their horses, the ones that they had procured on their first way through, had been returned to the town and kept under watch by the stable keeper of a nearby inn. They were waiting for them when they returned.

Oscar had missed Belladonna, his bad-tempered mare. She was a feisty thing, prone to be skittish and unpredictable, but she was instinctive and smart as well, which Oscar admired. He had always had a way with animals, being an intuitive kid. In the brief time he had spent with her, Belladonna had come to begrudgingly respect him, maybe even like him. He was proud to have broken through her tough exterior.

He grinned as he ran a hand through her sandy mane and down her chestnut coat. She had greeted him with a snort and a haughty glance, as if to say 'about time'.

He tacked her up and, after a bit of coaxing and bribing with the promise of fresh apples, Oscar was back in the saddle. Dakora looked ecstatic to be reunited with Blizzard, as Oscar knew that Dakora had taken hard to leaving their horses behind. He was happy to see Dare feeling the same way, reconnecting with his mare, Nightshade.

Jackson remained on one of the three horse they had brought with them, and Dare had Jackson's horse securely lashed to his own so Jackson would not be able to ride off.

Oscar had told him the previous day of the dream he had with Silas, and about Silas's theory on Jackson's soul, but Dare had refused to believe it.

"He's there, Oscar," he had asserted. "I know it."

"How?" Oscar had demanded. He hated to play the devil's advocate, he wished with all his heart that he could assuage Dare's fears, but he couldn't believe that Jackson's soul was still intact. He didn't know what the magic users had done to him, but from what they had seen it was irreversible.

"I've seen it!" he insisted. "I know he's still in there Oscar, and I know there's a way to bring him back. I just need more time."

Oscar had shrugged it off and let it be. After all, the last thing he wanted was to argue with his best friend, but even so he found it difficult not to attempt to make Dare see sense. Now, Jackson sat atop his horse staring into space, not even paying attention as Dare lashed his hands to the saddle.

"Why do you bother?" Jackson asked his brother absent-mindedly. "Why do you bother tying me down? Do you really think I'd run off now, with nowhere to go?"

Dare smirked. "I've known you this long, I know that's exactly what you'd do."

Jackson cracked a rare smirk but stayed silent. Dare didn't need confirmation to know that Jackson knew it was true.

Ahmed wandered over at that point, and offered to take are of Jackson for a while and give Dare a break. Tired as he was from the constant vigilance of watching over a prisoner, Dare reluctantly accepted, if only because it was Ahmed. There was no way he would have entrusted his brother to the care of one of the Malachi. He still didn't entirely trust them, especially now after what Chase had brought up.

About the traitor.

Try as he might, Oscar still couldn't think of any motives that any of them could have for betrayal. It was this that worried him most, as whoever it was then evidently was a great liar, to have deceived them for so long. He obviously trusted both Louise and Dare with his life, and Ahmed had earned that trust as well. He didn't know Dakora as well, but Ahmed trusted her and besides, her hatred of the Malachi was too strong to be faked. The four Malachi that they had travelled had known each other since childhood, making them highly unlikely to betray each other. But it wasn't impossible...

Oscar pushed these thoughts out of his head. Without any concrete proof, these thoughts weren't helping anyone. He watched Dare hand over the reins of Jackson's horse to Ahmed, who lashed them to his own horse.

"Carver's a strong horse," Ahmed said. "It will be less of a strain on him than it would be on your mare." Nightshade whickered, almost as if she agreed.

"Strange name for a horse," Jackson said unexpectedly. Over the past few days, he had become less and less talkative, retreating to his own internal silence. This much talk from him in one day was strange. "That horse deserves a better name, something stronger or more intimidating. Why'd you call him that?"

If Ahmed was taken aback by the question, he didn't show it. "I named him after someone I once knew."

Jackson still wasn't impressed. "Why?"

"He's a strong horse, and fearless too, but he has a surprisingly gentle nature. His bravery and mild temperament reminded me of an old friend of mine, a young boy by the name of Rory Carver. So I thought the name fitting." Ahmed's face briefly took on a wistful demeanour.

"And is this friend still around?" Jackson asked, now purely out of curiosity.

A sad smile curved his lips and he shook his head. "No, he is not. He died a long, long time ago, centuries before any of you were born. I haven't thought about him in a long time, but..."

"But what?"

Ahmed paused, before replying. "But maybe now is the time for reflection. For leaving regrets in the past, where they belong." With that, he turned and spurred Carver into a steady pace, pulling Jackson along with him.

It left Oscar wondering just who Rory Carver had been, and what exactly Ahmed meant by regrets.

"Come on Fyrie, just a little bit. Let me try it," Essie pleaded. Essie was usually pretty persuasive, but try as she might this was one issue that her friend would not budge an inch on.

"No way," replied Fyrie, with a shake of her head. "There is no way I am tattooing you. Besides, do you have any idea how much your cousin would kill me?"

Essie had seen Chase fight, and she had seen the power that his inked skin had given him. She didn't understand terea, she didn't exactly understand how the tattoos worked, but regardless she wanted that power. She wanted to be stronger.

"Chase wouldn't have to know!" she reasoned. "I won't tell him if you won't. Besides, since when does he tell me what to do?"

Fyrie laughed at Essie's pouty expression. "Maybe since he outranks you? And me, for that matter? Maybe since he is our commander, and he actually does tell us what to do?"

Essie crossed her arms, sulking. "Still. What I do with my own skin is no one else's choice but mine."

Fyrie shrugged. "Sure. I wholeheartedly agree. Just don't drag me into it." She laughed and began to skip away.

"And here I was thinking you were my friend."

"Hey, it's your funeral."

Essie began to chuckle, but then pulled up short. "Hang on, what?"

Fyrie internally cured herself for not thinking before she spoke, but she shrugged it off nonchalantly. "I just meant, if you want to incur your cousin's wrath then go ahead, it'll be your neck on the line."

Essie narrowed her eyes, as if she knew that wasn't what Fyrie had really meant. "Since when has following orders been your main concern? Since when have you ever had respect for authority?"

"Since now," she lied. Fyrie flashed her friend a grin before turning and walking off. When she was out of Essie's line of sight, the smile fell from her face and she sighed. Chase had made her swear not to tell Essie of the effects that had taken hold in his body from the terea. If Essie knew, she would worry, and Fyrie knew that there were more important things for her friend to focus on.

But that left Fyrie to worry for Chase on her own. She was glad that he had taken Avon with him when he left, even though she missed having Avon around. She and Avon were like two halves of a whole, they were a team. She knew things about him that he had never dared to share with any others, not even Chase.

Chase was an incredibly strong person, but even so, according to Fyrie's theory the toll on his body would become greater every time he fought under the protection of the tattoos. And knowing Chase, the likelihood of him refraining from combat was extremely low. She wondered how long it would take before his condition worsened. Before the toll became too high.

>w.|