The Language Of The Trees/ An Evalyce Novel [#NaNoWriMo16]

Chapter 11: First Guard

Libernaath, Northern Argoth, 10000 ft above the Aeryth Ocean, Year of the Lion Claw, 1727 CE

    Coming home brought with it my first true experience of the brooding melancholy that Mercurius' children were particularly prone to. During my training, I had seen Ari come back from missions and fall into a broodiness that left him withdrawn and silent his first day or so home.

    Now it was my turn, so it seemed. I felt empty and exhausted. The excitement and immediacy of the situation faded, and left me plenty of time to ponder events.

    So much death, some wrought by my own hands. So much hatred, from the icecrushers towards outsiders, from the Dashmari towards those born different, like Suri, and the nameless cub. Aye, we'd brought Nellie out safe. Suri too, and the other children being held hostage. All but Suri had been returned to grateful families, and he had found a new one. That did count for something.

    Once the Argosians had got involved, the icecrusher Dashmari had been routed, and driven back into the high peaks. The incident served not to weaken the alliances between the border packs and the enclaves, but to strengthen them. The packs even suffered the presence of a few culturalists amongst them, that we might understand the Dashmari better.

    Some of the Argosian soldiers took our wagon and chokka to hand, and we were freed to return home in Rogys' care, to make our reports. Rykkyr came back with us. The Irontail reluctantly worked with other culturalists, that they might understand the icecrushers better. Rykkyr was kept at the Quaestorium. I didn't know if he was a prisoner or not, nor what plans Ari had for him.

    Upon our return we had several down days, for which I was most thankful. Though Ari, too, sank into broodiness, he helped me learn to find my own coping. We spent a good deal of that time snuggled together in silent contemplation. That became my anchor, keeping the worst of the melancholy at bay.

    Ari visited the Quaestorium a few times during those days, though we had given report as soon as we'd returned. Ari returned the morning of our third day back with a sly grin upon his face.

    "Come, callowayla, today is an important day for you!" he urged, in a far more chipper mood than I. Clearly he'd recovered faster.

    I heaved a sigh, narrowing my eyes at my husband.

    "And what day is that?"

    Ari overlooked my grumpiness, and beamed at me. "Today's the day we truly test your bio architect skills. You're up for a reconstruction."

    "What?" I squeaked. "I already passed my tests!" I rubbed the back of my neck, fighting to quash the urge to flee. I wasn't ready for a reconstruction!

    "There now, callowayla. You're ready. Tessa will be there with you. I made sure of it. You'll do just fine." Ari came to me then, wrapping me in a warm hug that soothed the building panic away.

     It wasn't to the Quaestorium that we went that day, but to Trinity, though to a different part of the facility from where Ari's Conversion took place. Conversions were the province of the esper labs, reconstructions, the bio labs.

   I walked with my arms crossed, head down. I was starting to shake, feeling alternately clammy cold, and burning up. Reconstructions could be hard. An intimate knowledge of the body and how it looks, how it works, was necessary.

    I'd done well on the bio-architect exams, and had a good understanding of body mechanics, having worked on several virtual  'bodies' in one of Trinity's many salle. But a reconstruction? Now? I was hardly prepared, or so I felt.