The Book of Glass

Binds (4)

Ingrid propped herself up from the ground, turning away from the thick blades of grass to the group of villagers who had attempted to bring back Emory. To bring back Rowena. She grabbed a fistful of grass in her hand and tore it from the ground, letting out a scream. The only person she had come to trust, come to care for... was gone.

Because of her, Ingrid thought bitterly. No, she corrected herself, because of Evander's men. Ingrid looked up to where Shay lay crumpled on the ground, holding her hands to her chest as she coped with the loss of Emory in her own way.

"Ingrid," Ezekiel spoke up from where he was hunched over a grieving Shay. "Please check and make sure Shay is alright. I'm going to go round up some others." He left in a hurry to gather the villagers: ones who were willing to plan ahead for the return of Cassius and Linus.

Ingrid stood slowly, breathing in and out with difficulty. She made her way over to Shay, who stared at the ground with a far away look. "What if they hurt her? What if they don't give her back?" She spoke quietly, her voice breaking as tears threatened to spill over onto her cheeks.

Ingrid's own eyes were misty, and she looked to the sky as a wave of wind covered her. "We'll get her back. That's all there is to it. Are you alright? Ezekiel wanted me to check on you but there's nothing that should be wrong." She crouched down, appearing as a swift old woman who could balance easily on the heels of her feet. She was reaching for Shay's hands to busy her mind, but Shay tugged them away from her grasp.

"I'm fine. My palms are just scratched. It's nothing serious."

"We'll take care of it anyway. Come on." Ingrid shot up and started paving her way to her apothecary, holding the old red fabric of her dress up. She didn't glance back until she reached the doorsteps. A slumped over soldier blocked her path, and she pursed her lips together before grabbing the arms of the body and dragging it out of the way. "Shay! Don't you think you should be the one to clean up this mess?"

Shay stood slowly now, watching as Ingrid yelled at her from the apothecary doorsteps. She wasn't paying attention to anything she said. Her eyes focused on nothing, and her mouth hung open as she took in the aftermath of the skirmish. Everywhere lay Evander's men, decked in iron armor as they lay on the ground, helmets tossed about on the ground. Blood pooled beneath some of their heads. The rocks had been unforgiving.

She watched as Ezekiel led a group of villagers to the tavern across the village center. The men and women who followed wore steady expressions on their faces as they filed into the building. Those that stayed behind either carried the children away or went to remove the soldiers from their resting place on the hard ground where everyone could see their lifeless bodies.

Ingrid grabbed her arm, bringing her back down to Earth by twisting her around so that they were facing one another. "Shay. I get that this is a lot to take in, but they can handle this. Ezekiel will figure things out. He'll know what to do so we can get Emory back safely. So we can make sure you stay with us," Ingrid reassured her, trying to meet Shay's gaze with her own fiery one.

"You act like you care if they take me." Shay grimaced, shoving Ingrid away from her. "I want Emory back, too, but don't pretend you care about what happens to me."

"Fine," the old woman huffed. "That doesn't change the fact that what's best for me, what's best for Emory, what's best for everyone here... includes you. So I need you to stay behind the soldiers. Or else all of this is for nothing." The old woman looked at Shay, the two mirroring each other in their defiant stances. Eventually, Shay crumbled. She didn't have the same fight as Ingrid.

"Take me to the apothecary," Shay muttered. Defeat pulled her head down and made her shoulders slack. Ingrid nodded to herself, turning her back on the village as they prepared for whatever sunset brought their stone village.