Kingdoms Rise

Three

Mae could still feel the blood on her hands, still feel as her knife punctured through her victim's chest. It happened so fast that he didn't even have time to scream, though his face was contorted with shock and pain as the life faded from his eyes. She was told that it would get easier with time, but, oh, how a lie that was. Every kill felt like the first.

Every. Single. One.

That was the one thing that hadn't- wouldn't- change.

She covered her face with her hood, walking home to try to wash away the guilt, the phantom blood coating her down to her soul.

She bumped into someone and quickly apologized. They grabbed her wrist as she tried to walk away. As they spun her around she reached her hand to the knife at her waist. She looked and sighed in relief.

"Tegan," Mae breathed. Tegan stood before her looking confident and happy as always, her occupation never dimmed her mood. Though every kill weighed on her shoulders. Mae feared the day that the smile vanished from her face.

"Where are you running off to?" Still that blindingly bright smile.

"Home. I just finished a job," Mae had spent the last week scouting and planning and executing the job, it paid a reasonable sum.

"Come join us at the Red Rose," Tegan didn't wait for Mae to answer as she looped their arms together, and dragged Mae along.

Mae didn't put up a fight, she could use a distraction, a long lasting distraction. The Red Rose was the perfect place for that kind of distraction. It was the place that people went to for a drink—or more—to forget what was bothering them, most people went with others filling the tavern with their chatter. Mae didn't go there often, but when she did it wasn't very exciting for her.

Arm-in-arm, Tegan and Mae walked in comfortable silence to the Red Rose. When they arrived Mae could instantly spot Tegan's friends—Bleddyn, Bran, and Gareth. It wasn't that Mae like them or get a long with them, she just never connected with them. She talked to them, but only the briefest of conversations. She plastered on a small smile, not just for them but also for herself.

"Good day, pricks," Tegan said cheerfully, taking a seat at the table, Mae following suit.

The guys grumbled at what Tegan called them, this happened every time.

"It's good to see you again, it's been a while," Bleddyn said to Mae. She looked at him and gave him a genuine, albeit small, smile. Mae liked Bleddyn the most, even flirted with him a bit for a time. He wasn't like the others, though all of them were respectful, Bleddyn was the calmest which Mae greatly appreciated.

She didn't reply just kept that small, genuine smile for a few moments. They never expected replied from her, she always kept to herself when around them.

Tegan ordered a round of drinks as a barmaid passed their table. By the time the drinks arrived the other four had immersed in their own conversation, leaving Mae to her own thoughts once again.

She let her mind drift off to the events that racked her mind every waking second. She reached out to that invisible rope. She gently gripped the rope with a mental hand, she didn't pull just held it. Before it was just a presence in the back of her mind, but now that she was holding she could sense a presence at the other end of that long, long, silky rope. Mae didn't dare tug at it, didn't dare to venture to the other end, afraid of the ancient power roiling off it.

It tugged.

She jumped in her chair.

It wasn't a strong tug, just enough force to move it from the mental hand.

All eyes at the table turned to her. Mae felt her face heat with embarrassment and slumped down in her seat.

"Are okay, Mae?" Tegan asked worriedly after the guys turned back to their conversation.

"Yeah, it was nothing. I just got lost in thought," Mae brushed off her question.

Impulsively Mae touched the spot on her wrist where the tattoo lay, she rubbed it staring distantly at the far wall of the tavern. Carefully, cautiously, she reached back out with that mental hand and wrapped it around the ancient tether. Slowly, she tugged. And waited. Nothing happened after a few minutes so she tuned into the conversation. She took a sip of her ale.

No matter how hard she tried to listen to conversation in front of her, Mae kept focusing on the tether in her mind. She kept that mental wrapped around the tether. She kept sipping her ale, pretending to listen to the groups conversation, nodding and smiling when when everyone else did.

She felt it then, another tug, firm but gentle, serious and soothing. I'm coming, I'll find you, it seemed to covey. She gave similar tug back in acknowledgement. She didn't feel another after that.

A hand waved on front of her face. She looked at the owner of the hand. Tegan was watching her with a look of amusement and concern.

"Are you there, Mae? You were just staring at the table, still holding you drink. You got a distant look in your eyes." Mae looked down at her hand and sure enough Tegan was right, she was still holding her drink.

"I'm fine," Mae said simply, and took a drink from her half empty cup of ale.

Tegan eyed her warily as the boys went back to their conversation once again. Bleddyn's gaze lingered for a moment, but then turned back to the others. Bran and Gareth didn't really pay much heed to Mae and she didn't mind. Mae turned to meet Tegan's harsh stare. In that moment Mae debated telling everything to Tegan, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to tell her. Her mouth refused to speak the aloud. From the close distance between them Mae could see the little fires burning in Tegan's forest green eyes, it was almost too intense for Mae to look at.

Mae sighed, "I'm fine Tegan, really." She smiled what she hoped was a genuine looking smile.

Tegan only frowned more, "I don't believe you for a second." She laughed. And Mae was grateful for the sound.

Mae tuned into the conversation, and this time actually listened and laughed with them. She had come here for a distraction and a distraction is what she would get. She could dwell on everything else later.