Embers in the Ashes

Chapter 6

Ray worried as they returned to the palace. The burning anger in Cahira's gazed cooled, leaving empty eyes. The murderous aura around her disappeared so suddenly it left his head spinning. Her silence unsettled him, but he did nothing to end it. He knew it was a lot to process. The reminders were always the worst part about moving to the capital for him. There was no escape from his demons.

Cahira wasn't trying to be difficult, not really, it was just so much easier to feel nothing. That one word caused an internal battle. Every part of her wanted to storm out of the gates to hunt those she had been too weak and afraid to face before.  However, logically, she knew she wasn't physically or mentally prepared to fight what would undoubtedly be a bloody battle. If she let herself feel anything, she would do something reckless. 

Even so, her mind whirled between nightmarish memories and just what that dark figure had been. Fearing another attack should she continue along the first line of thought, she put all her focus on the second. It had come from the tower, perhaps the prince knew? Rezon did say he lived there.

Cahira smiled when Ray left her to begin his patrol, she had not forgotten what he had done for her that day and she truly was grateful.

"Haris, keep an eye out during basic training, I'm going to leave you in the dust."

"You, my little damsel, are sorely mistaken."

"So you say, but you've never seen me handle a sword."

Cahira was unnervingly silent as she sat on her bed. Jayr watched her anxious, but he didn't yet know her well enough to inquire. He never did like the silence, bad things happen then. It's why he always hummed while he worked.

She smiled gently at him. He tried to do the same, but her eyes unsettled him; they were blank. The gaze sent a shiver down his back and if the pinched expression said anything, she noticed. She wasn't trying to scare anyone and she certainly wasn't trying to make it seem as though something were wrong, she just...thinks best in the quiet. In the coming years people would realize this and begin to read the silences for, yes, sometimes something was wrong, but more often she was simply lost in thought. she would become known for her contemplative nature.

She shook her head, forcing her mind back into the present in an effort to alleviate Jayr's discomfort. "Sorry Jayr, I have a lot on my mind." and wasn't that an understatement. Her life had done a complete 180 in those few days. Everything she had ever known was gone, the Abigor sieges had increased with startling frequency, her life depended on the protection of a prince she just met and her eyes refused to unsee that shadow. She had no idea what she would do.

"Do you want to talk about it?" When she smiled at him then he was glad to see more life in her, but he knew it was, at least in part, an act for his benefit. He saw her gaze and it wasn't blank, it was haunted.

"I don't think I can, not until I make sense of it myself. " She messaged her temples, "Thank you, though."

"Anytime."

"You know, Ray's on patrol right now. I'm sure he's dreadfully bored." She winked, laughing at his flaring blush.

"You're the worst!" She waved gleefully from the hall.

"I try." He did indeed make his way toward Ray's patrol station, but not with the usual enthusiasm most had begun to expect from the boy. He pulled his jacket tighter around his frame. He always hated the palace at night. The stone and damp chill brought forth too many unwanted memories.

Anyone who saw him that night would have said he seemed distracted, but he too had to come to terms with the recent events. Just three days ago he was a faceless servant. he was invisible, exactly what he wanted to be. Then, Cahira stormed into his life, destroying all his efforts with one unfortunate princely command. Jayr never blamed her for that nor did he regret the life that those words gave him, however, on bad days- days of loss, suffering and undue pain- he was often left to wonder what would have happened had the prince chosen someone else. Those thoughts were many years away after the kingdom had fallen to its knees and demons could no longer be ignored. That evening, as the sun bathed his features in a soft orange glow, he would be reminded once again how one moment could change someone so drastically and hoped that this time it was for the better.