From Ashes and Snow

A New Path

Unedited

≻≺ Chapter 17: A New Path ≻≺

The first order of business as 'purveyors' of a new path of justice was to spread word of the movement we were creating. In the grander scheme of things, I knew that we were nothing important yet. The Cadelith Empire would move on without ever hearing about us if we were to be snuffed out now. We were only the raw beginnings of something more, a movement born on the border between the Elven and human lands.

But a humble beginning didn't always mean a humble end.

The news spread quickly in Haaling. The Paladin outpost was filled with people with fire in their veins, who had witnessed what the Nirani had done, and felt the loss of their soldiers first-hand. They knew, in this cold and desolate land, that help wouldn't come from Shaldorn. I admired their unwavering trust in the Captain, who they followed without question.

Even if I disliked the man, it showed good character when his own men respected him so much. The name of our movement spread even quicker; it had been a name thought up partially in jest first, but it had stuck all the same. 

The Legion; the name gave the people of Haaling something to stand behind. Suddenly the baker wasn't just a baker, he was working in the Legion, a cog in the wheel of something that could be powerful. And to be powerful, we needed everyone.

And with the creation of the Legion, the people of Haaling seemed to focus in on me more. The grim dislike was gone from their faces, replaced with wary curiosity. That was harder to deal with. It was the same that afternoon as I walked through Haaling. Arno and Zeer padded along beside me and I stroked their necks absently, feeling the woven bands of their collars that had been gifted to them by Heslan.

I had eaten breakfast alone, tucked in a corner of the hall while conversation babbled around me. During it, I had thought of nothing but the creature with the amethyst eyes and as I walked down to the training area, I thought of him again. Magins and Paladins stared openly at me as if I were something foreign and I resisted the urge to curl my fingers to hide the marks gleaming on my palms.

I could hear snatches of what they said. Of what I had done in Abeth and their curiosity stemmed their dislike for the moment. I would take the reprieve, even if I didn't like the attention I was getting; because with that curiosity stemmed genuine emotions of pity for what had happened to me. People called me Birchwood instead of Half-Blood, which was an improvement I guessed.

What I wouldn't have given though, to have Kendon and Vanya with me. Even Ater and Kelin would have unburdened by this.

Kendon would pour over endless tomes with Fyr, giddy with the knowledge that he was uncovering. Sometimes I had wondered if he liked the punishments the Mentors dolled out because he got to spend copious amounts of time on aged tomes where the pages were so brittle that an exhale too strong would cause it to crumble.  Kelin and Ater would have been aghast at my self-induced solitude; they made friends with everyone and everyone loved them. Ater would have loved to flirt openly with the Zentin, or even would have braved the Captain too.

Vanya would have had the men wrapped around her fingers. It was never intentional for her; her warmth and openness drew people like moths to flames. Like me, her emotions tended to rule her. If they didn't, she never would have run into the Sanctum, and I never would have followed her. I wished for her to be by my side, and Kendon to. To have their voices in my ears when I faltered, doubted what I was doing but I had no one like that now.

I had...no one.

Warning growls rumbled from Arno's chest as I passed under the shadow of the walls surrounding Haaling and a guard dared walk too close to him. Paling, the poor young man skirted to the side as the Crag Hound loped past, with amber eyes tracking the trembling man intently.  Soon the banners of the Legion would hang there; the design had been a bone of contention between the four of us in the Map-Room and after much arguing and stubborn heel-dragging, we decided on the simplest and most obvious design of the all. The mark on my palms, the Joining symbol of two silver lined arrows pointing in towards each other.