Plight of an Empire

Chapter Thirty Four: Laelette

Weywynd, Rundil

Getting out of Mynoa was the easy part.  Trekking across a snow laden terrain full of heavily armed, overly cautious soldiers was another thing entirely.  But Lisbette and Laelette knew the risk of joining the Ice Kin before they began their journey, and they still chose to follow him.

With Lucien staked with his men outside the walls of Mynoa, they had little problem escaping from his manor.  They had memorized the layout of it, knowing exactly when and where the optimum points of exit were.  They even made it out without any bloodshed, much to the surprise of Laelette.  She was certain that her sister would have roasted some poor soul just to watch them burn.

Ever since what happened with Marten, Laelette had noticed a change in her sister.  She couldn’t connect with her like they could before.  Lisbette had been acting as if she were better than her.

Her lips curled at the memory of Lisbette standing over Marten’s body with a smirk on those full lips of hers.  That is my curse.  To be better than you.  What stung the most was that she fell right into her sister’s little ploy.  She should have known better.

Lisbette crouched behind a tree just in front of Laelette, the snow melting at her feet.  They had to remain off the roads.  Too many patrols.  As far as the world knew, Lisbette and Laelette were dead.  They couldn’t afford to be discovered before they reached the Ice Kin.

Laelette peered around the tree, listening for any sounds of horses or men.  They had come close to being found twice.  They didn’t intend on making the same mistakes again.  She heard nothing.  But that didn’t always mean they weren’t there.  She stepped around the tree, scanning the land of white, but finding nothing but a few birds and squirrels.  We can’t be much farther now, can we?

For three days, they’ve been making their way north.  As slow going as it was, they knew they had to be approaching the edge of Audriel’s line.  After that, they can break into a sprint into the cold embrace of the Ice Kin.  That was a moment Laelette was most looking forward to.  She was tired of having to look over her shoulder all the time, fearing for another Marten, or his ghost, or even a quarrel coming at her.

“Nothing,” she whispered to Lisbette.  “Is it possible that we’ve already passed the line?”

Lisbette shook her head.  “It can’t be.  We just saw Weywynd this morning. Lucien said that he was sending men as far as three leagues past the town.”  She paused, stepping out from behind the tree.  “Maybe they’re all dead.  Shame.  I wanted a few myself.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that if I were you.”

Lisbette grinned.  “You’re right.  There are more than enough people to kill in this gods forsaken land.”

“The Ice Kin wants slaves, Lis.”

“Then I’ll kill those who try to stand up to us.  Their corpses will serve as reminder to the weak of who the strong are.”  Her white teeth shone with the white snow.  “Us.”

I wonder if she actually takes me for a fool, Laelette though bitterly.  She believes herself to be the stronger of us.  Her arrogance will be her downfall.  And I won’t be there to pick her up.  She just bit her tongue and remained silent.

They trudged through the snow for hours, in mostly silence.  Occasionally, one would hear a strange sound and they would leap into some brush or behind a tree until it was safe to resume their voyage.  The cold didn’t slow them down.  Only fear and caution did.

Tall pines with their prickly leaves grew more numerous the farther north they ventured.  The snow grew deeper as well.  Had Lisbette not had her fire and Laelette her ice, they would have lost their feet to the black long ago.