The Princess of Wrath

Chapter 6 - Part V: The Black Ice Mountain

It had not been long before Chalrus returned not only with the horses, but with a small brigade of imperial horsemen armed to the teeth that patrolled the land and were unpleasantly surprised to see more than fifteen corpses scattered on the road and in both plateaus. The driver had been unable to get rid of them, so Diana and Roland took nearly half an hour to explain the events to the brigade leader without exposing Asura, who had stayed inside the carriage with the hood of her trench-coat on.

Without affirming or denying anything, Diana made use of her superior rank to make them respect the anonymity and secrecy of the trip and by showing the leader the imperial sigil in the front of the document signed and sealed by the Empress.

The brigade leader was rapidly convinced and ordered his soldiers to get off their horses to help Diana and Lucy clear the way, moving rocks and corpses to their sides. The respect that they had for an Imperial Guard was so great that even the leader promised Diana that he would take the heads of the Hamilton siblings to the ICC Embassy in Entrana and later go to the Silent Keep to personally deliver the bounty rewards to her and "the youngest Wraith" after their journey is over.

Once the brigade left, Asura and her companions resumed with the journey to the Black Ice Mountain. They had tied the carriage door with a rope to immobilize it and covered the window with cloth, but Roland's and Lena's blood stains were still on the carpet and seats as evidence of what had happened. Diana and Lucy also had parts of their uniforms contaminated with bandit's blood, while Asura's coat still had dirt and mud stains that were not going to leave even with dozens of brushes.

"I didn't have the courtesy to thank you for saving my life, Miss Wraith," Roland said gratefully as he carefully rolled up his left arm. "A few more seconds and Hamilton would have racked my brain with her knife."

Sitting next to him, Lucy turned the dark gaze in her mask stained with infinitesimal blood drops to the Princess as if seeking her approval to speak. On the other hand, having left the conflict with the bandits behind, Asura was again discouraged when she realized that Diana had returned to treat her with indifference; by giving the Wraith a silent affirmation, she replied to Roland with crude honesty:

"My intention was not to save you, Alchemist, but the Princess. You are just a liability."

"Oh my! So I guess I was very lucky!" he exclaimed, laughing out loud but equally forced to interrupt it due to an injection of pain from the wounds in his arm: most of the cuts were not as deep but would require medical attention. "I hope there's someone in the Temple who knows how to suture wounds."

"There must be. In the meantime, come closer," Asura pulled a cloth handkerchief from one of her pockets and gently took the Alchemist's arm to keep it still in front of her. Carefully, she passed the handkerchief over the area with the most wounds and tied a knot. "It's the least I can do, for your bravery. My mother will make it up to you, I'm sure."

"Oh come on Princess, anyone would have done the same," Roland winked at her, making Asura chuckle and shaking her head slightly. "But I like the idea that I may have a chance of avoiding being sent to the dungeon for meddling in your journey."

"Don't tempt your luck."

Asura and Roland continued chatting amicably, as if every trace of enmity between them prior to the discovery of the curse had ceased to exist. The hours passed quickly with the Alchemist's endless and interesting anecdotes about new technological discoveries, and Belrus slowly began to hide on the horizon of the Misty Ocean. Diana hardly wanted to participate in the talk, while Lucy kept her static behavior as always.

Once they reached the foot of the Black Ice Mountain, the speed of the carriage slowed and the cold increased with the impending fall of night. The wind was stronger than the knots of the cloth in the window and blew it away, stealing what little heat was in there but offering a breathtaking view: the mountainside was divided into several massive sections, each with small temples in its geographical centers and interconnected by thick wooden bridges that made up the road, granting a wide and smooth ascent, circling dozens of boulders, lighted lamps and religious structures that have been rustically built up by believers throughout the centuries.