Post 8

Perhaps I was wrong about his intentions, she thought, the wind whipping through her hair. Honey appeared to be holding on for dear life, in her pouch.

“If we make it past the river we should be safe.” Stan’s voice was almost lost in the air trying to pull them back. The sun beat down on them, it couldn’t have been past midday.

Suddenly an arrow whistled through the air, brushing past Stan’s ear with deadly accuracy. The arrow was enough to spook his horse, which stopped galloping and rose on its hind legs, trying to shake his master.

Clearly these horses were never trained for combat.

Against her better judgment, Cassia slowed her horse and turned him around, facing the attacking elves.

The smoke effect seemed to have worn off. Cassia had seen it before, Thad had used a lesser version to entertain the city children during parties or meetings that preceded parties. It was just a trick, a combination of different roots or herbs. Nothing compared to what elves could do.

“I’ll say it again,” Atropos sneered down at Stan, his green eyes glinting fiercely, “We need the Graystone. You are free to go.”

“Why do you need me?” Cassia asked, her voice cutting clear across the dirt path. The elves turned to look at her. She must have looked braver than she felt, for they looked to their leader to say something.

“We follow orders.” He said, not meeting her eyes. He lowered his spear to jab Stan in the ribs with it. Not enough to kill him, just enough that he knew what he was dealing with. “And our orders do include killing anyone who gets in our way.”

Maybe it was the horse chase, maybe the pain that was jolting through his side, but Stan broke.

“Okay! Take her! I don’t care!” He scrambled to his feet. “It’s better this way. Better that she died in the forest than once she was actually home.” He turned to go, eyes on the elves. When none of the Brotherhood moved to stop him, he took off through the woods, avoiding meeting Cassia eyes.

As soon as he was out of hearing range, the elves started shaking with laughter.

“Coward!” Atropos called after him. “Good riddance!” One of the elves led Cassia’s horse over to him, with her still riding.

She was panicked, remembering the mermaid’s warning. Blood would be spilled, what if it was meant to be hers? Suddenly she realized that perhaps she was in better hands now. Stan had only been plotting to kill her. Archia had been right.

“Don’t be afraid, Mistress Graystone. You’re in good hands.” Atropos said, his voice mysteriously soothing.

“You’re not going to hurt me?” Cassia didn’t let her voice waver. In fact, she almost believed the words as she said them. Honey was much too relaxed for this to be a person that meant her harm.

“Your father would slaughter us if we ever let harm come to you.” He smiled. Cassia relaxed. Her father. Of course.

Master Graystone had many connections throughout Arche, ranging from merchants to sailors, soldiers to peasants, Wizards to, in this case, Elves.

“He sent you?”

“He suspected the young Tempest knew of your departure.” Atropos explained, leading the horse down the path as the rest of the Brotherhood followed. “Soldiers arrived at your parents’ house the night after you left. Thanks to his connection with the Tribe, and various mages, he had a series of secret tunnels under the house, which he led your family and servants through. They popped up in Laddinley a few hours later. You can imagine our surprise.” The elves chuckled a bit. The noise was a bit disturbing, echoing off the trees and making it appear that there were more than the four or five following them.

“Master Graystone was sure they had sent someone to, ah, retrieve you. He sent us along, knowing that no Tempest follower would know of his connections. We were just supposed to follow you silently until something troubling happened.”

“How did you know that Stan was with Tempest?” Cassia asked. They approached the hill leading to Millea once again. Cassia was suddenly anxious to see her sister, to tell her what had happened, to warn her of any danger.

“We saw him as he came into town. There was a letter with his mission on it. He was going to kill you.” This didn’t seem to bother Atropos, he walked slowly, in pace with the tired horse, down past the sign and to the streets that Cassia had walked the last time.

“Thank you, I suppose.” Cassia sighed as Honey began squirming in her knapsack. She removed the dog, who began running in midair, toward the docks. “What is it Honey?” Honey whined, the high pitch rung throughout the village. Atropos and the other elves gasped. “What?” In an instant spears and bows were drawn, and all but Atropos had galloped toward the dock.

“You don’t have to see it.” He said to Cassia. In one fluid motion he had leapt up onto the horse, behind Cassia, took the reigns from her startled hand and turned it to trot toward Archia’s house.

“What’s wrong?” Cassia’s heart was fluttering, her breath coming much too short. Something terrible had happened.

“There’s nothing you can do.” He brought the horse to a halt and jumped off. He took Honey from her hands and placed her on the ground, then lifted Cassia and put her, too on the ground. She was so startled she couldn’t protest.

“Go find your sister.” He told her, kneeling next to the dog. Cassia finally brought herself to move, and sure enough he had taken them to Archia’s dwelling. She hurried inside, opening the door without being allowed in.

“Cassia?” Archia took in her flustered face and immediately came to her sister’s side. “What’s wrong?”

“Just…Just come with me.” Suddenly Atropos’ orders and Honey’s actions were making sense. A sense that she did not want to consider. Archia followed her outside, where the elf was still conversing with the dog. Archia gasped quietly, but Cassia couldn’t bring herself to look at her sister. “Atropos?” The elf looked up, immediately taking in Archia’s condition.

He swore under his breath.

“We can only wait here.” He said, not meeting Cassia’s eyes.

“What has happened?” Archia asked, her tone much more demanding than Cassia’s had been. Atropos rubbed the back of his neck, glancing down at Honey as if asking her permission. Finally he sighed and looked up at the sisters.

“Something has happened to your husband.” He said, his voice solemn. “I believe that at the same time the messenger came for Cassia, someone else came for him.”

“Cristo?” Archia breathed, grabbing on to Cassia for support. “Is he all right?”

“I’ve sent the rest of my men to find and help him,” Atropos said, “They have the means to heal him, if his wounds are not too serious.”

“Oh…” Archia moaned, collapsing against the wall in tears. “We should have left before. Left all this political business behind us.” Cassia held her sister, rubbing her back as she wept. Atropos picked up Honey, who barked and whimpered to him urgently.

“I thought your kind hated animals.” Cassia accused, seeing the way he gently handled her dog.

“Rumors.” He dismissed. “Every horse we find we care for, and eventually set free. We’re not as evil as most think.”

“You talk to animals?”

“We understand those that understand us.” He said, looking toward the street as Honey barked urgently.

A formation was swiftly running toward them, carrying another on their shoulders. Cassia glanced over at Atropos, whose expression was bleak. She could almost read his mind. There was no way they would bring him back here, if there was a way to save him. They were bringing him here to report back, that there was nothing they could do.

The Brotherhood gently put Cristo’s body before his wife. Tears streamed down her face, but she held strong, this time. She stood, quite difficult to do in her condition, and bent over the face of her husband.

His once tan skin was alarmingly pale, his hair bloody and mussed. His sailor clothing was torn and covered in dried blood mixed with dirt. Atropos was right. This was not an accident. Someone had come for him.

“We were too late, Miss.” One of the elves, a shorter and younger one, said. He bowed to Archia, as did the rest of them. To her favor, she was strong. She did not faint, she did not fall to the ground. “Our sorest grievances.”

“Thank you.” Her voice was a mere whisper. “He warned me, a while back…of something a siren sang to him while he was passing an island…”

Cassia could practically hear the mermaid hissing in her ear.

The first blood has been spilled. Now it truly begins.