Chapter 5 | A Short Reprieve

   "The blessed bluebell forest!"

   The townspeople did not question the young lords' orders the morning after the night-long cremation ceremony, but still, many of them were hesitant to leave their homes. The older ones were as much attached from the emotional connections to the physical state.

   "The Sea Dragon's fountain reeks death," a knight commented without thought.

   "It seems to me, the Drakonian knights require more discipline, Commander Santiago." Rusen brushed past the brash knight.

   "We'll have to see to it together, Commander Spiros, that we straighten them out once we're back at Haerford," Manny responded in a similar but joking tone.

   Audible groans followed one after another.

   "My stuff, where are my stuff?" A teenage aristocratic girl huffed, her arms to her waist. "Did you not bring it with you when you ran here?"

   "My lady, we ran here with only our sword and our life to warn the town."

   "So you left my things at the inn? They were blessed by the strongest Seed!"

   Rusen groaned when he'd accidentally heard their conversation. Dodging them, he turned his gaze to his sister, who was busy hauling bag after bag on a horse. He raised a brow. He wasn't aware that the horses would be used to mule the people's belongings.

   "Dame Spiros–" a knight spoke up.

   "Yes?"

   "Th-The h-horses are for the knights p-patrolling ahead." The knight stammered as he spoke, afraid to correct his superior.

   Asena stared at the knight, then at her well-packed horse.

   "This is my horse."

   It was true, the horse did, in fact, belong to the Spiros family, but the town only had so many healthy horses. They were banking on using the horses under the care of the family.

   "B-But the lord, he t-told us w-we'd be using them."

   Asena stared him straight in the eye again. He would've crumbled to the ground if not for her next words.

   "Alright."

   Asena quickly unpacked the horse and headed to an unwatched cart nearer Rusen.

   "Then you had better go back to retrieve it!"

   "Excuse me," Asena interrupted.

   The young girl jumped back.

   "Lady Asena!" The knight-errant the girl had been berating bowed. "How may we help you?"

   The girl tried to ignore Asena and continued to question the knights. However, Asena spoke again. 

   Irritated, the girl jerked around. "What!"

   "I'll be taking this cart." Asena notified as she walked off, making sure not to bump into the young girl.

   "A cart is too loud, Lady Asena," one of the knight-errant informed after her.

   Asena stared at them, then to the cart, and then at her brother.

   "Make it quieter," she instructed.

   Rusen laughed. "Of course, sister."

   "And you," Asena pointed to the girl, "just have the Seed bless you another set of clothes once you return to the Temple. These Orkney Knights-Errant have other jobs they have to attend to before the march to Hallerbos. Now go."

   The knight-errant quickly took this chance to escape the shrieking young girl.

   She started to cry, "you don't understand! They're very important."

   "They meant something to you," Rusen clapped a hand to her shoulder, "and I sympathize with you, but look around my lady, we simply cannot risk any more lives for the time being."

   Indeed, as the girl stifled back the rest of her tears, for the first time that morning, she noticed how few armed individuals were around versus those who weren’t, and how panicked the commoners were.

   "At any moment, we could be outnumbered."

   Aleksi let Asena stroll away with her now quiet cart.

   "That's a good idea."

   The lord looked to his friend expectantly.

   "It cannot be done, Aleksi. It only works because she can maintain it."

   Rusen pointed at one of Asena's glowing vambraces.

   "Of course," sighed Aleksi.

   The Seed didn't understand what they were discussing.

   "Can't you send just one at least?" she suggested after a moment's reprieve.

   "Unfortunately, Lady..."

   "Tyna. Tyna of Ignis."

   Aleksi smiled softly. "Unfortunately, Lady Tyna, the lives of my people are not worth the risk of retrieving your items as sentimental as they may be. I apologize that I am not competent enough to give you any more than this. I regret to admit that we did not serve you well during your visit."

   "Yes, your visit certainly did come at a surprise," Panu commented behind Aleksi, scrolling through his Millegen as he came to view. "We were unaware that you or any Seed would be coming to the dukedom. And I'm sure we had not sent an invitation."

   The girl's face turned a bright shade of red.

   "Yes, well, the letter of reason would be... with my other things. So, best get them!"

   "Yet, you're here."

   Manny crossed his arms in contemplation.

   "Of course. I-I too ran for my life, as you know."

   "She's... nervous," Asena observed as she returned from a haul.

   Tyna's heartbeat quickened, and her palms became sweaty at the sudden turn of the subject.

   "I was afraid for my life! They– those things attacked me, us, out of nowhere."

   "Where are your Gärds, Lady Tyna?" Rusen's eyes darted around, looking for a specific set of uniforms.

   "Dead," Asena commented without blinking.

   The attention fell from Asena to Tyna within a few seconds.

   "You will have to tell us exactly what happened, Lady Tyna, but not here. Not now. We must prioritize leaving Hempholme for Hallerbos before night falls."

   Aleksi snapped his fingers to light a blue fire that burned off quickly. The other commander who hadn't been present appeared before them.

   "You called, my lord," said the knight.

   "I am appointing you as temporary Gärd to Lady Tyna. Your priority is now to keep her from harm’s way. Do you understand?"

   Bridgette did, but she didn't like having to be the one to pamper the Seed. For Rusen and Manny, it was a welcomed order.

   "It can only be you, Bridge," Aleksi murmured. "Think about it."

   Bridgette did, and she realized how correct her lord was. For one, the girl was young. She will most likely be uncomfortable with a boy near her age, Rusen, and even more with a burly man thrice her age, Manny. Bridge didn't even consider Asena.

   The little bits of casual conversations by the townspeople, as they packed the cart Asena had brought full steadfastly, died down when a knight came running, fire blazing behind him.

   "They've arrived, my lord! The infected people of Orkney!"

   "Shit." Panu scrambled to hasten the people.

   The knights, who'd been preoccupied with helping carry belongings and or helping the elderly get onto the only cart Aleksi had approved of before Asena's, dropped their tasks and drew out their swords.

   "We must run to Hallerbos!"

   Their paces quickened, packing and barking for assistance. The town once again heard cries of panic.

   "I'll handle it," Asena's still glowing vambrace made a clicking sound as she turned the pentagram projecting out, "if you will."

   Aleksi had only a second to think it through.

   "Asena will lead. You two, you will follow. The rest of us will head on to Hallerbos. Those who are able, assist anyone who has not yet finished their packing. We must leave now!"

   "Will that cart still be as quiet as we need it?" One of the knights-errant asked as they hauled even more stuff on it.

   "Lady Asena would not undo the magic seeing as we need it."

   One of the Drakon knights answered without hesitation.

   "But how will we take it with us?"

   "Attach it to a horse, quickly," Rusen called over a knight riding a horse. "One will be enough. Come. Come!"

   Rusen lightly stomped a foot to the ground and raised a palm from the height of his thigh to his chest. The front of the cart slightly rose off the ground, high enough that the men around could quickly tie it to the horse.

   "You there," Rusen pointed to one of the knights-errant, "how well are you with your magic?"

   When the knight did not attempt to answer, only looking confused, Rusen amended his query.

   "What I mean is, can you help push the cart along if it happens to get stuck?"

   The knight smiled, "yes! Yes, I can do that, sir."

   "Good, you will follow closely behind. Go now, the lord will be leading." He turned to face a crowd waiting for him. "If you have completed all the packing needed, follow this cart!"

   "Have all the elders been checked on? Can this cart leave?"

   Elder Monik surveyed all the old people surrounding him.

   "We are all here, Manny."

   "Head on out then," Manny directed the knights in charge of the cart.

   "Lady Tyna?"

   The young Ignis Seed was shaking terribly. "How? How did they know we would be here?"

   "I have been informed that they have a great sense of hearing."

   Bridgette's calm voice juxtaposed the busy background and the intense fear emitting from the people.

   "Are you not afraid?"

   "Truth be told, whenever Lady Asena readily takes to the front, I feel the safest."

   Tyna turned to her new, but temporary Gärd, who was staring out in the direction of the oncoming danger.

   "My Gärds graduated top ten of their class. I graduated top ten of my class. I don't have much power, but I managed to best some of the best Seeds at the Temple, yet I couldn't ever imagine fighting any of those."

   "Lady Asena has been a knight since the age of 12. It's hardly a fair comparison."

   "Since 12 years old!"

   "She was born a genius, though I would not say that to her face."

   "Afraid she'll have an ego?"

   "On the contrary..."

   "Bridgette," Rusen mounted his horse with a few stragglers rushing before him, "it's time to leave!"

   "Do you know how to ride a horse, my lady?"

   Before Tyna could respond, Bridgette had gone off to retrieve the horse meant for them.

   "I guess, I will have to learn?"

chapter footnotes:

1. Seed is a type of person born with the ability to wield light magic. I was once a rare ability bestowed only to one person, over the years, more individuals have been born with the blessing. Despite the theory that it is through specific genetic mutations, the people of Damyanov have the firm belief that everyone has the chance to unlock this ability to a certain degree.

2. Gärd: Used to refer to anyone chosen to protect a Seed. In Asena’s era, this term is used for the Lucian knights meant to protect the temple. 

1. fun fact: Anastas Spiros was once a Gärd.