All things considered, Kian was unhappy. Being chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity should make him feel good. He was, but not really. With his whole life crumbling at his feet, he has bigger issues to worry about. I mean, not really. His “bigger issues” have been weighing down on him for years. He just can’t get over the past. Part of him hoped that the job was dangerous. Part of him hoped that he wouldn’t make it out alive, but he had to give it one last chance.
When the carriage finally broke, the crew had to travel by foot, hoof, or wing. Thea’s Emberaegis, Dasha, carried: Thea, Covy, and Sadhil; Aspen’s Emberaegis, Vixen, carried: Aspen, Kenji, and Magnus. Sienna led in the middle with her chesnut-colored horse, Felicie. After dark, they settled somewhere in east Phillipi or south Latta. Either way, they are in the middle of nowhere with forsests and rivers. The woods was cold with cracking leaves as they sat on their bedrolls and Aspen’s feet crunch as she left to find firewood. “Who has the best kill story?” Every one turned to look at Kenji as he laid down his lion skin cloak. “What? It’s an interesting question! You know, you can learn a lot about a person from how the kill people”, he shruggs. Laughing and sighing, they showed the worst of themselves to eachother. They could finally see eachother for what they actually were: killers. Although, for murderers, the amount of giggling seemed accessive. “You WHAT?” “I didn’t fully understand, I was pressing my lips to a bottle all night!” Covy told the story of how a woman had fallen for him when he was trying to kill her. It was quite new to hear about Covy having a love life; it seemed pretty inaccurate with the way he swings. “Maggie, go”, Covy pointed as he shook his head. “It’s not a story you really want to hear”, he claimed, his face going solemn. “Oh, come on you stick-in-the-mud”, Kenji started ,” you gotta share SOMETHING.” The group demanded his words like gold. “Alright, fine”, he said, pressing a glass bottle of rum to his lips, “I was paid by a man to kill his sister.” He stopped and looked at each of their faces, puzzled. “They were competing for a position, being similar in age”, he continued, ears filling with anxiety, not hearing the crunch of leaves behind him. “I killed her the night she was supposed to be incudcted and I lost my other dagger”, he hushed as he unsheathed his single dagger, his second one missing. He peered at their faces again, seeing Thea’s eyes light up in understanding and Sienna’s lips pressed together as she realized what he had done. Magnus killed Aspen’s sister. “What?” Magnus turned to see Aspen holding a dozen logs, face disbelieving what she had overheard.
After getting off of a boat near the west coast of Fallonia, the crew decided to face their way back to The Atrium with relief: setting up camp became more exiting because they could all sit down and rest together. Gathering around a small fire to eat dinner every night was Aspen’s favorite part of the endeavor. Hearing the soft, warm crackle of fire as it lit the faces of her laughing friends made her feel less empty. Falling alseep in a big pile of limbs, hair, “get off of my leg” and “stop elbowing me” whines, although annoying some nights, gave her comfort knowing that people aknowledged her, maybe even called a friend. Ruelle didn’t seem to understand the dynamic between the seven kids. She would stare blankly at the black, star-speckled sky every night, sleeping far away from the others. Aspen couldn’t quite grasp what her sister had been through, nor did she really know, but she could understand how she felt. She was trapped her whole life, but now finding solace from a bunch of teenage warriors. It sounds pretty ridiculous. Sadly, Aspen felt that these people were more family to her than Ruelle or any one else back at The Palace of Angels. I guess that’s okay though, right? I mean, family isn’t always defined by blood.
During an especially long night, Kenji wondered “How are we going to justify taking the Jewels to the board?” I guess no one thought of a real answer because everyone paused for a second, letting the crickets take up the silence. “Well,” Oria started, “we tell them the truth. We needed them to find the heir that they wanted us to retrieve. ” “I thought we were supposed to lie to them” Kenji replies, confused. He really needed to work on his moral compass, but that’s for another time when they aren’t saving a whole monarchy.
We live in a land where the foot prints of ghosts linger. The Forelands is the result of the four most legendary leaders.
Fallon Corselia- General of The Forces Darvin Frandson- Head of the peoples’ voice Adya Lativsky- Director of agriculture and trade Phillip Capozzi- Leader of religion
These four were the committee of Alturas. The stones they possessed were able to grant a second sight: visions of the people and their truths. These four crystals were known as the Verity Jewels. Each leader kept one close in times of uncertainty. Too bad they abused the power they had, and turned Alturas into ruins of the past.
