Jashen moved from the protection of shadow to shadow, slowly. He was wary and cagey after that bizarre old man. He was well aware that the man knew he was there, though his words had been for Arcalan alone.


With painstaking care, he emerged near her, making not a sound. Bared weapons filled his fists. "Sh...Arc, sh," he cautioned her as he settled next to her. He peered about them, senses extended as much as he could.

"It'll be ok," he said, setting one blade down and placing a comforting arm around her.

 

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"Crispian," Azi tried desperately to contain her anger, "Lexi was talking about Church.. she wanted to speak to God. She's been reading scripture. She's getting better.. and now this.." She clenched her fists, looking out into the street in the direction her sister had run.


"Church?" Crispian looked stunned, "But she said something about a lake?"


"The lake of fire," Azi nodded, "She started at the end, she's terrified of it.. She didn't want anyone to know, Crispian. She's embarassed." Crispian laughed loudly, his eyes alight with the irony of that.


"Embarassed about THAT of all things?!" He shook his head in disbelief.


"That isn't the issue, Crispian. How do you know about Basaia?" Her voice was calm and even, but inside she was boiling angry. Lexi had been through so much, everyone wondered why she was so troublesome. Only Azi seemed to understand that she needed understanding and trust to get beyond her past. Crispian nodded to the door and they made thier way inside to his room, where he sent Tannir off for tea and made certain the door was closed.


"I read her diary." Crispian confessed as they settled into chairs near the small hearth. "Arcalan found it, that was what the key was for.. I thought I could help her by reading about her thoughts." He looked to the door as a loud thud sounded fromt he other side. "So Arcalan and I read her diary."


"ou did WHAT?!" The door flung open and Lexi stumbled inside dragging a helpless-looking Emlae behind her. "ou nasty, evil man! You--you farkin' sack of HORSE DUNG! I hate you!" She spat at him and Emlae let go. The room fell dead silent around them as Crispian, Azi, and Emlae stared at Lexi, stunned.


"I'm finished here. Close the door when you leave." Crispian said quietly, brushing past Lexi and out the door. Azaeli sighed, caught again between her sister and her dearest friend.


"I knew you could never betray me, sis. I should have known that pig would snoop in my things." She stood up and pushed Emlae away, brushing off her soot-stained smithing robes. Azaeli felt her face grow hot, remembering the trials she'd been through with Crispian. He was a true friend. She couldn't let him be hurt this way, especially not by her own sister. And Lexi, it seemed, would never learn. She hated having to choose, but she knew instantly what she must do.


"He's your Senechal, Apolexia. He deserves your respect." She seethed as she pushed past Lexi with a glare and rushed out to find Crispian.

Lexi looked at her sister run from her. She knew then the facts that would snowball from there. With Crispian's knowledge would soon come her arrest, with her arrest would soon come her execution... the simpleness of it all seemed to come together so well, and she knew her sister would not protect her.


Running from the hall, she thought of her options. To run and hide, become an outlaw as a bandit... to stay and face the consequences... well she had learned from Tashtego that to do anything else would not be acceptable, and so she resigned herself to it, and decided to head to the tavern and wait a couple hours before going to look for her sister again.


The tavern was boisterous, she'd been here many atimes before, the barkeep called to her, 'Usual?' she nodded and drank out of the mug. Though the knowledge of what to come filled her thoughts, and soon the depression of it captured her... one drink became two... two became three... three became seven, eight, and nine. The barkeep looked over to her, she had been drinking for three straight hours, a dark cloud seemed to hang over her head.


"Dat be enuf lass." he told her, as she asked for more.


Lexi's eyes burned red, demanding more. The barkeep refused and as she got up she threw her mug at him. The mug knocked over the barkeep, nailing him in the back of his head. The drinks he carried spilled over to the customers around him, as an older knight yelled out having been drenched with ale. He looked around, and caught by his eye a wobbling female walking out. Striding over to her he grasped her by the hand and spun her around. Lexi's hands instantly went to her mithril blades, the blades cut into the knight's shoulder as he let go falling back. The others in the bar stopped drinking to notice, and soon the city guard stepped into the bar breaking up the brawl. Chairs were destroyed, some people lay unconscious.


It took over an hour for the guards to decipher what had happened. The guards looked over to Apolexia, she had cuts on her face, bruises apparent from the fights she was in... and arrested her for the fights she had been in and ruckus caused.


Apolexia awoke and looked around, she was in a dungeon cell, and her head hurt. She looked around and called out to find out what was happening, and no one answered. She sat down in the cell and waited.

"Jashen" moaned Arcalan again and again, seeming to barely recognise his presence save for the comforting hand to which she clung with both of hers. She began to rock back and forward gently and to cry. Jashen could not help but wonder what whisper the old man had imparted to her as she left.. could this be the cause of her upset? Or was it another pretense?

Finally she managed to stammer out "He'll be so very angry... I've let him down... I am bad.... he'll be angry.... I shouldn't have, but I did... I let him down. I am bad." She made little sense whispering away as she rocked back and forth, clearly wracked with emotion.

The sky was already begining to grow light as the pre-dawn stretched it's fingers across the Barfog hills, and mist rolled off the lake. Beads of dew were to be seen on the grass, and both Arcalan and Jashen were shivering with the cold and wet. The stars dimmed in the sky, but the cold voice of disappointment grew ever stronger in Arcalan's head. She had failed him.

Jashen let Arcalan rock and listened to her bizarre rambling, mentalling noting each of them in some detached portion of his mind, even as he tried to comfort her. He did not know what had happened within that small hut, but something was very wrong with all of this.


He murmurred softly to her as she kept crying over her failure, her small body cradled into his arm. The physical protect was all the comfort he could give and he tried as best he could.


As the night continued onward, her sobs became less until she slept.

 

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/bump cause its on its sixth page, BAH!

/nump, so Azi can post the next bit ((Sorry to Apolexia who no doubt thought this was the next bit of story...))

Azaeli sat staring into the fire, her knees tucked to her chin in Pappa's chair. She fingered the parchment absently, listening to the noise of bustling carts and city folk in the streets outside. Her eyes ran over the letter again, and she smiled at Lexi's improving handwriting. Though her sister's message hadn't been very pleasant, it was more than she'd expected from her sister, being closed up in a convent with no explanation.


Azaeli sighed and pulled her robes flat over her knees. She had gotten her out of the dungeon at least. She was glad of that. She winced as images of Lexi's back, slashed and bloodied by lashings, flashed before her. The sisters at the abbey would treat her well, better than that she was certain.


She read the short lines at the end again, these much neater and written by the Mother, and smiled. The evil that had touched Lexi, the evil that Azi was so certain still controlled her actions somehow, was gone. But had it changed her sister? She started reading the letter again as Pappa pushed open the door and plodded inside.


He looked at her with shock, turned and went back outside, scratched his head, and peered back into the little sitting room.


"Pappa?" Azaeli called toward the door, leaning out of her chair. Judan came to stand in the doorway with a confused look, then his expression broke into a wide smile.


"I thought I had the wrong house!" He bellowed from the stoop, "For it's not every day I come home to find an angel sitting in my chair!" A passing pair of weary adventurers peered into the house at that, and smiled at Azi, who blushed and waved meekly.


"Pappa, come inside," she giggled. "I'll make tea." She filled the kettle and set it on the fire as Pappa pulled off his boots and leather apron and pushed them into the cupboard. He lowered himself into his chair before the hearth and hummed softly, watching his daughter as she quietly pulled this jar and that pouch from the shelf and set the mugs out.


"Quiet here," he said as he stretched his legs out into the flashing orange firelight. Azi turned and smiled, and he stretched his arms out for a hug. Her heart leapt as she went to cozy herself in the little space on the chair beside him and snuggled into his arms. The two had spent countless nights this way: Azaeli tucked to her pappa's chest, his chin resting softly on her head, silently watching the fire together.


"I hope they can help her, Pappa," Azaeli sighed.


"They will, Azi," Judan's voice rumbled to her ear as her head rested on his massive chest. "The sisters there are kind and patient, and that is what Lexi needs most now." Judan had heard everything from Azi, for she never kept a thing from him, even the deepest secrets. It was his suggestion to send Lexi to the convent where her mother was raised. Her thoughts turned to her mother, and the two sat in silence. She was certain Pappa was thinking of her as well.


"I remember when you would spar with her," Azaeli's soft voice finally broke the silence, "you were both so fast, it was like watching a street show." Golden hair and glistening metal flashed in her memory, mingling with the blue and yellow banners of her parents' guild hall. She snuggled closer to Pappa, tucking a small hand into his and smiling. "Mamma would come close to besting you, and you would lift her up in your arms and cover her face with kisses to stop her." She smiled, and Pappa chuckled softly.


"Aye," her hair caught in the bristle of his beard as he spoke. A long silence filled the room again as they each remembered thier own fond memories. "I remember the day you were born, Azaeli." He kissed the top of her head.


"We'd had a bad week of rain. Everything was wet and muddy. But your mother, she was beautiful as ever. The midwife and sisters were frantic, running here and there, getting this and that. I peeked in on her at the risk of being flogged by several women and she smiled at me, all calm and just..." his voice softened slowly, almost to a whisper, "just beautiful like a holy vision..."


The hum of Pappa's voice through his chest and the warmth of the fire soothed Azi. As he told the story she'd heard a hundred times in her childhood, she drifted peacefully to sleep.

Azi still slept as Judan crept out in the early morn. Both her hunting and the business with Lexi had taken a toll on the poor girl, his little angel, and he was content to let her sleep. besides, he couldn't break fast with her this morn, having such an early start to get to Ludlow.

The order had been quite urgent, and being a freind of the Pews, he'd agreed to take the consignment to them himself. A respected blacksmith like Judan could have sent an errand boy of course, but it was always nice to catch up with old friends. no doubt he'd breakfast there and return in time for lunch with Azaeli.

It was a gorgeous day that was dawning, and the air felt crisp and clean, as though the night wind had blown away all the cobwebs of the city. He'd packed a few things and laden the materials he'd need on the cart, intending to use the forge at Ludlow to make the repairs Pew had asked of him. As dawn graced the sky and the fresh winds blew on his face and beard, Judan could not help but pray to the Lord that his adopted daughter Lexi could benefit from this fresh wind, a fresh start in her life. Ah t'was sad, but most needed that that girl be in the convent. Amen. The road unfolded before him as he left Cotswald on the horse and cart.


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Ceowyr watched Judan trundle past, from his place of concealment. The Rebirth grew nearer with passing moment, and he was the right hand of his Master.. glory and immortal life were within his grasp!


The cart moved off out of sight, and Ceowyr exulted in his Master's name, and the glorious day that was coming. His brother would surely join him when he realised what he dealt with.

/late night bump

 

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