Private Tales Upriver

[Rayth Keirn]

Rayth placed his hands over her own. For both the avoidance of falling asleep himself and leaving her frayed nerves alone that was all the contact he initiated.

With her eyes closes it was an opportunity to simply study her. His eyes traced every line of her face, commmiting every detail to memory. They had been moving so fast he had rarely been afforded the opportunity to just lie down and watch her.

Some of the confessions about her feelings for him were rather startling now that he could take just a moment to breathe and let them sink in. He was falling for Eislyn so hard in this wild flight that he was going to find somewhere unexpected when the world settled down. If it ever did.

That, he decided, he was quite excited by.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Luckily, no nightmares came. Perhaps it was due to Rayth’s hands over hers. His touch chasing away old memories. She didn't think she’d sleep long. She thought it would take her a long time to fall asleep. But both those things proved to be wrong.

When her eyes opened all light of the sun was gone. The cabin was lit by the full, twin moons. She sat up slowly. Smoothing silken, golden strands beneath her ears. A frown touched her lips as she looked to Rayth.

“You should’ve woken me so you could’ve gotten rest too.” It was a quiet admonish. Hair shifted and fell down her shoulders and back as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, lacing up her boots.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"For the time we had it didn't seem worth it," he replied. Rayth had already laced up his boots. He stood over her, offering a hand she did not need to stand up. He stood between her and the door, cautiously optimistic of a waking kiss before they departed.

"I suggest we walk the horses out if the woods then take the path back. As soon as we leave the woods we skirt far from the town and meet up with the road to continue east. We should see if this force has moved on soon enough."

 

[Eislyn Gray]

She took his hand. His touch elicited the same response it always did. A feeling of growing familiarity. Warmth. A growing desire.

And he didn’t move. She was grateful. Her actions a few hours ago hadn’t pushed him away. Scared him off.

She was also confused. What did he...

Then she noticed the flicker of his eyes. The warmth behind them, linger on her lips. It made a smile tug at them. Timid.

“Would you like a kiss Rayth Keirn?” Tone was sprinkled with something lighter and playful. Something she’d be hard to find once they hit the road and left their small sanctuary behind.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

Rayth offered a grateful smile and a slow nod. He was genuinely grateful for her light and airy tone. He did not want the sudden break from the night before to be anything more than it needed to be. Rayth was well aware that if he treated her like a delicate flower from now on that it would only be more upsetting.

As he drew her closer it felt like a small check of the bond that had grown between them. That powerful force that pulled his emotions in all kinds of directions.

And after this they were into the unknown together. Possibly the most frightening adventure he had taken on yet. No support, no hardened mercenaries around him. Just his wits, his sword and Eislyn. His wits and sword probably weren't going to be all that much use when she had dragged them through almost every situation so far.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

The princess separated the remaining distance between herself and the scoundrel who was quickly coming to hold her heart. Pink lips would press tenderly against the corner of his mouth. She would linger there, her nose brushed against his own. She savored that familiar sandpaper feeling of his beard against her chin.

Then she slipped around him, letting her fingers trail down his wrist and give his fingers a final, gentle squeeze as she stepped away.

Scooping up her pack by the door, she carried it to her horse waiting outside, strapping it within the bags hanging by the saddle. Getting the reigns in her hand, she gave one last look to the cottage. And for the first time, nerves twisted in her stomach.

She wondered if they'd be able to make it past the armies.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

Once they were past the forest they turned sharply away from the coast. The horses climbed slowly on open ground. Rayth was mindful that even the light of Lessat might not have been enough to remove the risk of a horse falling into a ditch.

"I'm hoping they've moved on," he said.

Just moments latyer the truth was revealed. When they reached the top of the ridge the fires of the camp could be seen in the distance.

"They moved on," he said. It wasn't the largest army he had ever seen. Just a few thousand men perhaps, hard to tell at the distance. "They're at least a few miles west now. Shouldn't be any scouts this far behind them."

He turned to catch her silhouette, painted in shades of blue by the moon. That brief embrace had meant a lot to him.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Eislyn shifted in her saddle. Eyes narrowed on those pricks of light woven between trees and hills in the distance. More than she thought they would be. Further away. They might actually have a chance to make it North and East. The river and sea were at their backs now. Far from the journey she'd originally been on. Far from the ship Rayth had been a part of for so long.

"Let's hope you're right," the princess turned to Rayth and found herself whispering. Even though it wasn't like anyone would hear them. Fingers tightened on the reigns. She urged her white-spotted horse forward. "Can you ride for awhile?" She wasn't sure how much experience Rayth had in the saddle. Like he took it easy with her on their hike, she'd have to make sure she didn't push it with him in the saddle. Better to stop and camp earlier - before he regretted it for the rest of their journey.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"I'd go as long as it takes to put some distance between us and that army," he replied stubbornly. He was already sore, rubbed red in places and cramping up. Right now that could be ignored for enduring that when the sun came up they were not within the line of sight of ant scouts.

"There will be caravans coming down the road for this army," he said. "They might pay us no heed but it would be best to keep off the road itself during the day?"

 

[Eislyn Gray]

"I think we should make camp right after the sunrises. Stick to traveling at night until we get out of sight from the army."

She agreed with Rayth. They'd have to stay off the road. At least for a time. Maybe when they got far enough away. If they got far enough away. Of course, traveling at night and staying off the road presented other dangers. The land was known for some fierce beasts and monsters. Eislyn shivered to think what else might be hunting them.

The hooves for their horses plodded along quietly enough in the pine-straw. She began losing track of time. While she was a seasoned rider, she too, felt the strain of riding most of the night. And even though she'd rested, she could feel fatigue setting in by the time the first soft light of a sun about to rise peaked above the horizon partially hidden through the forest they were in.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

Rayth was sore from riding. He had ridden when he was younger, but he had been at sea for many years. It was amusing when someone was new to the ocean and hurled their dinner over the side. A bit of nausea was more amusing than thighs that felt as if they had been beaten to a pulp.

He groaned as he swung a leg over the stolen horse to dismount. They barely had enough shelter from elements with themnfor a light drizzle. Fortunately the weather was holding. This close to the coast that could change very quickly.

His legs ached and trembled with just the few steps it took to reach the saddle bags. Some spare clothes and dried meat. A roll that had been tied to the horses when they had been stolen.

"Trees won't keep out much of the sunlight," he mused. "Will you be able to sleep?" It had been hours since he had even spoken.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

She eyed his walk. He'd definitely ridden too long. They were in a relatively open area. With a swoosh of long skirts and a swing of her leg, she dropped down the side of her horse. Boots sunk slightly in the ground. It seemed moister.

Strange.

She went to her own saddlebags. Bedroll was there and she began untying it. "I can take the first watch if you think that's a good idea?" She felt tired enough to sleep. She didn't think the light would stop her from doing so.

"I don't think the light will prevent me from sleeping once I lie down. Do you need it to be dark?" Was he a light sleeper? She wondered. Taking the reigns of her mare, she left enough of a lead so the horse could graze but secured the other end around the branch of a tree.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"I'll make do," he replied as he rolled out a bed for the night. He hadn't slept for a long time now.

"Have to work shifts on the Paragon and you sleep when and where you can. Saying that it's always fairly dark below deck. When I was small I managed to fall asleep in the crows nest on duty," he admitted with a soft chuckle.

He went to tie his own horse and then removed the belts and buckles that would be uncomfortable to roll onto in the night. His sword was laid down within reach as he undid his boots.

"Wake me before long?" he asked. He wished he could drift off to sleep with her already gone, nestled in against his chest.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

She smiled. It was tender and soft as she tried to imagine a young Rayth slumped asleep in a crow's nest, little feet dangling from the edge. What did it take to wear out that younger version?

The princess blinked and nodded toward the older version.

She was hoping to let him sleep as long as possible. She and Hannah used to run to the apple orchards just inside the walls of the fortress and spend all day climbing, picking, and munching on apples. She'd fall asleep in the shade of the trees' trunks, the soft grass curling at her back, feet bare and dirty.

As Rayth closed his eyes, she busied herself about camp, unpacking her own bedroll. Eating some food and drinking some water. After some time poking quietly along the perimeter of camp and making sure no one else was around, she wandered back over to her own bedroll, laid next to Rayth's. The princess finally relented and lowered herself down, sitting.

She made sure she was in the shade of one of the few trees around. Knees drew up to her chest and her arms circled them, as she kept a watchful eye. The only thing missing were some fresh-picked apples.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"Do you want to try and shift back to a regular sleeping schedule?" Rayth asked her during the small hours of the following morning. The Eastern sky was starting to catch some colour, the jagged edge of the spine not yet defined.

He hasn't slept well in the daylight. As exhausted as he was it had been hard work to keep his eyes open as they ride through the night. In truth, it was more down to the discomfort than anything else.

"No sign of any scouts, so find a room at the next town and get fed and rested?" he suggested.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Heels of her hands pushed at tired eyes. Her joints ached. They were just a few days on the road. A few days hiding out in the woods like bandits to avoid the armies in the surrounding areas that wanted Eislyn's head on a pike for the Duke they served.

And ohhh did she want a warm bath. A fire. A mattress of straw instead of the thin bedroll against rocks and hard earth. It had been too risky for a fire. The smoke or light would give them away.

The princess had steered clear of speaking to Rayth about her worries and fears of who they left behind in that small coastal town. Her men. Geelyn. Were they alive? She wasn't as worried about Geelyn but she couldn't help shake the worry after what had happened to Brin.

"If you think it's safe," eyes flitted to Rayth as she finished rolling the bedroll and securing it to her mare's saddle bags. Something in one of the bags moved. But Eislyn didn't notice. In fact, the princess had forgotten entirely about Kermode. The ancient spirit within a small, stuffed bear that a druid had given her more than six months back.

She'd kept it with her during her travels. Always in her trunk. Then her bag in the caves - when she'd used her magic to expel the krakarl away. And again a day later, when she'd used magic to help Rayth against the assassin. While no malevolent magic had been aimed her way, she'd certainly used enough of her own power to stir the spirit within the little bear awake.

And Ere might very well be getting a message from the spirit that was so closely tied to him. Rayth was probably lucky the spirit hadn't activated when she'd been taken by the Paragon.

Neremyn Virvyre

 

[Neremyn Virvyre]

It would have made very little sense for someone, running away from supposed authorities, to risk capture for the comfort of a fire. Sure, it could bring warmth both in proximity and in food. But it simply wasn't worth it. So, should Eislyn Gray and Rayth Keirn be surprised by the gentle tones of smoke in the air, it would have been expected. To feel even an inkling of suspicion, concern that perhaps they had been caught or a patrol was stationed nearby, would have been warranted.​

​

It would have been a unfortunate misunderstanding. But one that was understandable.​

​

Kermode, finally jostling free from the inner components of the bag, lifted the flap open and flung himself freely to the pine laden forest floor. While he couldn't speak, because he was absent the necessary anatomy for such a thing, the way he landed pushed his stuffing together in an audible gasp. ​

​

The small stuffed creature looked towards Eislyn and Rayth through beads of anthracite, eyeing them with its own form of suspicion. And holding a finger-less paw outwards, a shoot of ghost plant fungus sprung upwards from the pine needle bedding. Translucent and milky white, the blossom, if it could be considered as such, arched upwards and down. Coiling about the stuffed animals arm, Kermode plucked the fungus free and began a swift hop and march in the direction of the smoke.​

​

Being the old spirit that he was, Kermode was clearly in need of a cane to walk. Or so he would have, if he weren't contained within the mange ridden body of a ratty and ruddy bear totem. But old habits were comforting, like an unnecessary fire.​

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"That army is still moving in the other direction," Rayth replied. "It's not like they're going to send their supply caravans with instructions to look out for you. We've got three provinces between us and if we head south..."

Rayth decided to trail off before naming the kingdom he had grown up in. There was a decision to be made. They could head towards the Duke and try and work out what he was plotting, they could turn south early and track towards her home near the spine. Between those two options was his own father.

"I've been thinking. Would my uncle have known that the Duke hired the Paragon? He knows it's my ship.

"My father might not even know about the business. Would could...Eislyn what is...Eislyn!"

 

[Eislyn Gray]

As much as the young diplomat was a strategist, she found in this situation she wanted nothing more than to confront the duke herself. Even though she'd already suggested that she and Rayth just disappear. Start new lives somewhere else. Where her kingdom of the Spine couldn't reach them, nor the enemies it drew - like the duke. She didn't like loose ends.

Eislyn's head snapped up at the sudden panic in Rayth's tone.

"What? Verdants flickered to the little bear."

Oh.

OH.

Fingers tightened on the reins of her horse. The princess' gaze searched in the direction that Kermode was going and saw a curl of grey smoke rising lazily into the air.

"It's okay. I think. A man I met a few months ago gave him-it, erm," the young woman paused. "The spirit totem to me when I asked if there was a way to contact him in the future. He said the totem would be able to sense when malevolent magic was directed at me and relay the message back to him." Eislyn took a breath and made a decision, tugging her horse to follow after the little bear. And that curling smoke.

"Perhaps the totem began to stir when I used my own magic in the caves. And on the road. We should follow." Blonde hair shifted down her shoulders as she turned away from the expression on Rayth's face.

Did that mean Ere was close by? Had gotten a message? If anyone could help her with her magic; it would be him. She'd never admitted it outright to the druid but she knew he'd suspected.

"We can trust him," she called out quietly. Though words were soft spoken, they were firm in her conviction.

 

[Neremyn Virvyre]

The movements of the bear totem were an even mixture of grace and clumsy missteps. For every stumble, a pirouette. For every trip, a flip over a branch or twig. The forest floor crunched beneath its feet, pushing down oak, pine, and sourwood leaves that had turned brown and black from decay.​

​

Next to him, a small game trail was carved out of the mossy floor to reveal barren roots and constricted soil. Branches of blueberries bushes were broken or bent backward, indicating passage along the trail in the direction he was heading. Occasionally, hawthorn and locust branches were purposely broken and tossed into the woods. The thorns and spines of the wood protruded as a warning from the debris laden forest floor.​

​

Somewhere at the end of the trail, a fire burned that had no need to burn. Smoke lifted from the small pyre, wafting and billowing skyward as it charred overhanging branches and curled back unfortunate leaves in the heat path. A figure, obscured in a woolen cloak, sat hunched over the fire on a stool fashioned from a stump.​

​

He prodded the fire with a burnt stick, moving a log back and forth rhythmically. For all those who might see him, the figure might appear as if he were entirely deaf to the world. ​

 

[Rayth Keirn]

Lessons learned. Search prisoners more intimately to find any bladed weapons. Check their benign belongings for magical...possession. Rayth was now left trying not to let out an exasperated laugh at the odd gait of the bear totem trying to outpace them towards the copse of trees.

"If you say we can trust him then...then I suppose I am grateful of any kind of help. As long as this isn't just a day dream..."

It wasn't bluster either. Her words had been spoken with complete conviction and they were desperate for any help. They were cut off from their allies, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the danger as possible.

They had to leave the horses and proceed on foot. Rayth let his right hand lie on the pommel of his sword. It was all he had left in the world right now in his favour. A bit of skill with a blade. Not even enough to stop the assassin that had been sent after them.

He very slowly stepped into the small clearing. He was exhausted, eyes struggling to focus. They even slid off the lone man as he tried to regard him.

"Is that him?" he asked Eislyn bluntly. If he was then Rayth's demeanour would shift almost immediately, followed by an apology and a greeting.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Eislyn stepped carefully. Sturdy boots with softened leather nearly silent on the cleared path. Verdants went to the cloaked figure. With several quick steps, she scooped up Kermode, keeping her palms open so the little bear and older spirit could stand on a ledge of her flesh as she drew closer to the hunched figure.

She couldn't see his face but Kermode was a decent indicator of who it was running toward.

Her own head tilted slightly to the side as she voiced an answer to Rayth's question as well as her own.

"Ere?"

 

[Neremyn Virvyre]

Windless, the fire moved about lazily. Flicking up embers as smoke curled about, the hunched and hooded figured pushed at the logs once more. There was nothing on the fire. Not a bit of meat or fish, despite the fact that a small trout stream ran gingerly to the north and eventually flowed gently into the Bystra. No kebabs of vegetables, no roasting pans of potatoes or other starchy tubers, and no kettle of broth or tea. ​

​

It was warm, comforting, and inviting. And nothing more.​

​

"Fal'Addas..." He uttered, urging the log against another and pinning it. Whatever momentum it had left was gone. Whatever free space it had left for rocking, it too was gone. "Is a long way from here, Princess." 300 miles northwest for to a portal stone, 300 miles northeast to Kermode. But it was hardly more than a jaunt for people of his breed.​

​

Turning, he looked towards the two. A curious woman and a tired man made for quite the pair. "Though I prefer these woods to those of the Spur. Far less encumbered. By lycanthropes and their ilk. And..." He gesticulated. "Golems and leshy and whatnot. Well, that I know of..." There was much of the woods he had not explored, much of the populace that remained to be insulted.​

​

Standing up, he patted his cloak down and winced. "A gentle breeze would knock you down..." His emerald gaze fixed on Rayth Keirn. "You surely won't be needing that."​

 

[Rayth Keirn]

One glance towards Eislyn was enough. With a sigh he took his hand away from the hilt of his curved sword.

"Sorry," he said. If there was much of an apologetic tone to his voice, it was well hidden behind exhaustion and relief. They had been travelling by night with one of them always on watch for the other.

At the last town they had found that the Duke who had hired Rayth's crew to capture Eislyn and interrupt peace talks between two neighbouring independent port cities had marched towards them. Not only that, but Rayth's uncle had sent a small force with them. The Paragon was out at sea somewhere, Eislyn's guards had scattered. They had been quiet alone.

"Could I sit by your fire?" Rayth asked.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Stooping slightly, she let the little bear totem jump free from her open palms and back to the ground. The old spirit wasted no time in waddling up to its master. Little paws held skyward.

Relief painted her features as Ere spoke. A small flicker of amusement. Then concern as she turned back to look at Rayth. She was as tired as the swashbuckler but perhaps didn't show it as much. They needed a safe place to rest. Where they could both catch up on sleep.

Attention shifted back to the druid. She frowned at the fire and the smoke that curled lazily upward. "Did you travel all the way from Fal'Addas? A lot has happened since we last met."