Bassett had not returned for Valentin in numerous days and, in that absence, Valentin thought more about what he could do to pass the time productively. He had spent many of the gaps of free time when he was still working trying to follow Darri’s advice and channel his favor. However, the noisiness of the children and villagers proved to be a constant hurdle for true focus. He tried to just focus harder but the extra effort made the power even more elusive.
Even now, in the insulated area of Morna’s room, he still could not obtain much more than frustration. While the noise within the longhouse became more tolerable, any changes in volume instantly took his attention. Additionally, the stress of Morna returning at an inopportune time made capturing favor as easy as catching a fish with ones feet.
He needed to find a new location, and he had an ideal one in mind.
Valentin sat upon his perch on the cliff overlooking the longhouse and the ocean and focused inward. It had been an early morning tradition since he had been temporarily exiled from Darri’s group. He found a spot far enough away from the longhouse that he would be undisturbed during his attempts but not so far as to upset Morna. The relentless roar of the ocean served as an effective treatment to his mind full of distractions. It allow him to reach ever inward to find the power that danced within his veins.
His efforts had only borne the tiniest whispers of the crackling favor within. This had been much better than anything that he had tried before but was still painfully short of his goals. He tried to condense that energy but the wisps proved to be elusive at this stage in his mastery. However, today was a new day and with it came a new effort.
Thoughts that swirled in his head were slowly pushed into the recesses of his mind. It was impossible to truly remove all the noise of his mind and he had to let the stray thought wander through. He closed his eyes and let the blackness inside of his eyes purge the sights that had been awash in his mind. He turned deeper within, searching for the remnants of his favor. He felt it as an echo in his mind, never quite where he checked but always feeling as though it had just been there. If he only had checked a little faster he would have found it.
Suddenly, he felt it. A wisp of power danced through his mind and he focused on it. He clamped down on it and it wiggled desperately to escape from the grip of his mind to no avail. This scrap of power wasn’t enough for what Valentin needed so he tried to focus his energy into the wisp and grow it. In the past, it would dissipate sadly, leaving Valentin with nothing. However, this time the wisp grew stronger and rebelled harder against Valentin's mind with its augmented strength. Valentin refused to let it go and placed more and more focus onto it.
After several minutes of growing and maintenance, it turned into a full ball of crackling power. No longer was it felt in his mind as his chest pulsed with power seemingly with each heartbeat. Arcs of lightning that he had seen on Darri’s arm now danced across his chest. He felt lighter and his limbs tingled with the excess energy that emanated from the mass.
Now he had to move it to his limbs. He imagined the mass moving from his chest to his arm. He felt it pass up his ribcage and towards the shoulder. His concentration made his brow sweat. True mastery was not meant to be, the jolting energy spasmed his arm involuntarily and the energy was gone.
The boy laughed to himself. The temporary failure and frustration quickly was dominated by the overwhelming satisfaction of progress. It had been a tremendous step forward. He had harnessed the power and almost fully moved it somewhere. It had been a sluggish and cumbersome action, a far cry from the abilities of a skilled Stormblood.
Valentin returned to the mind space to locate another wisp. Now that he had successfully caught one, it was much easier to gain another. Imbuing it with power still proved to be a tricky task and the wisp slipped away at a brief lack of focus. The boy cursed under his breath but tried again and again and again.
His earlier breakthrough had unlocked significant progress. It seemed as though he were now summoning that fragment of power without much effort. Each time, that fragment was packed with more initial power than the last. The struggle to keep it together had lessened. It was no longer a fight so much as it had transformed into a cultivation. He was growing the power inside until it was ripe and then transporting to the proper destination.
By the time Ortus had reached its Zenith, Valentin had been able to quickly summon the energy within him. He could count to ten and it would be ready. If he kept working at it, he hoped that soon he would be able to conjure the favor instantly.
The rumbling of his stomach halted any further attempts. Valentin rose to his feet and stretched his body. He didn’t realize that he had been sitting down for so long. For the first time in days, he had been in a good mood.
On his way down the hill he heard voices ahead of him and he slowly took quiet, tentative steps forwards. To his right there was a small clearing in the trees directly off of the path where the voices came from.
He saw a warrior holding a spear in one hand and a flask in the other. They took a long drink from it and wiped their mouth with one of their gloves. They were speaking to someone else that Valentin couldn’t make out yet.
“Could you hurry it up? I’m fucking starving,” a masculine voice complained.
Valentin couldn’t hear the response but he could hear the distorted sounds of a human’s voice. Whatever was going on, Valentin didn’t want to be caught up in it. So he would wait until they had left. He tried to focus his power in the meantime but his rumbling stomach affected the potency of what he could harness. He wondered if that was a limitation that was shared by all or another obstacle that he would have to overcome.
Finally, another warrior walked into view. They were fidgeting with their clothes and laughing about something. A conversation continued in low voices before the two departed from the grove and down the gentlest slope of the decline down towards the longhouse.
Valentin made sure to give himself a couple minutes of berth before continuing on. He entered the clearing and saw no remaining signs of the two warriors. However, on the ground a boy laid on his back with his hands over his face. A small bowl filled with vegetables and dried fish joined him on the ground.
Valentin looked down at the boy with sympathetic eyes. Despite their time apart, he wondered if now would be the right time to speak up.
“Bassett, are you injured?” Valentin asked his friend.
The boy immediately jolted into a sitting position. A look of shock and embarrassment covered his face. He quickly looked away from Valentin and spoke towards the trees. “Why are you here, Valentin?”
“This is where I’ve been going every morning for the past few days,” Valentin answered, obscuring his tradition. “Luckily most of the storms have been after zenith so I didn’t get soaked every time.”
“Valentin,” Bassett started, trying to find the right words to say.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Bassett. It was my fault anyways. I just hope that things are fixed now,” Valentin smiled at Bassett to show that he wasn’t saying it to make his friend feel better. “Though I hope that the harsh feelings have healed a bit.”
Bassett got to his feet and brushed the dirt off of his clothes. “Darri went back to Guin and claimed he was the rat again. This time he gave Guin the answers to his questions. Guin knew that someone gave Darri that information but Darri just kept saying that it was him. Tried to beat it out of him too.”
Panic spread into Valentin’s voice. “Is Darri alright?”
“They can’t hurt us too bad. Otherwise he would truly be reneging on the village’s agreement with Ferron.” Bassett gave a quick look towards where the two warriors had departed towards. “At least that’s what I’ve been told. Besides, Maeve has some training as an apothecary. His wounds won’t worsen.”
Bassett’s reassurance didn’t do much to dampen the rising guilt that Valentin felt within him. What would have been a petty reduction in food has now escalated into injury. Still, Darri hadn’t given Valentin up even when Valentin felt that it would be deserved. Was there still a possibility that he was no longer hated?
“Does that mean things are resolved?” Valentin asked hopefully.
“Since you were no longer showing up to do jobs, he docked us one person’s worth of food,” Bassett explained. “Obviously we couldn’t tell him that you were never accounted for in our meals before that. I’m not sure if Guin is satisfied not truly knowing who wounded his pride, but he’s left us alone after Darri’s beating didn’t give him his answer.”
“So you are out here to earn food to make up for that difference?” Valentin asked guiltily, his eyes drifting towards the food.
Bassett sputtered a tired and subdued sigh. “So you saw.”
“I didn’t see anything specifically,” Valentin admitted. He was only going off a hunch. “But, don’t forget how our first meeting went.”
The two boys stood with serious looks on their faces. There was an understanding in their shared experiences. Each watched the shame of the other, familiar with the emotions that paired with the trauma.
“Keep it a secret, won’t you?” Bassett requested.
Bassett offered him a familiar smile, but all Valentin saw was the façade that barely kept his friend together. Never before had he appeared so unconvincing. Even the smallest of pulls could completely unravel him. Valentin couldn’t return the smile yet. His attitude remained somber, the weight that kept Bassett ballasted onto the ground.
“I won’t tell Darri if that’s what you want,” Valentin agreed. “But does he really have no idea?”
“He is a fool, but not foolish enough to be ignorant to the fact that something is wrong,” Bassett answered with a yawn. “It doesn’t matter if he’s suspicious of me, he’d never go and check.”
Valentin tilted his head. The naturally curious boy rarely left an inquiry unasked and didn’t know why Darri wouldn’t do the same. “Why?”
“Because he trusts that I will tell him what he should know,” Bassett explained plainly, a more genuine grin crept across his face. “This is something that Darri should not know. The idea that he’s failing will hurt him severely. Don’t tell him if you want him to live.”
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“I didn’t know that Darri needed so much protection.”
Bassett laughed. “We can’t protect Darri’s body, but we can try to protect his heart despite his best efforts to destroy it himself.”
Valentin felt pangs of joy and jealousy at Bassett’s words. While he never suffered pangs of starvation or faced beatings from Guin, he also lacked the bonds that they shared amongst them. No matter where he stood for this season, it was always on the outside, always in hiding. Where was the one that he could trust without reservation? Who was the one that would listen to his burdens and fears?
Despite those feelings, he still hung his head in guilt.
“I’m sorry that you had to go through all that because of my foolishness.” A lead ball of self-loathing weighed down Valentin’s body.
“If I’m being honest, Valentin, I was upset with you at first,” Bassett said with a frown. “No matter how we suffer, you wouldn’t. I wished that you wouldn’t have involved yourself at all. But, after a day or so, I knew that you were just trying to help in the way that you knew how. I think you realize now that your approach only works when you have the ability to order others around.”
“I know that my approach was misguided. I’ve been painfully shown that my clan’s authority always got me my way,” Valentin looked down at his hands and felt the fragments of power dance around inside of him. “So I’ve been working on new ways to solve problems.”
“I’m excited to see what solutions you’ve gained,” Bassett said with some excitement.
As the two boys descended towards the longhouse, they saw that there was a scrambling of people and animals down below. Bassett led Valentin to a vantage point near the path that they could clearly watch the activity below.
Valentin could see that all of the garrisoning Armée had mustered in front of the longhouse. Valentin could see the tiny glints in their metal armor from afar like the twinkling of stars and lesser lights. Nearby them was a smaller group of individuals that wore the furs and fine fabrics of the village elders. The rest of the villagers stood a healthy distance away.
However, what caught Valentin’s eye were the pair that stood in the middle. The woman was dressed in the colors of a bonfire. Brilliant fabrics of reds and yellows shone in direct opposition to the grays, browns, and greens of the two groups that flanked them. While not as immediately captivating as the bicolored rose beside them, the man next to her wore an armor with cape with fabric dyed crimson.
“The witch is out today,” Bassett remarked, unknowingly confirming Valentin’s assumption.
However, the regal pair in the center did not command the attention of the assembled village. A column of horsemen led by a pair of riders rode towards the assembled group and stopped just before them. The riders of the lead horses dismounted and strode towards the welcoming party.
A man clad in black towered over the woman beside him. The pair oozed with authority and gravitas that would have rivaled or surpassed even the Steward of Briste. Each step echoed with dominance over their surroundings. The assembly dropped down onto one knee and bowed their heads forward. The two did not slow to acknowledge the ones in front of them, instead, opting to march into the longhouse and out of sight. The rest of the horsemen dismounted and led their steeds towards the stable that Valentin had assumed until this moment had been simply built too large.
“Valentin,” Bassett grabbed the boy’s shoulder with one hand and shook it with enthusiasm. “Today’s the day that we’ve been waiting for.”
Valentin’s face lit up with joyous excitement. He had spent so many days holding on for this day that he almost didn’t recognize it now that it had arrived. The man that Gilles’ gave everything to allow Valentin an audience with them. The true guarantor of his safety from those that pursued him.
“Ferron Martelle is here.”
Valentin and Bassett hustled down the hillside towards the longhouse. Everyone except for the elders, a handful of warriors, and the colorful pair remained outside. Bassett spotted Darri, Maeve, and the other children milling around near one of the walls of the longhouse.
“Darri,” Bassett hailed the older boy
Darri whipped his head around to notice the pair approaching. Valentin could see that the older boy sported a half scowl as though he had yet to decide how he really wanted to feel. The rest of the children gave Valentin dirty looks, though he didn’t begrudge it.
“Did you see him?” Darri asked Bassett. “He walked by me and I felt like I was going to die. My heart is still beating fast.”
“I saw him,” Bassett confirmed. “Do you still think the plan is a good one?”
“Anything is better than staying here,” Darri stated. “Don’t you agree, Maeve?”
The girl nodded in agreement. Whatever was going on, Valentin had not been made privy. He reasoned that it had nothing to do with him so he left to follow more pressing matters. Where was Morna? She needed to arrange the audience and uphold her end of the agreement, if she had any inclination of following through on her promise.
“Valentin?” Bassett’s voice reached out to Valentin’s ears.
“If you want to fill me in on your plan, you can another time. There’s something else I need to be doing,” Valentin said.
Valentin searched the crowd for the woman warrior that he had been staying with. However, he couldn’t find her. He had been around long enough to recognize the faces of all of the warriors that had been patrolling and keeping watch. However, with this influx of new faces, he had found it difficult to locate his targets.
He saw Charlon and Robert having a conversation with a new warrior but didn’t want to approach them if he could help it. Kern’s sour face was spotted near a different group but he followed a different Deggan within the warband. Perhaps Morna wasn’t outside. She was a Vice Deggan after all so it would make sense that she went inside with Ferron. Valentin wondered whether she had looked for him before going back in.
He made his way towards the doorway but was immediately stopped by the guards in front of the door. They placed spears in front of the doorway to bar entry and looked down at the boy with faces of stone. He didn’t recognize either warrior.
“What are you trying to do, Valentin?” A hand grabbed the boy on the shoulder with a powerful grip.
Valentin was spun around to face a perplexed Gervin. “Oh, Gervin, do you know where Morna is? Is she inside?”
The grip loosened. “She’s inside, but you can’t go in; presumed nobility or no. They are having a meeting.”
Valentin had never been on this side of a summit between important people. Not once had he been forbidden from entering a room or meeting space. In fact, any interest in participating was met with effusive praise from the assembled participants. Now he was the child without invitation to the Tiarna’s Banquet, waiting for the opportunity to enter the meeting hall for the Bloodstone Ceremony.
“Besides,” Gervin continued. “Even if you could go in, you wouldn’t want to right now. Ferron’s pissed.”
“Why?”
“I’m not important enough to know why. He just stormed past all of us with a nasty look on his face. All you need to know is that Ferron is in a foul mood.”
Valentin was well enough familiar with the basics of negotiation. Never petition a party when they are in a foul mood. He needed Ferron to be in the best possible disposition to get the agreement that he needed. Gilles’ history with Ferron was intended to be the opening to set the ideal atmosphere no matter what. Now Valentin had to set the conditions himself.
“You’re right, Gervin, that won’t get me anywhere. I’ll just wait for Morna with you.”
Gervin pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine, you can wait nearby.” The man walked off to join whatever group that he had left to stop the boy from erring.
Valentin didn’t join the group of people talking and instead returned to his internal channeling. The initial hunger pains had receded and he was able to collect the energy freely. He also noticed that he was able to think of other things and still channel it without issue. It didn’t demand the same level of attention that it used to.
He started to recite the vital information that he had to share with Ferron. He’s Gilles’ nephew, a Storm Heir chased by a group affiliated with the Rilleon clan, and the Duvin clan was willing to pay a large sum for Ferron to watch over him until a High Tiarna could claim him. The first impression was vitally important. What way would be best to make Ferron Martelle more inclined to listen to his request? Financial gain seemed the best way to go based on the stories that he had heard but there was no real way to measure the man without meeting him.
The passage of time was ambiguous during his internal conference. Nobody had approached him or touched him. Gervin had yet to return to him. However, his mental meeting was forced to adjourn when someone Valentin did not see announced that the meeting inside the longhouse had ended and all were allowed to reenter.
Valentin wandered in behind Gervin’s group before quickly separating. The longhouse pulsed and swirled with people trying to find their place to claim. The boy was not willing to brave the storm to find the woman he was looking for and instead opted to wait in her room for her return. Besides, he needed to wash his face and change into his nicer jacket.
In the corner of the room, Valentin noticed the latest basket that Morna had been working on. He grabbed onto the handle and pulled it towards him. She had done a better job of keeping the material from ripping. The form still needed work but it was much better. Maybe he’d compliment this one when she came back. He slid the basket back to where he found it in case it had been a surprise.
“What are you doing here, Valentin?”
“I’m changing for my meeting with Ferron,” Valentin responded. “I need to make a good impression.”
Valentin offered a smile that put Morna off guard and caused her to venture deeper into the room. For days, he had been locked in a malaise. The progress he had made this morning combined with the arrival of the man he had endured everything so far to meet made him feel some sense of happiness again.
“You’ve got your shine back,” the woman remarked.
She stood before Valentin and dropped her knees to be eye level with him. She cupped his face in both hands and Valentin recoiled slightly. Her eyes widened. She leaned closer and he moved back until his back met the wall. They were now face to face but Valentin didn’t mind. He had already seen the end of his trials and it waited somewhere else in the longhouse.
“Isn’t it great, Morna? Our contract is nearly complete. I won’t have to rely on your kindness any longer.” She hadn’t done any of this because of generosity but Valentin hoped that the choice of words would please the woman.
A one sided look of affection was shared between the two. Whatever was having her leave him alone had been removed. Once again, he could not understand the person that looked into his eyes. Maybe she was just a person that one could never truly decipher. It didn’t matter anymore, whatever he had unknowingly agreed to when they first met was near its end. There was no reason to try to figure her out.
“Valentin,” Morna started, her voice full of concern. “I’m not sure if you should meet Ferron.”
“Why not?” Valentin asked with a tinge of worry.
“If you make a contract with Ferron, it will cost you so much more. If you are important enough, he’ll rope you into his ambitions,” Morna explained.
She pulled herself closer to him and pressed her head against his chest. Valentin decided to look at the ceiling. Some emotion had triggered inside, but, like all emotions when it came to the woman before him, it was twisted in some way.
“Isn’t it so much better to be here with me?”
Valentin decided to make no facial expression in reaction. What about this arrangement would make him wish to continue it? Sure, he appreciated the protection and having his needs provided for. Things were not wholly unpleasant recently. He had been left alone and still reaped the benefits. However, these benefits were expected. He was forced to trade something too. Something that he had no choice in the matter over. Something that he would have never traded if he had been given the chance.
“I have upheld my end of the arrangement,” Valentin stated, borrowing words from his father. “You have to do the same.”
Morna spoke into Valentin’s chest. He wished that she would move. “There’s going to be a meeting soon. Ferron and Chief Glenna will be meeting with the refugee kids to figure out what they are going to do with them. I’ll introduce you at the end of that meeting, I already mentioned to Ferron that there was something I wished to discuss with him privately. I think he’ll be disappointed that it isn’t what he expects.”
Valentin did not answer, his ears fell deaf to the pointless words that left Morna’s mouth. Whatever designs Ferron possessed, it was not worse than this.
His abdomen was squeezed in a tight embrace. “I’ll show you my estate in Verbosc and introduce you to everyone. It’s likely nothing compared to what you had to leave, but I think you’d like it.”
In honesty, it didn’t sound too bad to Valentin. Living peacefully at a nice house with all his needs met until he was summoned back home. There was only one issue with the proposal, something that made it too good to be true. And that was the woman herself. There would never be a feeling of peace if he was in her presence.
“Say,” she began her proposition. “Since this could be the last day of the arrangement. Nothing’s happened in a while, how about one last time? You and me.”
No.
The word was ringing loudly in his head like the clanging of iron bells. The refusal condensed on his lips and threatened to spill out. The woman looked at him with expectant eyes. That she would be met with the correct answer. Valentin looked over at the basket in the corner. He felt as though he had once again deluded himself into believing that he was back with his sisters.
“I need to get ready, Morna,” Valentin said firmly, pushing the woman away from him.
A pout crossed her face but her eyes grew steely. Valentin winced at the debates going on within Morna’s mind. However, her expression quickly softened.
“Later then,” she determined. “We can do it later.
Valentin nodded and Morna left the room. As she walked off, Valentin held up his jacket. Tears of relief formed in the corners of his eyes. There would be no later for the two of them. This was the end and it would never happen again.