Ihra frowned as she scanned the tracks. The trail left behind by the retreating army was not exactly subtle. The vegetation was thoroughly crushed, small trees and shrubs lying on their sides, trampled into the dirt. No, the path was easy enough to follow. The problem was where it led.
When she first picked up the trail, it seemed like the queen’s army was heading a bit to the northeast, in the general direction of Als̆arratu. But after a few miles, it took a sharp turn to the west. Apprehension rose within her as she ran through the forest. The normally vibrant sounds of the woods were silent, as the critters had hidden away from the undead horde, and she ran ever faster, eager to escape the eery woods.
The shadows of the trees had grown long by the time she finally broke free from the woods. In front of her was the imperial road leading west, the road they rode on from Hargish. She hurried down the smooth, paved stones, hoping to see some sign that the queen's army had left the path and turned back into the wilderness.
But she needn’t have bothered. The moon was high in the sky when she reached the village of Khiryat. The cultists’ village. She knew the guild had already dealt with the inhabitants, sparing a few innocent souls, but the smoldering pile of ruins that stretched out before was not the guild’s doing. Almost nothing remained of the buildings, and when she examined the well, testing a drop of it on her skin, the caustic pain that blossomed out told her that the waters had been tainted. She followed the path of the army a little further down the road, before finally turning back.
She had seen enough. The army of Als̆arratu was marching into the interior of Sapiya. Depending on the path it took, it would either turn south, to attack Ikkarim, or continue straight ahead...to Hargish.
When she stumbled through the gates of the Sanctum the next morning, half-dead on her feet from exhaustion, the guild was already in an uproar. The other scouts had returned with similar reports. The army was definitely not heading back to its home, but further west. She ended up passing out on a bench as she waited to hand in her report. When her time came, she was woken up by a familiar face.
“Captain Aniya - you survived.”
“Aye, that I did, although no thanks to Ellēs̆u.” The gruff lady paused before begrudgingly correcting herself. “Well, perhaps a little thanks to Ellēs̆u. He did come through with reinforcements.” She scanned Ihra quickly. “Honestly, lass, the other scouts have already reported. According to them, the queen’s army is heading into central Sapiya. Do you have anything different to add to their reports? If not, you can go to sleep and fill out a proper form later.”
Ihra shook her head. “No? I saw they sacked the village of Khiryat, and it looked like they might be heading in the direction of Hargish.”
Aniya’s widened. “You went as far as Khiryat? No wonder you got back so late.” She jotted some notes down on a piece of paper. “That’s a bit more than we knew, but it seems to confirm what we already feared. You might as well head back home now. Sleep it off.”
Ihra shuddered a bit, thinking of the body back in the cottage. “Do you know if…” she trailed off.
Aniya’s gaze softened. “No lass, we've had someone check in on him from time to time; he’s still not woken up. Would you like to sleep here instead?”
Ihra nodded slowly. “Yeah, I think I’d prefer that.”
A few minutes later, she collapsed in a travel room, the thin cot feeling like the softest bed in the world. She eventually was awoken by the buzz of activity outside her door. Creeping out of her room, she found the guild's meeting hall packed shoulder to shoulder, the hall ringing with the clatter of raised voices and murmured thoughts. The guilders had gathered around the door to the council's meeting room, and more than a few had their ear pressed up close, or even a spell cast, in an attempt to listen in on the discussion. Ihra squeezed through the crowd and found herself by a small group, who stood at the edges of the assembly. “What’s going on?”
The leader of the group, a short man with green eyes and chestnut hair flashed a toothy grin at her. She schooled her expression carefully, as she tried not to shudder at the sight of his razor-sharp teeth. It wasn't fair to blame someone for being descended from the Fey. “The guild council is arguing about what to do now that the queen has left the city. Most think she’s headed for Hargish, so some want to give chase and try to stop the queen before she gets there, but the council is split.”
The news was mostly what she already knew, but she frowned. “Surely Hargish can’t repel the queen’s army like we did?”
The man hesitated. “Truthfully, I’ve never been there.” He gestured at his group. “We came with a caravan from Qardum, but from what we’ve heard from the rest, you’re probably right. Hargish is supposed to be a lot smaller than Gis̆-Izum, and it doesn’t have a Sanctum. If the guild doesn't stop the army, the city might get destroyed. But, most on the council don't think that we are strong enough to stop the queen’s army in an open-field battle, without walls to shelter behind. If we try to save Hargish, and our forces end up getting slaughtered, we might just doom both cities.”
Ihra’s eyes turned to the closed doors. The sound of yelling still trickled through the walls. She didn’t have the fondest memories of Hargish, but it had been her home once. Her nieces and nephews were there, the little orphanage… She kept her eyes glued to the door, biting her lip. Please make the right choice. But she didn’t know what that was.
Ihra had been waiting for some hours, long past of actually paying attention to the proceedings, when the sound of her name finally registered in her ears. “Ihra? Ihra Akāmu?”
She slid along the edges of the crowd, squeezing through more than one party reluctant to move, to reach the attendant. “Yes, that's me.”
“Message for you: your partner’s woken up.”
----------------------------------------
“So, that’s when I came back here,” Ihra finished. She twisted the hem of her shirt nervously between her fingers, as she searched his face, something clearly bothering her. “It’s really you?”
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Jasper laughed. “Who else would it be?” He pinched his skin lightly. "Pretty sure I'm awake and in my body."
She shook her head. “I’ve waited so many times for someone to come back. You’re the first that ever did. I guess…I guess I just didn’t really believe you would either.” Her eyes fell to her lap. “I thought I was alone again.”
He reached out gently and took her hand. She stiffened slightly, but didn't pull away. “As long as I’m around, you don’t have to be alone. I'm pretty alone in this world myself - and I am in no rush to die again. Speaking of,” his fingers brushed against the gnarly scar on his throat, “is there anything we can do about this? It’s ruining my ravishingly good looks.”
He got the laugh out of her that he was fishing for. “I think you may just have to live with it for the time being - maybe Aphora could do something about it with her runes? You could always wear a scarf.”
“Ascot,” he corrected, “and frankly I don’t like taking fashion cues from anyone driving around in an old van with a talking dog.” He groaned as he saw the look of confusion on her face. “One of these days I’m going to have to teach you all about my world so somebody understands my references.”
They lapsed into silence, and he fell back on his pillow, too exhausted to keep holding himself upright. Resurrection was a really unpleasant process, as it turned out. He noticed she was taking furtive glances at his skin. Finally, she broached the subject. “Do you want me to close the window? You’re looking kind of sunburnt. I could run down to the market and get some ointment for you.”
Jasper sighed, raising his hand into the sunlight. “You mean you don’t like my new skin tone? It's got that warm, healthy glow of a boiling lobster.” He let it fall back on the bed. “I got an upgrade while I was dead. Pretty cool for the most part, but I guess I’m stuck with the skin.”
A mortified look spread over her face. “Oh, I didn’t realize it was a heritage thing. It was rude to ask.”
“It’s not too bad, is it?”
She shook her head vigorously, perhaps a bit too vigorously, he mused. “No, of course not. It is, how did you put it, a ‘warm, healthy glow.’”
“I wasn’t being serious…” he muttered. Despite himself, he laughed. “Oh well, I guess we’ll make quite a pair. You as white as snow and me as red as a lobster. Our codenames could be Snow White and Rose Red, just like the fairytales.”
“I’m not that pale!” she protested.
He snorted. “Back in college, I had white bed sheets that were darker than you. Of course, it probably would have helped if I’d used bleach, but the point still stands. Speaking of which,” he hesitated, unsure if he should ask. “I’ve, uh, I’ve noticed since we came back from the city, you seem to be growing antlers. I don’t want to pry but…”
She flushed, and her hand absentmindedly drifted up to the small nubs peaking out of her hair, as she pondered his words. “I don’t know,” she admitted at last. “I’ve noticed them too. My parents certainly didn't have them. Or my brother,” she added. “Their sudden growth seems unnatural but...I don’t feel like a monster. I don't think I’m going crazy, like Ga’on and the others, but," she paused, not wanting to continue.
"But?" Jasper prodded.
Ihra sighed, a look of defeat on her face. "On the wall, the Queen seemed to have some sort of command over me. She ordered me to come to her and my body obeyed. If Aphora hadn’t stepped in, I don’t think I could have stopped myself from following her, so I don’t know.”
Jasper frowned. That was not news he was hoping to hear. He searched her eyes but saw no trace of lurking madness. “Alright, let’s just keep an eye out for any further changes.” He squeezed her arm lightly, giving her a reassuring smile. “If something’s wrong, we’ll find a fix. As much as I hate to suggest it, maybe you should ask Aphora about it, though. She stopped you following the queen, so maybe she could help you.”
Ihra stared at her lap, refusing to meet his gaze, and he sighed, not wanting to press the issue. “Anyways,” he changed the subject, “do you think the guild is going to march to Hargish?”
Ihra shrugged, trying to project an indifference she didn’t really feel. “I don’t know.”
He watched her for a moment, trying to parse her response. “Your brother’s kids live there, don’t they? If you want to go, try to smuggle them out before the queen arrives-“
She cut him off, wringing her hands nervously. “And where could we take them to? Hargish is hundreds of miles from the next closest city. If we go there by ourselves, we’ll probably just end up dead.”
She stood up, clearly agitated, but her gaze softened as she saw the barely disguised weariness on his face. “You really should rest. Everyone says resurrection takes a hell of a toll.” She stood up from the edge of the bed and walked over to the door. Her hand lingered on the knob for a moment, but she didn’t look back at him. “Jasper? I’m glad you’re back. Don’t die again.”
Despite the warm rays of sun streaming through the open window, Jasper was out in moments. The room was cloaked in darkness when he awoke. Hunger gnawed at the pit of his stomach like an angry bear, and he cautiously stepped out of bed. Although he still felt weak, as he walked into the parlor, he could tell his strength was already beginning to return. He didn’t have far to walk. A pair of sandwiches sat on the coffee table, a little note beside them.
“I thought you might wake up hungry - Ihra.”
He scarfed them down with relish before passing out again on the couch.
He awoke to the sound of banging on the door. Before he could push himself up, Ihra emerged from her room and, rushing past him, flung the door open. “Yes?”
“I’ve brought a message for you, from Lady Aphora.” The attendant thrust it in her hand, and after she signed its release, scurried back down the path to the guild hall.
Jaspers mouth was painfully dry, and he chewed on his lip, trying to get a hint of moisture. “What’s it say?”
Ihra skimmed the letter quickly. “It really doesn't say anything. Aphora asks us to come visit her at her enclave. Says it will be well worth our time, but doesn't say what she wants.” Her eyes flicked over to him. “Are you up to it?”
He groaned. “All I want to do is lie down, but I think I can manage to sit in saddle.”
“That wasn’t really what I meant. We can wait a day or two for you to recover. But you were pretty angry with her, after the Tower. Are you willing to work with her?”
Jasper sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know what to feel about her right now. What she did at the Tower was kind of unforgivable, but she also saved our lives, and she’s pretty much the only reason the city’s still standing. Of course, it would never have been in danger if not for her.”
He threw his hands up in frustration. “I don’t know. When I died, Kas̆dael told me that I needed to go south to the Harei Miqlat, after the queen was dealt with. If the guild's not going to do anything, maybe Aphora will." He dragged himself up. "I don't really want to see her, but I think Kas̆dael will be pissed if I don't at least her out. Plus,” he reminded Ihra, “her servant did promise us a reward if we came back, so we might as well at least get that. Gifts are always nice. Are you willing to work with her?”
Ihra bit her lip. “She didn’t drain my blood, so I'll leave the decision up to you. If you’re willing to hear out, that’s good enough for me.”
He rose shakily to his feet, and staggered over to the door, gratefully leaning against the wall when he reached. “Alright, then let’s just go. I don’t think I can rest with this hanging over me.”