ARC 2 - Not All Who Wander

  By the time the trai off and we were leaving Parandra, the sun had long si and the view out of the window was dark. I couldn’t evears between the moderate cloud cover and the light pollution from the city. I sighed and sat ba my seat before turning to look at the room I was in. This was not the same level of luxury as the train I’d been on before. A pair of benches oher side of the simple that looked like the backs folded down into cots, a simple sliding door with frosted gss being the best privacy we could expect. At least the benches were soft.

  Jaina sat across from me, leg boung nervously as she stared at nothing out the window. I felt shitty, I wao give her the choice of ing along or not but Henna said that if people were going to be targeted for associating with me, Jaina would be at the very top of that list. Leaving her behind would be too dangerous. So she didn’t even had the option of staying, the General just dema happen. I knew she was right about how risky it would be for her to stay, but it still felt wrong to force it on her like that.

  “Hey.” I called out to her, waiting for her to look at me before I tinued. “I’m really sorry about this. I never wao put you in danger or force you out of your home.”

  She stifled a small ugh, I couldn’t tell if it was bitter or nervous but it was not a happy oher way. “Cheap apartment with holes in the walls and water that leaks every two weeks. It wasn’t home, it was just where I slept between shifts. Holy the room they had me in to be close to you was nicer.”

  I almost asked about that but realized of course she got the cheapest thing she could find, she was saving money for Aylin’s medie. “It still has to suck to not eve a choice.”

  She paused and looked down. “Yes. It really does. I’m actually pretty upset about it. Especially because I would have said yes, without hesitation. I’d give up the world for you at this point, you have to know that.”

  I felt my cheeks flush and suddenly realized I was far, far more pale than I used to be. Blushing robably vastly more obvious now. How had this not occurred to me yet? Well that’s getting filed under ‘more things to be embarrassed about’. I cleared my throat “I wao give you a choice, but Henna…” I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, leaving my violet curls boung around my head and giving me a moment to breath before I tinued. I was trying to not be upset with anyht now after all. “Her ‘threat assessment deemed the a greater than acceptable risk’. Her words exactly.”

  “But why? Just because of some rumors? Why does what some jerks think matter?” she sounded more frustrated by the minute.

  “Because, and I’m probably not supposed to share all this but I think you deserve it, it was more than just a few off color rumors. It looks like someone in intelligence reading ohat made me out to be actively dangerous and then doing some other underhauff like threatening them to make them more afraid and paranoid. With shit like that it’s only a matter of time before someos a breaking point as to violence.”

  She stared at me, her anger visibly shifting into fear. “… oh. Why would they do that though? I thought the military wao woo you over to our side.”

  “Politics is hat simple. If it were the world would be a much better pce.” I grumbled. “But where we’re going is Henna’s base of influence so it will be a lot harder for ao pull something there.” I tried to sound as fident and soothing as I could, but wasn’t sure it was w that well when I didn’t feel fident or soothed.

  “But why me? And I don’t mean why target me, that’s obvious enough I guess. Why would General Devatius bother saving some random nurse? Is is just because of you? If she likes you, then shouldn’t she… not like me?”

  [Jaina, dear, I told you. Love has no bottom to reach. Jealousy is an ugly thing and you and Henna are both too beautiful for it. I think she is ed about things, about how you two will get along with one another. But I do not think she dislikes you.]

  The nurse whimpered slightly, not excessively forted by Carmil’s words, and I hobbled over to sit o her. “You want to know the truth? I think you make her feel ugly.”

  Jaina’s eyes widened “What? But she’s geous!”

  “Well of course you think so, you have eyes.” I smirked and Jaina swatted my arm “But really, I think she’s afraid that you’re the younger prettier girl that I’m trading her in for because I got tired of the old dy.”

  Her eyes narrowed slightly at me “That isn’t what you’re doing, is it?”

  [Not at all, my love is greedier than that and wants you both.]

  “Thank you Carmil, really selling the romance here.” I shook my head a out a sigh. But Jaina smiled at it and leaned against my shoulder. “No, no I’m not. Carmil’s right in that much. I want both of you.”

  “So, are you building a harem?”

  “Gods no! Don’t be gross.” I made an overly dramatic gagging sound “I simply want to love who I love, ahem do the same.”

  She took a breath and rexed a bit. “Well, if she’s as nice as you say then I suppose I get along with her. But I want an apology. It may have been for my safety and it may have been something I would have agreed to, but she still basically kidnapped me.”

  The door slid open at that point and Henna stepped in. There was a long moment of quiet as she slid the door shut and moved to sit oher bench. The awkward silence hangiween us all ractically visible, like an unfortable fog. But she eventually spoke.

  “I was eavesdropping, I apologize. I also apologize for f you to leave with us, though I don’t regret doing it. You are important to Esme and I am under orders to see to both her safety and fort-”

  “Henna.” I interrupted. “Mask off, you owe her that much. Especially if you were listening in on our versation.”

  Jaina looked too nervous to talk so simply sat and chewed on her lip. Henna nodded a out a breath “Okay, yes. I’m not jealous but I am…” She struggled to find a word.

  “Self scious?” Jaina offered hesitantly.

  “That, yes. Which is stupid, this is all so ridiculous for me.” She grunted in annoyance. “I am fifty eight years old and I’ve been w in intelligence since I was twenty three. I have Csses and Skills that make me a master maniputor and some smirking brat es along and suddenly all I think about is how soft her skin is and how nice she tastes and how I just want to see her smile. What the hell did you do to me? You don’t have mental trol abilities do you?”

  I shook my head “Not anything that I think actually affects a person’s ageno. I wouldn’t use anything I had like that if I did anyway. sent is sacred.” She looked like she had more to say oter but I cut her off. “You’re diverting. We’ll talk about my Skills ter because I do think they are having an effe our retionship. But not like that. Either way, say how you feel.”

  She huffed. “Fine, you make me feel sexy, desirable, you make me want things I figured I’d given up on ages ago. It drives me absolutely batty to feel like this, but I was okay with it, happy even, before…” she g Jaina.

  “So I do make you jealous?” the Nurse asked, sounding holy apologetic.

  “No, not, not jealous. Less sexy, less wanted. Like, how do I measure up to a pretty young thing like you?”

  I smiled at the General “I suppose it’s a good thing you don’t have to. Carmil said it before, I’ll say it again. Love does not run out. You are not fighting over something in limited quantity. I find Jaina sexy, I find you sexy too. There is no petition as far as I am ed and I really hope her of you decides to make one. Right Carmil?”

  [I don’t know, I think the two haviain tests involving your body might be fun.]

  Jaina fought back a ugh and blushed hard. Henna narrowed her eyes at Carmil’s words but her lips curled up in amusement. “That gal of yours is trouble.”

  I grinned “And worth every bit of it.”

  [Oh! Or, they could both go down on each other and see who peaks first! That would also be fun!]

  This time both of the other women blushed, looking at each other and clearly thinking about it. I sighed “How about they just talk for a bit?” I looked between Henna and Jaina “You two should have a little heart to heart. You’ve both been w on some lopsided emotional assumptions about one another.” As I spoke I stood and walked to the door, smiling that I could do so just with a hand against the wall now. I’d gottey used to my prosthetic.

  “Wait, where are you going?” Henna asked

  “Dining car, I smell pastries. I’ll be fine, you said you vetted all eight of the guards with us right?”

  “Yes, I trust them and they are all talented, but I should still-” she began to stand up.

  “No, you sit. Talk to Jaina, I’ll make sure t at least two of them with me. I want to practice walking while the train is moving anyway. It’ll be good for me. I’ll be fih your people looking out for me and you two o clear the air.” her looked pletely vinced but they seemed to agree that a talk was needed and might be better alone.

  I stepped out and closed the door, letting the two have a heart to heart and damn it Carmil, now I was imagining them making out. Oh well, pastries await.

  Four of the guards escorted me, that is not a pint. I’m not stupid enough to think I was pletely safe and I promised Carmil I would accept any help I needed. My ego wasn’t going to stop someorying to hurt me after all.

  The light swaying and boung of the train was easier to adjust to than I thought and I found after a minute I could walk fih just the occasional brace against a wall. Thus I was able to make my way through three cars to my destination.

  The dining car was mostly empty, it was well past dinner after all and most passengers were id up in their s asleep by now. But the staff had some astries made for te night guests, some kind of sweet bread ed around baked apples and drizzled with honey and I swear to my night sky goddess they were a divine experience.

  The man at the small bar was trying not to stare obviously, but I knew I looked weird and he was getting nervous. I sighed aured at my body “Fae-Lord’s idea of a prank.” I said in oteva, testing both my mastery of the nguage and Henna’s idea for a cover story.

  His face immediately rexed and shifted to pity “Damn, you get lost in the woods?”

  The exact meaning was a bit missing for me but I could pick up on the general tex. Fae must be primarily woodnd critters. “For a whole week. After I finally found my way out and was getting treated for a nasty iion I’d gotten, the ges started. It was not fu me tell you.”

  He set down a gss and poured a shot of something red. “On the house. My uepped in a fairy ring when he was a kid and had feathers for hair for nearly thirty years so I know how crazy that gets.”

  I slid into the stool and thahe man before downing the drink, something raspberry and strong. Okay, the Fae-Lord story would wood to know. “Well it’s not all bad, I like the hair.”

  And that got an hoo gods ugh from him.