A Landen Village in Southern Glacia, Kaeleer [Wednesday Afternoon, Fandom Time]

[glacial_queen]

It was almost time for then to catch their portal home, but Morton had cautiously decided that there was enough time to visit one more landen village before they left. Even Julian didn't have much a problem with this, mollified by the five Blood males (and seven females) that Karla had handwavily, because cons are exhausting offered a place in her First Circle, once she'd made her Offering.

Once there, they'd scattered to their respective duties with an ease that came with having done the same thing many times within the past two weeks. Karla took over whatever building was the largest, more interested in being a Healer than a Queen, taking care of whatever ailments came her way, either with Craft, mundane medicines, or just some brisk advice. Warren sat nearby, making sure she had plenty to eat and drink, while talking to the people about their problems and their woes, making sure they felt heard, understood, and cared for. People who might otherwise have been afraid to come to Karla were set at ease by his openness and, more importantly, his lack of Jewel.

Jono and Julian were teamed up elsewhere, talking frankly about the war that Karla would be bringing to Glacia, about her plans to depose the current Queen and her Ruling Council, and making it clear that any landen who wished to fight--or even learn to better defend his village--was welcome to join with them. Jono made it very clear that the landens that joined with them would be more than simply fodder for the Blood. Their willingness to fight for a Queen that would see them as people too had even Julian offering a grudging respect.

Morton was out in the fields, delivering the Queen's Gift to nourish the crops. A cupful of Karla's blood in a bucket of water was enough to give the tiny plants new life and fullness, ensuring that the village could meet their new tithes while still having enough leftover for themselves. And Kaelas remained outside of the village, keeping watch with his superior kindred senses, which he never failed to point out to their group of tiny noses and ineffectual teeth.

[NFB, and all PCs modded with permission. Violence and dark themes in the comments, because what would a trip to Glacia be without those?]

Comments

[furnaceface]

"That's thirty-four signed up for military duty," Jono mused, looking fairly pleased with today's proceedings. "Another two-dozen looking to learn how to protect their home. And," he allowed himself a faint smirk as he glanced Julian's way, "one bruised knee courtesy of a little girl with a stick, proving that she is indeed very brave."

He'd had a good day.

[glacial-court.livejournal.com]

Julian gave Jono a sour expression. "Well, it wasn't like I was going to hit her back or anything," he growled.

Granted, he could have dodged or even blocked, but he hadn't actually expected the blow to land. Especially not hard enough to leave a bruise.

[furnaceface]

"No," Jono replied, sounding downright jovial, "because if you had, I would've been forced to kill you."

It would have been a hardship, really.

"All-in-all, a fairly good showing, I'd say. I think this village was probably one of our better turnouts. Close enough to the worst of it to know what's in store if something doesn't happen, and soon."

[glacial-court.livejournal.com]

As much as Julian would have liked to retort with a snide comment about how Jono might have tried to kill him, another matter required more protestation than that. "I don't hit little children!" he snarled. "Especially not landen children! I know you're clinging to this whole anti-Blood thing you have, but most of us aren't monsters!"

Stop being jealous of your betters, Jon.

[furnaceface]

"Yes, I clearly loathe the Blood," Jono replied, rolling his eyes toward the sky. "You can tell by the way I'm standing in Glacia, risking my arse for my best friend, the triply-aspected witch wot wears the Sapphire as her birthright, and all."

Honestly, Julian.

"What peeves me off, mate, is just how hell-bent certain people are on underestimating just what the landens are made of. The fact that your knee is about as blue as mine at th'moment is testimony enough to that."

He was never, ever going to let that go, now. It was his new favourite thing in the world.

[glacial-court.livejournal.com]

"And what other member of the Blood besides Karla do you like?" Julian demanded. "You're here because you're her friend, not because you give a damn about the rest of us!"

His was an epic bitchface.

"And I wouldn't have moved if she was Blood, either! She's what--four?!"

[furnaceface]

"Actually, there were a few rather charming lads and ladies in those Blood villages we visited, too," Jono replied easily. "Willing to step up to Karla's cause and not raising a bloody fuss about Warren and myself. Morton's a good bloke, Kaelas is charming not just because he can bite my head clean off, Lucivar's got a good amount of my respect. Really, I think the only member of the Blood that I've met and don't like is you."

Which did not equal racism, Julian. It equaled a dislike for people who behaved like pricks.

"Four," Jono agreed, shrugging. "Five. Three. Something like that. I would've at least thrown a shield up to blunt the blow. I don't make it a habit to be beaten with blunt objects by anyone when I can help it."

[glacial-court.livejournal.com]

Well, so it was only aristos Jono didn't like. Figured.

"Am I not here, talking with you, making nice with the landens?" Julian asked, rolling his eyes. "Even conceded that you're right, that they'll probably come in handy, not just protecting their villages so we don't have to. But these people have no idea what it takes to run a Court, especially not the highest Court in the land. Neither do you, or Warren, or even Karla. So don't blame me for the rude awakening you're all going to get when you stop visiting villages and start mingling with the cities."

[kindrednotkind.livejournal.com]

Other than a few not-really-close calls and the sniping between the party members group, the past two weeks had gone fairly well. Which was why it came as such a surprise to have Kaelas's voice tearing through their minds on a psychic thread.

*People coming,* he sent and they could almost hear his hackles rising. *They smell like tainted meat.*

[glacial-warlord.livejournal.com]

*Tainted meat?!* Morton sent back, confused. *You mean like demon-dead? That's impossible! It's barely evening!*

[glacial_queen]

*It's perfectly possible if they've fed recently,* Karla said grimly. *And will feed soon after.*

[glacial-court.livejournal.com]

*On pure, undiluted blood,* Julian agreed. *We need to shield.*

[kindrednotkind.livejournal.com]

*Can't,* Kaelas sent, along with feelings of sharp teeth and ready talons. *The rotten-meat female wears the Red.*

Yeah, enjoy that little tidbit, y'all.

[glacial_queen]

Karla, always dignity and grace, fell off her chair at that. With a blistering string of obscenities, she hopped up back up to her feet and began pacing, too perturbed to even offer a reassuring smile to the people who were now watching her.

*There's WHAT?!?* she yelped. *That's fucking impossible! Julian and I are the strongest Blood in the Territory!*

[wwiii]

Warren had been getting none of this. He'd noticed the change in Karla's demeanor, but it was difficult to ignore her falling off her chair. He mumbled a quick apology to an elderly gentleman that he'd been chatting with, and then rushed to Karla's side.

"... Karla? Are you okay?"

Because, seriously, what the hell spontaneous chair-falling?

[glacial_queen]

"No, I'm not bloody okay!" she snarled, shoving her hand through her hair as she continued to demand information from Kaelas. "There's a witch heading this way! With an escort. An escort of--" Beat. "--Six males. None of them wear anything darker than the Summersky, but where the Hell did a demon-dead Red-Jeweled Priestess come from?!"

[glacial-warlord.livejournal.com]

Julian had probably clued Jono in that something was up when he stopped, mid-sentence, jerking to a halt, his eyes going distance and his posture defensive. As if that weren't enough of a giveaway, Morton dashed up to them a moment later, the earnest cousin gone and a male on a mission in his place.

"We've got a problem," he said, eyes scanning the horizon towards the east of town.

[furnaceface]

"I gathered," Jonothon replied, looking tense and sounding more than a little terse as he turned a glance toward Julian. "And would one of you mind filling me in on what that problem is?"

Now was not the time to be feeling his lack of a telepathic connection to the people around him like a punch to the guts. He could tell that much.

He was going to be good and stung by this later, though.

[glacial-enemies.livejournal.com]

The village was silent and deserted as the Coach rolled into the center of town. If there weren't signs of previous activity--laundry hanging on lines, the wheat growing in the fields, the remains of a game of marbles hastily abandoned--one would almost think it a ghost town. Heketah smiled to herself over a goblet of yarbarah. It seemed that her reputation had spread. Even coming so early as she'd done had given the fools enough time to hide in their little houses, like rabbits cowering from a wolf.

If the thrill of the hunt wasn't so much fun, she'd wonder how they could have gotten warning in time.

"Ralt," she said, licking the blood from her lips. "Do go and let the landens know we're here."

[kaeleerans.livejournal.com]

With an abbreviated bow, Ralt opened the Coach door and stepped out. "Landens!" he called, voice booming with Craft. "The High Priestess has deigned to visit your...village." The sneer in his voice suggested that he had several better words for it, but had decided to be polite. "Come out and greet her!"

The village remained silent and still, not a single person stirring, not even enough to peek out from behind curtains.

After fifteen seconds with no movements, Ralt tried again. "I said come out and greet her!"

[glacial_queen]

"High Priestess?" Karla hissed. "Who the bloody Hell is that?!"

[furnaceface]

"Trouble," Jono murmured, voice grim. "With a title like that, if you don't know, she can't possibly be anything but more trouble than we need right now."

To say the least.

"Now shut your gob, unless you want them to hear us."

Jono was so delicate in these situations.

[glacial-enemies.livejournal.com]

Oh, how right you were, Jono. About trouble, anyway.

"That's fine, Ralt," Heketah said from inside the Coach. Her voice wasn't raised and yet her voice rang through the village, clear as a bell. "If they don't want to come out, we'll just give them a little bit of incentive. I have always found a bonfire to be so warming on these brisk spring nights. Say...a village-wide one? Do you think that would convince them to come out and say hello?"

[kaeleerans.livejournal.com]

That, at least, drew the people from their homes. One by one, doors opened and people began creeping forward, eyes downcast, hands in pockets or clutching clothing or clinging to one another. Soon, every adult in the village was huddled under Ralt's stare.

For all that he looked petulant and angry, it was the empty window of the Coach that drew their frightened looks.

[kaeleerans.livejournal.com]

"Priestess," Ralt said, bowing once again towards the Coach. "They have assembled for you. Is there any among the great unwashed that suits your fancy?"