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

[glacial-warlord.livejournal.com]

"That's different," Morton said shortly. "They're friends with Jaenelle and Jaenelle doesn't notice things like 'living' or demon-dead. But if this Priestess were someone we knew from the Hall, Kaelas would recognize her, even if Karla and I didn't. Which means she's not supposed to be here!"

[furnaceface]

Jono's teeth were almost audibly grinding, by this point, and he'd taken to pacing a little while he absorbed what his two traveling companions were saying.

"So she's an unknown hostile. Strong. And trespassing against the High Lord's will," he surmised. "We can't afford a direct altercation with her, unless we want to risk seeing the village and everyone in it flattened, and I'm not in any mood to have that sort of carnage on my head."

He took a deep breath. He didn't want to say this. Every bit of him screamed at the thought. But.

"We sit low, lads. We hide. Until we know what her business is, we can't afford to out ourselves, and the cost is too high for the innocents we're surrounded by if we do."

[glacial-court.livejournal.com]

"But we can't just sit here!" Julian said, his temper rising at the idea of leaving these landens unprotected. "The Blood defend and protect and the landens are our responsibility! The Old Ways--!"

[glacial-warlord.livejournal.com]

"Leash it, Prince Hagen," Morton snapped. "The Old Ways demand that we protect Karla before we do anything else. This entire village is expendable, but she is not!"

His look dared Jono to argue with that.

[furnaceface]

Jono wasn't about to. He had, after all, just suggested they not go running off to confront a witch that outranked everyone but the giant cat that they were traveling with, after all.

"I don't like it either," he offered, looking evenly at Julian, "but part of defending and protecting is being able to recognize when fighting is only going to cause more bloodshed. These people don't need a battle in their front yard. They need us not to give that witch a reason to be more interested in their home than she already is."

[glacial-court.livejournal.com]

"Fine," Julian snarled, sounding a lot like Kaelas as he did so. He began to pace as well, a restless prowling that was also quite Arcerian. "Then where do we hide? The fields, perhaps? We need someone to put Karla to keep her safe. Somewhere that she can make a getaway, in case we're found anyway."

[furnaceface]

"Underground, if we can at all manage it," Jono replied, closing his eyes and trying to think. He wasn't a huge fan of underground after his run-in with Machinesmith, but a field was wide-open. An errant wind and an ill-timed glance would expose them, especially since the growing season had barely just begun. "We need somewhere that we could very literally be swept under a rug, somewhere well below this woman's notice. A... a cave, or a cellar of some sort. Hell, if there's even some sort of proper drainage system for sewage..."

It was hardly flattering, but that's what made it such a good suggestion for a hiding place.

[glacial-warlord.livejournal.com]

"There's an old well, over in one of the fields," Morton said, thinking quickly. "It's not entirely dry, but I don't think the water is more than waist deep. But it was mucky enough that if we needed to hide, it's doubtful we'd be seen under it. It's a big one, it probably used to provide water for the whole village, before it dried up."

[furnaceface]

Yeah, that prospect definitely didn't thrill him.

"Perfect," Jono replied, with a swift nod. "One of you tell Kaelas to keep out of sight, tell Karla that we need to get her and Warren down that bloody well."

Oh, Warren wasn't going to like that, either. Jono would worry about that when he needed to.

"I can fly us in, so we're not using Craft or just jumping blindly into an empty bloody well. But we need to get down there quickly. The five or six of us," depending on whether or not they needed to find a way to cram an Arcerian down a well, "just casually milling about in that field won't do us any great favours, either."

[glacial-warlord.livejournal.com]

*Kaelas!* Morton sent, not bothering to waste time agreeing. *Are you hidden where no one can find you?*

A moment later, Morton was rolling his eyes. "Kaelas is fine and would like to remind us all that he was hiding and stalking prey before we lost our milk teeth."

Cats, man.

[glacial-court.livejournal.com]

Julian was talking to Karla. *We have a plan,* he sent. *Get over here. We're hiding you.*

[glacial_queen]

*But these people need protection!*

[glacial-court.livejournal.com]

*Lady, what part of that sounded like a suggestion?* he demanded. *GET OVER HERE!*

"I wish I could speak to Warren!" he growled aloud. "Tell him to bring her stubborn ass over here even if he had to pick her up to do so!"

So she was arguing for the same thing that he had. No matter. THIS WAS DIFFERENT.

[furnaceface]

Jono grit his teeth a little more, and then nodded faintly. Once upon a time, he would have been able to do just that.

He'd ignore the pang in his chest until they were out of hot water, too.

"It wouldn't be a first for him," he noted. "If he realizes what we're doing, he'll catch the hint just fine."

... He hoped. Jono's experiences with Worthingtons tended to mostly involve an older, slightly more blue sort. Formerly blue sort. Cradle-robbing sort. Or else this Warren, hiding from the fight itself and vomiting afterwards.

Helpful.

[glacial_queen]

Well, the sight of Warren dragging a glowering Karla over to them answered that question, didn't it?

"I am not best please about this!" she snapped.

[furnaceface]

"Then you'll love the next part," Jono replied, hiking the top of his coat collar up a little higher, and then stealing a glance out toward the field. "You see that well?"

[glacial_queen]

"No."

That wasn't in answer to Jono's question. It was what she thought of the plan and everything it entailed.

[furnaceface]

"It's the well or a bloodbath," Jono pointed out. "If not immediately, today, then later, well after we've gone, when people come to investigate what happened to their red-jewelled mistress. Because from what I can see, if she spots us, the only way anybody leaves is if somebody dies."

[glacial_queen]

Karla snapped her jaw shut, grinding her teeth in such a way that suggested that she had plenty to say but none of it was a direct argument.

"Bastards."

[glacial-court.livejournal.com]

"My parents are still married," Julian said lightly--assuming one ignored the way he kept flexing his sword hand. "Now, may we escort you to our hiding spot, or would you prefer to be carried?"

[glacial-warlord.livejournal.com]

"And gagged," Morton added, because he'd met his cousin. "I'm glad everyone else has gone inside. Fewer people who know where we're hiding, the safer for us all."

[wwiii]

"So, we're... hiding at the bottom of a well," Warren ventured, softly. If he'd been bothered at the start of this trip every time he had to strap his wings in, that was nothing to this. Still, he was putting on a game little smile.

The terror wasn't something he was going to be able to mask, but that didn't mean he had to act on it.

"Sounds like it'll be cozy."

[furnaceface]

"Right. Right bloody cuddly, in fact," Jono replied, frowning. "I'll let you take a free shot at my face provided we get down there now and live long enough to come out again."

Which meant that he was giving one more quick glance around the corner, and then gesturing with one hand for everyone to follow him.

He was moving at a run.

[wwiii]

If nothing else, at least Jono's strategy meant that Warren didn't have time to panic. He gave a quick glance to Karla, and then before he could change his mind he'd pulled her into his arms, and he was taking off at a run after Jono, not daring to spread his wings lest that flash of sudden white draw more attention to them than they could ever possibly want.

[glacial_queen]

"I can run my own damn self!" Karla snarled at him. "I don't need to be damsel-carried to a fucking well!"