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_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!"

[glacial-warlord.livejournal.com]

"But he's faster," Morton said, sprinting along side them. "And it will just take take to put you down and let you start running."

He jerked his thumb behind them and Karla could see over Warren's shoulders that the Coach was even closer now, almost to the limits of the village.

"Maybe if you're good, we'll let you climb down instead of tossing you," he added, because if there was a situation too dire for him to tease Karla about, he didn't actually want to know what it was.

[furnaceface]

And really, neither did anybody else.

Jono reached the well first, of course, immediately falling into a crouch on the side opposite the carriage. As the rest caught up, he gestured with a thumb toward the well's opening.

"It's a long way down, and if you jump you'll only end up scraping half yourself off on th'walls on th'way down. I can take two at a time, then, and the other two are going to need to keep hidden until I come back up for them."

[glacial-court.livejournal.com]

"Karla first," Julian said, keeping his eyes on the approaching Coach. Because anyone wasn't aware of that. "Warren, too. His wings are too white to keep hidden for long."

[glacial-warlord.livejournal.com]

"Julian and I will follow you inside, and hang down from the edge of the well," Morton agreed. "We're strong enough to hold until you get them situated and there won't be the possibility of us getting spotted as we crawl inside."

[furnaceface]

"Well then, since that's settled." And no, Jono wasn't going to wait for Karla's input or Warren's before reaching out to scoop them both into his arms.

They were both so ridiculously light, he managed to lift them each with little effort at all.

"In we go."

Sorry, Karla. Jono wasn't going to risk using his collar until after the three of you were already falling, for fear of the blue haze of light being spotted from the village. So that would be the lurch of falling, there, cut off abruptly as he caught himself in mid-air about halfway down the well, but not before knocking his elbows against the walls a few times, bloodying his arms up a little along the way.

A little more, since Warren, who had set his mind to not panicking, was clinging to the arm that was holding him solidly against Jono's body, with more claw than finger involved in holding that grip.

[glacial_queen]

Luckily for Jono, Karla was used to dropping short distances before being caught, if only from the number of times she'd flung herself off of something high and trusted Warren to catch her. This didn't mean she was a fan of him doing it, however, and her yelp of surprise was buried by her teeth in Jono's shoulder.

[glacial-court.livejournal.com]

Julian and Morton exchanged glances, then vaulted into the well as one, keeping their hands clenched around the corner of stone.

"Still more comfortable than the time I had to rescue you from Lady Galla's bedroom," Julian whispered.

[glacial-warlord.livejournal.com]

"Mother Night, Julian!" Morton hissed. "Not where Karla can hear you!"

[glacial_queen]

Karla couldn't respond without risking her voice carrying, but the looks she was shooting at them both suggested that this topic was not over.

[furnaceface]

It was the chill of the water spilling into Jonothon's boots, and not the teeth in his shoulder or the claws in his arm, that actually had him jolt a little once they reached the bottom of the well. He hissed slightly between his teeth, and then nodded down, frowning a little.

"Let's see how deep this goes, then. Pray there's enough room for five to tread water, if it's more'n a few feet down."

Sorry Karla, Warren. The water that was creeping up your legs wasn't anything even approaching warm.

[glacial_queen]

"Whinebox," Karla muttered.

Okay, so, the water was just as cold to her as it was to Jono, but this was Glacia, where swimming in mountain lochs was a thing that people did, even when they had to break the ice to get to water. She wasn't going to be a baby now.

Hopefully, she'd be able to keep her teeth from chattering without using Craft.

"It's fine," she added. "Up to my midriff, and I'm the shortest."

[furnaceface]

"Well, good," Jono replied, letting Karla go and then taking a moment to pry Warren's claws from his arm before leaving him waist-deep in the cold water. Honestly, now. "Then in you go. I have to go and collect the heavy ones, now."

Hm. His arms had seen better days. And he'd knocked his knee on the way down, too. It was going to sting like a mother when it hit the water. He didn't seem to worried about it.

"Now, stay quiet."

And then he was flying up the shaft of the well again, doing a far better job of not hitting the sides on his way up. He didn't speak at the top. Merely settled in place directly under one of them - Julian, he assumed, though it was difficult to tell going by just the silhouette of the man in the dark, from below - and gestured for him to push off toward him. Jono would catch him, bloodied arms or not.

[glacial-warlord.livejournal.com]

First Julian and then Morton let go, trusting themselves to Jono's strength and odd Craft.

They had barely gotten down and situated in the murky water before they heard a voice calling out for the village to come out and greet the High Priestess.