Young Writers Society

Ky smiled ever so slightly, pleased at the silent praise. That she wasn’t doing as utterly terrible with Ash as she felt like she was.

She kept her gaze on the table, taking the time to get her breathing more regular and actively force her body to relax.

Aleth had watched the exchange in silence. He was slightly uneasy that Ky might say something stupid in the midst of the grilling — but overall, he was delighted that Ash was raking her over the coals. If he couldn’t do it himself, he was glad at least someone else was willing to take the reins on quelling her disrespect.

He did not, however, approve of these brothers acting like they now owned Ky. Even worse — acting like they were opening their homes and their hearts to her and welcoming her as family. She was probably stupid enough to believe their empty words. But he still owned the miserable wretch. And Ash and Loquitur could both be damned if they tried to keep her from him.

(This is my last post for the night. See you tomorrow!)

"Fair enough." Tomhas shrugged. "I do miss those charming wretches, though. Good luck to Rasmus in the East!" He finished off his mead. "Now, who's the quiet fellow by Sera? You haven't introduced him at all."

(Night!)

Ky glanced up at that. Her gaze flicked to Aleth, then back to the table.

Somehow, this almost felt worse.

It wasn't by any stretch of the imagination. She’d take a thousand years of this to even a few more moments under Ash’s scrutiny. But she was going to have to deal with hearing Aleth’s voice. Force herself not to flinch even if his tone got sharp. Pretend that she wasn’t utterly terrified of him.

She supposed that part was easier, given her discomfort with Ash. He seemed to think he himself was the sole source of Ky’s anxieties, which was exactly what Ky wanted him to continue to believe. Ash needed to believe that she and Aleth were perfect strangers — or this whole thing would go to shit.

Aleth looked at Loquitur as he referred to him. He was doing a much better job of being conversational than Ky was. Playing his role well.

And now it was time for Aleth to show off his own acting skills.

“Al, sir!” Aleth said with a smile, dipping his head with faux-respect. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, sir.”

(XD I love it!!)

"He's a former slave who made his way to us on foot," Gaius added.
"He's lucky he found us or he'd have lost more than a couple toes." Sera sipped at her mead, eyeing Tomhas.

(Aha ty ty)

Ky looked up at that. Aleth had—?

The thought made her uncomfortable and she didn’t know why. Was it because it was such a grisly mental image it was hard to stomach? Or was it because — deep down — she kind of felt a morbid satisfaction that it had happened to Aleth? She didn’t want to think she was the kind of person that would find joy in someone else’s pain. That as cruel. That was no better than Aleth as himself. But she still couldn’t quite believe that Aleth wasn’t invincible. That he could be battered and broken by Tarr. That the bitter cold of the North could break him even further and steal a couple of his toes.

Ky looked down the table from him, and was grateful that his gaze was locked on Sera.

Aleth looked at her a long moment. She didn’t need to bring that up. Bitch. It wasn’t relevant. But he had no doubt Loquitur and Ky would delight in the knowledge.

But, then, he still needed to play his part. So he ducked his head submissively and glanced back at Loquitur. “I count it great fortune to have found his lordship in time — and that he took pity on me in my desperate state.”

"One can always count on my brother for mercy toward the unfortunate," Tomhas said with a nod. "I'm sorry to hear you were hurt; the Northern Realm is a cruel mistress."
Gaius had been watching Ky when Sera said this, and his eyes narrowed when she looked up. Had that reaction had carried more than just shock at a stranger's injuries, or were his eyes playing tricks on him? He remained silent, keeping his gaze on the girl. She would be the one to betray anything if there was anything to betray. Sera would cover Tomhas just in case.

Ky glanced around the table, tearing her gaze off Aleth. Only for it to lock immediately on Ash. He was staring at her with a cold, suspicious gaze. Had she given something away? Surely surprise at a revelation like that should have garnered her surprise and dismay to hear. Even for a stranger.

“That sounds awful,” Ky murmured, looking back at Aleth. She needed to shake whatever distrust Ash might have had to her gut reaction. Even if it meant addressing Aleth directly. “I’m so sorry you went through that.”

Aleth glanced at her. She must have reacted poorly to the news; and she must have realized she got caught. And now was trying to save her own skin. He certainly wasn’t going to be the one to break the alibi. “Thank you, miss.” He looked back at Loquitur. “Sir… I’m thankfully on the mend, now, thanks to Sera’s world class care.”

"She is a legend," Tomhas chuckled. "I daresay you've patched up the worst of nearly everyone at this table, Sera."
"That and more," Sera replied. "And every bump, scrape and cut you've gotten from climbing the blasted trees outside the Keep walls."
"Those too." He smiled slightly. "Your skill is unmatched, even by my own apothecary."

Ky smiled a bit at that, charmed that Loquitur had been a mischievous kid, once upon a time. It was endearing. And it was also sweet to hear Loquitur’s affection for her. It seemed he cared so much for so many people at Serpent Keep. It must have been hard on him to have to be at odds with them. She kept her gaze on Loquitur and pretended she couldn’t feel Ash’s eyes on her.

Gaius's eyes flickered over to Aleth briefly to see how he was reacting to all this.
"I'm starving," Tomhas went on. "When do you suppose the stag will be finished cooking? An hour? Two hours?"
"In the next thirty minutes, since it started cooking while the tents were going up," Captain Bay guessed. It was the first time he'd spoken. "My Lord."
"Bay!" Tomhas grinned. "I'd almost forgotten you were there. How are you, old friend?"
"Fighting a war," Bay replied gruffly. "So as well as can be expected."

Ky sobered at that.

Right. War. It wasn’t a good thing that they were together right now. Not on these terms.

Aleth had kept his gaze off Ky since when he’d acknowledged her fake sympathy. If anyone was going to let the secret slide, it certainly wasn’t going to be him. And he didn’t want for it to be her, either, so he wasn’t going to fuel her anxieties and make the situation even more precarious.

He looked over at Bay as the man started speaking, his eyes flicking past Ash as he did so. What was Ash looking at him for? He hadn’t done anything wrong. So he inclined his head in acknowledgement and then continued moving his gaze to Bay.

Tomhas sobered as well. "That's fair. Actually, while we're waiting on the stag...Gaius, may we speak in private?"
Gaius had been expecting this. He wanted to talk, too, though not about war. He pushed himself to his feet and nodded slightly.
"We'll speak in my tent," he said, gesturing for Tomhas to lead the way. Tomhas rose, dipping his head to the others.
"We won't be a minute," he assured them, though he expected they'd be much more than that. "General Wai, you have the floor." General Wai had been nursing her mead quietly at this point, but she looked up and nodded solemnly as Tomhas spoke. The two brothers left the tent.

Ky had never been so relieved in her life.

Well, okay, she’d been more relieved when Loquitur had rescued her in the first place.

And she was still tense being in a tent with Aleth. And under the gaze of so many of Ash’s cronies. If he was this paranoid, he probably had tasked someone else to keep an eye on everyone’s reactions. Aleth had forced her into the same role many, many times in the past. Watching every sideward glance. Every pursed lip.

Ky looked at the people left on Ash’s side of the table. Would it be disrespectful for her to strike up conversation? It certainly would have been when she retained servant status. But apparently both Lords were agreed that she had moved up from that post. So maybe she could get away with it.

Either way, she couldn’t handle awkward silences. She looked at the man at the end of the row, furthest from Aleth. There was an easiness to him that was lacking in literally every other person Ash had brought along. It seemed the easiest conversation to strike up, even though she didn’t want to be back in the spotlight. “I’m not sure I caught your name, sir?”

Emery leaned forward with a smile, holding out his hand. "Emery Rand, at your service. Delighted to meet you!"

"What happened to Lyra?" Gaius demanded as soon as they were in his tent.
"That's how you want to start this?" Tomhas smiled uncomfortably. "Can't we talk about the main issue?"
"After. Tell me about my niece, if you please." He sat down in a nearby chair, stretching out his bad leg. Tomhas sighed and pulled up a chair across from him, rubbing his chin.
"This war wasn't worth her suffering," he said finally. "I want to end this now, before anyone else gets hurt."