a/n: hey, thanks for checking out Starry Veins! This is the novel I
wrote for Round V of LMS, and it's still a first draft! While I don't
discourage any feedback, I prefer not to receive feedback on grammar!
I'm not polishing this draft up yet, so I'm not as concerned about
editing. I am, of course, open to all feedback, but I ask that you keep
this in consideration! Thanks <3
*
[Rowan]
“Ow.”
Rowan
rolled their eyes and tugged on one of Cassius’ curls. “I wasn’t
even touching you.” They gently ran the comb through a knot in his
hair, and Cassius squirmed. Again.
“I
can brush my own hair, Ori,” Cassius grumbled.
“Really?”
Rowan purposefully gave him another tug and Cassius yelped. “I
wouldn’t have known. You always look like you’ve never seen a
comb in your life.”
From
where she was crouching to lace the tall, white hide boots, their ma
pursued her lips to hide her smile. That made Rowan grin. Ember, from
her place on Cassius’ bed, didn’t even try to conceal her
snicker.
“They’re
right,” she said. “Wear all the nice, pretty clothes you like,
but you always look like you’ve just fallen out of bed.”
In
the mirror, they watched Cassius roll his eyes. “It’s so tangled
all the time, it takes forever. It just gets all frizzy.”
“That’s
because you try to brush it when it’s dry.” Rowan held up the
wide-toothed, ivory comb and waved it in Cassius’ face. “Use this
when it’s not wet. Learn how to take care of yourself, rat.”
Ma
stood up and gave them a stern look, even though her eyes were
glittering. “Don’t call Cassius a rat.” She appraised Cassius
and adjusted the collar of his tunic that curled out from his neck in
a wing-like point over his shoulders. “He looks very pretty. The
blue embroidery brings out his eyes, and the gold lace highlights his
hair and skin tone.”
Rowan
sighed, mostly satisfied with Cassius’ curls—it wasn’t like
they would be able to tame them anymore than they already had—and
set aside the ivory comb. “Everything
brings out his eyes, Ma. Everything
looks good with his hair.” They pinched Cassius’ ear, gently, and
Cassius squawked, swatting them away. “I swear, you’re using
magic.”
“Am
not!” Cassius protested. “What would you even say to invoke that?
Blend
this mortal vessel to attire?”
“You’d
be more likely to turn into your own trousers,” Rowan replied.
Ember
snickered again, doing absolutely nothing to help with the preceding
of dressing Cassius for tonight. She was only half ready either, even
though Rowan had implored her to bring her own clothes to put on
while they and their Ma helped Cassius out. She’d tied back her
hair with a silk ribbon to hide the fact she hadn’t brushed hers
either, but there was some smear of something on her nose and she
wasn’t bothering to wipe it off.
“Nobody’s
turning into anything,” Ma said, and then grabbed Cassius’ hand
and guided him to stand up.
She
made a twirling gesture with her finger, and Cassius whirled around.
The train of his pearl-coloured tunic flared out around his legs.
Rowan crossed their arms, appraising the snowy outfit. Ma was right,
even the white brought out the gold-bronze of Cassius’ skin.
“Are
you excited?” Ma asked Cassius. “Fourteen already. The years fly
by faster than I can blink.”
Cassius’
smile at his opportunity to show himself off waned. He glanced down
at his hands, partially covered by the dripping gold lace off his
sleeves. “Yeah.”
Ma’s
grin melted into a concerned frown. She tucked a fallen strand of
black hair behind her ear and opened her mouth to say something.
“Hey,
Ma,” Rowan interjected, before she could say anything. They loved
their ma more than anything but trying to get to the root of whatever
was bugging Cassius would take more than some motherly worry. “Could
you go see how the set-up in the gathering hall is going? I think
Ember’s mum and Cassius’ dad were working on the cake, and they
wanted your input on edible flowers.”
She
met their gaze with a knowing look, and then nodded and reached out
to gently pat Cassius’ cheek. “Don’t go and get into any mud or
give yourself any papercuts now.” She crossed the room to the door,
and it clicked shut behind her quietly.
They
shared a glance with Ember, and then turned to Cassius.
“So,
how are you really
feeling?” they asked.
Cassius
shook his head and walked over to sit next to Ember on the bed. “I
mean, yeah. Excited. It’s my birthday.”
Ember
put her elbow on his shoulder and rested her chin against her fist.
“Uh huh. And I saw a phoenix last week.” She went to reach for
his hair, but Rowan cleared their throat, and she seemed to think
better of it. “You’re a terrible liar.”
“Am
not!” Cassius swatted Ember off his shoulder. Then he shrugged,
groaned, and threw himself backwards onto his bed with as much drama
as he could muster. “This is the last birthday that Belle’s gonna
be here with me.”
“That’s
ridiculous,” Ember scoffed. “It’s not like they’re leaving
forever.”
“I’m
not stupid. I know she wants this, even if she’s too nice to say
so.” Cassius frowned up at the ceiling. “She’ll go out into the
world, and she’ll see how great it is, and then she won’t want to
come back.”
Rowan
sat down on the armchair Cassius had been occupying while they did
his hair, threw on leg over the other, and stretched out their arms
over the sides of the chair. “You’ve never been out there, how do
you know it’s so great?”
“Yeah,
and besides, who’s to say we don’t follow them?” Ember punched
Cassius’ foot, but he either didn’t feel it or chose not to
react. She winced. Punching his boot probably hadn’t been the
wisest decision.
“Uh
huh,” Cassius mocked. “And what if they don’t come back? Like,
not even here, but at all?”
They
frowned and tilting their head. Their hair slid over the exposed skin
of their shoulder, untouched by their navy-coloured, velvet robe.
“Why wouldn’t they?”
Glancing
over between them and Cassius, Ember was frowning now too. Cassius
pulled himself back up, his expression solemn now. “I overheard
something. Something the council was talking about.”
Ember’s
eyebrows went to her hairline and she smacked Cassius in the
shoulder. “You eavesdropped on a council meeting and didn’t
tell me?!”
“How’d
you manage to not get caught?” Rowan asked
Cassius’
cheeks darkened. “It was kind of an accident.” He looked up at
Rowan. “But that’s not the point. You know the tales of the
cursed ruins, don’t you? I thought you were just telling
superstition, but the adults are fussy about it too…”
Rowan
raised an eyebrow and leaned back. “You thought I was what?”
Then, because they knew it would irritate him, they smiled. “‘It’s
just superstition.’ You know, you sound like Stormy.”
That
earned him a gaped mouth and a scowl. “I do
not—”
“He
said the same thing.” Rowan shrugged.
“Oh,
grow up you two,” Ember snapped. “What do the tales say? I mean,
are Belle and Stormy in danger?” She crossed her arms. “Margaretta
wouldn’t let them go if it meant putting them in harm’s way
though, right?”
“I
don’t think she believes the stories about the curses or whatever,”
Cassius said. “She seemed irritated by the questions about it. Said
something about not believing the superstition.” He frowned.
“Gracia asked if they knew about the dangers, Stormy and Belle I
mean. Margaretta said they do.”
Ember
glanced towards them. “What are
the stories about the ruins anyway?”
“Explorers
and treasure seekers that go to the ruins, or even near ‘em, they
say they never come back. Those that claim to have gotten close say
they heard things, saw shadows. There’s always something there,
like its discouraging anyone from going to the ruins.” They slumped
in the chair. “Imagine if they’re true. What if its some kind of
protection magic? Think of how old
that could be! It could be magic nobody alive knows anything about.
And what about what could be buried in the kingdoms? What kind of
history would be lost there? What about a real explanation for how
the three kingdoms fell in the first place?”
“That’s
not the point though,” Ember said. “If nobody who goes there ever
comes back, why would Margaretta be leading a bunch of people there?”
“She
said something about a key.” Cassius shrugged. “Says she’s sure
that we have it. The Chronicler’s Guild. The council? I don’t
know, someone has it though. She said something about how curses are
like locks?”
Rowan
pulled a clump of their hair over their shoulder and began to twirl
it around their finger. “No curse is unbreakable, some just can’t
be worked out. Yeah, it’s like locks. Some even get rusty, or too
old.” They looked down at their sleek black boots and knocked the
end of their heels against the floor. “So, she thinks she has the
key. How wonderful would it be? To be a part of the expedition that
unlocked the secrets of the ruins and their history.” They scowled.
“If I was a year
older.”
“Bully
for them, they’re dumb for not letting you come,” Ember said.
Then she hopped from Cassius’ bed, and grabbed his shoulder to drag
him with her. “C’mon. We only have a few hours before the party
starts, and I need help with the stupid laces on my dress. Besides,
Lana wants you to do her hair, ‘cus Belle was off in the village
with Ash doing gross romantic stuff.”
“Good
to know I’m her second choice,” they said, trying not to smile.
They failed. Alanna’s hair was nearly as soft as theirs, and thick
as anything. On one hand, the silkiness made it slippery, but the
thickness balanced it out. When they could get Alanna to sit still
long enough, they loved working with her hair.
Ember
linked her arms between both Cassius and Rowan’s, and then began to
drag them out the door. At least Cassius looked a little livelier.
For
the first time since learning about the ruins, Rowan hoped that the
stories were
only superstition.
word count:
1,656
I personally think "won't follow them" sounds better than "don't" since it's talking about the future
Points: 2806
Reviews: 935
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