Axylia — Kadence (1)

Kadence Travnik perched on top of the temple steps.

She wasn’t supposed to be here. If Cassandra found her, she would be chastised for behaving in an improper manner. But Cassandra was supervising the trainee priestesses, so Kadence could do what she liked.

The heavy old book was open on a page full of illustrations. She was supposed to be studying the gods and the history, but Kadence liked to look at the pictures. They were each painted by hand by the older priestesses, colours that bled through the pages onto the other side and swirled together to create an affect that was captivating.

“Studying,” Gabriella said. It was supposed to be a question, but it came out as a command. Bossy Gabriella, always acting like she was better. Kadence hated her.

“I am,” Kadence told her.

Gabriella followed her gaze to the dancers in the square. “Apparently not.”

Kadence focused her gaze onto the book. “I can’t study with you peering over my shoulder.”

Gabriella rolled her eyes. She walked away, her footsteps getting fainter. Kadence looked up again, enjoying the swirling fabrics of the dancers. A group of men leaned against the wall, drinks in hand. A few merchants crouched on the ground, counting their gold. Guards marched through the courtyard, not hesitating to push people out of the way. A woman threw dirty water out onto the street, mingling with the dried blood from a fight the night before.

Kelir was not an ideal place to live, but it was home.

She watched as a woman hurried over to her friends and whispered something that Kadence couldn’t quite catch. Kadence let the book slip from her hands, then leapt down the steps and pretended to be dusting off the book. She strained her ears.

“Escaped, yes, that’s what I heard,” one woman was saying.

“But how?”

“I don’t know.”

Kadence’s heartbeat quickened. Escaped. That was what the women had said. Farmers and merchants could come and go, but the born citizens of Kelir were confined to the stone walls that ringed the city. Escape meant freedom, meant defiance and it meant ownership of oneself. That was all Kadence wanted.

“Kadence!” Cassandra’s deep voice rang out across the steps.

Kadence ran up, clutching the book to her chest. “Apologies, sister,” she said, running through the standard saying breathlessly. “I was distracted.”

“Evidently,” Cassandra frowned. “And yet you did so well as a trainee.”

Kadence’s face burned. She looked down.

“You are keeping on top of your studies?”

“Of course,” Kadence replied.

A young girl, perhaps twelve, ran to Cassandra. “Please, Miss,” she said, “I don’t know where the candles go.”

Cassandra gave one last look to Kadence. “You can go,” she said. “Take the book with you. Study, for once. And for the love of all the gods, please don’t sit on the steps. It’s—”

“Improper,” Kadence finished for her.

Cassandra looked torn between frowning and smiling, so she dealt with it by following the trainee back into the temple.

Kadence bounded down the steps. Free at last! She headed straight for the inn across the square. She knew Luke would be there, he was always out this time of day. She pushed past the crowd and spotted Luke leaning on the stone wall.

“You’re early,” he commented.

“Cassandra let me off,” she replied. She held the book up. “I have to study.”

Luke swore. “Do it later.”

“No, I’ll forget,” Kadence said, pushing open the heavy door with her shoulder.

The dense warmth enveloped her and settled. She smelled the sweat and the drinks, the heavy scent of the burning logs in the hearth. The clinks of glasses and low thuds on the tables filled her ears. A few men sang in the corner. Luke ordered a drink, and Kadence hung back — she wasn’t allowed as a priestess. Kadence led the way over to a table, ignoring the leers that followed her.

“Did you hear?” Luke asked once they had settled. “I heard people talking that someone—”

“Escaped?” Kadence finished for him. “Yes, I heard too. I don’t believe it.”

“Don’t you?” Luke asked.

Kadence sighed. “All right, I do. I just don’t want to get my hopes up.”

Luke grinned. “Thought you would.” He studied Kadence’s face.

Kadence broke the eye contact and opened the book. Her eyes wouldn’t focus on the words. If she was the King, she’d make it illegal to enforce studying after graduation. And while she was at it, she’d knock down the walls. And then she would run free.

“How’s your dad been?” Luke asked, breaking the silence.

“Good,” Kadence said. “He’s tired.”

“The blacksmith’ll do that to you, I guess.” Luke grinned. “Hey, did I tell you? I got the apprenticeship!”

Kadence’s face lit up. “You didn’t! Oh, Luke, that’s brilliant!”

Luke smiled. “S’all thanks to you,” he said. “You and your dad.”

“It’s nothing,” Kadence said.

They lapsed into an easy silence, Luke sipping his drink and Kadence idly flipping through the pages of the book.

“Climbed over the wall, that’s what I ‘eard,” a man behind them said. “Hopped over the edge!”

Kadence perked up. She exchanged a look with Luke, then leaned back in her chair to listen closer.

“You talking ‘bout that girl, Rob?” the barman called across the room to the man. “Tell us about it.”

“Oh, I dunno,” Rob replied. “Just what you hear on the street, s’all.”

“I saw it!” a half-drunk man said from the bar.

A huddle of men jeered, and the barman smiled. “Right,” he said, setting down a drink. “Talk to us.”

Ed took a swig, and grinned. “Well, I was walking down that way just this morning, because I fancied meself a drink.” He let out a bark of laughter. “But then I saw these guards runnin’ off to the North Wall, and I thinks to meself, well would ya look at this! Because you don’t see guards up North, that’s where all the good ones live.”

“So why’re you there?” someone called, and everyone laughed.

Ed ignored him. “And I followed ‘em, but I didn’t dare get close. I like me eyes, I do. But what I did see,” he said, leaning forward, “was a little girl jumping off the edge! She got out, she did!”

“Bullshit,” someone called.

“That ain’t all of it, though!” Ed said excitedly. “She wasn’t no ordinary little girl! She was a little fairy girl!”

“There ain’t no Fae around here,” the barman said, looking towards the door. “You’ve had too much to drink, Ed.”

“I’m telling you!” Ed retorted. “White hair flowin’ in the wind and everything!”

Everyone was laughing by now, and Ed’s face fell into an expression of dismay. “I saw it, I tell you.”

“Fae!” someone crowed.

The door burst open and guards clad in black stormed in. A few men scurried out. Everyone cowered beneath their glares. Kadence ducked her head. Technically, as a priestess, she wasn’t supposed to be in here.

“‘Ello there, Ed,” one of the guards said. Apparently, this was not the first time they had run into each other. “What’re you talking about?”

“Nothing, sirs,” Ed said quickly. “Just tellin’ a story.”

“We heard one of you talkin’ about Fae,” he said.”Tell me, Ed, who was it?”

“Dunno, sir,” Ed said. He tried to stand up and swayed.

The guard smiled. He jerked his head and a couple of guards went over and grabbed him by the arms. Ed looked at them wildly as they dragged him forward, struggling to get to his feet.

The guard punched him straight in the face, then again to the stomach. Ed let out an oof of pain and spat blood onto the wooden floor. The barman let out a soft moan of despair. The guards continued to hit Ed until he sagged in the guards’ arms, then they let him fall to the floor and gave him a few good kicks.

“No Fae talk,” the first guard said. “And no spreading that story, got it?”

Everyone nodded mutely. The guards exited, leaving Ed’s body lying on the floor. Someone bent down and confirmed he was alright, and a few of his friends helped drag him away.

“Must be true, then.” Luke, who had stood up when the guards entered, sat back down again. “I don’t reckon they’d do that if ‘e was wrong.”

“Guess not,” Kadence said. Her eyes were still on the blood splattered on the floor.

“I hate ‘em,” Luke said, following Kadence’s stare. “Vile bunch. Wish the King employed better men.”

“The King would have to be a better man than he is, then,” Kadence said. She looked down at the heavy book, more an excuse not to talk than any kind of urge to study.

It was open on a page of illustrations. The goddess Axylia, Lady of the Skies, stared back at her. She was depicted with long, thick hair that had no colour, and opal-like eyes peering out. There was another painting, of Axylia with platinum hair and green eyes. Fae. The next page had her with dark hair and golden eyes that glittered like stars. Elf. She turned over the page and saw lots of smaller illustrations with subtle human variations: red hair and hazel eyes, black hair and brown eyes. Different hair, different eyes, but all with the same hooked nose, thick brows, and brown skin. The Elf and Fae images both took a page each, much larger than the human ones — they may hate the supernatural races, but the humans were mystified by them.

Axylia was a goddess of justice and freedom. Kadence silently hoped that one day, perhaps she would be able to find both.

“I’m going home,” Kadence said, finally closing the book. “I’ve had enough for one day.”

Luke waved his goodbyes as Kadence pushed her way back through the inn and outside. It was raining, but not cold. Kadence used the book as cover and ran home.