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[canvas-of-dreams]

The Hallowed Ground: Chapter Five

Theo, two months before the winter festival

We lay there silent as effigies as I embraced her. If the hickeys on my neck weren't proof that I was hers, then the way we laid beside one another that night was. This sort of thing wasn't allowed. I wasn't even supposed to be in her room. Still, a side effect of being a trained spy is that you learn to get into places you aren't meant to be. The route across the roof tops was risky, given the tiles were unreliably rickety on the older buildings, however, if I was to spend the nights with Wena, that was the price. Currently, the only part of my life that gave me some feeling was this time with her.

Her hands ran down my chest, stomach, reaching my waistband. She never went further than that at my request, and I was grateful to her. Even though Wena was forceful in every other aspect of her life, she never was with me. I pulled her closer to me and looked at the moon over the roof tops. The streets below were asleep, like dried streams waiting for daylight and the return of spring to bring them to life again. If I weren't here with her, I wouldn't have a chance of sleep, I would stare out on those streets all night or walk them, my thoughts and numbness making respite impossible.

Wena looked up a me, her slight frame in my arms bringing me back to reality.

'Theo?'

In her eyes was a different look to the one she normally gave me at a time like this. Their deep blue gaze had a serious hint to them. 'What is it?'

She sat up and stroked my hair. 'It's the war.'

'It's over now. You don't need to fret,' I said, and kissed her forehead. Still, her expression didn't change, if anything it embedded more.

'Lovely... what is it? You can tell me,' I said, and propped myself on my elbow. She breathed deep through her nose. There was a long pause before she spoke.

'You have to promise me that you would never tell a soul the information I am about to tell you. This information... only the most trusted get to know, do you understand?'

'I promise? Love, I- are you alright-'

'Promise on the Ground, the Hallowed Ground?'

I frowned hard. This was something grave. No one ever swore on the Hallowed Ground without knowledge of what they were swearing their life on.

'No, I'm not stupid, I love you but... tell me.' It took her a while to get it out. Perhaps she didn't trust me. Perhaps I was misjudging how important what she wanted to tell me was.

'The society is going to change, soon. My father and several other leaders have big plans.' She brushed some hair behind her ear, and folded her hands, thinking of how to word it. 'A few years ago... My father went on a trip to the Argyros territories, privately. He knew Adala was losing the war. He knew that it would fall. He wanted to secure the society's future, but the rest of the leaders... your guardians', Cassius's aunt, the rest of the Circle of Elders, didn't want to work with the empire out of loyalty to our nation. But they... they don't see what my father sees, what we' – she put her hand on my shoulder and gave me a meaningful look – ' see.'

The way she was talking was impassioned, like she was standing on a stage reciting poetry. Despite the controversy of what she was saying, I couldn't help but agree. She'd never charm me into taking her side, I knew that. So, I believed her, and listened on.

'Adala was always going to fall... optimism is a fool's friend. So, my father thought ahead. He got a secret audience with the emperor.' I knew Eleon had the power to sway the will of the dead, and usually he was wise enough to know when not to, however, getting an audience with the enemy's ruler was something beyond impressive. It was intimidating.

'My father explained how the Society has been involved in every major event of Adala's history. He convinced the emperor to let the Society keep its security and control, in exchange for loyalty and service. So... that will happen.'

The weight of what she was saying sat me bolt upright. 'Your father... your father is the traitor?' The Dardune's had been lying to everyone this whole time. 'He is one that Cassius has been looking for, for the whole of the last year. Are you fucking kidding me?' She stood up and looked away.

'You know what my dad did was the right thing to do. He is securing our future. Our future, Theo. Cassius is a blind pawn, he's a puppet general, he has no idea how corrupt this society is and how many people must change or be punished for the wrong they've done to Adala. Fuck, it was the corruption that sent your little sibling running, because they sensed what everyone else didn't.'

My fist balled up but my anger at the Dardune's ebbed away as I thought of my little sibling. What happened to Tayn was something that weighed on my conscience every day. Wena was right, the Society wasn't the saviour it believed itself to be, not for anyone different.

'We are going to take over the society and make a new future. Theo, you need to see that this is the right thing.' She turned her face to me. Her expression was desperate. She had told me something that only magic could remove from my mind, at the risk of her family, at the risk of ending our relationship. I stood up and held her tight.

'I hate to say this... but your father is right.' What I believed all along was that change was coming. If someone had a realistic plan, then why would I object? The society had been a home yes, but the kind of home that makes you grow up with a sickness that never leaves.

'I swear on the Hallowed Ground that I will not tell a soul.'

For the first time in a while, I had purpose. Other than being here for my girlfriend, I had a duty. It was peculiar to me, swearing on our sacred birthplace, the Hallowed Ground, for the fruition of a plan that would bring its people to destruction. I was considered a traitor now, a liar within the ranks of friends and family who would die for the society and its values. However, Eleon was right, this society didn't deserve to live on, not like this. It was corrupt at its core and its values were no more meaningful than etchings in stone. If being a traitor was the cost, I would risk my head for the chance at bringing about a better era. For Wena. For Tayn. If I wasn't going to live for myself, then I would live to avenge those I loved most. I looked up at the moon as we stood there and smiled. She would tell no secrets and so nor would I.

Wena

As Theo slept that night after I'd told him my father's ambitions, I left the room and headed to the living quarters. No one was about, the only eyes watching me were those of gold and bronze figurines on our family god's shrine, and the glances of the characters in the wall tapestries. The nerves had gone now, and I was relieved to bring good news to my family, who had agreed they would meet before dawn in dad's study. I didn't want to think of what I was told to do if Theo had reacted badly. We needed him on our side, but he was also disposable enough to my father that I'd be tasked with something heart-breaking should he have tried to tell anyone.

I knocked the agreed pattern on the door, and my uncle, Welan, let me in. He smelt like rust, or perhaps blood, and I tried not to think about what he had been tasked with tonight before this meeting. My mother was sat in the guest chair, my brother leaned on the window-frame, and my cousins, Toska and Ferio sat on the large bear skin rug. My father sat at his desk with his fingers interlaced on top of it, his expression unreadable. They were waiting for my news.

'Well, dear?' my mother said finally.

'He still has his freewill, if that's what 'well' means.'

'Well done, my child,' said my father, and he gave a rare smile. 'The plan is in motion.'

'Woohoo, Wena fucked lover-boy to her whim, impressive,' muttered Astor, and I gave him a black look.

'Astor don't be so crass,' chided my mother, and looked at me. 'Charm is our skill, and there are many forms.' My father had refined my gifts of manipulation in the mystical form, and my mother had taught me how to use the art of seduction. If only they knew I hadn't used either on Theo at all.

'All that matters is that we have him on our side. Cassius is loyal to him, and his family oppose us in every way. We need to have Cassius fooled in order to make this plan work. We are nowhere near the finish line, but it will succeed,' stated my dad, ignoring the previous comments about his daughter and the boyfriend he didn't like.

'That's confident,' said Welan, surprising everyone. My uncle didn't talk much and didn't care much about intervening in these discussions. He was a soldier, an assassin, he carried out his missions and didn't question anything, just did his job.

'Go on,' said my father, curious.

'You think you can just give people a choice. That you'll reveal your conspiring with the empire and people will be smart enough to go with you or disappear forever. No, there are more who disagree than agree with you, and they will do their best to fight back. The Society has never been one to give up easily.'

'So, what are you suggesting?' pressed my mother.

'You know what I'm saying, Ruelo. That we must force them to choose.'

My brother and I shared a troubled glance, and I looked at the rest of the room. The atmosphere had shifted from a regular meeting to something more sinister.

'Toska, Ferio and I have listened to the way that the rest of the Dardune's feel about the empire. You have them on your side. But the other families will not follow unless shown who's in charge. Either they choose reason...'

'Enough. Are you suggesting we just remove anyone who doesn't conform?' said my father. 'I don't want to be known as a tyrant.'

'They will view you as tyrant, traitor, whatever they want, but we cannot risk dissent. The emperor will have your head if you don't keep the Society under control. Is that what you want, brother?'

The room fell silent, and my father the most still of all. His younger brother had a point, but that much violence... What part would I play in it? Eventually dad spoke.

'We will wait until the winter festivities. The performance. Only the generals and the Dardune's will carry weapons, meaning the generals and priesthood will get a choice. Our family will, under my command... weed out those who would cause trouble.'

I shook my head in disbelief. 'Are we really going to murder people? Innocents too?'

'They are not innocent if they are complicit, my love,' said my mother and put her hand on my shoulder. 'You know that there will be many sacrifices to be made for our cause. For the better of the world and this Society. We have the power to change things, and so we cannot be weak when strength is necessary.'

It didn't sit right with me, but I knew that I'd have to listen to my family. We were doing this for our future. Join the empire and prosper or perish in the dust. Root out the corruption and rise into a better era.

'Wena?' said my father and implored me to his side.

'Yes?' I said, walking over.

'You mustn't tell Theo that we are planning this. Only tell him that we will give the people a choice, but nothing about the real plan. If he buckles, it falls on you to make sure that he won't manage to reveal us.' My father gave me that look. The one he gave me from childhood, used when he'd warn me of a consequence, to pay attention lest I make a mistake.

'I understand.' Why I was the one who would have to take away my boyfriend's freedom was beyond me. Perhaps it was because the alternative was someone else doing it, or 'dealing' with him, and I'd never forgive them for that.

******************************************************

By the time I went back to my room, a white dawn was upon us. Theo looked so tranquil, like a sketch that I could never redraw for how lovely it was. I kissed his forehead to wake him.

'You don't have to leave. My parents want to see you,' I said, after he gave me a clumsy hug.

'What do you mean? They know I'm here.' He woke up properly then, and I laughed softly at the panic in his face.

'Apparently they always knew.' I never believed my parents would tell me to sneak a boy through my window every night, but they did. 'Quickly though, get dressed. We are expected in the dining room in an hour.'

'Why so?'

I smiled to disguise my thoughts. My mind latched onto one specifically: how I'd have to lie to him like this over and over, for his own safety. My family welcoming him was more like putting a child in a lion's den. 'Because you are home.'

[canvas-of-dreams]

The Hallowed Ground: Chapter Four

Tayn

The last time I saw Adolis, the capital of Adala, was when I had just runaway. I had snuck onto a small canal boat, and when the owners found me, a small scraggly thing at the time, they took pity on me rather than ditching me on a riverbank somewhere. They taught me a lot of things, mostly about where things were in Adala, and swear words that I often made use of as I matured. I told them I was running to the city to seek my fortune. They didn't judge me or try to make me go home. From what they could see, there was no way of making me go back. But here I was a few miles away from that mighty city, now in the grip of the Argyros Order, to seek out a person I swore I'd never return to.

The location I was headed to wasn't in the city itself, but at a hidden site a few miles away. It was an aqueduct that had been out of use for centuries and had once been used by the Society, although they abandoned it a century ago due to finding more useful hiding places within the city walls. The only reason I knew that Cassius would be there, was because it was exactly where I would go if I were him. A normal general would know all the main hideouts, but a general like Cassius would have learnt about them all. Talu and I concealed ourselves as we reached city farming land and stuck to the forest bordering the territory. The aqueduct was thankfully in the forest's domain, where nature had been left to reclaim what the first city dwellers had left behind.

As we reached the top of a hill, I saw it.

Amongst tall, green woodland stood a crumbling, stone structure with carefully made arches that were now being suffocated by vibrant vines and wild shrubs. It looked like the god of the wilderness, Oseo, had come by, huffed at the human creation, and flicked his fingers, covering the thing in life. As I got closer, I saw old, undulating cobbles for streets on the ground, and houses swallowed by bushes and trees, hidden amongst it all. This must've been a civilian area before the city grew to be more populated, and the place was forgotten.

'Let's hope my gut was right, and that we're in the right place,' I said, and pressed on. Looking around the buildings I saw no one. I couldn't hear any signs of people in hiding, which told me that they were either doing a damn good job of it, or I misinterpreted Cassius's message.

'He has to be here, Talu. There is nowhere else he could've gone.'

Perhaps he is out hunting, gathering, whatever it is humans do. She sniffed the air. I smell burning.

'A clue.' There would be no burning unless there had been humans. I could've deduced fire-fae, but fae folk never lived near cities. I followed Talu to where she smelt the burning. It was a while before I even got a whiff, but once I did, it smelt distinctly like cooking. My stomach rumbled. 'When did I last eat?' I whispered.

Not for a day. You forget. She was right, and now my hunger was distracting. I had to stay on task. If it wasn't Cassius and I had stumbled on random wanderers like myself, or perhaps a hostile, I'd have to be prepared. Humans. Male. Meat. Talu wasn't keen on human, and since she met me, she'd sworn not to eat it unless for life-or-death circumstances. Still, she was a hunter, a few days hungry herself, and I was worried she might make Cassius a snack. 'Please, don't eat him. I hate him, but I'm not indifferent.'

He's not worth it, she remarked, and I stifled a giggle. It was time to take a risk.

'Cassius?' I called out. My voice echoed softly off the buildings around, and I shuddered at the feeling. 'It's Tayn.' For a moment, I realised how crazy this situation was. It had been four years since I'd runaway. I was nearly an adult, no longer the kid he knew. It would be the same for me looking at him. The thorn-feeling in my heart shifted into a drum-like beat, thumping against my ribs and leaping into my throat. What if we fought? What if he let loose all his anger on me as soon as he saw me? I'd not replied to a single letter, not one of sixteen in total. Well... I suppose me being here was a reply to the most recent.

There was a rustling sound, then the sound of debris crunching underfoot, a gentle clatter of small stones in shallow water. I scanned around me, hand on the pummel of my dagger, ready to grab the hilt and draw it if this was an ambush, or someone else's territory I'd intruded on. Talu bared her claws and puffed out her fur ever so slightly, to make herself more intimidating than she already was. What I saw didn't require this response, though. From round the corner of a hollow doorway came a figure. His dark brown hair was longer than it used to be. He was a man now, if not by age, by stature. His clothing was oddly ornate for being a fugitive, but it only made me realise how much he'd changed: from soldier to general, boy to adult. His hazel eyes met mine and I flinched, but only a little.

'Tayn?' he almost didn't get my name out of his mouth. I could've sworn I saw his eyes glisten, and I couldn't quite believe that he might be about to cry.

'Cassius.' My tone was flat, cold. He sensed that I wasn't here to make up or to pretend like nothing ever happened, and his emotions, although not gone, withdrew.

'You're alive,' he said more clearly, and I nodded.

'This is not a ghost you see before you.' Talu was still poised for action and growled gently.

'It's alright. He has no weapon on him.'

'Weapon? You seriously believe I would attack you and your... mountain cat?'

'Believe me, she'd win if you tried. We were just unsure of whether we'd found you or a potential threat,' I explained, and Talu reluctantly eased. Cassius looked like he wanted to walk closer, but hesitated.

'I'm glad you found me,' was all he said instead, and without realising, I smiled. 'I'm glad I found... this place too.' With the awkwardness of first greeting aside, he gestured behind him.

'Come in, please. I think it might rain soon.'

Cassius

Tayn sat down in the room at the farthest point from me as possible, leaning on their cat-companion like a couch. I was not afraid of the beast so much as wary of it. If Tayn trusted it then I did, but I also knew that my old friend didn't trust me and had a chaotic set of morals that might result in me becoming cat-food.

They looked so much older, stronger. Their skin was darkened by the sun and clothes tattered, all patched with random fabrics. There were scars on their bare shoulders and arms that looked to have varied between uncomfortable to serious in wound severity. They'd finally cut their hair short like they always wanted, although it was as unkempt as you might expect for someone living entirely off the grid for four years. But what was more startling than their appearance was their demeanour. Life had battered them. Tayn was hardened, looked like a street fighter. When we were kids, they'd looked so delicate and weak, agility and speed were their strengths during our training, and Tayn excelled in the mystic arts, so no one thought of them as a failure. Now they seemed to be a better warrior than me. Something like a mixture of pride, awe, and a longing for a past we never had filled me in that moment, as we sat in that little crumbling room with the mountain cat.

For a while, the only sound around was that of birds and other wild creatures, the breeze dancing in the leaves. Someone had to talk first. I cleared my throat, then spoke.

'How did you know I'd be here?' I asked, and the silence cut like wet clay.

'Because it is exactly where I would've gone,' they replied, and looked distant. 'I don't know what happened, but it must've been horrific for you to have been this desperate.'

'I wouldn't say desperate,' I said, embarrassed.

'You literally begged me to find you. There is nothing more desperate than that.' Of course, they were right, but the general in me didn't want to admit that.

'You were right in that it was horrific. Theo and I were lucky. We made it out alive.' Tayn's expression changed from looking dismally awkward and hateful, to somewhat concerned. They sat up, unfolded their arms and sighed.

'Tell me what happened.' Visions of the event and what followed came to my mind again, eager to make me regress after I'd done so well at keeping them under control. They bit at my focus like parasites, haunted my dreams worse than the scary stories I was told as a child.

'It happened the night I sent you the winter season letter. The night of the Winter festivities grand performance. In fact, the performance is when it all got set in motion.'

I told her about the oddness of the lack of green, the strange delivering of lines, how Wena and Astor had led the rest of the Dardune's with their father to bear weapons in the amphitheatre. Thank Rene that my dagger had both ceremonial and practical purpose, or I'd likely be dead. I told her of how they killed Antur in front of everyone and left his body on Rene's altar. I told her of the bloodshed that came after, the innocents massacred in the audience, one great family committing a heinous crime against the others. Eleon didn't let his family kill everybody. The generals and priests and anyone 'with sense' were spared to make a choice. Choose to serve the Arygros Order under Eleon's governance, or to die there and then.

'How did you and my brother make it out?' Tayn asked, shaken. They leant towards me now, unaware of how keenly they were listening.

'We fought. I'm not a general for no reason. We fought our way out together as we had trained to do, although I have to say fighting five to one isn't fair odds. It was mostly running, dodging and dumb luck, sprinting into the night and following the river to Adolis. I wrote to you when I reached the first letter-hold.'

There was silence again, but not so heavy this time. 'It is a miracle you survived. It is a miracle you are still here even after that... bloodbath.'

'There are several assassins, spies and bounty hunters after me and your brother, a few of them we have already taken out. But we are still hiding for that reason.'

'So is my brother with you?'

'No. Well. He's on my side. But we split up a week ago to confuse the hunters. We said we'd meet here in a few days, so that we can update one another and form a plan. He won't know that you're here until then. He didn't even know I sent the letter.'

My insides were achy then, empty, full of nerves. I hoped Theo would make it here. I couldn't lose him too. Looking at Tayn, I wondered if they felt the same way about their estranged brother. They were stroking the cat pensively, gaze focused on the ground in front of them. I couldn't read how they felt about seeing Theo again. As I sat there thinking of what to say next, it occurred to me that it would be a strange thing for me to lose one of the siblings, the friend, and to be stuck with the one who tried to forget I existed. However, I guessed that I'd have to try my best, because finally after years of silence, the prodigal had come back. I wasn't about to let Tayn run away a second time.

[canvas-of-dreams]

The Hallowed Ground: Chapter Three

Cassius, Winter Festival

Sitting down in the amphitheatre, at the prohedria, all I could do was swallow the increasing paranoia. After receiving such disturbing intel from a personal informant, how was I supposed to enjoy this play? Around me sat the highest-ranking members of the Society. These were the priesthood and generals, and somehow, by aged seventeen, I was sat amongst them. Still, it was these powerful people that I trusted the least.

Theo sat next to me, looking well put together, fine dress-shirt and breeches with symbolic embroidery at the cuffs and hems, his handsome features only sharpened, his ceremonial dagger, a weaponised accessory hanging round his waist in its jewelled scabbard. I too mirrored his style, decked out in clothes that let everyone know who I was, and not to mess with me. The priesthood was a mixture of both breath-taking and terrifying in black-silk robes, symbolic gold paint making their face and hands shimmer. The generals and other high rankers wore their family finery. Looking behind me at the theatron, seating for the majority of the Society, this celebratory sense of dress was mirrored. Gold, black, and red clothing, bright or metallic makeup, adorned all bodies in this space, all symbolic of Society values and its most ancient families. This occasion was a grand celebration, and everyone came looking like mythic entities. This grandeur wasn't out of the ordinary for the Winter festivities. Ever since I could remember it had been this majestic. But something was different, something that I could spot in how no one wore the winter evergreen. 'Are you alright?' Theo asked me, snapping me out of my sleuthing.

'Something is off,' I replied. 'No one is wearing the green. The Dardune's, they always wear Winter Evergreen, it's family tradition. What does it symbolise?'

'Why are you asking me?'

'Well, you're dating Wena, I thought you'd at least know about that.' He huffed, and paused for a moment, trying to remember.

'Evergreen symbolises the faithfulness of life, the fact it never really dies. I'm pretty sure. It symbolises Rene's justice too,' he said, shrugging.

'That's essential to the celebrations. I don't see one Dardune wearing it. Not one of them.' Theo raised his eyebrow at me like I was going mad. Maybe I was. But the fact that Dardune's were in the audience and not wearing their symbolic colours like everyone else, troubled me, especially after the information I'd been told. They were not wearing justice.

'Do you think the Dardune's are the leak?' Theo frowned then and put his hand on my shoulder.

'Don't be so ridiculous. They are one of the most ancient families. They would never betray the Society.' But I wasn't so sure. Before I had more time to think, musicians began to pound the ceremonial drums. The high priest, Antur, stood and hushed the audience. Without saying a word, he walked over to the shrine of our guardian goddess.

'Today we honour the goddess Rene. The goddess of the stars. The goddess of justice. The goddess of winter.' How those three things linked were always explained in the play, but to me it seemed Rene could be goddess of anything. The priest poured water from the first snowfall, wine from the first crop, and the sap of mistletoe into a large stone bowl. 'Grace us, Rene, mighty goddess, bless us through the darkest months and bring justice through the next year.' With that, the drummers began to beat a heavy rhythm and the audience applauded in anticipation as the priestesses lit the torches at the front of the stage. The show was about to begin.

Out of a dark backdrop came Astor, the son of Eleon, a Dardune heir. His makeup was striking, costume a royal purple. He was clearly playing the King. This particular king was the first believer in Rene and sought to bring justice to ancient Adala. He was also the first member of the Society of the Hallowed Ground.

Astor: 'Dread, dread comes to me in the form of restless sleeping, nightmares like ravenous wolves. Corruption comes to my good nation, my tribe, my people. Not even the power of a king such as I could stamp out the disease of cruelty and greed.'

I stifled a yawn. This play was put on every year, and the only way to make it interesting was to see how they costumed each of the actors. The King this time was missing a key element of his costume: his holly crown, the crown of evergreen. Then another actor, a servant, came on stage.

Servant: 'Your majesty, forgive me for entering, but I bring the strangest news.'

Astor: 'Do speak, I cannot sleep, there was no disturbance.'

Astor, who in real life acted like a little king, was revelling in his role. However, the only thing he managed to rule was the sword-fighting arena; he couldn't demand control of himself, let alone the Society, and definitely not a nation.

Servant: 'A strange woman came through one of the fallen barbarian towns and defeated all the enemy warriors in mortal combat. She is said to have eyes that glow like the north star, skin as pure as gold.'

Astor: 'Tell me, what name does this woman go by?'

Servant: 'She wouldn't say, not until, in her words your majesty, she could 'stand before the king and bring him peace''.

The play shifted on, and eventually it was time for the goddess's appearance. Astor, or 'The King' sat on a throne eagerly awaiting the arrival of this strange woman. When she was about to enter, singers chanted 'here comes Justice incarnate, here is the woman, deliverer of fate.'

It was Wena in some of the most stunning gold finery I had ever seen, who appeared on stage. Wena, Astor's twin sister, Theo's girlfriend, was a Dardune prodigy. Of course, she got the role of Rene. But something was peculiar about her shimmering attire, much like her brother's: around her head she wore holly, but it was painted a terrible black. The audience noticed this feature as well. An old general next to me whispered to his wife, 'this is blasphemous. What is going on here?'

My exact question too.

Astor: 'Are you the strange woman who defeated all those warriors alone?'

Wena: 'You say that like a woman could not. Alas, I am the woman who has come to rescue you.'

Astor: 'Rescue me? How so? What do you know of me that I might need saving?'

Wena: 'It is what I know of Adala that tells me this truth: there is no justice here and I have come as the vindicator. I will deal out fate. I am Justice.' But in that moment, the famous next line never occurred.

Wena turned to face the audience and drew an obsidian dagger from her scabbard. Rene's was gold. She broke character and stepped forward, a sickening glint of something twisted pouring out of her stare.

'Dardune's: rise up.' At that moment, over a hundred people stood up and drew their daggers. Astor did too, sharing the same wicked grin as his sister.

'What is going on?' hissed Theo to me, staring at his girlfriend with a black look.

'I knew it,' I murmured. My informant had been right all along.

On stage, more actors, all Dardune's, stood alongside Wena, branishing weapons.

'I forbid such blasphemy. Weapons in the Amphitheatre! Before our goddess Rene!' spat Antur, the hight priest, walking on stage. He was the only person from another family who dared to speak out against this bewildering spectacle. 'You disgrace the goddess. The entire Dardune family does!'

To this, Wena gave a cackle, something so unlike her. She was usually quiet, elegant, a pretty thing to look at, with intelligence unmatched by many. Now she demanded attention, her presence filled the entire room. I dare say she looked queenly.

'No, old man, we do not disgrace her. We honour her.' She turned to face the rest of us. 'This society is corrupt at its root, full of fools.' Menace darkened her eyes. 'It is time to serve justice. To deliver fate. It is the time to weed out the filth. We are going to turn over the Society to the Silver Army and join a new order.' She turned viciously towards Antur. 'Oh, and the goddess will bless us.' She held her blade to the priest's throat, and Astor pinned him there with a dagger to his back.

At that moment, Eleon, the twins' father, stepped forward. His face was emotionless, pale, calculated. He smoothed out his black robes and sighed as though he was taking a breath of clean air. The silence in the room was painful. I reached for my hilt, and saw Theo doing the same. My body was poised to leap at any instant. Looking out on the audience, Eleon nodded, and then a wide and stomach-churning grin broke out on his face.

'Let justice be served in blood.'

[canvas-of-dreams]

The Hallowed Ground: Chapter Two

By nightfall, I'd eaten, slept and woken up again. After packing up camp I blew my silent whistle for Talu, who had been awake hunting for a while. 'Time to go,' I said, and off we went under the cover of night. It was the moon's turn to guide me, my other friend. Her gaze gleamed pearly beauty on the world below. We walked towards our destination, stopping by a stream to drink, and then pressed on. Talu's eyes scanned, almost like a shimmer, over the landscape around us. She was my greatest help, hearing things before I did, seeing them from a good way off. Without her, travelling wouldn't be half as easy as it was. My hand brushed my dagger fastened to my thigh. Sometimes I'd fasten it around my waist and have it along my lower back, but my thigh was preferred. I could check it was there, to comfort myself. Night wandering was dangerous for other reasons compared to the day. It was halfway to the destination that we encountered one of these reasons.

We heard the voices before was saw them. Men, I think a few women too, said Talu, and I crouched down beside her in the cover of the undergrowth. We could see them at the bottom of a steep slope to a forest path. They couldn't see us from here and wouldn't hear us either. 'What are they doing? What are they saying?'

I need to get closer to know. We have enough cover to go down.

We slid silently down the slope, sticking close to the dirt. Hiding behind ancient trees, we listened. Whatever was happening wasn't good.

The soldiers have captured these women. Nefarious purposes I assume. They are Silver Army men. The women, Adalans. I can tell by the accent. From here we heard a panicked shriek, and I immediately looked to see what was happening. The moon let me see it all. It looked as though they had set up camp along the side of the path in a clearing, and the soldiers weren't being gentlemen.

They are putting up a fight. Nothing terrible has happened yet.

'But we should stop them, help the women go free.'

And how do you suppose we do that? There are too many of them and too many women to get out of here safely. Talu looked ahead, and I sighed. She was right, but I couldn't let this happen. These women were probably from nearby. They were probably captives from some village that refused to submit to the Argyros Order's rules. Asides from that, soldiers are not gentlemen and even gentlemen sin. These women were prizes to them. 'We have to try. I think I have an idea.'

I took us some time to get down the slope and stay out of view of the campers, but we eventually made it round to the back and darker side of the camp. Looking at the sky, dawn was still a good distance away. We had time. Talu waited on one side in the dark, and I on the other. I would go in and tell the women to run to the nearest town or village, not to stop till dawn and to keep going until safety. Talu would distract the soldiers, using her fierce appearance to stir them into action. She would be too quick for them to catch and too large for them to want to mess with. She had dealt with far worse than infantrymen like these.

From what I saw, there were three male soldiers, and five captives, three women and two girls my age or a bit younger, presumably daughters. It wasn't my responsibility to see them home, only to set them free and get them running. I'd have to escape the soldiers later if they caught onto me. Creeping up to the women as the soldiers slept, I revealed myself. They gasped, but I gestured for them to stay silent. 'I'm here to rescue you. Do exactly as I say.' They nodded, clearly glad that sleep hadn't come to them on a night as horrible as this.

'I'm going to untie you now. In a minute, I will blow a whistle to signal my mountain cat to rouse the soldiers. She will attack them and that is when you run. Run, and don't stop until you are at safety, do you understand?'

'Thank you,' said one of the women. I noticed a bruise on her cheek, and my heart pounded harder. These women had done their best to get away. I knew that many women didn't make it out. I smiled at her and looked over to see if Talu was there. When I sensed her, I cut the bounds on the women's wrists and ankles and told them to get ready. I concealed myself, making one of the girls gasp again, and blew the silent whistle. Out of the darkness on the other side of the camp pounced Talu with a bellowing growl, jolting the men awake. 'I thought you were on watch!' yelled one of them to a younger man.

'I was!' he yelled back, shaking in terror at the beast only five feet away from him. Clearly, he wasn't, I thought, and set the women off running. The men were too distracted by Talu to notice that their captives had gone free. Time for the second phase of the plan. I had to get Talu out of there before they might've hurt her. She was doing a good job at swatting them away, their weapons fairly useless. She growled, hissed, nearly striking them at times with her powerful front paws. I knew what I had to do. I began my chant.

'Let dark hearts suffer the pain they give out,

Let the hunter be the hunted,

The snare-setter becomes entrapped,

The abuser will be punished.

Poison of ivy, venom of snake,

What these men give, they shall take.' Then I touched the ground before me and watched the results with a grin.

Out of the ground sprung vines, grabbing hold of the weapons and flinging them out of reach, then coiling around the men's limbs, constricting. The screams of horror rang out through the forest. Talu abandoned her attack and ran into the darkness again. Soon, three vines curled into S's and as they took their form, shifted into dark green snakes with wine-dark eyes, taunting each of the men. I knew what would follow and walked away. No evidence would be left by morning... not even the bodies.

••••••••••••

We reached the letter-hold at daybreak, a concealed crevice in a rockface. No one passing by would even think that anything was there. That was partly to do with enchantment, but also to do with its well-thought location. I left Talu to nap, and climbed up the boulders to the crevice, then slid through the seemingly invisible gap. Inside was a chamber carved by nature, its purpose as ancient as the nomads that lived in Adala thousands of years ago. Carvings they had left were seen on the walls, paintings faded by time. Light poured in through a small hole in the ground above. From up there, it must've seemed like burrow.

How the Society sent letters was a little bit of magic. There would be messengers who would move letters from one location to another at different points in the year. They would do this so that if someone couldn't, for whatever reason, pick up a letter at one hold, they would find it at the next. Of course, the messengers took messages directly if urgent or containing private information, but for the sake of moving letters around in an organised and predictable system, this was functional too. Maybe members of the society were spies and had to be on the move constantly. We all knew when the letters were moved, because in each message the sender would write a code indicating the pattern of movement. I knew that this letter would first arrive here because of when the last one was sent, I also knew that if I missed this one, the next location would be near the city of Adolis due to the code. The code on the front of the letter would tell you and the messenger what box your letter had to go in. This meant that everyone got the right letters. I looked at the code on the last letter. I'd deciphered it when I received it. 'Box 21,' I sighed, and read the symbols on the walls. 21 was the snow monkey. 'Snow monkey, snow monkey...' when I found it, I placed my hand on the rock and tried to find the key slot. It was on the monkey's belly. I took out my dagger and slid it into the key slot. With a click, the rock slid to the side. I told you that how the Society sent letters was a little bit of magic.

My letter was inside, the seal still Cassius's. But as I pulled the letter out, something fell on the ground. In the pale light, I saw a coin. Not just any coin: one for the Circle of Elders, the Society's highest-ranking officials. On the front of the letter was no writing to decipher other than the location of this box. There was no further destination. Something wasn't right about this at all. After opening the seal, I began to read.

Dear Tayn,

We are in trouble. The Society has fallen apart. There is not much I can write in this, but your brother and some old friends, are on my side. People are hunting the members of the Society down, and many believe that you are still alive. Be careful. My location will be where you expect it.

I ask you to join me now, in the fight against the AO, in the fight to reunite the Society. There is corruption everywhere we go, you know it as well as I do. I know you want to do the right thing. I know you want to use your gifts for good.

Remember: I am where you expect me to be.

Cassius.

That thorn in my heart thrust deeper now, and my thoughts raced. Adala was crumbling. The Society had crumbled. Even Cassius, the perfect leader, was in hiding, terrified for first time in his life. As much as I hated him, he was right. I couldn't let the corruption I'd seen in the last four years carry on any longer. I wanted to fight, it's all I'd ever trained to do. These gifts of mine, my instructors used to say, were a responsibility as much as a blessing.

In that moment, a plan planted itself in my head, and there was no turning back.

[canvas-of-dreams]

The Hallowed Ground: Chapter One

'You going to give me the answer right now,' said the broad man whose expression was more like a gnarled tree than anything human. 'No one travels anywhere without permit. Where did you come from?' My wry grin only angered him more. Men like this don't know when to quit because they are too dumb to realise that they've been played.

'I told you, already.' With a dissatisfied grunt his crony threw a sharp punch at me that I dodged with ease.

'Come here!' the first man yelled, as I slid under their legs and sprinted out of the side street. Out into the crowd I ran, carefully weaving my way through the turbulence and clamour. Looking quickly over my shoulder I saw the soldiers, those men, barging people out of the way in pursuit of me. Grinning again, I upped the ante. This skill had taken me some time to acquire. Out of all my abilities this was the fluke, the one I'd learned by accident and had to figure to how to use it on command. Whenever anyone asked me how I'd mastered it, usually, my answer lead them to confusion, and I wanted to keep it that way.

Breathe. Breathe deeper. Look them in the eye. I turned to face them. Ten feet away.

'There she is!' The tree-faced man yelled. Five feet.

'Breathe,' I whispered as the crowd parted. A soldier lunged at me. The gasps of surprise were musical. Gone.

'Where did they go?! Find them for me, now!' Yelled tree-man. Little did he know I was stood behind him, smiling. Never gets old, I thought, as I wove back in the other direction.

Skirmishes like that were common, a monthly occurrence at least. I grabbed a roll of bread from the baker's cart and took a well-earned bite. He wouldn't miss the roll even if he'd seen me take it. Did I feel guilty anymore about stealing? Absolutely not. Not for survival anyway, especially in richer towns like this. Since I'd left the Society, I'd had to fend for myself, and getting a job when you are trying to remain hidden is difficult, especially when the Society has spies everywhere. This fact meant I lived out in the wilds alone when I could, and that was my exact destination.

Soldiers were posted on the town walls, stopping me in my tracks, their silver badges glinting in the morning sun. The rest of their armour was leather or iron, but that's not what they were known by. These were soldiers of the Silver Army, the nickname for the The Argyros Order, an empire that had conquered much of the known world. Adala was one of the last standing kingdoms... and now it had fallen to this hungry beast of conquest. The soldiers of the Order were well trained unlike the Adalans but getting past them was no challenge for me. I waited for a merchant to show her travel permit to a young soldier at the gates, and as her caravan of trinkets wheeled out into the countryside, I followed close behind. When I was out of sight of the road and in the thick forest up on the hills, I let down my façade.

'Freedom,' I sighed and finished the bread roll by the time I made it to my camp. I'd hidden all evidence of my existence from potentially patrolling soldiers under a large rock. I'd dug a hole beneath it so that I could slide it out the way and have access to my storage. My roll-mat, spare clothes, food and water pouch were all there, unmoved, in the exact placement I'd left them in. As far as I knew, I hadn't been found. It used to be easier to get around before the Silver Army took access to all of the roads. They wanted to count all citizens, to make sure anyone untrustworthy could by weeded out and stopped from inciting rebellion in more towns than one. A clever strategy, one that a dynastic empire had benefited from in the past. Due to my wandering status, I didn't have one of those handy and yet dangerous travel permits. The pros to one would be not having to sneak around and sleep in the rain. The cons would be losing my advantage, my ability to move and be unseen. I didn't particularly relish in being controlled, by anyone.

From out of the trees came a rustling. In the bushes behind me I sense movement. But I knew this game all to well. 'Talu?' The response I got was being pounced on from behind.

'Oof, Talu, bad girl, get off, off,' I said laughing. My mountain cat licked the back of my head with her sandpaper tongue, her purring like bottled thunder. I rolled over and looked at her big, blue eyes, stroking my hands through her fur. 'Let me up,' I said and slid out from under her playful gaze. You are no fun. I heard her thoughts and put my hands on my hips. 'We have to get moving, missy. Also, you are lucky you and I can disappear. For a mountain cat, you are terrible at ambushing.'

Good enough at ambushing to hunt. I'm not the one hiding like a coward.

'Oi. Rude,' but I knew there was no point taking offence with a cat. Cats never apologise. Calling me a coward was below the belt, but was she wrong? I gathered my things into my rucksack and packed that question away with them for another day, like every time the thought came up. Put it away for later, for when I'm ready.

Where are we going? Let me guess, a letter-hold?

'Yep. Want to see if Cassius cares whether I'm alive or not. It's spring, so I'm due the letter for the quarter.'

Four years. What a desperate human. She definitely wasn't wrong this time. The walk to the next letter-hold wasn't too far, a day at most. I checked my map to make sure I had my bearings and off we went. From time to time, Talu and I had to conceal ourselves from farmers or platoons of moving soldiers, always staying off main roads or roads at all if we could. The forest was the path we followed around the country. I never felt lonely and was never alone. That was one of the perks of understanding animals I suppose. Talu was the only one I could communicate with fluently. Some animals were only understandable to the extent that a foreign language is when someone points at an object and gives an action. Talu was the only creature I wanted to talk to anyways. Much more straightforward than humans, better at being a friend.

We were halfway to the destination just as the sun laid to rest on the horizon. Her golden rays kissed the canopy above us, and its light poured through in glimmering beams. 'We should eat. No cooking tonight. We are too close to the road.' Talu laid down to sleep. Travelling by day wasn't her favourite, and every time I stopped to rest, she'd doze off. Silly cat. As her breathing settled, I set up my camp. We would begin our journey again at the witching hour, when Talu was most alert and I most powerful. Laying down on my roll-mat, I read through the letters I'd seen too many times by now. It had been four years since I'd runaway. I was thirteen. In these letters were apology after apology, begging and pleas for my return. All from Cassius, the traitor. All of them betrayed me even Theo, my own brother. The Society did good to everyone but its own.

Here I lay, hating the sender of these missives, and yet, I was on the way to find another. Perhaps this was becoming some sort of tradition of mine. Checking to see how much they missed or didn't miss me, going to all the letter-holds in the dead of night when no one would know I'd come, placing an old letter in replacement so they'd never know I'd been. The latest letter had been entertaining.

Dear Tayn,

The winter festivals are underway and yes, I still wish you were here. You must think I'm an idiot by now, sending these letters to you.

'Oh, I do,' I said and carried on reading it, not for the first time.

I suppose it is like a ritual now. You'll think it morbid, but I feel like I'm talking to you as I place flowers on your gravestone.

'How dramatic, Cass. Bless, you always were. Not your fault of course.'

Do you remember how the amphitheatre looked in the winter? How it would be decorated in poinsettia, and the lanterns would glow orange on the columns. When we were kids and we'd weave in and out of them, and Isidore would tell us to stop running because 'the amphitheatre is a sacred place, you, mischiefs!' He wouldn't talk to me like that now. No. We are not children anymore. Tonight, the Society is putting on a play, as they always do. It's your favourite 'The Starred Goddess of Rene.' I have to go, even if I'd rather not. It's too much a reminder of that winter before.

The winter before. He hadn't forgotten, of course not, but something deep throbbed within me like a thorn lodged in my heart had been nudged further inwards.

Talu brushed my foot with her tail. You aren't reading that letter again, are you?

'You couldn't know which one I'm reading,' I huffed.

I don't know, but I feel. Sighing, I continued looked back at the paper, swallowing the emotions.

The Society is struggling to stay united under the pressure of The Argryros Order. We have spies within our ranks, no one is safe. You were lucky to get out whilst you did. You may not have liked the changes I've seen in people. I have never known such cruelty. Perhaps you have the gift of foresight too and knew we'd all turn out this way.

Oh, I wish it had been that way. I would've had more peace.

Wishing for you back hurts so I won't any longer. It's time to move on. It's time to let you go. I don't know how. But somehow, somehow, I will. I am sorry, for everything. I will keep writing the letters, because by now you probably look forward to them as much as I do. However, I'm sure you are fed up with me missing you. You would want me to grow up.

All the best to you, and enjoy the festivities,

Cassius.

I had, in fact, enjoyed the festivities this winter gone by. I'd even pressed a poinsettia as a bookmark for my diary. He knew me well enough to know that winter festivities would always sweep me up, no matter what. Maybe my bitterness was ebbing. But that thorn-like pain was too true an indicator that I hadn't let go of the past like Cassius had tried to do.

Maybe, maybe, reading the next letter would be closure. I'd never need to go and look at a letter-hold again.

'Maybe,' I whispered. 'Just maybe.'

[canvas-of-dreams]

The Hallowed Ground Prologue: Greetings and Warnings

A knocked over pile of letters sealed with gold wax cluttered the desk, keeping my dagger out of view. In that moment, my dagger was exactly what I was trying to find, and I couldn't remember where I'd put it. Out of sight, out of mind. As I begrudgingly sat down to rip open a letter, I found my weapon and heaved an irritated sigh of relief. 'There you are,' I said, and put it in the sheath on my thigh. I'd carried the freshest candle in the room over to the desk and lit it, with the intention of reading all these messages. These were letters I'd kept over the years from that single sender, letters that could only mean extremes from the greatest to the worst of news. You'd have thought by now that this person would stop sending me them. They are dead to me, I to them. Or perhaps not, I thought, considering I had amassed twelve letters in three years.

Taking a deep breath, I began to read the oldest.

Dear Tayn,

I do not bother to coax you because I know you are too smart to be fooled by any means of subtle persuasion. I am not here to beg either even if that is assumed. As a friend, it is my responsibility to ask you to think before you act. The cause is in urgent need of you. Your skills are essential, we both know that you are invaluable to our side. Please don't be too hasty in leaving us.

That is not all I have to say. This is personal too. I miss you. Please don't leave me. Forgetting about the cause and your talents, because I know we know that you have the right to choose, remember that you are my best friend. I want to see you again. You are invaluable to me.

I hope you are safe and that this will pass,

Cassius.

I folded the letter and opened the first one addressed as 'urgent' from a year before.

Dear Tayn,

It's been two years and still silence from you. I'm past being angry. It feels like you've died. I know we hurt you but not knowing if you are alive or not is torture. I write now, feeling like I'm pretending you are still here.

Personal news: I moved up to the upper ranks. There's a lot more pressure and more eyes on me to get things right, but at least I have some sort of say in decisions rather than being bossed around all the time by Isidore. The house is busy again now we have more members, the family is rebuilding I suppose. Kind of wish that it was the old gang and not this new lot though.

If I put the niceties aside however, there is a serious problem. Eleon and his kids are rumoured to be conspiring against the cause. Why they would join the Silver Army I can't gather. But if this is true, we can't find concrete evidence, and as you know, no action unless there is reason to act as Isidore says. We are all keeping vigilant.

I hope this finds you at all, because I do not know if you are even here anymore. The world becomes an increasingly dangerous place.

Your friend, Cassius.

Guilt balled up in my throat and I swallowed it so that supressed emotions lurked inside of me. Why did I feel guilty about someone who wronged me? The past played weird games with my mind. Looking outside I saw the night-watchman swaggering around with his dim lantern. I was  glad to have a dagger when fools like him were the ones responsible for the public's safety. I brushed my hand across the dagger instinctively and shifted through the pile for the most recent. The seal was red. Trouble. With shaking fingers, I peeled open the seal, unfolded the letter and carefully read the words.

Dear Tayn,

I write to you as a warning. If you are alive and I don't know but I don't care, please be on high alert. The armies of Adala are weakening against the Silver Army's might. I lead the cause with Isidore now as an equal, your brother Theo as my second in command. We have heard of the atrocities that come to every fallen town, village and city. I do not know where you are, and if I did, I would drag you back kicking and screaming to keep you safe from the terrors our nation is starting to face. The Silver Army masses more power as it advances, and the cause is only able to do so much if we want to remain a secret weapon for the Adalan people.

God, we need you. If only you could come back. I send this out because a hopeful part of me believes you are hiding, waiting for your moment to return. It's a foolish thing of a leader to do. I have more important things to be hoping for. I don't want you not returning to swallow the hope I have left.

If you are there, I beg you now, please reply. If not reply, return.

Yours, Cassius.

Tears pricked my eyes and I blinked them away. He didn't deserve my tears after what he did to me. An apology for his actions was most likely in one of the other letters, but I couldn't make myself read anymore. I pulled the curtains closed, checked the door was locked, undressed, blew the candle out and stumbled into bed. What was happening to Adala? Cassius wouldn't've told me about this unless he was truly afraid of the notorious Silver Army. Were they finally winning? The sickening thought clung to the corners of my mind as I drifted off to sleep after a long day. When I woke before dawn, the remnants of dreams were visions of me skewering the letters on my dagger, eyes smiling, burning them one by one.