#Fantasy FantasyFiction WIP LGBTQ+ NonBinaryFiction NonBinary Queer Battle Betrayal SecretSociety

[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.'