I Take My Leave [Solo]

[Coci Heavenshield]

Midvinter​

West Country​

​

Sickly tendrils of black smoke rose up from the burning corpses, broken bodies blood running cold on the frozen ground before turning to ice. Red flashes of swirling light blurred with rapid motion and a dark figure walked among the scene. The vision shifted to a brook, calm and gentle singing a song of life, a hand reached down to scoop up the water to partake of it, only to see the water turn red, hot, blood. Aerin's hand now bathed in the essence life, she looked feeling nothing .. no emotion. She stood and turned her head, to the west .. I must go.

A small thatched home, she knew it so well, Inger's home and she smiled as she walked toward it. It had been some time since the hunt and Aerin missed her Sister, Inger would have the hearth alight, water boiling ready from the brew and a warm bed prepared for the eve. Her foot falls quicken, something is not right, the village is to quiet, the smile dropped from her face. No one in the streets, no avian creatures in the sky or singing in the near by trees, no animals wild or domestic neither seen or heard, it is deadly silent.

Running, laughter chasing her, it sounded like Inger's laugh but no it could not be! Everything slowed as if time paused to tease her, turning her head around to see a rider pale and gnarled, Aerin unsheathed her sword and charged with her battle cry roaring from her throat. The sword held high, double handed grip and as the ride neared, her long blade swung to cut the front legs out from under the horse. She turned to see the ride on the ground the horse writhing in pain, slowly she walked and stood over the gruesome creature and with a practiced twist of her wrist drove the long blade threw the riders body. Inger's body! Stunned, Aerin stepped backward and fell .. into a never ending darkness.

The pelt fell away from her body as she sat bolt upright in her bed. Eyes wide with fear and confusion, cold sweat lathered her body sending a chill to her very core. Inger! something had happened to her.

I must go.

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

A firm pull on the leather strapping, secured her shield to the side of the saddle on her horse. Two leather bags heavy with the things precious to her, rested over the rump of the black stallion. She would take only what she needed, a few food rations but she will hunt on the way. As she foot entered the stirrup Aerin pulled herself up onto the horses back. “Come BlackWing it is time for us to depart”, she said as she turned his head.

Those every present watching eyes bored into her back, she could feel them judging her, hating her and pleased to see her back, a few villagers standing on the side of the road leaned to whisper, Witch, as she passed but none dared to speak to her, none had tried to know her. But that did not matter to Aerin, she much preferred it that way, to remain anonymous of her actual identity.

BlackWings hooves clipped along the cobbled stone, her head turned as they passed her home sitting up on the small ridge, she knew she would never see it again, and that too did not matter. However, a smiled came to her face as she remember that night in front of the fire, that night she spent with him and he had made her come alive. Would she ever see him again? Well, only the will of the Fates would know that.

She did not look back, never look back.

A gentle encouragement made BlackWing move to a canter as they started down the dirt road to the south. A days ride would see Aerin at the fork tree, from there she would turn west, to the high mountains.

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

Small village Inn, The Swinging Gate is the main centre piece of Rivervale. Aerin had passed through this place before on her way to the Capital many times but a different road she would take on the morrow. BlackWing now safe and resting in the stables, one of the boys working for the Inn Keeper carried her belongs to paid quarters. However, she kept her sword and bow close at hand.

Rest for the night, for on the morrow she will travel to the pass and onto the Wilds. The wooden bolt slid easy enough and Aerin entered the Inn, not many travellers in the Inn tonight which pleased her, not as many eyes to follow her move. In fact most of the people in this village paid her no heed.

The Inn Keeper soon approached her happy with the paid room, he was friendly enough. Showing her to a table by the hearth and summoning one of the Inn waitresses to take care of her order. Water, an odd request for a Valkyri but Aerin had developed a taste for it, Mead would come later. Soon the meal was upon her table and Aerin ate the hearty stew and bread.

The cold increases the appetite and Aerin is no different, the stew a welcome to her belly and the water to her lips. After half the meal was completed she lifted her head to look around the dull lit room. Some travels sat around the bar there backs to her, talking about gossip from the south, events of Midvinter and politics, some of the clans fighting again. The Inn Keep attentive to them and their conversation as he wiped the tankards with a rag as dirty as her boot. Aerin paid them no heed and turned her attention back to her meal.

However, her ears picked up their conversation when they turned their topic to rumours of an attack on a small village, Inger’s Village. Her plate forgotten now as she listened. They spoke of burning houses, and bodies and the death of their medicine woman, her body found charred to the point of being unrecognisible.

Inger!

As the words entered her mind like daggers she remembered her vision and her heart sunk.

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

Her body lifted off the stool. As if in a trance Aerin moved to the bench toward the men. She stood behind them for a moment still not believing the words they had spoke. It was the Inn Keep that noticed her first and with a small nod of his head to the men they turned around to look upon her with a questioning gaze. Her face showed no emotion but she looked at them in turn.

"Tell me more of this tale you speak", she said softly, her mind searching for more but not her heart. "The medicine woman .. is .. dead?", she asked. The men eyed her with a curious gaze but one spoke.

"Aye, burnt .. nothing left of her it seemed". Her eyes glazed over and her heart pounded in her chest.

"Who did this?", she asked her voice now with a danger tone. "Some stranger, no Valkryi ... a .. man like they had never seen before .. dark he was". Came the reply.

Inger's vision.

She turned away without a word and left for her lodgings.