Page 27 of Pawns of Fate

ROSE

T he journey to the Ojoh village was uneventful and tedious. After three days of travel and two nights of camping, first in the mountains of Onanish, then in the dry heat of the Ojoh’s desert territory, Rose was thrilled to hear they’d reached their destination.

She peered over Camillus’s shoulder, but it was hard to make out much of the village with what few rays of the setting sun remained. It looked large, far larger than Onanish Town.

The horses approached the gates, which swung open when Depaerth raised a fist. Rose turned her neck as they rode through to look at the vast sandstone wall.

This was no simple village. She twisted again, looking at the many buildings the party passed.

“Were you expecting a little oasis settlement like my hometown?” Camillus must have noticed her curiosity.

“Well, yes,” Rose admitted with a bit of sheepishness.

“Uddedin is our capital. It’s nothing like the minor settlements.”

“I was beginning to wonder.” Rose knew she’d only seen a small portion of the Ojoh Desert five years ago. She just hadn’t realized how small that portion was. She’d assumed that all of the Ojoh lived in villages scattered across the sandy dunes, not a fortified city like this.

“This is the center of our trade, government, and military. You’ll probably meet the head elder at some point. Our conflict with your in-laws was very heated. Everyone is curious about you.”

The horses entered a city section with larger buildings spaced further apart. Rose suspected they were houses, but it was hard to tell from just the roadside lamplight.

A dark, bird-like shape flew over the party. Rose heard Ava yelp and felt a pang of sympathy. She’d reacted the same way she’d seen a giant crow for the first time.

“She’s skittish,” Camillus said, voice dripping with annoyance.

The crows were a part of daily life for the Ojoh, having developed a symbiotic relationship with the giant birds.

The crows would often follow the warrior’s monster hunts, feasting on the remains deemed unfit for human consumption.

They also guarded against rock scorpions and served as lookouts for small settlements.

Most families fed the creatures leftover food like some kind of stray cat or dog, occasionally even going so far as to treat them like a pet, giving them toys and cleaning their feathers.

“Birds larger than horses aren’t common in the rest of Albion,” Rose tried to explain.

Camillus huffed. Rose decided she was too tired to elaborate.

The party stopped in front of a house with a high wall around the courtyard. Rose, Ava, Lyla, and their luggage were unceremoniously dumped inside.

Just when Rose was beginning to wonder if they’d deposited with no explanation—which was a very Ojoh thing to do—Depaerth entered the house.

“This is where you will stay for the next six months,” he said. “The guards will remain posted at the gate. Do not leave without the guards.”

“What if we try to run away?” Ava asked.

Rose’s eyebrow twitched.

“If you were scared of one crow,”—Depaerth shook his head, brow furrowed— “then I do not think you would do well in the desert where there are more than just birds scavenging.”

Ava’s shoulders slumped. Rose wondered if her sister-in-law had been seriously considering running away. What a disaster it might have been if Ava had been sent alone!

“She’s joking!” Rose cut in before things could get out of hand.

Depaerth’s eyes narrowed, though Rose couldn’t tell if it was from confusion or suspicion. Probably both.

“I will come by tomorrow to check up on you and show you around the city, if you wish.” He motioned to the house. “There is food in the kitchen. Are you able to prepare meals for yourselves?” He was doing a poor job of disguising his disdain.

“Of course we can!” Ava snapped. “We’re not idiots.”

Rose didn’t miss Lyla’s smirk.

“I think my sister-in-law is a little tired from the journey,” Rose said pleasantly.

“We are capable of preparing food. Thank you for your concern, though.” She gave her best smile.

“We look forward to meeting with you tomorrow.” She curtseyed politely in Depaerth’s direction, hoping the gesture was enough to smooth things over.

Luckily, Depaerth seemed fascinated with the curtsey. Ojoh society was much less formal than the rest of Albion. Rose had found that using the polite gestures of high society was a bit of a flattering novelty for them. It was a great boon when she needed to be diplomatic.

“Good night, then.” Depaerth returned her curtsey with a short nod, then walked out the door, leaving the three women alone.

A few sconces on the wall lit the room dimly.

It was a decent-sized house, with a small sitting room, kitchen, and a space for dining on the first floor.

A set of stairs led to what Rose imagined to be the bedrooms. Lyla went straight to the sitting room’s hearth, tossed a few logs in it, and started a fire.

The girls were finally able to get a good look at their surroundings.

“I didn’t think it would be this nice,” Ava murmured. She ran over to the kitchen, opening every cabinet and peering into its contents with unbridled curiosity.

“We’re captives, not criminal prisoners,” Rose replied. The house was cozy and decorated in a traditional Ojoh manner with smooth wooden pieces and rustic colors. But she missed Castle Sharp’s familiarity. A tiny part of her even missed Nicholas.

“Still,” Ava said as she held up fruits Rose didn’t recognize. “I’m going to have fun cooking with all of this.”

Rose had forgotten that her sister-in-law had worked in her parents’ restaurant before she met York.

She glanced around the ground floor of the house.

The layout was very open, with almost no walls dividing the space.

The sitting room had several comfortable-looking couches, plenty of colorful blankets and pillows, and now a roaring fire.

Beside it was a wooden table with benches that could easily seat the three women for meals.

Then there was the kitchen. Long, tiled counters, a deep sink, large pantry, and a hearth with a heavy cauldron that would give Ava plenty of space to prepare meals.

It wasn’t the worst place to spend six months.

Rose grabbed her bags and turned to find her room upstairs when she noticed Lyla crouched by the front door, chanting a spell.

A circle on the floor lit up like a green firefly, then faded as Lyla finished.

“What are you doing?” Rose almost yelled but didn’t want to attract the guards’ attention. “You’re supposed to be a maid!”

“Who said maids can’t do magic?” Lyla fished a small star crystal out of her cloak. “We’re not going to sleep until I’ve warded this house.”

“It will insult the Ojoh if they find wards.” Rose pointed to the glowing green circle. “And you put that one right on the front door! We will be treated like prisoners if they find this!”

“Lady Rose, I’m not finished with the spells just yet. When I’m done, there will be no traces.”

Rose rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to tell Lyla off, but the shadow mage was already actuating her magic.

The star crystal shone intensely momentarily, then the warding spell faded completely.

A small circle of ancient text appeared on Lyla’s palm, shone for a moment as the crystal had, then faded to a matte black tattoo on her skin.

“I cast an invisibility spell on it. The spell will draw mana from this crystal instead of me.” Lyla tapped a finger on her palm where the spell had appeared. “I still have to host the spell, or I’d lose control of it.”

“Well, that’s fine then,” Rose said. Most of her frustration had turned into curiosity. Spellbound magic fascinated her, and it behaved so differently from her own aural magic.

It was more useful, too. Rose recalled the ogre attack and her inability to help with that or the twiddletoads. Her heart grew heavy.

Ava let out a loud yawn. “Why don’t we go upstairs and see the bedrooms? I think this place might be big enough that we each get our own.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Rose replied, then trudged up the stairs.

The smell of baking bread gently woke Rose from her slumber. She blinked her bleary eyes open, needing some time to adjust to the light pouring in the window and the faint sounds of flapping wings and cawing crows. Everything around her looked so different in the daylight.

The mattress that the Ojoh had provided her with was comfortable.

Certainly not as comfortable as Nicholas’s bed, but far more than the blankets and dirt she’d been sleeping on while they’d spent half a week traveling through mountainous Onanish and then through the desert.

She stretched and continued to survey the room.

The walls and floor were made of light brown clay.

Rich, jewel-toned blankets covered the bed.

A small desk and vanity sat along the opposite wall, and a few small cacti in brightly painted pots perched on the windowsill.

It was a pleasant space, more pleasant than most places she’d stayed at while serving as collateral.

The smell of bread mixed with the tantalizing aroma of cured meats. Her stomach grumbled. Rose hopped out of bed and hastily prepared herself for the day.

“How many slices of cheese do you want with your breakfast?” Ava asked as Rose wandered into the kitchen.

She almost lost control of her aura when Ava mentioned cheese. “Three would be a good start.”

Ava served her a plate of freshly baked bread, cured meats, and, of course, cheese.

“You’ve been up for a while…” Rose motioned to the lovely breakfast and the dough Ava was kneading.

“Preparing food takes my mind off things. I couldn’t sleep a wink.”

Rose looked at the dark circles under her sister-in-law’s eyes and hoped that she’d be able to ease Ava’s worries enough that they weren’t still there by the end of their stay.