Apparently, by a few days, I meant a week, and by two parts for a prologue, I meant three.
Some personal info about me: I have a son, and by son, I mean hamster.
His name is Ursa, and he likes carrots.
Prologue Part Two: Flame
October 1, x785
His mother's hands are scarred. So are his father's, but Evander can tell there is a difference. His father's palms and fingers are covered in calluses, evidence of all the hard work he's put into his weapon forging and mastery.
His mother's hands share some of the same calluses, but the skin is rough, with calico patches of pink and white. Evander doesn't know where they came from, but he does know that his mother usually wears gloves to hide them.
Not today though, and he can feel the ragged bumps as he holds her hand. Maybe it's because it's so early that the sun hasn't come up, and there's no one around to see them.
"Mami," his youngest sister, Victoria, cries softly. She's puny, even for a seven-year-old, and gets to rest on their mother's back. "What are we doing? I'm sleepy."
"Mi pobrecita. I'm sorry, but we have to get there early." Lina chuckles softly. "Catrina? Do you know what Barberry's main export is yet?" "
"No Miss Lina," Catie responds, and Evander frowns. She's lived with them for over a year, and he considers her his sister. When she speaks to their mother so formally, he can't help but think she doesn't feel the same.
"So polite. You're a good girl, Catrina. Muy chula." Lina ruffles her hair.
"In the harbor, there's a gem buried deep in the sand. It can only be found here in Barberry Harbour, where the ocean meets the mountain. It's not a very pretty gem. It looks like coal, but when sunlight hits it just right it sparkles. It's called Kazan, and it's a powerful healing item. It's hard to find because even when the tide is low, it's normally under at least one hundred feet of water, so most people wait for it to wash up on shore. Fortunately for us, your mama has an advantage. Time to come down mi sirenita."
Ria sluggishly slides down her mother's back, but immediately clings to Evander's arm. The boy sighs, even as he pats her head with his free hand. Catie smiles at them both as all three children watch Lina walk to the shore of the beach.
The rising sun makes her nothing more than a black silhouette as she raises her clasped hands straight above her head before separating them slowly and bringing them back to rest at her sides, the ocean splitting apart to reveal the sandy floor. A few crabs scuttle back towards the water.
With a giggle, the now wide awake Ria let's go of Evander and runs towards the water.
"Mami! Mami! I'll learn that, right? You'll teach me, right?"
"Of course, Sirenita, but not until you're older ok?" Lina picks her up again. "Pollito! Conejita! Come help! We need to finish before the tide rises!"
Evander holds his hand out to Catie with a grin, and the two run to join their family, laughing all the while.
October 3, x785
"I found a place," Lina says over dinner, and later that night Ajax vaguely regrets making that promise when Lina drags him and the kids through the Nightshade Forest with only moonlight to guide them. He doesn't understand why they couldn't do this during the day, nor why Lina won't let him conjure a flame for light but he supposes it's fine. The kids are having fun chasing fireflies and jumping out behind trees to surprise each other.
"Tada!" Lina says standing in front of a two-story building with a rotted wooden sign that looks like a sphinx. The roof is uneven, and weeds and vines climb the cracked brick walls. Ajax is pretty sure he can see a tree growing inside, but it's hard to tell with the dusty windows.
The children don't seem to see the building as decrepit and old the way Ajax does as they scream and start looking for a way to get inside.
"This used to be a merchant's guild back in the day! No one's used it in ages. Mayor Zyon said as long as I bought the land, I could do what I wanted with it! We'll probably need to build dormitories for people to live, or maybe I can convince Madam Rouge to give us a discount on rooms. We're definitely going to have to remodel the outside, and the inside's going to need some reparations but otherwise-"
"Lina! Wait! Where are we going to get the money to pay for this?"
"Hmm? Oh! I already did! We managed to get some heavy Kazan Gems. Laramay was ecstatic."
Ajax is speechless. It seems he underestimated his wife's desire.
"Lina, a guild is a lot of responsibility. Are you absolutely positive you want to do this? This isn't just a whim you're going to give up on in a year, is it?"
Lina looks at him and smiles like she knows the secrets of the universe.
"Mi sol, do you know why I want to start a guild?"
"I'd assumed it was because you were bored."
"It's more than that. Ajax, I want to create a home for those who don't have one, a place where people can rise from their pasts and start anew." She takes his hands in hers. "You and I both know how important it can be to have a second chance, and I want to give people that opportunity. Everyone has a story, so let's make the place where these stories can merge into something great. Now, I won't do this without you, and if you really believe we won't be able to handle it, then I'll trust you. So, what do you say?."
Ajax looks down at his wife, captured by the way the moonlight lights up her skin and makes her green eyes glow. Sometimes he can't believe she's real, but the feel of her warm hands in his is enough to convince him.
"I have faith in you," he says, "so let's start a guild."
Before either of them can say something more, a screeching bird flies at them through the night.
An eagle, black as coal with a golden beak lands on Lina's shoulder, holding out its leg in front of her face. Wrapped around it is a message. Lina unties it, and the bird flies away.
She quickly scans the note, her face growing paler by the second.
"Oh no." She whispers, and Ajax knows in that instant their lives will never be the same.
October 5, x785
"You don't have to go."
Lina sighs because of course, Ajax would catch her. He's always been a light sleeper, and his instincts are animalistic in nature. He'd probably notice an ant creeping in through the back door. Still, sneaking out was worth a shot.
She closes the window quietly. The kids are still sleeping, and she knows she won't be able to go if she wakes them.
And despite what Ajax thinks, she does need to go. She tells him as much.
His face wrinkles in displeasure, and Lina wants to kiss him until they smooth away. He's only thirty-nine. He shouldn't look so exhausted all the time.
"Lina, this isn't our battle anymore." He cups her face in his hands, smoothing his thumb over her lips. How unfair. "What about the promise we made?"
"I can't abandon them, Ajax. They're my family. Besides," she wraps her fingers around his wrists and squeezes. "It's my fault they're even in this mess."
"That's not true."
"Oh, but it is." Lina lets out a deep breath.
"Say it is, then going to their rescue is playing right into the enemy's hand." Ajax looks on the verge of tears, and Lina feels her throat swell with emotion.
"I know." She manages to croak out. "But I have no choice. I'm going, and you can't stop me."
Ajax shuts his eyes and sucks in a sharp breath. He looks like she slapped him.
He composes himself quickly, and when he opens his eyes again, they're full of determination.
"Then I'm coming with you."
She was afraid he'd say that.
"Ajax, you can't."
"I'm going and you can't stop me."
Lina makes a desperate noise in the back of her throat. She hates when he uses her words against her like that.
"Ajax, you don't understand." She takes a deep breath. "I won't be holding back. If you come along, I'd need you to do the same."
She watches his face until she sees the exact moment the true meaning of her words sinks in.
"So… you're going to-"
"Yes."
Ajax scrubs a hand down his face before running his fingers through his hair. Lina can see the war waging inside him. Does he stand by her side, or does he obey his moral code? This is why she wanted to leave without telling him. She wanted to spare him this struggle.
Lina pulls him close, placing careful kisses on his palms.
"Ajax, mi sol, I can't ask you to kill for me." Lina shushes him before he can protest. "No, listen. Stay here. Take care of the kids. Tell them I love them, and I'll be home soon."
"Do you swear?" He asks desperately. "Do you promise you'll come home, no matter what?"
"I do. I'll always come home to you."
And with a final, rushed kiss pressed to her lips, Ajax lets her go. As soon as she's out the door, Lina starts running.
Lina Cinerus, a woman once known as Marcelina Acosta, has spent her whole life running, it seems. Running from bullies she annoyed. Running from merchants she robbed. Running from animals she'd disturbed. Running from the law. Running from her memories. Running from her guilt. Running from her sorrow. All of that running can really wear a person out, and eventually, it catches up to them.
Thirty-seven years isn't much time in the grand scheme of things. It's an insignificant amount, not even the fraction of a blink in the lifespan of the universe. It means nothing, yet thirty-seven years of life was all Lina Cinerus was granted.
Thanks for reading.
I still have space for characters, although the S-class and slayer roles have been filled. I am also no longer accepting fire-based magic. Please make sure you fill out all the sections of the former unless the section is optional.
I think I responded to everyone's PMs, but if I forgot you, just send me a little reminder.
I'll see you next week.
