It's been ages, but here's a little update! : ) The next one will be short, too, I think...
The wind had been stirring in fits and bursts for the last two days, sweeping up clouds of dust and spinning dirt devils between tents as they flapped and shook in the gusts. A shadow rested almost palpably over the camp as clouds spiraled above them, centering on the top of the hill they were stationed near the foot of. They threatened rain with their darkness, but none had fallen. An ominous rumble echoed among the adjacent foothills as T'reth shielded his eyes against the flying dirt, peering up at where the crest of the hill disappeared into the haze of clouds.
"Nobody's seen her?" he asked Ackala.
"Not since she was in the healer's tent." The larger man grunted, shifting as a gust of wind pushed against him, hand resting on the hilt of his sword out of nervous habit.
T'reth glanced at him. "Have you been buzzing?"
Ackala shrugged, irritation crossing his face. "On and off. Never very strongly."
Another burst of wind and distant rumble moved through the camp. Not very many people were out and about today, peering out of tents and makeshift shelters at the brooding sky with fear in their eyes and prayers on their lips. Not many understood the cause of the angry weather, but they all knew a great power was stirring at the top of the hill, and that until it was appeased, it was best to stay huddled under shelter with their families.
T'reth nodded, settling his pack a little more securely on his back. He made to take a step toward the forest beyond their clearing and Ackala held out an arm to stop him.
"T'reth, let me come with you." His friend pleaded. "It's not safe. What if she kills you?"
A grin flashed across T'reth's face. "Well, there won't be much you can do about that either way, will there?"
Ackala frowned. "You still don't even know what she's angry about. This is foolish!"
The commander shook his head with a sigh. "We asked everybody in the camp, Ackala. Nobody knows what exactly an oath-bond is. The odds of me figuring it out any time soon are next to zero. If she wants this thing fixed, she's just going to have to help me fix it. If she hasn't figured that out already—and I'm sure she has—then I'll tell her and we'll sort it out." He patted his bodyguard's shoulder. "I'll be fine on my own."
Ackala crossed his arms, frowning deeply, but eventually nodded. T'reth smiled and then turned to start his journey up the hill.
The wind blustered at him the whole way up. It took him a good hour to reach the top, not because it was a particularly tall or challenging hill to climb, but because he was still unusually weak from… whatever it was that had happened between him and Star. He would have done this two days ago, but he had hardly been able to get out of bed until yesterday. His strength was returning swiftly now, but it was still a struggle. It was no coincidence that he had failed to tell his friend and bodyguard as much before he left.
The mist of cloud felt good on his skin as he passed into the grey haze, and only a few minutes later he was at the tallest point of the hill. The cloud was thick here, though, and he could barely make out the trees fifteen feet in front of him, and nowhere he looked could he see Star. He set his pack down, taking a drink from his water skin and catching his breath. After a minute had passed and Star had still not revealed herself, he decided to start off the conversation.
"I beg your forgiveness, Great One, for my unwitting trespass against you," he said formally to the trees. "I would do all in my power to right this wrong, if I but knew how. Teach me how, Star, if it can be done."
The mist swirled around him, thickening even more, and thunder grumbled, standing his hair up on end.
"Oath-bonds don't just happen, mortal." Star informed him coldly, her voice shifting among the dark trees as if they were the ones speaking. "They do not form between unwilling participants, and certainly not when one of them is ignorant."
He flinched as a sharp gust of wind swept through the forest, stirring the mist without dissipating it. "Star, please—" he started, but was cut off when another, stronger gust threw leaves and dirt into his face. "Great One," he corrected himself, shielding his eyes from the onslaught. "you know I speak truly when I say I don't understand. It's hardly fair to hold me accountable…"
"SILENCE." The trees hissed viciously, and for the first time T'reth had to counter the urge to cower a bit. "I won't hear your excuses, boy."
Thunder rumbled around him, the trees shaking in a wind that didn't quite reach down to where he sat, and then there was silence for a long moment on the hill while he waited for the goddess to speak, not daring to open his mouth until he was addressed. That didn't stop him from thinking out what she'd said, though, and only becoming more confused as he did.
"You question my judgement, mortal?" Her voice condensed, drawing in with the cloud to form a shadowy figure hovering in the air before him. T'reth flinched. It really wasn't fair, not being safe to think thoughts in his own head.
"Correct me if my logic is flawed, Great One," he started humbly. "But if this Oath-Bond can't be formed between unwilling or ignorant participants, which we are, then how could it be one? Are you certain it isn't something similar?"
"I have tested it by every means available and it has withstood, unaltered and unbroken. It is an oath-bond, albeit an unusual form of such."
T'reth waited a moment for her to go on, and when she didn't, he dared to voice the important question. "Can it be broken?"
"All Oath-Bonds can." The goddess murmured, the shadow form dissolving back into shifting mist and her voice sliding among the trees almost sinisterly. "This bond was formed with no release clause, and thus the default cessation is the death of one of the participants."
The cloud swirled around him, gathering thick and cold, phasing out what little light there had been before. The man shivered, trying to breathe evenly as his heart rate increased. He was afraid, but he knew he had to fix this if the rebels would ever have a chance at overthrowing the Royalists. So he steeled himself, taking a deep breath, and spoke.
"If that is the price you would exact for my trespass, then I would accept it, on the condition that you continue to aid my brothers in their quest for freedom."
The temperature dropped several degrees, making him shiver again and revealing his rapid breaths as clouds of condensation.
"I would accept your condition," Star murmured softly from somewhere behind him, making him start and quell the urge to face her. He flinched away from an icy touch on the back of his neck, bracing himself, wondering if Ackala's inner ear was ringing, if he was rushing to follow his friend up the hill, hoping he wouldn't be close enough to see, hoping there wouldn't be a frozen corpse that his spirit brother would have to bury later…
The touch receded. The temperature rose. The mist dissipated somewhat. The light returned. T'reth blinked in surprise and relief, daring to glance around.
"Fortunately for you, my Oath to assist your cause and protect you as long as you are true to it predates this Oath, and such an agreement is not an option at the moment." A shadowy mist form wafted out beside him, drifting toward the trees. "Rest assured that it is the only reason you live, mortal, and as soon as the protection of the previous Oath is rescinded," the form turned to look over her shoulder at him, pearly eyes a vivid white in the grey. "I will not hesitate to end this one."
T'reth bowed his head. "Understood, Great One." He murmured. In his head, a thought crossed his mind in distinct words.
I'm just going to have to be careful then, aren't I.
He froze, feeling the goddess' gaze upon him. A long moment of silence passed on the top of the hill.
Indeed, boy. You will.
A wind sprang up, pushing against him and finally clearing out the cloud a bit, just enough for him to see beyond the nearest trees. By the time he looked again, Star was gone, and it was over. He took a moment to gather himself, breathing deeply to calm his shaking, and then started on his journey back down the hill.
