A/N: Special occasion, special update
A/N: Special occasion, special update. Pretty elementary.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Seventh Tower. Come to think of it, neither do I own the Sixth or the Fifth.
Chapter 8-Back to the Ruin Ship
The War-Chief and her Shield Maiden stumbled into the former Freefolk Fortress after many hours. The War-Chief was exhausted from maintaining two Green globes of air through the bad air in the heatways, and using Blue light to keep them alive through the searing heat. Miria just barely managed to get them both into one of the huts before collapsing herself and falling into unconsciousness.
Hours later, Milla woke up. She had no idea how long she had been out. The last thing she remembered was stumbling into the Cavern of the Freefolk, so this was where she had to be. But where was Miria?
Milla stood up and walked out, hoping to find the Shield Maiden by the well. Before she got there, though, scratches on the stone floor in front of the hut caught her eye and she looked down to see a message scratched on the stone from Miria. As she read it, she felt helplessness, binding and sickening, come over her. You had better be right, Miria. Or we'll be in more trouble than we were before.
A long distance away, a figure climbed cautiously out of the heatways. She slipped on her face mask and paused again to ascertain no one was around. Then she set off down the mountain at a cracking pace.
Miria hoped that Milla would listen to her message and not come after her. Just to cover all ends, she had told Milla that if she didn't return after 3 sleeps, she should assume that she wouldn't be coming back.
Keeping her speed constant, Miria took stock of herself. A bone knife concealed in her sleeve, a Sunstone that Milla procured for her earlier on when they first went to the Castle. Her bow was still serving its function, though battered and more flexible than usual due to the heat from the tunnels and further friction against the tunnel ceilings. But what was most disturbing was her ammunition, or rather, the lack of it. Of the arrows she brought to the Castle, only 5 were still remaining. Thankfully, they were all sharp. She doubted any blunt ones would help on the Ice.
Slipping down the mountain with only a thin beam of light from her Sunstone to light her path, Miria thought about how she would get into the Ruin Ship. If there were Imperial Guards in the Ship itself, then her trip would be wasted. There'd be no way she'd get an audience with the Mother Crone.
Even if there weren't any Castle-dwellers in the Ruin Ship, she wouldn't be able to get past the Shield Maidens – which Elza would no doubt now be part of, realised Miria with longing. For four circlings she had wanted to be part of a real Hand, not some cadet who couldn't get assigned, and when she did, she gave the chance up. With some effort, she pushed the thought away. It was better to think of a plan than be surprised when she actually made it down the mountain.
By the time Miria got to the bottom of the mountain, she had come up with another desperate plan. She was going to wait until the Shield Maiden shift changed, and go in like she had been there all along. True, she'd probably be attacked once the other Shield Maidens saw her furs, as they were unlikely to be corresponding to those of the Hand, but still, it would give her a fighting chance.
Unfortunately, from the looks of the moving moth-lamps near the Ruin Ship, it appeared that the shift had just changed, so she had a nice long wait. Since it was never advisable to stick around the Ruin Ship without official business, she turned away and started walking around the mountain.
As she walked, she mused. Not long ago, she was constantly uneasy – or, at least, made others uneasy with her cheer and smile when Icecarls were usually frowning or expressionless. She had thought it would change when she was assigned to a Hand and tried more serious things. But no, her free spirit had led her to giving it up to follow Milla to trouble. She hadn't forgotten that she wanted to ask the Mother Crone many questions, but in this state, she might never get to.
Miria might have been more reflective and optimistic than most Icecarls, but she did not lack their alertness. That was how she discovered something was tracking her. If it was what she thought it was, she could forget about helping others. If she got out alive, it would be a miracle. And Icecarls never believe in miracles.
Crouching and pressing herself against the rock jutting out from the mountain, she dimmed her Sunstone and strained her eyes for any sign of the creature. At first, she saw nothing. Then, another noise alerted her to the fact that she had been looking the wrong way. She turned her head and her heart nearly stopped as she saw the distinctive line of light.
A Merwin was stalking her.
Anyone's first instinct would have been to flee. But common sense, as hammered into her since she could walk, told her that she would never outrun a Merwin, much less hide. And that the hunter that strikes first increases her chances of winning.
When she thought that, she knew that she would have to fight. She'd never get out of a short-range fight alive, so it would have to be long-range. Her forte never lay in hand-to-hand combat. If she made it out, she'd never ignore her trainer again.
Drawing her bow, she nocked one arrow and left the other four in easy reach. She would have to pierce the senses of the Merwin. One each for the eyes, one for the nose, and one for each ear. The horn lit the features of the Merwin clearly, so her targeting should not – would not – be off. Unconsciously, she began the Rovkir breathing to calm herself.
As the Merwin's head turned, she struck! Like any good archer, she had compensated for her bow's weakness. The arrow flew true and stabbed into the Merwin's left eye. It reared back in pain. Too late, Miria saw that her second arrow would miss. She had not expected the reaction of the Merwin.
It didn't matter. Her next three arrows did not miss, and stabbed into the Merwin's ears and nose. It roared in agony and shock.
The sound broke Miria's carefully composed calm. Once again, she was reminded about how dangerous even a crippled Merwin was. Panic claimed her and she fled, running clumsily towards the Ruin Ship. She kept her eyes on the ground, not even glancing back at her pursuer. If she fell now, she was as good as dead. And at this point, she felt the incredible need to continue living.
The ground flew by as she ran at top speed. So concentrated she was on the spectacle that she never heard the Shield Maidens calling for her to stop. She plowed right into their ranks and gasped one word, "Merwin!"
Immediately the Shield Mother began barking out orders to the Shield Maidens assembled. The one cadet still holding Miria up threw her behind, not gently, where she tried to catch her breath. Her lungs were burning with the cold air travelling in and out them at such a speed. She watched the Shield Maidens swarming the Merwin, which look slightly worse off when she first met it. Blood was streaming down from its ears and its nose. The arrow shafts had snapped under its thrashing and now the heads were buried in its organs. Miria winced involuntarily as the Merwin thrashed again and she saw its ruined eye in the glow of the moth lanterns.
A light touch on her arm made her turn around. She found herself staring into the strange silver eyes of a Crone. The Crone smiled gently and said, "Come, we have been waiting for you. Worry not, the Shield Maidens shall take care of the Merwin. Come in now."
Lost in the Crone's silver eyes, Miria did not nod until the Crone turned away and began leading her into the Ruin Ship.
Inside, the Crone lead the confused Icecarl through a path of hallways. She stopped at a doorway and gestured for Miria to enter. Her confusion only grew. Weren't they going to see the Mother Crone? How come the Crone led her to a room that was empty, and not only that, seemed suspiciously familiar?
As though sensing the confusion within her, the Crone only smiled more and put one hand on her shoulder to guide her in. She didn't follow, but merely drew the fur curtain and said one command: Rest. The sound of her footsteps grew distant and disappeared.
Miria shucked her outer coat, settled down in a comfortable pile of furs and looked around. While she wasn't bound by the Prayer of Asteyr and so did not have to obey the Crones' every word, she felt that it was good advice. She shifted about to make herself comfortable and shut her eyes.
It was only when she was about to drift off into dreams that she realised what was familiar about this chamber, and shocking that she didn't realise it before: It was her room.
When she awoke, the Mother Crone was waiting for her in the room, sitting so patiently and quietly that if you didn't look, you wouldn't know she was there.
Instantly she tried to stand up and clap her fists at the same time, causing her to fall awkwardly as soon as she stood up.
The Mother Crone laughed lightly. "Slow down Miria. You can't do both at once."
Miria flushed with embarrassment. She stood up and clapped her fists again. "Greetings, Mother Crone," she said politely.
The Mother Crone returned the gesture, and patted the ground in front of her, indicating that she wished for Miria to sit there. Her expression grew serious. "Miria, I want you to tell me what happened in the Castle. Tell me everything."
Over the next hour, Miria told the Mother Crone everything. Everything from Kazhua's apparent dislike of her, Stel's story, staging the kidnap and even hiding in the Freefolk Fortress.
When she finished, the Mother Crone pursed her lips thoughtfully. Then she abruptly laughed again. "It appears that you are more creative than we had ever expected. The Freefolk Fortress is the one place no one will think of to look for you."
"What do you mean?" Now that Miria had shared her story, she felt at peace. Surely the Crones can take over now. "Have they come to look for us here?"
"Of course they have. They have even left a message for you when their search failed," replied the Mother Crone, still smiling a little. "And injuring the Emperor so that he wouldn't be suspected of his part in the kidnap… that was also unexpected." Her expression soured, "Although you have quite spoiled some of our relations with the Castle-dwellers."
"I'm sorry," apologised Miria. She hadn't thought of it then.
"Don't be," sighed the Mother Crone. "Now then, I believe you have some things to ask me?"
Miria's eyes grew wide. How had the Mother Crone known? But then again, the Crones knew everything, didn't they? And she had to seize this opportunity that might never come again. "Yes," she said eagerly, "I have lots of questions. Especially about why I've grown up in the Ruin Ship."
The Mother Crone sighed again, then – somehow, for some unknown reason – looked sad. "I supposed it is time for you to know the truth. Did you know that you were an abandoned child?"
"Abandoned?" repeated Miria. "How so?"
"Your parents did not die in a hunting accident," whispered the Mother Crone. "They decided to abandon you. Near the Ruin Ship. A Hand of Shield Maidens found someone – your father, perhaps – leaving you on thin ice. A Shield Maiden rescued you, at great cost to herself. Your father was not caught. When we saw you, we knew why you were abandoned. You were not a strong child by Icecarl standards."
"Rescued by which Shield Maiden? Is she still around now?" Perhaps she still could find out more from this unknown benefactor.
"She was slain in combat with the War-Chief, four circlings ago. Her name was Arla." The Mother Crone continued, ignoring Miria's soft gasp and wide eyes. "I chose to let you live, because then, we Crones had seen something." Here, the Mother Crone looked Miria in the eyes. "Most Icecarls are predictable. They live most of their lives the same way. But you? It was mostly blank, because you were something unpredictable. As you grew older, it became harder and harder to see your future. We tried very hard to make you that way. Have you never realised that you would never get into trouble for most of your 'ideas'? And we knew that what we could not have prophesied might be the last hope we had."
"We needed you to befriend the War-Chief. Choosing Elza to accompany the War-Chief up the Mountain of Light? A lie. We needed to know if you were willing to risk everything for her."
"So you used me," said Miria coldly. "You almost didn't expect me to make it back did you?" Now that she knew the truth, it seemed almost easier to pretend that they were all lies. She didn't want to believe any of it.
"Yes," replied the Mother Crone, meeting Miria's cold stare. "But Miria, if it is any comfort to you, while I never really raised you personally, I have watched over you as you grew. I smiled at your victories, lamented over your defeats from afar. You were, to me, more like a daughter than a tool. I see you more clearly than my biological children, who are no longer in existence. I don't wish to give you up, but if I could, I would give up everything now, just to hear your unnatural laugh again."
The Mother Crone rose, signalling the end of the discussion. "You will travel back to the War-Chief now, with a companion and the note that was left. You will find that your companion will be able to read it, even though it is in Chosen script." Looking at Miria, still sitting down, she added, "I leave it up to you to decide if you wish to share with the War-Chief what you have heard today." Following that, she left the chamber.
Miria stayed sitting, feeling too shocked to do anything else. After a while, a Shield Maiden brought in some newer furs for her.
"Really, Miria, why are you so distracted today?" complained the Shield Maiden. Miria recognised the voice.
"Elza?" she asked cautiously.
"Who else?" grinned Elza. "I bet you have loads to tell me, but since the Mother Crone is waiting outside the Ruin Ship for you, and someone else too, it's better to tell me some other time."
"She is?" Miria leapt to her feet. She put on her new furs and ran out. "Thanks," she yelled back over her shoulder.
Elza sighed. "She gets stranger every day."
Outside, Miria made a beeline for the small lights bobbing at the foot of the mountain, but was stopped by a voice behind her.
"Miria."
Surprised, she turned around to see the Mother Crone behind her. "This is for you. The Guards left it when they searched the Ship. It is in Chosen script," she added, seeing Miria struggling to read the note.
"Thank you," Miria said, stowing it into her pack. She made to clap her fists and leave, but the Mother Crone interrupted her once again.
"Miria. I have watched over you for almost eighteen circlings. I would have liked more time, but it is not to be. I will watch over you for not much longer, and then no more. You have grown up so quickly… Now do your duty as a Shield Maiden and friend to the War-Chief."
Miria nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She clapped her fists and turned away. Underneath her face mask, her tears started to flow.
A/N: Okay, so there WAS a special occasion… weeks ago. So I'm a procrastinator. At least this chapter was one of my longest. And a small joke to make it up to everyone, although I think it's more lame and likely to make you madder at me.
J: -taking an entire roll of toilet paper-
Z: No! Don't kill trees! –attempts to snatch it away-
J: -holds it further away-
Z: Don't waste paper or you'll be a tree in your next life!
It really did happen though. I thought it was a mild deterrent. So anyway, the moral of the story is, don't waste paper or you'll find tree-huggers coming after you. –sweatdrops-