Responses to Reviews:
Jillessa Heronstairs: Haha yeah you know me well, I definitely couldn't kill him then :) Bittersweet is actually a really good word to describe that chapter. You must have a pretty chilled teacher then, I'm guessing. So glad you love it, thank you so much for the compliments! I was thinking, you have the 'gift' of writing great reviews (and stories). Your reviews never cease to make me smile :)
Angelina Roongta: Okay then, congratulations, and I will definitely try to join. How can you make it international, out of interest?
Midnightstone1118: Thank you! I do feel very sad for Thomas… I hope you like this chapter too.
Sapphire131: Thank you so much for your review! I'm so glad you like it :)
Audrey: Thank you! That means a lot to me! I'm so happy you read it. :D Sorry I haven't had time to read yours yet!
yoitsyourstruly: Thank you so much for your lovely review! I love Jessa too! So glad to find another Jessa shipper! I would love Jem all to myself as well. Saying that, there will definitely be a love triangle in this, and it could go either way ;) I will try to bring in some more romance when they reach the Clave :) Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Tessa steered Chester, next to Will's horse, as they had set off on the trade road, the only pass through the mountains, in order to reach Baskerville. The road was built as smooth as possible, to allow wheeled-carts to be used for the transportation of goods.
The road was also wide enough to fit two horses snuggly, so they could ride side-by-side. However, none of them were in the mood for talking after the events a few hours earlier. An eerie silence had befallen them the whole journey. Used to talking and joking with them, Tessa felt sadness cover her like a blanket, choking her.
Jem's arms felt like they were holding onto her only weakly, and Will was slouched down over his horse, not even watching their surroundings like he usually did. They must have been a pitiful sight to the passers-by, the majority of whom were merchants. They carried goods from food, to wine and ale, to carpets, rugs and sculptures, on carts behind their horses. That made it easy for Will's horse, still carrying the cart with Thomas's body, to blend in. They had decided to bring Thomas with them, so that he could have a proper burial with the Clave and his family.
Tessa's mind wandered back to what had happened after Jem failed to heal Thomas. She had tried to comfort Will, only to find Jem just as upset, thrusting his hands against the stone wall. She had rushed over to stop him, but the damage had already been done. His hands were a bloody mess, cut to ribbons. She had wondered briefly, if he would be able to play the violin again, before she had remembered his 'gift'. Surely his healing ability would allow him to recover? She looked down at his hands now, and although she couldn't see them through the bandage she had wrapped over them, she could see that the bleeding had stopped, so she took this as a good sign.
Once Will and Jem had settled down, seemingly numb to the world, they had both gone over to Thomas's corpse, and Jem had said a few words in his memory, his voice ragged and raw. Will had said nothing, staring down at the body, expressionless. His face was as cold as stone. It had seemed to her like he didn't know what he could possibly say. However, she then heard him whisper, "We will avenge you, Thomas, to our dying breaths, if need be. I promise you this."
Since Tessa hadn't known Thomas personally, she couldn't say anything on his behalf, but touched by his bravery, she had lent down and kissed his cold forehead lightly, to honour him. They had then thrown a blanket over his body, to hide him, and set off, the world suddenly devoid of the colour and promise it had held only moments before.
A sudden bump in the road jolted Tessa back to the present. Since Jem hadn't been holding onto her tightly enough, he nearly fell off the horse. Luckily, she had reached behind and grabbed him, before he could topple off. She then positioned his hands more tightly around her middle. Will didn't even look up, let alone tease Jem about it, like he normally would have. The thing that worried her the most was that Jem didn't seem to care whether he fell off the horse or not. Jem and Will both were acting just as lifeless as Thomas was now, their eyes glassy, with no fire left in them.
They had decided that since there were wanted posters out for all of them, it would be best if they didn't sleep in a town or village where they could be recognised. Instead, they would sleep near the road, in a place hidden from view. They had yet to find such a place, with the barren landscape that currently surrounded the road, making all of the environment clearly visible.
It was becoming darker, which was alarming, as they couldn't see the bumps and rocks on the road clearly enough. Luckily, Tessa spotted a small clump of trees, which would provide them shelter, and would shield them from view. She urged Chester towards it, and Will's horse followed suit.
Firstly, Tessa and Will gathered some food and water for the horses, and tied them to a tree. Will unattached the cart from his horse, to give him a rest from the added weight. Meanwhile Jem collected some fallen branches to use for firewood and started unpacking the horses.
Since Jem couldn't do it with his bandaged hands, Will took the firewood off him, setting it down on the ground, and proceeded to start a fire. Tessa watched in fascination, as he used flint and steel, a method she hadn't seen before. Will created a spark by striking the steel, in short, choppy strokes, across the sharp edge of the flint, which looked like a metal rod. The sparks flew up into the air, and he caught one, using a charcoal cloth to hold the spark, leaving it smouldering with a hot ember. He then used this to ignite the branches, into a fire, by tilting the cloth onto them, and blowing gently. Once the tinder burst into flame, he built up the fire with more branches.
Tessa was used to eating on the run, so she inquired as to who normally cooked.
The corner of Jem's mouth lifted into a brief resemblance of a smile, and he said, "Trust me, you wouldn't want to try Will's cooking."
Looking down at his hands, she said, "I can cook tonight if you like. I have had plenty of experience."
Jem nodded, staring down at his hands angrily. It was an expression she wasn't used to seeing on his face.
She opened the bag with their stores, taking stock.
"There won't be any animals around here," Will said, "So we'll have to make do with what we've got."
Tessa agreed, and got out some vegetables and spices, putting together a vegetable stew, which she cooked over the fire in a pot.
They sat down together around the fire to eat, and Will and Jem dug in, making an appreciative noise.
"Mmm, this is good, Tessa. Even better than Jem's," Will, said, admiring her cooking skills.
Jem shrugged, saying, "I never claimed to be a skilled cook." He looked over at her, and his eyes softened, "It was really tasty, you have a talent for using spices."
Tessa blushed slightly at their praise, and continued eating. It was pretty decent, but she knew she could do even better with more ingredients.
The tasty stew and the heat of the fire seemed to improve Will and Jem's moods, and they started to talk again while they ate. They recounted some of the rumours they had heard at the inn, trying to make sense of them.
"I heard they have increased the number of guards around the castle," Jem commented.
Will sighed, "Now it will be even harder for the Clave to invade."
Tessa's eyebrows raised. "Wait, the Clave was going to take over the castle?" They must be dedicated if they were planning on this. It would take a lot of skilled fighters to do so, too.
Jem replied, "Well, it was one of their ideas."
"What better way to take over than to take Mortmain?" Will said, moving his hand, as if snatching the king from his throne.
"If only it were that easy," Tessa said wistfully, staring into the fire. She could almost imagine living in a kingdom without the king. How different her life would be, if she no longer needed to be on the run.
"The Clave can do it," Will said, his voice confident.
"I certainly hope so, if the Clave can't do it, then no one can," Jem replied sadly.
Tessa sensed from his words that her fate was up to the Clave. They seemed like her only hope.
Will brought up another piece of valuable information he had heard. "Apparently, the queen hasn't been seen in weeks. Servants say she hides in her room, and never comes out."
Tessa listened to this in interest, having heard how kind and caring the queen supposedly was. She never understood why she was the king's wife. Maybe she was hiding in her room because she had finally given up on him.
Jem solved her curiosity, when he explained to her, "Queen Juliana was King Elias's cousin, and he asked her if she could marry King Mortmain, in order to establish peace between the two kingdoms. So that's another reason why King Elias sent me here, so that I could check she is still alive and healthy. He feels responsible, as although she agreed to the union, it was his idea in the first place."
Tessa felt sorrow at both of their predicaments. King Elias, who blames himself for his cousin's misfortune, and Queen Juliana, who married a brute without knowing it.
"Do you think she's trying to hide from Mortmain?" Tessa asked Jem.
"I hope that's the case and that she's well. I don't know how I will break the news to King Elias if anything has happened to her."
Jem looked worried, and Tessa guessed that Elias was like a second father to him, since he had been raised in the castle after his parents had died. As she was sitting close to Jem, on the same side of the fire, she reached over and held his hand, stroking it comfortingly with her thumb. Jem looked up at her, with a small smile. She was secretly happy she was able to make him smile again.
Will stood up, and put the bedding down, which was just bed rolls and blankets, around the fire. He looked at Jem and said, "I'll take first watch."
Jem shook his head. "No Will, you were up all night last night guarding Tessa. You deserve some sleep. I can keep watch."
"You tried to heal Thomas, surely that drained your energy." Will argued.
Jem was adamant, "Will, he was already dead, it didn't affect my strength at all. Now get some sleep."
"Wake me up when it's my turn," Will replied, sullenly. However, Tessa could tell from Jem's stubborn expression that he planned on doing no such thing.
Will grumbled to himself, but he nevertheless settled down on his bedding. He appeared to fall asleep quickly. Tessa knew he must have been tired after their exhausting day, as well as having no sleep the previous night.
Jem looked to Tessa, and said, "You should get some sleep too, it's been a big day."
Although Tessa wanted to stay up and keep Jem company, she knew she had better try and get some rest, and they had another days travel ahead of them, and then she would be arriving at the Clave.
She lay down on her bedding near the fire, letting the flames lull her to sleep. Before she surrendered to the darkness, she thought she saw someone in the flames, who distinctly resembled Thomas, burning in agony, but she put it down to her overactive imagination.
Tessa woke up, covered in sweat, with a lingering fear left over from her dreams. She saw Jem pacing, a little way off from the fire, so she went over to talk to him.
He stood still when he saw her and asked, "Can't sleep?"
Tessa shook her head, looking over at the sleeping form of Will.
"Nightmare?" Jem guessed. She loved how he seemed to know what she was thinking, as if he could see into her heart.
"Yes," she replied, "I can't remember everything exactly, but they were full of death and burning. Thomas's face seemed to morph into my parents occasionally too."
Jem looked saddened by this, and he gathered her into a hug. "We're here for you. You don't have to go through this alone."
Tessa breathed in the scent of Jem – he smelled like sweat, blood, herbs, and something else that she couldn't quite place. "I know," she said into his chest. And she meant it – she felt less alone now, and she had a new purpose, and a sense of hope swelling within her.
"I don't think I would have been able to sleep either," Jem admitted softly.
They stood like that – clinging to each other for quite a while. She felt reassured by Jem's steady heartbeat, and his strong arms.
When they eventually broke apart, they sat down, talking to each other for a while.
"Why do you stay on guard so far from the fire?" She asked him.
"I don't want my eyes to get adjusted to the bright light," Jem explained. "Then I won't be able to see into the darkness."
She nodded, "That makes sense, I guess."
Tessa realised she was still wearing the ring and bracelet belonging to Jem and Will. She rolled the ring from side to side, a gesture which had become habitual and calming. She asked Jem, "What did you say when you put the ring on my finger?" She didn't know the language of the other kingdom, only her own, which was the common tongue.
"It is a perfect fit," Jem replied, shyly. He explained, "It was my mother's and was made to fit her. I was surprised at how well it fit you too."
Tessa smiled, "What a coincidence," she replied.
She made to take it off, but asked him first, "Would you like me to return it to you now?"
Jem shook his head, "No keep it, we may need to keep up the disguise tomorrow." He looked up at her from under lowered lashes, and said quietly, "And it fits your finger so well. Better there than in my pocket."
Tessa was glad the darkness could hide her blush, as she was sure her cheeks must be bright red – from both the fire, and Jem's words.
She gathered Jem's hands into her own, seeing that he had removed the bandages. She turned his hands around in awe, seeing smooth skin. His hands had sewn themselves together so quickly, looking nearly as good as new, apart from a few small scars, left as evidence.
"It doesn't last for long," Jem commented, "My skin works of its own accord."
Jem sighed, looking down at the ground. "One of the reasons I was so upset I couldn't heal Thomas was because I failed him, just like I failed my parents. They both caught the plague when I was young, before I developed my 'gift', and there was nothing I could do to save them. I had to watch as they deteriorated, until they was nothing left of them."
Tessa gasped sadly, having witnessed many people in her village fall victim to the plague. There was no cure, so anyone who contracted it was avoided and segregated, to try and stop the infection. The victims died within two to seven days after initial infection. Her family was lucky enough to avoid becoming ill with it. Much of the population from both kingdoms had been wiped out.
"I'm so sorry Jem," she said, and she rubbed his back, trying to help ease his pain. "I can't imagine what that must have been like."
"If only I had developed my healing 'gift' earlier, or the plague had come later, then I would have been able to save them and everyone else. I feel like all those deaths are my fault, burdens I have to carry with me on my back. Being unable to heal Thomas just brought all those feelings back." He looked at her, his eyes full of sorrow. "I haven't told many people this. I just have this feeling I can trust you, and I could tell you anything."
"It wasn't your fault Jem! Even if you had your healing 'gift', it might not have worked on the plague. It could have even killed you trying to heal them, and then all the other people you've helped would be a lot worse off. You can't blame yourself," she begged him.
Jem stared off into the surroundings. "I know, that's what Will has told me too. I can't help but think that though."
"I know what you mean," she replied. "I don't know if my parents are dead or alive, but if they've died, it's definitely my fault."
Jem looked at her, a hard glint in his normally peaceful eyes. "It wouldn't be your fault, it would be Mortmain's. And I promise you, he will pay for all that he's done."
Tessa leaned her head on his shoulder. "I hope so," she replied.
She must have fallen asleep, because she couldn't remember anything after that.
She awoke to a shout, feeling something move underneath her. Opening her eyes, she realised it must be morning, as the light had returned. She also realised she must have been resting her head on Jem, because he had just jumped up, and seemed to be the one yelling.
"Will, wake up, I hear horses – lots of them!" She could hear the worry evident in Jem's voice.
Will swiftly got onto his feet, pulling his sword out of his scabbard, while Jem did the same.
Then, galloping into the clearing, came six guards, and Tessa felt her heart fill with dread.
A/N: Once again, please review/follow/favourite, if you feel so inclined.
There is some action coming up in the next chapter before they reach the Clave :)
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
~ SilverJem5