What she wouldn't give for her compass.
Scarlet's hands fiddled in her pocket trying to clasp onto a small, metal device that wasn't there, fingers pretending to brush over the familiar etching on the backside. Tracing over the fine lines barely deterred by the scratches of age, her thumb could practically draw up a picture of the scrolled S in her mind. Yet her hand still held nothing and her pocket remained empty; the compass only a distant memory.
Grumbling to herself, Scarlet recalled leaving it behind for compensation, as if Gilles knew she planned on stealing the shipment of supplies he sent her to retrieve and heading off into the mountains never to be seen again. Reluctantly, she handed it over knowing it would have to stay behind when she took off like he suspected. She couldn't pass up a freight full of medical supplies, enough food and water to last three months, and ammunition.
More than once Scarlet considered carving the same S design in the silver pistol trapped between her bare skin and the waistband of her wool leggings. As much as she wanted her own personal brand on her most prized possession, she couldn't bring herself to damage anything that belonged to her grandmother. While it was all too easy to stick a blade into her father's compass, the pistol her grandmother used in her younger years was as precious to Scarlet as the memories that came with it.
Even though she loathed the man that only appeared in her life when she was forced to move after her grandmother's death, the compass had been proven quite useful as she trekked up and down the mountains. The only thing he left her was that compass – and an enormous gambling debt – before abandoning her in a strange country to work for the rest of her days at Gilles trading post. When she had the chance to leave, she took it despite hindering herself by taking no map or other means of direction.
And now, as she watched in silence at the mysterious contraption hidden behind two snowcaps, she had no idea where the strangers where going.
They unloaded the strangely shaped vehicle – windows signaling a cockpit and outstretched wings on the sides, was that a ship? – their dark clothing looking out of place against the light fluff on the ground. Buttons and patches lined the shoulders of the clothes the men wore – clothing not thick enough for the seasonal weather they were in. But with the world cast in the same weather year-round, their strange appearance made Scarlet's stomach knot itself into a tangle of nerves.
She counted six – no, eight as two more had just found their ways outside the ship's open side. They didn't match the rest, whose grey uniforms fit in a line as they stood in wait for instruction. One of the stragglers was a girl sporting ear muffs and much more practical clothing; a longer, double-breasted coat over thick pants and winter boots. The powder blue coloring along with the occasion white puff ball on her outfit nearly made Scarlet burst out laughing – it was really the girl's completely frosted glasses that pushed her over the edge.
The other straggler, the man, wore a uniform the color of the night sky that clashed with his black hair. From her distance, Scarlet could only make out a few of his features – a few of his incredibly handsome features, she had to admit – but she could see the intensity of his eyes was one that she should be wary of. He told the line of men something before they saluted and relaxed their stances, all but one who seemed to stiffen in the handsome man's presence.
Staring at something in her hands, the girl grabbed most of Scarlet's attention as the others seemed to be following her direction. Odd considering she seemed to be even younger than Scarlet and –
Hair. Scarlet's eyes widened as she realized the knotted fishtail of gold trailing down the girl's side was hair. Originally she thought it was rope, or a scarf, or anything, really, other than a ridiculously long braid of unkempt hair. Somehow her sickly girlish outfit seemed ten times more appropriate than the monstrous bob. No one she knew would ever allow their hair to fall that close to the ground, not with the possibility of it dragging through the snow and freezing.
Scarlet stopped before forming her next thought, the answer becoming clear, but unnerving. Hair that long, no matter where in the surviving countries one lived, would be terribly inconvenient. And the others who barely flinched at the frosty air – there were not of this world.
Her hand wrapped around the hard handle of the pistol beneath her crimson stained coat. Whispered tales of those from the moon still lurked in the memories of her grandmother when they lived together in Greenland. They were said to have strange abilities and an immunity to the cold that powered their great Snow Queen.
Just thinking of the wretched woman made Scarlet's jaw tighten. She was the witch who cast the world into an endless winter. She was the one who threatened to destroy any country that challenged her rule. She was the murderer whose second strike forced Scarlet's grandmother to jump off the roof of their three-story apartment building. She was the person Scarlet hated the most.
A head snapped in her direction just as Scarlet ducked deeper beneath the snow mound she rested on. The handsome man was staring at her – or at least where she kneeled – as if he sensed where she was. Maybe he could, she thought, the abilities of the moon people a mystery to her. The few warnings her grandmother snuck inside her bedtime stories were exclusive to their indifference to winter.
She heard a growl echo off the neighboring peaks before she dared peek over the snow mound again. Their line of unity crumbled to a scattered group heading down toward the Capital, the girl at the helm of their operations. The handsome man led up the back, his eyes scanning the horizon and lingering on her mound.
Curiosity being Scarlet's fatal flaw – next to making impulsive decisions and having a slight temper – she collected her few belongings and prepared to track them. She made sure to tie back her vibrant locks into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, not knowing the handsome man was now on the lookout for lurid streaks of red.
I'm sorry this is a content only chapter! The next will have dialog, I swear! But at least we got to meet Scarlet, right?
Lady Jo Editor Extraordinaire: I am so glad you liked it! Thank you again!
Cheesehead101: Not yet! I am dying to get my hands on it! And thank you, I thought he'd enjoy living it up as a prince. Thank you for your glorious review!
lunartic: I believe this is the part where I laugh manically at the reveal of a plot twist, but considering that chapter wasn't even the best part, I'll wait :) I'm very excited to reveal Cinder's connection to Artemisia, even though its going to take me awhile to get there. As for Thorne, once he sets out to hunt for his fiancé he'll meet some interesting people along the way, Rapunzel included. I have a couple chapters I could write in Kai's POV so if that's what you like, thanks for the suggestion! And yes, Thorne is currently being a brat. But like in Cress Thorne will be going through some major character development, especially once he meets his long-haired princess. Thanks for your wonderful review, that I have read six times, and enjoyed it each one.
I think I'll have the next chapter up in a week. Like this one, it has already been written and only needs editing as well as time in my schedule to post it. So, who's ready for some more Cinder and Kai?
I am so thankful to you magnificent readers and reviewers! Please continue your amazingness!