. ⋆ ravens ⋆ . [iii]

Instructions

[ ⋆ . ravens . ⋆ ] ~ [iii] . . swords . ⋆ . ⋆ . the wind blew gently at vale's bare feet and she opened her eyes slowly, feeling a hint of pain in her right ankle. she groaned softly and sat up, wincing as the weight she placed on her legs stabbed her ankle. looking around, she realized with dismay that yes, everything around her was real, and yes, zyon had been taken by the sea. she peered at the curtain and listened to the soft ambiance of the waves, the quiet murmurs and utterances of the people in conlaed, and the gentle chirps and trills of the island birds. suddenly she felt the urge to get up, to be active. after all, at home she'd always been roaming the woods, and on the vessel she would usually be found pacing the rail and watching waves, land, and sea creatures pass by. grabbing two crutch-like sticks she supposed one of the women of the village had made, she hoisted herself up and, after a moment of stumbling, exited the cabin. to her surprise, it was rather dark as she placed her left foot on the soft, wet dirt outside of the door. the sky was dark indigo, and to the east it faded to a light pink. stars still twinkled above, and the wind blew through the oaks, firs, and other forest trees she hadn't expected to be present, causing a peaceful stir. vale found that she had placed herself near the center of a village, which was constructed in an unorganized but pleasing manor. the structures that acted as houses, shops, and other such shelters were of logs and resembled the early, less improved log cabins depicted in some of vale's many books on history and culture. in the center of this sloppy circle of houses and such was a large fire pit, with massive tongues of fire licking at an empty spit and crackling. a cloud of smoke rose from it and added a quite delightful smokey scent to the gentle air. there were flat rocks and split logs surrounding the fire pit, so vale felt it was her privilege to sit down and enjoy the heat. once she did, she took to warming her hands at the fire. it was very cold out, just as that strange native laedish had warned her. she shivered a bit and blew out, holding her hands nearer to the tongues of flame. suddenly she felt a warm feeling on her back and shoulders, and she jumped a bit in shock. realizing she was now warmed in a blanket, she turned her head to watch eiran take his place beside her on the long, split log. he wore no smile and his hair was damp, his face shining with moisture. "i see these have worked," he observed, pointing to the crutches on the floor at vale's feet. "did you make them?" she asked hesitantly. with a nod, eiran pulled the blanket a bit further on her shoulders. flushed and confused, vale gazed solemnly at the fire. "why do you do that?" "do what?" eiran inquired, his tone level. "all... this. you wrapped my ankle, you made me crutches, you gave me a blanket." eiran nodded again. "it is how we live here. don't be surprised. it's an act of invitation." "invitation?" she repeated. "to...?" eiran sighed, and vale noticed a fresh wound on his left cheek. it was still bloody and looked rather painful. "where did you earn this?" she asked gently, her voice softening. "it is a long story. as i said, miss vale, you have come at an unlucky time." vale felt her face grow white and she turned her face back to the fire to hide her fear. /why is this time unlucky? winter isn't for a moon. is there some danger of which i haven't been told?/ "miss vale," eiran said, drowning her thoughts with his pleasant voice. "yes, mister eiran?" "i believe there are things i wish to tell you. but..." he sighed and shook his head, his forefinger between his brows. "i cannot. all i will say is that you will be safer following koray." "following... who?" vale's question was ridden with anxiety. "my friend. he should be taking you and the other women to the mountain pass deeper on the island. it is... safer there." he looked at her and cocked his head. "we'd like to keep you safe if you'd allow us." vale looked at her hands, which were now folded on her lap. "safe from what?" "as i said, miss vale, i cannot tell you. please listen. if you do not, you could lose your life by next dawn." vale studied eiran's grave expression and sighed. "i trust you in this, eiran. where is koray?" "he is preparing sacks for each woman in the village, including you. they'll contain furs, herbs, tools, and such things. you will all carry your own and must write your name in charcoal on yours so that nobody thinks it is theirs. they will be a bit heavy, but in the end, worth it." "is he in the cellar?" vale asked slowly, not sure the people here even had a cellar- or, if they did, if that's what they called it. "cellar? do you mean the herb room?" eiran asked, his smile returning. "koray is not there, though he was a moment ago. he is there," he pointed his finger to a large structure decorated with bones and dried flowers. ✧