What We Are

Evbar toyed with her auburn hair. She couldn't get the braids right in the new mason fashion. The mirror in front of her wasn't helping at all as it captured her awful attempts. She felt like hitting it. She heard a gentle tap on the door before it was opened. Such audacity!

She glared at the door through the mirror when Bren stepped in. Her eyes went furious, he leapt to feet knocking the chair away and released her Presence. "You! Get. Out!" She hissed.

"Irritated as always. What's with the aggression?" Bren said, in that arrogant way of his. So confident.

"Oh, so we are going to pretend your little mess in Hanning didn't happen."

"We both know that's not why you are angry," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Maybe it was. She was not about to admit that. Not to Bren of all people.

His eyes went to her hair, "If you comment on my hair, you'll be walking out of here a half corpse." She warned acidly.

He held his hands up and stepped closer, she gestured him back with a pointed finger. "I was only testing their strengths. Besides they had intervention. It was a good thing I was only testing. I feared he would have wiped them out."

She had heard of this. A black shadowy killing mass. Unlike anything seen before. "You don't believe that. It could have been an Elderman. A new trick? Enchantment?" She said fiercely. No she would not have a normal conversation with this man.

"I doubt that. One of the Harnessers got a good look at him and sketched him. He brought out a rolled painting from his coat. She collected it from the air. "Does he look familiar to you?"

Who is this? I've never seen him before.

"This man can't be an Harnesser. His hair is dark if I'm not mistaken and the glowing eyes?"

Bren waved a hand for his painting, she glared before returning it. "It's exactly why I didn't discard it. You never can tell what an Harnesser would look like."

"Still, his eyes can't be glowing all the time. I think the sketcher is suffering from battle shock. He didn't know what he saw." She turned her back on him and picked up her fallen chair. Poor thing.

"I have a request if you don't mind. Your friends in Hanning, could they get info on this man?"

She raised a furrowed eyebrow at him, "You and favours."

"Your spy network is the best amongst us. We are in this together, so it's expected we work together. We all share a goal here."

She pointed with a comb, "Yes but our motives for it are not necessarily the same." She took a deep breath. It did not reduce her irritation. "The others are complaining about you."

"It's not about entering their holds uninvited, is it?"

She gave him a flat stare, "That among other things. You are becoming reckless. Ian won't be so pleased with you if you lose Hanning. You seem overly confident that it will fall. Still there are benefits if it does and I intend to see that it does. However reckless you may seem."

He smirked, "What I like about you is that you always see reason. Though it wouldn't kill you to have a normal conversation with someone."

He made for the door, "Oh and do keep me informed." He said over his shoulder.

Then she was alone again. No one man can save Hanning.

*********

The afternoon breeze was decidedly fresh. Alkoni tried not to look west. Those monsters were still in the forest. No one knew when they might strike again. But it could be during the week. He was sure of it.

The streets of Hanning were paved and wide. It was a small city. Nothing exceptional about it apart from the occasional mansion of a noble house or minor house. So far he found no word on Ebe. The General had left at the eve of battle. Then there were those letters he'd received last night. All in envelopes, slipped in under his door.

Perhaps I should read them.

"Wondering about? Need directions? I know a good inn not quite far from here," Zkel was beside him. Along with Dune. He had a small leather bound book with him.

Alkoni shook his head, "I don't feel in the mood for drinks."

"Yeah me neither." Zkel admitted. Dune glanced at him, expressionless as ever. Zkel looked nervous all of a sudden.

"Nhoni wants him to observe the captured Harnesser while she's being questioned."

Alkoni turned to Zkel, "I don't understand. You don't want to? "

"No man in his right state of mind will be comfortable around so many Harnessers. Insufferable woman." Dune patted his back gently, "You are just being paranoid. I doubt they will even pay you any mind. Those fellows with fancy hair and colorful eyes are good at ignoring something when they want to."

Alkoni supposed that was true. He tried to stay far away from them. He knew they were spying on him.

"I guess there's no harm then," Zkel shivered visibly. "I could use you there. You seem to be bold around them." He said to Alkoni. Dune gave him an appraising look.

"I don't think I'm a good example," Alkoni said dryly.

Shortly they were in Fort Hanning's keep. He did his best to avoid the army camp outside. Lest someone recognizes him from the battle.

He was already getting looks of recognition. Even in the infirmary, when he had gone to see Pendrick. The man was asleep so he left quickly. The last thing any he wanted was drawing too much attention to himself.

Two stone faced Harnessers stood at the end of the hallway. Zkel held himself up to speak when Nhoni came out of the door, "Let them in. They are here to observe." They nodded to her.

The room was larger than it seemed from outside. Well it was an hall. With a large metal cage — barred at three sides— at it's centre. Inside it sat a slender golden haired woman, dressed in a drab gray dress. She held herself regally. Or tried to look it. Everyone could see she was a prisoner. Three Elderwomen were in the hall. Beredith was not. Nhoni gestured for them to stand at one side of the bar cage.

Alkoni preferred it. He could see everyone's face from there. Zkel seemed to think so too. Dune rested his back on the wall and opened his leather bound book. The man could look laid back when he wanted to.

The interrogation was a draining process to watch. They asked her questions she refused to answer. They made threats which didn't seem to affect her. Zkel gave a start when she screamed between words. He almost placed a hand on his chest. For someone who cuddled an Harnesser, Alkoni thought he should be used to this kind of thing by now. Dune appeared unperturbed by her screams.

Whatever they did Alkoni was confident they were getting nothing out of her on their first day. He left Zkel and Dune.

He felt eyes on his back. Some of them knew what he was. A few Harnessers tried speaking with him. He evaded them as quickly as they came with witty excuses and a-bit-of-rude remarks.

The Elders were doing a poor job keeping his identity under the rug. Again he considered those letters waiting for him last night after his time with Beredith. Now, that was something he was looking forward to doing again. Perhaps he should go read those letters. It wouldn't hurt to know what they said.

*********

Beredith was happy to be out of the meeting. Elders could be a sore tooth when they set their minds to it. She had a letter ready to be sent to her father. They hadn't communicated in weeks. She knew her brothers and sisters were fine in Eden. Her father would be eager to get personal details about the Circle's dealings. Alkoni was a delicate subject she hoped to tackle in her letter. She did her best to keep the Elders clutches from him. They'd wanted to corner him into their hold, make him submissive to them. She barely convinced them to let him operate freely. Bullying a potential powerful ally was going to do no one any good. For all their wisdom and gray, they seemed to easily discard diplomacy in their dealings.

"Going somewhere, Erenflair?" She woke from her reverie to see her a brown haired Harnesser. Him again?

She deliberately ignored him and walked past him. He followed. This one doesn't know how to take an hint.

"Hurrying to meet that dark haired soldier? Honestly what do you see in him? He can't be the Variant everyone's talking about? I've seen the man, he's way too ordinary for something that grand. " At least he doesn't see the obvious.

He held her shoulder, "Will you stop ignoring me?"

"Honestly Dodrin what's your problem? Don't you get tired of being spited?" She said as calmly as she could make herself. This man was not worth her anger or her time. She started walking again when he rounded on her.

"Look, some of us have important things to do."

"And I don't," he said right on top of her words, "I want to make things up with us. Dinner would be nice. Give me a chance to —"

"To do what? And make up what? We never had anything between us. It was all your imagination. I thought you were one beyond delusions." She gestured for him to move. He did. Guess we are making small progress then.

He would find a way to speak with her by evening. The man was annoyingly persistent. A quality she usually admired, when applied in the right areas.

She sent her letter via a pigeon. On her way back to the keep, hoping to be on time for the interrogation, she saw Alkoni. They had not spoken since last night. It wouldn't hurt to drop a word or two. He saw her and smiled.

Suddenly he gaped, for a moment Beredith thought something was wrong with him or with her blue dress. He was looking at his side wide eyed. A lady stood a few paces from him and was grinning widely. They ran to meet each other. She felt her eyes widen.

They embraced like lost lovers. No, lost friends. For what seemed like eternity they pulled away and brought their heads together. That made her breath caught, they were …

They pressed their heads together. Each had a hand on the other's neck. They opened their eyes and grinned.

Maybe this was the old friend he spoke of. She had to be. But what was she doing here. In Hanning. People moved out not come in except merchants and camp followers. She would find out anyway.