Chapter 2: Of Friendship and Poor Dancing

Addy Freeland

There was a sort of shocked silence that filled the clearing in the aftermath of Addy's battle with the soldiers from Mordan's watch. Then the applause started, as the people, slowly, tentatively started to stamp their feet and cheer. It brought a smile to her face, which disappeared immediately when she thought of Jordan and the sword through his chest. She raced over to where he was lying, crumpled on the ground.

The priestess from earlier was already there. She had pulled out what looked like a medicine kit from a small cloth bag around her waist, and touched his wrist. "He's still breathing," she murmured, under her breath. She turned around, eyes landing on the nearest of the townsfolk - a middle aged man. "Bring me some alcohol, as hard as you can find it. I need to sterilize this." He nodded and took off into a nearby shop.

She took a syringe filled with some kind of orange liquid, and injected Jordan with it. He gave a gasping sort of breath and started shaking. She put a hand on his shoulder and took a deep breath. "It's ok. I'm here to help you. You'll be fine." The man returned with the alcohol, and the girl unscrewed it.

"This is going to hurt, but it'll prevent infection," she said, before dumping the bottle over him. He whimpered softly, as if screaming took too much effort.

 Addy couldn't help her flinch at the sound, her utter feeling of uselessness as she just watched. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

The girl in green gave her a nod of recognition. "You could get me some water. He'll need it. Addy nodded, darting off to the stream, glad to have a sense of purpose. She filled a small waterskin to the brim after purifying it, and went back to the main street of Casta.

In the few minutes she had been gone, the priestess had wrapped the red-haired boy in bandages and made a little of the colour return to his cheeks. Addy handed him the water wordlessly and he drank it in one gulp. 

"Thank you," he muttered. "Both of you, for saving my life and this town."

The girls exchanged a glance, one that came from two people with the beginnings of a friendship. "It was nothing," Addy said.

"My pleasure," the other girl smiled.

With all her adrenaline fading, Addy sunk down onto her knees in the middle of the street as the crowd dispersed and businesses started to open again. The other girl smiled and offered a hand, her dark skin almost glowing in the evening light. 

"I think we did pretty well today, all things considered. What possessed you to decide to take on an entire horde of Watchmen?" The girl's tone was teasing.

"The same thing that made you jump in and save my life," Addy said. "It was the right thing to do." She paused for a second, before holding out her hand. "I'm Addy Freeland."
The girl shook her hand. "I'm Lillian Garland."

The two girls talked on the way to a nearby tavern - the owner promised them free drinks in exchange for their help saving the town. The rest of the criminals had been rounded up and put in prison, and the streets were clear. The people of Casta had regained their characteristic cheer, and the girls got more than their fair share of waves and greetings as they walked down the street.

Addy found that she really liked Lillian - she was the kind of person who took charge in every situation, who spoke honestly and was very observant. She couldn't help the hand that went up to her hair, absent-mindedly playing with it, making sure that the dye was still there, and wincing at the fact that her tips were probably showing. She knew that she had to be careful. Still, some small, lonely part of her couldn't help but want to share her secret with someone, consequences be damned.

Lillian Garland

The other girl was more than a little strange. Addy Freeland was talking non-stop, and from what Lillian could gather, seemed genuinely kind, if a little absent-minded. It was hard to believe that it was the same woman who had shoved a longsword into a Mordan captain with no mercy. Still, Lillian decided that she was harmless - for now. Anyone willing to stand against Mordan was a good ally to have.

Addy was a skilled fighter, Lillian knew that - one of the most skilled she had seen in her life. Yet, she looked almost innocent, with her long dark hair loose and framing her high cheekbones, her pale skin dotted with freckles, and her wide purple eyes. She was beautiful, Lillian realized. It wasn't as if she was attracted to her. The goddess knew, after Cassella and Corin, she'd lost that part of her. No, it was just that Addy Freeland was a mystery she wanted to figure out.

The pair of them were sitting on stools in The Thirsty Ox, sipping light beers - free of charge. After the chaos of the day, only a few patrons remained. One of them was dancing, though it was really more like stomping, on the stage. There was no music, but the elderly man seemed to be too drunk to care. Lillian couldn't help but hope that the bartender had cut him off already.

"Where are you from? Giana, I'm guessing." Addy's soft voice came from her left. The swordswoman had her elbows up on the table, her weapon strapped to her side.

Lillian snorted. "How could you tell?" She was surprised, despite herself. Her people usually didn't have a distinct accent, and while magic varied by region, she certainly didn't have any of that.

She wasn't bitter.

She wasn't.

But some part of her couldn't help but remember being the only child of the temple without any nature magic, at least until Corin came along. Being told to focus on her healing, knowing that unless she did something truly incredible, she would never become a full priestess.

Addy gestured at Lillian's clothes. "Only priests, priestesses, and acolytes from Giana wear green. It represents their magic." The girl paused, lost in thought. "Or at least, it did."

Lillian couldn't help but wince at the reminder of what had happened to the temples when Mordan's Watch had come. The fires, the burnings, fleeing in the middle of the night at the high priestess's orders. You're not truly one of us, Lillian. Get out while you can.

Addy seemed to realize that she had brought up bad memories, and winced. "Oh. I'm sorry." 

Addy shrugged apologetically. "I'm not really good with keeping my mouth shut, or not saying things I shouldn't say. If it makes you feel better, I can't go home either."

Lillian sensed the opportunity to direct the conversation away from her. "And where is home for you?"
Addy seemed to almost shut down for a second, before she took a breath and her smile returned. "It's been here and there, for a while. I grew up in Alura, trained with a master swordsman for a while. My father had... good connections, and he was able to set me up. How did you get so great with a bow?"

Lillian could sense a topic change when she saw one, but it was fine, she wasn't going to pry. They both were exhausted and maybe a little buzzed, but not drunk and ready to spill their life stories to virtual strangers. And that was good. She wasn't looking to make friends. Friends were a weakness. She knew that now more than ever.

She went with the short answer. "Though those who worship Galina advocate for peace, the High Priestess wanted us to be prepared for war. We had to master a weapon, to be prepared for that eventuality."

"Your High Priestess had good foresight," Addy said, her eyes wide and sincere. Lillian couldn't find it in herself to be mad at her for opening up old wounds. There was something about this girl, this almost puppy-like quality, that made it impossible.

If Lillian's answer was a little curt, she could blame it on the stress of the day. "She did."

The conversation lapsed into silence for a few brief, tense minutes, where the only sound was the tapping of the dancing old man, before it picked up again. Lillian found herself being roped into a discussion about the best form of weaponry - long range, obviously - and before she knew it, they were talking about future plans.

"Oh, I was hired to retrieve some Amulet from a Mordan commander," she heard Addy saying.

Lillian's heart stopped beating. Then, a second later, she suppressed a snort. "Seriously? This wouldn't happen to be the Amulet of Orion, would it?"

Addy's eyebrows rose. "Yes, it is. Why?"

Lillian couldn't contain her amusement. "Because I was hired by a Perrnath lord to retrieve this Amulet of Orion."

Addy rolled her eyes skyward. "Oh, Diamara," Lillian could hear her mutter under her breath. Well, that settled her lingering doubts about Addy Freeland's origins. Only the people of Alura prayed to Diamara, the goddess of light. A strange sensation of sistership took hold at the notion that Addy had similar beliefs as she did - after all, Diamara and Galina were sister-goddesses.

Addy turned to look at her. "So, you're the mystery partner I'm supposed to work with?"

Lillian laughed, despite herself. "I suppose I am." 

~~
I hope you enjoyed the new chapter - the 3rd, Of Amulets and Memories, will shed more light on Addy's past and the quest the girls will undertake. Let me know what you think!