Raiders

by Auriane Chopin

I'm sitting in a forest, on the banks of a river in this strange foreign land. You wouldn't think things would be so different away from Cavae, but they are. It's colder there, for one thing, and the trees are slightly different. But it's more than that. In Cavae I always felt attuned to the land, like I knew every step before I took it, like I was always walking on familiar ground.

Here in Ashes, nothing feels familiar. These forests don't smell of home. They aren't cared for the way we care.

They sent more assassins last night, whoever is sending them. They broke into Kolbrá and Ursula's room and attacked them in their sleep. One for each of them, although Kolbrá wasn't injured, Ursula was badly hurt, almost killed. I've known this woman for less than two days and I've saved her life, and the life of her ward, twice.

Although Kolbrá apparently has enough magic to throw a person almost 60 feet across a room and out a window. That's the only explanation for what happened to the second assassin. So she's stronger than I was giving her credit for. She's an intriguing person, Ursula tends to treat her like a precious object, like on the river today. Our new guide, Hallborg, is the only one of use with experience in the kind of insane river travel we did today, taking these fragile barkskin boats through rapids that would certainly drown us if we fell into them, and she took one boat with Ursula in the prow and Kolbrá sitting in the middle. Meanwhile, I got a boat all to myself and I'm surprised I'm alive.

But what a rush! I couldn't stop smiling from the sheer joy of surviving. When I have something to do, something to focus on, I can forget how I failed Cedric, how I tried but failed to stop the death blow.

But I can't forget. I did fail, and that will always be true. Frederic was right when he told me I had no right to be alive. I don't deserve joy.

It's funny how I failed to save my own but I can save this stranger. I take no pride in it. Obviously, I could have done better.

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Raiders
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Easy
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Discomfort
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Reclamation
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Raiders

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