6. Priestess

Tori-Anna moved to another pile of canvas, lifting the corner and peering beneath. "Up!" she ordered, and the five children huddling beneath began to slowly crawl out from beneath the heavy canvas. "Line up!" she demanded sharply, and with terrified looks in their eyes they sluggishly obeyed. She pulled off her glove, and quickly grabbed the first by his arm just above the wrist. The skin beneath her fingers was cold and clammy, the boy's clothing hair and arms matted with heavy black globs of sludge. Touching her finger to one of the blobs she pulled her hand back quickly as it started to tingle. The red welts on the boy's skin were clear now she looked for them.

"Roelof!" she said quietly to the young guard waiting a pace back. "Take him and wipe this gunk off. Quickly now." she held her voice even, not letting the impact of the quiet misery that surrounded them show. Two girls had crawled out, and another lad, with Alexandras inspecting them as they stood in something resembling a line. He was not a bad kid, but this was getting to him.

"Oh Gods" came the plaintiff mumble from under the covers, where the final lump had failed to emerge. A fit of coughing rasped out instead, heavy rasping hacks that threatened to shatter Tori-Anna's composure. She knelt and reached under, pulling the lad out.

"Here" she pulled the top off her canteen, and held it below his ash spattered face. "Not too much, you might choke."

The lad sipped and after some more coughs and spitting out some black muck, sipped again. "Thank you M'Lady" he replied in a surprisingly well-mannered tone "I am Ketoth. I was apprenticed to the King's siege engineers."

Tori-Anna stepped back in alarm. "Do you have any of those madmen's infamous 'toys' with you?"

"Oh yes" Ketoth half coughed. "I have a bag here somewhere ..." the lad lifted the canvas and started rummaging around. "Found it" mumbled up from underneath, followed by "wait, where is the..."

As the small metal sphere rolled past the lad Tori-Anna lunged with surprising speed and stopped its escape with her front foot, then delicately picked it up. "Looking for this?"

"Oh yes" Ketoth replied after extracting himself "the other detonator core. Nice." he smiled broadly, as if the random 'toy' rolling about the deck was not enough to sink them all.

"You better go clean up. And warm up if you can. Actually have you not even noticed the burns from this muck?" Tori-Anna waved about at the rain and ash swirling around the ship.

"Oh, yes" the lad replied "but it's nothing like the burns I got as an apprentice. I'm right." he was at least carefully repacking his satchel, which Tori-Anna could not help but notice had a beautiful woman's shawl of bright flowers embroidered on green wool carefully folded between a detonator block and an engineer's field tools.

Her soldiers had similar mementos from their mothers and fathers stashed lovingly away, indeed she had her mother's shawl under her gambeson. Tori-Anna drew in a careful deep breathe, and let it out very slowly. "Right then. Fall in with my guard, and help get the children who have that muck on them cleaned up and warm. And Ketoth" the young man dipped his head in acknowledgement "whatever you do, I quite like my legs. If you are going to have detonators rolling about it will either be on my orders or you will be at the bottom of the ocean at the time. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Captain!" the young lad stammered, handing back her canteen "Thank you Captain!"

------------//-------------

Angelica watched as a sailor hauled another bucket of seawater up with a rope, and set it on the deck beside others. A second took a bucket that had stood for a spell, and poured another into it slowly so that the foamy muck on top rose up and spilled onto the deck. One of the soldiers took the mostly-clear bucket of water to clean with, and the sailor sluiced the mucky stuff over the side with what was left in the bucket, and started over with the next pair of buckets.

It had been a sombre day. The acidic rain had cleared much of the ash off the ships, but not before turning all it failed to carry over the side into a sticky foul paste. Nearly everyone had between some and a great deal of it upon them, other than the sailors who were simply drenched to the bone for working outside the meager protection of the awning. Nearly, as her guards had not permitted any to remain upon her or Olga, or indeed each other, even the ones ordered to sleep. Many of the sailors were in the rain properly, so Zalori had broken open some tallow which they had vigorously rubbed onto their exposed skin to keep the offensive rain at bay.

She looked up towards the smaller fishing ships, wondering how they were faring. The discussion with Olga about sating her curiosity by visiting them had been short and to the point: they were still running for their lives from the fires, if they stopped they would drift closer in. Her curiosity could not justify the risk, especially as there was so very little she could do anyway.

They had to run. And keep running. To stop would be to die.

"Are you all right?" Olga asked gently, failing to hide the very real concern in her voice "You did not sleep much, and have hardly eaten at all."

Angelica turned and looked at her friend, the Duchess. "How are you doing?" she asked quietly. "You are of the old blood too, no?"

"Well..." Olga replied "yes, but ..." she looked at her hands, embarrassed.

"Go on" Angelica cheated, knowing Olga could not refuse.

"Well ... my Mother always said that the tales were just told to help stop lesser men from getting ideas above their station."

"But why are you so worried about me then?"

"Well ... ummmm... " Olga sat up straighter, gathering herself "Mother actually said that most of the tales were fancy, but that two were not." she drew out the goblet from her cloak, and turned it to show the crest. "She said that the crests of the two great houses would always be theirs alone, for they are real."

Angelica simply blinked, then looked at her friend in confusion. "Really? She really believed that but consented to your Father's intended match with my brother?"

Olga dipped her head "well, it might not have been real, either, no?" She lifted her eyes "besides, I think that the marriage between your Mother's house and your Father's was irresistible to them; in the great dance there could be no better match than with your brother. Or well ... with you." she failed to conceal a blush.

"Huh." Angelica smiled at the irony. "Some catch I must be now?" she waved about them "behold the fruits of the Grand Union!" her levity ebbed rapidly, and she continued quietly "do you think this is all because of them? Is this the Gods vengeance for the peace Mother and Father forged?"

Olga stared at the horizon, contemplating. Angelica did not hurry her, after all there was nowhere to go anyway. "No. Your brother, now that might have been just so. But this? This is something far beyond. Do you want my opinion?"

Angelica nodded.

"This is a mistake. Something happened, and everything went wrong."

"Any idea what?"

"No, we really need a lorekeeper. Have them tell the tales while we listen, and see if something feels correct." Olga replied.

"Do we even have one?"

"Yes, we must. Do you remember when we were first aboard? Someone began to pray, in the style of the Qindred. Do you recall who?"

"No, what was it, only yesterday? That cannot be correct, so soon? It feels like an age ago. Also I fear they might not like me very much for stopping her."

Olga beckoned to Liva, who had been standing a short distance away, clearly slightly uncomfortable that there were not far more guards stationed with her. "Find her please." Olga said simply, assuming Liva would have caught every word between them. The young soldier's nod was ample proof she had indeed been discretely listening in. Olga sighed; such was the life of a noble. The downside of the expectation that if one merely uttered "I'm thirsty" a carafe of something nice would promptly appear was that someone would always be listening unless explicitly ordered not to. "Is it too late to just be your maid again?" she asked quietly.

"Only if I can be the daughter of a fabulously wealthy merchant" Angelica said very quietly in reply, met with a carefully stifled guffaw "Or a cute fisherman's wife" her eyes flicked in the direction of a certain fishing ship involuntarily, to which Olga bit her cloak to control her laughter.

"This is why we cannot have nice things and your bedroom was in a heavily guarded castle, huh?" she replied dryly.

Angelica actually broke into a very unladylike grin.

Wait, I really could if we live through this ...

Olga nearly fell over as she laughed even more at the blush that washed over Angelica's cheeks.

------------//-------------

They watched as the soldiers continued to find children hiding away in the cold and damp and clean them up, getting the poisonous muck off them.

Tori-Anna stepped over and smiled a very genuine smile "may we impose on the persons of you both M'Ladies?"

"You may" Olga replied for them both, which drew a quizzical look from Angelica.

With very little ceremony Tori-Anna darted away, then returned and placed the three summers girl on Angelica's lap, and ushered her older sister to snuggle up beside, then drew the cloak Angelica had lent them about all three. Angelica noticed that she very deftly checked her temperature as well, a brief frown flitting across her face. Two freshly cleaned young girls were allocated to Olga, whose cloak likewise got carefully rearranged to keep the warmth in.

Antaryon presented himself shortly after, and gave a biscuit to each of them.

"Wait" Angelica said quietly before he withdrew.

"M'Lady?"

"Why are they not below? Surely it would be warmer out of the wind?"

"That's already full with as many as we can fit M'Lady." Antaryon waited for leave to withdraw, which a quick nod provided.

Angelica met Olga's gaze. This wasn't good, indeed this was really not good at all. If children here were so cold on this ship, what must be happening on the smaller fishing ships? There was no way to know, and nothing more they could do. She dipped her head under the cloak, and quietly said "Hello, I'm Angie. Ask me if you need anything."

"I want my mommy" the young girl replied plaintively.

She inhaled sharply, then caught herself. "I'm sorry sweetie, she is with my mommy in Haven. It's all right to miss her, I miss mine terribly." She hugged the girls to her "I know I'm not your mommy, but I promise to look after you."

The little girl buried her head against Angelica's side then said "you're all boney!"

Angelica stifled a giggle "that's because I still have a corset on. Wait, I'll fix that." popping her head up "Liva?"

"M'Lady?".

"Could you up ... get rid of my corset?" Angelica whispered.

"Ummm... how exactly?" Liva looked horrified at the challenge, after all they were all on the deck of a ship with people everywhere.

"Just untie it from the back and if you need to cut the lacings, then pull it out. I just want it gone, now."

"M'Lady" Liva knelt, and while trying to neither laugh nor dislodge the two children she knew were balanced under the rich wool cloak, accepted the challenge. It took a while.

"You don't feel nearly as boney now." the little girl yawned.

Angelica smiled, even as she had little hands accidentally landing in strange places. It didn't matter, as long as they were both warm.

"I'm hungry" a tiny voice added from her other side.

"Would you like some cheese and crackers? I think Liva can get some of those."

Olga smiled as she and Angelica were each offered three carefully generous pieces of cheese, and six crackers. Of course they each refused one and two, but rank had its privileges after all, the children might as well enjoy them while they could. Then Tori-Anna ruined their careful plans by insisting they both eat their cheese and crackers too, and she even stood and watched with a broad smile upon her face.

Angelica was quickly starting to tire again, and felt someone press up against her. "Alexandras M'Lady, don't worry the children won't fall neither". She simply took the young soldier at his word and allowed herself to drift off.

------------//-------------

Angelica started awake, momentarily confused by the pile of warmth on and about her and the jarring jangling sound of ... oh. The "bell" was being struck again, and the soft snores were children.

This really isn't comfortable.

"Do you need assistance M'Lady?" Alexandras spoke softly, awkwardly aware of how close he was.

"How long was I sleeping?" she replied, shifting slightly and rearranging the three summers girl.

"It is just after sunset M'Lady, all ships are still with us, and while you slept we had a number of ill children moved across to our ship so we can care for them. All live for now."

That must have been a very tricky thing indeed, transferring children between ships moving under sail on this sea! Remarkable skill.

"Who organised the transfers?"

"Tol Varus and Zalori M'Lady." Tori-Anna replied, having attended promptly. "It seems they have some, shall we say, experience at transferring things at sea."

"Oh, how very fortunate for us." Angelica replied warmly.

Ah, Father again. Smugglers were more useful now than all the import duties ever lost. She had even heard of some cities where fishermen were forbidden from fishing at night, as they somehow caught and landed everything other than fish and duties.

"Do you still wish to speak with the lorekeeper?" Tori-Anna queried.

"Oh, yes, please."

"Priestess Fael" Tori-Anna introduced the young woman, but did not withdraw, her hand casually lingering by her sword even as the priestess courtseyed formally.

"Thank you for joining us." Angelica began softly to not wake her sleeping charges, entirely gliding over the hours the woman probably had to wait upon her convenience. Some things never changed, and her Father had not seen the need to indulge religions, which was greatly simplified by them bickering about which religion was actually correct such that Father had always just said "I await your unanimous advice on the matter" and gone hunting instead. "We were wondering about this" she did not bother elaborating "and ask that you recall the old tales you think are relevant and share your thoughts."

The young woman knelt on the deck, and began in a quiet tone to match the sombre night. "M'Lady it would be an honour. As you know, in the beginning Angelica, Qin of Light, was alone in the nothingness, and created this world. She was lonely, so she breathed life into her shadow, creating Luna, Qin of Darkness. To make this dull rock more to her liking, Angelica created Ao, Qin of Life, then together they created Terra, Qin of Land, and Oceanus, Qin of Water. To aid in the design, Terra created Kernos, the Qin of Nature. These all worked their talents to create the world we know" she paled momentarily. "Knew." she appended and took a deep breath. "Yet Luna understood that to have a dawn there must be a sunset, and created Sanguinis, the Qin of Death. Together they created Daemon, the Qin of Fire, and Tora, the Qin of Air, for balance. Terra thought of the future, and created Selene, Qin of Solitude to be the wife of Daemon, for both needed to largely stay apart from the rest lest ..."

The Priestess looked at the horizon, her mouth hanging open. At length her training forced her on to complete the verse. "Lest Daemon's fire destroy all that the others would make. Together Selene and Daemon had a child, Erathor, Qin of Desert, but the parents paid a heavy price. Seeing Daemon's anguish, Sanguinis created the Qin of Suffering to be Daemon's new wife; their child was the Qin of War. Neither do we name lest they hear us and gift us that which is their nature."

"And?" Angelica said softly.

"Angelica bestowed upon the Qin the right to create creatures to guard against loneliness. Some created creatures of great beauty in collaboration, others created alone, and Sanguinis delighted in creating what happened after a creature fell. Oceanus took great delight in teasing Daemon, boldly proclaiming Daemon's children could never hurt his own, and annoyed at Oceanus's taunts Tora made new children who delight to this day in swooping down to fish in the water but retreat to Terra's domain to roost, much to Oceanus's ire. Luna joined with Ao to create Mann, who in turn made many children whom we are now, so it was told, so it is so." the Priestess intoned the familiar words in a gentle melody, but her eyes flicked to the two nobles as she continued "But to stop the Children of Mann forgetting they were not the only Children, great families were made to walk beside us. Children of Luna, Children of Sanguinis, Children of Daemon, Children of Selene, and others. Only those of the blood may bear their crests, to bear the crest of another is to offer grave insult to the Qin."

"And?" Angelica repeated rather more forcefully.

"Erm ... your Mother bears the crest of the Children of Daemon in shadowgrey on the field of white, the colour of the Qin. Your Father the King the crest of the Children of Daemon in flame on white. None have every questioned their right." she hesitated.

"But? Go on" she commanded.

"... But none living can recall anything that shows they are any different to anyone else. We have tales, certainly. However those are very old indeed. There are those who say only the Children of Mann remain, the others left us long ago." she added quietly "If there ever were any others."

"If only that were so." Angelica replied coldly. "There are others, make no mistake. The thing that killed my brother was not a Child of Mann."

The priestess made a warding symbol instinctively. Her eyes betrayed the plain truth: there were things in the night that were very definitely to be afraid of.

"So what about that?"

"Oh. Well ... " Fael paused, struggling with words. "Each Qin has mastery over that which they created, for what they made they can unmake. The balance of the Qin is lost, but only one is without control. Fire. The rest remain as they were before. So ... erm ... either Daemon is very upset" the priestess looked to the crest on the gambesons "or he has left, .... or worse."

"Worse? How can it be worse?"

"Or ... Daemon is dead."

Angelica felt as if someone had stabbed her through the heart. Yes. That was it. She looked to Olga, whose face had lost all colour but whom still nodded gently in confirmation.

"Well, that is a problem. Anything else?"

The priestess had recoiled back, stammering "your eyes!" then she prostrated herself and said quietly "M'Lady, my condolence for your loss, none shall ever question your arms." and then promptly crawled away.

"What was that about?" Tori-Anna asked quietly.

"I have no idea." Angelica replied, genuinely perplexed.

One of the children stretched, a small hand pushing up into Angelica's face. "Hey there. Are you thirsty? I bet you are, yes." she cooed as Tori-Anna signaled for Antaryon to fetch water and wine. Predictably, not a drop had been taken from the wine by any of the guards.

"Once they're settled" she said quietly to Antaryon "wine please." Olga nodded in agreement. If the Priestess was right, they might as well enjoy the wine while they could. The fire would burn forever.