Page 8 of Kingdom of Embers and Ruin

Herrick dropped the bundle he was carrying on the chair Liv had recently vacated. He turned to leave, and Maude noticed he had also changed into clean clothes, his hair still damp from a bath. She stopped the images before they fully manifested, but as if he knew the direction in which her thoughts were going, he looked over his shoulder at her and winked. Then he was gone, and Maude was left to ponder how she had gotten herself into this situation.

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Clean and feeling more normal, Maude made her way down the stairs of the place they had called the Green House. She had left her hair unwashed but rebraided and pinned it behind her head once more. Now that her tanned skin had been scrubbed clean of the thick layer of dust, sweat, and filth of the fighting pits, Maude looked somewhat more civilized than her usual state of grime her lifestyle ensured.

She had found multiple bruises across her ribs, hip, and legs that now ached with every movement. Luckily, her face had stayed relatively untouched, except for the purple bruise on her cheek, courtesy of Herrick if she recalled correctly. The broken vessels had bled into the ugly scar that slashed across the left side of her face, making it stand out red. Maude grumbled as she realized she’d need to find something to cover her face again, her features too noticeable now. She ignored the pain that sliced through her heart at the thought of her mother’s shawl. It was probably destroyed now.

Following the scent of spiced meats cooking and the fresh scent of greenery so uncommon in the desert climate, Maude reached the first floor and quickly acclimatized to her surroundings. The Green House was aptly named for its deceptively spacious and bright first floor that was open from wall to wall with a long dining table to one side and the shared living space to the other, the colorful pillows and rugs providing a splash of color in the otherwise stark white walls and neutral color scheme. Large windowsin front of the house were closed off to the street with bamboo shades that could only have come from the Kingdom of Rivers, while the windows in the back of the house took up almost the entire wall.

The kitchen, found behind the stairs leading into the center of the floor plan, consisted of a small counter, a large hearth where an iron pot of bubbling stew was held over a flame, and, to Maude’s surprise, an ice box that would preserve food from spoiling in the heat. The large windows were all open, the gauzy curtains dancing in the slight breeze that brought that oddly fresh and dewy scent of rain settling on grass into the house.

Moving toward the door that stood open in the kitchen, Maude walked past the table where Herrick and his friends sat with steaming bowls of food. She stopped when she saw the row of houses that had been built around the small oasis behind this Green House. The other structures blocked it from being spotted in the bustling city around it, preserving this slice of clean water and vegetation from the dirty, packed streets of Logi.

Tall palm trees surrounded the space, providing shade from the blistering sun setting behind the buildings opposite the house. The lush grass of the area bled into soft sands where the clear water of the oasis lapped, crisp and refreshing, in the dry heat. Shrubs and other plant life bloomed around the water, the purples and reds of the desert florals softening the area and providing a pocket of beauty to be admired every few paces.

Bathed in the golden red light of the day’s end, the oasis was stunning. Maude had never seen an oasis inside the city that belonged to the people. There were a few scattered throughout Logi, but most were behind the secure walls of the noble family homes or the palace.

Maude noticed a large spout of water trickling over the greenery, watering the plants in the harsh sun, the source of the unique scent so infrequently found in the desert surrounding Logi. Scanning the perimeter of the oasis, Maude saw the man manipulating the water with his backto her, his raised hands starting to slump from exertion as he turned to a woman walking toward him with a small bundle cradled in her arms. The answering smile on his face told Maude that this was the watervitki’sfamily. The realization of what he is settled into Maude as she watches the woman finally reach her husband and gently kiss his sweaty cheek.

A small boy, aged around four or five, darts out from around the woman’s skirts and jumps into the man's waiting arms as he crouches to the child's level. His father, Maude assumes, tickles the boy and throws him over his shoulder, the child’s resounding laugh echoing through the oasis. The family reunited for the evening, returned to one of the tiny homes bordering the oasis, and disappeared inside. It took a few moments for Maude to realize a small smile hovered in the corner of her mouth at the sight. They were a happy family despite their living with the knowledge that this watervitki’sabilities would be a death sentence in this city.

Feeling her smile falter at the thought of the stranger’s fate if caught by the city’s soldiers, Maude slipped on her mask of calm indifference as she heard footsteps behind her.

“This neighborhood has kept this oasis a secret from the King for decades. It’s this part of the city’s biggest water source for its people, and the few earth and watervitkihere have protected it from prying eyes. When we found this place, we couldn’t believe it existed outside of the nobility.”

Herrick spoke from behind her, but she didn’t turn. Emotion burned in her chest as she beheld what these people protected, at the happy family that risked so much to preserve something pure and good for the community. Feeling hergalderprickle under her skin in response to her emotions, Maude shut down and banished all thoughts of the oasis and the families living there. She didn’t want Herrick to see the rise it caused in her, to see how it affected her. She managed to compose herself again before she faced him.

Herrick’s golden brown eyes blazed with curiosity, waiting to see how she would respond. Maude studied his face for a moment: the hard lines of his jaw and cheekbones, the shadow of a dark beard that was starting to show, his eyes always laced with humor, and finally, his supple mouth. Herrick watched as she took measure of him, the corner of his mouth tilting up in a smirk.

They were close enough now that if Maude breathed too deeply, her chest would brush against his. Heat radiated off her skin as she smothered the desire to see what Herrick would do if she got close to him, if she pressed herself against him.

Maude cleared her throat and stepped back.

“I need to return to Broken Bones. I left my weapons there,” she said, looking over his shoulder at the front door to avoid his gaze and what it brought out in her.

“They are likely gone then. After the raid, soldiers swept through the underground pits, searching for anyone hiding or useful weapons,” Herrick replied, shaking his head slightly as he stepped back from her.

“They were hidden; I know where to find them,” Maude said shortly.

“Very well, I’ll go with you when the time comes. We can go once the sun fully sets.”

“Not necessary. I don’t need you to come with me.” She walked past Herrick, her eyes on the door.

“Nonsense.”

“Do you ever get tired of listening to the sound of your voice?” Maude finally snapped, turning to face Herrick again. The man closest to her at the table, with the braided blonde hair and green and blue threads, choked on his food.

“Just sit down and eat, hear us out, and then we can get your weapons.” Herrick motioned toward the table where Liv and two other men sat.

“Tell me where my hood is first,” Maude ignored his offer and demanded.

“The one you wore during our fight?”

“Yes,” she said between her teeth.

Giving her a curious look, he walked over to his pack sitting by the front door and brought back the long slip of dark violet fabric that almost looked black. Once she had it in her hands again, Maude visibly relaxed, running the deep purple shawl through her fingers. She wrapped the shawl around her and fashioned it as a hood over her new black shirt, giving herself more shape and obscuring her facial features once more.

Without another word, Maude sat at the table and spooned stew into her bowl from the larger bowl in the center of the table. The air stirred as Herrick sat down next to her. She stiffened at the proximity but kept eating, her head down and face obscured. She hadn’t eaten a proper meal in a few days – the coins she had won during her fights last night were supposed to go toward getting some food. Maude kept her hood up while she ate, feeling a sense of security from its presence that she had been lacking since it was ripped from her during that fight with Herrick.

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