Page 3 of Compass Points
Rose hesitated over her words. “Of course, Tara. I know the mist plague is terrifying, especially since there seems to be no rhyme or reason to its attacks.” Rose looked meaningfully at the younger girl. “I like how you dealt with your fear, though. When you were scared of the mist and wanted to do something, you asked me to train you. While we still don’t know if that will help, learning to defend yourself is within your control and can help you in life regardless.”
“And to think you tried to say no when I first asked. Listen to you now,” Tara teased.
“I was being cautious,” Rose replied. “Weapons training is no joke. I wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting into.”
“And I’ve more than proved that these past months!” Tara jumped in energetically. “We train for hours with no break. I was dead on my feet in our session last night but kept pushing! I don’t think I would have been capable of such effort months ago.”
Tara’s excitement and self-realization of her improvement brought a warmth to Rose’s heart that she was unprepared to deal with. Though she cared deeply for Tara, Rose had indeed been reluctant to train her. As Arie teased her about earlier, most villagers in and around Bury underestimated her. No one knew she was the weapons master who made and wielded the swords and daggers she sold with expert skill. Yet no matter how often Rose objected to Tara’s pursuit, Tara had pressed on, convinced that Rose could and would train her.
Tara had a spirit that couldn’t be broken. While she held tight to her faith to defend against these uncertain times, she still wanted to do something practical. The fact that Tara was on her own with only herself to rely on was too familiar for Rose to ignore.
Theplague of mist was coming. Tara was right. Even the Compass Points didn’t seem to know what to do. Their efforts would have been laughable if the results weren’t so devastating.
The dark mist was once such a foreign concept, but now a growing threat to their daily lives. What had seemed like a singular event in a no-name village far away on the continent was now a worry whispered by all. One day a village was fine. The next, a shadow mist crept over it and never left, sending its citizens into a seemingly endless sleep.
So far, it looked like everyone in the villages that were taken was still alive. The thick fog around the towns formed a clear perimeter that no one dared breach—not since the first time the Compass Points sent Suden fae warriors to investigate, and the first one to cross the mist boundary was also rendered unconscious. It didn’t stop loved ones from watching the chests rise and fall of those close enough to the border to see. Nor did it stop others who knew victims farther inside the affected villages from holding out hope that their chests rose and fell also.
“Rose?” Tara’s voice interrupted her swirling thoughts.
“Sorry, what did you say?”
“Can we train again this evening?”
Rose hesitated, only briefly. She didn’t want to tire Tara out, but the whole village seemed to buzz with nervous energy. If Tara needed to train again to try and calm herself, she would help her.
When Rose was younger, she had thought one day she might be a weapons master and trainer for one of the Compass Points. Even at a young age, she was good and loved sharing her knowledge. Circumstances had made that dream impossible.
It was a risk to train Tara, to let anyone get close enough to realize the truth, but she couldn’t turn down the hope in Tara’s eyes as she asked for help. Rose knew what it felt like to have no one looking out for her. To have to prepare yourself for the worst.
“Yes, of course. I’ll see you then,” she replied.
Chapter Three
Box in hand, Rose left the perceived safety of Bury, heading out into the wild to the Lake of the Gods’ mountain forest. Most at market day had quiet homes in Bury, or some lived back down the mountain path in neighboring villages.
Only Rose chose to live apart.
No one ever asked where she went or where she lived. They knew she didn’t live in a village, but she’d been coming to the market days for ten years with little disruption and good wares. That seemed to be enough for the villagers to tacitly accept her.
Rose headed farther down the tree-covered crater trail. A few miles from Bury, a near-invisible track off the main path led closer to the lake. She had forged the trail when she first arrived in the area. The dense trees she’d cut through opened up to the shoreline.
Before leaving the trees’ safety, she set her box down in a roughly marked circle at the end of the path and turned back toward the trail.
“You might as well come out here and talk like a civilized individual,” she said. Her words were met with silence. “I can hear you,” she tried again.
She felt the moment when the person following her made the exact wrong decision.
She planted her feet, sinking down slightly as bushes and branches rustled loudly. Fast, but not fast enough, a body flew from the brush onto the crudely made trail, careening toward her. She had taken away their element of surprise. Side-stepping, she threw a kick as the attacker shot past.
Her foot connected with their ribs. They grunted but caught themselves, planting both feet before hitting the bushes on the opposite side of the clearing. With feline grace, the attacker lifted his head.
The Suden fae from the market. She really should not be surprised.
He looked every inch the predator, ready to go in for the kill. Hoping it wasn’t a literal kill, she decided to try and reason with him.
“Can I help you with something?”
He’d underestimated her at the market. He underestimated her still as he prepared for another attack. He thought he could scare her into leading him to the weapons master. That he could brute force his custom order request.
