Also, I didn’t think I could live it down if I were the reason that Mithil was blasted into rubble.
“What about Roland?”
Ashe shrugged. “He’s staying neutral. He said that it isn’t his fight, even if he has more to gain if Aria wins.” Ashe looked a bit bitter. “If he joined, I wouldn’t be asking any of you for anything. This would’ve been a simple matter of numbers.”
I looked up at the ceiling and thought deeply. There was always something that rubbed me the wrong way with how Aria left that night. Logically she made the right decision. It was why I didn’t object.
Except that nothing about this journey had been a logical progression of events. It was always about feelings.
“You’ve been staring at my ceiling for far too long. What’s up?” Myrtle shook me out of my daze. I think I knew what to say. I stood up, ready to make my point to the world.
“I’ve thought about it, and I want to say that it’s not about the logic, but it’s about the feelings. I’m not saying we disregard Mithil getting ruined, but both Aria and I are people of emotion. So I have to be there, because she needs me to be by her side. We need the feelings to go with the tactics.” I was making hand gestures as I felt my cheeks flush a little, thinking of Aria and I reuniting.
“Well, I guess I’m going to have to take some artistic liberties because that speech was shit.” Myrtle shook her head in dismay as Ashe burst out laughing. Great. Now my face was doubly red.
“Feelings are hard, okay?!” Even Myrtle chuckled at my expense. It took a good minute or two before the room calmed down, but by the end of it, we all felt like we were together.
Even if that togetherness was laughing at the absurdity of it all.
“I guess I’m going to talk to Aria to see if she’ll let me help slay a dragon. Perfectly reasonable. Anything else?”
Ashe tapped his chin.
“We would need to get you to a safe place once you’re on the ground. I was hoping your brother could get some of his folks together, so that we have more than one escort? But it looks like he’s not here…” His voice trailed off as Myrtle nodded.
“He’s away with his guard buddies. I don’t know too much about them, but I’m guessing that they may require some convincing to go along with all this.” Myrtle frowned, thinking harder. “Heck, I’d be reluctant to go along with this if I didn’t have some beef to settle with the church. You’re not exactly asking for the simplest of tasks, Ashe.”
He nodded slowly, his violet eyes dimming.
“I know it’s not easy. I know I’m putting you in harm’s way. But, we all have something to lose!” He put a hand on his chest as he rallied for a passionate speech, but my sister-in-law waved him off.
“No need to get so melodramatic. We’ll do it. Heck, I’ll bet you good money that once Kennith gets home he’ll agree too.” She got up, pivoting us towards more mundane topics. “Now, what flavor of tea do you like? I’m going to brew us a cup.”
Ashe finally relaxed a little, taking a seat. Seemed like he had burnt out all his pent-up energy.
I caught up with him on what Aria had been doing in the week since she left. It seemed like she’d been forcing or bullying every major institution or noble to take a neutral stance until the fight was over.
I imagined there were a lot of threats going around. She had even managed to debate Roland to a standstill, and it was a big part of why he agreed to take a neutral stance. Hearing her go the extra mile brought a dumb smile to my face.
“The last fight really is starting in a few days.” I thought back to how it all started. An innocuous hello and a flash of those jeweled eyes. Myrtle had returned with a tray of tea, and I was all too happy to grab a cup to settle my thoughts.
“Two to be exact, but that’s why I was told to go somewhere and keep myself safe. Guess what I’m not doing.” Ashe didn’t touch his tea much, only blowing on it to cool it down. “I’m getting into the center of the action, whether it kills me or not. I need to.”
Both Myrtle and I exchanged worried glances. The kid was a little nuts.
“Don’t you care? If you come out of this alive or not?” I asked and he twisted his head, staring at me with a strange look on his face. Confusion? Myrtle leaned back in her seat, taking a more relaxed and somber glance at him. She looked like she already figured it out.
“Of course I want to live! But I’m a Pact Mage, and we can’t afford to sit on the sidelines, sipping tea and watching all of my friends going to war. “Oh hey Ashe. You’re a Pact Mage. How was that big fight between two dragons to change the fate of the world? Oh, I don’t know! I was a wuss and didn’t go!” There was a silence as Ashe gripped his teacup candle so tight I could swear the porcelain was going to shatter.
“Perhaps I’ve overestimated your intelligence if the only reason you’re here is a sense of duty or youthful adventure. Or maybe you’ll prove me a pessimist.” I could tell that Myrtle’s words made Ashe quite furious, but he didn’t say a word.
“Excuse me for not completely buying your reasoning. I suspect you’re here giving us admittedly good orders, but orders none the less. Then having us take all the risks while you sit back basking in the glow.” Myrtle continued with a knowing smile. She certainly had a knack for getting under people’s skin. I’ll give her that.
“Don’t you dare! I live in a crumbling tower where we can’t afford to fix the floorboards, in an organization that’s quickly falling apart by the seams!” His eyes flared with a blazing passion.
“Royals don’t want to be putting money in something that limits their power, but they can’t kill us. So, ever since the royal dragons have started getting comfortable, we’ve been dealt a slow death, generation after generation. Aria is our out!”
Myrtle smiled, satisfied that she had unearthed yet another piece of the puzzle. I didn’t think Ashe was aware of what he spilled.
“There. That’s my stakes.” Ashe’s fire had been spent. Before anyone could add anything else the door opened with a click and a swing. It was Kennith, coming back home late as ever. Strangely, I’ve never seen my brother drunk despite his late-night arrivals.
“Oh good. An update.” He threw off his boots, closing the door behind him as I started to fill him in.
“Okay, so here’s the deal. Aria’s going to have a smackdown with Lazarus, Mur-Mur’s writing up some stuff, and I’m going to be riding Aria to make sure the fight ends quickly and to prevent most of the capital getting blown up in the crossfire. Ashe and I need your guard friends to help get me out once I’ve made the killing blow, and to secure the area.” Kennith took each word in, before taking a seat right beside the fireplace.
“Well, there’s more than that Charlotte. We also need them…” Ashe began.
“Okay, I’m not going.”
Ashe tried to muster a protest, but my brother shot him a withering glare. His ‘look of death’ even shot shudders through my spine.
“Mari and I are starting a family. That’s final.” He exchanged glances at the both of us, expecting a scrap. Then he calmed, remembering that this was his house and I was still his sister.
“Fine. I get it. Then point the way. Charlotte and I will do the convincing. You know, make a speech, rally people,” he confidently stated as I managed a confused “huh?” That was not a part of the plan.
“Wait wait wait. You want me to convince them? You laughed for a full minute when I tried to give a speech!” I blurted out and Ashe giggled, his voice crackling in the attempt. Good. Laugh at the person that you need to do all your things.
“Well, you’re going to be the one riding Aria, it’s only natural that you would be the leader…and thus the one giving the speeches! Duh!” He gave me a thumbs up that I didn’t feel I deserved.
