Snippet #1444410

The Jurial Plains

Talae shot a glance to her side, where Faera was marching in silence, boots making the slightest of scuffing noises on the dirt road. Though both siblings were well-used to traversing miles of road without stopping by now, only the older could claim to have any ease doing so at march pace, and she'd taken to ensuring that her charge would not fall behind. It was obvious Fae was weary, but she was doing well at choosing not to show as much, clearly determined not to complain.

Truthfully, she was still displeased with this arrangement. She knew quite well that her sister was capable enough to be of use when it came to a fight, but that did not mean she belonged in the Legion of Ashes. Actually, Talae herself was beginning to wonder at her choice. If it hadn't been the most expedient way to find herself with the opportunity to do some dragons some damage, she probably would have stayed away from it altogether. She didn't have to know anything about her fellows to know that this was a ragtag bunch at best, not that she had expected any different. They'd let in a blind girl, of all things, with little more than a passing assurance that her other senses were good enough to prevent her from hitting anyone important- for the most part.

When Fae had insisted on accompanying her this time, Talae had refused bluntly. Unfortunately, her sister's methods of persuasion did not work in the form of aggressive argument, easily enough combated, but in a slow and gradual wearing down of resistance. Talae could wait, but Faera had the patience of a saint. So here she was, double-timing it to who-knew where, surrounded by people who obviously knew little more about what was coming than she did, but for the most part didn't seem to care either.

She'd been surprised to note that Caine was among the lot of them; she'd have thought someone like him would have up and died a long time ago. Berserker rage wasn't exactly conducive to lasting health, after all. Of course, it sure beat the hell out of her skills on an open field with nowhere to hide. Still, his face in the crowd meant that she knew exactly two other people here, which was probably a decent start as far as these things went, and she actually had some respect for this particular human, so it might not all be quite as horrendous as she expected.

The dull knives affixed to her braids clinked together softly as the group was called to halt and lined up in front of the man who called himself their Captain. This, she was more than a little skeptical of. Even as short-lived as humans tended to be, this one was young, and his manner of dress was... peculiar, to say the least. His obvious disdain for her (or perhaps simply her profession, not that the difference mattered a whit) was the least of her problems with him, since she felt exactly the same thing. She usually did, so this was unsurprising. It certainly didn't matter, considering that she'd follow orders regardless. Nothing said one had to like one's superior officers, only obey them.

She was for a moment concerned when she discovered there would be two groups, though, as she had even less desire to let Faera out of her sight than she had to be unpleasantly mauled by a fire-lizard, but luckily (or she would have thought so if she believed in luck), the two were placed together. Well, that was a positive for this entire arrangement, anyway. As soon as they were both allowed to leave, Talae started wordlessly for the village, knowing that her sister would hear and follow. They needed somewhere to rest, and even places this small usually had suitable establishments. If nothing else, they could find the inn early and take up residence in some corner or something.