Record of Ashes War

Chapter 6 - A Sister's Blood

Sar'tara's eyes stung from a lack of sleep. For how long she'd lain awake, she could not know. But the hut was now filled with the dull grey of a creeping dawn. She grabbed her weapons and tiptoed her way out of her hut. A pointless endeavour. The other four women sharing the room had their eyes open and were staring at the ceiling, she realized.

Outside, Stel'Na was sitting by a dying fire, staring at its last glowing embers, a wisp of smoke rising from its heart. She was hunched over and prodding at the edge of an arrow tip with her scarred fingertips. The eldest did not look to have slept at all during the night.

The morning carried a chill. Sar'tara went back inside to grab a fur blanket and placed it around Stel'Na's shoulders. She fetched a wooden bowl and filled it with the amber drink stored in large clay pots inside a small storehouse. Dried meats were hung from bone hooks stuck in the walls and ceiling. Sar'tara washed down a morsel with a sip of the drink, letting it burn her throat and invigorate her limbs. She then placed the bowl by Stel'Na's side.

"Thank you," the woman said, her voice, rugged and full of exhaustion.

Sar'tara nodded before heading out of the village. The Kreiva settlement was to the northeast of the Seharr village. It was where their warriors were expected to approach from. The vast majority of pit traps had been placed in that general direction with only a few scattered around other areas of the village.

The Kreiva were not expected to arrive before midday at least. But Sar'tara was too restless to wait that long. She sped through the forest until first light, the hardened soles of her bare feet pattering against cold grass slick with morning dew. She took up residence within the branches of an old oak, its height, greater than anything near it, and its trunk wide enough for three sisters to wrap their arms around.

A black squirrel jumped from branch to branch, halting a safe distance from Sar'tara as it gnawed at an acorn. It was likely that the other Selharri were now setting up the string traps. She would have to watch for them on her way back.

She waited for what seemed like an eternity. She felt as if she were a statue, each passing second stiffening her joints. The forest suddenly quieted as if every animal and insect knew what grimness lingered in the near future. The only sound was that of leaves gently brushing against themselves, stirred by a shallow wind.

The quiet made Sar'tara's soft breaths easy to hear. They echoed in her ears, accompanied by her steadily beating heart. She heard it then. A beat faster than her own heart. A subtle rumbling, slowly growing in volume. Heavy footsteps colliding with the ground. The Kreiva were approaching. Noise returned to the forest in a storm. Birds screeched as they fled from their nests. Wolves howled from behind deep thickets, and the swift gallops of deer shook every passing tree with unrest. All was soon drowned by the deafening tide of thundering footsteps that only grew louder and louder.

Sar'tara jumped down and peered through the undergrowth, her hawk like gaze reaching very far. Bushes trembled in the distance as if the very ground beneath their stems were quaking. It was quaking, she realized, feeling vibrations running up her legs. The smallest of plants were soon trampled over by legs as thick as tree stumps that showed the flora no mercy.

Sar'tara felt goosebumps on her arms. She swallowed a lump in her throat. The Kreiva had strange red markings set about their bodies. War paint made of blood. It didn’t make them any stronger. But it made them seem more fearsome. She turned to run. Her knees buckled like that of a newborn fawn. She grit her teeth and moved along. If the mere sight of her enemies was enough to drive fear into her, she could only imagine just how poorly the youngest Selharr would manage against it.

She burst into the village. "They're here! They're here!" she cried.

Freya and the twenty-five youngest stayed within the village, behind the meager safety of its surrounding fence. The others hid themselves behind wide trees or within their branches, quickly checking their bowstrings one last time. Sar'tara ran into the storeroom and came out a second later, amber liquid dribbling down her chin. She caught sight of Kiali positioning herself halfway up an elm tree, an arrow knocked on her bow.

The enemies soon came into view. Their high pitched cries echoed through the trees. A heart piercing screech cold enough enough to make even the bravest pause. The Vashiri war cry. Every Vashiri was taught it. But this was the first time Sar'tara was hearing it being used in practicality. It felt wrong to use it against her own sisters. She opened her mouth and responded in kind, letting rage pump through her veins. The rest of the Selharr followed suit. Their cries were overwhelmed by their more numerous enemies. Sar'tara sucked in a short breath, pulling back her bowstring, trying not to let the Kreiva's fearsome image slow her actions.

***

The wood of Kiali's bow creaked as she drew back. She counted in her head as the enemies drew nearer. There was a soft twang as she loosed her first. The projectile slammed into the shoulder of a Kreivan. The woman barely flinched. She broke into a sprint and headed straight for Kiali as she ripped the arrow from her shoulder.

"Aim for their legs!" Stel'Na roared. She disobeyed her own order and fired a high shot. It found a windpipe, marking the woman hit as the first casualty of the war.

Many arrows were fired. All of them found their mark. But very few enemies were felled. They were too resilient, Kiali thought. Aiming for their legs would slow them, letting the new and deadly poison finish them off. But would that be enough to stop them in time? Would the poison be strong enough to fell these seven feet tall beasts?

Kiali glanced at the village. Freya looked to be speaking words of encouragement to the younger sisters. Those trained were extremely capable marksmen. All the Selharr were. But with such trembling arms, their shots would far from cause their enemies harm. Kiali steeled her resolve. The Kreiva could not be allowed inside. It would be a one sided massacre if they were.

Three hulking woman were covering much ground with their long strides, approaching the elm tree very quickly. One of them had blood rolling down her side. It was the same woman that Kiali had first hit. The poison was not working fast enough.

Kiali drew back her bow twice more, hitting two of the women in their thighs. It stopped them in their tracks. The third tripped over a hidden string trap and fell into a pit of stakes. A shrill cry followed, stopping as suddenly as it'd begun.

Seeing their sister fall to such a miserable death, the first two Kreiva viciously ripped out the arrows in their legs and sprinted towards the elm with twice as much ferocity. Kiali didn’t have time enough to nock another arrow. They reached the tree and attempted climbing. Every branch snapped under their heavy weight. Kiali felt the urge to burst out in mocking laughter. They couldn't climb. She could take her time with slaying them. Or let the poison run its course.

So she thought.

One of the Kreivans formed a fist and pulled back her arm. She roared as she swung at the elm tree. It shook violently and Kiali lost her balance. Her heart leapt to the base of her throat as an errant hand grasped at air in search for something to hold. Kiali fell from the branch.

***

Sar'tara stood up tall as she fired an arrow and watched it go through an eye. She was regretting having ran out in the morning. Her organs still suffered from the lingering damage left by kresip flowers. Her lungs burned and her breaths were shorter than normal. The Kreivan women were focusing their attention on the veteran huntresses hidden behind or within the trees.

One of them ran at Sar'tara. A short haired woman with round cheeks. She stepped into a pit and fell to her death. The sound of stakes impaling flesh made Sar'tara cringe. There were no cries of pain. The woman had likely been impaled through the throat. That enraged expression that had changed into one of shock just before she'd fallen… It was hard to forget that look of fear, regret, and realization.

Sar'tara fired again. The arrow pierced a skull with a heavy thud. The woman fell back and several others close behind her tripped over her body. The Selharr had yet to take any casualties, but the various traps were being used up too quickly.

Sar'tara slowly retreated, walking backwards toward the village with small, and measured steps. She saw two Kreivans violently shaking a tree with all their might. Hundreds of leaves fell. Alongside them, a Selharri huntress. Sar'tara quickly nocked and fired without pausing to aim. Her arrow went through one of the Kreivan's side. The woman went down on one knee and gasped for breath. By the looks of it, it'd slipped through her ribs and found a lung.

The second Kreivan ignored her fallen comrade and focused her attention on the fallen Selharri. Sar'tara was too late to save her ally. She drew back her bowstring as a massive fist struck an unguarded face. She was too far to hear the cracking of bones, hearing a twang instead as her arrow sunk into the target's temple.

Sar'tara grit her teeth, eyes watering. The first Selharr casualty sparked fierce hatred within. The Vashiri war cry rung in her ears, harmonizing with the drum in her chest. She sought more targets and fired thrice more, one finding an eye, another a throat, and the third a heart.

From the edge of her sight she saw two more Kreivans trying to climb an elm tree. They quickly gave up and one of them struck the tree instead. Another Selharri fell out. This time, Sar'tara sprinted towards them, firing as she went. Another shaft was buried in a temple. She drew back once more, but the fallen Selharri stood up and stuck a knife in the enemy's gut. Sar'tara ran harder seeing that it was Kiali.

The Kreivan woman roared and tossed Kiali as if she were just a ragdoll. The bone knife was pulled out of her gut and thrown aside. She raised high her knee to crush Kiali beneath her feet.

Sar'tara screamed the high pitched Vashiri war cry as she leapt above a short thicket and onto the Kreivan woman's back, plunging a poison doused arrow into the woman's breast. She too was thrown aside. She grunted as she landed, dimly aware of various scrapes she'd suffered as she rolled on the ground. Her bow had slipped out of her hand. Her lungs desperately desired respite. She looked up to see her enemy bent low to charge her. Her hands found Kiali's knife. She crouched low and prepared to receive the tackle.

The Kreivan woman collided with Sar'tara and they slid a couple of feet. Sar'tara screamed and jammed the bone knife into the woman's neck. The woman looked surprised, but still, her arms moved. Sar'tara dragged the knife across the throat. Hot blood spilled onto her. Her enemy finally went limp. Sar'tara pushed the heavy corpse away and slowly sat up. Her bow had been snapped in two by the Kreivan's charge.

Blood dripped down Sar'tara's face and stained the fur cloth around her breasts. She felt a sense of pride at having killed the Kreivan. Kill more. Kill more and I'll get to see Mother. Kiali limped towards her and held out her hand. Sar'tara winced in pain as she was pulled up. The skin on her back had been torn. She leaned against Kiali, steadying her breath. The pain in her lungs eased.

"Is this what killing a bear is like, Sar'tara? Their muscles are too thick for our arrows to pierce. These things barely flinch when hit."

"This is worse than bears. These things are intelligent," Sar'tara said, hissing through her teeth. Parts of her limbs burned where small cuts had been made. She squeezed the handle of the red stained knife as if meaning to crush it.

"You look like one of those monsters Mother would tell us about. Red skinned Heartless from the War of Ashes." Kiali tried wiping the blood away from Sar'tara's face but only ended up smearing it. She shook her head. Multiple Kreivan women were headed their way. "Take my bow and cover my blind spots. Give me your knives."

"You can't!" Sar'tara argued, grabbing hold of Kiali's arm. Melee range into those hulking women was a guaranteed death sentence. Kiali wasn't listening. She reached down to Sar'tara's thigh and took the two knives.

"If I can dance between five wolves, I can dance between five of my sisters," she said as she put the handle to her own knife in her mouth and bit down. She marched along dauntlessly, preparing to meet the five Kreivans heading towards them.

Five wolves at once? Sar'tara wasn't sure if it was a bluff or not. She nocked an arrow and drew, scathing pain spreading in thin lines as her well-toned back muscles flexed and spread her already torn skin further apart. The pain was minor. Survival meant being given the chance to take the Guardian Trials. Meant seeing Ny'Danis again. She needed to kill more to ensure no one would doubt her abilities this time.

Sar'tara watched as Kiali deftly hopped over an attempted tackle and then ducked under a bricked fist. Her right hand flashed, the knife cutting into an eye, a scream following. Kiali's long black hair —still tied in a tail— danced with her movements. She was beyond an expert. She used her own hair as an extension of herself, causing it to strike her enemies and obstruct their vision as if it were a whip of many threads, yet never letting it obstruct her own.

Sar'tara aimed to Kiali's left and fired. Her arrow went through a heart. The one that had tried tackling Kiali stood up. Her back was exposed and Sar'tara loosed again, the shaft piercing through a nape. The woman went down on all fours and crawled about, gagging as she struggled to breathe. She fell down shortly after, frozen, lifeless.

Kiali had managed to slash two throats in that time. She ducked beneath another wide swing and stuck a knife in the final woman's knee. The kreivan grunted and went down on two knees. In a single breath, Kiali was behind her enemy. She pulled the woman by her bound hair and dragged the edge of a knife along the front of her enemy's neck as if she were executing an animal. Blood sprayed around as the Kreivan fell to the ground.

Sar'tara kept her eyes open as the butchery unfolded. She sneered at the corpses and nudged them with her feet. The Kreiva were getting their just desserts. But she feared Kiali was having too much fun with it.

"I'm not having fun with this," Kiali said, as if reading Sar'tara's mind. "I'm just trying to… I'm trying to imagine that they're animals. That what I'm killing is not my own siblings. I was angered before. Now, I'm disgusted. Thinking of them as beasts keeps me from emptying my stomach. Call it cruel if you will. I've already been labelled that, haven’t I?"

Sar'tara paused. Siblings? She had a sudden urge to empty her own stomach. She clasped a bloody hand over her mouth once Kiali had turned around. The bodies lying before her were all kin. Were all her sisters. Sar'tara's vision clouded. She'd completely forgone remorse and compassion. All for a goal she blindly marched toward. Is this what her Mother really wanted out of her daughters?

"Tara, they're at the village," Kiali called, sprinting ahead.

Sar'tara looked around. The Kreivan numbers had been thinned. But they still outnumbered the Selharri by at least two to one, if not more. Nearly a dozen Selharr warriors lay dead. They'd been pushed back to the village. It would soon be their last stand.

***

"Everyone, breathe. Relax. Think of this as a practice hunt. Whichever makes you feel more at ease," Freya said. The girls behind her shuffled their feet, arms trembling even though they'd all been on practice hunts with mentors aside from eight year old Tavi. Mina, the closest to adulthood of the rest, had unsteady hands as well. They fired a volley in unison. Bone tips found bark and dirt. All of them aside from Mina had missed. Freya felt her own arms quake as the Kreiva approached closer. "Follow my lead," she said. She had to stand strong for the girls. Make sure to not hit any of our own."

Freya drew back her bow. She aimed at a muscular woman who kicked at the fence around the village. The sturdy fence fell away and the girls gasped. Some fired at the woman in panic and missed by wide margins. Freya closed her eyes, arms steady, and loosed. She knew she wouldn’t miss. She was as good a shot as any other established Selharri huntress. She just couldn't bear to see the marks of pain on a sister's face caused by her own hands. Her arrow landed within the Kreivan woman's well carved abdomen.

The woman grunted in pain. She ripped the arrow out and stepped within the boundaries of the village, coughing violently. There were multiple holes on her body from where lines of blood flowed. She'd been thoroughly poisoned. An arrow struck her chest. Mina's. The woman went down on both knees, gasping for breath before finally collapsing. Mina breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t look happy. Though the woman would have died soon, it was the girl's arrow that'd claimed the kill.

"Sister Freya, it hurts…"

"As it should, Mina." Freya blinked back her tears. Her heart felt heavy. Another reason she'd never pursued the role of a Guardian was due to her kindness. She wasn't capable of the same cruelty as the others. She wasn't willing to kill other humans to protect the forest. Let alone her own sisters. She hadn't missed a single shot since the battle began. She had also deliberately not made any fatal shots. She didn't have it in her to kill family. Even though she knew that her actions threatened the lives of the girls behind her.

The Selharri huntresses were retreating into the village. Stel'Na came running back towards the girls. "Draw! All of you. I don't care if you miss by a mile. Aim where I'm pointing. Fire at my word!" The girls hastened to do as they were told. Freya drew back as well, choosing a target and once more closing her eyes. "And fire!" Stel'Na commanded.

The girls loosed just as a few dozen Kreivans burst into the clearing of the village. Half a dozen fell to fatal attacks. Another half were brought to their knees, though only temporarily. The Kreivans were getting closer. Their thundering footsteps, louder. The girls muttered amongst each other. Stel'Na ordered another volley. Mina and Freya stood obeying. The others turned tail. Tavi ran to the storehouse and hid.

***

Stel'Na reached behind her back. Her quiver had three remaining arrows out of the thirty she'd started with. The callused tips of her old fingers had torn open once again. Not a single shot had been wasted. Stel'Na had killed twenty-seven of her sisters with twenty-seven arrows. The young girls were backing away in fear instead of fighting. The Kreivans had broken into the village. They were being picked off by veteran huntresses that still had arrows left in their quiver. But it wasn't enough. Few Selharr charged into their enemies with knives in hand, screaming the Vashiri war cry. Even fewer succeeded in landing slashes or stabs, causing miniscule harm. None managed to kill. They were easily thrown aside or grabbed and broken with a mere twist of the arms.

Stel'Na used two of her last three arrows on the two closest Kreivans. She nocked the third and drew back for the last time. It went through an open mouth that had been screaming. That mouth belonged to Midrala, she realized. The mouth of the woman that had declared the war. A shame that woman was born with a mouth!

Stel'Na watched as one of the last remaining Selharri warriors hopelessly charged into the two dozen or so remaining Kreivans. She was grabbed by the arm and took a heavy knee to the gut. Her neck was snapped soon after. Stel'Na glanced at the girls behind her. They still had full quivers. But they'd backed off too far. She turned to Mina and Freya. The girl had emptied her quiver and Freya was chasing after a Kreivan running towards the storehouse where Tavi had gone to hide.

Mina stood beside the eldest Selharri and drew a knife. "I-I will fight to the very end!" she declared.

Stel'Na nodded, eyes solemn. Three remaining veteran huntresses rallied to her and all drew their knives. They were all that stood between two dozen ferocious Kreiva Vashiri women and the young Selharr girls behind. Stel'Na howled the war cry and charged into the enemy with knives in hand. From behind enemy lines, she spotted Sar'tara and Kiali rushing into the village.

***

Freya panicked at the sound of Tavi's cry. The storage gate was closed shut. A thin gate made of bound wooden sticks. Hardly enough to stop a Kreivan. It was promptly kicked down. A heart piercing scream followed. Ny'Danis, protect her! She hastily nocked an arrow and fired —eyes open— just as the Kreivan woman bent down to grab Tavi. The arrow pierced the large woman's calf. She grunted and turned around to face her foe, long bone ornaments within her hair and ears whipping around with the sudden movement.

Freya paused. It was Ken'Via. The one that had insulted her. Freya felt her knee joints stiffen as Ken'Via's hateful bloodlust stabbed her confidence. The large woman crouched low, sneering. Freya fired another arrow, this one going through a thick shoulder.

Ken'Via barely flinched. She rushed forward before another arrow could be nocked. Freya leapt to her right, heart drumming, and quickly put herself between her enemy and the storehouse. Ken'Via, anticipating this movement, wheeled around and tackled her to the ground. Freya saw white as the back of her head connected with dirt. Her bow left her hands and the arrows in her quiver spilled onto the ground. "Your kindness makes you predictable, Sister," the larger woman hissed.

Freya spat in Ken'Via's eye and tried to push her off. The poison was taking too long to work. "Do you take pride in trying to kill children!?" she screamed.

"No! But the weak must be culled. Know this. I will take pride in killing you, dishonourable one. You who taint the Mother's will!" Ken'Via gurgled over her words. Blood was filling her mouth. The poison was finally spreading through her. She wrapped her hands around Freya's neck. "I will make sure you suffer just as our Great Mother must have suffered knowing that you exist," she said as red drooled down her lips and onto Freya's face.

Freya struggled desperately. Her arms and legs thrashed about. Blessed Mother! Why do these daughters of yours have such a twisted mentality? She pulled a bone knife strapped to her leg and stabbed Ken'Via in the side. The woman's eyes went wide in shock. It only served to tighten her grip. The lack of air began clouding Freya's vision. She twisted the knife as vehemently as she could and continued to grind it further inside. Hot liquid spill onto her hand. Ken'Via finally roared and rolled over in pain.

Freya struggled to inhale. She choked on her own breath. From the corner of her eye, she saw the Kreivan woman stand up once more, an arrow protruding from her shoulder and calf, and a knife still stuck in her side from where a fountain of blood flowed. She took slow steps towards the storehouse. How? How does she still have strength? Where is it coming from? Freya rolled over, crying, and pushed herself up.

Tavi was standing in the doorway, shaking in fear. She fell on her rear, transfixed by the bloodied figure approaching her. A small pool formed between her legs. Freya screamed as she used the last of her strength to lunge towards Ken'Via. She managed to grab hold of the Kreivan's bicep. The large woman turned her head and gave a blood curdling glare. She coughed violently. Freya tried pulling her away from the storehouse, but to no avail. She simply wasn't strong enough to move such a large person. Ken'Via formed a fist with her free hand and screamed as she struck Freya's side, shattering the ribs.

Freya collapsed to the ground, hand clutching her side and mouth wide open —though no sound came out. Ken'Via went down on her knees, continuing to cough blood. "Curse you, Selharri! Curse you and your wretched poisons!"

***

Sar'tara drew back her bowstring and screamed the Vashiri war cry, her voice synchronizing with Kiali's. She no longer screamed in anger, but to supress the nausea growing inside. So many bodies. So much red…

The scream caused some Kreivans to turn their heads, diverting their attention from Stel'Na and the four others with her. Kiali reached the enemy rear first, quickly slashing at exposed throats as they turned to face her. Sar'tara fired three arrows in quick succession, each one piercing a nape with surgical precision. The tip of her fingers were torn, staining her bowstring. She could hardly feel the dull burning each time she drew.

At the forefront, Stel'Na and a few others managed to dodge away from the heavy, yet slow barehanded attacks of the Kreivan women. They used their knives well, but not as skillfully as Kiali.

One of them, a shorter girl, was thrown to the ground. Mina. Sar'tara's grip around her bow tightened as she hastily fired an arrow. It struck a different Kreivan as the woman unintentionally stepped in between. Sar'tara drew again as Mina desperately slashed at the hulking woman that had mounted on top of her. It was to no avail. Rock hard fists bore down upon Mina's face. Kiali reached them, howling as she leapt on to the Kreivan woman's back, wildly stabbing at whatever point of flesh her hands found. She was promptly thrown off, but her attacks had done enough damage to force the Kreivan to cry out in pain as she bled out from multiple points.

Sar'tara turned to the remaining foes, resisting the urge to check on Mina. Three remained, one going after Kiali. Sar'tara fired a shot into the assailer's knee and Kiali finished the kill. The other two were quickly put down by Stel'Na and the remaining veterans.

Is it done? Is it over? Sar'tara looked around wildly, no standing Kreivans remained. But the drumming in her heart didn't slow. Blood rolled down her sides and front —most of it not even her own. She shuffled over to Mina. Stel'Na already stood over the child. The remaining Selharr huddled around as well.

Sar'tara turned away after briefly catching a glimpse, crying in silence. It was too late for the girl. In just a short few moments, her face had been completely pulverized beyond the point of recognition. Her body barely twitched with a hint of life. In time, even that stopped. No one uttered a word. They all looked up at the sky, blinking back their tears. Many sisters had fallen, but seeing the poor girl die before their very eyes left a hole within their chests.

Sar'tara shuffled over to Freya. The older woman was caressing Tavi's head as the child wept into her bosom. Freya gave her soft smile, her face pale, and a thin line of blood rolling down her chin. "We made it out alive," Sar'tara croaked.

"Yes." Freya's voice was soft. Barely audible. She sang into the eight year old's ears.

Have no tears my lovely sister

Lest you trip, your pretty hands blister

Weeping will make flowers wilt

Weep not, smile bright and come hither

Rest your head in your sister's arms

Rest and dream of our forest's charms

With our love you will be showered

Grow you will into a most lovely flower

Have no tears oh forest daughter

Lest you'd sleep in a pool of water

Climb the branches and reach for the heights

Wear a smile as the sun most bright

Sar'tara knew the song. A variation of the lullaby that Ny'Danis would sing to her children. Freya had altered it to better fit herself. She would sing it to all new arrivals to the village. It was a memory of their Mother and would soothe their ailing hearts. Freya's voice had helped Sar'tara sleep at night when she was merely seven. She remembered the way her tears had stopped when hearing Freya's song. Now, a memory of her Mother felt distant. Why Mother? Why would you let us do this to each other?

Tavi got up. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't help at all. I was scared."

Sar'tara knelt before the girl. "Here's a secret we don't tell anyone," she whispered through a voice hoarse from screaming. "All of us are always afraid. Even Sister Stel'Na. The difference between a great huntress and a failed one is that the great ones know how to use their fear. Mold it into strength rather than be weighed down by it. And the first step towards that is to recognize and admit that you are afraid. You will make an amazing huntress one day, Tavi."

The girl sniffled. She haphazardly wiped away her tears before nodding and running off to join the other group of girls.

Sar'tara sat down beside Freya. "It's hardly past afternoon. Yet it feels as if such a long time has passed."

"Much too long." Freya's voice had turned hoarse. Her chest was rising and falling very quickly. "I killed," she said softly. "I didn't want to. In the end, I had to."

Sar'tara looked to her sister. At her sunken eyes red from crying. Her head hung low. "A lot of cleaning up to do. The bodies will need to be cremated before they start to rot," she said, trying to put up an air of strength. "Come nightfall, this place will be littered with glowing flowers. At least it will be a beautiful sight to behold. At least… A minor beauty at the expense of hundreds of our siblings. I cannot call such a thing beautiful." Sar'tara kept her own head low. A drop fell and disappeared into her skirt.

"Neither can I."

Sar'tara looked over. She contemplated putting her head in her sister's lap as she had done in the past when Freya had been in her younger years. She decided against it. Freya looked as if she needed rest. To Sar'tara's surprise, the older woman lay down and rested her head on Sar'tara's lap. "Sister Freya?"

"I'm… sorry, Tara. I think… my lung has been punctured by my bones."

Renewed tears gathered in Sar'tara's eyes. A heavy lump settled in her throat as if she'd swallowed a stone. "No… Sister Freya. You can't. Everyone depends on you. The girls especially. They need you. I… need you."

"Don't… fear for my passing. You said it… yourself. Turn your fear… into strength. Make your heart stronger. I will always—" Freya gasped for breath. Her eyes went wide as she desperately tried inhaling multiple times.

"Don't talk. Sister Stel'Na will make you better. She makes everyone better," Sar'tara said quickly. "Just… don't leave us. Don't leave me." She placed a hand on Freya's cheek. It was cold. She tried swallowing the lump in her throat but it refused to leave.

"It's… alright. I'm not leaving. I will always be with everyone in here," she said, placing a hand upon Sar'tara's breast. "Just promise to… to remember me, Tara."

"Always," Sar'tara croaked.

Freya stopped breathing. She passed with a gentle smile upon her lips.