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[stormandwind]

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Age 10: Betrayed by yet another family member; cw: assault, discussion of murder & slavery

[stormandwind]

Tris glanced up. The fog was racing into the night-dark sky, colliding with storm clouds that had been forming higher up. Had she started something? I can’t think about that, she decided, and stomped up to her cousin. “Aymery!”

Briar ducked behind a tree. He’d let Tris do the talking. Let the maggot think they were alone, and he might speak truthfully.

Aymery lurched away from the wall. “What are you doing here?”

Despite the heavy snoring all around them, the cousins spoke quietly, as if they might wake someone. “Aymery, please... You aren’t—” Tris swallowed hard. “It looks bad, Aymery. It really does.”

“You don’t have to worry,” he said earnestly as she approached. “I’ll protect you. Nothing will happen to you.”

“What about my friends? What happens to them?” Tris stopped a foot away from her cousin.

“I’ll do my best, and - you’ll just have to trust me, that’s all. In case you forgot, I tried to get you to leave, remember?”

“You lied even then, didn’t you? About my father being ill?”

“I didn’t want you here for this. But you were mule-headed, and I never got another chance to talk you around. Just stick close to me, and I’ll speak for you to Enahar. He’s their chief mage.“

“Why are you working for them? They’re thieves, and murderers—”

Aymery sighed. “I owe them money, Tris, more than you could imagine. It was gambling, and - and other things. Enahar gave me a loan, but there was a price. That’s how the world is.” Going to the gate, he wrapped his hands around one of the locking bars and started to lift.

Briar cursed. This was cutting things much too fine. Daja! Sandry! he cried. We need help and we need it fast!

Tris ignored the boy’s call. “This is a temple community” she reminded Aymery. “What kind of loot do you expect to find?”

He stopped pushing on the heavy bar to stare at her. “Don’t you know anything!” he asked “There are spell-books here, centuries old, which teach things like making diamonds from coal and rubies from blood. Bespelled weapons, devices - they have a mirror that will let even a non-mage spy on anyone at all. And mages are the highest priced slaves anywhere - there’s all kinds of ways to keep a mage that won’t hurt his ability to do magic.”

“I see they worked on you” she said flatly.

Aymery sighed. “Yes, they do. See this?” He tugged at his earring. “It was made with my blood and with Enahar’s. It binds me to him. If he thinks I’m about to betray him, he can use it to kill me. And don’t tell me to get rid of it. I can’t, not so long as I’m alive.” His smile was crooked. “I tried.”

The winds rose as Tris swallowed hard. “Can’t you turn it on him?”

Aymery shook his head. “I’ll just bear with it - he’ll free me when my debt’s paid. This raid should do it, with plenty left over.“ One locking bar was up. One remained. Someone outside pounded on the gate.

Tris grabbed Aymery, dragging him back. The growing winds made her skirts whip. “You can’t do it!”

Unsheathing his knife, Briar hurled the blade straight at Aymery. A puff of angry air knocked it away.

Tris whirled, her hair flaring out like a halo. “Stop it!” she yelled, furious.

Briar searched two snoring guards, and found their knives. “He’s not listening!” he shouted. “And that isn’t the Fire temple guard waiting outside, is it, Aymery?” For answer the young mage punched Tris, knocking her back several feet. She hit the
ground and lay there, stunned.

The gate exploded. Aymery went flying, landing not too far from Briar.