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CHAPTER 23 - CRACKS

"Ma'am?"

"Mmmrph... Huh?"

"It's time to wake up."

"Mmmmmm no... ten more minutes."

"Ma'am... it really is time."

"Go away..."

"Forgive me ma'am, but you did insist."

"Huh? W-wait, no, dont-"

Melody Hathway winced at the sound of drapes being pushed aside and the bright light of morning flooded her room. She rolled over with a grumble, bunching her sheets up under her chin.

"Leave me in peace."

"You commanded me to wake you, regardless of your protests ma'am."

"Mph... well current me is giving you an order."

Again the room brightened as yet more drapes were pushed aside.

"Apologies master, but you told me not to trust your future self."

With a tired sigh, Mel sat up, scratching the back of her head, her long brown hair a tangled mess. She yawned loudly as Coryn, her personal slave and attendant, set about securing the drapes. As Mel took a moment to rub the sleep from her eyes, the old feline padded over and draped a set of clothes on the bed in front of her.

"Washed and ironed for you ma'am." He said, making certain the clothes were completely flattened with a flourish of his hand.

"Thank you Coryn." Mel yawned again as she spoke.

"If I may say so, you seem more tired than usual." Coryn tilted his head, his brow furrowing. "Are you certain you shouldn't see the doctor?"

Mel shook her head. "No no, it's fine."

"Perhaps I could go to the apothecary, see about getting some hartroot?"

"No, really, I'll be fine."

"I'm worried that you-"

"I said it's fine!" Mel's voice cracked through the air like a whip, far sharper than she had intended. She felt a genuine pang of regret as Coryn flinched and retreated back several steps, his ears drooping.

"As you wish, Master. I'll go see to your breakfast." Coryn said quickly, bowing his head. "Forgive me."

"Coryn... wait."

The feline paused, looking back at Mel with a hint of hesitation. "Yes my lady?"

Mel felt a tightening in her chest as she noticed Coryn's ears and whiskers twitching in fear. The words seemed to stick in her throat as she spoke. "I... I'm not angry with you. Please... forgive me."

Coryn blinked in surprise for a moment, utterly at a loss for words.

"You're right, I am very tired. I'm sorry," Mel repeated, forcing a smile as she nodded her head. "I didn't mean to be sharp with you."

Shaking his head slowly, Coryn bowed. "Nothing to forgive my lady. I worry about you, that is all."

"I know, and I appreciate it, truly."

Again Coryn tilted his head a little. "Ma'am... is everything alright? You seem... unsettled."

Mel nodded. "Everything is fine, just a bad dream, that's all."

"Yes, well... I... I should start breakfast." Coryn bowed and retreated from the room, still shaken.

Mel watched Coryn go, before pulling her knees up to her chin and staring at her blankets. The aged feline had been a slave with her family for his whole life, serving as her attendant since the day she was born. She had grown up with him, he'd packed her lunches for school, brushed her hair in the evening, repaired her clothing, and cared for her when she was sick. He'd been there when she had grieved the death of her parents, and her own son. She regarded him as a part of the Hathaway family, even considering him a friend.

"And yet... I say a few sharp words... and he is afraid." Mel hugged her knees tighter.

Pushing aside her stray thoughts, Mel got to her feet and set about changing into her day clothes, before heading downstairs.

As she descended the stairs towards the kitchen, Mel glanced at the paintings that hung on the walls. The largest of the paintings depicted the Hathaway manor in its heyday. The old manor house sat atop a hill overlooking the surrounding pastures and lowland fields, all covered in a multicoloured carpet of wildflowers.

Mel suppressed a sigh as she walked by. She hated to imagine what her birthplace looked like now, all but abandoned and left to fall into decay.

The Hathaway family had made its fortunes supplying war hounds to the various crusades Halcyon had launched in the last century. War after war, invasion after invasion, had led to a colossal demand for hounds, hounds that the Hathaway family had gladly provided, and for which they had been handsomely rewarded. But the wars had bloated Halcyon, expanding the nation's borders beyond both the Order and the militia's capability to patrol and maintain. As the appetite for war had faded, so too had the need for hounds, and with it the Hathaway family's prominence.

'At least father knew better than to squander the family money,' Mel thought to herself. 'Unlike Uncle John...'

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Mel made her way to the kitchen, where she always took her breakfast. No doubt her acquaintances around town would be shocked to hear that she ate in such plain surroundings, especially when the dining room took up almost half of the main level, draped in all the finery that one would expect of Halcyon's elite. Of course their horror would only increase if they knew that she ate with her her slave.

"It will be just a few more moments ma'am." Coryn called out, his arm a blur as he whisked some eggs in a bowl. With a flourish he swept a small pile of chopped onions and spices into the pale yellow mixture, before pouring it all into a hot skillet.

"Not a problem." Mel replied, sniffing the air as the delightful sizzle of the eggs filled the kitchen.

The kitchen was cosy, with a large cast iron stove taking up most of the south wall, and a pair of large windows that looked out over the sizable garden Coryn maintained in the backyard. The pride Coryn took in his work was obvious in the immaculate state of the kitchen. The medley of pots and pans that hung from the walls were all polished to a mirror shine, and every surface was dusted and organised daily. Coryn's bed, a small cot, sat in a corner of the room, neatly folded and discreetly hidden between the wall and a set of drawers.

"Coffee?"

"Of course."

Mel smiled as she watched Coryn go about his cooking, each movement carefully timed and practised. Coryn liked his routines, and Mel was content to indulge him.

Stepping away from the stove, Coryn grabbed hold of Mel's favourite mug and slid it across the table towards her.

She smiled again as Coryn poured her coffee from an elegant silver pot. With a satisfied sigh she picked up the mug and sniffed the contents.

"You really should replace that mug ma'am." Coryn said, returning to the eggs. "I don't wish you to get hurt."

"You say that every morning."

"And I shall continue to do so until you get rid of it."

"You could always drop it and claim it was an accident."

"And lie to you ma'am? Never."

Mel paused for a moment, glancing down at the mug in her hands. The surface was traced with narrow lines, places where the ceramic had been glued back together. The fancy blue and green patterned glaze had mostly faded away, and the handle had been lost years ago. The inside of the cup was stained a parchment brown, and she had to be careful to avoid the chips in the rim while drinking from it.

And yet, no matter how many times Coryn scolded her, or she cut herself, or the heat burned her fingers... Mel couldn't let it go.

"I... I had a dream about Rory."

Coryn paused for a moment, spoon frozen in midair over the pan. "Oh... I'm... I'm sorry master."

Mel ran her fingers gently over the rim of the cup. "He was so close. I felt like... if I could just reach out and grab him... maybe... maybe he'd..."

Coryn's ears drooped. "I'm... sorry."

Mel sighed heavily as she gazed down at her cup, her thoughts drifting like the ghostly dance of the steam.. "It seems like I've been dreaming about him a lot recently."

"I see." Coryn lifted the sizzling pan off of the stove and set it down on a trivet. "That must... be very hard."

"Yes... it is." Mel replied as Coryn set about lifting the eggs from the pan, first onto Mel's plate, then onto his own. "It brings me so much joy to see him again... but even in the dream, I know there is something wrong... when I wake up... it just feels..." Her words caught in her throat.

Coryn stood silently, his eyes downcast. "I suppose... His birthday is coming up."

"Yes... perhaps that's it."

"I... I miss him as well."

Mel smiled. "I know you do Coryn"

"He was a good lad. Would you... like to do anything special ma'am?"

"I.. don't know."

Setting the pan aside, Coryn opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, the smell of singed bread filled the air.

"Damn!" Coryn spun, throwing open a small metal drawer on the side of the oven and pulling out two blackened pieces of bread.

With a frustrated growl, Coryn set the bread aside. "My sincere apologies master."

"No, no Coryn, it's alright." Mel smiled and nodded. "Forget the toast."

With a respectful nod, Coryn sat upon his chair. "Will you be volunteering with the Order again today?"

"Mhmm, they're still short handed, 'specially with so many still needing time to heal since the raid on the rebel headquarters."

"Please do be careful master, I truly don't wish to see you get hurt doing such dangerous work..."

"Thank you Coryn, but the rebels have been defeated." Mel pushed her eggs around her plate. "There's nothing to worry about anymore, everything will be just fine. Besides, Duke asked me to help as a favour, can't go turning a member of the family down, especially now that he is head of the town Chapter."

"I suppose not."

"And you? What are you going to do today?"

Coryn's ears perked up and he smiled. "A great many things to do today Miss. The front garden needs seeing too, and I have some dusting to do in the main dining room. After that I will head to the market and get some sundries, and get some laundry done. After that-"

As she listened to Coryn rattle off his list of chores, Mel raised her cup to take a drink, but paused halfway.

'I'd have spent my life in chains, working for everyone but myself.' Mel's eyes twitched as the words ran through her mind again. No matter how hard she tried to ignore them, the lapine boy's words haunted her.

"- then after that I'll take a look at the silverware and-" Coryn noted Mel's pause and tilted his head "Master, are you alright?"

"I was just thinking... I can't recall a time in my life where you weren't there. You've never left my side."

"I still remember the day you were born ma'am." A wistful smile crossed Coryn's face. "You were such a noisy babe, your mother and father were so proud of you. Your father told me that my purpose was to serve you, made me swear to look after you. Suppose I have made good on that promise so far."

"You certainly have." Mel fell silent as she stared down at her cup, running her thumb over a deep crack in the rim. After a few moments she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "I... I know I was cruel to you sometimes when... when I was younger."

"You were a child." Coryn replied quickly, his whiskers twitching. "Pay it no mind master."

"Why not?"

"Master?"

"Why should I not pay it any mind?" Mel reached up and ran her fingers through her hair. "You've served me well my entire life... and yet I still... I made you sleep out in the rain, put wax in your fur, pulled your tail, yelled at you, called you names, threw mud at you... and you never said anything. I suppose you couldn't have said anything, even if you had wanted to."

Coryn's whiskers twitched again as he struggled for the right words. "I... well... Master... Miss Hathaway, I don't hold what you did back then against you. If... if it's forgiveness you're wanting... I offer it freely."

"Coryn... you realise I consider you a friend, don't you?"

"Well I... I'm very honoured." Coryon bowed his head. "And I consider you to be a very kind and gentle master."

"Kind and gentle..."

"I could not ask for more."

"But not a friend?"

Uncertain of how to reply, a note of panic entered Coryn's voice. "W-well I... yes, I... I find myself very fond of you Master... I... I trust you and I am honoured to serve you."

"Coryn... I'm not trying to trick you." Mel extended a hand across the table and put it on top of Coryn's. "I just want to know, do you consider me to be a friend?"

"Master, with your position... and mine... I..." Coryn paused as Mel gently squeezed his hand. With a sigh, Coryn looked up and met Mel's eyes, his voice steady and certain.

"Yes master, I consider you to be my friend."

Mel let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Good... I'm glad." After taking another sip of coffee, Mel looked up at Coryn again. "Why don't.... why don't you take some time off."

The old cat blinked in surprise. "Master?"

"Take some time off, enjoy yourself. Do something you want to do, rather than something you need to."

"I... well... master I... I don't even know what that would be."

Mel frowned. "Don't you have something, anything you'd rather be doing? Something... fun?"

"I... suppose... I could... do some work in the vegetable garden?"

"That's just more work. I want you to take some time for yourself. Have some fun, relax, do something you enjoy. Lie in the sun, have a cup of tea, go for a walk... a long walk... perhaps you could..." The more Mel spoke, the more pathetically small her suggestions seemed to be.

Recognizing his master's discomfort, Coryn spoke up. "I... do enjoy gardening."

Mel sighed heavily, setting her cup down. "You know what... never mind, forget it."

Coryn's whiskers continued to twitch as Mel returned to her breakfast, but he didn't press the issue any further.

The rest of breakfast was a quiet affair. A short time later, Coryn began putting away the dishes while Mel set about securing her gun belt in the front hall. With some reverence she pressed her fingers against the runic lock of the safe built into the wall. The door opened with a loud click, Mel withdrew her father's treasured revolvers, a pair of heavy, long barreled weapons that the Hathaway family had been gifted more than a century ago by the head of the Halcyon Militia herself. Mel spun the revolvers in her hands before placing them in their holsters.

Coryn stepped up, holding out a wide brimmed leather hat with a metal emblem in the shape of a hound's head on the front. "I had it cleaned and redid some of the stitching master."

Mel took her father's hat with an appreciative nod and placed it upon her head. "Thank you Coryn."

"Think nothing of it." Coryn replied, lifting a rough leather coat off of a hook beside the door and extending it towards Mel. "I've also saddled Stryder. He's waiting out front."

Pulling on the coat and straightening her hair, Mel lastly picked up the small silver pin that hung beside the door and secured it to her jacket. The medallion was in the shape of a sword over an open book, the symbol of the Lord's Holy Order.

Coryn bowed as he opened the door. "Please do be careful, Master."

"I will. And Coryn, one last thing."

"Yes master."

"When you're at the market, I want you to buy something for yourself."

"Master?"

"I don't care what it is... but I want you to get something that you will enjoy." Mel turned and managed a smile. "Consider it a thank you, my friend."

"I... yes ma'am." Coryn bowed again.

As she stepped outside, Mel paused for a moment to enjoy the cool morning air.

Mel lived in the only part of Lillyvale that was worth a damn, a collection of a dozen or so houses built upon a small hill overlooking the rest of the town. Most of the houses were occupied by business owners and minor industrialists, while the rest were home to members of old money families.

As she walked towards the road, Mel paused for a moment to wave to her elderly neighbour as he tended to a pair of vibrant rose bushes in his front garden.

"Morning Mister Meadows."

At Mel's call, Herbet Meadows looked up from his trimming and pushed up the brim of his large straw hat. Though he allowed them to see to the rest of his garden, Herbert never allowed his slaves to even get near his precious rose bushes.

"Ah, g'day there Ms. Hathaway. Lovely morning wouldn't you say?"

"It is indeed." Mel replied. "Your roses are coming along nicely."

"I'd agree whichya, iffin it weren't fer these damnable tent beetles. It's all I can do to stay ahead of them."

She nodded as she made her way to the end of the path, to one of the solid iron hitching rings embedded in a low rock wall that surrounded her front garden. Laying on the cobblestone, enjoying the morning sun, was Mel's faithful hound.

"Hello there Stryder." Mel reached out and scratched the hound between his ears.

"Saw that old pelt of yours saddling him up earlier." Herbert observed, leaning against the wall as he watched Mel offer her hound a tasty morsel. "Poor ol' thing was shambling along, panting up a storm just from lugging that saddle."

Mel didn't reply as the old man stepped up to the hedge between the two properties. "I was thinkin', my boy still owns a breeding ranch, up near Flakkers Point. I could have a word with him, see if he could set you up with a new pelt for a good price. I know he's got some lapines at the moment. They're pretty dull creatures by nature, but with the right motivation, you can get 'em to work just fine."

"I uh..." A distinctly unpleasant feeling settled in Mel's stomach at Meadow's words.

"You could probably get a couple Larics off if you trade in the old one. Not much mind you, but every little bit helps. My boy's looking to get into the iron games and he's always in need of debris."

Climbing up onto her hound's back, Mel tipped her hat. "Thank you Mister Meadows, but no. Coryn suits me just fine."

"Well if you change yer mind, you know where to find me." As he started to turn away, Herbert snapped his fingers and looked back. "By the way, the missus wanted me to ask if you'd give us the pleasure of yer company for dinner this evening."

"Of course." Mel nodded. "See you this evening."

As Herbert turned back to his roses, Mel nudged Stryder into motion with her heels. With a forlorn glance back at his master, Stryder started off down the hill towards the town, his claws clicking loudly on the cobblestone.

The various workers and civilians of Lillyvale paused and nodded at Mel as she passed, while the slaves she passed stopped whatever they were doing and bowed low, some even getting down on one knee. To appear disrespectful, even to an Order volunteer like Mel, was not a risk any were willing to take.

"Morning Ms. Hathaway!"

"A fine day fer it m'lady."

"Howdy madam."

With each call from the various vendors and citizens, Mel took a moment to nod and smile.

"G'job keepin' the beasts in line." Came a call to her left. "Lord bless ya fer yer holy work!"

Again, Mel took a moment to nod, though forcing a smile took effort. "Lord bless you too."

Passing the docks, Mel couldn't help but notice the new defensive fortifications that were being erected. The idea that a war with the north would reach as far as Flinton valley was ludicrous. Despite that, cannon batteries and sniper nests had been built along the banks, while rows of sharpened stakes now lined roadways. Uniformed members of the town militia sat about, watching the activity on the docks with rifles in hand, foreheads glistening with sweat in bright morning sun.

Mel's nose crinkled a little as the morning breeze brought with it the foul odour of rotting flesh. The smell originated from a corpse suspended from a scaffold at the edge of the river just outside the main dock office. A sign bearing the word 'Northern spy' was draped across the man's chest. Mel had known the man, not by name but by reputation. He had been a drifter who wandered the roads between Lillyvale and a trading post just up the river, stopping any who would listen and telling them a story about some monster or other that he had witnessed lurking in the swamps.

With rumours of imminent war with Graize and the nations north of the great divide, coupled with the discovery of the pelt resistance cell, the people of Lillyvale had become increasingly agitated. After a week of nightly demonstrations outside the Order Chapter house, and frenzied rumours about Northern agents lying in wait around every darkened corner, both Chief Justice Duke and Agent Baskerville had decided that something needed to be done to convince the people that they were secure, that the Order was carrying out its sworn duties. And so, when the drifter was stopped and searched, the discovery of a Northern pistol amongst his belongings had doomed him to a swift trial and execution.

Of course Mel knew deep down that the man hadn't been a Northern spy. A layabout certainly, a thief perhaps, but not a spy. The only piece of evidence against him, the northern pistol, had all-but certainly been one of the weapons found in the rebel hideout.

"No one will miss him." Duke had told Mel when she raised her objections. "We get rid of one pointless bum and the people get to sleep soundly, knowing that we are protecting them. If you think about it, he's worth more to this town dead than he could ever be worth alive."

With a click of her tongue, Mel increased Stryder's gait. Sensing his master's discomfort, the hound was happy to oblige.

The sounds of hammers and saws working could be heard down the street long before the Order Chapter house came into view. What had been, mere weeks ago, a decayed and dilapidated shell, was now a hive of activity. Stacks of fresh timber littered the roadway, along with several barrels of blood red paint. Dozens of slaves worked upon bamboo scaffolds which covered the entire south and east sides of the chapter house. Much of the exterior had already been repaired or replaced, and a group of younger slaves worked to paint the raw wood crimson.

To the left of the Chapter house another team of slaves worked to build a huge gallows. The scaffold was placed so that it faced a wide section of the road, allowing enough space for the entire town to gather before it. Scarlet banners, donated by the Lillyvale women's society, fluttered in the breeze just behind the main platform, all bearing the symbol of the Order, and the sigil of Halcyon.

In the centre of the road stood a new cenotaph. Upon the top of the smooth stone base was a solid piece of limestone, with three human workers working to carve a likeness of the Lord. Only the top half of her torso was completed, her stone eyes gazing out over work being done around her in her honour. Of course only humans were allowed to work on such an effigy.

Mel pulled Stryder to a stop as a slave waiting at the entrance to the stables ran up and bowed low before her.

"May I see to your hound, Master?"

Swinging her leg over Stryder's side, Mel dropped to the cobblestones. "Yes. See to it that he is given water and take him to a stable. If I'm not back in an hour, you can take the saddle and harness off."

"As you command master." The slave bowed again before taking hold of Stryder's reins and leading him off.

Making her way towards the front entrance, Mel paused. On the side of the road, just past the foot of the bamboo scaffold, were a trio of pelts lying in a heap. They were clearly dead, with flies buzzing around, their eyes open and unseeing

"Hey! What is this?" She asked a passing foreman who was supervising efforts to lift a bundle of timber to the Chapter house roof.

"Huh? Oh that." The supervisor waved his hand. "Couple of pelts got splattered earlier this morning when one of the scaffolds gave out."

"And you're just going to leave them like that?"

"Eh, I figure it sends a good message to the rest. 'Sides that, we got nothing to worry about, someone'll come to haul them off 'fore they start to stink."

Mel looked back at the bodies, the same unpleasant feeling building in her stomach. Two of the pelts were felines, and the longer she looked the harder it was not to imagine that it was Coryn lying by the road.

"We got a couple runners out looking to conscript some replacements, shouldn't be too long till-"

"Cover them with something." Mel interrupted, tearing her gaze away. "A tarp, a blanket, anything."

The supervisor blinked in surprise. "What?"

"You heard me, I want them covered, now."

"Eh- Look lady, I got a lot to do, I ain't got time to-"

Mel's eyes narrowed as she drew herself up in front of the supervisor. "Do it now, or find a new job."

Grumbling a filthy, not to mention blasphemous, curse under his breath, the man nodded. "Right, fine, 'll see what I can do."

Without another word, Mel walked up the steps and stepped through the door into the Chapter house.

***

Azee's eyes flew open and she jerked awake as the sound of a steam whistle cut through the air. For a moment she was gripped with terror as she looked around at the unfamiliar and darkened surroundings, but the second blast of the train's whistle jogged her memory.

A thick curtain was drawn across the cabin window, with only a few streaks of morning sun coming through at the edges. The seats on either side of the cabin had unfolded into a bed.

As Azee turned to look around, she noted the presence of an arm wrapped around her waist. She opened her mouth to issue a harsh rebuke at Luke, but was surprised when she turned to see that it was in fact Eloise that was holding her.

Azee paused as Eloise mumbled something in her sleep, shifting a little and pulling Azee closer.

"E-Eloise?" Azee whispered. "Are you... are you awake?"

"Mmmph... p-pancake.. batter..."

"Huh?"

"N-no... no mayonnaise and cabbage..."

"Guess not." With a sigh, Azee relaxed and laid her head back on the pillow.

'I guess the least I can do after last night is let her sleep.' Azee thought to herself as she settled into Eloise's grip. 'Plus... this does feel pretty nice." For a moment memories of lying with Luke surfaced, but she quickly pushed them aside.

As the train rattled along, Azee's mind began to drift. 'Last night... Those Order thugs, by the Tyrant I wish Luke and Eloise had killed them... evil bastards...'

Her jaw tightened as her ears pressed against the sides of her head. 'I'm sick of being powerless... always counting on Eloise and Luke to save me... I hate needing to be saved...'

Instinctively Azee's tail curled between her legs as she shivered a little. 'I know I shouldn't have provoked them but I had to do something, who knows how badly they would have hurt that baby... I know it was dangerous but... but Luke... he was going to hit me...'

Azee let out a small yip as she felt Eloise bury her face in the back of her neck. For a few moments Eloise nuzzled Azee's soft fur, before mumbling something in a language Azee didn't recognize and relaxing.

Her face burning red, Azee stared at the shifting shadows on the wallpaper.

'M-maybe I've been too hard on Luke... No... no that's not it. I know he was worried but... but Luke... he's never hit me before.'

Azee's thoughts were so preoccupied that she didn't notice Eloise's hand gripping her waist started to shift.

'Should I talk to him about it? Maybe I should just hit him first... no, that won't make anything better... I could order him to do something humiliating.'

An evil grin crossed Azee's face. 'Can't be anything too bad, I don't want him to be arrested... Have him take a bath in the town fountain? Walk around without trousers? Maybe I could get him to cut off all his hair and-'

All of a sudden Azee's thoughts came to a crashing halt.

"Mmm... soft." Eloise muttered in her sleep as she gently fondled one of Azee's breasts. "So soft..."

With a startled yelp, Azee tried to leap off of the bed. She swiftly became tangled in the sheets and tumbled over the side of the bed, landing in a heap of fabric and thrashing limbs. After a few moments of frantically trying to free herself, Azee looked up to see a puzzled Eloise peering down at her.

"Bad dream?"

"W-What?!"

"You look like you've seen a phantom and you're on the floor." Eloise paused for a moment to yawn. "I assume you had a bad dream?"

"Uh.. yeah, th-that's it." Azee nodded quickly.

With another loud yawn, Eloise sat up and stretched, before pulling aside the curtain.

Azee was blinded for a moment as bright light poured into the cabin. As her eyes adjusted her mouth fell open. "Whoa..."

The view outside had turned from empty, dry wasteland, to a staggering vista. An immense valley was laid out before her, nestled between two craggy mountains. The floor of the valley was a lush patchwork of mulicoloured crops, with hundreds of small rivers glittering in the morning light, like cracks tracing across a green patterned vase. All of the smaller rivers and streams joined the largest river that ran down the centre of the valley, a blue green ribbon that vanished into the distance

Finally managing to free herself from the sheets, Azee stood and stepped over to the window, her mouth hanging open. "It's... beautiful..."

"Mmm, it is that." Eloise nodded, joining her at the window. She raised an arm and pointed at a large, multicoloured patch at the entrance of the valley. "And that is New Burleigh."

"Wow..." Azee leaned close to the glass, her tail began to wag as she pressed her nose against the glass, trying to get as close as possible, trying not to miss a single detail.

And then she looked down.

The train tracks followed a narrow ledge cut into the side of a rocky mountain. There was barely enough room for a man to walk between the tracks and the sheer cliffs that reached plummeted down nearly a full mile, to the bottom of the valley.

With a terrified yelp Azee leapt back away from the window, scrambled over the bed, and pressed herself against the door, her chest heaving as she panted in terror.

"It's alright," Eloise said, unable to suppress a small smile as she looked back at Azee. "Illyana and Neyris have made this journey every four days for the past forty years. We're perfectly safe, even with your luck."

"I can't." Azee's heart thudded against her ribs as she stared wide eyed at the window.

Eloise extended a hand towards Azee. "Come on, there is something you are going to want to see."

Azee stared wide eyed at Eloise's hand. The mere sight of the vista out the window sent cold daggers of terror up her spine. Her mind spun with images of the train plummeting over the cliff, smashing into pieces on the rocks below, a storm of broken metal and glass, the passengers torn and bloody amongst the wreckage.

"There's nothing to be afraid of." Eloise urged. "Come on, one foot in front of the other, that's all it takes. First one foot, then the other."

Every instinct in Azee's mind screamed at her to get away, to cry out that she couldn't do it.

Then, like a flash of lightning, a horrid jumble of faces flashed through her mind: the Order agent from last night, Luke, Comb and Bill. For a moment all she could see was their looming, jeering faces, staring down at her as they prepared to hurt her.

'No!' Azee's hands slowly curled into fists as she clenched her jaw. 'No more...'

'A fear of heights perhaps.' With a sigh Eloise lowered her hand. 'Either way... guess it's too much for her.'

"Never mind, you'll be able to see it from back-" Eloise paused as, with a deep breath, Azee took a step forward. It wasn't a big step, no more than a hand's breadth, but it was a step nonetheless.

Eloise's eyes widened. Azee's ears were pressed flat against her head, her tail was curled between her legs, and her whole body was trembling. Yet, with obvious effort, she took another step forward, then another.

"That's right." Eloise raised her hand again. "Good girl... It's alright. Just a bit more."

Azee's arm shook violently as she reached out to take Eloise's offered hand. The moment their fingers touched, Azee gripped on tight, like a drowning man clutching at a log.

"There you go, that's it." Eloise whispered as she pulled Azee against her. "There you go, nothing to be afraid of."

Slowly, Azee's breathing steadied and her heartbeat slowed. She still shivered a little, but the feeling of terror was starting to subside.

Eloise smiled proudly down at Azee, scratching her between the ears. "Good girl."

Azee looked up as the sound of the train rattling over the tracks changed, becoming lower pitched and echoing. The narrow mountain path had been replaced by a bridge, cutting across a large crevasse in the sheer rock face. Azee couldn't see how tall the bridge was, but the thought sent fresh tremors through her.

"Shhhh, shhh... it's okay." Eloise murmured, stroking Azee's head. She turned back towards the window. "Now watch this."

Moments later, the cabin was plunged into darkness as the train roared into a tunnel.

"Wh-what's..."

"Hold on." Eloise whispered. "And... here it is."

When the tunnel abruptly ended, it wasn't a view of the valley that greeted Azee's eyes, but the inside of a rocky cavern. Spires of rock thrust up from the cave floor, while others hung from the ceiling, appearing like massive teeth against the long, sharp gash in the cave wall, beyond which was the brilliant green of the valley. The rocks were twisted and shaped into complex patterns and forms that looked more like living things than rock. It was as if the train was steaming through the mouth of some great beast.

As Azee stared in wonderment, the mouth of the cave was suddenly covered by a rushing wall of water. The sun shining through the torrent cast a blue hue through the cabin.

"This is the source of one of Halcyon's great rivers, Travium," Eloise explained. "It stretches from here, all the way to the Vien, the great river that divides the north and south.

"W-where does the water come from?" Azee gasped, staring at the beauty before her.

"The melting ice and snow from the mountain we are currently inside of."

And then, in an instant, the view of the cave vanished as the train once more entered a tunnel.

"Worth it?" Eloise asked, still holding Azee close.

"It was beautiful... I've never seen anything like it."

Azee winced as the tunnel ended and the view outside the window was of the valley once more. Although she still felt a powerful rush of fear at the height, an equally powerful sense of wonderment crashed against it. She resisted the urge to flee, digging her claws into the carpet.

Eloise smiled, gently stroking Azee's head. "I know all of this has been frightening, but you should be proud of yourself, you've borne everything that's been thrown at you very well."

"I have?"

"Indeed. You are not the same terrified girl you were when you came to the Old Crow."

"But I need to be rescued all the time..."

"True, but that's not your fault. And despite everything, we're still moving forward."

Azee's ears and shoulders drooped a little. "But... I don't like that you and Luke have to put yourselves at risk to protect me."

Eloise raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps, but to be fair Azee... you are a pelt. It's against the law for you to carry weapons, and fighting would just draw attention. Protecting you is... well it's our job."

"I don't want to depend on Luke all the time." Azee looked out of the window, her eyes drawn to the city in the distance. "I don't know if I can trust him... No... I know I can't trust him."

"The Windhill is a fool, no doubt there. But despite everything he has done to cast doubt on it... he does care for you." Eloise took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. "I am certain he regrets what he did last night, and not just because I laid his ass out on the floor."

"It's not just that. I want to be able to protect myself, I want to make my own path, my own fate. And despite everything that's happened... despite how much I... how angry I am at him, I don't want him to get hurt. I don't want him to have to put himself at risk to defend me."

"Azee..."

"Even after everything... if he were to be hurt... or killed trying to protect me... I'd never forgive myself. I want him to pay.. but I... I don't want him to die."

Eloise was quiet for a moment, studying Azee's face.

"So... you want to be able to fight?"

"Yes."

"You realise that may just put you in more danger."

"I... I guess you might be right."

"No, I most certainly am right. That being said... There may be some people in New Burleigh that can help."

Azee looked up, her tail starting slowly to wag again. "Really?"

"I'm not promising anything." Eloise chuckled, scratching Azee between the ears again. "But... they might be able to at least get you started."

"Thank you!" Azee's tail wagged enthusiastically as she nuzzled Eloise's neck.

"Alright, alright, calm down." Eloise chuckled. "Now, we should arrive in less than an hour."

Azee nodded, "Right! I'll get the bed put away."

As Azee set to work, Eloise turned to glance out of the window, at the city in the distance.

'There is something foul gathering within Halcyon. I believe that whatever this is, it is present in New Burleigh.'

Eloise's eyes narrowed as Chess's warning echoed in her mind.

'Well... I suppose we'll just have to see what that crazy cat was talking about.'

END OF PART 23

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