Open Hearts

Saga woke after the sun had risen. Everyone else had already left the tent, so she got up, dressed, and went outside. Gem and Amos were there, conversing quietly while they waited for her.

“Good morning, you two,” Saga said, sitting down near them. “I’m sorry I slept in.”

“Not a problem, Saga.” Amos smiled up at her from his seat, scooping a bowl of something and handing it to her with a spoon.

She thanked the old guitarist, accepted the bowl, and tucked into her meal without hesitation. Potatoes, eggs, and…is that more wolf meat? It was as good as the night before, and she was glad to have a more filling meal than the slop from the last time she had breakfaster here.

She felt eyes on her as she ate, and looked over to see Gem watching her. Their eyes met for just a moment, but they both quickly looked away. Finishing her bowl, Saga handed it back to Amos, who set it into a basin nearly full of other dishware.

“So, where are the Guards with…” Saga began, then trailed off. Even though she felt well-rested and, frankly, more human, she still couldn’t quite believe her mentor was really gone.

Gem shrugged, looking down at the ground. “They’ll arrive soon. They had to find a suitable container for him.”

Saga nodded, understanding. He’d been gone for over a day by now, and if he was left exposed to the elements he’d be starting to smell. “Are you still coming with me?”

Gem looked up at her, then at Amos. The old man nodded his assent. “Gem explained to me what she did, Saga. She’s to go with you to present herself to the Headmaster. Given the circumstances, he likely won’t be too hard on her, but the fact remains that she broke an important rule. There must be accountability, and there will likely be some kind of punishment.”

Gem groaned, lowering her head again. “I had to,” she muttered.

“I know.” Saga and Amos spoke at the same time, and Saga couldn’t help but giggle. She really did feel a lot better after real sleep. If it wasn’t for Master Dorrin’s absence, she could almost believe everything was a bad dream.

I can give that to you.

“I’m sorry?” Saga looked over at the two, unsure of which one had spoken, but only received confused looks in return. “I’m sorry, I thought one of you said something.”

They both assured her that they hadn’t, and she frowned, staring back down at the ground. That voice had sounded familiar. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and took a brief moment to revel in the lack of a headache. Looking at Gem, she reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. Things still felt weird between them after everything from last night, but she couldn’t bring herself to stay mad at Gem. They’d both cared for Master Dorrin, but Gem had been his daughter . Saga couldn’t imagine losing Papa, especially like this.

Gem looked at Saga’s hand, apprehensive, then gave her a small but appreciative small. “I’ll be okay. Headmaster Tale was my mentor, like Dorrin was to you, and he’s never been known for being harsh. Hopefully this isn’t he day he starts.”

Saga gave her shoulder a slight squeeze, then dropped her hand away.

Gem watched her for a little longer, then leaned in and whispered, “So…what was that last night?”

Frowning, Saga looked down at the ground. “I…did I ever tell you how I got my scar? Why my eyes are different colors?”

Gem shook her head. “No, I assumed it was a training accident or something, it’s not unheard of. I’m curious, but I didn’t want to pry.”

Saga’s heart began to pound, and she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “I’ve had this scar since I was eight years old,” she began, and the words began to pour out of her mouth in an unstoppable torrent. “Epic and I were spending time with our parents in the forge. I was old enough to help out. Epic wasn’t, but we kept a close eye on him so he wouldn’t hurt himself. Mama had given him the simple tasks of carrying coal to the Redlight forge to keep him busy, two coals at a time.

“He was so happy to to be helping,” she continued, smiling briefly. “Meanwhile, earlier that morning I’d heard a Redlight talking to me for the first time. Mama was excited, and she wanted to spend the moment teaching me how to listen to them. Papa, meanwhile, was busy working on something. After all this time I forget what it was, but it’s not important. So, there’s the scene. Papa working, Epic carrying coal, and Mama and I kneeling before the Redlight forge practicing listening to it.

“I could only hear whispers at this point, but if I focused, I could almost make it out. It was frustrating, being so close to understanding. Mama assured me that it took time and practice to be able to hear them properly and encouraged me to continue. She was called away for something, and told me to keep practicing and keep an eye on Epic.”

She paused, her shoulders shaking as the next few moments all rushed passed her in a blink, but she forced herself to return to the memory and continue. She needed to do this. “Papa kept hammering away at his work, and I kept watching the Redlight.” The image of the crystalline fire almost came to her mind, but she shoved it away. Now wasn’t the time. “It started whispering again to me, louder this time, but I still couldn’t make out what it was trying to say. I was so focused on trying to understand it that I didn’t notice Epic running towards the forge with an armful of coal.

“He’d been told not to run in the Shapers’ Forge, especially around the forges themselves, and he was only supposed to be carrying two lumps of coal at once. He tripped.” She took another steadying breath, but she could feel the panic of that moment again. “I screamed, tried to catch him, but I missed. Papa was there in a flash, I’d never seen him move that fast. He scooped Epic and I up and put his body between us and the forge, but he didn’t get me completely behind cover in time. There was an explosion, they say it was caused by the Redlight igniting the excess coal dust in the air. Something hit my eye, and I blacked out.”

She paused and, feeling eyes on her, looked up at Gem. The woman’s hazel eyes were wide with sympathy. “That must have been terrifying for you.”

Saga nodded. “I woke up the next day. Grandpapa came to my room and told me what had happened. Whatever hit me actually took my eye out, but there happened to have been a healer nearby. I was too young for him to fully heal the damage without risking death, but he was at least able to replace the eye and stop the bleeding.” She brought a hand to her face, a finger tracing the scar that crossed the eye. “They finished healing the cut later, after I’d had a chance to rest, but it had been too long at that point to prevent scarring.” Despite herself, she smiled slightly. “On the plus side, I can still see perfectly fine through the eye, and the scar looks cool.”

Gem chuckled. “You’re certainly striking. That still doesn’t explain…” She trailed off and glanced at Amos, who was busying himself with the dishes, seemingly paying them no mind. “You know, last night,” she finally whispered.

Saga shrugged. “Ever since that day, if I’m afraid or angry or even just really stressed, I can see fire in my right eye. The healers say there’s nothing physically wrong with me, and that it’s probably just in my head. If it gets bad enough, though, it completely obscures my vision in that eye. Last night was the first time someone else has been able to see it, though.” She turned her eyes back to the ground in front of her.

Neither of them spoke for a time, letting the sounds of the trading camp fill the air between them. Finally, Gem spoke, barely audible over the sound.

“I’m sorry,” Gem whispered, “you must have been so angry with me for it to happen so strongly people could see it.”

Saga hesitated, then nodded. “It wasn’t exactly anger. I felt betrayed. I know we barely know each other, but I also feel like we’ve grown close in that short time. Seeing you trying to put the blame on me—”

Gem took her hand suddenly, and Saga looked up at her. “That wasn’t what I was doing, Saga. If you hadn’t caught me, my plan was to make an excuse to come with you anyway, then secretly go to the Headmaster myself ahead of you.” She blushed. “I don’t know why. I didn’t want you to know I’d opened the letter, that I hadn’t trusted you. I wanted to make it right, once I knew for sure you were innocent…”

Saga raised an eyebrow, her tone dry. “You made it pretty clear you didn’t trust me, yesterday.”

“Sorry,” Gem said, wincing. “I was, you know…”

“You were in pain,” Saga said. She squeezed Gem’s hand and smiled sadly. “We both were. I won’t hold that against you.”

Gem nodded, then paused, looking down at their joined hands. “So…where does that leave us, then?”

Saga blushed. She hadn’t been expecting her to just jump right into the topic like that. “I don’t know. Like we’ve both said, we barely know each other, but I agree that there’s something there.” The romantic in Saga believed in love at first sight, but was that what this was? “I don’t know,” she repeated. “But, maybe we’ll have a chance to figure it out? Start over as friends and see where that takes us?”

Gem studied her, then nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said, “friends, for now.” She squeezed Saga’s hand one more time, then let go.

Saga opened her mouth to speak, but they were interrupted by the approach of two Guards leading a horse-drawn floatwood cart. “Master Amos,” one of the Guards said, offering a salute, “we’re ready to transport the body, sir.”

Amos stood and glanced pointedly at Saga and Gem, and the Guard paled. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so insensitive—”

“It’s fine,” Gem cut in, and she and Saga stood together. “I don’t think he minds.”

The Guard stared at her, puzzled, but Saga could already see some of the old spark returning to her friend. Gem winked at the Guard and grinned before heading into the tent. Saga followed her, offering her own smile to the Guard.

A few minutes later, packs ready, the pair climbed into the back of the floating cart. Between them rested an box of finished wood, and Saga could feel the enchantment from it. She looked up at Gem, who nodded slightly. The box was designed to keep goods at extremely low temperatures. It was commonly used for transporting certain foods and monster parts, but it worked well for this purpose, too. One of the Guards, the one who’d spoken to them before, climbed into the back with them, while the other climbed into the driver’s seat and got the horse moving.

Saga was familiar with the floatwood used to make carts like this. They weren’t exactly rare, but they were expensive enough to not be everyday commodities, either. Their wood came from the Angelwood trees, the monster trees native to the forest of the same name. It would float as long as there was sunlight or Redlight energy present, she knew, and common practice was to load it at night and move it during the day. She glanced up at the sky as they passed out of the camp and onto the open road. Not quite highsun yet. They’d reach Beacon’s Ridge around dinnertime.

She looked to Gem. “Where are you staying while we’re in the City?”

Gem smirked. “I have my own place at Beacon’s Gate. It’s small, and I’m not there often, but it’s cozy.” She raised an eyebrow at Saga. “Why? We decided to start as just friends and you’re already trying to come over to my place?”

That’s a touch, Saga thought, feeling a devilish grin grow on her face. “Nonsense,” she said sweetly, “I’d hate to intrude. I just thought I’d invite you to to dinner. With my family. ”

Gem’s eyes widened ever so slightly, and Saga knew she’d struck a point against her. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” the copper said. “Especially since we’ll probably have to meet your grandfather first. Depending on how that plays out, dinner could be awkward. What if he tries to interrogate me at the table? I’d be forced to tell him the full story of the last few days as I saw it.” Her eyes sparkled mischievously. “Like when you tried to pet a shadepaw after setting off an explosion right above your head. I wouldn’t want to leave any details out.”

Another point . Saga’s smile widened. She could grow to like this woman all over again. “Sure, but you have to include every detail. Don’t forget to mention how you called my eyes gorgeous.”

“You did it first,” Gem retorted.

Saga blinked, then blushed. She’d forgotten about that. “I was delirious, it didn’t count.”

Gem brought a hand to her chest and made a face of mock pain. “You hurt me, Saga. Are you saying I don’t have beautiful eyes?”

“I thought we were just friends,” Saga said dryly, but she smirked anyway.

“It’s important for friends to uplift and support each other.” Gem sniffed, and the two laughed for the first time in what felt like years to Saga. When was the last time she’d actually laughed out loud? Some comment Gem had made the night they met about not filling her wine cup all the way? Saga’s laughter faded to a chuckle, then a smile. She knew Gem was still in pain over the loss. Dragon’s damnation, she was still in pain, but she also thought she understood the other woman’s brave face. She would cry again later, they both would, but for now, the day lay ahead of them.

She turned to look at the cart’s other two passengers, Dapper and the Guard. The beatweaver was sitting on the side of the cart staring at her and Gemma. He looked between the two, then at the Guard, giving the latter his equivalent of a shrug.

The poor Guard hung his head, shook it in confusion, and shrugged back. “Everyone grieves differently, I suppose.”