What Now?

JP with Omni & Lorem

Gonyaul secured the sleeve into his outfit’s waist sash for now. He looked to Voah.

They had delivered her message.

“Now what?”

He didn’t know yet what he was going to do and was open to ideas. Hence the reason she found him in a depressed state in the middle of the plains as she did. He had been putting all his hopes into the idea he would live out the rest of his days as an Odsier Red Hand.

The question stung a little, though it wasn't meant to. It was like she had stabbed him in the back and left him to rot only to return and pour salt into more wounds he had accumulated while she was away. The truth was that she didn't have a clue what she was doing now. The idea was to warn the tribe and if they didn't kill her... she would go back and find Gonyaul. Nothing ever seemed to go as planned in Arcadia.

She looked off to the side instead of directly at him. "It's funny..." her voice caught in her throat. "I was going to ask you the same question."

Gonyaul looked up at the stars and then the tall grasses all around them. He could tell from the past two days experiences that in a matter of hours the wind was going to pick up its pace.

“No go back Ostiarium.” Wow, he said it right the first time.

“No Greyriver home go and no Aquilo.” All these places Voah would be easily found.

He looked to the vanishing Odsier tribe. “No Red Hand follow.” His voice cracked a little in his throat.

He sighed and thought with his eyes closed. He had to cut through the noise of his convoluted thoughts and feelings.

With eyes still closed and in almost a sage like tone, he channeled a lesson from his youth.

“If want to have something never have, must do something never done.”

He opened his eyes to Voah, the light behind his eyes was on. It wasn’t aflame like normal but it was improving.

“We need go somewhere no go yet.”

Voah considered his words carefully. Going back to Ostiarium or Aquilo would likely be the worst places for her to go as the settlements had eyes and ears. Following the Red Hand would afford them very little protection, especially since the war would soon catch up. Heading further north was just asking for trouble with the tribes who were headed to their summer pastures... She didn't like it, but they should head back toward the settlements anyway.

"We go back the way we came... We head southwest, avoiding the settlements. If we can't, we do what we have to. Go in disguise, come and go as quickly as possible, leave false trails of our destinations. We might need knew names. Head toward the Odsier winter pastures and onward toward... I don't know..."

The thoughts of going rogue were weighing on her and coming out her mouth. She had to breathe or else panic, so she took off her helm.

He had moved Amu closer and closer while she spoke until he was right next to her. Well almost next to her, he wasn’t that precise when maneuvering a horse yet.

He nodded in agreement. “Good plan. Ride till need sleep. Get away from danger coming here.”

If Voah was free... why did she feel so suffocated? She stopped, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Quietly she repeated a melodic mantra to Cambena. letting the early summer air blow through her hair until she was calm again.

"May it be. We ride."

Together they rode in the direction they had come from, following the Odiser trail, finally arcing back toward the southwest across the open plains, hopefully leaving no obvious trail. Voah fell asleep several times along the ride and Litany wasn't going to last much longer without a rest either.