Page 61 of Blood Red Woes

Trying to make nice with me now? It’s a little late for that.

“It’s fine,” I tell her, wishing she would go away.

“It is not, and how Ravenno and the others spoke of you is not acceptable. He follows the teachings of his empress, while Kretia and I follow our own. Hazor simply wants what is best for Laconia, but he does not know what that entails half the time.”

Seeing as how she doesn’t look like she’s getting the hint that I don’t want to talk to her, I decide to ask, “What did your empress teach?”

Aolia answers without a thought, “Empress Morimento believed in the sanctity of life. All life, big or small, from the great beasts of the plains to the smallest fly. All life is significant. All life is worthy. My empress believed in the good residing within each person, and she taught her followers accordingly.”

“So I take it you heard about what I saw in Acadia’s castle?”

She nods. “I have. My empress’s son sits on the throne, trapped. If what he asked of you is true, I do not blame you for denying him his request. Perhaps Empress Morimento lost her grip on reality, much like Empress Gladus, for the empress I knew and loved would never dare ask for death to be delivered to her, let alone the deaths of her fellow empresses.”

Aolia tilts her head in thought. “However, things are not as they used to be. If her son is trapped and he truly believes the magic that holds him there lies with the others, I can understand how desperate he might be.”

She turns her head toward me, her blue eyes boring into me, even with the shadow of the night around us. “Will you return to him now that Empress Gladus is dead? Perhaps the tides have shifted already.”

My eyes survey the area around me. From the kids playing to the groups huddled around the space in front of the tavern, to the people inside the tavern. Through the open door, I can see Frederick talking to a group of older men and women. He wears a soft smile, and it looks like he’s making them all laugh.

My answer to Aolia is, “I don’t know.”

She’s quiet for a while, but she does turn her head in the same direction. A minute passes, though the air is anything but silent around us. “He is a good man, Frederick LaRoe. His father was, too. It is the only reason Ravenno listens to what he has to say. His father was close to Empress Krotas before she pushed them from Magnysia.”

“What was his father like?” If she heard about the Emperor, she must’ve heard that her precious empress threw Fred in the dungeon once he reached the castle.

“I only met the man briefly in passing, but I hear he was wise. Noble. Willing to sacrifice everything for the greater good. Empress Krotas trusted him with her life. He was like a brother to her. Now, his son has taken over his mantle. Frederick is a fine young man.”

I frown. “I guess.”

Aolia looks at me for a split second before returning her stare to Frederick in the tavern. “He speaks highly of you to anyone who will listen. He has calmed Ravenno’s anger over you on more than one occasion. Perhaps you inspire more than hope inside him.”

What… what the hell does she mean by that?

Maybe Frederick feels us talking about him, because he glances in our direction. Whether he’s looking at me or at Aolia, I don’t know, but I move my stare so I now gaze upon my lap. I’m still pissed at him for lying to me, for saying he would help me when he’s just as clueless as everyone else is when it comes to portals.

I want to ask her if she’s ever heard of anyone being able to summon portals, if any of the empresses in the past had been able to do something like that, but her comment about Frederick feeling more than hope makes me uncomfortable in ways I can’t describe, so I stand and excuse myself from the conversation.

I don’t know where I’m going. Just away from Aolia. My feet take me across the marketplace, to the path that eventually leads down into the field where the livestock is kept. I don’t go down the path; I hoist myself up on the ledge that overlooks the field and swing my legs over it to sit there.

The sky is dark above me, the moon shining its silver light, illuminating the land in front of me. From here, I can see wherethe outer wall follows the natural landscape beyond the large cemetery. I can see over it, at the land beyond the wall, and I can’t help but wonder what this place was like before the woes hit.

And then I think about Frederick and what Aolia said.

Even if I wasn’t pissed at him, he’s not exactly my type. Just ‘cause he’s the only guy in Laconia who’s near my age doesn’t mean anything. If I inspire more than hope in him, that’s his problem, not mine.

Footsteps on the stone behind me tell me someone followed me here. A gentle voice speaks, “I was wondering where you wandered off to.”

I hold in a groan. Frederick, of course.

He climbs onto the ledge with me and sits beside me, his legs hanging off the edge like mine. “Are you all right? Don’t like the party or did Aolia say something to you? I saw you two talking.”

What Aolia said did bother me, but I don’t want to admit that to him. Instead, as I gaze out at the cemetery, at the animals calling the field their home, I say, “I don’t think we should be celebrating anything.”

“Why not? Because of Prim? Rey, these people have lost their loved ones, their homes, their history—they’ve lost everything. You came back, victorious, against an empress who attacked the city. If you think Prim would not want us to celebrate—”

I close my eyes, and a sad smile grows on my face. He’s right. What little I knew of her, she’d be the center of attention at that party. She’d be so happy. Me defeating Gladus proved her right.

“We can mourn her and celebrate what she would’ve wanted,” Frederick whispers.

---