Departure

Segmentum Pacificus

Sparsio Rami Sector

Orkney System

Orkney IV

I sat atop the hay loft, amidst straw up to my shoulders, while I watched my father, my older brothers and a couple of servants loading all of our belongings into the wagon. They had already attached the collars and harnesses to two of our largest trixit and were probably about to connect them both to the wagon, which was probably a sign I had hidden long enough. I wasn't the youngest—those would be my two baby brothers, but they would be looking for me soon. They would likely be starting to load the carriage soon, and no doubt I would be missed then if I wasn't already.

I wasn't being lazy, precisely, but I was very much avoiding having to watch over the two youngest of my siblings. When you're the fifth child of seven children, you're a girl, and you have at least seen your seventh summer, then minding the little ones became a chore that was difficult to avoid, and I detested it. I had managed to avoid it for most of my life on account that there was a large gap between my birth and the birth of my two young siblings, but now my big sister was ensuring I did my fair share of minding.

"Piper! Piper! Where is that girl?!" shouted my mother, and I sighed, standing up and carefully using my fingers as a comb to get the few random straws of hay out of my hair. Of the seven siblings, only my eldest sister and I were girls. I was clearly an inferior product to her, as she had always been a model girl. Certainly, she was prettier than I ever would be, and she seemed to be very interested in all of the things I found dreadfully boring.

Smoothing down my skirts, cleaning them of the hay as best I could, I hopped onto the side of the barn and scaled down the side of the building like a little spider monkey. The fact that the ladder to the hayloft had been broken for several months was of no obstacle to me and, in fact, made this my favourite place to hide. Nobody suspected that a little girl like myself could get up there without the ladder in place.

Once I got to the ground, I dusted myself off carefully once more and quickly put on my soft shoes, which I always left on the ground, hidden behind a barrel. They wouldn't survive going up and down the side of the building repeatedly, and I would be in serious trouble not only with my mother but Mrs Robins as well, and although I could often smile cutely out of punishment with my mom, the old hag that was our governess and maid was completely immune to my charms.

It wouldn't do to answer my mom immediately, though. Instead, I darted sneakily over to the side of the barn, grabbed a small sack and walked over to the two trixit. As if sensing what I had, the two both started chuffing, turning in their harnesses to stare at the sack I carried. I petted their skin, which was warm, smooth and scaly, and began hand-feeding the large creatures some oats from the bag. It wasn't their favourite treat, which was universally pearapples, but oats were a close second.

"Piper! Oh, there you are. What have you been doing?" demanded my mother, in a tone I could only describe as exasperated.

I turned to her and, in my most innocent of tones, said, "I was just feeding the trixit, Mother. We're going to be on the road all day, and they need a little bit of a treat." I let each one have one last handful of oats before petting each of the large beasts of burden one more time.

She sighed and said in a tone only a tired mother of seven could produce, "Go inside and help your sister with the babies. We have to leave soon if we're to make Stoneburg by nightfall."

I didn't particularly understand why that was important. We were going to be on the road for a week and a half, at least, and most of that time would not be near or in a town. We'd just have to make do, as all travellers did. Still, I knew enough not to be obviously unfilial and question my mother's orders, so instead, I sighed and said in a tone that could only be produced by a tween who has been wronged by her parents and life, "Yes, Mother."

I pitter-pattered into our large stone house and quickly found my sister Alicia taking care of the twins. She saw me and said, "Finally! Pipes, change him if you would." I glanced at my youngest siblings; they were twins and, by all accounts, identical. They were only six months old and wouldn't have a name unless they survived another six months, but they were fat little goblins, and I didn't think there would be any problems with their health.

The custom of waiting a year until you named your child was mainly a custom of the peasants, and it was something that everyone did now, even if the risks were low.

As to my sister's request, I wanted to growl, but instead, I acquiesced without a word. As I was doing so, I watched Alicia glance left and right, and it was clear she was excited. She looked at me, "Just think! The capital! Aren't you excited, Patty?"

I wanted to growl because I certainly wasn't excited in the same way Alicia was. She was sixteen, and our father's new liege had promised to sponsor her coming out in the capital—it was practically all she could talk about in the past weeks, and I was dearly tired of hearing it. No, I didn't give one whit about what the possible boys of the capitol would be like.

However, I would be lying to say that I wasn't interested and excited in other ways. The second daughter of a barely landed Knight didn't have a lot of marriage prospects, but no doubt there would have been someone I would be betrothed to if we stayed around in the countryside. In Landing, there were more options. I didn't know what I wanted, but I knew I wanted a life more than being someone's wife.

These tentative plans were my precious secrets, though, and not something I shared with even my sister yet. There would be all kinds of hullabaloo if I declared my intent to try to become one of the very rare Lady Knights or, worse, become a nun. Hopefully, more than these two options will be available in the capital. So instead, I temporised, "Not really. And I think ye'll find the boys just as stupid there as they are here. There will just be more of them."

She looked at me like I was bonkers, and I felt it was because, by the time she was my age, she was already boy crazy, or so I had been told by our mom. Finally, she shook her head, "I don't know what we're going to do with you, sister. You are too unique."

At that moment, Mrs Robins walked into the room. She was old and had clearly not missed any meals in a long time, and those were the only good things I could say about her. She harrumphed, "Unique, aye? Not bloody likely. Prideful tomboys are not exactly unprecedented in Orkney women; they've been happenin' a thousand generations at least! Now, quickly girls, check your room and make sure you haven't left anything behind. You're not likely to be back for some time, you ken? I'll take the wains."

I glared at her black heart. I was also pretty sure she was factually inaccurate, as the priests, on the rare occasion that we saw them, were adamant that we settled Orkney from Holy Terra, at most, fifteen thousand years ago. That probably wasn't enough time to breed a thousand generations of Orkney women. I certainly wouldn't be interested in having babies at fifteen, or ever.

Fifteen thousand years. I bet the sleepy little town of Stoneberg was exactly the same back then, too. The thought of that was unbearable to me for some reason. Still, I nodded, as I had already finished putting a new diaper on the youngest of the twins.

I took the stairs two at a time, jumping from left to right and skittering down the hallway to my and Alicia's room. I didn't think I had missed anything, but the old harridan was right; it was better to be safe than to be sorry. I searched the room thoroughly, and although I didn't find anything of mine, I did find Alicia's pearl comb that she had lost a year ago behind the bed that we shared.

She was inconsolable about losing it and had accused me of taking it at first, but then after looking at my hair, had taken the accusation back, looking pityingly at me. At the time, I didn't know what had offended me more. Still, it was made of silver and had a fair-sized pearl set into the handle. It had been her naming day present. I almost ran into her, leaving the room. I grinned up at her and held up the comb, "Look what I found behind the bed."

She gasped and grabbed it out of my hand and uncharacteristically hugged me; I wanted to wriggle free, but she pinched me when I tried, so instead, I just endured. "Thank you! Thank you! I would never have found it!"

I had finally had enough and, with a spirited yell, "Lemme go! Piper can't be contained!" I wriggled free from my suffocating confinement, although the hugging kind of felt nice, I supposed. She laughed at me talking in the third person as I darted away, fleeing back down the stairs. I leapt the last step but shrieked in outrage when I was plucked out of the air and held up high enough into the air that my head was at risk of hitting the high ceiling in the hearth.

Would these indignities not end?! I glowered down at my eldest brother, Pierce, yelling but smiling at the same time, "Unhand me, you great big eejit!"

He grinned up at me, "If Mrs Robins hears you talking like that, she'll scald your hide. Not lady-like, aye?" Although he was my favourite brother on account of the fact that he sometimes taught me swordsmanship, all he got from that out of me was a gimlet stare.

"Now, now... that's no way to treat your favourite brother! Unless you don't want your going away present?" he asked me, with a grin, setting me down on the stone floor next to the hearth.

That got my attention, and I asked him, "Oh, what did my most favourite and special brother get little old me?"

He grabbed something from the table that I hadn't noticed and held it out, "Here, let me put it on you." Was it a belt? No, wait... I grinned and asked, "Pierce! You didn't! Isn't this a little worse than a couple of unladylike words?"

He buckled the belt around my waist, which was a little awkward since I was wearing a dress, but at the same time, some dresses were meant to be worn with a belt, just not the kind I was wearing. Especially not with a sword's scabbard hanging off of it on my left side. It looked like a short sword, although it seemed a lot longer to me.

He chuckled, "I dinnae care. Plus, dad okayed it, so long as you're not an eejit about it, aye? You're not even seven stone, soaking wet, so don't think you can actually fight anyone. Even if you see highwaymen, let Dad and his men and then your brothers handle it."

"Men? Plural? Is more than Old Willis coming?" Although we were technically a "noble family", we weren't exactly very wealthy. Willis was our footman and technically counted as my dad's man-at-arms, but honestly, I was surprised even he was coming. I figured he would stay and help Pierce run the farms.

"No, he's staying here. But the laird is taking advantage of dad going to the capital to send some armsmen that were demanded," Pierce said, rubbing his chin, "You'll meet them at Stoneberg, and they'll be under Dad's command for the trip. Makes me feel a lot better, actually."

I rolled my eyes. Although there occasionally were bandits around, not many would attack an obvious Knight, even if he had to protect his family. Still, it was interesting to see how precisely these feudal obligations seemed to play out. It was a little unusual for the local Baron to have to send armsmen all the way to the capital, I felt. Usually, the way it worked was he would send armsmen to his laird and so on down the line.

Still, I didn't let that worry me. I carefully unsheathed the short sword and carefully touched the edge, with Pierce yelling, "Careful! It's wicked sharp, you ken?"

"Aye, big brother. Swords are sharp. I would never have known that if not for ye," I told him as though he was one of those special people.

He swatted my behind, and I narrowed my eyes at him. He was very brave, considering I was the one carrying a sword. Still, I carefully put it back in the scabbard, hugged him, and told him, "I'll miss ye." If my plans, whatever they ended up being, came to fruition, I might never see him again, circumstances depending. And even if they didn't, who knows how long before I came back here?

He ruffled my hair, "Aye, I'll miss you too. Better get going, though; everything's already loaded up."

I nodded and ran out of the house. Mrs Robins squawked in outrage when she saw me wearing a sword, but I paid her no mind. My father was already set to mount his horse; my brothers had helped him put on his armour. He glanced at me and then nodded, clearly trusting Pierce to already have words with me about it. Still, it wasn't likely I would need it anyway; even without the armsmen he was picking up, it was not so easy to ambush a Knight when they could pull out their carbine and shoot you from a half-league away.

Most of my elder brothers were riding horses as well, but I was forced to sit in the carriage with my mom, Mrs Robins and Alicia. It was going to be dreadful.

---xxxxxx---

Dreadful it was. Although the Baron was kind enough to lend us his spare carriage, so the interior was spacious enough for all of us, plus the babies, they didn't particularly like the ride and were being fussy. If it was just Alicia and me, we would have likely played a number of games or told stories, but under the wilting gaze of our governess, we were mostly silent.

For lack of anything better to do, Alicia and I practised our embroidery, as that was considered a suitable activity for a young lady. I wasn't all that good at it, to be honest, and the bouncing of the carriage certainly didn't add any artistry to my work.

Finally, after an interminable amount of time, we stopped. Sticking my head out the window of the carriage, I saw a good score and a half of men in a simple camp just short of the town, all wearing the outfits one would expect from yeoman armsmen. I raised my eyebrows at the fact that they were archers. I was expecting pikemen or something.

As armsmen went, archers were at the top — just short of dragoons, who were just short of Knights themselves as far as how expensive they were to outfit and train.

My father pulled up to them and was greeted by one of their number, "Sir Eversly? Good meet." The apparent leader of the men glanced up and asked, "Still a fair bit of light left in the day. Are ye gonna stop here for the night?"

My father shook his head, "Good day to you as well, armsman. And aye, we should press on, I think."

Alicia, next to me, was aghast, "How much extra time will trailing men marching add to our trip?"

Neither my mother nor Mrs Robins knew, so they just said it would take as long as it would take, but I said, "Not much, actually. Trixit aren't actually much faster than a trained man marching. Maybe an extra day." That got me a stare from Mrs Robins, but I had gotten good at ignoring the woman.

I figured after we got moving and got joined by the armsmen's baggage train in several wagons that we would blow right past Stoneberg, as there was a river past the town to the east where we could water the horses and trixit. Instead, we pulled to a stop, and I started to hear my dad yelling. Alicia and I ignored Mrs Robins' complaint and looked outside.

It looked like the entire town, such as it was, was gathered. My father yelled, "Goodman! What are you doing?"

It was pretty apparent to me what they were doing, but the answer made Alicia gasp, "Aye, laird! We're burnin' a witch!" And certainly, there seemed to be a stack of kindling and a wooden pole had been driven into the town square with a haggard woman tied to it. She looked at my father, furious. What? Did she want to be burned, then? I didn't understand her expression.

Alicia muttered low to me, "Probably not even a proper witch, these superstitious rubes…."

"It's the law that all witches must be brought to the capital! Has her foul magicks killed anyone?" my father asked the mob, who ambled back and forth.

The leader shook his head after a moment, "Well, no, but she is a witch!"

My father sighed and glanced over to the archers and said, "Armsmen, cut her down. We'll take her to the capital with us, as is the law. Good lady, don't worry; we won't hurt you."

If anything, she looked even more furious than ever and stared straight at my father. Finally, she shrieked, "Mind your own business, your corpse worshipper!"

Wait, she did want to be burned? My father looked as perplexed as I felt and said, "Good woman, witches who haven't killed must all go to the capital. It's the law."

"As if I would let you send me off to that desiccated corpse!" she shrieked again, pulling her hand free somehow from her bindings and pointing it at the leader of the mob who was about to set her on fire. With a large flash that caused me to see spots and hear a crack, a bolt of lightning jumped out of her hand and struck the main directly on his chest, picking him up off his feet and throwing him good ways, smashing his body against someone's pearapple tree.

I gave Alicia a side-eye. She was gasping and working her way up to having a fit and said simply, "Looks like a proper witch to me." I ignored the calls from my mother and Mrs Robins to get back from the window, and at the same time, the woman turned to look at my father as if to say, "Is that enough?"

She appeared shocked that instead of setting her on fire, though, he swiftly pulled out his carbine rifle from the scabbard on his saddle, took quick aim and shot her in the chest. She looked down at the wound, bleeding profusely, and shrieked, "You! Ye have ruined EVERYTHING!" She tipped over, falling and tripping amongst the kindling that was moments before about to be used to burn her to cinders and shot a look of pure hate at my father, "I curse ye to lose what you love the most!" Then she looked past him to see me, and we briefly made eye contact.

Suddenly, I felt vertigo and sharp pain in my head, and things started to appear in front of my eyes. They coalesced into words.

NEW USER DETECTED.

** User has LOST special skill REBIRTH BY FIRE (LVMAX).

** User has GAINED special skill OBSERVE (LV1).

What ... in all the hells? Had the crazy bitch actually cursed me? Wait, did that mean my dad liked me the best?

That was the last thing that went through my head before I lost consciousness.