Sword and Snow

Emery

I was starting to get worried. Unsettled.

It was different from the itch I had felt before we had set out to deal with more demonic Cultivators. I wasn't spoiling for a fight, or feeling restless to go do something. Spending time at home with our six children had been enough, and making sure they were growing up well was still my main concern at the time.

No, instead, the feeling was more akin to a premonition of looming disaster. Things were going too well. Once Avuri and I had settled on how we were going to raise our little ones, everything seemed to slowly slot into place. Weeks went by, then months. And everything had just gone so…well. It made me uncomfortable.

So, it wasn't right to say that I was looking for a fight, but I felt like I was expecting one to find us. How that would happen while we were squirreled away in our home in the Peaks, I wasn't sure. But things had just been feeling particularly good.

It was a steady kind of life that I had never grown used to, even when there had been the two years after our wedding that had been safe and quiet, my mind had never quite acclimated to the slow life I was living.

And yet, somehow, during those two years I had never felt the way I had then. That feeling of something looming over us, ready to fall on us had never appeared during those two years - and that was the issue that had me on edge.

Well, that and the fact that it had been around three months since Vale had left. While that wasn't exactly a particularly long trip for him, he hadn't seemed like he was planning to be gone all that long when he had left around Stena's birthday. That slightly off feeling had been adding to my stress. I just kept feeling like something wasn't quite right.

"Breathe in, then out. Slowly. Focus." I said, my mind entirely elsewhere as I watched the younger kids sit in an attempt to meditate. Getting them to actually meditate would have been a huge bonus, but it wasn't quite the goal yet. While Kord was ahead of the others and reaching about as real a meditative state as a child could, the rest were still too young to worry about it. But teaching them and getting them into the habit of being able to sit quietly and just exist for a while was still important.

The four of them did follow my direction, which was good. It helped that it was around sunset and shortly after dinner, prime time for the kids to be satisfied and willing to calmly listen to us. Avuri was on the other side of the room, working with Cierra and Stena on similarly guided meditation, focused on their individual goals of repairing and strengthening their cores. Everything was going well, as usual.

Until I saw Avuri perk up. She had a habit of letting her Qi drift around the edges of the Basin when we were just going about our day. Without any direct focus, her reach didn't extend too far past the natural barriers of the mountainous terrain that surrounded us, but it still eked past it a bit.

And I registered the strange look of concern, confusion, and surprise that took over her face. Something had tripped her senses, somewhere. Or something else went wrong.

"Em." She said, reaching out to me spiritually, which I latched onto quickly. "There are people approaching. From the city's side."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. They're not sneaking around, and they're not rushing. They're just…approaching." I watched her focus for a moment. "They're also not making any effort to announce their presence."

"So, not Vale."

Avuri shook her head. Whenever Vale returned, he would pulse his Qi as a marker that he was returning. Admittedly, when he came back, he usually did so at a decent speed and in his dragon form, so this would have been out of character for him anyway.

I closed my eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. More than likely, this would be nothing. It didn't happen often, but Cultivators had wandered close to their home before, while wandering the Peaks to gather reagents or other materials. Generally, it took no more than a couple sentences and showing off the powerful defensive Array around the Basin to get them to turn and leave. They were all regularly told by the city when given permits not to climb too high, anyway. So it really should have come as no surprise.

I stood. "I'll be right back. Everyone listen to Momri, alright?"

The four younger kids all immediately snapped out of their 'meditations' to nod agreement, while Stena and Cierra offered me much more controlled, almost sleepy nods while continuing in their trance.

"Be careful." Avuri sent.

"I will. I'll stay connected with you as much as I can." I promised as I fled out the door to the training pavilion. I jogged a little ways from the pavilion, waving to the old sheepdog Yaya when she poked her head out of the barn to see what was going on. With a light nudge of Qi, I reassured her that everything was fine, and that she should go lay down. She huffed and did so, her tail swishing out passed the doorway when she turned around.

I reached out with my Qi to grab the metal latch of the door and slide it shut, then picked up speed. The run to the edge of the Basin was an easy one, following a soft dirt path, but once I started up our side of the cliff face things got a little bit more annoying. Not so much that I had to be careful, but enough that I had to step lightly.

Once I passed through the small gap in the cliff that we used to regularly come and go toward the city, my run eased up again. The Flowing Dragon Peak was snow covered, but not entirely icy. The grass and other plant life that grew on the upper reaches of the peak were ice-aspected plants that thrived in the cold, leaving the mountainside surprisingly lush despite both the weather and the temperature. Underneath the snow was a pleasant cushion of grass, rather than hard, icy ground. It was pleasant to dash on.

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Despite my strange sense of dread the last several days, I didn't rush. I wasn't exactly careful or sneaking about, but I was too hesitant to approach boldly the way I had when wanderers had gotten close in the past.

I could feel the mental tug from Avuri, pulling me in the right direction. At that distance, it was much easier - and quicker - to send simple emotions as opposed to words. Not that we couldn't, but speedy, simple communication was usually enough.

Eventually, I got the feeling that Avuri was warning me of getting close. I slowed down just a little, and coalesced a blade of Qi in my right hand. I didn't quite go as far as calling on a Masterwork, but I had recreated a solid, well styled blade that would appear expensive and like that of a talented fighter, without going so far as to be gaudy. But I simultaneously didn't want to cause too much intrigue the way a Masterwork would.

When I finally made it within range of the two Cultivators that were approaching, I reached out with my own Qi. By now, they must have known they were being observed by Avuri's Qi, because she was making no effort to hide her surveillance. It was even likely that they had noticed it and were distinctly moving toward her because of it, so I was hardly worried about adding my own Qi to the mix.

However, when my Qi stretched out over them, both people reacted. I felt their Qi flare immediately in response. I stopped in my tracks, a feeling of recognition and immense relief washing over me. Followed quickly by confusion.

"Oi, Sis! Come give us a hand, will you?"

The familiar voice made me smile. "'Give you a hand' with what, exactly?"

"We're uh…a little lost."

"Talya's stupid Array is more annoying than we bargained for, and neither of us are good at navigating illusions."

I snorted as I finally crossed into the small break in the trees where two of my younger sisters stood. Rylie and Demi looked mildly put off, covered in snow and weary. And both of them were in the Sky Realm, too.

"You two idiots gave us both a heart attack. I hope you realize that." I said, moving in to give them both hugs.

"Sorry." Demi said. "We thought it was Avuri watching us, but we couldn't remember exactly what her Qi was like. And we thought that if we couldn't, it might scare her even more if we pulsed ours as a signal."

"Well, Demi did." Rylie said, putting her hands on her hips when I stepped back. "I bet she would have recognized us, but we weren't sure it was a risk worth taking."

"What's going on?"

"We're safe. It's Rylie and Demi." I sent back.

"I think you made the right call. She's still watching, and I don't think she recognized you." I said.

"Oh. Well, get back here then. It's probably cold out there and they could use some tea."

I laughed, as my sisters stared at me like I was insane. "Sorry. Avuri told me I should hurry up and get you inside so we can get you both some hot tea."

"That sounds incredible." Demi said.

"Agreed. We've been wandering around here long enough, thanks. Dad didn't exactly explain how to get here very well." Rylie said.

I turned to start moving back toward the Basin, now with them in tow. "You saw Dad?"

"Yep. He's the one that sent us this way. Said you might be able to use a hand for a bit, and we're…" Rylie trailed off, trading glances with Demi.

"We're exhausted, is what we are." She concluded. "And injured."

"Injured?" I asked, turning my head to look them both over. They looked alright, and their Qi seemed fine, so I just raised an eyebrow - at least until Demi raised her left arm, which was bandaged, with paper seals interwoven with the fabric bandages. That gave me pause.

"What happened?"

"It's a long story." Demi said, motioning toward Rylie. "And Rylie's right flank is all messed up, too. I imagine she can show you when we're out of this cold."

Rylie nodded agreement. "Yes, out of cold first, thanks."

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the combination of their nonchalance and bright attitude despite talking about what they said were bad injuries. Rylie caught my look and chuckled. "It's not as bad as it sounds, I guess."

"Well, you've walked your way up the side of a mountain, so I can't really argue with that. Did Dad tell you what's been going on here recently?"

"No?"

"We have six kids with us now." I said plainly. "We adopted four more, a little bit younger than Cierra and Stena. I imagine that's what he thought we could use help with. Which, yeah, extra hands could be nice."

"Oh. Congratulations?" Demi offered.

I chuckled. "Thank you, even though I'm not sure that's quite the right sentiment."

"I'm not sure what would be right either." Rylie agreed. We had all been through a similar experience, after all, but somehow being congratulated for rescuing and taking in some children didn't feel quite right.

"Are they happy with you?" Demi asked. "And are you and Avuri happy?"

I almost answered without thought, but paused just long enough to be sure of my answer. "Yes. I think we're all happy."

"Then I think congratulations is still a valid response." Demi declared. I wasn't about to argue with her over it, and I couldn't deny that I was happy with the positive feelings sent my way.

"So, can we hurry this up? Like I said, I'm kinda cold out here." Rylie said. Her teeth were chattering in the way they would from cold weather, but I suspected that she was doing it on purpose. She had a Sky Realm body, so she should be able to deal with the cold well enough to avoid that sort of reaction.

"Sure, if the two of you can keep up." I grinned back at them in challenge.

"Oh? I know I said we're injured, but I think we can keep up with your speed, Em." Demi joked.

Rylie, however, didn't look quite as happy about the challenge. "I'll try. But I am genuinely injured over here. Don't actually go full-tilt, alright?" She tenderly laid a hand on her flank as she mentioned the injury.

Admittedly, my first thought had been that she was playing me for a fool, but I wasn't about to risk it if she was actually hurt, so I nodded in agreement instead. "Yeah, we'll go at a medium pace."

Rylie's genuine smile that answered me, mixed with the clear touches of relief convinced me that I had made the right call. "Thanks. Lead the way."