Embris couldn't help but feel cold in the chill night air. Even having Nymis and Rephis by her sleeping soundly hardly seemed to make a difference. She couldn't help but worry about what had happened. She'd seen the ogres and had accepted Jenn's assurance that they weren't a threat to them, but with Jianopra's death, she couldn't help but worry that what Jen knew about the ogres wasn't as true as she'd have liked it to be.
Especially when it came to figuring out what to do about what had just happened. Embris wanted her brother and sister to be safe, but if the ogres were a threat, she wasn't sure how safe it was in this world. As she couldn't be sure that something wouldn't cause them to come down from the mountains and drive them back through the gate while she was away, where her brother and sister would be left to fend for themselves, assuming that the idea that her siblings would be protected like they were one large family was another false assurance that had been made to her when she'd been getting recruited.
Embris wanted to get up and move around, as staying still was starting to bother her, but she worried that if she did that, her brother and sister would get woken up. They'd been worried about what had happened and Embris didn't want to add to their worries.
There were some things that she thought would be best for them to not have to think about. Not at this point in their lives. Although, maybe she herself was too young to have these worries herself, but it wasn't like she'd chosen this life on her own. Necessity had played a large part in that aspect.
A noise in the dark distracted Embris. She looked out of her tent and saw a patrol returning. Or at least she'd assumed it was a patrol until she heard Tchisa's voice. She wasn't sure what Tchisa had been doing, but Embris hoped that Tchisa might be able to quell some of the fears that had popped up from the death of the Blue Rose's stand-in.
Carefully getting up so she wouldn't disturb her siblings, Embris left her tent and made her way over to Tchisa, so had started to head towards the main building. The building that Embris understood was still off limits. Although, since Tchisa was the one in charge of the mercenaries, she supposed that Tchisa would be allowed in there. Even though Embris didn't want her to be let in right then. As she couldn't talk to Tchisa if she'd gone in to where Embris wasn't allowed herself.
However, Tchisa apparently heard Embris' approach as she stopped and turned towards Embris. "Is there something I can do for you?"
Embris let out a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. She wasn't sure if it was something that she should be bothering Tchisa about, but she wasn't sure how much sleep she'd be able to get if she didn't talk to her about her worries.
"One of the Blue Rose's stand-ins was killed today," Embris said, not sure how else to say it. "They say one of the ogres killed her."
Tchisa looked at Embris as if she'd already heard this and was looking for something either different or more. "And…?" she prompted Embris. "Is there any reason you're telling me this?"
Embris quickly nodded, feeling like her mind wasn't working like it usually did. Though, she supposed that her being so tired might be affecting its ability to think and move as quickly as it usually did.
"Uh, are the ogres going to try and push us back through the gate?" she said, feeling ridiculous for asking that question, even as she felt immense relief for having asked it in the first place.
Tchisa sighed, closing her eyes, looking like she didn't want to deal with Embris' question, which made Embris suddenly worry that her question would be brushed to the side, maybe not even answered at all by anyone. Even though she couldn't see a reason for Tchisa to not answer it.
However, as she was starting to suspect that she should just leave and leave Tchisa alone, she sighed again, shaking her head, as if she couldn't believe what she was about to do or say.
"No, the ogres aren't going to attack us," she said. Then she looked around. "Uh, is Jenn around here?"
Embris shrugged. "Last I saw her, she was in the building where the murder occurred."
Embris wished that she could have been more helpful, but she wasn't sure what else she could have said. It wasn't like she had a high enough position where she'd be able to know many things that would allow her to be more helpful in this matter.
"Come with me then," Tchisa said absently, making Embris wonder if she knew that it was her that she'd said that to, or maybe even what she'd said.
However, she wasn't going to argue. She wasn't going to see if she'd maybe made a mistake or meant to have said something else. All she knew was that she wasn't going to let this opportunity pass her by, regardless of any doubts she had about it.
As Tchisa then turned to continue on towards the building, Embris kept up. Part of her hoped that her presence wouldn't be questioned, but she was confident that as long as Tchisa remembered that she'd told Embris to come along that she'd be fine. The only doubt Embris had about it right then was if Tchisa would actually remember that point.
However, she felt that was a concern for the future, if it occurred. As she was confident that Tchisa was aware of her presence, regardless of what she remembered saying.
When they reached the building, Embris suddenly felt a little apprehensive. Mostly because the only time she'd dealt with death before this was when the bandits had attacked her village.
While she hadn't seen what happened inside the village, she did remember her father being killed. Even if she didn't see him take his last breath, she remembered what Feon had said in her letter about confirming that their father had been killed at that time.
When Tchisa entered the building, Embris followed behind, hoping that her presence wouldn't be questioned. As she didn't want to deal with her own anxiety of Tchisa having really meant to have her follow or not.
Inside, Jianopra's body lay where it had fallen before, her blood having mostly seeped into the wooden floor. Though, Embris felt a little surprise at that fact. Somehow it felt like everything should still be as how it had been when she'd first entered the room and seen her laying where she'd been killed.
"What happened," Tchisa said, startling Embris. For a moment it felt like she'd been the only one present.
"She was killed, a witness said it was the ogre who killed her, but I have my doubts," Riewis said, surprising Embris.
Not only because she didn't realize that Riewis was in the room, but also because she had thought that the whole matter was already determined of what had happened: They had a witness who saw it, so what else did they need?
"Why's that?" Tchisa asked. "Didn't you tell me when we came back through the gate that you didn't trust the ogres and that we needed to be careful with them or they'd attack?"
Riewis looked like she'd just eaten something that ether didn't agree with her or was really bitter. Embris wasn't sure which it was, but she was at least glad she herself wasn't the focus of attention right then.
After a minute of silence, Tchisa continued, "Where's Jenn? Didn't you go to check out the place where she thought would be good to create a pen for horses?"
Riewis nodded. "Yes, I was there with her, but apparently she's the Blue Rose's stand-in for dealing with the ogres."
Embris blinked. She didn't see that revelation coming and, based on her reaction, Tchisa didn't see that coming either. Which made Embris feel a little better, partly because she knew that some things had been kept from Tchisa as well, but also because now she understood a little more about Jenn's assertion that the ogres weren't anything to worry much about. That they weren't a threat. If Jenn had to deal with them personally, it would make sense that she knew more about them than anyone else around would.
"So, she already left for that?" Tchisa sighed.
Riewis nodded. "She left immediately, though she didn't look happy about it."
"Yeah, I can imagine. Not only did Jianopra get killed like that, but I'm sure she was looking forward to getting to rest after having walked out to that place she took you and back." Tchisa paused for a moment before adding, "Wasn't that about half a day's walk from here?"
Riewis nodded. "Yes, it was. Though, I still don't understand what she has in mind with the horses or why you're humoring her so much with this."
Tchisa nodded, as if she agreed. "It doesn't matter what you or I think, but what the Blue Rose thinks. When I spoke to her about it, she liked the idea and so we're going with it, regardless of if it helps us out the way Jenn thinks it will," Tchisa replied, though Embris couldn't help but feel like there was more to what Tchisa said. She just couldn't figure out how or in what way.
_
Jenn was miserable as she trudged through the mountains with the light of the stars and three moons to guide her way. She'd have rather headed out in the morning after getting a good night's sleep but she knew that with what happened, that wasn't an option. Especially when there was the possibility that she'd be able to encounter an ogre who would be able to get her to see Derek this night rather than her needing to see him earlier in the morning.
Jenn hadn't noticed the number of moons in the sky before. Partly because she'd always been travelling during the day and didn't have much experience at being awake at night. Though, while she'd stood watch on her little trip with Tchisa to the 'Tropical' gate, as Jenn had started to think of it, the sky had been mostly overcast at the time. Not to mention the fact that she was preoccupied with what might be around at the time rather than what might have been in the sky.
One of the moons was a nice green color and was in its crescent phase, though it was hard to tell if it was waxing or waning at the moment. Another was more of a sliver of a silver white color, either getting ready to enter a new moon phase or had just left that phase. The last was a bright pink that was around its full moon phase and gave the most light. Somehow, it comforted her the most on this dark night.
The scene of seeing Jinaopra's dead body kept playing in her mind. She doubted the ogre's would do that, or at least this tribe, but she also couldn't be sure that she knew all of how the ogre's felt about Jenn and her people establishing a foothold on this world. She'd only looked into Derek's mind and while he 'shared' with the rest of his tribe rather regularly, Jenn wasn't able to easily sift through the memories that didn't come directly from Derek. Which meant that there was the distinct possibility that some of the ogres, even in Derek's tribe, might not be as friendly as Jenn liked to think they were.
However, there was something that was nagging at the back of her mind that Jenn couldn't just dismiss. Something that said the ogress who had been present was completely innocent of the murder and was only guilty of running to avoid getting killed by an angry mob because of her having been accused in a village of creatures that might not be as friendly towards her as she was to them.
Which then called into question the validity of the girl who said the ogress had killed Jinaopra. If the ogress wasn't the killer, then was that girl the one who killed Jenn's stand-in? Or was she covering for someone else?
The idea that someone in the mercenary band wanted to kill her gave Jenn a chill she didn't like. Besides, if there was one, couldn't there be others?
In a way Jenn was glad she had the stand-ins, as it kept the dagger from being shoved in her own chest, but at the same time, she regretted having chosen anyone as her stand-ins. As if she hadn't done that, then Jianopra would still be alive and wouldn't have been killed in an attempt to kill Jenn herself. Or at least, again, assuming that it was one of the mercenary band.
If it was the ogres, she didn't understand why they wouldn't have tried to take her out while she was either on her way to 'speak' with Derek or on her way back. Not only would there be fewer witnesses, but it'd also be much easier to make it look like an accident.
Especially with how the ogres might sound stupid, but Derek had proven to her that they were much more intelligent than they first appeared.
Jenn sighed. If this was some personnel issue, she'd expect her head to be hurting now, but with the death of her friend involved, she wasn't sure how she should feel about figuring out who killed her right then. Although, she was at least determined to find out as quickly as possible, even if she had to hike through the night to reach Derek as quickly as possible.
Jenn barely had that thought when an ogre, one she knew she hadn't seen before, appeared right in front of her.
Jenn wasn't sure if she was merely tired and didn't see him appear or if he'd merely materialized without any sound. While he could have landed in front of her from jumping down the side of the mountain Jenn was walking by, she would have at least expected to feel the vibrations in the ground under her feet if not the sounds of him landing to let her know where he'd come from.
Then there was the leather armor this ogre was wearing. Jenn wouldn't be surprised if it was rather thick and would fend off blows just as easily as the metal armor that Jenn had seen others wear during her time as a slave. She was certain that she hadn't seen any ogre wearing any kind of armor up to this point. Let alone armor as well made as this ogre was wearing.
"You come with me," both of the heads spat at Jenn, neither face looking very friendly.
Jenn couldn't help but assume that what happened to Jianopra was affecting things here as well. That the fact the ogre was accused was souring the relationship that Jenn had been trying to cultivate with the ogres. That the situation with the ogres might be more delicate than she'd initially thought. Even with this problem of who killed Jianopra.
Jenn merely nodded in response, grateful that she wouldn't have to walk the entire distance to reach Derek. At least, assuming that that's where this ogre was going to take her. As the fact that she hadn't seen this ogre before could also be because he might be from a different tribe. Which meant that she might end up in a worse situation if she didn't try to fight this ogre.
However, speculating of what could be wasn't what Jenn was there for and any hostile action, regardless of what the ogre's intentions were, could result in war with the ogres. Even if the ogress was innocent of killing Jianopra.
So, as the ogre put his hand around Jenn's torso, Jenn suddenly realized what was nagging her about how Jinaopra had been killed. It wasn't so much that she didn't know if the ogress was secretly hostile towards Jenn and her people, but rather it was the fact that the dagger was so much smaller than the ogress' hand. If the ogress had wielded the dagger, Jenn suspected there would be other points that would help point towards that fact, which she planned on looking into after she finished with her meeting with Derek.
Even if this ogre wasn't taking her to see Derek, she still planned on finding Derek to meet with him after she was take to wherever this ogre was taking her.
_
When Jenn was set down in front of the cave, she felt like her legs weren't going to hold her weight at first. She'd been held in the fist of that ogre firmly, unable to move her arms in his grasp and it hardly looked like the ogre had done that with any effort. She'd received better treatment from other ogres in the past, but given what had happened, she supposed she should be lucky that the ogre hadn't tried to kill her on the spot.
"Go. Chiefs wait for you," the ogre commanded Jenn, looking like he would do what he could to stop Jenn from trying to leave without entering the cave. Which Jenn supposed wasn't something she should really be that surprised about. At least given how he'd been treating her up to this point, at least.
Though, Jenn wasn't sure what the ogre meant by 'chiefs' or if that's just a quirk of this ogre. However, she didn't feel like asking or trying to make conversation with this ogre. Especially when it hadn't been very talkative on the way over here. In fact, the ogre had only said two things to Jenn. The first thing being that she was going with the ogre and the other that the chief or chiefs were waiting for her.
Jenn supposed that she should feel lucky that she was put in front of the cave entrance that was the main entrance the ogres themselves used, which would make her path to Derek faster, as she'd seen this entrance before, but only when she'd been done with her meeting with Derek in the past.
She wasn't sure if it was a bad sign that she was entering through this entrance under these circumstances. Somehow it felt like it could be a bad omen. That the meeting wasn't going to go as well as she'd like, even though she hadn't a clue as to what she should expect from the meeting. At least other than the ogress having sought out Derek first. Which Jenn couldn't say that she was surprised about. Not with how several people had reported the ogress fleeing after Jianopra had been killed.
Yet, standing there wasn't going to do Jenn any good, so she started walking, even though she expected her legs to give out from under her at any moment with how wobbly the felt from her trip here in the ogre's hand. Fortunately, she didn't fall, but that hardly made her feel any better at the moment, given the circumstances of her visit. Even the air around her was starting to feel oppressive, making it harder to breathe.