A Promise of Fire

Emecar awoke to the loudest knocks he’d ever heard in his life. Waves of pain washed over him, and as sunlight hit his eyes, he didn’t believe it was possible for the sun to be any brighter. His vision was hazy, his head pounded, and his stomach lurched.

What happened?

The knocks rang in his ears again. Emecar groaned and rolled out of bed; he felt an intense, sharp pain run up his right arm. He looked and saw the knotted, bloody bandage on his arm, and felt another tied around his neck and chest. Sprawled out on the floor were his bloodied and tattered clothes covered in vomit from the previous night. He didn’t remember undressing himself. In fact, he didn’t remember much of anything from the previous night; the last thing he remembered was stepping into the Lady’s Rose and…dancing?

Did I dance last night?

Across the room, snoozing calmly in the other bed was Rukifelth. He too had a couple bandages wrapped around his arms and neck. Emecar groaned. “Blighted fae.” His throat was painfully dry to the point where it hurt to even speak; the awful taste of bile still lingered on his tongue. “Blighted everything.”

More knocks. Emecar grunted as the noise rang in his ears. He hobbled to his feet and then across the room, struggling to keep his balance as it felt like the whole world was on its side. When he opened the door, he nearly floored himself as he saw Emli standing there. Her bright smile quickly faded when she saw him in his ragged clothes and bloody bandages.

“Emecar, what happened to you?” He was so caught off guard that he wasn’t sure what to say. She reached out and touched the bandage on his neck and said, “Are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah.” He struggled to say even that much. “Just a little under the weather, but I’m alright.”

Emli looked at him with such concern in her eyes, and as she leaned forward to hug him, her face suddenly pinched as if she’d just eaten a bitter lemon. She wafted in front of her nose and said, “Goodness, monsieur, just under the weather, is it?”

At first, Emecar just stared at her, unaware of what she was doing, but it quickly dawned on him as he remembered his ragged vomit covered trousers and coat. Embarrassment washed over him, and he spun around to pick up his filthy clothes. Unfortunately, the world was still on its side, and Emecar collapsed hard to the ground.

His whole body ached, and his head pounded fiercely, but worst of all was just how pathetic he felt. Why did Emli have to see him this way.

“I-I’m sorry,” he muttered. He wanted to look at her, but he couldn’t bear her seeing him like this. “Last night was a bit rough, so Rukifelth and I had a-a couple of drinks. I suppose I got a little carried away.”

“A little? By fire, Emecar, it smells like you drank the entire tap!”

Emecar winced. “I’m sorry.”

Emli helped him up off the ground and assisted him to a nearby chair. It gave a slight squeak–a squeak Emecar would hardly notice on a normal day–that pierced his ears and made him feel even more nauseous. He was surprised to feel Emli kiss him on the cheek.

“Don’t be sorry,” she said, and then she went to pick up his dirty clothes. “We all fall to our vices from time to time. Even me.”

Emecar couldn’t think of a single vice or sin Emli could commit, but by her mischievous giggle, he knew there was something. That little laugh of hers, he thought, was the most beautiful sound in the world; it filled him with so much joy and hopefulness that the singer from last night couldn’t compete.

That singer, he thought; he remembered her. There was something about her–something about her singing and dancing–that gave Emecar a strange feeling in his stomach. Perhaps that was just the booze.

He watched as Emli went about tidying his little apartment. She tucked his filthy clothes into a small basket in the corner, and then grabbed a washcloth, dampened it with warm saltwater, and began to wipe down the floor.

It was then Emecar realized that she wasn’t wearing the typical maiden’s coif, and instead a green silk bow was tied into a ribbon in her orange curls. Lastly, on her wrist was a small leather bracelet adorned with a cut crystal amethyst that he’d never seen her wear before.

Where did she get that?

As she finished wiping down the floor, Emecar asked “W-What’s the occasion?”

“What do you mean?”

“Y-You came to visit,” he said. “It’s not often you come here.”

“I was nervous,” she said. “When you didn’t show up to ceremony this morning, I was afraid something had happened to you last night, so I wanted to come check up on you.” Gesturing to his bandages and bloody coat, she said, “I expect you to tell me what happened, but first, why don’t I brew you some tea for that headache.”

Emecar’s stomach twisted, and he thought he was going to vomit. In the midst of everything that had happened last night, he completely forgot about his promise. His face fell into his hands as he apologized again.

“Please, don’t cry,” she said.

Was he crying? Emecar looked up at her and could feel the tears running down his cheeks. He tried to smile and said, “I’m a mess. You sure you’re still in love with a man like me?”

“Oh, you’re being too hard on yourself,” said Emli. She pulled up a chair beside him–its loud screech bouncing off the wall–and rested her hands on his. “Just tell me what happened. Please?”

Emecar didn’t want to tell her the truth–about the fae–but after all she’d done for him, and how she treated him, still after all this, he thought the truth was what she deserved, even if it was scary.

“You remember those rumors I told you? The ones about fae?” She nodded nervously, and Emecar told her everything he could remember from the previous night: about the childnappers, the fog, and the massive four-armed fae. The more he talked, the more terrified she became. “Try not to worry. The fae can’t reach you.”

“You sound so sure?”

“Of course,” he said proudly, but the dryness of his throat made him sound more feeble than proud. “Should those fae try and slip into the city proper, they’ll need to get through me first!” She smiled, but it was hollow. Emecar watched her fidget with her skit; he took her by the arms and whispered, “I promise to keep you safe.”

The tea kettle began to whistle, and Emecar felt the whole world turn upside down. He rested his head on the table as Emli poured him a small cup of lemongrass tea. Unfortunately, he’d no honey or sugar, but anything was better than nothing. Slowly, as he sipped the hot tea, the awful pain in his throat and head began to wash away. He took long, deep breaths and could finally smell the thick scent of alcohol permeating the room. It nearly made him gag.

Emli then took another damp cloth and draped it on Emecar’s forehead. The droplets of water felt like ice dripping down his back and shoulders, but it helped alleviate some of the pain in his head. He relaxed his head, just as Emli began to clean his wounds. She doffed the old bandages and gasped at the sight of his wounds, quickly getting to work mixing some herbs and medicines from the cabinets and forming a thick poultice that she spread onto a fresh bandage. After tending his arm, she looked at his chest, and then his neck. Once all the old bandages were replaced, Emli kissed him on the cheek and hugged him tight.

The pain in his head and behind his eyes was finally beginning to subside, and he figured he was strong enough to hug her back.

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you too.” She looked up at him, her nose wrinkled and said, “You still stink.”

Emecar was flabbergasted. He tried to say something witty–anything at all–but all he could do was laugh, and Emli laughed too. The weight had been lifted from his shoulders as all the grief, sadness, and guilt he felt wafted off for tomorrow to worry about.

Emli took the small bracelet from her wrist and handed it to Emecar. “Amethysts hold the color of abjuration; the power to protect. My parents gave this to me when I began my journey as a maiden, though I can’t cast Aether, and I’m forbidden to even learn the artes.” She placed the bracelet into Emecar’s hands and said, “But you can.”

“Emli, I can’t take this from you,” said Emecar. He looked down at the leather bracelet and the violet gemstone embedded within. He could feel the faint pulse of Aether within.

“You aren’t taking it; I’m giving it to you,” she said. She kissed him on the cheek. “I want you to have this, so you can protect yourself; so you can protect all of us.”

She helped tie the bracelet to Emecar’s wrist. Within the amethyst, Emecar could see small flecks of light swirling within. He knew that as long as he wore it, there would always be a part of Emli with him.

Emli stood up and said, “Well, I best be off. I told the other sisters I’d be back once I checked in on you, so they’ll be expecting me any moment now. Now you drink up the rest of that tea and rest, you hear? If–and only if–you’re feeling better tonight…” Emecar saw her violet cheeks flash pink, “would you kindly come see me?”

“Of course, mademoiselle.”

Delighted, Emli gave him a kiss and departed, making sure to gently close the door behind her.

Emecar finished off his tea and tried to stand. Though the world wasn’t as lopsided as it once was, he still felt dizzy. He took a few steps to the window and stared up at the winged stallions soaring across the sky, and then down at the streets below; an awful wave of vertigo washed over him, and Emecar nearly fell to his knees.

Just how much did I drink last night?