A Song of Snow and Ashes by S.J. Drew
mostly empty streets. "Are you gettin' hassled by Reese?"
She shook her head. "No."
"Then are you gettin' hassled by your friends for slummin'?" he asked shrewdly.
She looked up at him, a bit startled. "A little, yes," she admitted.
"Why didn't you just tell me? Call me shallow, but I kind of expected that sort of reaction when they found out where you were goin'."
"I guess I just expected better. They are my friends, after all."
"Well, give them time. I'm sure they'll come 'round."
"Do you really mean that?"
"They're your friends. What do you think?"
She smiled a little. "I'll think they'll come around. They're not bad people."
"Then there's no reason to be upset. You just got to be patient."
"Thanks for trying to cheer me up."
"That's what friends do, right?"
"I suppose so." She turned the conversation to games she wanted to teach the group. She was explaining the rules of chess to him when a stray sound caught his attention.
He halted her and put a finger to his lips. With his other hand he gripped his dagger.
She looked puzzled, and a bit frightened, as they still hadn't reached a decent neighborhood.
From around the corner came the hulking shape of three familiar people. Donnan released his grip on the dagger. "Gods, Reese, don't you and your friends have somethin' better to do?" he snapped impatiently, recognizing the other two guards as the ones that he nearly beaten him to death.
"I'm not here to talk to you," he snarled, his words slightly slurred. "I want to talk to Aolani."
"And why must you do it in this neighborhood in the middle of the night?" she asked, also looking impatient. "It's dark, it's cold, and I want to get home, thank you very much. If you want to talk to me, you can come by the Golden Quill tomorrow after I finish teaching. Excuse us." This time, however, she just took a few steps backward instead of turning her back on the guards.
The guard tried to take a few steps forward, but Donnan blocked his path. The wind started to pick up, and he could strongly smell alcohol. "You should go home now," he growled.
"You can't tell me what to do," he snapped, and pushed him a little.
Donnan didn't move. "I'm not tellin' you, I'm strongly advisin' it. This isn't a good place to start trouble, even if you are a guard."
"Reese, be sensible," admonished Aolani. "This is not the time nor the place. I already told you I'd meet you tomorrow."
He seemed to back down. "Right. Right. Tomorrow."
"Yes. The Golden Quill," she confirmed, relieved.
Donnan took a few steps backward and quite reluctantly turned his back on the three guards, bracing for an impact.
And the impact came. The other two guards grabbed him from behind and Reese took Aolani's arm quite forcefully. She had enough sense not to scream, but she was clearly frightened.
"Reese, what are you doing?" she demanded.
One guard was on each arm, and while they weren't doing anything to him, he couldn't go anywhere.
"I want to talk privately," Reese replied.
"You're drunk," she accused. "And so are they. This is not a good idea. We'll meet tomorrow. I'll even write you a note so you don't forget." She twisted out of his grip. "Now, you let him go, and I'll overlook this incident as another poorly thought out drunken episode."
This was apparently the wrong thing to say, as Reese grabbed her again. "Dammit, Aolani, I told you, I don't have a problem. You have the problem. What's wrong with me going out with the guys?" he demanded in a rather loud voice.
"Keep it down," she hissed, trying to jerk away again. "This isn't the place for a fight."
"Hey, you started it."
"I did not! You're the one who came looking for me. Why in blazes couldn't you leave a note or something?"
"This is a bad time for an old lover's argument," Donnan thought. The two guards were not paying enough attention to their surroundings, as both also smelled like they'd imbibed heavily.
"And what in blazes are you doing out here with this low-class nobody, huh?" he demanded.
Anger welled up inside him, and he tried to calm himself enough to do a sleep spell without making any obvious signs of it.
"You leave me so you can go slumming?" he continued.
"Sssshhh! Dammit, this is none of your business," she retorted. "This is not the time or the place."
"You're right. We need some privacy." He started to drag her off to an alleyway.
"Reese, please, stop this. This is dangerous. Reese, let me go," she pleaded, her voice now quavering. In a moment, they were out of sight, although he could still hear angry voices.
The other two guards looked at each other stupidly.
"Now what?" one said.
"I don't know," the other replied.
"Let me go," Donnan ordered. It was the same thing he'd done to them before, but now he was aware of how he was doing the magic.
Their two faces went blank, and they released their hold.
"Stay here. Stay alert. Don't get killed," he ordered, with a bit of a sigh.
They put their back to each other and took defensive postures.
"Good enough." He dashed over to the alleyway.
Reese was holding Aolani against a wall, oblivious continuing the argument. She was simply standing there, looking very frightened but not hurt.
"Let her go," he ordered, but didn't use magic. He didn't know if Aolani was sensitive to the use of magic as Blake was, but he didn't want to risk it.
"What in darkness?" he exclaimed, turning his attention to Donnan. "What'd you do to the guys?"
"Nothin'. They're just fine, for now. All your yellin' is goin' to attract attention. You need to go and you need to go now," he answered, trying to keep calm, and trying to keep the Dark power in check. Snow was falling more heavily from the sky now.
The guard advanced on him. "You can't tell me what to do."
"We've done this before, Reese," he hissed. "Twice before now, and I'm tired of this. Go away before I really hurt you." The urge to seriously injure the guard was very strong, but a quick glance over Reese's shoulder to Aolani's wide, frightened eyes helped him keep his temper.
The guard threw a punch at him, which Donnan easily dodged, and used the momentum to shove him down the alleyway.
The larger man sprawled face first in the filthy snow, then scrambled to his feet, looking furious. "Hey, guys," he called, walking forward so that they were only a couple of arm's length apart.
The other two guards walked him behind him. Since Donnan had been rushed, he hadn't made the command very strong, although both still looked a little blank.
"Reese, let it go," Aolani said in a worried voice.
"I'm arresting you for assaulting a guard," he continued.
"I told you, Reese, I'll vouch for him. You were making trouble. You're drunk, and you're not even on duty right now. You shouldn't even be here," she replied, stepping in front of Donnan.
Even in that tense situation, he was amused that she was trying to protect him.
"Dammit, why are you standing up for him? He's just low-class scum. He's got no parents and no breeding. I'll bet he can't even read."
He was about to make an angry reply when she beat him to it.
"Obviously parents and breeding to not make a gentleman," she retorted coldly. "Donnan has never been drunk around me, he has never stood me up without warning or apology, and he most certainly has never accosted me in the middle of the night."
The larger man quickly closed the distance and raised his hand to slap Aolani.
Donnan caught his arm, his eyes black with fury. "You do not hit women," he growled. "Go home, Reese," he ordered, his voice malevolent and rumbling with thunder. "Go home before I leave you broken and bloodied and nearly dead in a dark alleyway." Then with a sickening crack, he broke
the guard's wrist.
The larger man yelped in pain and jerked away.
He released him. "Go home," he snarled again.
Reese gave him a defiant stare and was struck by a wave of cold. Suddenly frightened, he mumbled something to his friends, and they disappeared into the stinging snow outside the alleyway.
He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, then turned to Aolani. She was staring into space, very pale, and clearly frightened. He called her name in a soft voice.
She looked up at him, her hazel eyes wide. Then she burst into tears.
Not knowing what else to do, he put an arm around her in what he hoped was a comforting fashion, pulled her next to him, and started to walk her home while she cried into her gloves. By the time they reached her neighborhood, the wind and snow and lessened into a gentle fall, and she was reduced to a steady stream of silent tears.
"Are you alright?" he asked gently.
"I'm sorry," she sniffled, but stayed next to him. "I've seen him like that before, but I didn't expect him to get violent. I'm so sorry. I just got angry, and I shouldn't have."
"It's not your fault, it's his. And don't feel guilty for gettin' angry. I'm sorry you had to see me get angry."
"You broke his wrist. I heard the crack."
He nodded. "Yeah. I was just so mad because he actually tried to hit you. Even I was raised never to hit women. I know. I shouldn't have done it. And now I'll probably get into more trouble 'cause of it."
"I was afraid you were really going to get hurt, or really hurt Reese. I couldn't see your face, though, but I saw his. He was frightened and angry, and I'd guess you looked about the same."
"So you're not mad at me for breakin' his wrist?"
"No, not mad. Just disappointed. Not in you," she quickly added. "I'm just
She shook her head. "No."
"Then are you gettin' hassled by your friends for slummin'?" he asked shrewdly.
She looked up at him, a bit startled. "A little, yes," she admitted.
"Why didn't you just tell me? Call me shallow, but I kind of expected that sort of reaction when they found out where you were goin'."
"I guess I just expected better. They are my friends, after all."
"Well, give them time. I'm sure they'll come 'round."
"Do you really mean that?"
"They're your friends. What do you think?"
She smiled a little. "I'll think they'll come around. They're not bad people."
"Then there's no reason to be upset. You just got to be patient."
"Thanks for trying to cheer me up."
"That's what friends do, right?"
"I suppose so." She turned the conversation to games she wanted to teach the group. She was explaining the rules of chess to him when a stray sound caught his attention.
He halted her and put a finger to his lips. With his other hand he gripped his dagger.
She looked puzzled, and a bit frightened, as they still hadn't reached a decent neighborhood.
From around the corner came the hulking shape of three familiar people. Donnan released his grip on the dagger. "Gods, Reese, don't you and your friends have somethin' better to do?" he snapped impatiently, recognizing the other two guards as the ones that he nearly beaten him to death.
"I'm not here to talk to you," he snarled, his words slightly slurred. "I want to talk to Aolani."
"And why must you do it in this neighborhood in the middle of the night?" she asked, also looking impatient. "It's dark, it's cold, and I want to get home, thank you very much. If you want to talk to me, you can come by the Golden Quill tomorrow after I finish teaching. Excuse us." This time, however, she just took a few steps backward instead of turning her back on the guards.
The guard tried to take a few steps forward, but Donnan blocked his path. The wind started to pick up, and he could strongly smell alcohol. "You should go home now," he growled.
"You can't tell me what to do," he snapped, and pushed him a little.
Donnan didn't move. "I'm not tellin' you, I'm strongly advisin' it. This isn't a good place to start trouble, even if you are a guard."
"Reese, be sensible," admonished Aolani. "This is not the time nor the place. I already told you I'd meet you tomorrow."
He seemed to back down. "Right. Right. Tomorrow."
"Yes. The Golden Quill," she confirmed, relieved.
Donnan took a few steps backward and quite reluctantly turned his back on the three guards, bracing for an impact.
And the impact came. The other two guards grabbed him from behind and Reese took Aolani's arm quite forcefully. She had enough sense not to scream, but she was clearly frightened.
"Reese, what are you doing?" she demanded.
One guard was on each arm, and while they weren't doing anything to him, he couldn't go anywhere.
"I want to talk privately," Reese replied.
"You're drunk," she accused. "And so are they. This is not a good idea. We'll meet tomorrow. I'll even write you a note so you don't forget." She twisted out of his grip. "Now, you let him go, and I'll overlook this incident as another poorly thought out drunken episode."
This was apparently the wrong thing to say, as Reese grabbed her again. "Dammit, Aolani, I told you, I don't have a problem. You have the problem. What's wrong with me going out with the guys?" he demanded in a rather loud voice.
"Keep it down," she hissed, trying to jerk away again. "This isn't the place for a fight."
"Hey, you started it."
"I did not! You're the one who came looking for me. Why in blazes couldn't you leave a note or something?"
"This is a bad time for an old lover's argument," Donnan thought. The two guards were not paying enough attention to their surroundings, as both also smelled like they'd imbibed heavily.
"And what in blazes are you doing out here with this low-class nobody, huh?" he demanded.
Anger welled up inside him, and he tried to calm himself enough to do a sleep spell without making any obvious signs of it.
"You leave me so you can go slumming?" he continued.
"Sssshhh! Dammit, this is none of your business," she retorted. "This is not the time or the place."
"You're right. We need some privacy." He started to drag her off to an alleyway.
"Reese, please, stop this. This is dangerous. Reese, let me go," she pleaded, her voice now quavering. In a moment, they were out of sight, although he could still hear angry voices.
The other two guards looked at each other stupidly.
"Now what?" one said.
"I don't know," the other replied.
"Let me go," Donnan ordered. It was the same thing he'd done to them before, but now he was aware of how he was doing the magic.
Their two faces went blank, and they released their hold.
"Stay here. Stay alert. Don't get killed," he ordered, with a bit of a sigh.
They put their back to each other and took defensive postures.
"Good enough." He dashed over to the alleyway.
Reese was holding Aolani against a wall, oblivious continuing the argument. She was simply standing there, looking very frightened but not hurt.
"Let her go," he ordered, but didn't use magic. He didn't know if Aolani was sensitive to the use of magic as Blake was, but he didn't want to risk it.
"What in darkness?" he exclaimed, turning his attention to Donnan. "What'd you do to the guys?"
"Nothin'. They're just fine, for now. All your yellin' is goin' to attract attention. You need to go and you need to go now," he answered, trying to keep calm, and trying to keep the Dark power in check. Snow was falling more heavily from the sky now.
The guard advanced on him. "You can't tell me what to do."
"We've done this before, Reese," he hissed. "Twice before now, and I'm tired of this. Go away before I really hurt you." The urge to seriously injure the guard was very strong, but a quick glance over Reese's shoulder to Aolani's wide, frightened eyes helped him keep his temper.
The guard threw a punch at him, which Donnan easily dodged, and used the momentum to shove him down the alleyway.
The larger man sprawled face first in the filthy snow, then scrambled to his feet, looking furious. "Hey, guys," he called, walking forward so that they were only a couple of arm's length apart.
The other two guards walked him behind him. Since Donnan had been rushed, he hadn't made the command very strong, although both still looked a little blank.
"Reese, let it go," Aolani said in a worried voice.
"I'm arresting you for assaulting a guard," he continued.
"I told you, Reese, I'll vouch for him. You were making trouble. You're drunk, and you're not even on duty right now. You shouldn't even be here," she replied, stepping in front of Donnan.
Even in that tense situation, he was amused that she was trying to protect him.
"Dammit, why are you standing up for him? He's just low-class scum. He's got no parents and no breeding. I'll bet he can't even read."
He was about to make an angry reply when she beat him to it.
"Obviously parents and breeding to not make a gentleman," she retorted coldly. "Donnan has never been drunk around me, he has never stood me up without warning or apology, and he most certainly has never accosted me in the middle of the night."
The larger man quickly closed the distance and raised his hand to slap Aolani.
Donnan caught his arm, his eyes black with fury. "You do not hit women," he growled. "Go home, Reese," he ordered, his voice malevolent and rumbling with thunder. "Go home before I leave you broken and bloodied and nearly dead in a dark alleyway." Then with a sickening crack, he broke
The larger man yelped in pain and jerked away.
He released him. "Go home," he snarled again.
Reese gave him a defiant stare and was struck by a wave of cold. Suddenly frightened, he mumbled something to his friends, and they disappeared into the stinging snow outside the alleyway.
He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, then turned to Aolani. She was staring into space, very pale, and clearly frightened. He called her name in a soft voice.
She looked up at him, her hazel eyes wide. Then she burst into tears.
Not knowing what else to do, he put an arm around her in what he hoped was a comforting fashion, pulled her next to him, and started to walk her home while she cried into her gloves. By the time they reached her neighborhood, the wind and snow and lessened into a gentle fall, and she was reduced to a steady stream of silent tears.
"Are you alright?" he asked gently.
"I'm sorry," she sniffled, but stayed next to him. "I've seen him like that before, but I didn't expect him to get violent. I'm so sorry. I just got angry, and I shouldn't have."
"It's not your fault, it's his. And don't feel guilty for gettin' angry. I'm sorry you had to see me get angry."
"You broke his wrist. I heard the crack."
He nodded. "Yeah. I was just so mad because he actually tried to hit you. Even I was raised never to hit women. I know. I shouldn't have done it. And now I'll probably get into more trouble 'cause of it."
"I was afraid you were really going to get hurt, or really hurt Reese. I couldn't see your face, though, but I saw his. He was frightened and angry, and I'd guess you looked about the same."
"So you're not mad at me for breakin' his wrist?"
"No, not mad. Just disappointed. Not in you," she quickly added. "I'm just