Charge

Chapter 5 - Horses to Water - Part 2

We take turns scouting the perimeter, Cal taking over my shift as I sit beside Cordelia. A fire would be too risky, but the subtle glow of the sun that's soon to rise gives enough light.
"How are you feeling?" she asks calmly, her voice deep and smooth.
"I've been better," I reply, taking the leather flask from her and downing a swig of water. "I suppose I've also been worse," I grin. She chuckles lightly.
"Unfortunately I have no liquor to drown our sorrows this night," Cordelia grabs another flask of water, taking a swig herself.
"So, you were an Imperial?" I ask, probably out of turn. She turns to me and her green eyes harden momentarily before she sighs and places her flask beside her.
"I was, yes, Cal and I were each raised by the Empire," she explains carefully. "Neither of us had a family to protect us, to tell us what we were doing was wrong,"
"I don't think Cal thinks what he was doing was wrong," I interject. Cordelia's face becomes stern.
"He knew better than anyone,"
"Then why didn't he leave?"
"It wasn't so simple for him," Cordelia stares down at her fingernails, picking the dirt from beneath them. "His involvement with the Empire was - is - a lot more complicated," I don't get the impression from Cordelia that she'd be one to lie, but the Cal that chained me in a cell and took my ship and my crew seemed very simple - a traitor who does not deserve my sympathy. "Don't make that face," Cordelia says, pulling me from my thoughts. "Just, keep an open mind - we are all on the same side, now,"
"Sounds like you guys were pretty close," I look through the trees and watch Cal as he makes another perimeter check. His movements are still so swift and purposeful, inhuman. Although I suppose we aren't all that human, to begin with.
"We were together, for a time," Cordelia confesses. My head sweeps back around to stare at her so fast that I almost give myself whiplash.
"You were what?"
"We were young, and pressured into it - we felt it was what we were supposed to do," I look between her and the man walking through the trees several times, trying to imagine how such a callous man could have gotten with someone like her, and how he could have lost her.
"What happened?"
"We weren't compatible," Cordelia says quietly after a long pause. "He showed no interest in me beyond the friendship we shared, and, something I wish I understood at the time, I show no interest in men,"
"Oh!" I nod, both comprehending her words and figuring out how I'm meant to respond. I just smile at her, trying to show her my support. Her eyes sparkle with a mischievous glow.
"Do not worry my friend, he is all yours," she smiles coyly. Volcanoes erupt in my stomach at the mere thought and the face I make is enough to make Cordelia throw her head back in laughter.
"You have wildly misread me if you think I want that insufferably brooding bastard of a man," I retort, rolling my eyes.
"Who's an insufferably brooding bastard of a man?" Cal appears in front of us, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. He looks at the two of us with narrowed eyes before throwing his arms up in defeat. "Your turn to scout, pirate,"

***

The next couple of days blend: riding, camping and little to no sleep. About two nights in Cordelia opened up to me further about her days as an Inquisitor in the Order. As one of the most prestigious divisions in the Empire, those in the Order held a sense of freedom and individuality, though it came two-fold with high discipline and a ruthless lifestyle. The freedom it did grant was enough for Cordelia to find a way out. With no laws against utilising outside magic such as witchcraft and spellcasting, the Empire never cared enough to go after her. Through cryptic handwritten notes shared in dark alleys and ports, Cal and Cordelia stayed in contact should such a day arise when he needed her aid.

"Where exactly are we headed?" I call out past Cal and to Cordelia leading in front.
"The Slums!" Cordelia's response carries over her shoulder, unwavering in her hold on the horse's reins. She's ridden these roads enough, exuding an air of confidence and purpose without trying.
"The Slums?" I repeat softly, leaning closer to Cal's back in a moment of unfamiliarity.
"The Below," he murmurs, loud enough for only the two of us to hear. I've resigned myself to the unavoidable intimacy that comes with sharing a horseback journey with him over the past few days - but there's comfort as I realize I'm the one in the seat of power, positioned behind him with his back turned towards me. Staying civil for Cordelia grows increasingly difficult but I've managed to bite my tongue and tame my fire so far.
"And exactly how much further till we get to said slums?" I ask, the weariness beginning to show in my voice as I shift uncomfortably on the saddle.
"Can't you smell it?" Cordelia responds sharply as she turns her head towards me. As she speaks, a medley of scents dances through the air, a curious blend of smoke and exotic spices. Cordelia does one comically large sniff, grinning as she exhales. "The smell of The Below, soak it all in,"
"Isn't The Below filled with criminals and scum?" I query, remembering the idle gossip of men at port speaking of the activities of the world underneath.
"What? Worried you'll go down there and realise you fit right in?" Cal sneers.
"I have a sword strapped to my hip and a hand moments away from the hilt, do you think it wise to insult me?" I counter defiantly in a hushed pointed whisper.
"I'd have you on the ground before you could even get it unsheathed, pirate,"
"Need I remind you of that wound across your cheek, captain?"
"You two better be getting along back there!" Cordelia yells, earning two fake, shit-eating smiles in return.
"Of course!" Cal's voice lacks an ounce of sincerity.
"Good - because we're here,"

A derelict old stable is surrounded by mostly dying trees and rubble, though candlelight shines through the window. Cordelia dismounts with ease, brushing down her skirts and smoothing her hair.
"Let me handle this, Bastian's an old friend," she signals for us to stay put. "And please, do not kill each other while I'm gone - it would make a terrible mess,"
"Yes ma'am," Cal salutes the woman as she turns and enters the house, before slipping off the horse and landing on the ground elegantly, as swift and purposeful as the wind itself. "Are you going to let me help you this time or are you going to eat dirt?" Cal asks with a slight edge to his tone.
"The dirt will do me fine, thank you," I mutter, swinging my legs out and jumping off the horse quickly. My knees buckle beneath me, but I don't let myself fall face first, catching myself in a kneeling position and letting out an ugly groan at the pain that shoots through my calves and thighs.
"You are something else, aren't you?"
"Would it kill you to shut up?"
"It might, but you'd probably like that," Cal grumbles, offering me a hand. I ignore it and push myself to my feet.
"You have no idea,"