{"id":77,"date":"2017-08-25T19:08:18","date_gmt":"2017-08-25T19:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/?p=77"},"modified":"2017-08-25T19:14:20","modified_gmt":"2017-08-25T19:14:20","slug":"seventeen-crossing-cross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/08\/25\/seventeen-crossing-cross\/","title":{"rendered":"Seventeen: Crossing, Cross"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cYou\u2019re old enough to be out on your own, yes?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOf course I am.\u201d \u00a0She wrinkled her nose at him. \u00a0\u201cI am here, aren\u2019t I? \u00a0Everyone may keep calling me child, but I have an apprenticeship, I am carrying the weight of my family to the capital, and I – yes. \u00a0I\u2019m old enough.\u201d \u00a0She threw up her hands. \u00a0\u201cWhy. \u00a0What did I miss?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no, I don\u2019t think this boy whore was putting you on or anything of the sort,\u201d he reassured her, although the thought had not been on her mind until he said it. \u00a0\u201cNo, it\u2019s just that a fox – well, that sort of fox – it\u2019s,\u201d he coughed. \u00a0\u201cWell, you\u2019re on a trip, it\u2019s the right sort of time to make that, I suppose. \u00a0They\u2019re\u2026\u201d he looked away, blushing. \u00a0\u201cUsually made from bottle-brush and red-tail, which you can find on the side of the road a lot. And then you use some scented oil and carve a piece of the bottle-brush, and it\u2019s, ah. \u00a0Used in sex.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh! \u00a0One of those!\u201d She grinned at the blush on the Diamond Raven\u2019s cheeks. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve made those before, although not with the red-tail. \u00a0That must tickle\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s the idea. \u00a0You\u2019ve\u2026 made those?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019 m a woodcarver,\u201d she reminded him. \u00a0\u201cAnd there is a special pair of people I have an interest in, back home, so I made them\u2026 a thing or two, on occasion, when we could sneak out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026So you really were\u2026 ah. \u00a0<\/span>Visiting <\/span><\/i>this boy-whore?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you think I was doing? \u00a0Playing cards?\u201d \u00a0She blinked at him in indignation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you look\u2026 ah. \u00a0Young.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if I looked broad-hipped and broad-chested, I\u2019d already be married, no? \u00a0With two babies on my hip and another on the way?\u201d \u00a0She snorted. \u201cI\u2019m wearing a laced vest because bouncing on a bumpy road is no fun, you strange-minded wizard, you. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s calling who strange now? You sand for a Prince and weren\u2019t even fazed!\u201d \u00a0If he were the Raven his name suggested, his neck-feathers would be standing up in indignation. \u00a0As it was, he glared at her, the golden lasso around his neck seeming to glow. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou still haven\u2019t told me what you were going to say about mountain people!\u201d \u00a0It had nothing to do with <\/span>strangeness<\/span><\/i>, but then again, maybe it did. \u00a0\u201cOr why you were all worried about how old I was when the whore I was sleeping with wanted me to make him a sex toy!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I thought you were a <\/span>child<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0It\u2019s not my fault you mountain people look young until you\u2019re old and you are all adult when you\u2019re barely off the teat! \u00a0They say <\/span>don\u2019t ever cross a mountain person<\/span><\/i>, and they don\u2019t mean the ones who live in the foothills, they mean the ones like you!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo why in the world are you trying to make me cross?\u201d \u00a0She glared at him. \u00a0\u201cI mean, what is wrong with mountain people, for one, and for another, why would you be trying to irritate said mountain-person-like-me if that\u2019s what – let go of me!\u201d \u00a0There was a hand on her arm yanking her backwards. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not holding on to you oh by the veil of Martania give me permission to use magic, mountain woman!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what, have you blast me?\u201d \u00a0She yanked her arm, but the grip was like iron. \u00a0\u201cLet go of-\u201d she spun around to see who was holding her. \u00a0\u201c\u2026Shit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The man holding Raizel\u2019s arm was a head and a head again taller than her, broad in the shoulders, and dressed in a stinking and ripped uniform which had seen better days in the realm of the Tzar\u2019s grandfather or perhaps great-great-grandmother. \u00a0The insignia had all been ripped off, and there was a brand on the man\u2019s cheek that declared him a deserter, as if the stink and the wild hair would not have told her that already. \u00a0\u201cYou must help me!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo aid for those who desert,\u201d she quoted, pushing the man – the once-a-man away from her. \u201cNo solace, no comfort, no-\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEnough!\u201d \u00a0He roared it at her, drowning her out. \u00a0She felt the Diamond Raven coming up next to her. \u00a0\u201cEnough! \u00a0I know the rote. \u00a0I know it better than you, whelp. \u00a0I know it like I know the stink of my rotting corpse that will never lay down, don\u2019t I? \u00a0But I know something else.\u201d \u00a0He leered at her. \u00a0\u201cI know why the Seventh War ended as it did.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Seventh War?\u201d Then his uniform might truly have been from the Tzar\u2019s grandfather\u2019s days. \u00a0\u201cWe won it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe won it, she said. We won it, did we? \u00a0Did we win? \u00a0Did the Tzar\u2019s soldiers march home triumphant then? \u00a0Were we the <\/span>victors<\/span><\/i>?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOff of her, you foul thing.\u201d \u00a0The Diamond Raven put his hand over the deserter\u2019s and hissed. \u00a0\u201cYou are poison through and through. \u00a0Do not touch her.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh, I will be off and more than that, I will <\/span>lie down, <\/span><\/i>but first you must do something for me\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cYou\u2019re old enough to be out on your own, yes?\u201d \u201cOf course I am.\u201d \u00a0She wrinkled her nose at him. \u00a0\u201cI am here, aren\u2019t I? \u00a0Everyone may keep calling me child, but I have an apprenticeship, I am carrying the weight of my family to the capital, and I – yes. \u00a0I\u2019m old enough.\u201d \u00a0She… Continue reading Seventeen: Crossing, Cross<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Side Quest Chapter Seventeen: Crossing, Cross\r\n\u26f0\ufe0f\r\nRaizel just wants to get to the capital to pay her taxes. Will she ever get there?","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-quest"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Tn4Q-1f","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":72,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/08\/22\/sixteen-the-arrow-pulled\/","url_meta":{"origin":77,"position":0},"title":"Sixteen: the Arrow Pulled","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"August 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Tzarin and his people wanted to leave slow and late the next day, so Raizel and the Diamond\u00a0Raven left them behind, not without some relief. The Raven was quiet as they walked, which suited Raizel. \u00a0It was early, the sun was low and rising lazily, and she wanted to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":49,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/14\/seven-moving-on\/","url_meta":{"origin":77,"position":1},"title":"Seven: Moving On","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 14, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The black-and-blue light danced upwards like a geyser and then seemed to be sucked downwards, towards the books. \u200b\u201dNo!\u201d Trinner Traln shouted. \u00a0Raizel glanced at him just in time to see him jerk away from Esterzon Gorenz and dart towards the idol. The blue-black light seemed to suck him in.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":95,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/11\/twenty-two-lost-and-found\/","url_meta":{"origin":77,"position":2},"title":"Twenty-Two: Lost and Found","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"October 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cWhy her?\u201d The Diamond Raven shifted so he was standing almost between Raizel and the Left Hand. \u00a0\u201cWhy this stranger on the street?\u201d \u201cBecause she\u2019s not a stranger, is she? \u00a0She\u2019s the one that everyone\u2019s been muttering about. \u00a0She\u2019s got you, which is interesting in and of itself. \u00a0She\u2019s made\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/11\/twenty-two-lost-and-found\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":92,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/04\/twenty-psst\/","url_meta":{"origin":77,"position":3},"title":"Twenty-One: Psst","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"October 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cI don\u2019t think she really wants the kitten gone,\u201d the Diamond Raven commented, when they were out the gate and on another road. \u00a0\u201cAnd I don\u2019t blame her.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s pretty cute, isn\u2019t it?\u201d \u00a0She looked down at it, and it looked up at her and mewled. \u00a0\u201cI bet it\u2019s terrified.\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/04\/twenty-psst\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":82,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/09\/06\/eighteen-treason-and-heresy\/","url_meta":{"origin":77,"position":4},"title":"Eighteen: Treason and Heresy","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"September 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cNo!!\u201d The deserter shook his head, more as if to clear a bug from his ear than to negate a thought. \u201cNot for me. \u00a0\u2018No aid for deserters,\u2019 I know so well. \u00a0Do it for the nation, then.\u201d \u00a0He pulled a tattered old piece of paper from an inner pocket.\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/09\/06\/eighteen-treason-and-heresy\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/27\/twelve-watch-what-you-say\/","url_meta":{"origin":77,"position":5},"title":"Twelve: Watch What You Say","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The man who might or might not b the Diamond Raven struggled, but he couldn\u2019t seem to do anything about the cord around his neck and, rather than have Raizel tug it tighter, he followed her. \u00a0\u201cI have things I should get-\u201d he protested, but she didn\u2019t listen, and then\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/27\/twelve-watch-what-you-say\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77\/revisions\/79"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}