Logan pushed himself upright in bed as Rena and Asha stood up from the floor.

               [SFX clothes rustling]

Cas closed the door then leaned against it and crossed their arms.

               [SFX door closing]

They were lean, with short black hair and big green eyes. They were clad completely in black which made their skin look paler than it actually was. They were wearing a loose cotton blouse and had tucked the ends of the sleeves into a pair of black leather gloves.

A faint smile tugged at their lips but didn’t reach their eyes and with the intensity of their stare, Rena couldn’t shake the feeling that a great beast had snuck into their room.

RENA: [stammering, almost like a question] I’m sorry, I didn’t know Kalani was your wife.

CAS: [jovial, with a hint of resentment at the end] No, of course not, how would you? But the other two know.

Logan slipped his legs out from under the blanket and tried to stand up, but he quickly sat down again, clutching a hand against his wound.

LOGAN: [apprehensive, in pain] Why are you here?

CAS: Well, I was tired of waiting downstairs on my own, silly.

LOGAN: No, I mean, why are you in Halvint? Why did you leave Rancor?

ASHA: I asked them to come.

LOGAN: [exasperated] Of course you did. Listen, Cas, we can fix this ourselves. Kalani probably already got away from the guards on her own and is waiting outside town. She’s resourceful like that. There’s truly no need for you to be here. And I’m sure there are more important things that require your full attention.

Rena stepped closer to Logan, afraid that if he tried to stand up again, he would simply collapse.

RENA: I think we could use any help we can get.

LOGAN: [under his breath] You don’t want to be in their debt.

RENA: [whisper back] Why not?

Rena glanced over at Cas who was staring at her without blinking, the faint smile still on their lips.

CAS: [slower] Nonsense. [with more energy] Being in my debt is as easy as milk spoiling if you forget it in the sun. It’s just a natural state of the world. I would dare to proclaim that being in my debt is easier than not being in it, am I right, Asha? Certainly easier to be in my debt than in someone like Deacon’s.

Logan’s head snapped up as he stared at Cas with wide eyes.

LOGAN: Why? What did he say?

Rena wasn’t sure what they were talking about until it dawned on her that she’d heard the name before. In the city of Rancor, after they’d found Asha and met up with Logan again, he had acted strangely even though he’d insisted everything was fine. Hadn’t he mentioned someone called Deacon then? And something about a deal blowing up?

Rena shifted uneasily, the worry of that day creeping back into her.

CAS: [exaggerated sigh] I’m not your personal records keeper, Logan. I’m sure you know yourself whichever debt you haven’t repaid yet and why he’s so desperately looking for you. Or maybe he’s simply one of your jilted lovers. Although, I think even your standards aren’t that low.

Asha stepped forward until she stood to Rena’s left, arms crossed to mirror Cas’ stance.

ASHA: Let’s not get distracted. What Deacon does or doesn’t want isn’t relevant right now.

LOGAN: [mistrustful] No, they know something.

Logan kept his gaze focused on Cas, narrowing his eyes as if he was trying to read their thoughts. Cas shrugged and pushed away from the door, before slowly stepping closer to them.

               [SFX slow footsteps]

CAS: I know a great many things, Logan. But Asha’s right, we shouldn’t get distracted. If I recall correctly, you’ve got some people to save. But what to do, what to do? Time isn’t on your side, after all.

ASHA: We need to head back to Rancor before everyone’s left. I’ve got some ideas about who could help us, but I don’t know if they’ve already left the region or not.

LOGAN: You’re uprooting the camp?

CAS: With the ruckus you’ve been making here? Of course. The military and the historical academy have infected the region like fleas, I’m not waiting around for them to weasel their way into my city.

Rena felt something twist in her stomach. Guards were swarming the region because of her. It was her fault that people had to abandon their homes and move somewhere else. How could she still expect help from these people if she was the one putting them in danger?

RENA: [hesitant] Is it a smart idea to head back to Rancor? I mean, Ocassian’s right, we probably don’t have a lot of time. We don’t know what the guards will do to Rodrick and Kalani, the longer we wait, the further away they could take them.

ASHA: Exactly, we don’t know where they’ve taken them, we need to get to people who can get us more information.

RENA: [hesitant] What about Devon? Darian mentioned he might be able to help.

CAS: You really want to trust someone who works for the Royal Council?

Cas had stepped over to the other side of Logan’s bed and had sat down on the bed Rena had slept in. They were leaning back on their elbows and had crossed their legs at the knees, lazily swinging their right leg back and forth.

CAS: The same people who are swarming the province searching for you? Who are looking away as their kingdom burns? You really think he isn’t just going to rat you out?

Cas’ eyes were fixed on hers and it took Rena all of her strength not to look away. If she dug her nails into the palms of her hands the pain would distract her enough that she even forgot to blink. Somehow, it seemed important not to let Cas get the upper hand, that they were simply here to test her and how she persevered would dictate the course of her future.

RENA: [slow voice] I don’t think he would. He knew people from Oceansthrow, I’m sure he also wants justice for them.

CAS: Oh, I bet he knows exactly who set the fire. But loyalty to friends only goes so far. If your superior tells you to close your eyes and shut your mouth, you do it, or you won’t get far in your career.

With a grimace, Logan pushed himself up from the bed, gently manoeuvring Rena to the side so he stood between her and Cas.

LOGAN: [with some effort] There aren’t a million places they could have taken Kalani and Rodrick. They might try to get them over the border or transfer them to the military academy, but I don’t think they’ve done it yet. Not with the losses they sustained yesterday. And there’s too much paperwork involved in their whole operation, they first need to prepare their arrest records and all that nonsense.

ASHA: If they’re making an official arrest.

LOGAN: Right, but I don’t think they’d veer too far from their usual protocol. I bet they’ve put Rodrick and Kalani in some holding cells in the meantime. Not in one of the smaller towns though, they need more security than that. My bet is they brought them to Hollowtooth. And if I’m wrong, we can always gather more information later. We don’t need Rancor for that.

CAS: If you say so.

Cas got up and brushed down their pants.

               [SFX clothes rustling]

CAS: We’ll see if you won’t come crawling back to me in the end, like so often. But I suppose I’ll be so kind and keep my ear to the wind. Can’t punish Rena for your stubbornness. And maybe I’ll even find them before you. Make it a little game, see who’s more competent. I wouldn’t want to put the fate of my wife solely in your hands, after all. She’s too important for that.

               [SFX slow footsteps]

They walked over to the door, hands clasped behind their back, barely regarding them anymore.

               [SFX door creaking open]

They stopped before stepping out, turning one last time to look at Rena.

CAS: Right, before I forget, I think I heard a rumour or two that might be of interest to you. Oh, but silly me, I seem to have forgotten what it was. Something or other about another survivor from Oceansthrow. Tragic that I can’t remember who or where they are. Oh well, it can’t be helped, I’m sure it’ll come back to me eventually. I’ll see the three of you around, like a headache that just won’t leave me alone.

               [SFX knocking on wood twice, leisurely footsteps leaving]

Rena’s vision blurred. She had to sit down on the bed or she might have lost her balance. Another survivor? Were they talking about Maya, or was there someone else? If they knew where Maya was, they would have surely told her. They wouldn’t be toying with her like this if it was about someone as important as Maya. But could there be more survivors besides her and her sister? Well, of course there could, there was nothing special about her. It would be stranger if she was the only survivor. But why hadn’t she heard about it until now? Had she simply left Halvint too quickly that first day after the fire? Was it someone who had been out of town and had only returned later? Or was Cas lying to rile her up? But what could they gain from that?

RENA: [murmur]: What?

LOGAN [whisper]: That’s Cas for you.

ASHA: They’re usually friendlier.

LOGAN [whisper]: Barely. [groan]

Logan sat down next to her again, his right hand holding the wound on his stomach. He lay down, his head dangling off the other edge of the bed. He ran a hand through his hair, carting through his curls with his fingers.

RENA [stunned]: Do you think there really are more survivors?

LOGAN: Wouldn’t be that strange. They might have just landed somewhere besides Halvint.

               [SFX heavy footsteps coming closer, door closes]

Darian rushed into the room, a grim expression on his face.

DARIAN: We need to get you out of here. Someone’s looking for you in town. For now it’s just one guard, but who knows when more will arrive. Devon’s managed to lead them away from the inn but they won’t stay at the other end of town forever. Logan, Valentina wants to take a look at your wound again, and then we’ll need to smuggle you out of here. Valentina can drive you somewhere if you hide behind the crates in our wagon, people will just think she’s running some errands, but we need to act quickly.

ASHA: Can she get us to Hollowtooth?

DARIAN: Hollowtooth? That would take a couple of hours [pause, sigh] I’ll talk to her, but it should be possible.

RENA: Thank you. For everything. You’ve done so much for us. I don’t even know how to repay you, but I’ll find a way! You’ve put yourself in so much danger for us and I hope you know that we don’t take that for granted.

Darian ran a hand over his short-cropped beard, averting his eyes from Rena’s.

DARIAN: [mumble] Just trying to be helpful. [clearer] But we really need to go, Valentina’s already waiting.

               ~~~~

               [SFX nature sounds, horse walking]

Less than half an hour later they were sitting in the back of a rudimentary wagon, hiding behind a wall of empty crates with a canvas fastened above them. Valentina had cleaned and bandaged Logan’s wound and had given them all old clothes. Rena had received a dark blue dress that used to belong to Valentina’s niece and was several sizes too big for Rena but stayed on her body with the help of one of Darian’s belts. She tied her hair up and hid it underneath a head scarf in the same manner her mother used to wear in the mornings.

Asha had refused to wear a dress, stating that if a fight were to break out, she’d need her usual range of motion. She’d instead gotten Darian’s old clothes – a pair of brown linen pants that had seen better days and a thick cotton blouse that could hide her armguards. She had grumbled about the odd fit of them but did recognise that her blue tunic was too easily recognisable. She refused, however, to take off her jewellery and simply hid them under the hood of a short cape. The matter of her sword was another problem. She refused to leave it behind, and Rena had to reluctantly admit that she felt safer with the sword close by, but it was too distinct not to hide it at all, so off it went into the burlap sack with their original clothes.

Logan ended up with clothes that actually looked nicer than his own, seeing as they weren’t riddled with patched-up holes.

               [SFX nature sounds slowly turn to town sounds]

The ride to Hollowtooth was agony, they barely had any space to stretch their legs and the air grew so heavy and hot that Rena felt like she might lose consciousness at any moment. It took them a few hours to reach the other town, although Rena couldn’t tell exactly how many. Her stomach had started growling halfway through the journey and her mouth had long dried up. She couldn’t imagine that her companions were doing much better – especially Logan with his wound – but neither of them complained even once, or said anything at all for that matter, so the ride stretched out in silence – making seconds feel like hours – until Valentina finally stopped the cart.

               [SFX horse walking stops, neighing, town sounds mixed with ocean sounds]

Rena was ready to burst out from under the canvas but waited diligently for Valentina to set them free. She had stopped the cart in a small back alley between two tall buildings, the alley only illuminated dimly as the sun reflected off of the white plaster of the facades. The buildings felt oppressive as if they could bend over her and crush her at any moment. She had been to Hollowtooth a handful of times, but never in this district. By the smell of it, they were right next to the sea and probably a large fish market.

VALENTINA: I can’t get you closer to the centre of town, it would be difficult to find a street without any curious eyes. You’ll have to find your destination on your own.

Rena stepped out of the cart, followed by Asha who slung their burlap sack over her shoulder and held a hand out so Logan could step down with ease. He grimaced as he landed on the cobbled street and held his side with his free hand.

RENA: Thank you so much! I’m sorry for all of the danger we’ve put you in.

Valentina hoisted the canvas back over the empty crates with some effort, gesturing for Asha to tie it down properly.

VALENTINA: It wouldn’t feel right if we let the guards get to you. But you should leave now. These parts aren’t always safe, even if they seem empty. If you follow this road to the west and head north on the main road you’ll reach the beginning of town. [pause] Logan, are you sure you’re gonna be fine? We can still find a way to get you to Rancor.

LOGAN [with some effort]: Yeah, don’t worry about me, I’ve lived through worse.

RENA: I’ll make sure to inspect and clean his wound regularly so it doesn’t get infected.

LOGAN [mumbling]: I’ve lived without a mother for over a decade, I won’t need one now either.

Rena opened her mouth to argue with him, but Asha had already said her goodbyes to Valentina and turned around, so Rena had to hurry to catch up with her.

They barely met other people on the streets although Rena could hear people working inside the buildings. As they reached the main road, Rena finally saw what was inside the big buildings. They had been built on top of the beach, meaning that the ocean flowed into some of the buildings so that ships could be manoeuvred into them. In one building further from the ocean, she saw how a ship was being newly built, workers swarming around its giant hull like ants.

Asha admonished her for looking around too much, saying that it made them look suspicious if they seemed like they’d never been there before. Rena kept her eyes on the ground from then on, although it was difficult not to glance around out of curiosity.

[SFX less ocean, more city]

As they entered the city, the streets started filling up with people. Hollowtooth was a busy place, somewhere people from all over the kingdom came to do business and visit the ocean. The houses looked newer and bigger than what Rena was used to from Oceansthrow or even Halvint, but they didn’t come close to the splendour of the Plains’ inner sections.

They headed towards town, hiding in the mass of people on the main road so they could avoid any guards who might be looking for them. Although, Rena wondered how many of the guards actually knew what they looked like. They would probably be safe if they didn’t draw any attention to themselves.

They followed the crowd to a busy market where merchants were selling all kinds of things, worst of all, food that made Rena’s stomach grumble and turn until the pain made her dizzy.

RENA [murmur]: I’m so hungry.

[brief pause, clothes rustling]

LOGAN: [murmur] Here you go.

Logan held out two fist-sized balls of dough covered in almond pieces, biting into a third one with his other hand. Rena hadn’t even noticed him stopping to buy them but she had been so distracted by the myriad of sounds and smells surrounding her that she hadn’t been paying much attention to her companions.

RENA: [astonished] Oh, thank you! I didn’t know you had money on you.

LOGAN: Oh no, I don’t.

Rena stopped for a second, the pastry halfway to her lips, but then decided that her hunger was greater than her need for the truth. She bit into the dough ball, the crunch of the almonds giving way to the sweet softness of the honey cake. She closed her eyes for a second, letting the taste of the pastry flood her senses, feeling the dough pass down her throat and to her stomach, alleviating the dull pain she’d been feeling for the past few hours.

ASHA: You better not get us into any trouble, Logan.

LOGAN: Would be the easiest way to get into the holding cells though.

ASHA: It would also be the stupidest way.

RENA: We need to find the guard station first.

LOGAN: It’s not far from here. I’ve been inside before, they really put a lot of money into that building. Renovated all of it about five years ago after some guy blew up one of the walls. It’s not a big building but the cells don’t touch the outside walls anymore. Makes it harder to escape. There’s a spot in the entrance though where you can see who they’re keeping in the cells. We could just enter the station and try to take a peek at who’s inside. Maybe we’re lucky and Rodrick and Kalani are actually here. Would be good to know we didn’t just waste our time. I really don’t think they’ve shipped them off to the military academy though, but if the Crows are in charge they might have just booked it to Baedan.

RENA: I could pretend I’m lost and ask for directions. Maybe I’ll catch a glance at the cells.

LOGAN [pensive] We could try. If you act young and sweet they won’t get too annoyed at you. The spot is to the very left. You’ll have to lean against the wall to properly look into the other room and there’s a door. If you time it right you can look past the person walking through, you just need to make sure you don’t look too suspicious.

___________

They waited outside of the guard station for a bit, observing it, but nothing seemed much out of the ordinary. Guards and civilians walked in and out with varying degrees of urgency, sometimes together, more often separately.

Logan started to get impatient, unable to stand still to the point where Rena feared he might burst and run into the station himself. So she took all of her courage into her two hands and calmly walked in, clutching her hands together so they wouldn’t tremble too much.

[SFX people talking in a room]

The station wasn’t much different from the one in Halvint. A handful of tables were strewn across the rather small room with people sitting behind them or standing around them. The wall to her left was covered in wanted posters showing the faces of supposed criminals. She slowly approached it, feigning interest in the posters although her focus was actually on the back of the room. Behind the desks, to the very left, was a door, as Logan had mentioned. Rena stopped right in front of the posters, angled so that she could see whenever someone went through the door. It opened and closed, a guard entering the front room, long enough for Rena to see the metal bars that made up the cells but too quickly for her to see any of the people they held.

Rena slowly walked the length of the wall, letting her eyes trail the posters. She couldn’t keep her mind from imagining what her own face would look like on one of these posters, what Logan’s or Asha’s or Rodrick’s would look like. What would their charges be? What might their punishments be?

A cold shiver ran through her. She knelt down, averting her eyes from the posters, and untied the bow holding up the canvas shoes Valentina had given her. She re-tied them, taking her time to flatten the ribbon perfectly to her ankle, as her eyes glanced towards the door, but no matter how often it opened, she couldn’t get a good luck at the other room.

GUARD: Can I help you, miss?

Rena shot up and found herself face to face with an older woman, maybe in her late fourties, with a weathered guard’s uniform and a serious expression.

RENA [stammering]: Excuse me, yes, I need help. I’m lost, actually. I was trying to get to the harbour, but I couldn’t find it.

She winced. She had wanted to sound more confident but the guard had taken her by surprise. She could see the confusion turn to annoyance on the woman’s face.

RENA [embarassed giggle]: I’m truly sorry. I suppose seeing all of these hoodlums has shaken me more than I thought it would. I’ve never been to Hollowtooth before and my father asked me to meet him at the harbor to help him with his stock. I’m truly sorry, I know you probably have more important things to do, but I didn’t know where else to go. Could you tell me how to get to the harbour? I would be very grateful for your help.

Rena’s eyes darted behind the woman as the door opened once more and this time it stayed open just a moment longer. Rena didn’t want to keep looking at the other room for too long, worried the guard would notice her inattention, but something caught her eye. Her heart leapt into her throat as she saw one of the people pacing inside one of the cells. A tall woman with black skin, lighter spots peppered over her face and hands.

She couldn’t be certain that it was Kalani, she would need to get closer for that, but she thought the likelihood of it being someone else had to be slim.

GUARD [slightly annoyed]: You simply have to follow the main road to the south and you’ll stumble upon it.

Rena forced her eyes to stay fixed on the guard with a soft smile on her lips. She nodded periodically even though nothing the woman said truly registered for her. The possibility that her friends were in the other room had cemented itself into her mind, so how could she concentrate on anything else?

GUARD: Follow the smell of the ocean, you can’t really miss it.

RENA [overly friendly]: Thank you so much!

GUARD [annoyed]: Just ask someone at the market next time. We aren’t map vendors, you know.

RENA: Yes, I know, I’m truly sorry! I won’t bother you any further.

Rena smiled once more at the guard then turned around, glancing one last time at the door which was now closed.

She hurried out of the station but as she reached the door she had to step aside for a larger group of people coming in and her eyes landed on a very familiar face. Piercing blue eyes above sharp cheekbones. Finn only glanced at her for an instant, looking away as if he hadn’t recognised her. He wasn’t being escorted though, he simply walked in with an entourage of guards as if he was simply part of the establishment.

Rena stood frozen for a moment, staring at the empty spot in front of her as her blood pulsed in her ears. Mechanically she opened the door and stepped out, heading south like the guard had told her.

Had Asha been right all along? Had Finn been the one to betray them? But then why had he simply walked past her? A million questions whirled inside her mind as she walked towards the market, not remembering where Logan and Asha were waiting for her.

---

With 85 percent of the votes, our companions continue on the first path.

With time not on their side, Rena, Asha and Logan decide to go look for Kalani and Rodrick right away. But where could the guards have taken them? And is Ocassian going to be any help at all?

By the end of the episode, three choices will be presented to you.

Intro music: Lonely Dusty Trail by Jon Presstone

Logo Design: Mars Lauderbaugh

Promo in the episode: He Who Forsakes The Crown (https://www.chapter15studios.com/he-who-forsakes-the-crown)

[SFX background forest noises]

[Rena, distressed whisper] “Logan, wake up.”

Logan had collapsed on the forest floor, his face buried in the mud and underbrush. Rena slowly knelt down next to him, a trembling hand reaching out to touch his forehead. He didn’t react at all, even when she pushed his shoulder.

               [SFX clothes rustling, Rena panting]

               [Rena grunting]

With great effort she pushed him over onto his back, his head dangling to the side. His face was covered in blood and his hair caked in mud. Rena positioned his head onto her lap, stabilizing it so she could wipe the hair out of his face.

[Rena, trembling voice, starts crying] “Please.”

With the inside of her wrist, she wiped tears from her own cheeks. Blood was smeared over the right side of Logan’s face, throat and down the front of his shirt. Rena unfurled his blood-soaked scarf and pulled at the shirt until Logan’s chest was uncovered. A wide gash ran above his ribcage – blood dripping onto the forest floor. It didn’t look deep – like a sword had barely grazed him, but if she didn’t stop the bleeding soon and get the wound cleaned, Logan might still die.

               [SFX muted footsteps in background, coming closer slowly]

[Rena, muttering to herself, taking deep breaths] “It’s going to be fine. I’ll get you home safe. You don’t have to worry about anything at all, just leave it up to me.”

Rena looked around, wondering what she could do. She would need to find help, but she couldn’t just leave Logan lying unconscious in the middle of the forest. At the very least, she had to get him to the road. She knew she wouldn’t be able to drag him all the way back to Halvint but she hoped she might stumble upon Asha or Kalani or Rodrick or anyone else that might help her. On the other hand, she might also bump into the guards who had been chasing them, but what other choice did she have? If she simply left Logan and ran to Halvint, she might never find her way back to him. Or worse, if she got captured, no one would ever know that he was waiting here for her. She would simply have to take the risk of dragging him back.

[Rena, muttering a bit louder] “I’ll take you to Halvint. I think I’ll have to drag you over the ground. Don’t think that will be very comfortable for you. Really sorry for that. And I’ll probably rip your clothes on the way. You’re just too heavy for me to pick you up. [sigh] But it will be fine. We’ll get to clean your wounds really soon, and then you can rest. Maybe even in a soft bed.”

               [SFX muted footsteps in background, coming closer slowly]

Rena tied Logan’s once light-brown scarf around his waist as best she could, hoping it would stop the bleeding long enough to get him to safety. She gently moved Logan’s head from her lap, got up and picked up Maya’s dress to tie around her shoulders. She leaned down and grabbed Logan under the armpits.

               [SFX clothes and leaves rustle, dragging over forest floor, Rena slips and falls]

[Rena, muttering] “Oh stars! Sorry Logan. [sigh] Okay, let’s try again.”

[SFX same time, someone calling Logan’s name from far away, getting louder with the footsteps, until it can be heard clearly and Rena stops dragging Logan]

[Asha, calling] “Logan! Logan! You better not be dead. I swear to the three winds that if you’ve stopped breathing I’ll drag you back to this realm just to beat you up. You owe me money, remember that? Logan! Logan! Answer me you godless bastard. Logan!”

[Rena, whisper] “Wait.”

Rena dropped into a crouch, making herself as small as possible. Her eyes grew wide as they scanned the forest around them.

               [SFX second loud shout calling her name, accompanied by footsteps]

Rena shot up, her body recognising the voice before she could really register who it might be.

               [SFX shout calling Logan’s name]

[Rena, yelling back] “Asha?”

[Asha] “Rena?”

               [SFX footsteps running closer]

Asha emerged from the trees, covered in mud, her clothes dishevelled. But despite the large rip in her blue tunic, she mostly looked unharmed.

[Asha, with urgency] “Are you hurt?”

[Rena, nervous, stumbling over her words] “No, I’m okay, but Logan needs help. I don’t know what happened. He stumbled towards me and before he could say anything he just collapsed. I’ve been trying to get him back to the road but he’s just too heavy for me.”

[Asha] “[SIGH] I need him awake. The guards caught the others, we need to go after them.”

[Rena, hesitant] “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Asha knelt down next to Logan, opened one of his eyes to look at it, then laid her ear to his chest. She straightened again, looking down at Logan while running a hand over her scalp.

[Rena, still hesitant] “Maybe if we hurry we can get him to safety and you’ll still be able to catch up to the other.”

[Asha] “They’d be long gone. [pause] We need to get him to Halvint first. We’ll figure the rest out later.”

She stood back up and got under Logan’s shoulder.

[Asha] “Get the other arm.”

               [SFX clothes rustle, huffing, footsteps in forest]

[Rena, with effort] “Do you think the others will be okay?”

[Asha, mutter] “I really hope so. We’ll have to talk to Ocassian. They’ll know how to proceed. Won’t be happy to hear that they caught Kalani though.”

A tightness was starting to grip around Rena’s chest, making it hard to breathe. The thought of Rodrick and Kalani being imprisoned – or worse – because of her, because she dragged them into this mess, clawed its way into her mind, taking over her whole body, and pooled itself into her stomach. They didn’t even know where Finn was. He might be dead because of her. And what about Vincent? The guards wouldn’t be as careful with a dog as they might be with a human. Something horrible could have happened to him.

She shook her head. There was no sense in thinking such dark thoughts. They could discuss what might have happened to the others and how to proceed once they were safe, once Logan was safe.

               [SFX forest fades out]

               ______

By the time they had arrived in Halvint Rena’s feet ached andshe had lost the feeling in her arms and fingers, the weight of Logan’s body still lingering on her shoulders. A headache had nestled itself behind her eyes, making her vision blurry.

Asha had insisted they remain in the safety of the trees and shouldn’t step onto the road for fear the guards were still waiting for them. They arrived back at Darian’s inn without any incidents, but without stumbling upon Kalani and Rodrick either. They were promptly shooed into one of the rooms, away from any prying eyes.

               [SFX door creaks shut]

[Darian] “Put him on the bed.”

               [SFX clothes rustle and tearing, bed creaking]

               [SFX door opens and closes]

[Valentina] “Move, let me get to him. Bring the wash basin closer.”

A short woman, barely reaching Rena’s hips, with thick brown hair tied into a braid with silver jewellery laced into it, burst into the room. In one hand she held both a stepping stool and a bundle of rags, with a bowl of whitish-green paste in the other. Rena recognised her from her previous visits as Darian’s wife, Valentina.

She placed the stool next to the bed allowing for a better look at Logan’s wounds. Asha hurried to bring the empty wash basin closer, pouring the pitcher of fresh water into the basin – a splash of water landing on the floor instead of where it could be useful.

               [SFX water hitting ground]

Rena stepped out of the way to the other side of the bed. Without hindering Valentina’s efforts, she unwrapped Logan’s scarf from his waist and pulled the remainder of his shirt over his head, and let both garments fall to the ground.

               [SFX cloth through water, ringing out cloth, wet cloth over skin]

[Valentina] “The wound doesn’t look too deep. It should heal, as long as it doesn’t get infected.”

[Rena] “[deep sigh] Thank the stars.”

Valentina dunked one of the rags in the water before cleaning up the blood. With a different rag, she picked up some of the paste and smeared it generously on Logan’s wound.

[Valentina] “We’ll need to monitor the wou-“

[Logan] “[groggy moaning] Ow. Shit.”

[Rena] “Logan?”

[Logan] “What?”

[Rena, excited] “You’re awake!”

[Logan] “Rena? [BEAT] Where am I?”

[Rena] “We’re back in Halvint. Don’t worry, we’re safe now, you’ll be better in no time.”

[Logan] “You’re okay, right? Where are the others? Ah, fuck! What’s going on?”

[Valentina] “Hush. It’s just an Aloe Vera paste. It’s going to help your wound heal.”

[Logan] “[sigh] Thank you, kind soul, whoever you are.”

[Darian] “That’s my wife, so keep your hands to yourself.”

[Logan, slurring] “Yes, yes, yes. I’m just… going to take a little nap now.”

Logan’s head slumped unceremoniously to the side again. Rena ran a hand over his head, brushing the hair back so it wouldn’t cover his face.

[Rena, softly] “You’ll be fine.”

While Valentina placed one of the clean rags over the paste on the wound, Asha wiped the remains of blood away from Logan’s chest. There was too much of it for it to all be his own.

[Valentina] “I’m going to see if I can find a shirt that fits him.”

Valentina stepped down from the stool and picked up the basin – the water now crimson. She placed the dirty rags inside of it and left the clean ones at the foot of the bed.

After Valentina had left, the room remained silent as the others observed Logan’s sleeping body. Darian had crossed his arms and was standing at the foot of the bed, his jaw clenching and unclenching as if he were deep in thought.

[Darian, exacerbated] “So… Is anyone gonna tell me what happened?”

Rena glanced over at Darian, then to Asha, unsure of how much they should say.

[Asha] “It’s a long story.”

Darian deserved more than that. They trusted him enough for shelter and help, they could easily tell him the entire story. Besides, he knew almost everything about their investigation anyway.

[Rena, a bit hesitant] “We found where the strangers are staying, the ones that you told us about yesterday. We’re pretty sure now that they’re the ones who set fire to Oceansthrow, or at least they’re part of the organisation that did it. They’ve also taken Maya. I don’t know where though but we have a lead. We tried to confront the strangers about it. Didn’t go too well. But we were on our way to Baedan because that’s where they might be keeping Maya. But we didn’t get very far. A handful of guards attacked us. Looked like they were working with the strangers.”

[Darian, after some silence] “Which guards?”

[Asha] “Didn’t recognise them. I don’t think they were from around here.”

[Darian, swearing under breath] “Shit. I’ll have to go talk to Devon.”

[Rena, concerned] “Is that safe? What if he leads the others back to us?”

[Darian] “Don’t worry, we can trust him.”

Rena glanced over at Asha, waiting for her to challenge Darian’s statement, but she stayed quiet.

[Rena, hesitant] “Okay.”

[Asha] “I’m going back to Rancor tonight to get Ocassian. We’ll need their help. I don’t know what’s going on around here but it’s bigger than what we could handle on our own.”

[Darian] “Where’s the rest of your group?”

[Asha] “We don’t know.”

[Rena] “We haven’t seen Finn since this morning and we got separated from Rodrick and Kalani when the guards attacked.”

[Darian, pensive] “If the guards caught them Devon might have heard something about that.”

[Asha] “I’ll tell Ocassian to listen to the whispers. Maybe they were seen somewhere. As for Finn… I don’t think we’ll see him again, at least not on our side of the story.”

Rena glanced at Asha again, their eyes meeting and holding for a while. She didn’t want to mistrust Finn without any real evidence but maybe Asha was right to have her doubts about him. He had either been caught by the guards or had abandoned them. Or he might even be the one who ordered the attack – even if that didn’t truly make sense to Rena.

[Darian, more decisive] “As soon as Logan’s better we’ll have to set you up somewhere safer. If the guards come looking for you, you’ll be too easy to find. Too many people know that you’ve stayed here in the past.”

[Asha] “We’ll be safest in Rancor until Logan’s fully healed.”

[Darian] “Let’s hope he’ll be able to walk on his own by morning.”

______

               [SFX fire crackling gets louder over time, children crying]

Rena stood inside the church, surrounded by children cowering underneath their school desks. She was holding Maya’s hand, gripping her tightly so she couldn’t lose her again. Heat kept her from breathing as the walls pulsed bright white, yellow and red. She turned, noticing that her brother Valerio was now holding her hand, staring at her without blinking. Rena looked around in confusion, trying to figure out where Maya had gotten to, but she was nowhere to be found. Instead, she saw that triangles were slowly etching themselves into the walls, intertwining, a line running between them and connecting them all.

[Rena, dazed] “It’s gonna be fine. We just need to find a way out of here.”

               [SFX pounding at the door, horses neighing from far away]

[Guard] “By order of Captain Silac and the Royal Council, I command that you vacate the premises immediately.”

Rena turned round and round, searching for a way out, but the light hurt her eyes too much. Fire had engulfed the furniture around her, the only things remaining were the desks the children were hiding under. Lino, her youngest brother, was now holding her hand, silently crying as he stared at the door.

[Rena] “We’ll find a way out. They won’t get to us, don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.”

               [SFX tower crashes, then fire crackling stops abruptly, replaced by Rena panting, fast at first then she calms down]

She was in bed, clothes clinging to her body, her heart pounding in her ears. With wide eyes she stared at the wooden ceiling until her breathing had calmed.

Rena: [Deep settling sigh]

It had only been a dream. She wasn’t in any danger. She was safe in Darian’s inn, or at least… as safe as she could be.

She pushed herself upright and placed her forehead against her knees. Her hand wandered down to the leaf-shaped pendant around her neck, her fingers grazing the scar underneath she had gotten a week prior.

She closed her eyes and listened to Logan’s calm breaths in the bed next to hers. Her tongue still lay heavy in her mouth, a bad taste assaulting it. She slowly opened her eyes again and looked towards Logan, who seemed to have barely moved during the night.

Rena slipped out of bed to head over to him, but as she stood dizziness flooded her senses and she stumbled back down. She took a handful of deep breaths and steadied herself before trying a second time.

               [SFX footsteps bare feet on wooden floor]

[Rena, whispering, rough voice] “Good morning, Logan. How are you doing? I hope you don’t mind if I take a look at your wounds. We should probably wash it out and get you new bandages.”

               [SFX clothes rustle]

[Rena, whispering] “That doesn’t look too bad. I don’t think it’s infested. Best to put some new paste on, though, if Valentina still has some.”

               [SFX clothes rustle]

She pulled the blanket back over Logan but avoided setting it on his wound. She turned around to head to the wash basin but they had never brought a new one back in after Valentina had taken the dirty water with her. She would have to find Darian and ask him for some fresh water.

Before she could head out the room her eyes caught on Maya’s dress she had folded and set on a chair the night before. She stopped, staring at it for a while before she carefully walked over and, with trembling hands, slowly touched the fabric. She lifted it up to her nose and took a deep breath, before burying her face in it. She knew the dress couldn’t smell of their bakery anymore, but if she closed her eyes she could believe that she did smell the fresh bread.

               [SFX metal falling on wood]

Something small fell out. Rena stepped back, searching the floor until her eyes landed on a dented, golden ring with a green gem in it. She recognized it. It was her grandmother’s old ring that Maya had tried to polish and keep as her own. She bent down, stopping just before her fingers could touch the ring. Maybe it was an illusion. Maybe she was still in her dream. What if the ring disappeared once she touched it? Would it break her?

She pushed her hand forward, forcing it through the air as if through thick mud until her fingers grazed the cold metal. It didn’t disappear. She picked it up and stood back up, holding it in the palm of her hand, its weight feeling more real than the room she was standing in as if it would fall through her flesh and onto the floor at any moment. She closed her hand tightly around it, afraid she might drop it.

She could feel her throat tightening, her eyes burning, the tears welling up and slowly rolling down her cheeks.

She took a few steps until her back hit the wall beside Logan’s bed and let her body slide down. She pulled her legs close and buried her face in her sister’s dress. She wanted her back. Wanted to hold her, and run a hand over her hair, and kiss her cheek, and laugh with her, and scold her, and talk until the small hours of the morning. It hurt so much. The memories and the longing and the uncertainty and the hope that maybe, just maybe, she was still alive and Rena could see her again. If she couldn’t ever see her parents or her brothers or her uncle and aunt ever again, at least she might be able to see Maya again. If only her luck held steady. If only the universe willed it so. She would never wish for anything else for the rest of her life.

               [SFX clothes rustling]

[Logan, mumbling awake] “Hmmm. [sigh] Fuck.”

[Rena, sniffle] “Logan?”

Rena brushed the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand.

[Logan, exhausted] “Yeah.”

[Rena, sniffle] “How are you feeling?”

He raised a hand into the air and waved it around before letting it fall down to the bed again.

[Rena, tired] “Yeah.”

[Logan, groaning] “Everything hurts.”

[Rena] “I could ask Valentina if she has anything that could make the pain bearable.”

[Logan] “Like a whole bottle of wine. The really deep red one from up north.”

[Rena, chuckle] “I don’t think that would be wise.”

[Logan] “I never claimed to be a wise man.”

Rena looked out over the room, her eyes idly fixed on the door in front of her. The quicker she got up, the quicker Logan would feel better, but she just couldn’t get herself to move. She was too tired. The dress and the ring felt too heavy, like they were keeping her in place.

[Logan] “How are you?”

[Rena, after a pause] “I’m okay.”

[Logan, quietly, after another pause] “Liar.”

               [SFX footsteps outside, door opens, footsteps inside, door closes]

[Asha] “You’re both awake. Good. Ocassian is waiting for you.”

Asha stepped into the room, fully dressed with her sword in its scabbard at her side, as if she’d already been awake and active for a couple of hours. She stopped when she saw Rena and frowned down at her.

Rena instinctively rubbed at her eyes again to get rid of the last remaining tears – the ring still digging into her closed fist – and forced a smile onto her lips.

Asha frown softened as she shot Rena back a small smile.

               [SFX blanket rustling, Logan grunting]

[Logan, groaning] “Nope, no, bad idea.”

Logan lowered himself back down, admitting that his plan to get up had been terrible, and draped both arms over his eyes.

[Asha] “Don’t force it.”

               [SFX footsteps]

[Logan, dismissive] “Yeah, yeah.”

Asha stepped closer, unbuckled her scabbard and placed it on Logan’s bed next to his legs. She headed to Rena and sat down next to her.

[Asha] “How are you holding up?”

Rena kept smiling, ready to say she was doing fine again, but the moment passed without any words escaping her lips and slowly her smile faded. She looked down at her sister’s dress in her lap, then opened her hand to reveal the ring, her palm pale white where it had dug into her flesh.

[Rena, quietly] “It fell out of Maya’s dress.”

               [SFX clothes rustling]

[Logan] “Did the Crow leave it in there?”

Rena shook her head calmly.

[Rena] “It used to belong to my grandmother, but Maya wanted to keep it for herself. I’ll need to take care of it until I can give it back.”

[Asha, bit of silence] “You see these arm guards? They used to belong to one of my brothers. He died a few years ago, when we were still back home.”

[Rena] “You have brothers?”

[Asha] “Had. Mostly.”

[Rena] “I’m truly sorry. You must miss them terribly.”

[Asha, a little pause] “And it never gets easier. You can only accept that your life is different now and there’s no going back. I spent months after his death bargaining and trying to figure out all the possibilities how he could still be alive, but it was all just a waste of time.”

[Logan, muttering] “Harsh.”

[Asha] “What I’m trying to say is, because those months were agony for me. Even now I still catch myself thinking that he might be out there somewhere. And I know that he isn’t. He died that day and I have to live with that knowledge. There’s nothing to be done about it. [small pause] I don’t want you to go through the same pain.”

[Rena, mutter] “But-“

[Asha] “I know that you found your sister’s dress, and I’m not telling you to abandon your quest, but we have to acknowledge the fact that this might not be the definitive proof you’re hoping for. It’s strange that they would keep her dress, I’ll give you that, but I need you to tell me that you know that finding this dress might not mean what you think it means. That … she might still be gone.”

[Logan] “There’s better ways to say that-.”

[Asha, harshly] “Stay out of this.”

Asha kept her eyes on Rena, dark and piercing, full of sorrow and desperation, something Rena had never seen on Asha’s face before.

[Rena, small voice] “I know.”

[Asha, after a small pause] “Good. [pause] You know I’m not saying this to be harsh. Clinging to the idea that she has to be alive to the point where you disregard any other possibilities will only lead to sorrows.”

[Rena, small voice] “Yeah, I know.”

[Asha] “If she is still alive, we will find her. I can promise you that. But there will be a time when we might have to give up our search.”

               [SFX quick footsteps, door flung open]

[Cass] “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the fuckers who lost my wife. Logan, lovely to see that you got what you deserved. Rena, darling, I extend my deepest condolences to you and a vow to help you in any way that I can. But now to the important questions. How exactly are you planning to get Kalani back to me?”

---

 Season 2 has finally arrived! Get ready to accompany Rena on her quest to uncover what truly happened to her hometown and to find if her sister is truly still alive. But first, she’ll have to get her group of adventurers back together, and maybe get some new companions.

CW: vague mentions of wounds and blood, fire, PTSD induced dream.

 If you are interested in getting a copy of A Searing Faith, the novelisation of season 1, while it is on sale, find it in your favourite retailer here:
https://books2read.com/A-Searing-Faith

By the end of the episode, three choices will be presented to you.

Intro music: Lonely Dusty Trail by Jon Presstone

Logo Design: Mars Lauderbaugh

Promo in the episode: Packhowl Media (https://www.packhowlmedia.com/)

A fire. A lost home. A cover-up to be unravelled. Rena knows she can’t be the only one who survived the fire in Oceansthrow, not after finding evidence that her sister might still be alive. But where is she? And what does the Crow want with her?

Who even is the Crow? All evidence points to them being responsible for setting the fire. A strange cult obsessed with the Gods people forgot about centuries ago. A cult the guards and the Royal Council seem to be working with. But Rena will soon realise that they’re not the only ones operating in shadows and that their connection to the kingdom goes deeper than she or her companions realise.

She first has to find her companions though. Logan is hurt, Finn has disappeared, and Rena doesn’t know what happened to the rest of her crew. Did the Crow kidnap them, did the guards lock them up, or did they manage to get away? New allies will join her on her quest, and one of them isn’t all too happy that Rena let the guards get to their wife. Ocassian, Sovereign Outcast of the city of Rancor, has been looking into the fire and the strange circumstances surrounding it. Most of Rena’s companions are connected to Cass, but how much should Rena really trust them? Will they actually help Rena find her sister or do they have other plans in mind? But how much can Rena trust the rest of her companions anyway? And what about the strange fox that helped her find her way out of the forest?

Help Rena get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the Crow and find out if she truly isn’t the only one who survived the fire that took her family away from her. The Heart Pyre comes back September 28^th. Episodes will be posted every 3 weeks to give listeners more time to vote for how they want the story to continue.

---

The time has finally arrived, Season 2 will start soon. On the 28th of September to be precise. Get a small taste of what’s to come in this trailer.

If you want to be informed right away anytime a new episode drops so you don’t miss your chance to vote, consider subscribing to the newsletter:

https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/371877/89157946310657076/share

Intro music: Lonely Dusty Trail by Jon Presstone

Logo Design: Mars Lauderbaugh

This is a bonus episode narrating the first three chapters of A Searing Faith, the novelization of the first season of The Heart Pyre.

If you’re interested in knowing more about the book or buying a copy, follow this link:

https://www.audreymartinbooks.com/novels

If you want to sign-up for the newsletter to be notified whenever a new episode drops, follow this link:

https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/371877/89157946310657076/share

Content Warnings: fire, death, child death, graphic depictions of wounds, vomit

Intro music: Lonely Dusty Trail by Jon Presstone

Logo Design: Mars Lauderbaugh

Intro
Welcome, to the Heart Pyre.

The novelization of the first season is out now as an ebook and paperback, so I thought I would read the first three chapters to you so you can see what changed and what stayed the same.

If you want to support the show, consider checking out the book. I’ll leave a link in the show notes.

I also wanted to say that I now have a specific newsletter for the podcast that will inform you whenever there’s a new episode, so you’ll never miss your chance to vote for how the story continues.

Chapter 1

Rena’s siblings ran around her in a whirlwind of giggles, almost knocking down the two plates she was holding.

“Sit down!” she told them, unable to hold in her laughter. She knew she had to be sterner, but how could she yell at them when their joy was so infectious?

“Stop being so loud,” her third brother, Valerio, mumbled as he sat at the table — having outgrown childish glee over the last couple of months.

“Did you wake up Mom like I told you to?” Rena asked, managing to step around her younger brothers and place the plates on the table.

“Yeah, yeah,” Valerio replied, breaking a bread roll in two and letting the steam rise up from its centre.

“I’m awake, stop worrying,” Rena’s mother called, stepping into the kitchen, her curly brown hair sticking out in every direction. “Thank you for preparing everything, my love,” she said, leaning in to kiss Rena’s cheek.

“I made you some anchovy paste,” Rena told her mother, nodding towards the bowl sitting next to the sink.

“What luck it is to have you in our lives,” her mother replied, putting the bowl on the table in front of her designated seat, before stepping out of the kitchen again.

“Maya, breakfast is ready!” Rena shouted, leaning over to glance down the corridor.

“Did you know—” Lino, the youngest of the bunch, said, arriving at the table. “—that if you feed cows nothing but carrots, they make orange milk. Or maybe purple, depending on the carrots.”

“Is that so?” Rena said with a smirk, turning towards her brothers again.

“What if you feed them both carrots?” Savio, the last of her brothers, asked. “Would the milk be orange and purple, or would it make brown?”

“You are both so stupid,” Valerio mumbled into his bread. 

“Be nice,” Rena whispered as she placed the jug of olive oil next to him.

The front door opened, and Rena’s uncle stepped into the room. He was a tall, burly man, almost filling the entirety of the doorframe. The resemblance to her father could be seen in the wide amber eyes, and the dimple in his right cheek, but his skin was much darker than her father’s — a deep golden brown from working outside in the sun most days, which also showed in the wrinkles around his eyes.

“Good morning everyone!” He bellowed with a wide smile, stepping closer to stand behind Lino’s chair. “Ready for the new week?”

“Why are you already here, Simón?” Rena’s mother asked, as she walked back into the kitchen, tying a red and purple scarf around her hair.

Rena tried to meet her mother’s eyes, to beg her to not start another argument with her uncle, but her mother simply stepped past her.

“The sun rose an hour ago. You should be happy I didn’t arrive when it was still night.”

He leaned forward and picked up the bread roll from Lino’s plate.

“Hey!” Lino cried out, turning to try to get the bread back.

“Where’s my lovely brother, then?” Simón asked, tearing a piece of bread off the roll before popping it into his mouth. He passed the roll back to Lino with a ruffle of his nephew’s hair, smudging him with flour residue.

“In the bakery,” Rena answered, placing mugs of fresh milk on the table in front of her siblings. “He’s had a new idea.”

“Hopefully something useful,” her uncle chuckled nervously.

 “Either way, it smells delicious!” Rena’s mother replied, sitting down next to her eldest son. “Valerio, put something on the bread, don’t just eat it naked like that.”

 “Doesn’t matter how delicious it smells to you if people won’t buy it, my dear Amalia.” Simón sat down on the chair that usually belonged to his brother. “We just talked about this last week. We’re not in the big cities here. People don’t buy things they’ve never heard of before, they buy what they know and can trust. They can’t afford to waste money on something their children won’t eat.”  

Rena closed her eyes for a moment, bracing herself for what was to come. She had hoped they wouldn’t have to start the week like this, but with how tense the situation in her family had become over the last couple of months, she felt stupid for ever wishing for calm.

“You take everything too seriously,” Rena’s mother replied, waving him off. “The situation is nowhere near as dire as you make it out to be. People don’t want to eat the same old food day in, day out.”

“Can we at least eat before we start fighting again?” Rena muttered.

“We’re not fighting,” Amalia said, shooting her brother-in-law a quick smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“So how many of those do you actually sell full-price?” Simón continued, ignoring his niece’s request. He stared at Rena’s mother, his smile gone, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the table. “How many do you have to put on sale at the end of the day because they didn’t sell? Excuse me if I don’t want the mill and the bakery that my great-grandfather already operated to be sold off because you couldn’t bother making the right kind of bread.”

The children had fallen silent, all pretending to be enraptured by the food. Rena put a plate in front of her uncle, and smiled at him.

“We’re not going to lose either of them,” Rena replied, forcing her voice to sound cheerful. “I’m going to help out more after school. I can bake the regular loafs, and Dad can continue making his new recipes, then people can choose which ones they like best. We’ll just reduce the amount we produce so we won’t need to throw any of them out.”

He looked up at her, opening his mouth as if he wanted to say something. Instead, he sighed, and glanced down at his plate.

“I’m just saying,” he started again in a softer voice, looking up at Rena’s mother. “If you would relinquish at least one of the two to me—”

“Stop it.” Amalia pushed away from the table, standing in the same motion. “We already talked about this, the mill and the bakery can’t be separated, they operate as one. We can’t just give up one of them.”

“They only operate as one because of the way you work,” Simón snapped back. “They could very easily be separated.”

 “They have operated like this for twenty years, they will continue operating like this for twenty more. And look at us, we can’t even eat breakfast together without fighting. How do you think it would be if we had to work together?”

“I know money has been a bit tight lately,” Rena interjected, a knot forming in the pit of her stomach. “But we can fix that. I’ve got a plan for the following weeks, and I made sure it was to everyone’s liking. It’s going to be fine, just give us a chance to show you.”

She stared deeply into her uncle’s eyes, pleading for him to finally relent. He held her gaze for a moment, then quickly raised his eyebrows and looked away. The tightness in his jaw, however, revealed that this would not be the last time he brought up the subject.

“She even went around and asked people which goods they liked the most,” her mother added, gesturing widely with her hands. “And then she made us a schedule of when to bake what. Never before have we baked with a schedule, but if my dear Rena thinks that’s what we need to do, then that’s what we’ll do.”

She came over to Rena and took her daughter’s face in her hands, smooshing it together before planting a big kiss on both cheeks. Rena couldn’t help herself but break out in a big grin, and the tightness in her stomach slowly unfurled.

Her uncle didn’t say anything for a while, just observed them, before getting up — the chair screeching as it pushed back.

“Don’t put too much pressure on her,” he said wearily.

“I’ll be fine,” Rena told him, the smile still on her face. “I like the work, and if I want to take over the bakery one day I need the experience anyway.”

“Really hope you can take over,” he muttered before turning to Rena’s mother. “So, what is this big plan of yours? Shouldn’t you already be baking? People are starting to get hungry.”

“Yes, yes, yes, stop pressuring me,” her mother waved him off, turning around to walk out of the kitchen. “I’m already on my way.”

Rena finally sat down, breaking open the bread roll on her plate and pouring a small trickle of olive oil and sprinkled some salt on it.

“How are you guys doing?” her uncle asked, coming to stand behind Lino again. “Everything all right with school?”

He opened the flood gates, and Rena’s younger brothers started rattling off, in minute detail, all of the events of the previous week.

“Where’s your sister, by the way?” Rena’s uncle asked when conversation had clearly moved past his initial question.

“Still in her room, like always,” Rena answered before taking a bite from her breakfast, relishing in the warmth of the fresh bread and the salty aroma of the olive oil. The last knot in her stomach loosened at the prospect of finally touching food.

“Rena, my love, come here for a second,” her mother called from the hallway.

Rena swallowed quickly and excused herself from the table. Her mother was in the big pantry, next to the entrance to the bakery, where they kept all the ingredients they needed for their products. Rena and Maya had just spent all of Saturday afternoon cleaning it and rearranging the containers, but somehow her mother had managed to undo all of their hard work. Half of the boxes were now laying on the ground, a large portion of them opened, their contents spilled onto the ground.

 “I can’t find the rosemary,” her mother told her, pulling another box off of the shelf and opening it.

“Are you sure we still have some?” Rena asked as she walked around the room, finding the empty box labelled “rosemary” and picking it up to put it back on the shelf.

“I thought we did.”

“I didn’t see any on Saturday when I was cleaning.”

Her mother chuckled, handing Rena the box she’d just opened.

“Maybe we should have checked which herbs we still had before finalising your lovely plan.”

“We’ll just have to change some things around and make another kind of bread today. We still have a lot of wild garlic and basil. We can just make what we had planned for Friday instead.”

Rena put the box back onto the shelf, and reached down to pick up the next box while her mother busied herself trying to find rosemary.

“No, no, no. I told Carmen and Irma that we would have the rosemary bread today. They’re already waiting. And I’m sure half the village knows about it by now.”

“Mother! You need to make sure we can actually bake the breads before telling everyone we’re going to sell them.”

She shut her eyes and dug her nails into her palms to calm herself before more words could tumble from her mouth. Getting angry at her mother wouldn’t help the situation either.

“Oh, don’t be like your uncle,” her mother chastised.

Rena took in a long, deep breath and opened her eyes again, reminding herself that soon she would be done with school and then she could manage the bakery full-time.

“I suppose I could go into the forest and collect some,” Rena sighed. “Miss Kaari would understand. I’ll just ask Tala if I missed anything important.”

“Oh Rena,” her mother whispered, stepping away from the shelf to take Rena’s hand. “You don’t have to miss school because of my carelessness.”

“It’s okay,” Rena said softly, smiling to hide her disappointment. “We’re only doing reading in the mornings. I’m pretty good at it already. Usually I just help out the younger pupils.”

Her mother took her face in both hands and smiled at her.

“You are such a blessing to this family, my love,” she said and kissed her slowly on both cheeks, before stepping away and picking up one of the boxes from the ground. “Take your sister with you. If it’s the two of you, you’ll be done quicker, and then you can go to school in the afternoon. She doesn’t pay attention when she’s there anyway.”

“I’ll go ask her.” Rena nodded and stepped out of the pantry.

Maya was sitting on the floor of their bedroom, a box of jewellery in front of her, the necklaces and rings strewn across her lap. She looked closer to their father’s side of the family, her skin a touch darker than Rena’s light copper colour, although her eyes were the golden hazel of their mother’s side, while Rena’s eyes had the same amber colour her father and uncle had. They had both, however, inherited their father’s thick, dark brown hair, that Rena wore in long waves beyond her shoulders, and Maya wore only to her chin.

“I’m going out to gather some rosemary in the forest, would you come with me?” Rena asked, stepping closer to her sister.

Maya held a leaf-shaped pendant up to the light, turning it from side to side, before bringing it back down to her lap and rubbing the rag she was holding in the other hand over the side of the pendant.

“Busy,” she finally mumbled, not looking up.

Rena crouched down next to her, wrapping her arms around her knees, and observed her sister.

“What are you doing?”

“Cleaning some old stuff.”

Rena tilted her head, her gaze wandering over the dirty and corroded jewellery.

“Those are grandma’s old necklaces,” Rena said, reaching out to pick up one of the necklaces.

“Mmhmm. Found them in a box in one of the cupboards.”

Rena observed her sister for a while without saying anything. She liked the spontaneity in Maya’s heart — that she could see something and decide on the spot what had to be done – even though it could be frustrating at times when she ignored her responsibilities for it. It was a refreshing contrast to their parents — who said they would remember to do something later, and then forget about it.

Rena didn’t actually need help gathering the herb from the forest. It might take her a bit longer, but she really didn’t mind. The jewellery didn’t deserve to be forgotten in an old box anyway.

“Here, for you,” Maya said, finally looking up to hand Rena the necklace she had just polished.

“Thank you.” Rena smiled and put the necklace on. The pendant made of green enamel was in the shape of an alder tree leaf — almost the outline of a heart — and hung on a simple brass chain. She picked the pendant up to look down at it, her thumb stroking its outline. “It’s so pretty.”

Maya riffled through the rest of the jewellery.

 “I’m trying to figure out which one to give to Mom. That one’s the prettiest, but I’m keeping this for me.” She picked up a golden ring with a square green gemstone that looked like it had barely been worn, and slipped it on her right middle finger, even though the ring was clearly too big.

“Maybe this one,” she added, picking up another golden ring, this one with dents and a corner of the gem chipped. “I’ll have to clean it a bit more though.”

“I remember Grandma wearing that to a wedding once,” Rena replied.

She smoothed the necklace and pulled her long hair away from it.

“Don’t forget to go to school, okay?” Rena told Maya as she rose to leave. “Miss Kaari will be cross with you if you keep missing classes.”

“I know how to read. I don’t need to waste my time waiting for the others to catch up.”

“You could help them, you know,” Rena mentioned, placing her hand on the door frame.

“That’s your job,” Maya muttered, her eyebrows knitting together in concentration as she tried to bend the links of a chain back into place.

“Right.” Rena chuckled softly, and turned away.

Chapter 2

Rena walked through the forest, avoiding the young seedlings and puddles that had formed the night before. She lifted the hem of her beige dress with one hand, an old basket filled with various herbs in the other. A chilly breeze flowed through her hair, her fringe braided back so it wouldn’t constantly fall into her face.

She couldn’t really tell how long she had been in the forest, but by the way her stomach grumbled she had probably already missed lunch. She navigated her way back to the road, taking the long way around to avoid the larger puddles. When she reached the road, however, it seemed different from how it had looked it the morning. The dirt and gravel had been stirred up, forcing Rena to walk on the thin strip where the grass started growing so she wouldn’t get stuck in the mud. She cursed whichever king or lord or margrave had decided to march their battalion through these forests instead of using the well-paved roads further north. She slipped and almost fell, but managed to catch herself without losing too many of the herbs. Why did the military have to ride on these roads when all of the big, important cities in their province were in the west — and she knew it had to have been the military, because who else travelled in such large groups without leaving wagon tracks?

It began with the smell. Something biting and acrid crawled its way down her nose, her hand automatically shooting up to cover her face. She couldn’t place the stench, but as she continued walking it grew stronger. Her frown deepened as she realised she was smelling fire. Not a cosy, wooden fire that fills your heart with warm feelings of home. It was a vile scent that brought horrible news with it. It smelled of burned wood, scorched dirt, hot metal, and behind it all was a smell that Rena’s mind didn’t dare place. Something that made her stomach tighten and turn. It tore its way past her hand and down her throat and clutched itself to her lungs so it would never leave her mind again. She tried to imagine what could emit such a smell. Maybe the butcher’s shop in town had burnt down. Maybe someone’s field had caught fire and their life stock had tragically been involved. Her mind didn’t dare wander further than that.

Next came the light. With every step she took, with every bend in the road, the horizon grew brighter. The trees were lit up by a pulsing orange glow, its heart blazing up into an engulfing white that seemed to suck any last hope out of Rena’s heart. Her lower jaw dropped open, and the stench crept its way over her tongue as vomit rose up her throat. She dropped the basket, the herbs spreading across the road in front of her. She straightened back up, pressing the heel of her hand against her mouth as tears rolled down her cheeks. Her father’s friend, Jesper, had a field with goats close to this road. If it had caught fire, it could explain the bright light and propagating smoke. She wanted to turn around and run away, to never find out where the smoke that was covering the road in front of her was coming from, but she forced herself to press on.

Last came the sound. The sound of cracking wood, falling roofs, searing haystacks, and popping bones. But in some ways, it was very silent. No wind, no birds, no mice. Like nothing dared come near this forsaken place. Maybe they were right. Maybe it was a bad idea to continue on this path. Maybe she should trust her instincts, turn around and never look back.

The heat finally reached her when she approached the last bend before her village. From this far away, the heat caressed her like the warm embrace of a campfire on an autumn evening. A speck of dust landed on her nose. Dust? She frowned, and glancing upward, realized it was ashes falling from the sky. Her eyes grew wide and she frantically tried to wipe the specks of ash away, tried to shake them out of her hair, but she couldn’t avoid their relentless descent. Her breaths came in quick and shallow, the heat and the smoke clawing at her being with every gasp. She couldn’t blink anymore, her eyes staring at the outlines of the trees in front of her, prickling and burning. She tried to swallow, but her throat was too dry. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, fat and swollen. Her palms were sweaty, and although everything else on her felt scorching hot, her fingers were ice cold.

She pressed on, her left hand holding her dress so tightly that her fingers were going numb. Her feet were taking her faster and faster, evolving into a trot until, finally, she ran towards the fire. The end of the road came into view, and with it, the inferno where her village should have been. She came to a halt a few meters before the entrance to the village, her legs weak and buckling under her. She fell to the ground, her hands and knees hitting the mud hard. She didn’t mind the dirt getting on her clothes anymore; she was shutting out the heat that scorched her eyebrows, and completely forgot about the smell that tugged on every fibre of her being. She barely even noticed the sting on her skin as the leaf-shaped pendant Maya had given her only hours before burned its shape onto her. She looked up, taking quick, shallow breaths, her eyes wide, set on the remains of the first house beyond the path — the one that belonged to her father’s friend, Jesper. Only two thick, vertical beams remained, engulfed in smoke and flame.

Her whole existence was in that village, her whole existence was that village. And now it was standing in front of her, brighter than the sun could have ever been, and there was nothing she could do about it. Her body stood still for an instant, frozen in the heat surrounding her, and then a deafening scream escaped her, tearing at her throat, as if everything she was, everything she had ever been, and everything she would ever be tried to leave her at once.

Chapter 3

Slowly, over time, the heat and the smoke that surrounded Rena subsided, making it easier for her to breathe again. The flames that had licked their way up the church tower were slowly retreating as they found less and less material to latch onto.

Rena still sat on the ground, the cold of the muddy road finally seeping through her dress and creeping up her legs and back. Her mouth was dry, her throat throbbing from the smoke and screaming. Every time she blinked it felt like a million needles were meticulously stabbing every millimetre of her eyes.

None of this felt real. Not what her skin could feel, or her eyes could see, or her nose could smell. But she couldn’t claim it felt like a nightmare either. A nightmare would have ended by now. She would have woken up, drenched in sweat, and her mother would be comforting her. Her mother, who had surely been behind the counter at the bakery when the fire broke out. Who might still be in the bakery, unable to escape without her help.

She pushed herself up, her body shaking with the effort. Her fingers were ice cold, and moving them hurt her joints. She almost slipped and fell back down, but she managed to brace herself on her hands, the shock sending a wave of pain through her body. As she stood up she wrapped her arms around her chest, her beige dress caked in mud and falling heavily around her legs.

She looked out over the village, her breaths coming in shaky and shallow. She turned around to look at the forest around her, her arms drawing tighter. Her surroundings were getting dimmer, the sun low on the horizon. She had been sitting on the ground for so long, waiting for the fire to ease off. A tightness formed in her stomach, her eyes going blurry, thinking that if she had acted quicker, gotten up right away, she might have been able to help someone but that it might now be too late. That she might arrive at her home, her family dead, reaching out for her, waiting for her to save them.

Bile clawed its way up her throat and she vomited acid, her stomach having been empty for a while. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and forced herself to stand upright, her gaze ahead to where her home should be. Her eyes were wide open, unblinking, tears quietly streaming down her face, as she pushed ahead and started walking. From the corners of her eyes, she could see what little remained of her village. How the front of Maggie’s soap shop still stood upright even though there was only debris behind the windows and she could see the sky through them. How the produce stands in front of the ruins of the food store remained untouched, the vegetables and fruits covered in ash. How Tala’s home was nothing more than a smouldering mass.

She followed the faint outline of the streets until she reached the eastern side of the village, her uncle’s house in front of her. The roof had caved in, taking with it most of the building. What remained of the white façade had turned black around the door and windows, the green-painted wooden frames still smouldering. Her throat tightened up, making it impossible for her to breath until a long wail escaped from its hold. She folded in on herself, crouching down and putting her head between her knees, her arms wrapping over her.

She couldn’t do this, couldn’t take this anymore. She didn’t want to face her own home in this state. Didn’t want to find her family lying underneath all of the rubble. She should have left, just run away and never looked back. Start a new life and live with the belief that, somehow, her family had survived and were living a happy life somewhere.

The call of a crow broke through the silence, answered shortly after by a second crow. Rena slowly looked up, her jaw trembling uncontrollably. Another caw, this time from a different side. She glanced around herself, realising that soon the animals would dare to come closer to the village. Realising what these animals would do to the people when they found them.

She stood and turned away from her uncle’s house, walking down the row of her neighbours’ collapsed houses until she stood in front of the all too familiar light-yellow façade of her family’s home and bakery. The mill stood a few meters behind the house, still mostly intact as it was made of solid stone, only the roof and the blades having crumpled.

As she stepped closer, the pungent smell of burned flesh that she had managed to block out until now became stronger, threatening to make her vomit again, but there was nothing left in her that could escape.

The roof of her house had caved in on the left side, although it seemed mostly unharmed over the bakery. The windows had burst open, black columns running up the exterior wall. Both doors were still closed and barely damaged, as if she could open them and just step into an undamaged building. She reached a shaky hand towards the door to her house but quickly flinched back when she touched the scalding hot metal of the handle. She stopped then, unsure what to do. She tried to simply push the door open with her shoulder but it didn’t budge. She looked around herself, trying to find something that could help her, wondering for a second if she should climb through the broken windows.

She walked over to door of the bakery, touching the handle carefully with the tips of her fingers before grasping it and slowly opening the door. A wall of smoke drifted out, making her cough. She pushed the door open wider to let the smoke escape and tried to peer into the room, but the light from outside didn’t penetrate very far. She pulled the collar of her dress over her nose and stepped inside. The front of the room seemed mostly intact, but the further she got the more chaos there was. The shelves behind the counter had collapsed, spilling the loaves of bread all over the floor. The glass panes of the counter had exploded, shards mixing with the bread on the ground. She stepped forward towards the door that lead to her house, careful not to step on any shards and have the glass pierce through her canvas shoes. One of the shelves had collapsed in front of the door, although the fire didn’t seem to have touched it. With great effort she pulled it aside, just enough to be able to open the door. She wrapped the hem of her dress around her hand and pulled the door open, another wall of smoke hitting her.

She waited a bit for the smoke to calm down, then squeezed herself through the opening. The floor was littered with ash, dust and debris from the roof, a collapsed beam blocking her way to the other door. She looked up and was able to see the sky, only a few beams remaining above her.

She knew that it wasn’t safe to stay inside the house, that something might fall down on her at any moment, but she had to at least try to find her family.

“M-mom?” She croaked out, her throat aching from the effort. “Mom,” she called out a second time, louder. Her voice echoed back to her but no one answered.

She stepped over the rubble lying on the floor, almost slipping on the ashes, and made her way to the kitchen at the end of the hallway. The door wasn’t closed completely and she was able to push it open. She froze when she saw the outline of a foot lying on the ground. She stopped breathing and just stared at her mother’s shoes.

Rena’s hand slowly came up to her mouth, her jaw trembling as her breaths came in shakily, faster and faster and faster, her vision going blurry. She had to hold on to the doorframe or she would have collapsed. She pushed the door open further to reveal the rest of her mother’s body, lying face down on the ground, buried under two large beams. The fire had barely touched her but like the rest of the house she was covered in soot and ashes.

“Mom,” Rena said weakly, knowing full well that she wouldn’t get a reply.

She stepped closer until she saw a smaller body buried underneath her mother’s arm, his face buried in their mother’s chest.

“No no no no no,” she repeated under her breath as she tried to approach them.

She stepped onto one of the beams but it croaked and groaned, dust drizzling down from the ceiling. She tried to step over it, to get closer to her mother and brother, but no matter how she approached the beam, it threatened to shift and bring the rest of the roof down with it.

A large sob escaped her throat and suddenly she couldn’t stop herself from wailing, a long cry escaping her throat. She cried until her lungs burnt and her throat ached and no sound escaped her mouth anymore. She could taste the ashes on her tongue, could feel them clinging to the inside of her nose.

Somewhere in the back of the house something collapsed, the deafening thud accompanied by a wave of heat and dust. When the smoke had settled again she glanced around, panic suddenly overtaking her that she might end up buried in the house with her family. She straightened and turned around, every muscle in her body aching. She wrapped her arms tightly around her as she walked away from the lifeless bodies of her mother and brother.

She had thought she would be strong enough. That she would be able to bury them, to give them the dignity they deserved after death, but she couldn’t do it. Her heart ached too much. Never in her life had she felt this much and this little at the same time. Like her entire being was composed of grief that there was no space left for anything else. She squeezed her way through the door again, the glass on the floor of the bakery cutting through her shoes.

She turned left as she exited the bakery, her gaze fixed on the ground, unwilling to look up at the destruction that surrounded her. Something caught her eye, a glint on the ground to her right. She paused and frowned as her eyes scanned the area until they landed on something metallic. She stepped closer and reached down to pick it up. It was a dull, golden ring, its socket empty from the gemstone it once held. Her eyes grew wide as she recognised it. Her grandmother’s ring, the one Maya had said she would keep to herself.

Rena looked up, her hand automatically reaching towards her new pendant as she frantically glanced around at anything that could indicate that Maya was still around. How could the ring have ended up here, on the street outside her house? Had Maya dropped it? Had someone tried to steal it?

She noticed that what looked like drag marks lead away from her and only a few metres up ahead lay the green gemstone. Rena rushed towards it, picking it up and holding it tightly in her fist next to the ring. She followed the drag marks towards the centre of town before they vanished. She looked around desperately, trying to find where they picked up again, but the ground was so stirred up and covered in ashes that she couldn’t find them anywhere.

The church tower suddenly collapsed in on itself, sending a cloud of ashes into the sky with a loud, dull crash. A wave of heat hit Rena a heartbeat later, pain radiating over her skin. She closed her eyes tightly and turned her face away, her hand coming up to cup her nose so she wouldn’t breathe in the ashes. She drew her face towards her lap, waiting for the blast to wash over her.

After a moment, she carefully opened one eye, and peaked out at the ruins in front of her. She shot up when she saw a hand poking out of the ruins of the church. She hurried closer, careful to avoid the rubble of the tower that had spread over the streets.  Small pieces of paper floated through the air and covered the ground — some empty, some with printed letters, and some with the shaky script of children’s handwriting.

She kept her eyes fixed on the hand, determined to at least help whoever was stuck beneath the church. As she approached, her whole body started to shake and go stiff at the same time. She stopped in front of it, looking down at the red flesh the fire had exposed, flecks of ashes covering the open wounds. Whoever the hand belonged to was stuck underneath a thick wooden beam, their body hidden underneath the rubble.

“Don’t worry, I’m here to help,” she told the hand in a barely audible voice. “Everything’s going to be all right. I’ll get you out of here and then we can look for help together.”

The words failed to reassure even herself as she crouched down and reached a hand out, forcing it to advance and touch the wooden beam that trapped the body. Her hand was shaking so badly that it took her a while before her fingers made contact with the wood. Its surface was still warm. She breathed in and the stench of burnt flesh flooded her senses, forcing her to turn around and gag. She started sobbing silently, her hand covering her mouth, the other clenching down on the ground, her fingers digging through the layers of ash and debris and gravel.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered over and over as she got up. 

Slowly, stiffly, she reached down, holding her breath while both her hands came to grip the edge of the beam. She tried to lift it, but her body hurt and her muscles were too tense and the beam didn’t even creak with her effort. She stood up and turned away to breathe in, before turning back around and trying again, putting all of her remaining force into the attempt. This time she managed to lift the beam slightly, not enough for anyone to be able to crawl out, but enough that the other beams lying on top shifted, and the one she was holding onto slid back, making her lose her footing and fall on it. She tried to catch herself and push herself back up but her shoe slipped on the layer of ash and she tripped, bumping her elbow on a sharp rock.

The wooden beam had fallen onto the arm again, and because of its displaced location the arm was now sticking up towards the sky, the edge of the beam burying into the soft flesh of the forearm, cutting a wide gash into it.

“Oh stars, I’m so sorry,” Rena muttered, scrambling back towards the beam, pushing against it to try to move it backwards. But her effort caused the beam to further open the wound, revealing bone, and trickles of blood fell to the ground.

“No, no, no,” Rena murmured, her hands reaching towards the wound, but never quite touching it, unsure what she should do. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” she repeated over and over as she scrambled upright and backed away, her breath coming in quick and ragged.

Her foot stepped on something hard and Rena stopped, glancing down before she could tell herself it might not be a good idea. Her muddy shoe covered whatever it was, so she carefully stepped back, revealing what looked like a wooden figurine — a bird of some sort — the body long and pointed with the wings spread out to its side, almost like a cross. She looked out over the ruins around her, noticing that similar figurines were sticking out of the mud as if they had deliberately been placed in a circle around the old church. Her eyes grew wide in horror at what this could mean. That someone had arranged them here, willingly, while the fire was raging. That that person might be responsible for setting the fire in the first place.

She shook her head violently, reaching down to pick up the figurine, before backing away from the church, turning around, and running towards the road that would lead her to the nearest town, Halvint. There was no point in thinking such horrible thoughts. This must just have been a terrible accident. An unintended fire that spread from house to house. Luck had simply abandoned them. Once she reached Halvint she was sure to meet someone else who had escaped the fire, maybe even someone from her family. Maya might have escaped, simply dropping the ring while running away.

She stumbled over the road as the sun hung low on the horizon, barely visible above the tree tops. Her eyes had glazed over as she stared out into the endlessly repeating road in front of her. She had wrapped her arms tightly around herself, her feet aching from the gashes she had received in the bakery and the long distances she had had to walk. She felt empty inside, like her being had left her and only her body remained on this wretched road.

She heard something approaching, something that sounded like a badly made machine, with a lot of clanking and humming and buzzing. She looked at the end of the road in confusion and saw a light approach, slowly, and as her eyes adjusted, she could make out the outline of a caravan, but where there should have been horses there was nothing. A chimney jutted out of the wagon’s rear, smoke coming out of it in thick clouds. In the front, in the driver seat, sat a person, with an unruly white beard and dishevelled hair.

Rena stopped in the middle of the road, unsure what to do with this approaching contraption; afraid of this stranger but relieved that she wasn’t alone anymore.

“Oh, hello there,” the man called out to her in surprise before she could make a decision, and the wagon slowly came to a halt with a loud screech.

Outro
I hope you enjoyed this bonus episode. As mentioned, there is a link in the show notes if you’re interested in buying the book. It is called A Searing Faith, and is available as ebook and paperback from most major stores.

Season 2 should start releasing at the end of the summer, so if you don’t want to miss the release, consider subscribing to the newsletter. I also added a link to it in the show notes, but you can also simply to go theheartpyre.com and you’ll find the option to subscribe to it there.

As always, if you like this podcast, consider leaving a review, telling your friends about it, or supporting it on Ko-fi or Patreon. You can find transcripts for each episode, character art and a map of the kingdom on theheartpyre.com

The intro music is Lonely Dusty Trail by Jon Presstone.

The Heart Pyre is written and produced by me, Audrey Martin.

Thank you for listening.

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Episode 1

Welcome, to the Heart Pyre. This is the first episode in a little bonus story about Logan a few years before the event of the first season. It’s actually based on a sort of game I’m running on social media where each day I post a poll detailing a scene and followers can vote on Logan’s next actions. If you would like to join, head over to either tumblr or twitter.

               [INTRO MUSIC]

It had been a long while since Logan had worn clothes of such fine material – which told you a lot considering what he was wearing had been out of fashion for at least a decade and sported several tears and burn marks. But he had found – in an assuredly legal manner – a cape of such beauty and fine quality, that the shoddy condition of the rest of his outfit was surely not to be noticed. It was black velvet on the outside, with a golden seam, and a brightly patterned red and golden lining on the inside. It was inevitably going to distract from his wide, once black trousers that he had laced to his knees with a red, satin band, as the fashion of the time dictated.

He had been invited to the feast for Lady Ined’s 20^th birthday – or more precisely, he had invited himself to the party. She was the only remaining child of Count Yonec – ruler over the province of Mohregi, at the centre of the Kingdom of Kal-Hemma. Logan had arrived in Mohregi with his crew only a few months ago, joining up with the city of Rancor which had set up camp near one of the great lakes. It was a strange feeling to finally have something resembling a home again, but he thought he might like it. A place he knew he could always return to, a place where someone was happy to see him, a place where he could feel useful. But it also meant caring for people and their wellbeing, and that care had been what drove him to this feast.

Count Yonec was a mysterious fellow. With each new hardship in his life, he withdrew further from the public eye – first the death of his eldest son in battle, then the death of his wife to illness, and one couldn’t disregard the rumour that it was supposed to be him, not his brother, on the Royal Council, but something nefarious must have happened to change that fact. The inhabitants of Mohregi didn’t mind him much as a ruler – though distant, taxation was fair under his rule, and the public administration was more helpful than cumbersome. People grew even more appreciative after he started building the new sickhouse that was supposed to be staffed with the best doctors from far and wide.

The last brick was laid, and people waited patiently for it to open. The first doctor arrived, and people kept waiting. Winter came around, children started to get sick, the elderly needed more care than before, and people became less patient. But still, days and weeks and months passed, and the doors to the sickhouse remained closed. Rumours started coursing through the province that the sickhouse had only been built for the rich and powerful, but no one actually ever saw anyone enter or leave the building. Something strange was going on, and Logan’s interest was piqued.

Logan approached the castle of Count Yonec on foot – a square, white building with an inner court that was rumoured to have one of the most magnificent gardens in the kingdom, but, of course, no one of Logan’s status had ever seen it. He weaved his way through the crowd, blending in with the rest of the aristocracy to draw as little attention from the guards as he could. He entered the main ballroom – frescos of local sceneries adorning the otherwise white and yellow walls, while the long tables that usually stood in the middle of the room had be pushed to the sides to make space for the mass of guests. At the back of the room were wide, arched windows, revealing the lush green of the prized inner court.

Logan recognised a few of the guests – children of the aristocracy who liked to frequent the same sites as him, although they were usually there for very different reasons. He let his gaze wander over the crowd until he spotted Lady Ined. She was a short, plump girl with curly, light brown hair pinned into a updo with a few strands running down her neck and shoulders. She was wearing a long-sleeved, dark green, velvet dress that complimented her fair skin perfectly. The red wine in her almost-empty glass had clearly already had its effects on her – visible by how rosy her cheeks were and how her laugh carried through the entire room. She was standing next to another girl her age, who was giggling along to whatever so amused Lady Ined.

Logan spotted a waiter carrying a tray of wine glasses and stepped forward, flashing the waiter a charming smile as he grabbed two of the full glasses and drifted through the crowd towards Lady Ined. As he approached, their eyes met, and Lady Ined paused her laughter. He smiled at her and held one of the glasses out to her.

               [SFX loud crowd]

[Logan] “My dearest Lady Ined, only the best wishes for your birthday. It is so pleasant to see you again.”

She looked at Logan for an instance with a polite smile – clearly unsure if she had actually seen him before or not. He nodded amiably to her companion before turning back to Lady Ined.

[Logan] “We met at the opera in Jodash a while ago – oh, it must have been almost three years now. My name is Havac Ghaded. You might remember my father, the supervisor of the mining district in Red Hill.”

Of course, none of it was true, but every person of a certain standing had been to the opera in Jodash in the last couple of years, and a Lady like her was introduced to so many new people on such an outing, that it was rather unlikely she remembered them all. The trick was to use the names of the lower nobility – people she might have heard of before but who weren’t important enough for her to remember.

She slowly accepted the glass Logan was offering her – her mind still trying to remember him – and he held out his newly-free hand for her empty glass. She snapped out of her confusion and smiled back at him, handing him the second glass. He turned around and flagged a waiter down, who hurried over to take the empty glass away.

[Lady Ined, politely cheerful] “Yes, of course. Sir Ghaded. We went to see The Daughter Of The Sun if my memory serves me right. Such an unusual piece, if I dare say so.”

[Logan] “Just call me Havac, my dear. And yes, it was quite … innovative. But it is always interesting to hear what new approaches these artists find to music.”

[Lady Ined, fading into the noise of the background] “You are quite right, but I do have to say that I might prefer the more long-established pieces. The familiarity of them is rather pleasant to my ears.”

Lady Ined had presented the key to her trust on a platter to him without even noticing it, and Logan knew exactly how much he needed to agree with her and how much he needed challenge her assumptions for the conversation to engross both women. He didn’t know much about the current trends in the operatic world – not having had the opportunity to frequent the scene in a long while – but he knew enough about the traditional pieces to have a long and deep discussions with his new companions.

After a while, when he felt that he had built enough familiarity between him and Lady Ined, he leaned closer to her to whisper in her ear.

[Logan, whisper] “My dearest, would there be a place away from this crowd where we could talk in private. This noise is starting to give me a headache, but I would only reluctantly leave your company.”

Lady Ined held Logan’s gaze for an instance before quickly looking away – a blush creeping up her cheeks. She handed her glass to her friend.

[Lady Ined] “Don’t wait for me.”

[SFX crowd fades and becomes muffled, light sound of wind blowing through leaves, night time sounds]

She held out her hand so Logan could offer his elbow to her and then led him towards the back of the room. They stepped out into the inner court. A path lead along the outer wall of the castle, covered by a balcony on the first floor. Round columns stood along the path every few metres, connected by intricately carved arches. The centre of the inner court held the famed garden. The area closest to them was flat – mostly comprised of flowerbeds and benches to rest – but the further away from the main entrance, the higher the bushes got, and the more trees could be spotted, providing more space for privacy.

[Logan] “You have such a beautiful home, and this garden is truly breath-taking, but, my dear, which spot would you consider your favourite?”

[Lady Ined] “Surely you must think that the garden is the most interesting place in our palace. It is the perfect place to rest and have a conversation.”

[Logan] “If it truly is your favourite, I would be pleased to stay here. But I wish nothing more than to get to know you better.”

Lady Ined remained silent for a while, as they strolled along the side of the building, a row of rose daphne shrubs separating them from the inner garden.

[Lady Ined, hesitant] “There is a room that I am quite fond of.”

[Logan] “Would you show it to me?”

[Lady Ined, with a bit of a fake chuckle] “Oh, but this part of the castle is so much nicer. My parents have invested so much time and money into making it perfect.”

Logan stopped and turned to face his companion.

[Logan] “Lady Ined, I am not searching for perfection. Isn’t connection what makes a place important? Isn’t it the memories and stories we can tell about it, that make it worthwhile to stay in? I am certain that the inner garden has its merits, but if we only had one last place we could visit before our passing, which one would you choose?”

               [SFX fades to almost nothing, slow footsteps on stone/marble]

She looked out over the garden, then smiled shily and looped her arm around Logan’s again. She led him further down the path towards the southern wing of the castle. They headed back inside the building, past the guards stationed around the ground floor, and up a flight of stairs towards the third floor.

               [SFX low gas hissing]

So high up, the castle was calm, as if they were all alone – the only noise accompanying them the low hissing of the gas lamps. Lady Ined led them to a brown door that looked exactly like any of the other doors in the corridor, as if there was nothing special behind it. But what they stepped into definitely took Logan’s breath away.

It was a greenhouse, no bigger than two adjacent bedrooms, packed to the brim with various plants and flowers. The ceiling and far wall had been replaced with glass panes – although they were covered in moisture from the humidity present in the room. It smelled delightful. Logan hadn’t known he had missed the sweet scent a greenhouse emitted until then – having gotten too used to the rotten smell entrenched in cities.

Lady Ined let go of his arm and stepped up to a column of shelves attached to the wall on their left. They were filled with small pots with various seedlings. She reached her hand out and gently ran her fingers over a fresh leaf.

[Logan, softly] “Did you grow these?”

[Lady Ined] “These ones, yes. The bigger plants belong to my mother. I’m just trying to take care of them for her.”

[Logan] “It is truly an enchanting place. You can feel the love coursing through it.”

[Lady Ined] “I don’t know if I’m doing a good job at it.”

[Logan] “The plants all look lush and cherished, I’m sure your mother would be proud of what you have accomplished here.”

[Lady Ined, with a sigh] “Some of them have brown spots, and I had to dispose of an azalea bush last week because bugs had gotten to it.”

[Logan] “Even the most prolific of gardeners has to say goodbye to a plant here and there.”

[Lady Ined] “There used to be more plants in here, but when my mother couldn’t take care of them anymore, and I had to take over, a lot of them died. It took me a while until I knew how to look after them correctly.”

[Logan] “You truly must have loved your mother.”

[Lady Ined] “Yes, a lot. We spent most of our time after my brother’s death in here. She taught me everything I know about taking care of plants. We were even able to grow a few medicinal herbs when she started getting sick.”

[Logan] “I’m deeply sorry for your loss.”

[Lady Ined] “Of course the herbs didn’t help much and mother’s condition grew worse by the day. Even after father sent for the rare and expensive plants from far-away places. All they did was alleviate the pain. The longer it went on, the more lethargic she got, until she seemed like nothing more than a life-sized doll.”

[Logan] “It must have been a dreadful time for you.”

[Lady Ined, almost a whisper] “I just want to make her happy, that’s why I don’t like it when the plants die.”

[Logan] “My dear, I’m sorry I brought you somewhere so heavy with somber memories.”

[Lady Ined, snapping out of her sadness] “Oh, no. I should apologise, I didn’t mean to grow so melancholic. The wine must be getting to my head.”

[Logan] “Should we take a little stroll? I’m sure there are other wonderful places to discover in this wing of the castle.”

[OUTRO SOUNDS]

As previously mentioned, if you want to help guide Logan on his journey, head over to the show’s tumblr or twitter page to vote in the daily polls.

Follow the show on social media for updates on when season two will launch, and on when the book adaptation of season 1 will be released.

If you want to support the show, head over to the ko-fi or patreon page, where you can also vote on the alternative path for season one.

The Heart Pyre is written and produced by me, Audrey Martin.

Thank you for listening.

Episode 2

Welcome, to the Heart Pyre. This is the second episode in a little bonus story about Logan a few years before the event of the first season. It’s based on a game I ran on social media where each day I posted a poll detailing a scene and followers could vote on Logan’s next actions, so the way the characters act and react in the story was entirely decided by fans. The ending of the story goes into darker themes, so please check out the content warning in the show notes if you think you might need them.

               [INTRO MUSIC]

Logan opened the door to the hallway, cold air flowing in from the windows across the hallway and mixing with the damp heat of the greenhouse. Lady Ined took a long, deep breath, stood up straight, and smiled at Logan. He smiled back and gestured for her to walk out first. They interlaced their arms again before striding down the hallway.

[Lady Ined] “I’m truly sorry my sorrow took over. I shouldn’t put such a heavy burden on you.”

[Logan] “Nonsense, my dear. I told you I wanted to get to know you better, and I meant it. What scoundrel would I be if I told a lady something like that and then ran away at the first signs of vulnerability.”

They continued the path they had taken before, away from the stairs they had come from. Logan glanced at each and every door, wondering if Count Yonec’s study was behind any of them. He wasn’t even sure they were in the correct part of the castle. He either needed to get rid of Lady Ined’s company, or get her to tell him where her father’s study was. But it was unlikely that she would lead him to her father’s private documents, and if he just abandoned her, she would start looking for him, and she might even send some of the guards after him.

Maybe he should try to stay the night and look through the building when everyone was asleep, but then he would have to avoid any social function Lady Ined attended in the future. Although, he might have already crossed that line. They had spent too much time with each other, she would recognise him from now on. 

[Lady Ined, cheerful] “We should get back to the feast. I’m sure they are already looking for me. It’s my birthday after all.”

[Logan] “Of course, my dear. I wouldn’t want to keep you from your celebration for too long.”

Logan considered his options. If he want down to the ballroom with Lady Ined, and tried to sneak away and back up here again, it would be difficult to get past the guards on his own, and then he would have just wasted his time talking to Lady Ined and getting her to bring him inside the building. He would have to accompany her down a floor or two and then pretend like he had forgotten something in the greenhouse, and convince her to go back to the feast without him.

As they approached the end of the hallway where the building bent to the left, Logan noticed a door in front of them. It looked like any other door, but faint notches had been etched into the wooden floor in front of it, as if something heavy had been dragged across the floor. It didn’t seem like much, but it was strange enough that it tugged at Logan’s curiosity.

[Logan] “I’m sorry, Lady Ined, but may I ask what’s behind this door at the end of the hallway?”

[Lady Ined, a bit nervous] “Hmm, oh, that? Just … just a storage closet. We should really get going.”

She picked up her pace and tugged lightly at their interlinked arms, keeping her gaze decidedly away from the door and the notches. As they turned to the left and walked past the door, Logan noticed that, even though the notches were faint, they looked uneven and aged, as if something had been moved in and out of the room repeatedly over a longer period of time.

Logan stopped and freed his arm from Lady Ined’s. He frowned down at the notches, a feeling of unease creeping its way into his mind.

[Lady Ined] “It really is just a closet. There’s nothing important behind it.”

[Logan] “What are those notches?”

[Lady Ined] “What? Those? Oh, someone probably wasn’t careful while placing something in the closet. I should really inform my father of it, so we can find out who damaged our floors.”

[Logan] “Those notches weren’t all made at the same time. And some of them look rather old.”

[Lady Ined, stuttering] “Well, we don’t walk past here very often.”

[Logan] “But your favourite room in the building is almost next door. Wouldn’t you have notice.”

[Lady Ined, forceful] “But I didn’t.”

Logan glanced back at her, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes.

[Logan] “What’s going on?”

She turned to the window opposite the door and looked down at the garden, her arms tightly wrapped around herself. She didn’t say anything for a long while, before her shoulders started to tremble and the first sob escaped her lips. Her hand shot up to hide her face, but she couldn’t stop herself from crying.

[Logan] “My dear, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

[Lady Ined, crying, mumbling] “This isn’t right. Father said to not tell anyone. But it can’t go on forever. I don’t even understand why he started it. She doesn’t deserve a fate like this. We should have never kept it a secret for so long, I should have never kept it a secret for so long. Why did I never say anything? Why did I just accept his decision? I don’t deserve to call myself her daughter.”

[Logan, while Lady Ined is mumbling] “I shouldn’t have asked. I didn’t know it would upset you so, I’m truly sorry. If you would prefer, we can go back down to your feast, and forget I ever said anything. You’re right, they’re already waiting for you, you shouldn’t miss your own birthday celebration.”

Logan lightly touched Lady Ined’s elbow to get her to look at him, but she firmly shook her head instead. She pressed her lips together, then took a deep breath, and wiped the tears from her cheeks with the tips of her fingers.

[Lady Ined, shaky, but resolute] “There’s something I need to show you. My family has a secret that we’ve been hiding for too long. I know my father doesn’t want me to tell anyone about it, but I can’t take it anymore. What we’re doing is cruel and wrong. It might be the wine talking, because I know on any other night I would have simply pushed down these feelings, but I’ve wanted it to stop for a while, and I don’t know how to mend it on my own.”

[Logan, stunned] “What is it? I don’t really understand. What has your father done? He isn’t… mistreating you?”

[Lady Ined] “No, no, no. Nothing so horrid. I, uhm… I think it’s better if I show you. I wouldn’t know how to put it into words.”

Lady Ined pulled a long, silver chain from a small, barely noticeable pocket on the bodice of her dress, a small key dangling from it. She walked over to the door and unlocked it, before stepping inside. Logan remained in the hallway for a moment, too stunned to move, then followed her into the room. Instantly a wave of sweet, floral smell hit him, with a strange, sour scent underlying it, something that settled on his tongue and made his stomach tighten. The room was only lit by a two, weak gas lamps, and it took Logan’s eyes a few seconds to adjust to the dim light. In front of him was a long, white curtain which ran from one side of the room to the other, creating a sort of antechamber at the front of the room that was only about 2 metres wide. To Logan’s left, was a table filled with neatly organised gardening tools, and jars of milky liquid. To Logan’s right, was a second table, this one holding piles of documents, parchment rolls, and books. But the strangest part about the room, were the thick vines poking out from underneath the curtains.

Something caught Logan’s attention on the table to his right, a medical drawing of a body with various notes across it. He stepped closer, Lady Ined letting him explore the room on his own. Logan rifled through the documents, not understanding what he was seeing. They all seemed to be medical records pertaining to Countess Marled’s health, Lady Ined’s mother, but, to Logan’s confusion, most of them had been written only a few days ago. Logan didn’t understand most of the language used in them, being too specific in their medical terms, but what he gathered from them was that they spoke as if Countess Marled was still alive, just very sick. But Countess Marled had been dead for a few years, he knew that to be a fact. There had a well-attended funeral. Logan picked up a letter, the paper having been crumpled up and smoothed out again, dated only two days ago. It urged Count Yonec to finally transfer his wife to the new sickhouse, as her condition did not seem to be stabilizing.

[Logan, confused] “I don’t understand. These documents are written as if your mother was still alive, but your mother died four years ago, didn’t she?”

[Lady Ined, quietly] “She did.”

[Logan] “Then what is this about?”

Instead of answering, Lady Ined stepped forward and pushed the curtains aside, revealing the rest of the room. A bed stood in the middle of it, surrounded by cluster of vines crawling over the ground and the bed, only a passage of the floor between the bed to the entrance free of the plants. On the bed lay a body with translucent, greying skin, its loose, white dress much too wide for its frail frame. A wig of luscious, brown hair had been placed atop her head, but with the position of the body, and the slenderness of the skull, it lay more next to the body, than on it. The body’s face had been concealed with a porcelain mask resembling the features of a sleeping woman.

As Logan stepped closer, and the acid smell lingering underneath the floral scent clawing its way down his throat, he could notice that the vines weren’t simply climbing over the body, but that some smaller tendrils had burrowed their way underneath the skin.

Lady Ined walked up to the body of her mother, careful not to step on any of the vines, and sat down on the ground. She placed her arms on the bed next to her mother, and rested her head on them.

[Lady Ined] “She died, but my father couldn’t let her go. I don’t know what the doctors did, and I’m sure I wouldn’t understand it anyway, but she’s been here ever since. In the beginning we still took her outside to the gardens, so she could smell the flowers and see the stars, but she has become much too fragile for that now. Father still insists that she will be better soon, that one day she’ll be back to how she used to be, but I don’t think that day will ever come.”

[Logan] “I … don’t know what to say.”

[Lady Ined] “What my father did is selfish. I know it was because of love, but I also think it’s cruel and unjust. My mother isn’t gaining anything from this, and it’s clear to me now that I will never truly have her back. Not the way I want her to.”

[Logan, after a pause] “What do you want me to do?”

[Lady Ined] “Will you help me stop her suffering? She deserves a better death than this.”

They looked at each other for a while, before Logan nodded and slid a dagger from behind his back. Lady Ined stood up and leaned over her mother, murmuring something that Logan couldn’t understand. When she stepped away again, Logan brought the dagger to the first vine and carefully started to free the bed. He started with the larger vines, then went for the thinner ones, until only the tendrils burrowing into Countess Marled’s skin remained. He tried cutting the first tendril close to the body, but the skin was so loose that it detached from the body with the faintest pull. Logan’s stomach tightened and he could feel bile rising up his throat, but he pressed on. For the rest of the tendrils he cut them further from the body, curving them around his blade and cutting the loop.

Soon, the body laid uncovered, only the ghost of a dearly beloved woman who had been bound to a mockery of life remaining. As Lady Ined stepped closer to take her last goodbyes, Logan started worrying that someone might come looking for them. There was nothing much he would be able to do if a guard stumbled upon them while transporting the body, except hope that Lady Ined could take control of the situation.

Lady Ined stepped back, and Logan carefully wrapped the body in the bedsheets the Countess was lying on, making sure they would hold tightly. He picked up the body that hadn’t moved in years and felt just how light she had become, as if she had been fading into the plants over all this time. Lady Ined led the way out of the room, making sure no one was waiting for them in them hallway. Logan took the few steps towards the greenhouse and carefully placed the body on the ground.

It felt as if Lady Ined had thought about this for a long time, as if everything had already been planned out in her mind. She led Logan to a wide pot near the back window, a pot long enough to hold a human body. Together, they removed the small fig trees from their pot, and hollowed out most of the pot. Logan’s hands ached from the effort, and his clothes were covered in dirt, but it didn’t really matter. Lady Ined’s velvet green dress looked like it would never recover from that evening, but she didn’t seem to mind either. Logan went back to the body and placed in into the hollowed-out put. They carefully shovelled the dirt back into its place, the white bedsheets disappearing little by little underneath a brown blanket.

Lady Ined patted down the earth, before standing up and walking over to the shelves that held her saplings. She gathered a few of the nicer ones, then dug little holes into the dirt they had just shovelled, and planted the saplings over her mother’s body.

The rest of the evening became like a blur to Logan. He knew that they remained seated in silence in front of the pot for a while, until one of the guards did come looking for them. Logan remembered that he told the guard something about Lady Ined needing help to repot her plants, but he never remembered what exactly he said. The lie must have been believable enough however, because he was led to a guest room and brought new clothes, and then accompanied back down to the feast. He must have remained there, talking about platitudes which other guests, for a while, because he only remembered coming home as the sun was rising.

He didn’t dare tell everyone in the city of Rancor what had happened that evening. He only told them that he found out very little about the sickhouse, that it had been built for the Countess when she was sick, but that he didn’t know why it had been closed all this time. And he truly didn’t, he could only speculate that Count Yonec had wanted to keep it empty in case his wife’s condition got too bad to be treated at home anymore, but he had been stuck in the illusion that she had never gotten that bad, and therefore never needed to be transferred to the sickhouse. But the reason didn’t matter anymore to Logan. Not during the days following his visit to Count Yonec’s castle.

Only the person closest to him got to hear the entire story, and she only believed him because of the honesty in his voice and the uncertainty in his eyes. He never heard from Lady Ined afterwards, never got to find out how her father reacted to what they did, and even though he was curious to know how she was doing, deep down he hoped he would never have to see her again. He wouldn’t know what to say to her.

[OUTRO SOUNDS]

I wanted to thank everyone who joined in in our little game and voted on Logan’s actions. I think it was really fun and the story didn’t play out at all how I had envisioned it in the beginning, but that’s what makes this format so interesting. I hope everyone else also enjoyed this story.

I wanted to mention that on the 15^th and 16^th of April I will be at the Luxcon convention in Luxembourg, mostly to help out and host a few panels. We have actually invited some exciting audio drama creators this year, and the guest announcements should be released in the coming weeks. I will definitely mention the announcements on my and the podcast’s social media accounts, or you can follow Luxcon’s social media accounts to find out more. If you are from Luxembourg or close by, come join us! It will be tons of fun.

Also, follow the show on social media for updates on when season two will launch, and on when the book adaptation of season 1 will be released.

And as always, if you want to support the show, head over to the ko-fi or patreon page, where you can also vote on the alternative path for season one.

The Heart Pyre is written and produced by me, Audrey Martin.

Thank you for listening.

---

These episodes are based on a sort of game I ran on Tumblr and Twitter. Each day, a new poll was posted detailing a scene, and followers could vote on Logan’s actions. I then put these decisions together into an outline, and this is the story that came out of it!

Episode 1

A few years before the events of the first season, Logan finds himself in the province of Mohregi trying to uncover a mystery. The reigning Count has built a new sickhouse that was supposed to attract the best of doctors from far and wide, but after weeks and months of waiting for it to open after the construction was finished, the doors of the sickhouse are still shut. Something strange is going on, and Logan’s interest is piqued.

Intro music: Lonely Dusty Trail by Jon Presstone

Logo Design: Mars Lauderbaugh

Episode 2

Content Warning: mentions of death, decomposition, burial, plant tendrils burying into skin. 

If you need any specific warnings, please send me an email or contact me on social media.