Clatter of Blade and Cage
Understudy! Orez AU
Orez betrays Jarka.
Orez sat on the ground, hands clasped in her lap. The oracle’s long bony fingers graced over the cards, whispering chants. Two candles stood next to her. Wax poured into a bowl beneath them, each color swirling together into an ugly gray. Orez twitched nervously. She kept eyes on the tent door, fluttering in the wind and showing no witnesses.
“Pay attention now,” said the oracle wearily, “else the result will be tainted”. She guided Orez’s hand towards the cards, laid out in front of her. They buzzed with magic energy and crashed against Orez’s palm. Orez took a deep breathe and chose a card, giving it to the woman.
The oracle analyzed the card with a grim expression. Her face did not move, it was unreadable. “Now another.” She ordered. Orez picked the one on the far right. The oracle placed them against each other. On one, a mighty netherite sword stood stabbed into the floor, with a bloody crown dangling from its handle. The other, the first, showed a caged phoenix. Orez’s lips pulled into a tight grimace.
The oracle leaned in close, and beckoned Orez closer. She spoke in a low whisper, as if not to let the rocks hear from outside her tent. “You will succeed, but it won’t spell the end.” Orez stared with wide eyes.
The oracle pulled out a small bottle of plain, gray liquid. It looked like an ordinary bottle of clay water, but Orez knew better. A potion, forbidden for those who were not nobles. But.. this was no potion Orez has seen. By extension, nothing Jarka has seen. The oracle tugged on Orez’s necklace, a pendant. Drops of it splashed on the small crystal. Dark spots from the potion splattered on Orez's robe. “I want the old land as much as you, so use this wisely.” whispered the oracle.
Orez held the pendant up to her face. “What does it do?” She asked. The oracle did not answer.
Orez’s heels clacked on the smooth sandstone. The sky was gloomy. The village was not as busy as usual. It was almost like they knew what was to come. Orez came to a stop and looked up at the sky. Migrating birds fluttered above, soaring across from Orez and twisting behind the mountain of the old decoy prototype. Her face construed into something grim.
Despite the eerie and foreboding atmosphere, Orez carried on. She had a few visits to make. She paid attention to the alleyways, peering through each as she walked down the streets. In one alleyway, she spotted the large expanse of the desert behind. A coyote stared straight at her, barking a shrieking laugh. He walked faster.
Orez grunted as she hoisted the heavy dungeon doors up. A moldy smell wafted through the air. This did not deter Orez. She walked down the steep steps and walked through the dark hallway. Sand slithered out from holes in the ceiling and spilled into small piles in the corners. Through the long hallway, she got to a cell.
“There she is. Mole #2.” Techar commented snarkily. Orez tightened her fingers around her white robe. She slowed to a stop infront of the cell and made eye contact with her. Orez took a big inhale. “I’m going to do it.” Her fists stayed tightened with the newfound tension in the air. “...Maybe you werent as far gone as I thought,” said Techar. “I’m sorry I followed her- I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“But.. I can’t do it alone.. I can’t.. Kill her. Alone,” Orez continued. “I need your help.” Techar smirked. “Don’t have to ask me twice.” She raised steadily, towering over Orez. “I trust you had a hiding spot.” Techar nodded, and slammed her fist into a brick next to her. The brick shifted, revealing a small spot in the wall. Orez fit her hand through the bars, raising a key up to Techar. Techar took it.
Other items were passed through the bars, scraping against them in the process. “Frañsez will come through to make his rounds for the day. I trust you know what to do?” Techar grinned widely. “Of course.” Orez hummed in response, and took her leave.
“Good luck, Orez,” said Sofus from another cell. Orez hesitated for a second. With a wavering breath, she began once more to walk to the entrance of the prison.
Orez tapped her bitten down nail nervously on the clipboard. Her position was perfect, nothing out of place. She had since learned that Jarka expected only perfection for her right-hand man. Jarka sat in her throne, paperwork in hand and her pristine noble netherite sword in another. Beside her throne was a caged bird, her prized pet. A lucifer hummingbird that sat in the cage, like a trophy.
Jarka looked up with a sinister grin. “Ah! The prodigal returns.” Orez attempted to reciprocate the friendly banter, but her voice wavered. “You’re only 2 years older than me.” Jarka frowned slightly, but did not say anything. “Well.. What’s your report for today?” Orez said her usual report, but the words did not feel like her own. “No detection of an uprising has been noted. No protests, everyone is doing their jobs. All prisoners are in their correct place…” Jarka raised an eyebrow. “The prisoners? I sent Frañsez to do his rounds there, not you.” Orez froze. Her veins filled with ice. “A-ah, my apologies. I’ll do better next time.” Jarka hummed. “That’s fine. All your other tasks were completed either way.”
Orez bowed, ready to leave, before Jarka stopped her. “Before you go,” she called out, “I found our slippery friends.” Orez’s mouth went dry. The Lucifer hummingbird buzzed softly in the background. “What?” Jarka beamed. “Raine! Will! Maron! Our great friends. I was so worried about them. Now that we have found them, we can keep them.. Safe.” Something died at the back of Orez’s throat. “And little flirp.”
Orez exhaled shakily. She couldn’t wait any longer. It had to be now. “I’m about to send our army over to get them now, do you want to accompany me, Orez? =]” The axe felt heavy against Orez’s back. Jarka did not react. She turned her back to Orez, gesturing wildly with raised hands. “That was our last piece. We WON!”
It had to happen now, Orez realized. She couldn’t let this go further. She had to do it now. Orez slipped out the ax from behind her. “Isn’t this great, Orez? My faction will unite all of Soulrite!” Orez raised her hands shakily. “How fortunate-”
A sickening crunch cut Jarka off. Jarka staggered from the weight of the ax pushed into her shoulder. Jarka’s eyes wandered to her shoulder.
Orez tugged out the ax, making Jarka fumble more. She unsheathed her sword with her left hand, and swerved around. All of their practices flooded back to Orez. She remembered Jarka’s fighting style to a T. She blocked a slash with her ax. Orez swerved her ax around wildly. She had never fought with this much emotion before. Orez and Jarka clashed and fought, moving towards the balcony. Orez raised her ax to slash Jarka. Jarka got access to her face and jousted her sword, slicing her cheek.
Orez threw the ax down hard, shattering Jarka’s ring. As they fought, it laid broken on the floor. The bird buzzed more loudly now, fluttering and fighting against its cage. Soon, Orez’s back met the balcony fence. It strained against the weight of Jarka and Orez pushing back with so much force. Orez could see the tall drop of the balcony, centered right in front of the village.
Orez struggled against Jarka and she parried with her blade. Orez’s back was bending over the fence. She had to find a way to switch this somehow. Orez took a leap of faith, and let one hand go off the axe. She reached for Jarka’s neck, pulling her aside. They switched positions, and Jarka stood in front the balcony. Jarka once again attempted to stab Orez. She caught the blade between her palm. They struggled for a second, Orez pushed her hand down until she caught the handle of the blade. WIth a single action, she disarmed Jarka. Both their weapons laid abandoned on the floor, splattered with blood.
Just as Orez got the upperhand, the balcony fence gave way. Jarka fell, and grabbed onto Orez’s hand as she went. Jarka swung from Orez’s now dislocated arm. Orez gripped fiercely onto the ledge, trying desperately not to fall with Jarka. The fence fell from the ledge, and crashed onto the floor below. Orez could see the villagers looking up at them with muddled faces. A drop from here is certain death.
Jarka looked up at Orez. Orez looked down at Jarka. Droplets of blood spilled from Orez’s face. They looked at each other with wide eyes. Jarka looked at Orez for a second, with an unreadable expression, before smiling. “You win,” she mouthed. With that, her fingers slipped from Orez’s palm. Orez closed her eyes. Jarka fell. That was it. Her reign was over.
For the first time in decades, rain droplets fell from the sky. Orez looked down
at her feet. Her mind was outside her body. Her feet walked by themselves. Orez walked into the building. The decorative table with candles had been knocked over. The balcony door was shattered. Pieces of reflective glass laid on the floor. Orez saw her reflections stare back at her.
She could hear the screams and conversing of the crowd below, undeniably shaken from seeing their leader fall from the balcony. They paid no attention to the crowd. Almost automatically, he walked to the throne. The hummingbird watched her from the cage. All that could be heard was the pitter patter of rain.
With her uninjured hand, Orez unlocked the door of the cage, and watched the hummingbird fly out.