Harper tiredly walked into the courier’s department, trying to banish any remaining drowsiness. It was fairly empty, only a few other couriers she knew in passing were getting ready for their departure. She tended to leave later than most of the other couriers. Her first stop was not so far as to take the entire day’s trip, but also wasn’t close enough that she could travel to her next stop after arriving.

  The young woman inspected her pile, taking note of where she would we be delivering and calculating the most efficient path to do so. One of the deliveries was different than the others. It had the Governor’s seal on it, designating it as a missive directly from the Governor. A small notice attached to it showed its destination and priority.

  Harper did a double take. The priority was nothing special, being of mediocre importance. She would not need to go out of her way to deliver it quickly. Whenever was most convenient should be adequate. What made her stomach drop was the address.

  It was a place she had been to only a couple of days prior. Her uncle’s plantation. Harper would not have been surprised if her alerting the Governor was the very reason this letter was being sent.

  Of course it goes to me, she thought bitterly. Sure, it was not far off her normal route, only needing a half a day’s detour, but she thought herself the worst possible person to deliver it. Why couldn’t it have been Gus? The detour he would have to make would be even shorter than mine. Harper knew she was being obtuse. Gus barely had time for his normal delivery schedule; it made perfect sense for her to be the one to deliver it.

  That didn’t make it feel any less irritating. Harper couldn’t ask for reassignment. Not only would the Governor be angry that she was doing so soon after trying to get out of the marshland deliveries, she would have to explain why she didn’t want to deliver to the plantation.

  Harper would rather not let him, nor anyone else for that matter, know of their relation. She had no desire to be associated with the man, and was afraid of getting drawn into any politics surrounding him. It was also possible that the Governor would decide she was a liability. From the conversation two nights prior, the Governor clearly held no love for her uncle and his ilk.

  It will be fine, Harper told herself. It was unlikely that she would meet the man in person. The few times she had delivered to plantations or isolated mansions in the past, she never saw the owner, only their servants working as proxies. In all likelihood, she would deliver the letter to a servant, wait an hour for a response, and leave.

  If the man did happen to see her, she didn’t like her chances of going unrecognized. Perhaps if she lacked distinctive features, the passage of time and the change brought about by growing from a child to a young adult may have prevented any recognition. That was moot though when one considered her hair, and her sword. Both of which he no doubt would recognize instantly.

  Whatever the case, Harper didn’t have much choice, she would just have to hope for the best. The young woman left the building and went to saddle her horse, Nimbus. She gave her an apple that she had previously prepared. Amelia had impressed the importance of keeping her horse happy. A loyal horse could save her life one day.

  The preparations were rote at this point and soon she was exiting the city gate. Harper considered her destination. The plantation was close enough that she could probably make the trip there and then continue to her usual route, albeit getting there much later than usual. Might as well get this over with, she decided. Harper checked her map, ensuring that she would be watching for the right turn-off.

  A chill wind rush past her. She shivered and pulled her coat cloak closer around her. It was starting to get colder. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to worry about snow for a while yet. From what she heard, deliveries didn’t slow down all that much during the winter season. The couriers were expected to push through.

  Despite her poor sleep the night before, the wind, and her worry about the upcoming delivery, Harper enjoyed the morning ride. She was starting to acclimate to the independence she gained outside of her house. While there were expectations, and necessities were not guaranteed should something happen, she found something satisfying in depending on herself.

  Harper felt her aetherspace thrum, not in pain this time, but as if resonating with something else. The past several time this happened, Harper had immediately focused on the Aerial Domain, trying to force a manifestation. This time, Harper stopped herself from doing so, instead focusing on the moment.

  Maybe I should ask Vayuhn for advice, she thought idly. She hadn’t done so before out of a sense of pride. She was the one who had a comprehensive education and a deep understanding of how the world worked in relation to the Domains. That he had manifested Sky so early was a matter of talent, and not something that could be replicated in her.

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  Perhaps thinking like that is a mistake, she considered. It was worth trying at least. Asking him for help outside the scope of their original deal would be embarrassing, but she was growing more comfortable around him. Maybe it would even help. She still doubted it, but turning a potential option down was foolish.

  Harper knew that she being overly ambitious. It was just that everyone in her family was close with the Domains. Neither of her parents had portrayed the level of talent her brother had, but neither were they at all untalented.

  Harper’s father had a Domain at her age, and gained a second only a little older than her. Her mother was only slightly less impressive, having both Domains by twenty. She was still on track with both of them, but the Aerial Domain just wouldn’t come to her. It was unusual to be stuck at so close to manifesting a Domain. Those that did were often stuck at the bottleneck for years, if not the rest of their lives. It meant that they were missing something small, but vital.

  Lost in her own thoughts, time passed quickly. An hour in, Harper realized she wasn’t paying as much attention to the environment around her and redirected her focus, chagrined.

  The sun was high in the sky by the time she made it to the plantation. Still, she got there much earlier than she had the other day, despite leaving earlier then. Riding directly to her destination, rather than going by foot and hunting made for quite the difference in speed.

  This time, she approached from the trail, or rather the road, than from the foliage. It was surprisingly smooth and wide for such a rural area. She couldn’t imagine the place got many visitors, but she didn’t know what type of business ventures her uncle dealt in. Other than the slave-ran farm, of course.

  Same as the other day, the slaves worked in the fields, all in poorer conditions than she thought proper. The flogging stand was unoccupied though, to her relief. It was disturbing enough to see it the first time.

  The slaves didn’t look up at her appearance at all. A couple stole quick glances, but most were so beaten down as to not bother. The overseers’ reaction was more noticeable. They looked in her direction neutrally, before turning their mouths down in annoyance.

  Harper frowned, inspecting herself in confusion. Did I forget something? she wondered. Not finding anything amiss, she ignored the overseers, making her way to the manor. Not very friendly here, are they? She supposed it didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to be friendly with them anyways.

  The young woman dismantled, tying her horse’s reins to a nearby post meant for the purpose. Taking out the letter, she knocked on the door. It was promptly answered by a servant. The girl seemed to be in better condition than those outside, at least. She didn’t look half-starved, nor as worn down.

  The overt submissiveness was still there, though. One became used to some when interacting with slaves, but rarely to such a degree. "Greeting, Miss courier. I can take your delivery.” Her eyes were pointed solidly at the floor; her tone monotone.

  Harper nodded and handed over the letter. The girl, who was little more than a child, gestured her in. “The waiting room is just ahead.” If Harper was paying better attention, she may have noticed the edge in her voice.

  They walked in. Harper thanked her, and she left to deliver the letter, tensing slightly. Harper looked for a place to sit, finding the waiting room to not be empty as she expected. A grizzled man sat in one of the armchairs. He turned his attention towards her.

  “You, is the Governor bothering Alric again? Is that why’re you're here?” he demanded rudely.

  Harper frowned and replied evenly, “That is none of your concern.” She discreetly moved her hand near her sword. Her gun was unloaded, but it was the worse option in close quarters anyways.

  The man huffed in an irritated manner and looked away. She heard him muttering something to himself. The contents were indecipherable, but she was sure it was an insult. They waited in silence for around ten minutes, before the labuntan servant girl returned and spoke.

  “Mister Pelman, the master will see you now.”

  “Bout time,” he growled. He stalked through the door, the timid girl flinching as he passed.

  She turned to Harper. “The master bids you to wait. He will pen a reply.”

  Harper nodded and went back to patiently waiting. Her patience lasted only an hour. By hour three, the only thing stopping her from storming in and demanding that the man stop wasting her time was the fear of being recognized. If she left with no letter in hand despite being told there would be one, she was unsure of the repercussions, so she waited.

  Soon after, the man from earlier left. He smirked as he saw her still waiting. The servant girl occasionally peered in, showing a guilty look and asking if Harper needed anything. She did not, other than for her horse to be taken care of, and to be on her way. She did not look forward to doing the final leg of this part of the trip in the dark, and there was no way under the shattered moon that she would be staying the night here.

  Finally, on hour six, the servant girl came back with the man’s letter. Harper took it angrily, furious at the man. The girl flinched and Harper was immediately regretful. She tried apologizing but the girl looked only more uncomfortable.

  Harper left, somehow both extremely angry and relieved. She moved swiftly, running her horse faster than she usually would. She would be spending some of the ride in the dark she knew, but the less the better. Her fatigue didn’t help either. She wished she could have taken a nap during her wait, but she was far too tense to do so.

  Hopefully she’d get more sleep tonight. The nightmares were making it difficult to get as much sleep as she should, last night’s in particular had been intense. She only needed to get through this ride, and she could rest.