Large wooden room.

No exits.

I pushed into the walls.

They could not be moved.

My aimless walk in this room gave me an emotion of desolation.

What was this? Where was I? I stopped and listened.

What was that whistling sound? I looked around and the walls looked like they were getting closer. My uncertainty bothered me.

“Carmine.”

I whipped my head around and jumped at the whisper of my voice, but I saw nothing. The desire to shout back froze due to my lack of confidence.

The walls were getting closer. I lifted my foot to step back. A whistle cuts through the silence.

My chest burned. I clutched the shirt to my chest, flinching in pain. I closed my eyes and my dry throat burned. That whistle raised in volume, yet there was this deep infuriating sound that followed it.

My eyes opened and I was then greeted by the sky.

It was quiet, yet there was this infernal buzzing. Was this her, was this Corona? I looked around.

The night's dying gaze was accented by the blaring sun that sent the darkness back to its gorges. I struggled to breathe.

Panicking in my distraught due to lack of movement, I rolled and shook myself free and a terrible pain raised up my back when I stood up.

I winced and doubled over.

“Carmine?!” Janilla's voice made me look up. The pain came and curbed the annoyance. I flopped back onto the puffed-up sheets that covered the naked rough earth.

Janilla came to my side quickly staring at my sweat-soaked skin. She looked like a fish out of water, for she was not sure what to do.

I was out of Exodine, in pain, and being chased down the countryside for something I had not done.

A countryside that was arid with a scattered mess of trees in the distance while thick forests rolled in rocky ridges off the edges of valleys. The lower valleys were to be avoided unless we preferred capture and that's why we slept on the risen ridge and hills around the valleys.

I wanted to sleep and I could not make myself do it, even then, the desire was not there. The nightmares held me like a noose around my neck.

Was my life a revolving door of things getting worse? Maybe it was and if that was the case, I needed to make it better. I saw Five. He walked up behind Janilla.

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Five stared down. He only had one arm now and it was nauseating to imagine. He lost all his abilities except empathy which came stock with his body. My hand tensed as it tingled with wrathful pain. I lifted myself. Janilla held onto me and asked if I was fine.

“I am.” My eyes swept up to Five. “I need Exodine, this pain is killing me.”

Five blinked and then looked to the side. Sandream was perched in front of a rock. She stared out into nothing, but air. Sandream had told me my name had spread far and wide throughout the underground cities.

I was to be arrested on the spot. This was why we were avoiding the towns and cities.

“I cannot get Exodine for you. Yo—”

“Are there no witches in Tiam?” I asked.

“Not that I know of.”

I screamed a low growl which made Janilla shiver away from me. “It has been five days, I need to get out of here. I cannot sleep, the pain is killing me, I feel like I am dying!”

Five still looked around.

I growled at him. “What are you looking at?!”

“I am listening.” Five nodded and finally stared at me. “Someone is coming.”

“I don't c—”

“Might be brigands, live in their own townships far from the heavy taxation of Tiam, hidden by leaves and trees.”

I stared deadpan at him. “They have witches?"

“Not sure.”

“Hey, Sandream can't you find one!?”

She did not look at me. “I was told to protect you. I am not your servant, ask your broken champion.”

“Is that so, whose fault is that?!” I fired back, but she said nothing.

“Witches do not just have their identity open knowledge for all to know otherwise they would be in danger in this religious world that hates them. Valor will take time to reach us,” Five cut in.

I groaned and looked away. My attempt to stand failed, so Janilla came to help me up.

I sneered. “Why did those Elamnites create these religions anyway?”

Five looked right into my eyes. “To control, it is easy to direct the ignorant. Also, it is a good way to snuff out the Elamnites that ran from Elam.”

My head throbbed. “Ran?”

“Yes, Valor and San Rosa ran away from Elam. So have I, based on my situation.”

“Guess I am not the only one running.” I made a piercing sound with my clenched teeth then I settled down. “These brigands?”

“We need to replenish food supplies, plus you could use a proper bed.”

“That will not help my sleeping problem. Make finding a witch a priority, I might have to send you back to Eathen to San Rosa.”

Five nodded his head. “As you wish, Mother.”

We moved swiftly and made our way into the forest. The trees of Tiam were tall and swirled with massive branches that shielded us in their interconnecting webs of leaves.

Everything looked the same to the untrained eye.

The ground bit into the soles of my shoes as we walked. It never took long, however. We were attacked from all sides as a net lowered on us.

It should have worked, but we had Sandream. She sliced it apart then cleanly cleaved through the ten men that charged us.

They whelped and wallowed. Janilla shivered, so I stepped down and moved before her horse and motioned at her to stay still even though she was scared.

“We only need one,” I said.

Five nodded his head and he grabbed up one of the brigands. He was bleeding from the arms. Five brought him up and drew him by the collar.

His then frustrated face stared down at me. I asked, “You will bring us to your friends got that?”

He smiled. “I would love to bring a beautiful girl such as yourself to my friends.” He flicked his eyes back at Five and then back at me, the smile becoming more mischievous. “You won't get treated so well when you get there though.”

I rolled my eyes. “We will worry about that when we get there.”