Our group leaves the festival, heading Northeast to what we learn is Quentin and Caralina’s communal farm just outside of her village. The walk is rather uneventful, with Joffrey filling Caralina in on the journey so far. Quentin, Silven, Emil, and I are tossing around a small ball-like tangle of brush, bobbing and weaving around trees to give ourselves something of a fun challenge.
The sun slips under the horizon, and as the sky shifts from a bright clear blue down to a vibrant gradient of orange, red, and purple, we all look for a place to set up camp for the night.
We manage to find a small stream for refilling our water, and decide this spot is as good as any. Joffrey, Hrithika and Kendrick search for firewood, collecting a large bundle and returning to set up a fire.
I take stock of the area, and noticing how open we are, the hair on my neck stands up. The tree cover is very sparse, and the ground is relatively flat. This doesn't feel safe… I stand near where the fire is being set, my head swiveling around as I fidget nervously. I sit next to Silven and try to draw his attention to maybe calm my mind down, but he and Emil are too busy inspecting each other's bows, their faces full of awe. Dejected, I scoot away a few feet. I feel a little bump in my back and whip around. My eyes meet the color of the trees in spring, a sense of warmth and comfort encompassing me. I blink and realize I'm staring awkwardly at Quentin.
Quentin is sitting with his knees to his chest beside me, his arms crossed with his head resting on them. He's gazing quietly at me, causing me to squirm uncomfortably.
“It's scary out here at night, I don't like it.” His words are soft and quiet.
I nod silently, mindlessly watching the others build the fire.
“What about you?”
I lazily turn to look at him again. “Mm?”
“Is it scary for you out here too?”
“Yeah,” I whisper.
“Are you okay? You weren’t this quiet earlier…”
“I’m okay.” I utter, my head hanging lower ever-so-slightly. I see him shift in place in the blur of my peripheral.
“Okay.”
We sit together in silence for a minute, everyone else’s voices breathing a small glint of life into an otherwise quiet land. Soon we have a fire going and everyone sits around it, taking in its warmth on a chilly night.
Silven goes to place himself on the other side of me, and quickly notices my sulking. Before sitting, he walks over to Joffrey and mutters something I can’t make out. He comes back and sits next to me, giving me an arms length of space.
Joffrey speaks up loud enough for everyone to hear, “Well, I’m sure we aren’t very tired quite yet. Should we pass the time somehow? How about we tell scary stories? I used to do them all the time when I was younger.”
Excitement spreads through the group, agreeing it’s a good idea. I even managed to pick my head up enough to see them, my interest piqued. I don’t think I know any scary stories…
Kendrick reaches into his bag and pulls out two large jugs of dark liquor, “Well, this seems like a good time to bust these out.”
Joffrey and Hrithika let out a loud “Woo!” as they each reach for one. Kendrick swats their hands away, and stands up.
“Ow!” Joffrey rubs his stinging knuckles, grumbling to himself.
Kendrick stands and walks away for a minute, coming back with a bunch of Vitrablossom leaves in his hand. Without a word, he begins taking them and folding them in and around themselves, creating small cups that are impressively watertight. He pours the liquor into the cups and passes them out to everyone. I shake my head as he extends one out to me. He nods without asking questions and passes it to the next person. They collectively down the drinks and continue to pour more as they begin telling stories.
“I’ll start,” Joffrey continues, “This is one I remember hearing a long time ago. There once was a group of five travelers, who were in the middle of nowhere, lost in a forest. Night had fallen and they couldn’t see farther than the nearest trees,” Joffrey stands up as he talks, beginning to stalk around and behind everyone, using the shadows for cover, “Small whispers echoed around them and growing fearful, they decided to stop and camp for the night. One of them chops down a small tree and cuts it into firewood, starting a warm fire in the middle of the darkness. Soon the group found some small breath of calm, but not long after, the sound grew from whispers into shrieks!” He raises his voice as he brings his face close to Kendrick, who almost topples backward.
“Unable to tell where the sound is coming from, they hurriedly tamp out the fire, plunging themselves back into pitch darkness. Just as soon as the light goes out, so too does the shrieking. The travelers, unable to shake this horrible feeling, huddle together, placing their backs to each other to watch every side. As they peer into the nothingness, Fwoomp!” Joffrey with his arm extended quickly yanks back, tugging at invisible cloth in the air, right next to Silven’s head. Silven shrinks down, ducking away from him.
“They feel a small gap close between them, and panic sets in. Why would one of us break off, they thought. Fwoomp! Their backs crash together as another gap forms. Fwoomp! They feel only one other back against them as they desperately lock their elbows together, holding on for their lives. For just a moment they feel safe, not alone. Then their friend’s arms go limp, Fwoomp!”
He jumps up behind Hrithika, who instinctively elbows Joffrey in the gut. He doubles over briefly as Hrithika apologizes profusely. He assures her he’s fine and regains his breath, choosing now to sit back down before picking the story up again. “With their last friend sucked away, they stand alone and afraid, and they feel a sharp object trace along the back of their arm. They whip around to no avail, nothing but darkness. Another creeping poke crawls up his spine and they yelp in fear, falling forward onto the ground. They feel something wrap tightly around their leg, slowly growing tighter as it begins pulling them backward. The person begins scrambling, clawing at the dirt, trying desperately to escape but it's too late, their leg is bound too tightly. Then slowly… slowly… their leg lifts into the air, then their chest, and soon they're dangling helplessly in the air, thrashing around to find any sort of leverage. As they swing around violently, a large pair of glowing orange eyes open in front of them. Their struggling begins to slow, body relaxing involuntarily, stuck staring into the almost hypnotic gaze as a gaping mouth glowing even more intensely opens. The light coming from the mouth illuminates the area enough for the person to realize, to their horror, that the tree they chopped up was a living creature, scarred by burn marks and having reconstructed itself. The grip loosens on what the person now sees is a vine, and they begin pleading for their life, begging for mercy, apologizing for hurting it, only to be met by silence. The glowing eyes burn into their mind as the vine loosens more, their body falling a few inches. The glowing mouth curls into a large open smile as the vine snaps, and the traveler falls in. A loud scream echoes out before the maw shuts, and silence… falls once again in the forest.”
Everyone stares silently, and I realize I'm clung to Silven's arm. I shove away, my face red hot, but he doesn't seem to have noticed as even he was a little unnerved by the story, his head on a swivel. The silence goes for a few moments before Kendrick speaks up.
“My God Joffrey, are you trying to traumatize the younger ones?”
Joffrey looks over at Quentin and I, seeing us cowering and quickly realizes the effect it had. “Oh, uhm, well… some- someone else go. Maybe something not as bad as that one.” He mutters under his breath, “I didn't even think that one was that scary…”
Hrithika springs up off the ground, “My turn!” She spends the next few minutes telling us the story of how she, Kendrick and Oswin escaped the castle, everyone is laughing as the liquor loosens the group up, but my focus isn't entirely on her. My eyes keep landing on Silven, darting away any time he glances back at me.
I tune back in to Hrithika around when they made it outside the walls of the Kingdom and try hard to focus on her words.
“So once we got out we were pretty much in the clear from that point on, we spent a couple weeks walking through the forest. Luckily Kendrick knows the plant life otherwise we wouldn't have made it past the first few days.”
Oswin jumps in, “Though I do find it a little strange, creatures that are usually skittish acted almost like we weren't there.”
“It made hunting a lot easier, though,” Kendrick tacks on.
“And then,” she cuts off their tangent, “That's when we found you all.”
I spend the next little bit staring into the fire aimlessly as each person goes around telling some sort of story. By this point, everyone except Quentin and I are starting to slur their words a bit, the alcohol having taken full effect. Kendrick goes next, standing up and stumbling around as he’s telling some tale about a ghost that creeps the alleys of the noble district and I catch myself dozing in and out while laying my head on my curled up knees, nodding off quietly as their words rock me to slumber.
A deep distant rumble in the ground makes my eyes shoot back open. Crap, I must have passed out. I blink a couple times, and find my head laying in Silven's lap. A sudden warmth travels up my body. I shoot up, trying to refrain from showing a horrified expression as I make direct eye contact with Silven, smiling. My mind switches gears as time slows down, my chest tightens and I feel my heart beating in my throat. My eyes dart around the camp and see everyone laughing around the fire, blissfully unaware of the sound. Silven, confused by my sudden jolting, starts to ask what's wrong, but his voice is lost behind my accelerating heartbeat ringing in my ears. I scramble forward onto my feet, my voice catching in my throat, jamming my finger forward in its direction.
Silven sees me pointing in a panic and shushes everyone. The air grows still as everyone goes silent and soon after, another thud tremors the ground. Oh god, not again, please no. The group sluggishly draw all their weapons and stand at the ready, searching in every direction. The thudding grows louder and I look above the trees, seeing the faintest silhouette reaching far above the trees nearby. As I'm looking at the highest point, I see through the moonlight what looks to be branches, swaying and rustling back and forth as this giant grows closer.
Before anyone can act to defend, a deep rumbling growl overpowers my mind. It sounds as if it could be words, but nothing like I've ever heard before. Everyone recoils, but none of us lose our stance, all locked on the figure, everyone gripping their weapons while they try to steady themselves. Oswin disregards the rest of us and fumbles forward, barely catching himself on a branch, and draws in a deep breath. He speaks almost as if reciting a passage, all hints of drunkenness leaving him for a second, “My name is King Oswin D’lovia Drenwind of the Kingdom of Brindovia. If you are not here to harm us, what is the reason for your appearance?”
Joffrey stumbles over to Oswin, cupping his hand against Oswin's ear, and shouting in a whisper, “What are you doing?!”
“Merely having a conversation with the lad,” Oswin mumbles softly, eyeing the figure.
“A c… a conversation?!” Joffrey slaps him hard enough to pull his attention, “You're telling me you understood that just now?”
Oswin hardly notices, turning slowly to look at him, “You, uh… you didn't?”
“No!” Joffrey throws his hands up in the air, nearly toppling himself backward, “Of course not! It felt like my brain was rattling out of my head!”
Oswin holds up his hand as if to shush Joffrey and I watch Joffrey recoil with a hand tented on his chest as he falters backward. Oswin doesn't pay him any mind, speaking quietly with slurred words, “In that case… I'll translate. He- he said he means no harm. His name is Ced- Cedr…” Oswin pauses as a small burp escapes him, “Excuse me… his name is Cedrani’oul. He says… he told me he, um… followed the energy within the world and… it brought… it made him come here,” Oswin raises in volume, turning back to the tree, “Cedrani’oul, could you… will you grant the ab- the, uh… can you let everyone understand you?”
Cedrani’oul’s gaze presumably shifts to Oswin, the deep rumbling piercing our brains again.
“He says he can, and to, uh, let him ente- uhm, touch our minds.” Oswin translates, squinting up at the tree.
“Touch our minds? What does that even mea-” Joffrey, standing much more sober than Oswin, is cut off as a creeping branch extends in front of him. “Oh, hello there. I don't much like this.” The branch touches his forehead, his eyes roll back in his head and he falls backward. Seeing this, Silven nocks an arrow to aim at the tree and as he's just about to fire, Joffrey's voice rings out again, groggily, “No, don't. I'm okay. Just dizzy.”
Silven lowers his bow skeptically, and branches extend in front of all of us, touching each of our foreheads as well. As it touches mine, I feel a rush of information enter my mind, and am momentarily blinded, almost as if the words are giving off immense bright light. We all stumble to the ground, waking up just seconds later, and the same rumbling growl comes through my mind, except this time, it's comprehendible.
“Greetings, all. I am Cedrani’oul. It is my pleasure to be before a few of you at once. It has been a long while, my ancient friends.
Oswin slurs his reply, “Erm, well… I still don't know entirely what's happening,” he pauses to mutter under his breath, “I don't think I, uh… know a massive tree. Can I get what he's having…?” He clears his throat and shouts, "Is there something you require?”
Cedrani’oul rumbles again, “I can feel her energy inside you, Oswin Drenwind. You are one of the Disciples of the Goddesses. Listen to me carefully, it is not what I require, but this world. There is a great plague upon the planet, a corrupt energy spreading and growing stronger. The combined energy of the Goddesses is now the only source powerful enough to combat the great evil. I must ask of you, for the sake of our world, to bring the Disciples together and put an end to this blight.”
“Wha, erm- what would you have us do? We are without direction at the moment…” He stumbles in place, “We currently are heading…” Oswin begins circling around with his finger extended before pointing in a random direction, “North! To travel with this young man, Emil.”
“North is that way, Oswin,” Hrithika’s hand reshapes into a compass dial, where one of her fingers is pointing true North.
“Oh yes, that-a-way!” He adjusts his point.
Cedrani'oul disregards his drunken behavior, “Yes, Emil, I believe we've met before. It's a pleasure to now speak to you for the first time.”
Emil, awestruck by the voice of Cedrani’oul, shakes himself back to reality, “Oh, yes, yes of course. I'm glad I can finally properly thank you for the branch you gifted me years ago.”
“Please, there is no need for that, you already have. Has it treated you well?”
“Yes, most definitely. It has been a treasured possession of mine.”
Cedrani’oul continues, “Emil, you are from the Kingdom of Zephyria, is that correct?”
“Yes, I am,” he confirms.
“I must ask you to bring these people to Anemone, and convince her to join their cause.”
Emil’s face fleets with confusion for a moment, then quickly rises to shock, “Of course I ca- wait, what? Why her? Are you saying she's one? A disciple?”
“That is correct,” Cedrani'oul looks at the rest of us, “And as the Disciples, you must locate each of your gems and unleash the power within. Only then can you stand a chance against this force. Be wary, an opportunity such as this has not presented itself in centuries, where all seven wielders are of able body simultaneously. Should any one of you perish, I fear there may not be another chance.”
“So we must find this one person amongst a whole Kingdom?” Oswin questions.
“I do not doubt you will find her with ease, Disciple of the Mind, especially with the help of your other members.”
Silven calls out to the tree, slurring as he tries to speak louder than his normal voice, “How did Emil get gifted one of your branches, Cedrani'oul?”
“I have long been a friend of the Zephyrians, going back centuries, and as such have provided their best archers with my Elderwood for their protection.”
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“Where are the other Disciples at?” Hrithika inquires.
“Anemone of the Zephyrians resides to the north, in the Kingdom. The Disciple of Water lives on an island far to the Southeast. The Disciple of energy hasn't been seen or felt in the world for nearly a millennium.”
“What about Earth?”
Cedrani'oul is silent for a moment, “... I see, it must not have awakened yet.”
“Wait, what does that mean?” Hrithika asks further.
“The Disciple of Earth is among you. Though it appears his energy is latent.” Cedrani'oul once again reaches out with a branch, slithering between all of us as we gaze unsurely. It lifts up, and stops just before Quentin's eyes. His stare grows wide and his hair stands on end as the realization begins to sink in.
His mother Caralina catches on as well, and despite not knowing what the Disciples are, jumps in front of the branch, arms extended to either side.
“Ohh no. No, no no. I refuse to believe that my boy is one of these Disciples. He's barely a teenager, for God's sake! There must be a mistake!”
“Unfortunately, it is no mistake. I'm sorry you have to learn about the future of your child in this way.”
“But… You said he was the Disciple of the Earth? He's never demonstrated any control over the earth, how is that possible?”
“The gems’ planetary energy is connected with all living beings, and each element has some semblance of a consciousness, determining which life is most capable to harbor their energy. I'm sorry to say, it's out of anyone's hands.”
“No, you have to be wrong.”
“I may be able to prove it, would that suffice?”
“Wh- you- how?” Her voice growing frantic.
“All I require is the young man's permission. I must warn you, it will feel discomforting.”
I stare at Quentin, whose expression is hard to tell. It seems like a mix of excitement, anxiety, and fear. He draws in a deep breath, and nods.
“It’s okay, yeah.”
“No!” His mom shouts, trying to shield him.
“Mom…” he touches her shoulder, “Please, let me try this?”
“Bu- Wh-...” She trails off, seeing a look akin to determination in his eyes. She collects herself with a deeply drawn breath, nodding and shaking her hands out as she steps out of the way.
Cedrani’oul raises a root out of the ground in front of Quentin, high enough for him to realize he needs to step on, and then the root raises him up closer to Cedrani'oul. Three branches extend out, touching Quentin's forehead and palms. A small green glow emits from the tips of the branches, and I feel, barely registering under my feet, the ground trembling. Everyone else begins to notice, and starts looking around worriedly. The light grows brighter and Quentin groans loudly, twisting around.
“Stop, he sounds like he's in pain!” Caralina shouts. She tries to run forward to pull her son off the tree.
Cedrani'oul, without interrupting his concentration, raises a root to hold her back as he focuses his power. With a flash, I see a green glowing energy surge through his muscles, and the ground begins to rumble to life. I watch as cracks form a circle in the earth around us, and feel a jolt as we're lifted up, the land shifting upward a couple of feet, creating a raised platform of dirt and stone. All of us gawk with awestruck open jaws.
The branches’ glow fades, and they gingerly hold behind Quentin as he slumps backward. Cedrani'oul lowers him back down, setting him up on his feet as he wearily holds himself up.
“What did you just do?” Caralina shouts. The root retreats into the ground, she stumbles forward and yanks her son into a hug, “He can barely stand now! What the hell was that?!”
Cedrani'oul’s voice rumbles around my head again, “As one of the Floran, being as deeply rooted as I am, I have the ability to channel energies to some extent. I simply allowed the young man and his latent power to act as an empty vessel of sorts. I simply gave him a momentary charge.”
“A… what? That is absolutely ridiculous! He is just a boy! I can't… You can't send him off to his death! Come on son, let's go.” She begins to pull on her son's arm, but Cedrani'oul stops her once again with his roots.
“I'm sorry, but he has to stay.”
“And who are you to decide where my child goes?! You can't simply expect me to sit idly by and let this one go! I… no. No, I can't do this…” Her voice trails off, and with her confusion and anxiety taken over by defeat, she slumps down to the ground, her hand still gripping Quentin's hand.
“Your son is one of the few we have that stand a chance of saving this world. I understand this is an impossible request, but it is imperative that he travel alongside the other Disciples to grow a connection with his power.”
“I…” she looks over at Quentin, her eyes brimming, “I don't want this… Please don't do this… come back home with me, let… let's just go enjoy our pottery! I…” she begins to trail off, seeing Quentin staring at her assuredly, “I don't… I… think I've not got much choice… Is, uh… Is this what you want, Quentin?”
He stares for a long moment into his mother's eyes, and slowly, he closes them and nods.
She chokes back a sob, and hugs Quentin tightly, kissing the top of his head, “Okay. Okay, baby… Just promise me you'll be careful.” She looks around at the other adults, “And all of you. If I find one hair on his head out of place, I'll track you down and have myself some new wall mounts.”
All of them stare shocked, nodding profusely. Cedrani'oul rumbles out, pulling all of our attention, “Thank you, Caralina. Your cooperation is sure to help save this planet. Nightfall has fully come, you all must rest and reserve your energy. I shall guard you through the night.”
“Your protection is very kind, Cedrani’oul, we thank you,” Oswin bows and stumbles forward slightly. Everyone begins winding down for the night. I curl up and close my eyes, trying to fall asleep, but finding myself struggling to cross that barrier. After what feels like an hour, I sit up, and look around the camp. Everyone is sound asleep so I carefully stand and tiptoe away from them, walking over to Cedrani'oul and resting my hand against the rough bark.
“Please stay quiet, I don't want to wake anyone up.” I whisper.
His voice enters my mind, “Do not worry, I can choose who I wish to hear me. Is something troubling you, Disciple of Fire?”
“N-no. Well… yes,” I furrow my brow, my words coming to me with an unusual ease, “I… I don't know. I've just got a lot going through my head. It's too much to take in. Why me? Why was I chosen to be one of the Disciples? Why can't I control my powers? Why can't I…” My words trail off, the haunting memory playing through my mind, “There… there was a night, I'm not even sure how long ago anymore… The village we found was attacked by giant beasts… I tried to do everything I could,” Tears begin pattering against the ground, my eyes running profusely, “I… I couldn't save them. A family… I watched them burn while I collapsed helplessly on the ground. How… how can I be trusted with this power if I can't even save a single family?”
“Throughout time, there have been many of Fire’s descent who were incapable of controlling it. Fire proved difficult for them because unlike the other energies, fire lives. It breathes. In order to harness it well, you must be willing to create a relationship of give and take with your power. It has needs in order to live just as you do. If you are able to find that balance, then your energy will resonate with your power’s, bringing forth untold potential.”
“What if I can't find that balance? What if I get to this fight and I'm not ready? What if more people lose their lives because of me failing?” I croak exasperatedly, my shirt beginning to dampen as the tears continue to flow, “What if I can't protect my friends? What if I don't make it…”
“You have grown fearful of your own strength, have you?”
“Bu-, wh…” his question throws me off, my running eyes stopping for a moment, “I have already overdone it a couple of times now, and this most recent one left… a family dead… I have these burned marks on my palms that are a constant reminder of my failure. And… I haven't felt my powers since I woke up from my coma.”
“Fire is very temperamental, and is heavily connected to the emotions running through you humans. Your experience has created a wall on your side of the connection that has become impassable to your power. You must find room in your heart to forgive yourself, and let go of those walls. Only then will you be reconnected with your power.”
“But… H-how do I even begin to do that?”
“That is a journey for you and you alone, I'm afraid. No one will be able to provide a satisfying enough answer to fill the hole left inside except yourself. The answer will come to you one day.”
“Of course that's the case…” I grumble to myself, forgetting Cedrani'oul can hear me, “Why couldn't there just be a switch I can flip and just be okay…”
“If that were the case, then do you think any before you would have failed? Each of them faced their own hardships, fought their own wars, battled their demons. Not all of them succeeded. No one can run from the troubles within themselves. If you choose not to confront them, you are only leaving yourself to be consumed. You are young, and have many lessons left to learn. Have hope that you may one day be able to rescue another, and hold firm to that belief.”
“I can try…” I dig the tip of my foot into the dirt, and kick up a small dust cloud. I sit on one of Cedrani'oul’s roots in silence for a few minutes, watching the starry sky as the moon beams faint light across the quiet lands. I break the silence, turning my head up toward Cedrani'oul, “What is the great evil?”
“A soul tarnished by unending years, growing tired of life as it is. They wish to change the foundation of the world, with a vision of their own twisted reality. They yearn for the power of the Disciples to grant them the status of a God, controlling every aspect of energy across the planet to bend existence to their will.
As an Elder Floran, I am deeply connected to the planet, and the energies running deep inside it, almost like the veins in your body. I can feel corruption growing in these veins, spreading slowly, but growing in strength with each passing day. The creatures have grown hostile, humans are growing restless, soon everyone and everything will turn on one another.
The Disciple of the Mind’s gem has been removed from its designed resting place and fallen into the wrong hands. It has caused a worldwide psychic pulse of negative instincts, razing the comfort of the mind. The gem must be returned to its rightful place, and the Disciple of the Mind must present themself in order to unlock the gem’s power. The same goes for the rest of the Disciples. I fear there is a great battle happening in the near future.”
“Okay… Well, uhm, thank you for the talk, Cedre- cadr… Uhm… Is it okay if I call you Cedar?”
“... That will be fine.”
“Alright, well… Thank you Cedar,” I cradle down into a bundle of his roots, to which he shifts them around, creating a nestled spot for me. My mind strangely sits the calmest it has in a long time, despite the crash of information laid onto me, and as I begin to slip into sleep, Cedar sends me one last message.
“Be strong, Disciple of Fire.”.
The light of the morning falls onto my eyes and I blink awake. I sit up and stretch with a big yawn, having gotten some of the best sleep in a while and I come to realize I'm sitting next to the firepit. Didn't I fall asleep on Cedar? I look over to where he was, and see Cedar standing tall among the forest, as still as the rest of the trees. I smile softly to myself and take in the havoc around me. Oswin is asleep on his back with Kendrick laying across his stomach, Hrithika is curled into a ball of some sort right next to them, Joffrey is laid back over a log with his arms spread wide, Silven is laying across the same log next to him. Quentin and Caralina are curled up together a few feet away and Emil is up and walking around, bringing fresh firewood to bring it back to life.
“Oh, hello Salem, good morning. How did you sleep?”
“Y-yeah, it was more than I've had in a while…” I say, my eyes wandering off for a second, “What about you?”
“I've trained my body to wake up before sunrise every day, so I suppose you could say it's going well.” he says as he finishes precariously stacking the logs in a pyramidal shape. He picks up a small pebble nearby and I see him focus intently on it. Soon after, it ignites and he tosses it onto the pile, lighting the fire.
I chuckle as I bring myself to my feet, pausing for a moment as I think about what's to come, “So… what is the Zephyrian Kingdom like?”
Emil steels himself for a second, unsure how to respond, “I know I am bringing you to the Kingdom… but speaking of the inside is strictly forbidden. I'm sorry, but the kingdom is very strict on staying hidden. I was barely given leave to attend the festival.”
“Oh, I-I’m sorry, I didn't mean to ask too much.”
“No, it’s no problem. Perhaps we should change topics though, maybe… waking these folks up?”
“Yeah,” I walk over and begin shaking the log where Silven and Joffrey are laying. Joffrey's head thumps the ground a few times and he begins groggily trying to roll over. Silven falls off and jumps up in a blind panic, swinging his arms wildly for a second and almost smacking my head. Both of them sluggishly bring themselves to fully alert, the weight of their drinking bearing heavy on their shoulders. “Good morning, guys. Are you okay?”
They reply with a small nod, and both reach for a water flask, almost mimicking each other perfectly, and drink heartily. I smirk and move on to wake up Quentin and his mom, seeing that Emil is having trouble rousing Oswin, Hrithika and Kendrick.
I gently place a hand on Caralina's shoulder and she shoots awake with a gasp, staring me straight in the eyes and clutching Quentin tight. She regains herself and quickly spits out, “Sorry, I had a horrible nightmare… a giant tree came and… told…” her words trail off as she sees Cedar behind me, and I see the color drain from her face, “Oh god. I wasn't dreaming, was I?” she looks back at me, a wild look in her eyes.
I shake my head, and she looks down solemnly at Quentin, asleep in her arms.
“Wow… to think my child is to be someone to save the world… I…” I see tears well in her eyes, a single drop falling onto Quentin’s collar, “I can't imagine letting him go.” Her grip on the fabric of his clothing tightens.
“I was separated from my family,” I say softly, “The King over there exiled me from his kingdom… it was to kind of save me… but I was thrown out of the walls and left to fend on my own. I luckily found these people and they have gone far out of their way to nurture and protect me… Honestly, in some ways, I see them as… closer than my parents.”
“I'm… sorry to hear that,” she wipes the tears from her cheek, “That must be horrible.”
“It… it is, but these people have made it worth it, they've kept me safe along the way, and I think he could really use the experience, I know I needed it… We always look out for each other here. We'll protect him too.”
“I… What if something happens? And you're too far away? What if I don't get to see my son again?” Her eyes start welling up again.
“I don't know… but I do know we will do everything we can to not let that happen.”
“I… appreciate that,” she stares for a long time at Quentin, watching him breathe peacefully in her arms, “I just… wow… I always wanted him to grow up to be something special. If I'd known this was what he had in store… I don't know… I might not have pushed so hard for him to go do something great. Is that wrong of me?”
“Well… I wish I had a parent like you, to push me to do more than just fend,” I lower my head, “I don't know much about it, but I'd say it's natural to want to take care of him and not see him hurt.”
“I suppose you're right… I'm sorry… I can't believe I'm ranting about my feelings to someone younger than my son,” she laughs in disbelief, “Lots of firsts lately, that's for sure.”
Quentin's eyes flutter as he wriggles around in Caralina’s arms, soon opening them and they set upon me.
“Hey Quentin, how are you feeling?”
He rubs his eyes, letting out a long yawn, groggily replying “like I slept for a year. ” He sits up off of his mom, groaning, “Oh man, my whole body is aching…” he, like a newborn animal, stumbles up to his feet, turning and helping his mother up as well.
Emil saunters over, gesturing to the pile of sleeping bodies, “I, uh, they won't budge. Could you help me Salem? Quentin too?”
We nod and move back, attempting to roll Kendrick off of Oswin. We push and finally manage to flop him over, his face smacking on the ground. In shock, he lets out a shout and rolls onto his back, covering his face. The sound makes Hrithika and Oswin shoot up, and scout around. Oswin groans at the sudden movement and holds his head, rocking in little circles. Hrithika pops up, as if she'd not touched even a drop of alcohol, and slinks to Kendrick, whose hands have fallen to his sides as he squints into the sky.
“Someone extinguish the sun, for the love of all that is sacred,” Kendrick croaks out.
“Here, you big babies.” Hrithika extends her arms and legs, stretching her body into a flat sheet and creating a shady tent over top of Kendrick and Oswin.
“Ah, perfect,” Kendrick says as he rolls over, beginning to nod off again.
Hrithika whips one of her legs inward, kicking Kendrick in the arm and shoving him back over. “Get up, both of you, I knew I shouldn't have let you drink so much.”
Eventually, with a little help from me, Quentin, and Emil, we get the two off the ground and onto their feet. Hrithika shrinks back down, plopping right next to Emil. Kendrick rummages through his bag and produces two small bottles of liquid, one purple, one green. Using some of the cups he made the night before, he mixes trace amounts of each bottle into the cups.
“Here, everyone. Drink this, it'll rid you of those head pains.”
“Thank you,” Joffrey shoots his drink down, with an audible sigh of relief.
The rest drink theirs and slowly they pick their heads back up. As they begin to rise and proceed to pack up camp, two figures step out into view from the denser part of the forest. I see vibrant red hair, and a frail man. Joffrey, Silven and I stop what we're doing and watch them as they walk up.
“Raina, Gontu! It's been weeks, how did you find us?” Joffrey remarks, “That's the longest you've been gone before.”
“I'm a good tracker, you should know this,” Raina comments.
“Oh, uh… right. Well, where did you two run off to?”
She tossed her head around for a second, contemplating, “I went south to the Infernian Kingdom, had something I needed to do.” Her eyes turn towards Oswin and I notice her posture stiffen for a moment.
“And I went wherever the winds took me,” Gontu says with a large smile, “I found some interesting flowers.” He says as he produces a small bouquet of different colored and shaped flowers, handing them to Caralina, “And what might your name be, ma'am?”
“Oh! Uhm, I'm… I'm Caralina. Thank you, these are beautiful.”
“Of course! I see a few other new faces, as well. Who have we here?” He walks over to the three adults who are still packing, “Hello, travelers, my name is Gontu! It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Oswin spins around and sees an outstretched hand. Taking it, he replies, “Of course, hello. I am King Os-,” Hrithika nudges his arm, to which he clears his throat, “erm… Oswin. The pleasure is mine.”
“That's quite a grip you've got,” Gontu chuckles.
“My father always taught me that you can tell a lot about someone from their handshake.”
“Quite true. And what might your name be?” He says turning to Hrithika, extending his hand.
“Hrithika, nice to meet you,” She takes his hand.
“A perfect name for a kind-hearted person,” He turns to the next person, “And you?”
“Kendrick, sir. Healer.”
“Splendid, healers are hard to come by. That should come in handy.”
With introductions out of the way, we fill in Gontu and Raina on where we were planning on going, and they begin to help us finish packing. I see Caralina hasn't left Quentin's side since he woke up, not talking loud enough for me to hear, but she's visibly frazzled as her mouth moves a mile a minute, and her body language is frantic almost. Walking over, I start to hear what she's saying.
“-ease, you don't have to go. I'll make all of your favorite foods! Or, or, or we could get you some new clothing! Please. This is too dangerous!” Her voice is trembling, and without thinking she blurts out, “I can't lose you too!”
Silence crosses the camp, and I see Quentin’s posture stiffen. Her hands fly up to her mouth as it dawned on her what she said, eyes as wide as saucers as she looks around, seeing everybody staring at her.
“Mom? What did you say?” Quentin's eyes cloud over.
“I… I said I can't lose you.” She averts her eyes from her son.
“No, what do you mean, ‘too’?” his eyebrows draw together, staring inward at Caralina.
“N-nothing! I ju.. I just misspoke! I just don't want you to leave!” she squeezes her eyes tightly shut, dropping to her knees and bending toward the ground.
Quentin quietly crouches down, his fist clenching white, “Mom. Tell me what you meant.”
A piercing wail escapes her as her face contorts in pain and tears stream down her nose, droplets falling into the dirt. She pounds her fist into the ground until crimson begins seeping from her knuckles. I look around and see everyone is paralyzed, unsure of what to do. Quentin gently hooks his hand in her elbow, preventing her from battering her hands further. She pushes Quentin away, but his grip is firm enough to not let go.
“Mom. Please. What aren't you telling me?” As she tries to pull away in response, with a swift motion, he pulls her up and into a hug. She scrambles for a moment, shouting as her tears soak into his shirt, before going limp and muffling her cries on her son's chest. Her hands slowly come up to return the hug as her wails stifle down to sniffles and deep breaths.
After a few minutes, her breathing returns to her and she pulls herself back to sitting on her heels, taking a cloth from her bag and wiping her face. With her eyes buried into the ground, she speaks softly, “You… were a twin.”
“What?”
“When you were a baby… you had a twin sister. Times were so much harder for us back then. There was no possible way we could care for two children.”
“Wh- what?” His face contorts through a barrage of emotions, his body physically recoiling.
“So… we had to find a family to take her. Sh-she… she went to a good family, they were very wealthy nobles!”
“So, what? You, you sold her?” I see his fist clenching again, his knuckles white.
“No, please, I did it so we could all survive! There was no way we could have made it otherwise!”
“So you didn't take any money for her?”
Her head drops further.
Without a word, Quentin stands up and grabs his bag. Caralina doesn't move an inch, frozen in anguish. She's silent but I still see tears falling to the grass.
Quentin turns to the rest of us, “Are we ready to go?”
“Yes.” Jeffrey says softly.
“Lead the way.”