Heed My Warnings and Survive (Second Draft)
Chapter Fifeteen

Chapter Fifteen

I looked at my once beautiful, but now destroyed home. It had been months, and the place seemed untouched by any living thing, and I wondered how it could still be burning, but at the moment that was the least of my worries. My eyes skimmed the rubble until they landed on what used to be my home. I walked over, leaving Kiara, and Finley behind me. I expected there to be some trace of the previous occupants, but there was nothing, there were the corpses of others however, and I wondered where my mother could be. I fell to my knees in front of my broken home. Tears started in my eyes. The hand I had felt in the tent, returned to my shoulder, it was strangely comforting, more than words, more than if she had wrapped her arms around me. I sat back, and let the tears fall. However I didn’t get to mourn long, because soon after arriving we heard noises. Men shouting, and tromping loudly across the earth. I looked up quickly.

“Get behind the rubble there,” I whispered, helping Kiara move Finley. I looked over the rubble, keeping my head low, so as to remain unseen. The sight I saw was awful, there were three people knelt on the ground in front of three men with sacks over their heads, as though it was an execution. I started to move closer, hoping I could help the people. Swiftly as I moved forward, and before I could get to them, they slit the throat of one of the prisoners. I froze, and luckily Kiara was ready, and she shot an arrow at the man, her arrow flying straight to his heart. I shook my head, coming back to my senses, and drawing my borrowed sword, I faced the other man, twisting, and turning in the ugly dance of swordplay. I was surprised when I beat him, but I didn’t celebrate the victory. I moved to the prisoners as Kiara took out the last man. I unbound them, and removed the sacks from their heads. It was a man, and a woman, and upon seeing the one who was slane she screamed in agony. The noise made me flinch. The woman leaned toward the man, who embraced her, not letting her see the tears in his eyes. I went to the woman, taking the sack off her head. I stumbled back, eyes wide. There in front of me was the body of my mother. I sat hard, an ache beginning to form in my chest, and throat, I sobbed over her, and I couldn’t stop thinking if only I had been a moment sooner. Kiara came over, helping Finley limp along.

“It’s her Fin,” I muttered. Finley looked down at her, and a sorrowful look came and rested on his face.

“Draven, I’m sorry,” he said, his voice on the brink of breaking.

“Who is she?” Kiara asked.

“My mother,” I told her. She put her hands over her mouth, and fell to her knees beside me, wrapping her arms around me, and I realized I had been wrong earlier, her embrace was so much better then her comforting hand. The woman who had been bound looked at me when she heard what I said.

“Wait, you’re Draven? Melo’s son?” She asked. I nodded. “She talked about you a lot,” she informed me. I looked up.

“She did?” I asked urgently. The woman nodded,

“She sounded like she loved you very much.” I let out a relieved sigh. She had forgiven me.

“Thank you,” I told the woman. She nodded, and gave me a sad smile. I took a deep breath, calming myself, slowing the tears, and stopping the shaking. “Where are you two headed?” I asked the couple. The man shrugged.

“We were going to the castle town when the bandits happened upon us. We should continue our journey there,” she said, looking up at the man who nodded.

“May we journey with you?” I asked, I didn’t want them to travel alone, and we didn’t have a destination. The woman nodded, and I looked at the others.

“Can either of you fight,” Finley asked. They both nodded. Finley smiled gently. “Great, now Kiara can sit out while other people spar with this sack of rocks. I swallowed hard.

“We need to leave soon,” I said. The others nodded. We buried my mothers body, and departed quickly.

That night, after making camp, we were sitting around the fire, which was now bigger than it ever had been to accommodate for the increase of bodies to warm. The woman had told us her name was Phonwhin, and the man’s name was Coan, they had just been married, and were returning home from their wedding week in a neighboring kingdom, when they were attacked by bandits, and taken captive, where they met my mother.

“She was so kind, and I wish I could’ve repaid her,” Phonwhin said sadly,

“Now now Whin, what happened wasn’t your fault, and there was nothing you could’ve done,” Coan said, in a soothing voice. I stared into the fire, regret begging to resurge. “Nor you young man. There’s nothing any of us could’ve done.” It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me.

“If I had been faster, I could’ve saved her,” I said. Phonwhin shook her head. The couple must have been at least twenty years my seniors, they both had kind eyes, and muscular bodies.

“Can I ask how the two of you met?” I asked. Seeking a more cheerful subject of conversation. Phonwhin smiled at Coan.

“I’m captain of the king’s guard, and he’s general of the field army,” she said. I nodded.

“And you? How did you meet your lady?” Phonwhin asked. Mine, and Kiara’s faces burned scarlet.

“She’s not- we’re not,” I stuttered. Coan laughed.

“I see, still in denial you two.” he chuckled. My face grew warmer still if it were possible, and I couldn’t bring myself to look in Kiara’s direction, for fear that I might replace something close to disgust in her eyes, but little did I know she was doing the same as me. Finley snickered.

“I keep trying to tell him that you know,” He said.

“Well if we’re not the only ones who notice there must be some truth in it,” Phonwhin said. Coan chuckled. I buried my head in my knees, which were drawn up to my chest. Once more very aware of the fact that I lacked a shirt, Coan seemed to notice this, and quickly removed his own shirt.

“Here you go lad, you must be freezing,” he said, tossing it to me. I pulled it over my head.

“Thank you,” I said, putting more than just my gratitude for the shield from the cold into my voice. Coan smiled, and nodded.

“Of course. Now you all get some sleep. I’ll take first watch.” I tried to do as he said, but the emotions of the day were getting to me, and the realization that I no longer had my family washed over me like a tidal wave, and I silently sobbed throughout the night, only falling asleep an hour before the sunrise.

I woke the next morning, after a long restless night. My dreams told me something was about to happen, although I couldn’t tell if it was good, or bad, and my brain seemed to be trying to work that out all night. I heard whispers coming from somewhere. I sat up, and looked around, it was Kiara, and Phonwhin, and they abruptly stopped when I sat up. I raised my eyebrows at them, and Kiara shook her head, telling me that what they had been discussing wasn’t important enough that I needed to know. I shrugged it off, and went to Finley to change his bandages.

“I bet they’re talking about you,” He whispered. I flicked his forehead.

“Shut up Fin,” I replied, scowling a little, and making sure to apply the stinging salve, a little slower than needed. After wrapping the wound I stood, and put my belt above the tunic Coan had given me, it was dark green, thick, and a bit too large for me, hence the repositioning of my belt, for easy access to the sword at my side.

“Are you any good with that sword?” Coan asked, glancing down at Finley’s sword. I shook my head.

“No, it’s Finley’s sword, I carry it since he can’t, and I’ve only recently started learning how to dance the deadly waltz of swordplay,” I told him. He laughed.

“Do you always talk about it like a boy afraid to ask a lady to dance?” Kiara chuckled lightly, and the noise once again made my heart flutter.

“He’s better than he lets on,” Finley said. “He’s never held a sword before a week ago, and yet he was able to take down that bandit,” He explained. Coan looked impressed.

“Why don’t you spar with me?” he asked. I sighed, and nodded. I unsheathed my sword, and got into a fighting stance. Coan did the same, and lunged, I blocked, and parried, Twisting, and turning, like a snake. I held out longer than I expected to, but eventually he disarmed me, and I fell on the ground panting.

“That wasn’t bad at all,” Coan said encouragingly.

“Thank you,” I responded.

We spared until the sun went down switching between Phonwhin, Coan, and Kiara, and eventually we sat around the fire, and ate.

“Better get some rest all of you, we’ll travel early tomorrow,” Coan said, resting his back against a tree. “I’ll take watch tonight.” I nodded, and slept easy that night, feeling safer with more people.

“The next day we did exactly as Coan had said. He nudged us all awake just as the sun was rising.

“Don’t worry, we won’t have to travel long, there’s a village nearby,”Coan said, as he noticed our reluctance to wake. Phonwhin was awake already, and had made some sort of tea that she claimed would perk us right up. I took a sip, and immediately spit it out, as did Kiara.

“What is that,” I asked, wishing I had never put the vile liquid in my mouth.

“Bula tea,” Phonwhin informed me with a chuckle. -Bula meaning fire- “Told you it’d perk you up,” She said.

“Come now Draven, it’s not that bad,” Finley said, continuing to drink the awful tea, and smiling like an idiot. Kiara shook her head, and stood.

Like Coan had said we hadn’t traveled far before we reached a modest village. We made our way to the small inn. After getting a few rooms Coan said we should go to the butcher shop, to get some jerky that we could bring on our journey.

“I can go,” Finley said, cheerily. Coan looked at me, asking me silently, if he was well enough to go. I nodded.

“I’ll go with him just in case,” I reassured him.

We made our way to the butcher shop, it wasn’t far from the inn, which was nice, since all we seemed to do was walk.

“Hey it’s better than fighting,” Finley said. Reading the expression on my face. I sighed,

“I know. That doesn’t mean I want to do it though,” I responded.

“You’re so pessimistic.” I looked at him with a confused expression.

“I think you need to study your words closer, Fin.” Finley rolled his eyes as we entered the butcher shop. I thought he was going to deliver a sarcastic response, when he got distracted by the woman behind the counter. He couldn’t tare his eyes away from her, he might as well have been drooling. The woman rolled her eyes at him. I walked forward to the counter.

“I apologize for him,” I told her, nudging Finley, to bring him back to solid earth. He shook his head, and for the first time in my life, I witnessed his cheeks go scarlet. I held in a laugh as I requested the jerky. The woman nodded, and went to the back room. I looked at Finley. “My friend, I believe you are smitten,” I said, mimicking the smile he had been giving me, and Kiara. Finley however was much harder to tease. All he did was smile, and say,

“She is beautiful Draven, and I will sorely miss not being able to befriend her.” There was some sort of anguish in those words that confused me somewhat, but I brushed it off. A few moments later someone exited the back room, but it wasn’t the previous woman, I recognized her however, and shock overcame me.

“What are you doing here?’ I asked her. She smiled at me.

“I only came to inform you of your gift,″ she said. I furrowed my eyebrows.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well like me you have a gift dear boy, but it’s different from mine.” I raised an eyebrow,

“What do you mean?”

“Your dreams dear. The future lies in them, you dreamed of the Muano, and by changing your actions, you changed the future, you also dreamed of this meeting, and your mind has been trying to work it out ever since.” I thought about what she said, and it did make sense. “You see when two seers meet, they’re future gets cloudy, and the mind becomes restless.” I rubbed my forehead. “Don’t be distressed. This is the only reason I’ve come,”

“Why? Why did you want to tell me this?”

“Because I see the future dear boy, but that is not for you to know. Now. I have delivered to you the information I held, and remember. Heed my warnings, and survive.” and with that Aria disappeared. I ran my hands through my hair, trying to process what had just happened. I could dream of the future.