“Aura, you're hurt.”
She looked at her arm. Small shards of glass had buried themselves in her skin and there were long thin scratches from the branches, all mixed in with the mud. She couldn't even imagine how her face must look. Her entire body began to ache. “No, I'm fine.”
He stiffened. “What was that?”
She heard faint voices coming from deeper in the forest. Barely breathing, she stared in the direction of the noise and waited. Several soldiers, most of them wearing various pieces of green and gold-tinted armor, came into view and caught sight of them wedged under the ledge. One immediately rushed over and knelt down. Feeling exhausted, Aurora tensed her muscles, even as she realized that there would be no escape this time. More soldiers made their way through the maze of trees to where they hid.
The first soldier reached out a hand. “Are you two alright?”
Aurora hesitated as she noticed the men’s armor looked significantly different than the soldiers from their previous encounter. The colors and design were different, the metal more scuffed up and dull. “What do you want?” she finally asked.
The man wrinkled his brow. “We're on our way to Kain. I'm assuming we must be getting close.”
“Leave us alone,” Djerr growled.
Drawing back his hand, the man continued to regard the pair. “Look, are you from Kain? We're a group of soldiers with the Citizens' Army. We believe the Wizard's Army may be heading your way. We've come to warn you and help you out in any way possible. Hopefully, your town will understand this and perhaps join our cause.”
Aurora gulped back a sob of relief and despair as she crawled out from under the ledge and stood shakily. “You're too late. They've attacked us. The town's being massacred.”
The statement ignited a chorus of curses as the growing group of soldiers heard the news. The first man closed his eyes and breathed a heavy sigh. “I was afraid they might have gained a lead on us. Well, let's hurry on.” He waved the rest of the soldiers forward, toward Kain.
Aurora and Djerr wearily followed the soldiers as they entered Kain. The Citizens' soldiers erupted into a unanimous roar as they saw the smoking buildings, bodies lying motionless in the street, and blood pooling in the gutters. They tore off, chasing after the scattered Wizard's soldiers.
The man who had offered Aurora his hand, stood back and slowly shook his head. “What a terrible tragedy.” He glanced over at Aurora and Djerr. “My name is Jonah. I'm the captain of this company. You two are welcome to join us, of course, either until you find a new town to live, or indefinitely. We can offer you food and supplies. In return, of course, we would appreciate it if you would help us in our fight against the atrocities of the Wizard's Army.”
Aurora immediately shook her head. “No. I've had enough of this fighting and Kain is my home. I'll help rebuild it. My life is here.”
Looking remorseful, Jonah sighed. “What about you, young man? Don't you want to help prevent a tragedy like this from happening to another innocent town?”
Djerr glared and said nothing in response. Jonah sighed again and turned away from the two, looking back at the town. “So much unnecessary carnage...”
“Aurora!”
Aurora's head snapped in the direction of the voice. “Kirian?” she mouthed soundlessly. She spotted him walking slowly down the street, looking at the houses. He had not yet spotted her. “Kirian!” she screamed, running toward him. Seeing her, he stopped walking and closed his eyes for a moment. She threw her arms around him, wincing as the slivers of glass were pressed deeper into her skin. After a moment, he pulled her away and looked at her.
“Aurora, you look-”
“I know, I know,” Aurora pushed back her dirty, matted hair, “I look awful.”
Kirian shook his head and smiled. “No, you look beautiful.”
Jonah made his way over to the pair. “Kirian, is it? My name is Jonah. Nice to meet you.” Before Kirian could reply, he continued, “I was just telling your little friend here about our cause. I'm sure you've probably noticed our army, the Citizens' Army, fighting off the people who foolishly destroyed your town. Well, we need all the help we can get-”
“Of course we'll join you,” Kirian interrupted. “Aurora and I both.”
Aurora's mouth dropped open. “But-”
“I'm happy to hear that!” Jonah exclaimed. “This will be a wonderful experience for the both of you and you'll be saving so many other lives.”
“Kirian, I don't want to join their army,” Aurora interjected.
Looking displeased, Kirian put his hand on her shoulder. “It's our duty, Aurora. We can't go through life, expecting someone else to save us. We need to take control of our own lives.”
“What about Djerr?”
Kirian glanced over at Djerr, noticing him for the first time. “Well, there's no reason he can't join us too, assuming his parents don't object.”
“Well, there's not much chance of that,” Djerr mumbled.
Walking over to where Djerr stood, Aurora leaned her forehead against his and said in a low voice, “Djerr, I have to go with him.”
“You don't have to do this, Aura.”
“I don't have much of a choice.” She grabbed his hand. “You need to do whatever you feel is right. I want you to come with me, but I won’t be mad if you stay here.”
He sighed and nodded slightly, causing her head to nod too. “I’m going wherever you go, Aura.”
Aurora turned away, feeling resigned. “Then it's settled. All three of us will come with you,” she said to Jonah. She froze suddenly and looked around, her gaze resting on Kirian. “Where’s Roxanne?”
Silence. Kirian said nothing.
“I said, where is Roxanne?” Her hand dropped away from Djerr's. “Answer me!”
Kirian's face was emotionless, unreadable. “She's dead, Aurora. The Wizard's Army killed her when she fought back against them. She's gone.”
Aurora turned away, saying nothing. She watched as a couple Citizens’ soldiers returned, followed by a small group of former citizens of Kain, recruited as soldiers. Their talk was a droning noise, the words indistinguishable from one another. More soldiers approached, followed by Citizens. Some greeted her, patted her on the shoulder, talked to each other. Aurora stood still, off to the side. She could see Djerr out of the corner of her eye, also standing still, watching her. Everyone else moved around them. The day went on.
In the early evening, the last few soldiers returned, reporting that the town was empty of Wizard's soldiers. Most had already left and the last few were killed. “We'll continue through the valley, away from the sea,” Jonah explained, “stopping at all the towns along the way to warn people about the approaching danger.”
“How will we track the Wizard's Army?” someone asked.
“We won't,” Jonah answered simply. “Although it wouldn’t be hard to track an army of that size, our duty is not to battle the Wizard's Army. We are not fighters, we fight only when we have to. Our duty is simply to warn as many people as possible.”
The army began to depart as Aurora stood still, watching. “I understand you're sad, but we have to get going.” She recognized Kirian's voice.
She shrugged. “I'm not sad. Let's go.” She followed the group out of Kain and Djerr fell into step beside her. The road was broad and well worn. Although she had left the city only a few times and never by this route, it seemed familiar and she realized it was the road she, Kirian, and Roxanne had used to enter Kain over a year ago.
She glanced behind her and saw the city in its shining glory. Bright flags raised, windows glinting in the sparkling sunlight, buildings standing taller than she had ever imagined. Then the sunlight abruptly faded, the buildings crumbled, and the flags disintegrated into smoke. Feeling lost, Aurora turned and headed away.
As the large group trudged along, the houses became spaced further and further apart, instead replaced with increasingly taller, wilder trees. The road became narrower and windier unti
l they found themselves on a dusty path, twisting its way through the forest. Djerr and Aurora were silent as they walked, although they were surrounded by people chatting and consoling each other.
As it grew darker, the group finally slowed to a stop and everyone gradually stopped talking. When it grew silent, they could hear Jonah's voice speaking, although they couldn't see him through all the people standing in front of them.
“We'll stop here for tonight,” he said, “so make yourselves comfortable and stay in the area, of course. Oh, and any newcomers from that last town, make your way up to the front and come see me, alright?”
“Guess that means us?” Aurora whispered to Djerr. He nodded and she glanced around for Kirian, but didn't see him nearby. As the soldiers sat down, pulling out loose blankets and something that looked like food from the backpacks they all carried, Aurora and Djerr carefully made their way forward, stepping over people's legs and slipping around their backs.
She saw several other people doing the same thing. When they finally reached the front, she found Kirian was already standing near Jonah and she counted several dozen other people from Kain, some of whom she vaguely recognized.
Jonah waited patiently for everyone to arrive, then smiled cordially. “Alright everyone, I would have done this earlier, but things were a bit hectic back in your city, so I figured we could just do this now. There are just a few things I need to hand out to you. First, your armor and swords.” He gestured toward a pile of green and gold-tinted pieces of metal, stacked up next to a tree. “Help yourselves.”
The group began to pick through the armor, trying it on. When Aurora picked up a piece, she discovered it was surprisingly light and flimsy and most pieces had deep scratches embedded in the metal.
“How'd this all get here?” she asked, turning to Jonah.
His smile widened. “We all work together here. If there are spare supplies that need to be carried, we all volunteer to carry it until it can be used. Now, most of this will probably be a bit big for you, but as long as you wear something from this pile, you'll be fine. It's important to display the group we are a part of.”
Picking through the assorted pieces of armor, Aurora finally slipped on a simple breastplate which fit loosely and hung down too low. It had several small dents and scratches, but was in remarkably good condition compared with most of the other pieces of armor. The green and gold colors were slightly faded and the armor shone dully in the fading sunlight.
She glanced over at Djerr as he slipped on some simple metal armguards and a similar breastplate. Waiting while everyone else in the group sorted through the miscellaneous pieces of armor, she watched as Jonah and several others gathered up a pile of swords in sheathes of varying lengths, all attached to very worn-looking belts.
“Alright,” Jonah said, as he tossed the last sword onto the pile with a loud clang, “go ahead and grab a sword. Doesn't matter which one, they're all very high quality.” Aurora looked at the swords skeptically, but finally shrugged and grabbed one of the smaller ones. Finally, Jonah handed out backpacks to each one of the newcomers from Kain. It was unexpectedly heavy and Aurora lurched forward as it was handed to her.
Setting it on the ground, she looked inside and found it full of a canteen of water, several packets of what she assumed to be food, and a thick blanket. “Alright!” Jonah exclaimed as he handed out the last backpack. “You're all set. Go and have a nice dinner and bundle up for the night. We'll be leaving early tomorrow and you've had a long day. Welcome to the Citizens’ Army!” There was weak applause from several of the new members as Jonah flashed them another bright smile and left the group. Aurora and Djerr stood silently, watching him leave.
“Well,” Aurora said, “that was dull.” Djerr nodded and sat down on the ground, yanking his armor back off and pulling his blanket around his thin body. Plopping down next to him, her breastplate dug into her skin uncomfortably, so she tugged it off. “Are you hungry?” she asked.
“Not really.” Djerr shrugged. “Just tired.”
She looked at him for a moment. “Okay.” She pulled out one of the packets of food, ripping open the package and looking at it distastefully as a sickly sweet smell wafted up. Wondering what it was, she took a small bite and chewed thoughtfully, deciding it must be some sort of dried fruit. Djerr lay down on the bare ground next to her, curling up and closing his eyes.
“Aurora?” She heard Kirian's voice and glanced up. He was outfitted in several pieces of scuffed armor with his sword already buckled around his waist.
Feeling slightly intimidated, Aurora motioned to Djerr with a tip of her head. “Yeah?” she said softly.
Kirian squatted down, his sword clanking noisily against his metal greaves and Aurora winced. “I wanted to make sure you were alright,” he explained, lowering his voice.
She shrugged. “Yeah, I'm fine. Why?”
“I just hadn't really talked to you since we left Kain. I know this is hard on you, but it's the right thing to do, trust me.” Djerr rustled next to them, turning onto his other side. Kirian paused as Aurora gave him a slight nod. “Look,” he continued, “I'm going to be helping out Jonah quite a bit, so I might not always be around that much, but you know you can always come to me if you need anything, right?”
Nodding slightly again, she took another bite of the dried food before realizing that she had lost her appetite. “Don't worry about me,” she said, swallowing. “Djerr and I will be fine.”'
“Great.” Kirian stood and brushed the dusty dirt from his knees. “You're a good kid, Aurora,” he said, walking away. She sat for a moment longer, then stuffed the food back into her backpack and pulled out her blanket. Pulling it tightly around her, she lay down next to Djerr with a sigh, using her arm as a pillow and staring at Djerr's back. He turned back over, facing her and opening an eye. They looked at each other in silence for a moment, then Djerr smiled sadly.
“Are you really alright, Aura?” She said nothing in return. He reached out a hand and laid it softly on hers. “Don't worry,” he said quietly, “we're still together, right?” He paused. “I'll never leave you, Aura.”
She closed her eyes and shut out the noise around her. The world disappeared and all she felt was Djerr's hand on hers.
Chapter 5
The group from Kain stuck loosely together as they left their home, so Aurora saw much of Djerr and a few others she recognized, although less so of Kirian, who tended to walk on his own or near Jonah. On their second week out of Kain, as Aurora, Djerr, and several others helped collect firewood for their campsite, she heard a name she recognized. Her head snapped in the direction of the voice.
“-Roxanne too, I think.” Now watching and listening intently, Aurora recognized the speaker as a woman that had also joined the army in Kain.
“Really? Did you actually see her leave with them?” a young man answered. “I wouldn't have guessed her.”
The woman screwed up her face. “Well, I think it was her. I didn't get a clear look, what with the commotion and all.”
“Do you think these berries are edible?” Djerr asked Aurora, holding a handful of small orange berries he had picked as they walked. “Do you want to try one?”
Aurora waved a hand, trying to silence him.
“Fine, don't try one,” Djerr grumbled, popping a berry into his mouth. “Now see what you're missing out on. This is delicious.” He made a face. “Well, I think it’s edible anyway.”
“Just a second!” Aurora hissed. She noticed the two people from Kain were looking her way. “Oh, hello!” she called, forcing a smile. “What're you two up to?”
The young man nodded politely to her. “Nothing in particular.” He exchanged a glance with the woman and headed back toward camp, followed by the woman, who smiled vaguely at Aurora and Djerr and she passed.
“What was that all about?” Djerr mumbled, watching them leave.
She shrugged. “Nothing, I guess. Don't you think we had better start collecting some firewood an
d stuff?”
“I suppose,” he replied, tossing the rest of the berries over his shoulder, into the bushes. She bent down, grabbing a couple large sticks lying alongside the path. “Did you know almost no one in this entire section of the army has been with Jonah for more than a few months?” he asked Aurora.
“How'd you find that out?” She gave him a strange look.
“I talk to people,” he said, shrugging. “Anyway, everyone I've talked to says that most of the people who were in the army when they joined were either killed or just left.”
Aurora was silent for a moment as she looked around for more firewood. “That's...a lot of people, isn't it?” she asked slowly.
“Yeah. I imagine it's a whole lot of people.”
“Do you think we're going to die?” She looked at him sharply.
He shook his head. “No. I get the idea that not many people die in the Citizens’ Army. It sounds like they just get up and leave one day.”
“Why?” she asked, sounding bewildered.
“I'm not sure,” he admitted. “Maybe they just get tired. I don't know. It's just weird, that's all.”
She nodded. “It is weird.” They didn't talk for a few moments as they filled their arms with sticks, rough against their bare arms. “Do you want to leave?” Aurora asked suddenly, pausing in her steps.
Djerr glanced over at her and stopped as well. “Do you?”
“I asked you first,” she replied crossly.
He laughed slightly. “Well I'm not going to leave you here, with them. So no, I don't want to leave. Unless you do.”
“Then I guess we're staying.” She rolled her eyes.
“Guess so.”
They continued walking back to camp as the sun sank in the sky. The night was uneventful. So was the next day, and then the next. Besides the occasional traveler, they ran into no one else and saw no towns. The only company the soldiers had were each other.
Aurora's eyes trailed the ground as she stepped around large rocks and over roots. They had been walking, just walking, for so long. The days were all the same. They walked for much of the day, stopping often to rest, until it grew dark and they camped for the night. Their march was much more leisurely than Aurora expected and no one had any trouble keeping up. They walked through an alternating cycle of meadows and forests. On this particular day, it was yet another forest.
The Girl Born of Smoke Page 7