“She spent most of her days in the nearby forest, where she wouldn't be bothered. She was weak. Not physically, but in spirit. She fell into the grasp of the curse and became mean and evil. After all, how could she deny who she really was? Tired of being mistaken for her sister, she stole a knife from her father one day and chopped off most of her long, dark hair.
“Meanwhile, Aurora had actually become quite popular. Against the odds, she had made many friends. In the beginning, of course, the people of the town were quite wary of both sisters. Tirelessly, Aurora worked to gain their trust. Slowly, they began to understand that only Tarana had been touched by the curse. Especially after Tarana cut her hair and they could tell the girls apart, the town became quite fond of Aurora.
“So kind was Aurora that she put up with her evil sister, without once becoming angry with her. She even stuck up for Tarana, sharply reprimanding her friends when they teased her and called her all sorts of names. Soon, the town simply ignored Tarana and refused to even acknowledge her presence.
“Ever since the beginning, when the girls' parents had discovered the horrible truth about Tarana, their father had been torn. On one hand, he loved his daughters and would do anything for them. On the other hand, he feared what Tarana might be capable of. As a result, he distanced himself from Tarana, urging his wife not to be so harsh, but secretly hoping maybe her beatings would help.
“His concern for Tarana repeatedly caused fights between the girls' parents. Gradually, he began spending more time at work, assisting at a nearby farm. One evening, when the girls were almost ten years old, Tarana was sitting in a tree outside the house while her mother and sister prepared the evening meal indoors. As Tarana reclined in one of the uppermost branches, she spied a man pausing in front of their house, as if afraid to approach.
“His dull brown clothes were filthy and his face shone with sweat. Tarana watched curiously as the man took a deep breath and slowly approached the house. He knocked on the front door and Tarana's mother answered, wiping her doughy hands on a towel. Tarana strained to hear what the man was saying, but the rustling of leaves as a breeze drifted past, covered up the man's voice. She watched as her mother dropped the towel and then dropped to her knees, wailing. No amount of rustling could cover that noise up.
“When she scrambled down the tree a short time later, she learned that her father had been thrown from a horse and killed. An accident, the stranger called it, all the while refusing to meet Tarana's gaze.
“Of course, the town, including her mother, blamed Tarana. Maybe they were right to blame her. After all, she knew from practice that she could make things happen from quite a distance away and she had been angry with her father earlier that day when he had bought Aurora a new toy from the market. Maybe she had killed him.
“After the incident, her mother seemed to give up. She no longer beat Tarana, but simply ignored her like the rest of the town. Tarana became horribly jealous of her sister. She began acting violently, savagely attacking other children, especially Aurora. Even then, Aurora never fought back or became angry. One sleepless night, Tarana came up with a plan. She wanted Aurora to become angry with her and she knew one way that was sure to work. She would destroy Aurora's most prized possessions: her books.
“Aurora had taught herself to read at an early age and had been collecting books ever since. As her mother and sister still slept, Tarana called upon her curse and lit the bookcase on fire. It was a simple process and she grinned as the books crinkled and blackened, the pages withering away. The flames danced up and caught the curtains in their grip. The blaze swept up the wall and Tarana slowly backed away, eyes widened.
“She glanced at her sister, who was still sleeping on the other side of the room. Coughing, she realized the room was filling with thick, dark smoke and she looked desperately toward the door, yet she didn't dare get help and admit what she had done. Suddenly, the door flew open and her mother burst into the room. The flames lunged dangerously toward her. Without a word, her mother scooped Tarana up and ran with her out of the house. Dropping Tarana on the ground, she said simply, 'Stay here,' and raced back into the house.
“The dewy grass soaked through her pants as she sat on the ground, watching as her bedroom window shattered and flames leapt out, growing larger and brighter with every flicker. It was a chilly, foggy night and she shivered as she waited. Smoke billowed out of every opening in the house and soon the entire house was engulfed in the flames. Ashes fell softly down around Tarana, fluttering in the still air. She grew aware of people behind her, murmuring, barely audible above the crackling fire.”
“How did you get out?” Djerr interrupted. He looked at the area where the house used to be. Aurora glanced at him. “Djerr, I am Tarana. I was that evil girl. I killed my sister. But I swear I've changed,” she said insistently.
Djerr put a hand on her shoulder. “Aura, I don't care about your past, who you used to be. I know you, who you are now.”
Still looking troubled, Aurora shook her head. “Please, you can’t tell anyone.”
“I promise. You don't have to worry about your secret getting out.”
Aurora smiled hesitantly. “Thanks. I haven't used those awful powers since that day and I swear I won't ever again.”
They left Delobo the next morning after a restless sleep in the strangely abandoned houses. Kirian kept an unusually close watch on Aurora without actually approaching her. The rain had turned to a drizzle, and then settled into fog during the afternoon. The sound of their footsteps through the mud was muffled and Aurora lost track of time in the subdued light. Shivering as the cold wet air clung to her skin, she realized Djerr was talking to her.
“Huh?” She glanced over at him.
He blinked. “Get your head out of the clouds.” He paused dramatically, then grinned. “Get it? Alright, so it wasn’t that funny.”
“Oh,” she said blankly.
Djerr rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I was just asking if you knew how close the Divine Lake is. Since you grew up around here, and all.”
She shook her head, her damp hair hanging limp. “Like a day away, I guess.”
Djerr glanced up at where the sun might be. “Is it always like this around here?”
“I don’t know,” Aurora snapped and walked slightly quicker, leaving him behind. Several hours later, as the fog grew slowly darker, she heard another sound over the footsteps and mumbled talk of the soldiers. Rocks clicked against each other as the slow waves rolled in and out. They had reached the Divine shore.
Dim lights shone through the fog and lined the dock. Jonah shouted out orders as everyone filed onto the dock and onto the large ship that waited silently for them, rocking slightly as everyone climbed onboard. When Aurora craned her neck, she saw that several people already stood waiting on the ship, seemingly the ship’s crew. A few green ribbons tied onto the railing around the deck hung sadly in the lifeless air.
By the time everyone had crammed onto the ship, it was nightfall. As they pulled away from the dock, Aurora watched the light from the lanterns slowly fade away into dark. Glancing around, she noticed that most of the other soldiers had found a spot to sit and several had already pulled out their blankets.
Looking warily at the rickety railing, she edged away, further into the mass of people, looking for Djerr. She spotted him sitting against the wall of the backside of the cabin. Plopping down next to him, she pulled out her blanket and draped it across her shoulders. They sat silently for a few moments, then Aurora leaned against Djerr with a sigh.
He smiled over at her. “Tired?”
She nodded and closed her eyes, feeling his shoulder rise and fall with each breath. Huddling deeper into her blanket, she felt her head begin to drop as she fell asleep. When she awoke again, she couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but it was completely silent, except for the waves brushing against the ship. Her back and neck ached from sitting for so long and she tiredly slumped down onto the deck, wrapped up in her blanket.
The next time she awoke, it was light out. The fog was still wrapped thickly around them and she saw only a few others awake. She slowly stood up and stretched, feeling the light morning breeze against her cheeks. The ship slowly rocked back and forth as the breeze urged it along. Aurora walked over to the edge and rested her arms on the dewy railing. Yawning, she laid her head on her arms and stared out at the still fog.
Glancing back at where Djerr still sat hunched over, sleeping, Aurora yawned again and decided to wake him up. Carefully picking her way among the sleeping soldiers, she edged her way back toward him. Halfway there, Aurora paused to decide whether she could jump over a huge snoring man, when she heard a yell.
Spinning around, Aurora saw one of the crew-members pointing out at the fog. Aurora squinted, trying to see what the problem was. All around her, people were sitting up, looking around sleepily. Dark shapes emerged from the fog, all around the ship. Aurora stared, trying to figure out what they were. As they drew nearer, Aurora realized what they were with a cold shock: Griffins.
She clearly remembered Djerr and Roxanne telling her stories of wizards riding the half-beast, half-bird monsters through the skies during their reign, but that’s all she thought they were: stories. When the wizards fell from power, the griffins had supposedly vanished along with them. Apparently, they had returned.
Hearing shouts from above, Aurora realized these griffins were also mounted. Each wore a harness and saddle so they could be guided. In a state of panic, the soldiers of the Citizens’ Army look helplessly upward. Their swords were useless against the beasts, who flew well out of reach. Any arrow shot up at the giant birds could easily miss and come hurtling back down where it would surely hit someone on the crowded deck. No one dared test their aim. Staring up at the circling griffins, Aurora saw a glint of blue armor visible in the thinning fog. The Wizard’s army had arrived.
Aurora turned in a circle, searching for Djerr and Kirian’s familiar faces. Seeing only the grim and confused faces of fellow soldiers she didn’t know, Aurora plunged into the crowd, heading in the direction she had last seen Djerr sleeping. Hearing a resounding yell, Aurora paused and looked back up.
The griffins were diving toward the boat. Many of her fellow soldiers began rushing toward the sides of the boat, ready to jump off and entrust their lives to the water. It was pure chaos. Caught up in the movement of so many bodies, Aurora was pushed along with the crowd. She struggled to catch a glimpse of her friends, but only found panic-stricken strangers, their eyes and mouths gaping open.
Arrows began falling from the sky and people fell all around, trampled under the mass of the mob. Finally, the crowd began to thin out as the uninjured soldiers hurtled over the edge of the ship. Aurora looked around frantically. Griffins were shredding the sail while others circled above, like vultures. The arrows had been replaced by falling torches and small fires were slowly eating up the ship. Coughing as the smoke tickled her throat, Aurora looked over the railing at the water, full of people swimming desperately away from the doomed ship.
“Aura!” A familiar voice called her name. Aurora sighed in relief as she turned and saw Djerr and Kirian hiding underneath the safety of an overhanging platform where their supplies were being kept. They waved her toward them, but before she could take a step, she heard another familiar voice, directly behind her.
“Aurora?” Aurora turned, dreading what she was about to see. Sitting atop a griffin, which dove over the water and landed heavily on the deck was a soldier wearing metallic blue and silver armor. An ornately decorated helm covered her entire head, except for a small slit for her eyes. Reaching up, a gloved hand pulled off the helm, revealing a smiling face. Short curls of auburn hair stuck to her damp forehead. It was Roxanne.
“Fancy finding you here, kid!” Roxanne said, shrugging. “Pity it had to be under these circumstances.” Aurora stared, unable to say a word.
“Roxi…?” Kirian had left the safety of the shelter and stood in the open, looking stunned.
“Kirian!” Roxanne beamed at him. “Guess you chose the wrong side after all, hmm? Oh well, no hard feelings, I hope?” She saluted. “It was fun while it lasted.” With one last smile, she urged her griffin upward. Replacing her helm, she raised her hand and gave a yell. With a cheer from above, dozens of flaming balls began falling onto the boat, exploding upon impact.
Dimly, Aurora realized Djerr was urging her toward the edge of the boat. The deck lurched beneath her and she realized it must be sinking. For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to care. Cold laughter broke through the haze of her indifference. She turned and saw a young girl with long dark hair and icy blue eyes. She frowned. The girl wore no armor or weapons and she looked far too young to be a soldier.
Aurora took a step toward the odd girl, but paused as she met the girl’s angry gaze. She seemed strangely familiar. Confused, Aurora opened her mouth to ask the girl what she was doing there. The words caught in her throat and Aurora froze, feeling as if she were choking. She knew who the girl was. It was her sister. It was herself.
“You stupid girl, what do you think you are doing?” The other girl asked in a bitter voice.
Aurora found herself unable to speak. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t look away from her. The other girl laughed again and Aurora realized she was laughing at her. A tear rolled down Aurora’s cheek. “I-“
“You what?” she strode toward Aurora and pushed her roughly. “You don’t even know who you are.” Her voice was filled with rage.
Aurora stumbled backwards and felt the railing pressing into her back. She realized regretfully that there was no one to help her. This other girl was the only other person in the world. She took a deep breath. “My name is Aurora. I am from the city of Kain. I am a soldier in the Citizens’ Army. I-“
The girl slapped her. “You’re an impostor. You don’t deserve any of this.” She pushed Aurora again, harder than before.
Aurora felt the railing give way behind her. She fell backwards, held weightless in the air. In that moment, the world disappeared. She felt nothing, saw nothing, heard nothing. As she hit the frigid water, her senses snapped back. She felt herself being pulled down into the deep dark water, unable to breath. Lacking the strength to struggle, she let the lake take hold of her. As it grew darker, she closed her eyes and let go of her consciousness. The last sound she heard was the girl’s cold laughter, echoing in the waves.
Chapter 7
Djerr sat on the sandy shore, his knees pulled up to his chest. He glanced over at the pale girl lying next to him, her hair tangled and damp. Her eyes were closed, but her expression looked troubled, even as she slept.
“Hey.” Djerr looked up. Kirian stood over him and motioned toward the girl. “How’s she doing?”
Djerr shrugged. “Still the same.”
Kirian sighed and sat down on the other side of Djerr. It was drizzling and the damp sand soaked up the cold raindrops. The waves slowly reached toward the three, then fell back, time and time again. Each wave brought forth more bodies, some live and some not.
Lifeless bodies littered the beach, a few still wearing their green and gold armor. Small groups of people slowly trudged up and down the beach, searching for friends, belongings, or nothing in particular. The majority of the company had washed up on the shoreline, not far from their intended destination, although not exactly in the intended method of arrival.
The girl stirred, reaching a sandy hand to her face. She groaned and opened her eyes a slit. Djerr leaned over, a concerned expression on his face. “You okay?”
“What…happened?” she asked hoarsely.
“We had to jump ship.” Djerr shook his head, water droplets flying from his wet hair. “You were knocked unconscious, so I grabbed you and swam us both to shore. I had to take off your armor though; it was too heavy.” He managed a small smile. “I was so scared you were dead.”
The girl slowly sat up, looking around at the bleak scene. She rubbed her eyes, the
troubled expression leaving her face. “I’m leaving,” she said abruptly.
Djerr stood up and offered his hand. “Good idea. I think we’re regrouping over there.” He gestured toward the largest group of people. Kirian still sat, silently observing the two.
The girl ignored his outstretched hand and pushed herself up off the soggy ground. Her clothes hung limply on her body. “I’m not traveling with the Citizens’ Army anymore.”
Djerr frowned. “But why? Where will we go?”
“I will go wherever I damn well please,” she snapped.
“Aura…” Djerr looked taken aback.
“And you know my name isn’t Aurora. It’s Tarana.”
Kirian stood, his stormy gray eyes narrowed. “Aurora, what’s wrong with you?”
“Stop calling me that!” Tarana stepped forward angrily. “I’m sick of traveling with both of you.” She turned toward Kirian. “We're only stuck in this stupid army because you wanted to chase after Roxanne. At least she had the guts to join something she believed in and not drag us into it. I can’t believe you lied to me like that!”
The overcast sky let loose a drizzle of cold rain. Kirian stood rigidly, ignoring the rain running down his face. He opened his mouth, then closed it again before taking a deep breath. “Aurora, I know you must be angry, but it's not fair to take it out on us, after everything we have done for you. Now, if you want out of the army, I'll see what I can do-”
“Don't you dare try and act like my father,” Tarana interrupted. “'After all you have done for me'? Don't kid yourself. Do you remember when we first met and you said I wasn’t a very good liar and that made you trust me more? Well, you were wrong, Kirian. I’ve been lying this entire time and I'm sorry I ever followed you to Kain.” She turned stiffly toward Djerr, who was staring at her, wide-eyed. He nervously twisted a strand of hair around his finger. “And don't even get me started with you,” she continued. “I am so sick of your pathetic little crush on me. You think it's so secret, but ever since we met, your stupid infatuation has been driving me crazy. Let me get this through your head- I don't like you and I'm embarrassed I ever called you my friend.” Djerr averted his eyes and took a step back. Tarana rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. “Now, I'm out of here. Don't you dare follow me. In fact, I never want to see either of you again. I'm done tagging along, putting up with your pitiful companionship. Just leave me alone.”
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