“He can do nothing to stop it in the end and falls asleep with no idea what will happen to him or if he will ever see his friends again. Of course, in the morning, he wakes up and finds his friends waiting for him. He feels refreshed and ready for a whole new day of excitement, entirely relieved of his fear of falling asleep. That's what I think death is like. Someone just forgot to tell us that it'll all be okay.” He smiled at her sleepily. “It'll all be okay afterwards.”
She smiled back at him slightly, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead back against his shoulder. “You always make things seem better,” she murmured. “I like that about you.”
That night, Rupert made no appearance, nor the next night or the next. For several weeks, he was simply gone and she woke up feeling relieved. Her feeling of apprehension before drifting off to sleep gradually faded, although every free moment of her day was still spent lingering on the deaths and acts of violence that continued to occur on the other side of the mountains. Every fresh influx of refugees was proof of that.
She almost wished Rupert would return, if just to explain to her how to control the griffins. The amount of homeless refugees grew daily and the housing project was unable to keep up with the growing population. She and Djerr continued to work on it, but the road was now paved with beggars either too injured or old to work.
The days grew warmer and then instantly became too hot. From that point on, they woke up sweating every morning and the bare ground slowly grew thin cracks beneath their feet as they worked. The heat only seemed to intensify Tarana’s unease about the situation and she began wondering if she should return to Ralinos after all, if only to announce that although she was the wizard they were waiting for, she would not be leading the army.
Feeling a sudden burst of relief and confidence as she considered returning and trying to calm the fighting, she brought it up with Djerr during dinner one night. They sat cross-legged on the floor across from each other, eating a spicy soup that Tarana learned to make from Isaac. It was a popular dish in the region, especially during the hottest nights. It would soak up the heat from their bodies and make it bearable after their tongues had cooled.
“So,” she said between blowing on the soup, “I’ve been thinking. I mean, maybe I should head back to Ralinos for a bit, just to clear things up and maybe stop the fighting.” She saw Djerr shoot her a glance that showed he absolutely did not agree. “Just listen for a bit. All this fighting is because the Wizard’s Army thinks I’m going to command them and the Citizens’ Army thinks I’m going to control them. If I tell them that I have no intention of doing either, then what do they have left to fight for? Besides, I think if I head back, Rupert might tell me how to control the griffins and stop all that fighting too.”
Djerr’s expression turned to confusion. “Rupert? Who’s that?”
She sighed. “You remember. That old dead wizard who’s teaching me stuff about magic. The one that comes to me when I sleep.”
Recognition snapped over his face and he impatiently pushed back his black hair. “Right, right, him. Well if he knows how to stop the griffins, why doesn’t he just tell you now? I don’t see why you would want to go back to Ralinos. If they’re stupid enough to keep fighting each other, let them. You aren’t forcing them to war against each other. It’s their own stupid choice.”
“But innocent people are caught up in it who want nothing to do with either side!” she objected. “It’s not fair to them and Rupert won’t tell me how to control the griffins because I think he’s ignoring me until I go back to Ralinos. He wants me to lead the Wizard’s Army.” She noticed Djerr’s expression harden and she gestured wildly with her hand. “I’m not going to! But if I head back to Ralinos, I think that might be enough for him to at least talk to me again.”
“You’re making a mistake,” he said firmly, his expression unchanging. “You should stay here, with me. It’s not your problem to fix and we’re happy here.”
She sighed, knowing she was about to say something irreversible but seeing no way around it. “No, Djerr,” she said sadly. “You’re happy here. I’m not. I need to go back. I don’t want you to come along this time. I’ve dragged you through enough.”
“It’s not all about you!” A sudden burst of anger shot through his voice. “You never dragged me anywhere and I’m getting tired of hearing you say that. I have my own will, you know. I chose to come with you because I love you and even when I’m not sure that you love me or even like me some of the time, I stick with you because if I can make you happy even occasionally, that’s enough for me.
“You act like you’re in control of everything. You’re the one who decides if I come or not, you’re the one who decides if people die or not, and you’re the one who’s responsible for saving the world. Well, let me clue you in, you might have magic, but that doesn’t make you superhuman.”
An inner rage, which she hadn’t felt since leaving the army, overwhelmed her and she quickly walked out of the house, slamming the door behind her. Feeling both his pain and her own, she walked quickly, letting the hot, dry breeze dry out her eyes before any tears could fall. The sun had just set, leaving the sky a lingering warm blue color and the land draped in shadows.
She wandered deeper into the city, drawn to the sounds of people talking and enjoying themselves. Again for the first time since leaving the Wizard’s Army, she impulsively slipped into a bar, immersing herself in the humid air, soaked with the smell of spilt alcohol. The inside was swarming with people, laughing and talking to each other. She slipped into one of the few unoccupied tables and a waitress immediately clunked down a drink in front of her. Mumbling a thank-you, Tarana passed her a few coins as payment.
She sat sullenly, tracing designs on the table from the condensation coming from her glass. The moisture collected in beads as she spread it around the table. Across the bar, someone dropped a glass on the floor and Tarana glanced up at the noise. Everyone else had glanced in the same direction, except one red-haired young man who was staring in her direction. Looking quickly back down, she slowly sipped her drink, raising her eyes after several seconds to see if he was still staring in her direction. He was.
She turned her head to look at the people entering the bar, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw the man stand and start to walk in her direction. Shifting closer to the edge of her chair, she narrowed her eyes and stared back at the man, trying to decide if she recognized him. Although he did look vaguely familiar, she couldn’t pinpoint where she might know him from. Hoping he wasn’t from either of the armies, she looked at him warily as he stopped in front of her, smiling slightly. “Aurora, right?”
Opening her mouth, then closing it again, she decided not to correct him. “That’s right,” she said slowly. “How do I know you?”
He grinned wider. “I’m Kalib! Remember me? We lived in Kain together way back.”
“Ohhhh…” She nodded slowly as she took in his startling red hair and cocky smile. “Yeah, I remember you. We played in the woods with Djerr and those other girls.”
“That’s right!” he exclaimed and sat down across from Tarana. “I never thought I’d run into you again, way out here. Then again, I never thought I’d find myself way out here, either! Hey, speaking of Djerr and the others, I don’t suppose you know where any of them ended up, do you?”
She shrugged. “Well, I’m still traveling around with Djerr, but I haven’t seen any of the others since that day the Wizard’s Army attacked Kain. Djerr and I traveled with the army for awhile, you know.”
Kalib’s mouth dropped open. “No way! You’re still with Djerr? Lucky bastard, snagging the gorgeous girl.” He gave Tarana a sly look and lifted a hand, signaling for one of the waitresses to bring him a drink. When she did, he slurped a good portion of it down immediately, then grinned at her, wiping his mouth dry with the back of his hand. “Things have been pretty crazy since you left, you know.”
“How so?”
“Well, for starters, w
e fixed up the town pretty nicely after that whole army thing. They totally wrecked a big part of it, but the survivors worked real hard to rebuild everything. It was really confusing for awhile, with so many people dead or off with the armies. It took a long time to figure out just who was left and who was gone. Some people came back too, once they realized the army life wasn’t for them. Anyway, once we got things fixed up again, a lot of refugees from other nearby towns came in. It was fine with us; the city seemed kind of empty. Things really returned to normal for a long time and we didn’t hear much about the war. But then, the griffins came.
Tarana blinked at him, dreading the news. “Griffins?”
He nodded, looking slightly less exuberant. “You know, those huge bird-beasts from the legends and stuff? Yeah, they attacked Kain. We didn’t even know they were real and all of a sudden, there they were, completely destroying our city. It was way, way worse than when the army came. The birds didn’t stop for anything, they just kept picking us off one by one and we had to run for it. That’s what I’m doing way out here.
“I’ve met a lot of other people from other towns that had the same thing happen to them. So I’m just staying on the move now, trying not to run into any of those monsters again.” He grimaced. “It was…messy, Aurora. Definitely something I never want to see again.” He quickly drowned the rest of his glass and signaled for another.
Her stomach rolled as she wondered just how far the griffins had spread. She took several quick gulps of her drink, finishing it right as the waitress came over again. With a small grin, he bought her a drink as well and she thanked him with a tentative smile, then looked down. Reaching over, Kalib laid a hand on her arm. “I’m sorry Aurora, I didn’t mean to get all gloomy on you. I wouldn’t want to take that pretty little smile off your face.”
With a slight laugh, Tarana looked back up and took another full swallow of her drink. “You’ve always been such a flirt, Kalib.”
He opened his mouth in a mock gasp. “Me? A flirt?” He grinned wider. “Well can anyone blame me? I’ve never been able to resist those pretty blue eyes of yours.”
She shook her head, exasperated but smiling. “Sorry Kalib, but you know I’m with Djerr.”
Sighing loudly and trying to force his lips into a frown, he withdrew his hand from Tarana’s arm. “Darn that boy. Well, I’ll just have to try and restrain myself then!” He stood and offered her his hand. “Finish your drink and I’ll take you somewhere fun. I think we both need some time to forget about the world and just relax while we can.”
Considering his offer for a moment, she finally shrugged and quickly gulped down the rest of her drink and took his hand. As she stood, the room spun for a couple seconds, but she quickly steadied herself, and smiled up at Kalib. “Well, where did you have in mind?”
He took her to another bar, one that wasn’t nearly as dim and had live music playing on a small stage. Everyone had a drink in their hand and the crowd was whirled into a circle, whipping around the room as they danced. Tarana paused for a moment at the doorway, taken aback by the commotion, but a drink was almost immediately forced into her hand and Kalib grabbed her other hand and they spun into the shouting crowd, the other voices shouting the words of the songs the band played. When the song finally ended, the cheers of the crowd were deafening and she had to lean up and talk directly into Kalib’s ear to get him to hear her. “What is this place?” she asked loudly.
He laughed and put an arm around her waist to gently move her out of the way as one of the bar staff barged through, carrying a plate full of empty glasses. “I found this place by accident a couple nights ago. They play live music every night and it seems like the busiest bar around here. Definitely my type of place. You’re lucky I even dropped by that other bar earlier to get a couple cheap drinks and spotted you! Everyone needs a night like this to just unwind and have some fun, especially during these times.”
The music suddenly started up again and the crowd went wild, recognizing the song. She managed to take a few sips of her drink before everyone started moving again, jumping and spinning and moving, and she and Kalib were swept into the crowd. As the night went on, she found her limbs getting more and more unstable, but the press of the crowd kept her moving and upright.
Her mind was full of the music and the feel of the people and Kalib’s body always near hers, making sure they didn’t get separated. Suddenly noticing the crowd getting thinner, she glanced toward the door and noticed people leaving. She touched Kalib’s arm to get his attention and pointed toward the door. “What time is it?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Probably a bit before sunrise. Why? Are you getting tired?”
Her head spinning, she tried to comprehend how so much time could have passed. “I don’t know. Kind of? I should probably get home.”
Nodding and with a hint of sadness in his smile, Kalib led her toward the door, keeping a hand on her shoulder to steady her. Outside, they each took a deep breath of the cool air and Tarana looked up at the slightly cloudy sky, nearly falling backwards until Kalib tightened his grip.
The clouds had taken on a light gray tint and she bit her lip worriedly. “Hey now!” Kalib said, seeing her expression. “Don’t look so worried! Remember? This night is all about you and me, forgetting about everything except tonight. No worrying allowed.” He wrapped his arm around her. “Come on, let’s go sit down for a little bit and clear our heads.”
They walked away from the bars, their footsteps falling in synch. He led her off the main street and down a little path, which ended in front of a large lake, its banks covered in long grass. Frogs croaked from all around them as they carefully sat down, settling down into the soft grass. “This is nice…” Kalib said softly, looking over at Tarana. “I haven’t been able to sit down and relax like this since I left Kain. So much traveling around, never getting too used to any one place, it gets so tiring.”
Tarana nodded. “I know what you mean. All I want to do is forget about this whole mess. Stop worrying about what’s going to happen and what I’m supposed to do and who I’m supposed to trust.” The words seemed to slip out of her mouth before she could think about what she was saying. She glanced over quickly to try and focus on Kalib’s face, but he didn’t seem to be looking at her strangely.
Instead, he reached over a hand and rested it on top of her own. “I could tell the moment I saw you today that something was wrong. You seemed way too stressed out. You shouldn’t worry so much. Your face is so much prettier when you’re relaxed and happy.”
She laughed lightly and moved closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder. “Thanks, Kalib. I really did have a good time.”
They were both silent for a moment, then Kalib took a deep breath and moved away from Tarana slightly. “I’m sorry Aurora, but I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t do this.” He brushed his hand lightly through her hair and then leaned in quickly and kissed her softly. Hesitating for a split second, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back, shifting her body against his. He gently pushed her down onto the grass, and continued to kiss her until she broke away, her face twisted into guilt.
“I-I’m so sorry…” She unsteadily climbed to her feet, brushing the grass out of her hair with one hand. “I have to go, Kalib.” Before he could say anything, she rushed back up the path to the main road without glancing behind her to see if he was following.
Seeing a glass still half-full and discarded on an empty table in front of one of the bars, she grabbed it as she walked, quickly gulping all of the contents down as quickly as she could. She threw that glass to the side, hearing it shatter across the empty street as she picked up another discarded drink and drowned it without even tasting it. By the time she reached their house, she was tripping over her own shadow, which had begun to appear as the sun slowly rose.
She stumbled in the door, opening it with such force that it hit the wall with a bang. Strands of hair hung in her face and she walked into the room without botheri
ng to close the door. “It's really hot in here!” she exclaimed, speaking slowly and smiling.
Djerr sat straight up from where he had apparently been dozing against the wall by the front door. He stared at her. “Tarana, what have you...?”
Her smile dropped suddenly. “Djerr, I'm so-” She wobbled where she stood and stumbled backwards, against the wall. Horrified, he grabbed her arm to steady her, but she pushed him away. “Don't,” she said angrily. “Don't touch me. I don't feel well.” She sank to the ground, head buried in her hands. “I don't feel well,” she repeated, her voice muffled.
“Come on,” he said tiredly. “Let's get you to sleep, alright?” He touched her shoulder, but she swatted his hand away again and mumbled something. “Tarana, come on.” There was no response and he bent over to look at her face. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing slowly. “Are you asleep?” He shook her shoulder until her eyes opened slightly. “Tara!”
She glared at him and then her eyes widened. Her back heaving violently, she vomited on the floor and began crying. “Djerr,” she sobbed.
Sitting down, he looked at her. “Yeah?” Her eyes closed again and he sighed, shaking her awake again. “Tara, come on. You can't stay here on the floor.”
She mumbled something inaudible without opening her eyes. Finally, he pushed her over on her side, so she wasn't crouched over her own vomit. Wincing as her head thunked against the floor, he stood up to close the door and find a blanket. He laid a blanket over her comatose body, which was cold to the touch and shaking slightly. After cleaning up the vomit, he lay down next to her and watched her sleep. The morning rays of the sun had begun to spill through the window into the room. As the warm light fell across his body, he finally felt his eyes closing uncontrollably and he slipped into a light sleep, awaking every time Tarana moaned or rustled slightly.
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