Shattered Dreams

by M.M. Brownlow

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  "That was amazing!"

  "You said that already...twice."

  Henry glanced over to the other bed in their small, shared room at the village inn. Cedric was lying stretched out, fully clothed except for his boots, with one arm tossed across his eyes. His face was drawn and pale, and he looked exhausted, which is exactly what Henry knew he should be feeling.

  "Come on!" Henry exclaimed, his voice making Cedric wince. "When was the last time you did something so... amazing?"

  Working together, the pair of journeymen had managed to ripen about two-thirds of the grain fields surrounding the village before the storm had broken over them. Henry had pushed himself harder than he ever had before, pushed past the point of initial exhaustion, and there was a part of him that knew he'd be paying for this overuse of his power eventually. But for right now, the high of knowing that he'd been instrumental in helping to save the crops, to save the livelihood of this village... there was nothing he could compare to it. Right now, there was a fire mage holding a shield over the fields where farmers still worked to harvest the last of the ripened grain. Henry knew that those farmers were smiling as they swung their scythes, even though they'd worked all day and all night without much rest, and he was part of the reason they were smiling. He flopped down onto his bed with a happy grin.

  "Is the tea ready yet?"

  With a sigh, Henry rolled back to his feet and made his way over to the small hearth in their room. There was a tiny fire burning down, the warm summer night making additional heat unnecessary, and there were two mugs of steaming tea seeping beside a tin kettle still partially filled with boiling water. Henry checked the mugs, poking at the leaves of various herbs to see what colour the water was.

  "Almost."

  "Good enough," Cedric commented, pushing himself up onto an elbow. "Can you bring me a mug please?"

  Henry did, bringing his own along as well. He watched Cedric grimace at the taste as he drank the liquid down to the dregs. Henry pushed his boots off and sat down once more.

  "Make sure you drink it all," Cedric reminded him as the older boy lay back down and closed his eyes. "It won't do you any... good if you... don't... drink..."

  Henry smiled as the herbs took effect, pulling Cedric down into a deep, restorative sleep. Taking a deep breath, steeling himself for the unpleasant taste, Henry drank the foul brew and laid down to get some rest.