Broken Hearts, Broken Blades

Chapter 5: A Long Walk, and A Short Stop

Simon:

Images floated through my head; I kept reliving the fight against the saber hound. But there were images of something else--people and creatures I'd never seen before. I heard voices yelling in my ears, but no matter how much they screamed at me, I never woke up.

I snapped awake to someone shaking me, grabbing my arm. "Hey! Wake up!" I sat bolt-upright, looking around. My heart was racing, and my whole body was soaked in sweat. Sevira was kneeling beside me, holding my forearm.

"What...what's happening?"

She let me go and stood up. "You were mumbling and yelling in your sleep. I thought you were in pain."

I brushed my hair back and threw my legs over the side. "I don't know what that was, but...damn."

"What happened?"

"Bad dream. Weird dream. Just...really bad and weird."

She nodded. "Many believe that dreams are a sign of things to come. What were they about?"

"It was just people yelling, and...I was fighting. People and more of those...things, like saber hounds." I stood up and followed her out to the main room. "And here I thought I was just going to have a restful night's sleep."

She let out a dry chuckle. "Consider yourself lucky. There are worse things you could dream about."

"I can imagine. Let me guess, we're setting out soon?" She nodded and pulled her armor on. "Great. The sooner we get to the next town, the sooner I can find my way back home."

She grabbed her ax and leaned it against the wall. "Agreed. It's a few miles down the road." There was no sign that either of us had spent the night. She grabbed her bag and threw it to me. "You can carry this, I hope." It was a little heavier than I expected, but I slung it over my shoulder and followed her out the door.

The road was clear for the first mile. There was no sign that someone was following us. I stayed at pace with Sevira, taking any moment possible to size her up. There was something about her that I couldn't make sense of. She seemed distant, keeping me just outside of arm's reach. Her eyes would scan back and forth with each step, but the only time I saw her flinch was when a small, white-haired rodent, like a squirrel, ran in front of us. She reached up and grabbed at the handle of her ax, then stopped and relaxed.

I almost asked what was wrong, but something in her eyes stopped me. "So...where are you from?"

She glanced at me. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, maybe I'll wind up there during my search for a way home. So maybe I can drop off a message from you?"

There was a flicker of pain in her eyes. "There's...nobody for me there. In fact, you're better off not mentioning my name if you're there."

"I see. Bad history?"

She shrugged. "You could say that." Her armor rattled a little with each step. "You're better off not asking."

I nodded, and she slowed down a little. Her bag was feeling a little heavier now, but I was doing my best to keep up. "Fair enough. But what's your story?"

"My story?"

"Yeah. Where you came from, who you are, what made you like this--that kinda thing!"

She shrugged again. "I don't like talking about it." She reached up and gripped at the handle of her ax. "My town was a nice place for everyone but me. Eventually they had enough of me, and threw me out. All I've had is myself." She let out a heavy breath. "I've traveled alone, so the sooner we get to the next town, the better."