Dragon Wars: Flames Of Pain (Book 3)

Chapter 37 (Josephs POV) Tell Her

I looked around at the clearing that I had been in one last time, as for some reason, at the same time too, it still kind of scared me to even look back at it, even though it was all done, and I had done the job that I needed to do. I was not sure how good of a job I had done how ever, but if John said he was proud of me, I felt like the meant some thing.
I shivered a little bit, as I saw that it was dead empty now, as there was not a single person left at any of the tables. As soon as Travis had said people could go back to their tents, and get some rest for the night, that was just what all of them did. I was not sure if that was due to them feeling tired, as I was not sure how much training they had been doing so far.
I shook my head at the same time too, as I knew that John was not the only one that was training people, as I knew that my dad, and Uncle had told me that they had been doing a fair amount of training. I knew it was about to step up a notch how ever, now that we were about to get in to our groups tomorrow.
I hoped that John chose a good group for me, as I did not want to be with a group with a bunch of young people that continuously asked about my dreams, and all of the dragons that I spoke to. At the same time too how ever, I also did not want a bunch of old farts, that were going to act like they were a superior to me, and try to boss me around as well.
I let out a bit of a sigh, as I then shook my head at the same time as well, and I then turned my head in front of me, where I could see John getting a fair distance ahead of me. I realized that I needed to catch up to him at the exact same time as well, as I then began to jog over to do so in the first place.
I knew he heard my foot steps, but he was just doing his best to ignore it. I could tell that he was quite a bit tired, and I wondered how much sleep he had got as of late. I felt like I should tell him that he should get some good sleep for tonight, but at the same time too, I was not the leader.
I knew he had a lot of stress on his back, as I knew it felt like he had a lot of people coming at him from all sides too. I felt bad for him, as I shivered at the thought of me being the same as he would some day soon as well. I felt a bit sick, as at times, I often felt like John did not have all that much of a soul in the first place.
A lot of that had to do with what he had gone through in the past, as I knew that my actual uncle, had adopted him at a young age, as his parents were quite a bit abusive to him. That was not the reason that he was adopted how ever, as his parents had been killed by a dragon, as it had been one of the first times that my uncle had seen a dragon, and he made a vow to raise John.
John was not but maybe 10 years older than me, though it often felt he was a lot older than just that, due to the fact that he was so mature. He was much more mature than my father was, or rather, my father had been a couple of years ago, when he used to go to the bar to get drunk nearly every night.
I could tell that he had grown up a bit now how ever, but it would never change the views that I had about my father. I shook my head at the same time as well how ever, as I knew that I spent too much time on thoughts such as those as well, and I needed to be focused on better thoughts than that.
It felt like there were not going to be better thoughts than that how ever, as I knew that tonight, I was more than likely going to go back in to a dream where there was going to be a dragon, that was more than likely going to try talking to me at the same time as well, or threaten me, and all of the people that I cared about.
I had learned at this point, that I should not give any dragon any sort of information, just due to the fact that I had learned as well, that they were all wicked, and they were not on your side, and that they would more than likely use that against you at some point in the future.
I had thought about talking to Plyma, but I knew that some thing did not seem right about that dragon, and I also knew that he had been there when my mother had been killed. As it turned out as well, I had made the right decision on the fact that I had chose to not meet that dragon out in the same woods that my mother had been killed.
Due to Plyma as well, I felt like I could not trust the red dragons, even though it felt like they were on out side, and they were getting attacked by the black dragons such as we were. John had told me that when he had been with my uncle, they went after any type of dragon that they could find, and that it did not matter if they were red, or if they were black.
I let out quite a sigh, as I felt like I should not be stuck on these thoughts so often. I wanted to live my life, and I wanted to enjoy my life, or at least the life that I had left by the end of all of this. I still could not forget all that I had lost, and I felt like I would have that with me til the day that I died.
I shook my head, as I shook off all of those thoughts at the exact same time too, as I saw John all of the sudden stop right in front of me, as I looked around, quite a bit confused as to what was going on right now. I blinked a few times, as I then saw Adrian's house not too far ahead of us.
It was quite a bit dark out, as it had seemed like the sun had gone down a lot faster once the meeting had ended, and we had started walking back to the house. It was hard for me to see now, as I could see a bit of a faint out line of the crops all around me, and I wondered if that was why John had suddenly stopped, so that he could make sure that he did not walk on any crops while we were on our way back home.
As I looked at John how ever, I saw that he had his head to the ground, and he was not viewing his surroundings, to see as to where it was that we were going at all. I felt like I should have known that as well, as it seemed like he knew the entire farm, like the back of his hand.
John seemed to be just staring at the ground, as if he was a bit lost in his thoughts at the moment, which was quite a bit rare for him to do so, but I had seen it happen more than once. It just did not make sense as to why he would do that when we were so close to the house how ever.
I squinted my eyes at John, though I knew that he could not see me do so. John stood in that spot for a few more moments, until he finally turned his head around, and right back over to me. I blinked a few times, as I was a little bit confused as to what it was that was up with him, but I nodded to him, as he nodded back to me, and then I listened as to what it was that he had to say to me at the exact same time as well, as he began to speak to me.
"Joseph... Once the training starts in the morning, it means that you more than likely most nights will be sleeping out in the tents..." He said to me. I looked at him for quite a bit of some time, as I blinked a few times at the same time too. Though he had not told me that was going to be the case, I had kind of figured that it would be, as we would want to be close to our part of the legion as much as we could. I nodded for him to continue as I could tell that he wanted to as well, as it did not seem like he was done there. He then began to continue with where he had left off on him talking, as I listened as to what it was that he had to say. "That means that you will rarely, if ever get to see your sister any more... As well as the fact that you need to make a decision on Julia... She wants to join you in the legion, and fighting dragons..."
He said to me, as I saw a look on his face that told me that he was not taking what it was that she had said to him, all that serious at all. I did not blame him either, as she was not the most in shape women out there, and it was going to be a bit hard on her, as she did not have a clue as to what it was that she was getting in to.
I knew that she had gone to John as well, even though I had told her time and time again, that she should just stay back here, and that it was safer for her. I mainly said that, due to the fact that I did not want for her to get hurt, nor did I want to lose her either, and I felt that once the battles were to start, I would have a good chance in losing her.
I knew that she had heart how ever, as well as a warrior spirit too. If she put her mind on to some thing, she would never give up on it. That kind of worried me as well how ever, as I felt like if she was done, she would not keep her self down, and if she was badly hurt she could do more damage to her self.
I looked down at the ground, as I let out quite a bit of a sigh at the same time as well. I did not want to be with out Julia though, and I knew that she would not be happy with me at all, if I made the decision that I was not going to let her join up with the rest of the legion as well.
I gulped a little bit, as I looked up at John at the same time as well, as I stared at him for just a few moments. I saw that he had quite the blank look on his face, as it was clear that he was waiting for me to speak up to him, and waiting for me to make the decision for Julia.
I felt like this was not my decision to make how ever, as much as it scared me to lose her, I did not want her to be miserable either. I looked at John for a little bit longer as well, as I let out quite the loud sigh, that I knew that he could not hear, due to all of the insects, and owls howling in the night, all around us.
I then nodded to him, though I knew that was not a good enough response to him, it was all that I felt like I could muster out of me, as I so badly did not want to make this decision, as I knew that Julia would be a whole lot safer if she was to just stay back at the house, and take care of the farm with Adrian.
John looked at me with his eyes squinted, as it was just as I had thought, as I knew that John had told me that he understood words, and he did not speak through the mind, as much as it might think that I could do so, with the powers that I had. I let out another much softer sigh as well, as I finally began to speak up to him too, stumbling over my words, as it was clear that I did not mean completely what it was that I was saying.
"It is her own decision... If she wants to join the legion than I am not going to stop her from doing so..." I said to him, as I had my head dipped a little bit low to the ground at the same time as well, at what it was that I had just said to him, as it was clear that I had wanted my answer to that, to be a no.
I was not going to stop her though, and I did not want her to follow us in to battle either, which I felt like I could see her doing, and have her not know as to how to fight, as she had not been trained at all. I shivered at the thought of it, as I looked at John at the same time too, as it was quite a bit hard for me to keep my eyes with him.
I did not believe what it was that I had just said to him, but I did believe that Julia would do some thing like that, as she was never one to miss out on all of the 'fun' if you wanted to call it as such. I nodded to my self how ever, as I had made my decision, and I was going to let it be final.
John kept his eyes squinted on me, as it still did not look like he thought I was making the right decision. Maybe I was not either, but Julia was going to do some thing stupid if I did not let her do what she wanted, and I did not want to risk losing her life over some thing as stupid as her not getting what it was that she wanted.
I nodded to my self at the same time too, as I was fairly certain that I had made the right call, as I looked back up at John, and I stared in to his eyes, that I could see where still squinted on me. Once he had seen me nod how ever, that was when he knew that I was telling him that I had made my decision on it, and it was final.
He let out a bit of a sigh, though it was too loud out side right now, to hear it at all. He then turned his head around, as he looked in front of us, over to the house, that I felt might be the last night that I would be sleeping in for quite a bit of some time. I groaned at the thought of it, as I still remembered just perfectly fine, what it was like to sleep in tents for over a year.
I hated it, and it was so uncomfortable. It often felt like I woke up with a bunch of bruises and sores every single night that I slept out there. I had been sleeping in Adrian's house for several months now, and I was sure that he would be happy to let me stay in there, as there were plenty of rooms.
Unfortunately it was not up to him, and I knew that both Travis and John wanted me to sleep in the same tents as the people that were in the legion with me. I shivered a little bit, as to those thoughts, as I knew it was going to smell nasty, and all of it was going to be one big mess.
Maybe then, once Julia got a taste of that, she would be quick to change her mind about wanting to be there with me. I kind of felt like I still had a bit of some doubt about all of that how ever, as I shook my head, and I looked back up at John, who I saw now had his eyes on me once again, though he was not squinting his eyes at me to my surprise for once.
I blinked a few times, as I saw John look at me for just a little bit longer, as he then nodded to me at the same time too, letting me know that he was about to speak to me. I nodded back to him, to let him know that I was listening to him as well. That is when he then began to speak, and I did in fact listen as to what it was that he had to say to me in the very first place as well.
"Alright... We are about to go in there, and I can almost guarantee she will be waiting there for you... You should probably tell her..."