So be it

Teach

The water was cool. I drank it eagerly and so did the people around me. I drank my fill, or at least enough to slacken my thirst. Another bit of what I thought useless reading came to mind and stopped me from gulping down too much. Too much cold water brought colic.

I couldn't help but smile. I was not certain if it was for people or horses but I thought better safe than sorry. I could guess that would be my life from now on. Random pieces of knowledge, an imperfect memory and lots of hope. Well, at least it would be better than others. So be it.

I retreated from the river bank and the people that still drank in the shallows. I took off my rucksack and sat on the hard ground. I looked around me. The throngs had been left behind. I was lucky I guess. I had woken up at the edge of the crowd, relatively at least.

It had felt like more than two hours to traverse the crowds and move enough upstream to be certain that the water was clean. Well, as certain as my untrained eye and even more untrained palate could tell.

I had been followed by more people than I could believe. I looked at them as they drank. I shook my head. The good scout inside me wanted to take responsibility. I refused. No way. I could see, even with my usually limited and tinted vision, the talent in them, the strength, the ability. There were people to be leaders.

I shook my head once more. I was losing myself again in internal debates and thoughts that churned. Carefully I opened the rucksack, finding the two slim volumes I was expecting. A little bell chimed warning in my mind.

I ignored it just then. I went on rooting into the rucksack. I had barely taken the single blanket out and finally found the water bottle when everything seemed to stop in my mind.

Certainly anyone looking at me just then must have thought that I had completely lost my mind as I threw away blanket, water bottle and even the rucksack in my frantic search for the two slim volumes.

As soon as I found them, I blinked. It could not be. It just could not be. I almost ran to the tattooed one but the logical part of me stopped me before I had taken a single step. I stuffed the two books in my belt. I put the things back in the rucksack caring little about order.

Closing the flap quickly I slung it over my shoulder. Still my hands did their sidetrips to check the knife and axe. Those I could not lose.

Then I did run. I ran without a second glance to the tattooed one. She almost jumped to her feet as I neared. I would guess she must have seen something in my eyes. I did not care. I did not care if I seemed mad or stupid. I had to know. I had to.

"The books..." I gasped, my unfit body protesting at the running.

She looked at me uncomprehending.

"The books. I need to see your books," I panted out, trying to convey my urgency.

She almost shook her head but the movement was arrested quickly. Looking away from me, she opened her rucksack and fished out four slim volumes.

I snatched them from her hands even before she had quite extended them to me. I could feel her looking at me as I kneeled down on the hard ground, carefully, almost reverently putting the books in a row in front of me.

My hands trembled as I opened each slim volume in turn, leaving them open in front of me. The tattooed one squatted next to me and I could hear her slight gasp as her eyes travelled from book to book.

The tall one's voice from behind me made me stiffen. "Are you alright?"

I turned just enough to glance at her. Something must have shown in my eyes or my flushed face for she knelt on one knee next to me.