Northwest

Chapter 2

Astrid

I couldn't sleep last night. I was too worried about Mormor. It also could have been the fact that it was storming outside. The weather felt how I felt right now.

Even though there's another bed in the house, we still shared our same bed in the same bedroom. Just so we could share our warmth to stay warm.

That night I also had a dream.

I was on a horse, I think it was the black stallion, Noir. But we were both in knight armour, I even had a sword. I saw Severin and Sigrid too. There were many other people in knight armour on horses too. It looked like an army. There was a boy though, someone that I recognize, around my age. I don't know his name though, maybe he lives in the village but doesn't go to our magic school? Then the scene changed.

I was in a dark room. With two cell windows. It might have been a jail, as I could not get out. Then I saw someone who looked like a scientist. He was standing in the doorway of the cell, laughing at me, saying my Mormor's name, over and over again. Then I woke up with a gasp, covered in cold sweat.

My sister did not wake up. She is a heavy sleeper, and I am a light sleeper. I went back to sleep and did not dream again.

When I woke up again, Sigrid was already up making breakfast. Severin and Charlie were here too. I walked into the kitchen and sat at my usual chair, the one at the left, furthest from the kitchen.

"Hey sleepy head," Sigrid greeted me as she set the table.

"Hi everyone," I smiled.

"How did you sleep?" Severin asked me.

"Fine," I lied. "I had a dream though."

"Go on," Severin said, and I told them about the dream as we all ate.

"It's probably nothing." Sigrid said. "I used to get dreams like that after Mamma and Pappa died. Your brain makes things up, the Dark forces get inside your brain. So the Dark forces in your dreams, Astrid, will make you want to get Mormor yourself. Then you'll lead a war. And everything goes to chaos. You might even join the Dark. It makes you crazy. That's what happened to Pappa before he died."

"But I never said I wanted war, I don't want danger, I just want Mormor back!" I cried. Then there was a long silence.

"The council already sent out the best Light warriors." Charlie broke the silence. "You'll have your Mormor back in no time."

"Charlie's right, Astrid," Sigrid agreed. "There's no need to worry."

We ate the rest of our breakfast in silence. When we were done, Severin and I thanked Sigrid for the meal and went for a walk. There's a place that we go to a lot. It's a big clearing in the forest with a lake. I go there when I'm stressed a lot. Severin showed it to me when we were little. We called it Firefly Pond, there were always a bunch of fireflies here at night. There was even a cute bench out of magic for us to sit at, though we would usually swim there. Just not today.

"I remember coming here when we were little," I told Severin as we sat on the bench, looking at the peaceful lake. "Things seemed different then. Now it feels as if everything has changed."

"Nothing has changed," Severin reassured me. "Nothing. You'll get your Mormor back and everything will be the same again. I promise you."

"Severin," I said. "A war is coming. I can feel it."

But there was a loud screech in the sky before Severin could say anything. We looked up, and we saw a large bird, like an eagle, but it was covered in tiger stripes, like a hybrid animal. It was carrying something in its mouth.

It landed beside us, and I took the object from its mouth.

"What is it?" Severin asked me.

"I think it's a letter, or a note," I answered. And I was right. I found the opening of the envelope and found the letter. I read aloud to Severin:

"Astrid,

I am locked inside the King's tower. His name is Dr. Nox, Sephtis Nox. I do not know what he wants with me, I haven't even seen his face. But the animals he is combining together are getting terribly dangerous. The bird I sent you is one of the hybrids, but this one is an older one, not a threat.

The Light knights that the council has sent for me were unsuccessful. The dark is very powerful here, it invaded their minds and they, unfortunately, joined the dark.

I will find a way out, uith magic. Do not come for me, I know that you are a lot like your mother.

I hope you and Sigrid are safe. Severin and Charlie too.

Be brave,

Mormor"

"Severin, we have to do something!" I yelled. I was shaking with fear.

"Astrid, calm down," Severin told me, with the calmest voice. He always had the ability to calm me down.

"No!" I said, choking back tears. "I won't calm down! My grandma is missing and even the greatest knights can't avoid the Dark. So we need to do something!

"Astrid, please," he said, and he put his arms around me, holding me like he always did when I cried. " If the greatest knights can't avoid the Dark, then what can two kids do?"

I nodded. We looked up to the sky. There were storm clouds quickly rolling in and it was getting windy.

"We should go home," Severin said.

We broke apart and started walking home when it started raining on us, hard. We got to Severin's house first. Unlike me, he has two living parents that treat Sigrid and I like their own daughter. We said farewell and I walked home the rest of the way, in the rain. Alone.