Eternity's Bane

II

I closed my eyes and sighed, only to hear the sound of fabric being ripped. Rather than cold metal, the only thing I felt was a soft and humid cloth being pressed on the newly fresh wound on my face. I opened my eyes to see the young men kneeling down in front of me smiling while keeping the makeshift bandage on my face. His front teeth were slightly parted which added charm to his smile. The knife was now resting on the ground and a piece of his shirt was now tapered.

-Thank you..'' I breathed out.

I took a moment to observe the two young men. The one standing up had neatly parted wavy blond hair. He had little facial hair on his chin and above his mouth and his cheeks were covered in freckles. The one kneeling down had bushy brown hair and his face was dotted with moles. After a few seconds of silence only broken by birds singing, the brown-haired boy spoke up.

-What's your name?''

-Samiaa. Yours?'' The two boys' faces went white.

-No. Nope. Hell no. This isn't good at all. We're gonna be dead by dusk if we stay with her.'' Hushed the blond one. The boy who was still kneeling in front of me moved back a bit, removing his hand from my face.

-S-Samiaa? Are you sure?'' He stuttered.

-Yes. Why wouldn't I be sure of my own name. From what I know, nobody else has that name. Is there a problem?''

-Who are you?'' The now crouching boy asked, pressing each word.

-My name is Samiaa. I am 20 years old. I am from the city of Illiads. This city was burnt to the ground a few weeks before the battle by the Imperial armies.''

-Anything else?'' He was now speaking apprehensively.

-I... Who do you work for?''

-Nobody. Not the Emperor if you are asking this.'' Good news.

-I am the leader of the Rebels.''

-No.'' The blond boy finally spoke.

-I beg your pardon?'' I felt offended.

-No. You are not.''He continued.

-And why wouldn't I be?'' I asked in a tense voice. I stood up slowly. Fiercely looking down at both the boys. I knew that I was taller than most people. And the solemn posture I tended to have intimidated most people. Including the two hunters.

-You can't be. The Rebels all died centuries ago. The battle you're talking about took place a millennium ago. Your name is on the list of words nobody should pronounce. It's illegal to even say it, let alone name your child with it.'' The blond boy talked fast, taking a step towards. A question burned my mouth, the train of thoughts it raised made my vision blurry.

-What happened to the other Rebels?'' I asked in a strangled voice.

-They all died in battle. You included. But...'' The boy with the charming smile started but his voice died out as my eyes widened.

-CURSE THIS WOMAN!!!'' I screamed with all the air in my lungs. I grabbed the first thing I could on my belt before throwing it with all the violence and strength I had  left in me. It was a carved dagger I had inherited from my father. Said dagger lodged itself in the nearest tree. Once again, I collapsed on my knees. Tears formed in eyes. Again.

-Wh-who?'' The brown haired boy knelt again, hesitantly placing his hand on my shoulder. It took me moment to find the words before I spoke again. My voice was shaky and I could feel the first tears roll down my cheeks.

-You are the face of it all. It will live forever. You may loose the battle but you will win the war. And may those words be the path you follow down until the day of deliverance.'' I could barely say those words, but they blazed in my memory like fusing metal.

-You have a prophecy.'' The blond boy spoke again.

-Oh really? It's almost like I didn't notice. This is stupid! The war isn't over. If I'm still here, that means I'll have to fight again. And maybe again in the future. Oh, Maara why me?''I swallowed a lump in my throat.

-Maara?''

-Oh, yeah. You woulnd't know who she is. Maara is the protector of Magicians and Sorcerers. She's known to distribute ruthless destinies amongst her proteges. I wasn't exempted, apparently.'' I turned the amber ring on my ring finger.

This is to show you are the proud servant of Maara. She will be like a parent to you even when I'll no longer be here and she will protect you.

My mother's words echoed in my mind as I looked at the amber catching the sunlight.

-How can we know you're not lying?'' After a long silence, the blond boy talked again.

-I mean, all kinds of magicians and sorcerers disappeared from the surface of Wezen centuries ago too.'' For answer, I stared at him with a fiery gaze, all the while pointing my open hand towards the dagger. Space seemed to distort around the dagger and inside my hand. Black flashes appeared, before the dagger was pulled from the tree and flew back at high speed in the hand of its owner. Both the boys stared in amazement. For them who had been born in a world where magic and rebellions were as impossible and inconceivable one another, seeing an actual demonstration of an art who had supposedly disappeared was more than a dream.

-Do you need other proofs?'' They simply shook their heads with fear in their eyes.

-Now, I ask the questions. What's your name? And where are we? Who's the emperor and how is Illiads doing?''

-Eoni.'' The blond one answered.

-Malki.'' The brunette one said.

-We are in the Great Forest. Near Illiads. The Emperor is , the same as when you rebelled. Illiads isn't as important as it used to be. It's just a small town where people mostly live of what the Great Forest has to offer.'' Malki continued.

-How did this forest appear?'' I sounded more febrile that I excepted.

-Uh, nobody really knows. It says to have appeared after the war, around thousand year ago. Of course, the Emperor says it's a sign that even the planet wants to erase traces of rebellion.''

-Everything can be propaganda if you try hard enough. But that's a subject for another time. I need to go back to Illiads. If you mind showing the way. I can always get there alone if you're scared to get in trouble.'' Hearing about the Emperor blew all sorrow from my heart like harsh wind.

-No. No, it's fine.'' Malki picked up his knife and swung his bow on his shoulder.

-I think we should take her to mom. I'm sure she'll know something about it.'' Eoni motioned to a direction that must've been Illiads.

-Yeah. Our mom knows a lot about rebel knowledge. You should talk to her.'' Malki backed his brother's words.

And so, we made our way out of the forest towards Illiads.