Loved and Lost

The Mare

I'm awoken with a heavy chest. I know where I am immediately. I'm in my bed, in my home in Litsurburge. I can hear the nightly fire going and I know dad is there stroking it. I know mom is sorting the vegetables from today's pick and I know that there's a stranger watching us.

I eagerly leave my bed, wanting to go find dad. "Ajita," I'm called as I enter the common space in our hut. My father has his back to me, hunched over. He's concentrated on the fire, my mother still with her vegetables but in such a way that I can't see her eyes. Neither of them give me any sort of attention as I'm panting from my short sprint. It's like my lungs didn't go through any of the endurance training I endured for the last few months.

"Papa," I reach out for him, extending my burning hand. I realize that both of my hands are burned and that's when my body starts burning.

"Einrik," She begins, lifting her head. Where her eyes were blue, they're now pitch black and soulless. "Ajita has finally arrived."

"Where have you been, Angel?" TTheir emotionless voices sync together. My father snaps his body around, showing off his soulless eyes that were once the color of the forest, just like mine. The two of them start making their ways towards me and alarms go off through my body and mind. I know that I am not safe here. I look to our front door and see that it's a safe exit. "What's wrong?" Dad's voice is eerie and it's enough to make me jump out of a window.

I decide to take my chances and run for the door. As soon as I reach for Achak, my stomach drops when I find it's not there. I refuse to deem myself as "Hopeless". As much as I want to believe that I'm home, I know that I'm nowhere near there.

I rush the door, connecting my shoulder to it to force it open in case it's locked. But as soon as I connect with it, I lose my balance and fall to the ground. Dust and rocks coat the palms of my hands and my knees, making it almost unbearable. It's too quiet. I can feel someone staring at me, which is when I raise my head but slowly. Lifting my eyes before my head, I see that my hut, my home, is surrounded by Earl Vidarr with his men and women from Faulkner village. "Ajita. . ." Vidarr moans, as my name slips out. He's not even moving his mouth, he just opened it and words came out.

Everyone's eyes are soulless, misty black, and they've all have their swords and axes unsheathed. They're ready for a battle I'm not meant to win. Nope, definitely not safe.

I'm bum rushed as the men and women come rushing in, ready to slice me apart. They're inches from me in a matter of seconds and there's nothing I can do besides cower to the ground. "Ajita," is all I hear around me either from mom and dad or Vidarr and his men. But it's when I hear her voice, that I come out of my shell.

"Wake up," she demands, although I'm not sure from where.

"Where are you?" I ask her, praying that she'll answer. An arrow lands right in front of me and blast of light hits us all, blinding us. Everyone's affected, but it's the fireblast that comes from it that wakes me up.

"Ajita, wake up." Shaking me awake, Kida's voice has done its job. "You were restless, the guys and I thought it'd be best if you were woken up. Besides, we're almost there." Kida's tucked me under some fur while I've been sleeping for who knows how long. Looking around the twilight sky, I think about the nightmare I just survived. Everyone just wanted me dead, including the people I love. I rise to my feet to notice that we're almost out of the forest and close to the ocean.

"How long have I been asleep for?" I ask as I finish an exhausting yawn.

"Hours. That fireblast really took it out of you." She's right. I remembered everything. Every memory. Every emotion. Every feeling, which makes me check my hand for my burns. They've healed. I'm a bit surprised though. My hands do heal after fire attacks, but I never used that much power before, so for all I knew, my hands were goners. For a little while at least.