Where All My Hope Is

A Small Step Towards Victory

I was awoken by Ezra shaking me. He motioned for me to grab my bag, and we joined the others outside. They were all standing groggily except for Leah, who seemed wide awake.

"Where are we going?" I asked and yawned.

"To a Fallen Stars' camp," she answered, and we all woke up almost immediately.

"To get the prisoners?" Ezra asked, tapping his foot eagerly. Leah surveyed him closely.

a playing smile tugged at her lips,"Perhaps."

Asher grinned at her and we set off towards the east.

***

About three hours later, Leah put her finger to her lips. We all quieted down as we neared about four dozen tents. Armed men and women walked around, patrolling the temporary base. Leah pulled out her bow and arrow as the rest of us drew our weapons. She signaled for Ezra and me to go left and Asher and Sarah to go right. While she sneaked around back to free the prisoners.

I heard someone cry out as Asher defeated his first opponent. Men and women emptied out of the tents and rushed towards us. I quickly ducked under a swinging sword and kicked my attacker away. I parried the next blow with my sword and punched the man into the nearest tent.

The camp was soon swarming with fighting men and women. As we were about to give in to their numbers, a large group of the Adrielan's Guard emerged from the tents. They all shouted, "For Adonai and Asterin!" To my great relief, I saw Aurora and Leah leading the charge. They entered the battle, weapons blazing.

Soon, the Fallen Stars were overwhelmed. Victory seemed so near.

But that was when I saw her.

Kaya was walking through the battlefield, cutting down Adrielan's left and right. Her green eyes glowed with a hate that almost made her beautiful eyes look black. She focused her fiery gaze on Ezra and started to run his way.

Instinctively, I jumped in her way, cutting her shoulder with my sword. However, striking her seemed to hurt me more than her."I don't want to hurt you, Kaya," I said as she advanced. "I love you."

"Too bad I have no such restrictions!" She growled as she lunged towards me, knocking me to the hard ground and pressing her blade to my throat.

"Love is for fools," she hissed. "It makes you weak."

I thrusted my knee into her gut causing her to lose focus long enough for me to slip out from her grasp. I got to my feet and sent a sharp glare in her direction. "Love is what makes us strong."

"Why would anyone care about love!?" She barked, "Love holds no power, it's a pitiful emotion that leads to nothing but broken hearts."

The battle was done, and the Adrielan's Guard had won the day. The Fallen Stars were retreating. Kaya swiped at me, blinded with rage as I danced backwards, leaping to safety on top of a crate. Ezra moved forward to join the battle, but I motioned for him to stay back.

"Afraid to fight?" she taunted as I blocked her attack and retreated farther.

"No, just afraid to hurt you," I answered. With that, I blocked another of her attacks, knocking her sword out of her hand, jumping forward and bringing mine to her throat. Hesitating, I lowered my weapon and offered her my hand. She spat on it.

"You will never win," she said. "Lucifer will destroy you all." She grabbed her sword and fled into the forest.

Aurora cleared her throat. "Should we pursue?" she asked, not meeting my eyes. I shook my head and she nodded.

I glanced at Ezra, who had dropped his sword and was now running over to his sister, and they embraced. Aurora reached for Asher to join the hug, but he pulled away. As low chatter started, Leah got up next to me.

"We won the day today, but they will be back. We must hurry and salvage all we can. It's time to find a new base."

***

There was a deep pit in the bottom of my stomach, and I didn't know why. I glanced up from the broken tent that I was exploring to see the rest of the Adrielan's guard scavenging among the camp like trash rats. We had won the battle, so why did I feel so empty?I clutched my stomach in an attempt to drown out the heavy feeling that clouded my mind. I sat down among the cracked beams and pondered this new feeling. It was dark. But what was it? No answers came to my rescue, as I began to trace my finger in the dirt. Suddenly Leah's bold voice echoed across the camp,

"Let us journey towards the new base! Lucifer will come and we must be ready!" Everyone stopped their digging and began dodging in between the wreckage. Soon there was a long procession, just like a line of ants, following after our new leader. Leah puzzled me, she was courageous and wise, unshakable by the events around her. Almost every decision she made appeared to be from Adonai Himself. I peered through the crowd to watch her brown cape billowing in the brisk wind as she marched forward. The sinking feeling returned and I again clutched my stomach. Why was this feeling here? My tired mind was clouded with guilt, "You're not supposed to have these feelings," the thoughts began to pour in faster than water through a broken dam, "No one else has them. You'll never be like the others. You're not enough." I shook my head, I didn't want to think like this. But sadly, the feeling didn't leave.