Disciple of Fire

Chapter 15: The Stahnorian

Our group leaves the festival, heading Northeast to what we learn is Quentin and Caralina's communal farm just outside of her village. The walk is rather uneventful, with Joffrey filling Caralina in on the journey so far. Quentin, Silven, Emil, and I are tossing around a small ball-like tangle of brush, bobbing and weaving around trees to give ourselves something of a fun challenge.

The sun slips under the horizon, and as the sky shifts from a bright clear blue down to a vibrant gradient of orange, red, and purple, we all look for a place to set up camp for the night.

We manage to find a small stream for refilling our water, and decide this spot is as good as any. Joffrey, Hrithika and Kendrick search for firewood, collecting a large bundle and returning to set up a fire.

I take stock of the area, and noticing how open we are, the hair on my neck stands up. The tree cover is very sparse, and the ground is relatively flat. This doesn't feel safe... I stand near where the fire is being set, my head swiveling around as I fidget nervously. I sit next to Silven and try to draw his attention to maybe calm my mind down, but he and Emil are too busy inspecting each other's bows, their faces full of awe. Dejected, I scoot away a few feet. I feel a little bump in my back and whip around. My eyes meet the color of the trees in spring, a sense of warmth and comfort encompassing me. I blink and realize I'm staring awkwardly at Quentin.

Quentin is sitting with his knees to his chest beside me, his arms crossed with his head resting on them. He's gazing quietly at me, causing me to squirm uncomfortably.

"It's scary out here at night, I don't like it." His words are soft and quiet.

I nod silently, mindlessly watching the others build the fire.

"What about you?"

I lazily turn to look at him again. "Mm?"

"Is it scary for you out here too?"

"Yeah," I whisper.

"Are you okay? You weren't this quiet earlier..."

"I'm okay." I utter, my head hanging lower ever-so-slightly. I see him shift in place in the blur of my peripheral.

"Okay."

We sit together in silence for a minute, everyone else's voices breathing a small glint of life into an otherwise quiet land. Soon we have a fire going and everyone sits around it, taking in its warmth on a chilly night.

Silven goes to place himself on the other side of me, and quickly notices my sulking. Before sitting, he walks over to Joffrey and mutters something I can't make out. He comes back and sits next to me, giving me an arms length of space.

Joffrey speaks up loud enough for everyone to hear, "Well, I'm sure we aren't very tired quite yet. Should we pass the time somehow? How about we tell scary stories? I used to do them all the time when I was younger."

Excitement spreads through the group, agreeing it's a good idea. I even managed to pick my head up enough to see them, my interest piqued. I don't think I know any scary stories...

Kendrick reaches into his bag and pulls out two large jugs of dark liquor, "Well, this seems like a good time to bust these out."

Joffrey and Hrithika let out a loud "Woo!" as they each reach for one. Kendrick swats their hands away, and stands up.

"Ow!" Joffrey rubs his stinging knuckles, grumbling to himself.

Kendrick stands and walks away for a minute, coming back with a bunch of Vitrablossom leaves in his hand. Without a word, he begins taking them and folding them in and around themselves, creating small cups that are impressively watertight. He pours the liquor into the cups and passes them out to everyone. I shake my head as he extends one out to me. He nods without asking questions and passes it to the next person. They collectively down the drinks and continue to pour more as they begin telling stories.