Serenus - Sarcastic Newcomer Edition

Chapter 10: Wanderings Alone

A knock on the door jolted me out of sleep, and my first thought was to look around for Qilam. But surprise, surprise—he was gone, like a mysterious stranger in a cheap romance novel. Not even a crumpled napkin left behind to show he'd ever been there. The place was spotless, a neat freak's dream come true. Sighing, I opened the door and found Idir standing there, reminding me like an overzealous alarm clock that it was time to head out for Sere.

"Right, right, I'll get ready quickly," I said, trying to shake off the last remnants of sleep.

Idir, being the helpful sort, started a fire so we could whip up some breakfast. As we ate, my mind couldn't stop replaying my bizarre conversation with Qilam. Honestly, it felt like something out of a bad dream—a guy sneaking around in the middle of the night to warn me about apocalyptic destruction? Classic. But I had to spill the beans about the impending doom, no matter how ridiculous the rest sounded.

"Qilam came to me last night," I began, trying to sound casual, as if late-night visits from sketchy figures were an everyday occurrence.

Idir nearly jumped out of his skin. "What? Why? What did he want?"

"Oh, you know, just the usual—he said Esmeray's planning to turn the Tree Circle into a bonfire unless we hand over all the vials of light," I answered as if I was discussing the weather.

Idir's reaction was predictably dramatic. He shot up from his seat like he'd just sat on a hot coal. "We need to leave right now! The elders have to know before it's too late!"

So much for a leisurely breakfast. We left everything as it was and sprinted out toward the village center, because who doesn't love a good early morning panic?

We quickly found Amy on her way to the trees and Kratos at the elders' home, looking about as worried as a cat near a bathtub. I broke the news of the latest doomsday prediction as succinctly as possible.

"Qilam showed up last night and said Esmeray's planning to burn the Tree Circle and anyone in her way unless we give her the vials. He thinks she'll take the vials and hightail it to the Dark End forever," I said, trying not to sound too cynical.

Alev raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "So, Esmeray gets everything she ever wanted and just, what, disappears into the dark? Why would she do that? It makes no sense."

I attempted to clarify, "Well, Qilam thinks she's planning to use the vials to power up and secure a nice cushy spot in the next world."

Alev cut me off with the precision of a seasoned skeptic. "And why isn't Qilam telling us this himself? Why is he hiding?"

I sighed. "Because he's terrified she'll kill him. He already warned us about the first attack, which threw a wrench in her plans. Now he's sure she's out for blood."

Boris, never one to miss an opportunity to be skeptical, chimed in. "And I'm supposed to believe Esmeray can't kill him when she's just casually sharing her evil plans with him?"

"No, no," I said, trying to keep my frustration in check. "She wanted him to join her because, in her mind, he's just another outcast who doesn't care about Serenus. But he refused, and now he's on her hit list. He saved the vials before, so maybe we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss him."

Boris let out a laugh that could only be described as smug. "And what, exactly, does Esmeray gain by having Qilam on her team? Crazy theories and a knack for avoiding action? Let's be honest, he's never contributed anything to Serenus except headaches. Nobody wants to be around him, and for good reason." He turned to me, shaking his head. "You're too naive!"

Alev, clearly having had enough of the bickering, cut in. "Enough, both of you! It's good that Qilam came to..." She paused and looked at me. "Have you picked a name yet?"