Turning my head to the side, all I can smell is the smoke. Opening my eyes I take in my surroundings, though my eyes are still slightly blurry, I can see a burning pile of ash behind me. Slowly, the events of the day crash down in my fuzzy mind.
The prophecy. The fire. Mother.
Turning onto my back I look around for my mother and see her body slumped off to the left. Crawling over there quickly, I flip her onto her back and check for her pulse. Starting to panic, I move my hands around her neck until I feel it. "There it is, very faint, but there nonetheless."
Slapping her face gently, I start to get a response out of her. Moaning, she swats my hand away and reaches for her forehead.
"What happened? Savahna, I thought you weren't going to be back until sundown?" Slowly she sits.
"I wasn't, but Jani came running into Aresia's office and told is about the fire. I came as fast as I could." I explain to her. Leaning towards each other, we wrap her arms around each other and hold the other in a huge hug. I lean back a bit and kiss my mother's cheek.
Pulling away, my mother sets her hands on my shoulders. "Thank you." She says simply, as she slowly starts to stand, then helps me up.
I reach fir her hand and hold her back before she goes anywhere. "Mother? Do you know how the fire started?" I ask in a concerned voice.
"No, I don't." She says with a furrow in her brows and a confused look on her face. "The last thing I remember is being visited by Jo. When I turned around to go get something for us to drink, I was hit in the back of the head. Then I woke up out here." Looking around, she has a concerned look on her face. "where's Jo? Did you see him?"
"No, I haven't." Getting to my feet, I then help my mother to her feet. For my mother I blank my face, not wanting her to see how worried I truly am. Walking back towards the crowd, I wrap my arm around mother and help support her as the crowd engulfs us.
"What happened?"
"Are you okay?"
"What will you do?"
All these questions and many more are thrown at us as we make our way through the crowd and away from the remains of our house.
Reaching the far edge of the crowd, I pull my mother away from the prying eyes and words of the crowd and towards the only place I believe to be quiet.
As we walk through the community, I can see people watching us from all around, though no one's coming near us. The further we get from the fire, the quieter it becomes around us. We are going at a pace that is much slower than what I would have liked, but with mother limping and favouring her left side.
"Are you sure you're okay to be walking mother?" I ask for the 10th time since i've noticed.
Waving me off, she continues walking, slightly picking up the pace. I fall behind a little and watch her as she rubs her right hip where it probably hit the door on our way out of the house.
As she starts to limp more noticeably, I quickly catch up and throw my arm around her. Despite her struggle and determination to do it by herself, I don't let her win and I keep a grip on her.
Opening the gate, I lead her forward and towards the door that I had left mere minutes ago. Knocking, I stand back and wait for Aresia to open the door.
Slowly, the door creaks open and I can see Atheno had opened it. Motioning us forward, we enter the office and I see that Aresia is slumped over her desk with her head buried in her arms.
Clearing my throat, I wait for Aresia to speak first, not daring to break tradition and speak before my elders. After a few silent minutes, Atheno speaks, disrupting the silence that hung heavy in the air.
"What brings you back here Savahna?" He asks, "I thought you went back home for the night?" Atheno makes a point of looking straight at my mother when he spoke, knowing full well why I had left.
"I am back here asking for assistance. Our house has been burned down completely and until it is rebuilt, we will be needing a place to stay." I explain. My gaze goes back and forth between Atheno and Aresia in he dim lighting.
When Aresia still doesn't move or speak, Atheno does. "Why should we help her? She's a traitor to our community." He nods at my mother. "For all we know, she set this all up to make herself seem weak."
Taken off guard, I let my emotions show on my face; shock and horror of what Atheno had said and of the possibility of it being true. Glancing at mother I see that she is unfazed by his accusations. "It can't be." I say aloud, more to myself than anyone else.
Mother looks over at me and shrugs her shoulders. "Some of what he says is true. I am a traitor to our community, but I did not set this up. Someone has framed me, trying to push me back out, and this time, they won't fail." Turning. She goes to the door and starts to leave.
"Don't follow me Savahna, I won't have you punished because of my previous actions."
Before she is completely out of the door, Atheno steps forward again. "She's already being punished, nothing you do or say now can stop them Zerathia. Just being related to you is enough for them." As Atheno speaks, mother closes the door between them.
Turning back to me he lowers himself to my eye height. Setting his hands in my shoulders he looks straight into my eyes. "Savahna, I need to know what happened tonight. Tell me everything."
Sitting in the chairs in fromt of Aresia's desk, Atheno motions fir me to begin.
***
Once I finish up to where me and mother came here, Atheno leans back in hus chair. "Jo...that wouldn't happen to be Majolah, son if Livalti, would it?"
Nodding my head, I hesitantly answer him. "I believe so, he is the only Jo that I know if." I watch Atheno reach across the desk and shake Aresia's shoulder, trying to wake her.
When there's no response, Atheno gets up and goes to her side. Resting one hand on her throat and one on her wrist, he checks fie her pulse.
Looking up, Atheno glances at me then quickly crosses to the door and locks it. Crossing the room once again, he takes the chair next to mine. Slumping down, he releases his breath, lowering himself further into his chair. "She's dead," he whispers, "she's gone." He glances over at me; horror and grief etched onto his face.
"What do we do now?" I ask quietly.
"You must fine Jo. I feel that he's the one behind this. But be careful Savahna, I fear he has left beyond the Edge."
YOU ARE READING
Choices and Consequences
Adventure"I've lived this way my whole life; out in the woods, just me and mom in our tiny community. Until now." Savahna has grown up knowing only what the community has told her, including all of the lies, but when she is faced with something outside of an...
