Defying Equilibrium: Book II

Chapter 16: A future

Hiya! I've had a busy few months with schoolwork lately, but in a few days I will be free to write way more, so thanks for being so patient with me! ^_^  The picture this time is of Chase.

xCinda

For a while, there was a silence. Not a quiet bliss, but a quiet hell. Treading on eggshells. No one knew quite what to say after Ahmed told them his story.

Even Chase and Essie, who had listened in, did not quite know how to react to that. Was this man insane? Who the hell was he, that he was claiming to be a character from a legend that was centuries old. Although, this fact was maybe easier for Essie and Chase to accept than it was for the others, as they too, were the stuff of legend. Warriors originating from the famed Malachite fortress.

One by one, everyone stood and began preparing to turn in for the night, still not speaking. Most had forgotten about dinner, their appetites vanished. Not Lex, though. The old man tucked in to their food like there was no tomorrow. Ahmed joined him after a while. The old man warmly welcomed Ahmed to share in the heat of his fire.

"You are not easily shaken, I see." Ahmed said as he sat down. "The revelation that I am more than five times your age doesn't bother you in the slightest?"

The old man shrugged, handing Ahmed a bowl. "Not really, I s'pose. You may be old of heart, but you sure look young to me. I bet you haven't the slightest idea what old, aching joints feel like." Lex laughed.

Ahmed nodded. "I'm grateful for all you and your comrades are doing for us. Tell me, are your orders to take us to the Malachite fortress?"

The old man nodded. "Yes, you'd be right in saying that. We've made a few stops, so we're a little behind schedule." He rubbed his hand wearily across his forehead. "And for that, there'll be hell to pay come morning. If there's one thing Commander Chase hates almost as much as lying, it's running behind a deadline."

"Have you known them long? The commander, and the lieutenant?"

"No need to call them that anymore, I s'pose. They ain't with the military now. But yeah, I've known Chase and Essie since they first joined, about the same age as your friends here. They're good kids, they are. I wouldn't want to be on his bad side, but Chase is a well-meaning man with a good heart. And Essendra may be a little slow to trust, but she's someone you can count on to watch your back. Good kids," he mused. The old man stared upwards into the sky. "One of these days, I'll be gone. I'm old, and I can feel the end creeping up on me. But with them at the front, I know I'll be leaving the Malachi in good stead."

"At the front?"

Lex gave Ahmed a questioning look. "He didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

Lex nodded towards Chase, who stood attending the horses. "That young man there is the next leader of the Malachi. Some people are born into the Malachi, like them, and others join of their own volition, like me. But to gain a commanding position, you have to earn it. Our current leader has named Chase as his successor. That man right there is the future of the Malachi. Our fates will come to rest entirely on his shoulders alone."

Ahmed said nothing more, only stared at Chase. The young man was neither arrogant nor overbearing, but he possessed a quiet confidence in the way he moved and spoke. He is a leader, thought Ahmed. The Malachi will be in good stead.

Liana was more confused than she had ever been in her entire life.

First her sister brought these strange people to rescue her. A girl who could summon fire, a young boy with cold, wolfish eyes and the undying man. All of whom confused her with their very presence. And even those she knew, the two boys whose friendship she ad missed so much, they seemed...different. There was something else behind Oscar's eyes now. She didn't know what it was. Not to mention that he now wore a sword on his hip, she didn't even know where to begin thinking about that.