Ruins In The End (We Three Mages, Book Two)

(11)Chapter Thirty Three: Escaping Mercenaries

It only took a week after the Zoe incident for Jared's nightmares to turn into night terrors. He wouldn't get any more than two or three hours a sleep every night. The sudden screaming in the middle of the night was enough to give Jared his own bunkhouse. He'd lay awake every night, afraid, truly afraid, to fall asleep for when he did his torture would begin.

"Is he sleeping?" Boreas walked up to the collapsed Jared. Halfway through his run he had just fallen.

"Sir, something seems to be stressing Jared out. That's what's causing all these fits." Calvin knelt down and out Jared on his back. "We need to get him help."

"He's a strong boy; he'll be able to work through it on his own." Boreas walked alongside Calvin.

Not when the thing that's causing them is the separation from those other two. Calvin screamed inside his head. He was fed up with Boreas. Every day Calvin told Boreas that Jared needed help and every day Boreas said Jared was a strong kid and he'd be okay. Calvin was about ready to take Jared away from him, from everyone and back to where he belonged.

"Sir, there's a man asking for you in town." Lisa ran up to Boreas. "He wishes to request our services."

"A good mission and Jared will be fine, you'll see." Boreas patted Calvin on the shoulder than let Lisa show him the way.

"Mission? Oh gods no..." Calvin froze in his tracks. The other night when Calvin had been trying to wake Jared from his terror, the Book suddenly came into view and created a bubble around Jared. Calvin tried as hard as he could but the Book wouldn't let him through. The next morning Jared explained that is was a defensive mechanism. It happened to him the first time he and the girls found the books. It protects them when they aren't able to protect themselves.

"Please, let this go smoothly..." Calvin prayed to whoever would be willing to listen.

The prayer didn't pay off. The mission was a simple recon mission from the local militia. Apparently a group of runaways had made a cozy little base near a merchant's trade route. It was supposed to be a simple recon mission to find the exact location for their base and report back so the militia could retrieve the stolen goods they had procured. Jared was in the trees, right on top of the runaways' base when a sudden craving for sleep over powered him.

"Damn..." Was the last word he was able to get out before he fell out of the tree. Lucky for him, he had his Book with him and its defensive measures kicked in before he could hit the ground. The bubble appeared and allowed Jared to land on the ground so that no harm came to him. As that moment, every runaway in the base jumped and charged at him. Without waiting another second, Calvin jumped down and set up a barrier between them and the runaways.

"Jared! Jared!" Calvin shook his friend awake.

"huh?" He opened his eyes to see why there was such urgency in Calvin's voice. "Again?! Seriously?!"

"No time for that. We have to get out of here." Calvin helped Jared to his feet.

"Where do ya think you two are going?" One of the runaways broke through Calvin's half assed barrier with a smile.

"Sir please, we're merchants." Calvin began as he and Jared slowly backed up. "we're lost and my friend here was simply trying to find us a way out."

"If you're merchants they where's your merchandize?" The man asked.

"We're going to go pick it up. Our clients told us they'd have the wagon and everything ready but they needed us to transport it." Calvin continued.