WITHIN HIS REACH | garroth ro'meave *REWRITING*

CHAPTER TWO

                 THE GUARD—Ro'meave—led them up the front steps of a cozily decorated house. He knocked on the door and waited patiently for it to open, briefly looking over his shoulder as if to make sure they were still behind him. The door swung inwards to reveal a small woman with tanned skin and dark, shiny hair that fell slightly past her waist. The woman smiled brightly at the sight of guard.

"Good morning!" She greeted joyously, pulling him into a hug. "I was wondering where you went."

Claire watched their interaction, taking note of the way his shoulders tensed and how his hands hesitated, as if he were afraid to touch her. The woman pulled away before he got the chance to reciprocate the brief embrace. Clearing his throat, he spoke up, "I received word of people at the gate so I went to ensure there wasn't any threat." Ro'Meave nodded in their direction. "Just two women in search of sanctuary."

Claire stiffened at their eyes shifting their attention to them. Beside her, Erika awkwardly bowed, and it took everything in Claire's power not to roll her eyes.

"Please, no bowing is necessary." Aphmau replied sweetly. "Is it just the two of you?"

"Three," Ro'meave answered for them.

Aphmau nodded but made no effort to question where the third person was. With a soft smile, she said, "Welcome to Phoenix Drop." Looking at Ro'meave, she added, "Would you be so kind as to show them to the house across the market?"

"Of course, Lord Aphmau."

They bid their goodbyes to their new lord before trailing behind Ro'meave yet again. Claire occasionally had to tug on Erika's hand any time the girl's pace slowed to gawk at the village. From the moment they stepped foot inside, Claire knew Phoenix Drop was different but she couldn't quite decipher if that was a good thing. Claire was almost convinced she had accidentally stumbled onto an entirely different planet. She didn't think it was possible for someplace like this to exist—so at peace with your surroundings. The home that Ro'meave took them to dwarfed their current home in size, with an actual kitchen and living area, and more than one room to sleep in. It felt almost unreal that it was being given to them at no serious cost.

"This is perfect," Erika whispered in awe, running her hand along the shelf that sat above the fireplace—their new fireplace. "Do you think mom will like it?"

Claire placed a gentle hand on Erika's shoulder, understanding the surge of emotions that ran through her. "Ruth will love it."

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Claire and Erika were quick to slip out of Phoenix Drop once they decided it was a perfect fit. The guards had given them their weapons back as well as their steed, fed and hydrated. For the first time in what must've been years, Claire was excited as she hoisted Erika on the horse and lifted herself up in front, clicking her tongue to get moving.

"Hurry!" This time it was Erika who was rushing Claire as they practically flew through the forest. At their current speed, the wind blew at Claire's hair, a smile on her lips as they neared their small village.

Her smile didn't last long, the smell of smoke filling her nostrils the closer they got. Claire's stomach began to churn at the thought of what they were coming home to and before they even fully arrived, they could hear the screams and cries for help. Emerging from the tree-line, they were greeted by the sight of burning houses and bodies scattered amongst the front of homes and sides of the street.

Before Claire could stop her, Erika dismounted their horse and ran full speed in the direction of their house. She called after her but Erika didn't stop, and Claire was forced to take a second to calm down their horse's frayed nerves before cuing her to move forward. When Claire finally approached the scene, Erika was kneeling before their burning home, crying out for her mother in a blood-curdling scream.

"Erika..." Claire brought their horse to a stop, but the mare is restless as she paced side to side. "Get on, we can't stay here."

Almost as if to back up her statement, an arrow landed just inches away from Erika. Looking up, Claire spotted the two bandits emerging from around Erika's burning house. One of them took no time to draw another arrow and shoot, missing Claire by a hair.

"Erika, drop the backpack and get on, now!" Claire hissed as their horse squealed. Erika weeped as she got to her feet, letting the backpack slip off her shoulders and taking Claire's hand to pull herself up.

They're flying through the woods once more, in fear for their lives rather than the excitement they felt no more than five minutes ago. Claire's hopeful that they'll make it to Phoenix Drop before they're killed as long as they keep a steady stride.

When the great wall of Phoenix Drop was in sight, Claire started screaming for them to open the gate. Claire rendered her attempts futile until she saw the gate finally being reeled opened and guards abandoning the safety of their posts to fight off the bandits on their tracks. In a blink, their horse collapsed with a pained squeal and she felt herself in the air. Claire was slammed onto the ground with enough force to knock the air out of her lungs, squeezing her eyes shut as the pain slivered down her spine. With a groan, she opened her eyes and turned onto her side, her heartstrings pulled at the sight of their mare withering on the grass, various arrows burrowed throughout her body.

Gritting her teeth, Claire pushed herself onto her knees and crawled towards Erika. Shakily, she rose to her feet and took a deep breath before helping Erika stand. Noticing her limp, Claire wrapped Erika's arm around her shoulder and held her by the waist just as more bandits emerged from the woods to fight the Phoenix Drop guards that prevented their invasion. An arrow flew right by Claire and sliced her shoulder, a cry escaping her lips. The guards were too busy fighting their own battles to help the two women limp their way behind the walls, and by now, Claire's frustration was the only thing fueling her forward despite Erika's dead weight and the burning ache on her shoulder. Claire opened her mouth to speak but is interrupted by Erika's gurgling.

Turning her head to look down at Erika, Claire felt her throat dry up at the sight of an arrow sticking out of her chest. Claire's vision grew blurry as Erika began to fall, unable to hold herself up. An arrow burrowing itself deep into Claire's thigh prevented her from catching the younger girl. Claire screamed out at the burning pain that coursed through her as she fell to the ground. Through her tears, Claire could see Erika on the floor, her eyes wide and mouth agape.

"Hey, look at me, Erika." Claire demanded, using the little of her strength to try and army crawl towards the girl. Erika's head lulled to the side to look at Claire, tears slipping down her cheeks. Her breathing slowed before one last whimper escaped her lips and the rise and fall of her chest ceased completely.

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