The Gift

Chapter One

I watched silently as a group approached.  Looking to the guard towers, I saw that they weren’t aware.  Just as I was about to sound the alarm, one of the men looked up.  Even from the distance, with my enhanced senses I could see his features clearly.  For just a split second, his eyes widened slightly and I was sure he’d seen me.  The voice that I’d grown so accustomed to spoke then.

Don’t do it.  Don’t sound the alarm.  The man turned back to the front as though he’d seen nothing and I relaxed.  I continued to watch from my balcony as they attacked the fort that was my home for the time being.  During the Wars the fort changed hands and had its name changed so many times that everybody thought it had a different name and just settled on calling it Fort.

I heard clearly as the men broke through the door and heard the battle between the attackers and our guard fighting back.  Pulling the wrap skirt around my pants aside, I climbed up on the banister around my balcony.  I pulled myself up and climbed up to the rooftop.  With practiced ease, I walked to the top and sat there.

“I’m telling you; this is the room where I saw her,” I heard a voice say from my room a few minutes later.  I listened carefully for a response.

“Maybe she ran off to hide somewhere when she realized what we were doing,” another man answered.

“She could have raised the alarm.  She didn’t.  I want to know why.”

I heard their footsteps leading them outside to my balcony.  “She went up to the roof.  I can’t tell past that.  No girl should be able to climb this, though.”

“Maybe she’s no ordinary girl.  Rejoin the rest of the group.  I’ll take care of this.”

“Are you sure that’s wise, sir?  If she is above average and can fight you might not be able to handle her.”

“Even if she is above the average, surely I can handle one woman.” His voice sounded almost haughty.

“Yes, sir.”  I heard one set of footsteps go back into my room and the other start climbing up to the roof.  I turned away; ready to clamber across the roof of the fort to escape him.

No. The voice said. Stay.

Heeding my inner voice, I settled into a position where I could fight or flee if I needed to.

“You were down there on the balcony, weren’t you?” he asked when he saw me.

“I was.”

“You saw us coming.”

“Yes.”

“And you did not sound the alarm.”

“No.  I did not.”

“Why did you not?”

“Something told me not to.”

“You are a very odd woman.”

“Yes; I am.”

Much to my surprise, he came and sat by me.

“Do you always do whatever you have a feeling to?”

“Yes.  I have learned to always trust my instincts.”

“What if your instincts had been wrong?”

“Then I would be dead now and it wouldn’t matter.  Why did you choose to sit here?”

“You intrigue me, woman.  What is your name?”

“Freyla,” I answered, “And you are Daniel.”

“How did you know that?  Nobody knows that name.”