The Awakening

Chapter 20 - Edited

*Edited January 16, 2018. (First published February 5, 2017)

"It is time, Sabira." Lucas' voice carried across the small field that I had been meditating within, still unsure if I was making the right choice.

Opening my eyes slowly, I stood up and gathered the pack that contained the few belongings I would be bringing. Some clean clothes, a few travel rations for times when we failed to find our own meals, a sewing kit and other handy items filled the lower half of the pack. The rest was a mix of hunting gear, most of which I had never seen before but Lucas promised I would know how to use and most likely how to make should the need ever arise long before the trip was over.

It was with a heavy heart that I turned toward the man, still remembering the sadness in Daniel's eyes when I had told him that I would be leaving to train with Lucas, unsure when I would be back. It had hurt to see him look so forlorn, but it hurt even more when I couldn't find him today to say goodbye. Likely, he had been one of the people Michael had been sending out on missions, trying to gather what information he could before the passes were too dangerous to travel.

Time was running out before the snow came and made it impossible for any living creature to travel, the temperatures at night plummeting well below freezing. As it was, Lucas would be teaching me how to survive Winter conditions, telling me that although I did not have such worries for myself as far as we could tell, the knowledge could still keep someone else alive if I found myself traveling with another in such harsh conditions.

Following the cheerful man back through town to let Michael know we were on our way, I found myself looking around in hopes of catching sight of Daniel just once before we left. I wanted to see those gray eyes one more time, to see even a hint of that soft smile.

To see if he could ever forgive me for leaving him behind like this, for not giving him even a chance to try to change my mind before I left.

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"Be safe, you two. You have two weeks before the snow comes. Three weeks before I send one of the trackers after you. Be back before then," Michael's stern gaze settled on Lucas, a hint of worry hidden in his eyes.

"And who would you send? I'm the best you have," Lucas' voice came, filled with barely concealed laughter.

"All the more reason for you to come back before then if you don't want to be responsible for one of the others being lost while trying to find you. Besides, if you get lost, it is not just you that we lose," his gaze turned to me, the unspoken words filling the air with tension as we all understood what he meant.

If I was lost and if the enemy somehow found me before his men did... Well, none of us wanted to think what might happen after that, but we all knew there had to be a reason they kept chasing me every chance they got. It was almost like they were desperate to have me back, even though they had kept me locked away and alone for all that time they'd had me.

It didn't help that it had become so obvious how different I was from anything they had ever seen before.

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A star-filled gaze had been staring for hours at the last place he had seen her, the empty cell seeming to echo the seemingly simple questions that had held such a complex answer. He'd not even known where to begin explaining things to her and so, after looking at her confused face until he couldn't stand the sight any longer, he'd turned quietly and left, his heart aching in his chest.

It was his own fault, not having allowed her to make the trip with him in the first place. He should have kept her with him, made sure she would be safe, rather than leaving her behind so that when she finally came, he would have this world to lay at her feet.

Of course, it didn't help that she hadn't waited until the world was conquered properly, even if the resistance that remained was negligible to one such as him. It was a simple matter of time, at this point. She was supposed to still be waiting back where she was safe, her every whim being taken care of while he readied this world for her presence.

He should have known she would become impatient and sneak her way into the travel chamber. But that still left the question of what had happened to her during the transfer, what had locked away her memories along with everything else that made her who she was? And what did he have to do to unlock it and bring her back to herself?

He could still hear that broken laughter ringing in his ears, his heart slowly breaking as the remembered smell of her tears filled his senses. He knew he shouldn't have left her in that cell, even with the excuse of her safety having been a part of his reasoning. He should have kept her close to him, ensuring that she was safe from harm.

Better to suffer the heartache at seeing her look at him with eyes that had forgotten him, that no longer held that once familiar fondness and was missing the smile she had allowed only him to see. He would rather have his heart broken over and over by her unknowingly, than know that those who he saw as his enemy had her in their grasp, praying that they never realized who it was they held.

He actually feared what they might do to her if they found out just how important, how precious, she was to him.