Savoirs

Jason

When the door clicks shut I kneel in front of Jaclyn and she looks at me, tears running down her face.

"I can't do this." She whispers and I take her hands in mine.

"Everyone is scared Jaclyn. You're just brave enough to show it." I say and she shakes her head.

"Everyone else had been through-" She starts and I cut her off.

"We have all been through hell and back but yet the rest of us hide our fears behind our masks and you wear yours like armor. You can fight, just like when you took on the Enemy at the cottage. You saved us didn't you? Was that Jaclyn or was that someone else?" I ask and she searches my face.

"How can you hide it so well?" She asks and I let out a small laugh.

"I don't. Its always here. Always. But I can use it and I let it be everyday and it has yet to try and drown me." I say and she nods.

"That's very poetic of you." A voice says and we freeze.

"What brings you here?" The voice asks and I stand slowly, deliberately. Jaclyn watches me and I see her shake her head slightly but I'm already being spun around and facing the man from the woods.

"We needed a place to rest." I say and he laughs.

"Needed a place to rest. Why don't you tell me what exactly you are doing here." He says and suddenly I'm being pushed by an invisible force into a chair and Jaclyn jumps to her feet only to be pushed down into the chair again.

"That's all we are doing here." I say calmly and the man laughs. He reaches out a hand and touches Jaclyn's cheek with a bony hand.

"I wonder what she'll look like once this is over." He says and she flinches away from him.

"Leave me alone." She spits and he smiles.

"You've seen what's going to happen haven't you? You've seen how they'll die. But they don't listen do they? They say they'll go down fighting. What if Adam was to burn in this very building? You're thinking it, I know you are darling. What if Joseph will be brought down tomorrow and killed? These are the unanswered questions you have in your head aren't they?" He asks and Jaclyn looks away from him.

"You're an evil man." She hisses and he laughs.

"I know but I take joy in that evil. You, my darling you have hidden from me for quiet a while. That night so long ago I wanted you to come with me, to join me. I knew, no, I know your power. It's greater than anything you could imagine. Come with me I'll teach you how to use it. You can see why its so good to be just like me." He says, walking around her and she shakes her head.

"No." Is the one word answer and she stands again. The man laughs and waves his hand but she barely sways. Confusion crosses his face and she raises her hand and then he's gone as light bursts from her hand. It's gone before it hits the wall and I'm on my feet.

"Are you alright?" I ask and she nods.

"I'm fine." She says and looks at me with sadness in her eyes.

"Your nightmares...they..." I trail off, not sure of how to ask the question but she seems to understand.

"I've watched all of you die. Please don't ask me to tell you." She says and I nod. No matter how much part of me wanted to know how I was to leave this world there was something that made me turn away from it. Maybe it was the fear of dying or maybe it was something else entirely. I didn't know but as we laid down to sleep that night, I was sure that I was not going to let anything happen to her. She was too innocent, too full of life to leave this world now. Me, I was just a soldier who's heart wasn't his anymore. Call me a fool if you want but I just couldn't seem to keep myself away from her.

***

Two days later we wake early and leave before the inn keeper is up and it takes us two more nights to get to the town. It's mid-day when we blow into town and find an inn near the castle to rest in. This time we all got separate rooms and the girls disappeared for most of the day and when it was time to eat they emerged in clean clothing and their hair still damp from bathing. I had re-wrapped my wound and now we sat in one room eating quietly.

"I'm going to retire early." Adam says after he's done eating and leaves the room quickly and quietly. One by one the others excuse themselves until it's just myself sitting alone in the room and I pull off my shirt and get ready for bed. I was already laying down when there was a knock at my door. Confused I got up and opened the door and found Jaclyn getting ready to knock again.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" She asks and I shake my head.

"No. Is something wrong?" I ask and she blushes.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck. For tomorrow." She says and I smile. She stands there looking up at me and then I'm leaning down and our lips collide. She tenses but then relaxes and returns the kiss. I snake an arm around her waist and she puts a hand on my chest and then the door is closing and we are falling onto the bed.