CORRUPTED FILE [Lumina Chronicles Past Drafts]

Level Fourteen: History Lessons

I stood in a crowded, whit walled room. It was the ballroom from the Abandoned Order's castle, but now it was filled with cots, and many of the cots were filled with injured children. Nurses bustled around the room quickly, carrying medical supplies. Was this the memory Carlyle was showing me?

"Please, please help me!" A young girl's voice called. I spun around to see Lydia. She was so small, smaller than usual, and her normally silky silver ringlets hung in frizzy spirals to her mid-back. She was crying.

"What do you need?" A voice asked, it was Carlyle's voice, but it came from my mouth. I see. He's showing me his memories, I'm viewing them the way he saw them. I'm inside his body.

"I want my daddy!" She sobbed. She couldn't be more than eight or nine years old. "He said he'd come for me here when the war was over, he promised!"

"I don't know where your daddy is, but I can take you to a nurse that might be able to help, okay? She's really nice." Carlyle said softly. He took little Lydia's hand and led her through the maze of cots to the other end of the room. "Faye," He called, and one of the nurses looked up. Her hair was still just as long and unruly, but she had it tied back with a ribbon to keep it out of her eyes. She looked younger as well, and I wondered how far back this memory was.

"I have a patient right now, Carlyle. He came from one of the camps in northern territory; he's lost a lot of blood." Faye's voice was thick with worry as she worked to bind the wounds of the young man on the cot in front of her. The young man wore a military style jacket, adorned with a long trail of shiny brass buttons. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was Seraphim.

"This little girl is looking for her father, can you just take a moment to look for his name on the list?" Carlyle asked, bringing Lydia forward. Lydia sniffled, rubbing the tears from her puffy eyes.

"If I do, this boy will die." Faye sighed, once again turning her attention to young Seraphim. "I'm sorry, find one of the other nurses."

"I can help." A familiar voice spoke. Kindle.

Carlyle turned to face Kindle, and I wished I could have laughed. His hair was longer, and pulled back into a pony-tail at the nape of his neck. He was so small, but his eyes were the same as ever. "Can you check the list of those who've returned from battle? This girl is trying to find her father."

Kindle knelt down in front of little Lydia, extending a hand to her. "I'm Kindle nice to meet you." He said sweetly, "Can you tell me your name?"

Instead of taking his hand, Lydia flung herself forward, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck and burying her face in his chest. "I'm Lydia," She mumbled through her tears. I'll admit she was cute as a child, but I still felt a bit sick. She was laying claim on Kindle from the moment she met him.

"What about a last name?" Kindle asked, stroking the little girl's back in an attempt to quiet her sobs. "I'll need to know that to find your dad."

"D'Norse. My daddy's name is Lord Hiram D'Norse." She sniffled.

Kindle carefully pried Lydia off of himself so that he could read the list. It was apparently the list of people who'd come home from a war. It was terrifyingly short. His face fell, "No Hiram," He said softly.

Lydia's lip trembled. "What about Nyx D'Norse? Rein? Erebus?"

Kindle scanned the list over and over before shaking his head sadly. "There is no one with the last name D'Norse."

Lydia broke down then, falling into Kindle's arms. "My daddy! My brothers! I want them! I want my family!"

Kindle himself looked on the verge of tears as he stood, lifting the sobbing Lydia along with him. "Carlyle, I'm going to find her a cot." Kindle said.