The Hourglass

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Now, we haven't seen each other in a while, lets fill each other in, who wants to go first?"

Glenn decided to tell his story first and things didn't go that bad besides the part when my brother tried to kill them and DeAndre almost poisoned them. They had a few Hikapie attacks, not all that bad, at least they weren't caught-"And thats what happened." Gavin finishes his story

"Well, you won't believe what we've been though-" I told them our story and then I asked Amanda, "Before you escaped, what where the Hikapie trying to get from you?"

"There was this potion that was death dangerous and he was going to pour it all over the soil of the land and also so how poison your family including you three." She said pointing to me, Corrine, and Jonah. "I couldn't let that happen, even if I'm not one for the royal family I know I'd much rather have them ruling then the Hikapie."

"So where did you hide it?"

"Oh, I didn't hide it, I destroyed it. That kind of thing is much to dangerous to be hanging around."

"Well, how did the Hikapie catch you? No one has ever capture you before."

"Well, there packs are becoming more powerful and they come in large numbers. I wasn't expecting it and it was only me there. My companion, Ashly, I had to leave her in the last village, she was wounded and I couldn't risk her dying. She begged to come along, good thing she didn't. But maybe we can go back and get her sometime?"

"Of course, we nee more then just eight people for this mission."

"Great! How about tomorrow morning then? she should be healed by now."

"Sounds good, anyways, I want to get to know more about my brother and DeAndre. Any volunteers to go first?"

Jonah sighs, "Okay I'll tell you everything... My childhood was just lie yours, I grew up in a rich family, when I was 18 I was taken away to the valley. Our parents sent me into the army I'm a archer for the army, I'm not the best with a  sword but I can manage one, I have a good aim with a bow, but I've been working for the army so i know where the Hikapie have camps set up. If your okay with me putting out an idea..."

"Oh yeah, we need every idea we can get."

"Well, the Hikapie set themselves across the valley in a shape like a circle. Their main camp in in the middle. Not a bad set up, but can be taken out. Each camp has about 3,000 Hikapie. It's a hard battle but if I'm correct them we should be able to take them on. We have magic and we can enchant weapons. So we might be able to take each camp on one at a time. It will be 9 to 3,000 once we get Ashly. What do you think of those odds?"

"Its the only thing we have to run on so, it sounds good. And why did you try to kill Caleb and Glenn, and was DeAndre there by then?"

"I didn't know who they where. They might've been traitors so on instinct I attacked. But no DeAndre wasn't there by then I was the first to be found."

"Lets hear what DeAndre did..."

"I have been an outcast. I just do some jobs for people collect the money and then move on. Due to me being a peasant I couldn't be a knight, until now. But before this I would complete any task I was told to do for someone. I had a Mongolian Death Worm. Someone gave me an egg of one and I cared for it until it grew up and then he was a battle companion. Then he found a family of his and discovered her was a killer. Then he left me. And then a few months later you guys found me. At first I tried to poison them because I didn't trust them, but I give Caleb a lot of credit. He was the one who noticed the food was poisoned."

"Interesting."

After that we just continued talking about all the things that we did while we where separated. "I'm not sure about you guys but I'm exhausted. I'm going to sleep." I say

"Yeah, so am I" says Caleb. We both stand up and head to the door. Caleb lets me go out in front of him and he then shuts the door and follows behind me. "Where's your room?" I ask curiously. 

"It's in the next hallway over but I was hoping to just have alone time with you for a while. I feel like we haven't seen each other in ages."

"Sure."

I lead him to my room and I was bubbling inside. Caleb left everyone else to see me! We entered the room and sat on my bed. "So..." I say awkwardly. "I don't know a lot about you, you know that right?"

"Yeah," Caleb says.

"I have some questions though, I'm curious."

"Okay ask me anything,"he responds. 

"Where did you grow up, what was your life like before the castle?"

His gaze darkened but he spoke, "My dad, she was abusive. He beat my mother he beat me. One time is was really drunk I was 6 years old and he stabbed my mother, I stood in the door way and saw this happen on our kitchen floor, my mother was still barely alive and she told my to run. I remember her blood pooling on the once white tile. But when my mom told me to run I didn't listen. I just stood in the doorway. My dad lumbered toward me and I looked at him wide- eyed and terrified. I ask him, 'what did you do to mom?' My dad took the bloody knife from his hand and puts it in mine and picked me up and carried me to my mother laying on the floor dying. He put his hands over mine on the knife and, I helped kill my mother." He has tears in his eyes as he says this but he continued, "After she was dead, I had blood on my clothing and on my hands crying on the floor next to my mother the knife then on the floor. My dad got up and left to go to the bar. I ran for my life tears in my eyes, as I ran down the streets crying I met your mother, the queen she saw me and worried what had happened, and I told her my mom was dead, she took pity on me and took me in as a servant."

By the end of his story I was crying just as he was, "I'm so sorry," I say

"It's okay I have something else to love now,"

"What is that?" I ask

"I think I'm in love with you" Caleb says nervously.

Everyhting freezes in that moment, I'm not sure what to do and then i do the one thing I can think of, even with my puffy teared up eyes, I kiss him. And he smiles against the kiss. His lips are warm and soft and then I move back and look at him.

"Would you maybe, be my girlfriend?"he asks me brushing

"There isn't a reason in the world that I would say no," I say giving him a tight hug, that hurt my chest and I wince. 

"Are you okay?" Caleb asks concerned.

"Yeah, while we where traveling and a Hikapie surprise attacked us and it wounded me chest pretty badly, I have to be carful not to reopen the wound."

"Oh my god!"

"It's okay, I'm alright." 

But the thing is, I might not be. Vandita warned me that if I reopened this wound then I could be in trouble. I tried healing myself before, and that didn't work. I guessing my magic is only suppose to be used to help others, not myself.  We sat back down on the bed and I asked, "Do you like to sing?"

"I mean I guess. I'm not the best singer though"He answers 

"We still barely know anything about each other. So lets get to know each other better. But this time, simpler questions."I say after thinking for a moment about all he has been though

"Okay, lets see... favorite color," He asks

"Black and green. Whats yours?"

"I've always liked blue,"He responds 

"Really? Okay, how about favorite season? I personally love the spring when it isn't too hot or too cold."

"I love the winter!"

"Oh really?" I smile I then made a small cloud of snow flurries above us. 

"Its beautiful." Caleb gaped, as the snow fell gently on us

I smiled and slightly laughed covering my mouth with my hand. I feel relaxed with him. But this whole land is depending on me to save them but, can I?