Fire's Grace (Being Edited)

Chapter 26

I finally get out far enough that I can see an open, if bloodied, field. I signal to my companions, and then start to walk further out to an open part in the gory field. Cal and Ben meet me there. For a second we just look grimly at each other, and then Cal speaks.

"What should we do next, Emma? I mean, we freed your brother. And now all three of us are free to do what we want."

Now that we are finally not in danger, I realize that we have nothing left to go back to. The Captain, I'm sure, would have destroyed our house, while we were on the run. Also, that place held too many painful memories. I would not be able to return.

Would Cal come with? That is the question that coursed through my brain. We were too closely connected, I felt, to part ways. I have grown too connected to him. Ben would never approve though. Where would we go?

"We can't go back home," I said.

"No," Ben agreed.

"We need to stick together, no matter what," Cal said. "It is too dangerous to do otherwise. Those guards who got away will come back with reinforcements. We need to be ready, or get far away from this place."

"I reckon we have three days or so," Ben said.

"Maybe four, if we're lucky," added Cal.

"We should stay. I think I saw some other prisoners when we left with the Captain. We should free them." I said. "We could potentially make this our stronghold-"

My brother cut me off. "Free the prisoners! Are you crazy, Emma? Who knows what they have done."

"I agree with Emma, Ben. If I know my uncle, then everyone here was, or is, just part of a resisting force against the king."

"So we would be releasing a bunch of rebels? I see no issue with that." Ben said sarcastically.

"Ben, we are considered rebels now. We killed the captain of the guard, we killed most of the guards keeping the rebels here, we have been running to stay free like all the other rebels." I added.

"I guess you are right. Do whatever you guys want to. I am going to go hide the corpses." I watch as Ben turns and heads to the far side of the previous battle.

Cal turns to me. "Go start opening the cells, Emma. Some of the rebels with be weak and will need to stay here until they are stronger. Here's the key you will need. My uncle gave it to me a while ago. I am going to help you brother."

"Okay."

"Be careful Emma. You never know what they will do." I know Cal is referring to the prisoners.

"I know Cal. Don't get in a fight with Ben."

"I won't. It would not be good for him, seeing how weak he is." I watch as Cal moves to help Ben.

I am walking towards the tower when a stabbing pain rips through my body and blurring my sight. Midnight black envelopes my vision. I feel my body hit the ground.

I awake under stars. There are mixed colors draping the sky. The air is cool and crisp. I look over and see Cal looking at me. To my other side is Ben asleep. I move closer to Cal to keep warm. He moves closer to me.

"Emma. Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?"

He leans towards me.

"Emma! Emma wake up!" I am pulled back to reality.

"What happened?" I ask. It is almost dark.

"We don't know. I watched you walk to the tower. Then I went to help Ben. We didn't see you for a while and came to look for you. That is when I saw you laying on the ground. We have been trying to wake you up for three hours."

"I woke up though."

"No you didn't. It must have been a vision. What happened?"

Do I tell him the truth? Or a version of the truth? "Nothing. It was just the sky. It was weird though. There were colors. They were in the sky like drapes. Green, purple, blue and red. It was like nothing I have seen before."

" Are you sure that was all?" Said Cal. He must have noticed that I hesitated.

"Yes," I said. "Do you think the colors in the sky meant anything?"

"Maybe. I've never heard of anything like that..."

"Emma!" Your awake!" Ben ran over. "Are you ok? We were trying to wake you up for like three and a half hours now!"

"Yeah," said Cal, talking to me."We tried everything, even cold water. We didn't know what had happened, and we took turns guarding you."

"Oh." I said. I was still a bit in a daze from the dream. What did it mean? I shook my head, trying to figure it out, but nothing worked.

"She had a vision" Cal told Ben.

"Oh." Said Ben. We all were silent for a moment.

"What was it" said Ben.

"Nothing. Just a dream about a starry night with these weird blankets of color in the sky. I couldn't see anything else" I said. Silently I thought, because I was too caught up in staring at Cal, to notice the scenery. The rest I purposefully left out. At least, I did not want to talk about it in front of Cal. That would be too weird.

"I am really tired. What time do you think it is?" I ask.

"About eight I think." Cal said.

"Where do you think we should sleep tonight? I mean... it is not very safe in the prison, in the woods, or right here." Ben asks.

"It would be best in the woods. I can take lookout if needed." Cal says.

"You also need your rest. I can take first watch and wake you up when I get to tired." Ben counters.

"Fine. Let's go set up a camp for the night," Ben leaves to start and Cal turns to me, "Let me help you."

"Okay."

Cal picks me up in his arms and carries me over to where Ben is. I can feel the muscles in his arm contracting as he picks me up. I can feel his quickened heartbeat from the fear when he was trying to wake me, and failing.

I now know the meaning of that vision. And that night, I slept with the person that I love and cherish the most.