Korah: Heir of Gnamalea

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The soldier didn't bother struggling. He sat against the post in defeat and watched as Seb sat close to him, eating a corncob. Korah had seen Tafiti ask what she'd prefer to do with the soldier. The woman he'd grabbed wasn't injured but was scared to leave the dining hall; she fell asleep on one of the empty tables, her sister staying close to her. Tafiti walked over to him and kneeled beside him. He was terrified. He knew her beauty was a facade for danger. He moved away from her.

    "Who are you?" she says in a deep velvety voice.

    "Julio, Captain Alejandro sent me", he didn't seem bothered to lie. Why admittedly defy the King and his Captain?

    "And did he tell you to attempt kidnapping the woman?" she didn't sound irritated, probably to keep the young man at ease.

    "Do you think if he did, I would have attempted when I'm sure most of you were still awake?" he had a point. The men inside the dining hall weren't quiet, and all the torches would have been put out.

    "Then why get our attention on purpose?" Korah spoke up this time, why attempt to kidnap someone when you have direct orders?

    "Because I believe injustice. So did my father, and I know that so many other men – believe in the same thing. It may not seem that way, but their humanity had been stolen from them", he seemed genuine, but Korah wasn't sure exactly what he meant by losing their humanity. Did he tell they became folly? "They just slowly decayed and became a shell of who they once were".

    "So why did the Captain send you here?" Korah says, leaning against the post.

    "He wanted me to keep track of you; I had to take this opportunity to get your attention. So could I ask that you untie me?" Tafiti looked up at Korah. Korah felt pity for the boy; even if she hadn't wanted to, she knew he wasn't a threat. She nodded, and Tafiti let the boy go. He stood slowly and kept his eyes on Korah. She chuckled under her breath and looked down at the boy's uniform. If he was really trying to help her, he couldn't stay in the blue filth the man wore; he was too attacking to the eye. They couldn't have that.

    "Marcus, precious, could you take this... boy to get changed into a suitable change of clothes?" she says in a sweet but menacing tone of voice. He squirmed under her steely grey eyes.

    "Of course" he takes the boy by the arm and leads him to his and Seb's change room, Seb followed.

Once they were gone, everyone went back to their rooms and slept. The girl ran to Korah's arms and thanked her as her tears spilled onto her clothes. Korah, not sure of what to do, she curled her arms around the girl's frame and let the girl weep for a few minutes before returning to her aunt.

The night air grew thicker and colder by the hour until the sun had risen to the surface of the frosty window. The stale air had become a freezing layer of mist around the city. Korah's mind began to wander again the possibility of her brother being alive. The image of him; his young face, his blonde and partially messy hair. She missed him so much; it burnt a hole deeper in her chest.

    She hadn't slept a wink for the rest of the night; the overwhelming memories flooded her on repeat, a never-ending nightmare. She sat up in bed, pulling her knees to her chest and stared out the window, watching the flakes of snow falling to the filled ground. She felt a faint wind flow through her room; it was both bitter but refreshing. She turned her head and saw Marcus had made his way towards her bed and stood beside her. She grabbed hold of his hand, and he sat on her covers, leaning against her window bed frame. His rough hands were cold but comforting. He softly smiled at her and rubbed his thumb along her knuckles.

    "Are you thinking about William again?" she nodded but continued to stare out her window. He squeezed her hand tighter, away he knew how to comfort her. How else was he supposed to comfort her, he had never lost the only people in his family, but he could never imagine the pain and loneliness she must feel. Felt.