daughter of esmund

Thirteen

A/N: Hey All! Are you proud of me for staying somewhat on schedule? I've been working really hard to get these out regularly so you don't have to wait extended periods of time, but I've also been working on the ending of this story (don't worry it's not for a while) to make sure it's perfect for when you got it, I think you will enjoy it when the time comes. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! If you did please consider leaving a vote and commenting any feedback you may have. Thanks for you kindness and patience! - Joya

Word Count: 1483

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Annie's POV

"YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO DO THAT!"

"ANNIE I DID WHAT I HAD TO!"

"WE HAVE TO GO BACK FOR HER, IF WE HURRY WE CAN-"

"ANNIE STOP IT!"

His hands take a hold of my shoulders as he kneels beside the table I'm sitting on to look into my eyes, "It's too late to do anything now. All that's important now is to stay out of Tu'la's grasp-'

"Wait, Tu'la? That's who's invading?"

"Yes, at least, that's what people are saying, it's all the buzz here. I think they're preparing for the worst.." He says, scratching the back of his head. He makes his way back to the pile of books he had made, tossing a smaller one into the, now raging, fire. He's burning books with maps of other cities towns in them, for what I can assume as a defensive move. No maps means that Tu'la, or whoever, doesn't have a clear view of the rest of the region.

"I can't believe it's Tu'la, Jaxon would never-"

"The last time any of us saw Jaxon was when we were kids. People change, for good or for bad.." He glances back to me before tossing another book into the fire, waiting for the flames to grab onto it before taking hold of the next one, "It might not even be him, his father could still be ruling, and we know what he's like."

I nod, training my eyes back on the ground as I continue mindlessly scratching the surface of the wooden crate, "We'll go back eventually, right?"

He turns, sighing before kneeling beside me again and placing his hand on me cheek, "We'll go back eventually, but, probably not for a while. Look, you know how invasions work. There's the first wave of guards that take the place over, then there's the next ones that come to occupy the area. It's not going to be stable enough for a while, but it will be eventually..I promise."

I glance away, chewing on the inside of my lip, a metallic taste slithering in between my teeth as I bite down too hard.

Blood.

He takes a hold of my hand, his expression turning serious, "Annie promise me you won't try to go back on your own, it's not safe."

I sigh, meeting his eyes, "I promise."

He grins, tossing the next book into the fire, dismissing me with that action. I wrap my arms around my knees in an attempt to stop the throbbing of my side. It helps a bit, but I still wince as another wave of pain shoots from it.

"Hello?"

Vylad turns his head up quickly, as do I, when a feminine voice comes from the left. Aphmau is there, green scarf wrapped around her black hair and face. No one had seen her since she went off looking for her sons, weird that she turns up now. Vylad sighs, "Hey Aphmau. Were you looking for us?"

She nods hurriedly, "Yes, we were. Have you heard any of what's happening?"

He frowns nodding, "How close are they?"