Defying Equilibrium

Chapter 12: Journey's beginning

Dare was just about to leave when he felt the small tug on the back of his coat. He turned to see Nico, standing behind him, grabbing hold of the end of the fabric. He had a confused, questioning look on his face.

"Where are you going?" he asked. "Are you leaving us?"

Ahmed had given them two days to prepare. Their journey was to be a long one, and Ahmed had told them not to expect to see their homes again for a long while. Dare did not pack much, some spare clothes and keepsakes, a notebook and a switch-blade. He could not bring himself to say his goodbyes. If everything went according to plan, his parents would wake in a few hours to find him gone from his room. He had left a note on his bed, claiming that he had run of to join the Shielder's Militia.

He had not even begun to contemplate his return yet. He knew very well that he just might die, and he might never see his home again. But he just planned to take it one step at a time. He had planned out every detail of his leaving, but he had not considered the possibility of someone else being awake yet.

Nico looked at him pleadingly, half filled with curiosity and half filled with dread as he waited for Dare's response. Dare sighed, and crouched down so that he was eye-to-eye with his younger brother.

"Yes, Nico, I'm going away," he said quietly, and the younger boy's eyes began to immediately well with tears. Nico looked like he was about to burst out crying but Dare held a finger up to his lips, motioning to Nico that he had to keep quiet. The little boy copied the gesture as he always did, and blinked away his tears.

"But before I do, you have to promise me something," Dare whispered, and Nico nodded earnestly. "You have to promise me that you'll be really brave, alright?" Nico nodded again. Dare forced himself to smile at him, even though he could feel his heart breaking at the thought of leaving his brothers behind. "Be brave, and I'll be back before you know it!"

And then, without another word, he abruptly turned and walked out the door, leaving his younger brother standing in the doorway. Nico could have sworn that he saw tears in his older brother's eyes as he left. But that makes no sense, thought Nico, brave people don't cry...

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Louise had taken it much better than Oscar had expected. He didn't make up any lies, or any excuses, he just told her the truth, the whole truth. He told her about being attacked in the forest, and he repeated everything that Ahmed had told him. And then he told her that he was leaving.

She listened silently the whole time. Only when Oscar was about to leave did she start to cry. Oscar was about to walk out the door, but he turned around and hugged her tightly, and she cried into his shoulder. Together they stood there for a long time, until it was finally time for Oscar to leave. Walking away from his home, he turned back one last time. Louise was standing at the window, and she mouthed a few final words to him. The words were for herself, as well as her brother. She said, "Be strong."

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Sansu did not need to tell her mother anything. Madame Jade already knew that she was leaving. You can't keep any secrets from a woman like her. Madame Jade had packed her a bag of herbal remedies and potions, and charms for luck. They were going to need it.

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In the early hours of the morning light, the three of them made their way to Ahmed's small shack in the middle of the forest. Even the birds had not woken from their slumber yet, and the first few rays of sunlight had just begun to break through the trees. Ahmed was waiting for them as they arrived, with nothing but a few possessions to take with him.

Dare was walking with a quick pace, impatient to get going. Sansu's pace was more resigned, slower and less energetic. She did not seem hopeful, or optimistic. She just seemed sad, as if there was some darker truth that only she knew. Maybe she didn't have faith in the others, faith that they could find her sister and bring her back safely. Maybe she was simply worried.

Liana and Sansu were the kind of twins that felt each other's pains, emotionally if not physically. Liana could always tell immediately if Sansu was upset about something, and Sansu was exactly the same with her sister. They were barely ever apart, it had been that way since they were born. Sansu had never gone longer than a few hours without being by her sister's side, and without her, Sansu felt like she was going mad.

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Liana thought that she was going mad as well, but not quite for the same reasons. Of course, she still missed her sister, and worried endlessly about her. Had she suffered the same fate? Liana had no way of knowing, and that tormented her more than anything. But that was no what was making Liana doubt her sanity. That was down to the ghost girl in the corner.

Liana had always believed in ghosts, but had never actually seen one. When she had first come into contact with this spectral girl, with her ice blue eyes and jet black hair, she had been terrified. But now, after she had grown used to her presence, the ghost girl was a comfort. It made her feel as if she was not alone in this dim cold room. Even if the girl was all an invention of her mind, which she had contemplated often and definitely considered a possibility, it was still a consolation to have someone to talk to. She never talked back though, only mouthed words on the opposite side of that invisible barrier.

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"Are we ready to leave yet?" Dare asked impatiently, tapping his foot.

"We're ready when we're ready," answered Ahmed, in a typical non-answer fashion

Oscar's eyes were glued to the sword that hung from Ahmed's belt. He had never seen one like it up close. Though it looked old, it was still gleaming as if brand new. Oscar could almost see his reflection in the narrow silver blade. The hilt was silver too, inlaid with some kind of pattern that Oscar couldn't make out. But what Oscar wondered was why Ahmed was carrying a second sword I his hand almost identical to the first. Ahmed followed Oscar's gaze and raised an eyebrow.

"I bet you're wondering what this second sword is for," Ahmed said, once again predicting Oscar's words before he spoke them. Oscar scowled, but Ahmed smiled. "This sword is for you."

Oscar's eyes widened. "Me? But I... No, I..." He shook his head violently. "No! I'm not a Swordsman! I'm not one of you!"

"Then does that make you a Shielder?" Ahmed asked, eyebrow still raised in an amused expression.

Oscar glared. "No, it doesn't. I'm neither. I'm no soldier." He replied.

"Well you are now," Ahmed said. "You became a soldier the second that you survived that attack in the forest. So you have a choice," Ahmed told him, holding the sword out for him to take. "You can choose to turn from the life of a soldier, and you will die. You will not be able to protect those you love. Or, you can take this sword, and you can fight. What'll it be?"

Oscar thought for a moment, torn. And then, in a move that made Dare proud, he stepped forward and took up the sword.