Sanctuary

Chapter 12

The sun turned already reddish on the horizon as the car parked near the trailers, beside the rented bus Jan drove. The three man stepped out, Tim carrying Jasmin in his arms and the other two whatever they could scavenge at the farm house. They approached the fire place where Laura was watching over the already lit fire and Olaf. The others could not be seen.

"I see you have brought another untainted soul for the demons to feast upon. Morons!" Olaf muttered.

"Hold your horses, cowboy!" Jan replied. "You would have done the same. The poor girl has not eaten or slept in three days and was without water for two. She was barricaded in her basement, while her parents tried to break in the door and kill her..." Jan's voice softened, as he envisioned the cruel sight at the farmhouse.

Laura stood up and walked towards Tim. Jasmin had woken up hearing the talk.

"What have we here? Looks like a princess that needs to wash up, eat something and go to her beauty sleep. A princess should be clean, well fed and well rested, right boys?" She smiled towards Jasmin, while the three nodded showing faint smiles themselves. "Come here, I'll take good care of you. What is your name?"

"Jas... Jasmin" she whispered.

"Jasmin? That is a beautiful name, for a beautiful little girl. Let's go and wash up, then you can eat something and finally get a proper sleep in a clean and comfortable bed." Laura turned to Eben and said: " All quiet here, so far. Emilia is still resting in your trailer, Maja and Nina are getting some sleep also. Did you find anything?"

"Yes. We will start cooking something, we are all starved. Get the girl clean and hydrated and go to sleep with her. You could also need some rest. We will wake you up when dinner is ready. Should those two be right, we will have a long night. The farmhouse confirmed what we saw at the airfield and at the hospital. And more....those people are really dead." Eben whispered this last part, so Jasmin would not hear it. He sighed.

Laura took Jasmin and faded away. Tim filled the cauldron with water and placed it over the fire, then grabbed the meat and started chopping it. Jan took care of the vegetables. Olaf...did what he had done for the entire day: he sat against the tree he was tied to. Eben glanced shortly at Tim and Jan and went towards his trailer. The events at the farmhouse had shaken him deeply. But that seemed all so far away now... He noticed his heart beating faster and the blood raising in his face. He was eager to open the trailer door and check out on Emilia. One last deep breath in front of the door and then he opened it gently, not to wake her should she be asleep.

"You are back" Emilia's soft voice greeted him.

"Hey you!" Eben smiled back. What was that? What did he just say? This was not a way to greet someone you just recently met. And yet... why did he have the feeling he had known her his entire life?

"I could hear you brought someone with you, a little girl?" Emilia interrupted his line of thoughts. Eben snapped out of his thoughts and nodded.

"A frightened little girl". His expression changed. "I'll tell you everything while I tend to your wound, agree?". Of course she did. This would get him near her, giving her the opportunity to better watch him. And that would also mean he would touch her. Eben sat beside her, uncovered her and began removing the bandages, then the paste, all while telling her about the farm and Jasmin. Then...he froze. "What..."

Emilia took his right hand in her palms. "This is your healing power, Eben. I've been trying to tell you, but you would not believe me. The wound is almost healed. I felt it, no need to see it." She smiled benevolently at Eben who could not move or say anything. He just stared at the wound. It had closed and the skin started to heal.

"How..."

"Your magic and your pure and good intent, helped out by the herbs in your paste. It would be the right time to start and believe in yourself. And in what I have told you so far. There are difficult times ahead of us, and I need you by my side, Eben, as always!"

"What do you mean? As Thomas was on your side?"

"Yes and no. Let me tell you a short story about my grandmother. She was also what you would call a witch. So she believed that everything surrounding us was energy. That the spirit existed, also being some form of energy, leaving the body and existing in it's pure form...until the right time when it would take again a corporeal form. And she also believed that there were opposing, yet attracting energies. Which would and could not exist for a long time in the absence of the other. She always believed her spirit and my grandfather's where such attracting energies. She believed she had met him in past lives she could only recollect while in a deep trance. I never thought it to be true... Until I have opened my eyes for the first time since I am here and I have seen you. Thomas. Eben."

"But..."

"Oh, don't tell me you still do not believe in magic. What about nature responding to your thoughts? The tree, remember?"

"Could just have been the wind chilling my tired bones" Eben replied

"And what about your bird friend"?

"Coincidence? Two different owls? I also have not seen it/them the entire day since we left..."

"He is around here somewhere. And he'll be here when you need him. And what about ... me? I have seen how you always look at me, Eben. And how you talk to me, compared to how you interact with the others: in a familiar way, you however are trying to avoid. And I also have a memory, as if in a dream, of you kissing my forehead. Thomas used to do that in his efforts to comfort me, hiding his concerns..." She sighed. "Think about all that. I know you need time. And I also need time. Time to prepare. So help me up please, would you?" Emilia smiled and held on to his arm.

Eben helped her stand up and set back on the bed's edge, just watching her. She slowly walked towards the table, fiddled with the ingredients Eben had gathered in the forest and then she turned around:

"I'll also need salt. Sea salt would be best, if you have some. And a big jar. And Eben, you need to hurry, time is of essence. It's almost dark." Emilia tried to hide her worries, but failed. Eben could see through her. His look seemed to reassure her however. Eben stood up, passed her by and exited the trailer. Emilia reached out for him, but Eben did not stop. Not that he had not seen it in the corner of his eye. He simply needed time. It made him feel insecure how much he wanted to touch her. So he just left. Minutes later he entered holding a bag of salt and a big jar.

"Need help?"

"No, I am fine, thank you for asking". Emilia smiled while looking him straight in the eyes. "You need some time away from me, I know. Just go check on the others, especially Jasmin. She needs to feel safe and secure."

Eben nodded, turnedaround and left. He was glad his assistance was not required. Emilia was right,he needed to spend some time outside of the trailer, away from her. Preferablyalone, but that was no option right now. So he went towards the fire placewhere Nina, Maja, Tim, Jan and Olaf were debating, while Maja was stirring upthe stew. At least from the delightful smell, Eben thought it would be stew. Maybehe was just starved. Did not matter, the meal would soon be ready and all ofthem would join at the fire. Jasmin included. So he needed to talk to theothers before Jasmin would join. As he approached the fire place, he saw thatLaura was also coming towards it. She answered Eben's raised eyebrow with asign. Jasmin was sleeping.