A Mess of a World: the Etched Stone

2.4) Damen

Damen slept fitfully for what seemed to be only a few minutes before Zaki'a awoke him. It was dark and the hand she used to shake him awake was cold. He shivered and retracted from her touch.

"Were you okay? I heard you thrashing about when I came in."

"Just... just dreaming about our training."

Zaki'a lightly chuckled, sitting at his feet. "That makes sense. When you're done reliving past horrors though... I think I've found their room. This will be great training for things to come."

Damen shook his head, still not believing he knew the answer of why she was so bent on busting children. He yawned. "Let's go now."

She led him through a hallway still lit despite the hour to a door at the very end of the hall.

"How long have you been up?" Damen asked quietly.

"Just a few minutes." She muttered offhandedly, reaching for the handle.

He caught her hand and forced her to look at him. "Zak..."

"Alright, I didn't sleep too well." She said, prying her wrist back.

"I told you to tell me whenever you got your dreams!" Damen said, feeling a pang of betrayal. "I thought you trusted me."

"You were too tired, Damen, I couldn't... and it wasn't even that important." She shrugged, opening the door before he could say anything more on the subject.

The room was pitch black despite the light of the hallway and Damen stepped in first.

CLANG!

He clung to the wall to stop himself from falling. "Ow." He muttered.

"Who's there?" A young female voice instantly cried out.

Cursing under his breath, Damen fumbled to find the lantern. Most nowadays had special levers that would light up automatically with mage light, and when he found it the four of them covered their eyes until they'd adjusted.

The younger girl remained still and stared, while the red-head looked between Damen and Zaki'a in horror and confusion. "What are you doing here?!"

"We're Defenders of Light, and we're here because of... suspected thievery." Zaki'a said.

The girl shook her head. "We didn't steal anything."

"And yet you were fleeing the city." Zaki'a said testily, carefully stepping into the room. She crossed her arms. "Did you know that it's illegal in your kingdom to flee from battle when you're a part of the army."

"What? You honestly think that we- that I am an army deserter?"

"Are you not Captain Lewis Galebend's daughter?" Zaki'a huffed, raising an eyebrow. She nudged Damen. "Were you not training just last we week? We were introduced!"

The red-head stared at her with widened-eyes. "I- I did?" She looked utterly confused.

Damen and Zaki'a exchanged looks. She doesn't remember us? He wondered with a frown. He hadn't exactly remembered her name, but still had recognized her.

"I-" The girl faltered and went silent, avoiding their eyes.

"Are you alright?" Damen asked gently.

"Why are the two of you following us? Are the two of you guards?" She asked. "You were wearing armor before..."

"Oh, well, uh we weren't following you, and no, as we said, we're Defenders of Light. But while we all are here by coincidence we aren't going to let two little girls run around the kingdom." Damen quickly added, "I'm sure the two of you are responsible, but I don't think you're related and... um... dressing like beggars while lugging around a chest as you flee the capital doesn't really do too much for you."

"But we're not thieves! I swear- if- if I explain what we're doing... will you leave us alone? And let us go on our way?"

Damen looked at Zaki'a and she shrugged her shoulders. Even though she'd just crawled out of bed, she still looked beautiful in the light of the room. Her shoulder-length hair let down and snarled, making him want to run his fingers through them and straighten it.

He cleared his throat and looked back at the red-head, nodding, "See? Now we're getting somewhere."

She began to spin a story of how she'd had amnesia and then city guards came and attacked her, the only way she'd escaped was with the help of the younger girl, Sama, when she was in the street and the building she had been in started to burn. She relayed that it had been the previous night, and images of the burnt mansion Damen had seen that morning played in his mind.

The girl, calling herself Jade as she didn't remember her real name, went on to say how she was introduced to Sama and the two had been talking before a voice in her head had told her to go to Spirit's Wood, if she wanted her memories back.

Is she crazy? Damen wondered. Or can a mage do that?

Jade finished saying that she and Sama had to flee the city out a back passage (that she vaguely stated) and that was when the four had crossed paths. The two girls had waited for the others to leave before running to the road and walking for hours until they'd reached the inn.

Damen considered her story when she was done. It was entirely plausible, but that didn't make believing it any easier.

"Would the two of you stay here, pretty please?" Damen asked in a low tone, as if a soft voice would make them consider doing so. He motioned for Zaki'a to follow.

He heard Jade whisper, "What is a Defender of Light?" right as he shut the door.