The Eyes of Fire

Field of Flowers

"All we wanted was our freedom. Can't you understand that?" The soldier whispered starting to cough up blood, spattering his muddied uniform, his breathing became heavy and soon he breathed his last and the light faded from his eyes.

Astria, Hal and Dalet all stared solemnly at the soldier.

"He's just like us, he wanted to be free." Astria said quietly breaking the silence, the tears in her eyes already present.

"He is NOT just like us, where's his cage, I see no cage, do you?!" Hal said, his face bright red with anger, quickly turning on his heel he angrily stomped his feet down the hill.

"He was already free, he simply must not have known he was." Dalet sighed, making eye contact with Astria and  following Hal.
The tears now streaming readily down her face, Astria raced after them.

Wilhelm watching the entire thing, approached the soldiers body, glancing at the colors of the soldiers tabard and the matching colors of several squares on the map he held. Tracing his finger along the line that matched their surroundings, Wilhelm tapped his finger right over the spot, he thought they might be traveling along the road to. "Right there." Wilhelm thought to himself. Close behind him, Martin peered over his shoulder, nodding his head slightly, as he tapped his finger over the area they most likely were located on the map. The area was pressed up between two different colored areas, a yellow and blue region and a red region, an X was placed all around the sides of their area.

"Is everyone fighting for their own freedom these days?" Martin said, as he gazed over the battlefield, scavenger birds had started to land amongst the dead and the churned muddy earth, was starting to dry, mixed with blood, it changed its color to a rusty red from a dark brown.

"Let's just get out of here, quick as we can. I'm not looking to keep smelling this stench any longer than I have to." Wilhelm said, standing up.
"Let's rejoin the others, we can share our findings with them."

They were arguing.
"Astria, We know that this road is the shortest way to Tua'kon, but its also a battlefield for miles. Traveling along it would be suicide, not only would the stench be too much, but human soldiers from both sides could try to kill us." Hal shouted over Dalet.

"If Astria wants us to got to Tua'kon, then we are going to Tua'kon. " Dalet tried to convince Hal, he only shook his head and shouted some more.

Wilhelm and Martin approached the group. Dalet and Hal on both sides of Astria, shouting at each other. Astria in the middle between them, tears still lingered in her face as she fiddled with a slip of paper in her hand. Her long brown hair, obscured most of her face.

"Astria what do we do?" Wilhelm asked,  kneeling down to eye level with Astria.

Astria started to say something, but she stopped.
"What? I couldn't hear that?" Wilhelm asked. "Can you say that again?"

"I'm just a kid, we all are. We shouldn't have make decisions like this. Why did everyone elect me as the leader?" Astria said quietly. 
Hal and Dalet stopped arguing. They stared at Astria in shock and confusion.

"We-" Martin started.
"It was clear from the start, with you and Adameus leading us, you both displayed signs of leadership.  You know far more than anyone about this world. Adameus might've freed us, but you are our teacher." Martin finished, kneeling beside Wilhelm to look Astria in the eye.

Astria looked up, her eyes still puffy from crying. She pushed her hair back around past her ear, revealing her face fully.
"You..you really think so? But I can't do anything about the battlefield, we have to get to Tua'kon."

"We all do." Martin said placing his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.
"As for the battlefield, we start by burning the bodies. That will help with the smell." Dalet replied, also kneeling down.
"Hmm there is enough of us, it's doable. I'm just concerned about how long it will take us to do it." Hal said agreeing with Dalet this time.

A gentle breeze caressed past the group, smelling not of death but of wonderful flowers. Astria eyes widened and she stood, rising to her feet.
"Flower's!! That's it!! We can use flowers!" Astria shouted.

"Umm what?" Dalet exchanged looks with everyone else. They all looked just as confused as him.
"Remember the story I told everyone last night, about the cycle of our lives?"
Astria exclaimed, growing more excited by the minute.
They looked a little embarrassed. Dalet shook his head, Martin looked at his feet.
"I went looking for food last night, sorry." Wilhelm explained.
"From the dust we rise and to the dust we fall. Giving way to new life unceasingly." Hal suddenly, surprisingly everyone.

"I didn't know you were listening."

"It was hard not to, you've got the voice of a angel. Besides I was too hungry to sleep and too tired to look for food. So I listened." Hal shrugged his shoulders.

"So we use the corpses to grow flowers? How? We don't have a spell for something like that." Dalet looked skeptical.

"Simple."
Reaching deep into herself, Astria listened to her heart beat, slow and methodically. She floated down to her very core, where pure magic radiated. Willing it upwards and out, she focused on the battlefield in front if her. Her thoughts pure and innocent, channeling the beliefs of Clementius, of forgiveness and rebirth.

Watching as Astria closed her eyes, her very being thrummed with power and the trees swayed and groaned. The ground sang as a fierce breeze whipped through the grass. Her eyes suddenly snapped open, a vibrant emerald green and streaming a beam of light into the earth. The pressure in the air lessened, as the rotting stench of death started to fade. The sweet smell of flowers blanketed them, like a rush of fresh air.

Running over the hill, they were all greeted by a most wonderful sight. The battlefield was no longer a battlefield, but a field of wildflowers, even parts of the road was covered in them. Tall grass and saplings had grown beside them, and this growth seemed to stretch for miles, like a scar that healed, leaving the smallest mark that it even existed.

"Astria, this..this is...this is amazing!" Dalet exclaimed.
Astria promptly collapsed.
Dalet and Hal dove to her side, catching her and holding her up.
"What's happened, are you okay? Wake up, wake up Astria!" Dalet said, his voice cracking.

"I'm fine, that took a lot out of me. I'm just going to sleep for a bit." Astria grimaced.
Hal breathed a sigh of relief.
"Shes okay, she just needs rest." Dalet explained to the others.

"Then that's what we're doing, everyone could use a breather." Wilhelm ran towards everyone else, waving his arms he shouted.
"Break time, eat what you've got. We can continue after everyone's rested."

"Isn't it a bit risky, resting the very road that's squashed between two armies frontlines? Someone is going to notice, that a battlefield turned into a meadow full of the beginnings of a young forest." Martin grabbed Wilhelms arm, pulling him away toward him.

"Then we move quickly, besides hopefully the humans realize its magic and stay away." Wilhelm replied.

Dalet felt Astria's head, it was hot, and her skin sweating cold. It looked like they were going to be there for awhile more than they thought.