World of Tiber

Chapter 13: The Fighting

Rosa's PoV

We are waiting for Nightbreeze to wake up. Everyone else has left except for our group of four and Nightbreeze’s parents. We are all taking turns watching her and waiting for her to wake up. Her parents barely talk to us but it's hard to talk to each other when her parents barely know any Common. Quintrine tries to translate but she's not very good at doing it. She's messed up way too many times. When Nava isn't taking her turn doing something she's pacing around the cave. She is acting way too much like she's our parent instead of friend. I tried to get her to stop but apparently she can focus better when she paces. It's getting really annoying watching her do it but I'm not going to tell her to stop. I think she picked up pacing around from other humans. Humans pace around a lot. I know because I trade with them different items for information. It's my turn to keep an eye on Nightbreeze and nothing has changed. She is still unconscious. All of a sudden she wakes up and is surprised to see me. She gets up without saying anything. Nava stops pacing and asks her “How are you feeling?”

She tells us “I'm fine.”

Her dad goes over to her and they start talking in Kagonesti. Their voices get a little louder and I can tell from the look on her mom and Quintrine's faces that they are arguing. I look at Nava, wondering what we should do. When her dad quickly leaves the cave Nightbreeze follows. We all quickly grab our bags and rush out after her. We don't need her getting hurt again. We try to keep up but we loose where they went. Nightbreeze comes back to us with a look of surprise on her face. Nava asks her “What happened?”

She looks at her mom and talks in Kagonesti. They talk back and forth in Kagonesti until her mom leaves the opposite direction her dad went. Nava asks her again “Where did your dad go?”

“He went to the Highlord army. He was fighting them wildly until they killed him. It was all my fault.”

Nava tells her “It wasn't your fault.”

Nightbreeze quickly leaves and we are about to chase after her again when Quintrine quickly says “Don't.”

Nava asks “Why not?”

“I know what happened.”

“Then tell us.”

“She woke up and started arguing with her dad. Somehow she knew he wanted her to be the leader of their clan. But she said she wasn't ready. They argued and argued until he left and got himself killed. It's a really old, rarely followed tradition. The leaders oldest will be the next clan leader unless the current leader never had kids or they died before becoming leader. If the oldest isn't ready than the leader will go do something like fighting until getting killed. It's believed if the next leader sees someone they love die then they will be ready to be leader. Only the big clans still follow it. But that's slowly going down the number of clans that do follow it. There clan is the very first clan ever created so that's why they still follow it.”

“Why would you kill yourself just for a tradition? It doesn't make sense.”

“That's why it's rarely followed. She just needs some time by herself.”

I ask “What about her mom?”

“She's telling the clan about what happened and their new leader.”

“Wait…. Where's my knife? It was here before Nightbreeze left.”

Nava quickly hurries the direction Nightbreeze went. When we find her she is throwing Quintrine's knife in the air and catching the knife hilt. We watch as she keeps throwing and catching it. If she doesn't catch it she could kill herself. Nava grabs the knife hilt when it's in the air and asks Nightbreeze “What are you doing? You could get yourself killed.”

She just shrugs her shoulders. Nava isn't happy with that response. She says “Stop being reckless.”

“Why should you care? You're not my parents.”

“I'm not your parents but I know when someone is doing something reckless and stupid.”

Before they can keep arguing we hear the Highlord army coming in our direction. We climb up the nearest tree and hide. All of us except Nightbreeze. And she's holding Quintrine's knife again. Me and Nava look at each other. How did she get the knife back?

The Highlord army stops when they see her and the leader walks up to her “Look who it is. Messing with your head really did help. Looks like you can be of some use for us after all.”

“Whatever.”

“You really have changed. That's good. Gray Robe get over here.”

The leader takes off his helmet while the Gray Robe walks over to him. The leader tells Nightbreeze “Put down your knife.” She keeps tossing and catching it. 

I said “Put down your knife.”

The Gray Robe tries “Put down your knife Elf.”

Nightbreeze asks “You want me to put down my knife? Ok I will put down my knife.” She throws the knife right at the leaders exposed throat and he falls down dead. Before anyone from the army can get her she disappears. They are all is disarray while they carry away their leaders body. While the army is still leaving Nightbreeze is quietly moving from tree to tree until she gets to the tree we are in. We wait in silence until the army is far enough away they won't be able to hear or see us. Nava tells Nightbreeze “Why didn't you tell us what you were going to do?”

She shrugs and says “Since when do I have to tell you anything? I am the oldest here.”

“You're not used to being out of slavery. That was for twenty years.”

“I'm used to it now.”

Nightbreeze walks ahead of us and we all start to head for Warlington. After a while Nightbreeze grabs her bag and weapons from us than continues to walk ahead of us. Nava and I talk quietly to each other in Silvanesti. I tell her, “We need the healer to help her. She's not acting like her usual self.”

“I agree. I don't know what she's trying to do. I don't think anyone gets over someone being dead that fast.”

“What should we do about her until we get to the healer?”

“Keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't do anything reckless.”

Quintrine rushes over to us and says “She's being reckless.”

Nava asks “How? What is she doing?”

Quintrine points up and Nightbreeze is high up in the trees moving from tree to tree. Nava yells “What are you doing in the trees?”

Nightbreeze yells back “Walking.”

“You can do that on the ground.”

“If I didn't than I wouldn't have noticed there are Ogres a mile or less ahead of us.”

She climbs back down and pulls out her bow. We all grab our bows and walk quietly to where the Ogres are. We sneak up on them and when we are at a good distance we get our arrows ready. 

*Picture at the top of the chapter is the knife Nightbreeze took from Quintrine*