World of Tiber

Chapter 36: Nightwatch

Rosa's PoV

I take the first watch so everyone else can get some sleep. Nightbreeze was being stubborn but we still checked her bandages and changed them before she went to sleep. Quintrine's very weak and exhausted from barely getting anything to eat or drink and being tied to a chair. We got her to eat something before she fell asleep but she didn't eat very much. The Dragon turned cat has been asleep the whole time. Nava and I are the only two that's not injured or weak so we are splitting the shifts into just the two of us. It's a longer shift but the two of us agreed that the others need there sleep. We don't have a fire so it's very cold inside the cave. We gave Nightbreeze, Quintrine and the Dragon cat our blankets because we need them to be able to travel tomorrow. I keep checking by the entrance to make sure that the army isn't coming. There's nothing to worry about because the entrance is hidden. We barely even found it ourselves. When it's close to wake up Nava for her shift Nightbreeze wakes up. She slowly gets up and comes over to the entrance by me. I tell her “You should be getting some more sleep.”

She tells me “I know what I should and shouldn't be doing. I can't sleep.”

“Why can't you sleep?”

“For so many reasons. We normally do shifts in four not two. You two made that choice after I fell asleep. And being a Kagonesti we don't usually stay in one place for very long. We sleep for short times then wake up and move. Being a slave our owners choose when we serve them and when we get to sleep. You didn't see what they did to us for disobeying them. My owner hated me because I always took the others punishment and I was the most rebellious. When you've gone through what I have you get used to not sleeping very long. I'm going out.”

“On your bad leg? That's not a good idea. I'm not letting you out.”

“You won't be able to stop me if I fight you to get out.”

“I have way more training then you do. And if we start fighting it will wake up Nava and she's a way better fighter.”

“You really think all of you are better at fighting than me? I'm a Kagonesti Elf trained in more ways than you know. As a slave I had to help the army so I know how they fight. I'm used to fighting and being rebellious. You have no chance against me. You saw how I hid a knife in my hair. How do you know I don't have more knives and weapons hidden somewhere else.”

“You're not going out. It's too dangerous. And your leg is badly injured.”

“I purposely got hurt. To make him think he won. That's how I found a weakness in his armor when I was on the ground and he was standing above me. Injuries happen. I'm used to them. Don't try to get in my way.”

“Why do you want to go out? There's nothing you need to do.”

“You don't know me as well as you think you do.”

“That's because you always talk to Nava about everything.”

“She acts like our mom and she's been through or can relate to what I have been through. I don't see why I should tell every single one of you everything about me.”

All of a sudden a horn is blown and then there's even more answering the first one. I pull out my bow and quickly get an arrow. Nightbreeze tells me “You don't need your weapon. It means that someone important died at their camp.”

I put my arrow away and my bow back on my shoulder. I ask her “Who could've died?”

“Thallan.”

“Who?”

“There leader.”

“How did you know his name? He never told us.”

“He was a part of my clan. He was captured and changed to be the leader of the army. I knew exactly where to stab him to kill him. The healers couldn't save him.”

“How did you know his weakness?”

“When we were little some Ogres attacked us when we were playing in the woods. They stabbed him very badly on his chest. Of course help came before I got injured too. Our clan was just barely able to save him. But whenever you play fight and accidentally hit him where his Ogre stab wound is it still hurts him. That's why he gave up so easily after I stabbed him. The weak spot in his armor helped me get to that spot. I guess you could say the gods knew his future and gave him a weakness that could easily kill him.”

Before I can say anything else Nightbreeze slips out of the cave and she's gone before I can say anything or see where she went. I wake up Nava for her shift and tell her “Nightbreeze disappeared out the cave. And the Highlord army was just blowing horns for the death of their leader.”

“Why did you let her leave?”

“She distracted me. She told me how she knew the leader and how to kill him.”

“What did she tell you.”

Nava gets up and straps her weapons belt on and grabs her other weapons. I tell her “The leader's name was Thallan and they were friends when she was younger.”

I continue telling Nava what Nightbreeze told me while she finishes getting all her weapons strapped on. When I'm done talking she says “I'm going after Nightbreeze.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“I'm not sure.”

“What about your shift? I need to get some sleep before we start moving again in the morning.”

“Hopefully I won't be gone too long. But you should be able to get some sleep. No one has found us here yet and no one should as long as we don't make a fire.”

She leaves and goes to search for Nightbreeze. I sit and lay back against the cave wall. I try to stay awake but that doesn't last too long. I get tired and after fighting to stay awake I fall asleep. 

*Picture at the top of the chapter is a cave they found(pretend it is hidden)*