Blood Ties

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

            Layla strolled along the road, her horse’s reins in one hand, and a tiny stringed instrument in the other. Despite her troubling circumstances, her face was serene, with only a touch of loneliness in her eyes. Pausing her journey, she released her horse and sat by the stream, her eyes trailing the flowing waters. Grasping the stringed instrument with both hands, she began to play a sweet melody and hum along, her eyes closing as she did.

            At that moment, by the babbling brook, with the harmonic sounds of her instrument and her surroundings merging together in her ear, she felt as though she hadn’t a care in the world.

            The feeling wouldn’t last. Soon she would have to continue towards her goal, continue to strive, claw, and fight, and for what?

            “My wish,” she sighed, ending the song abruptly and moving away from the brook. She leaned back, gazing up at the rapidly darkening sky and the looming clouds above her. The sky truly fit her mood, a desperate sun trying to keep beyond the clouds, only to be overcome in the end. She smirked, cursing the sky bitterly, and stood.

            “Come, sla-" she began, but the words died on her lips as she remembered. For Jake’s protection, she had bid him to return to Aqua, where he would be well taken care of and safe. Of course, she had ordered thus under the pretence that she tired of his company, but it was an obvious bluff. Jake knew her well enough to know her exact reasons behind sending him away, and he didn’t fight it. He’d shed a few tears, but with a hug and a half-smile from her, he was joyful and patient once again.

            The same didn’t go for her; she felt lonely, and missed his companionship dreadfully. Pursing her lips, she mounted her horse, trotting down the road. She was in no rush; Star’s magic was too raw and unbridled for an attempt to pursue her. So she went on, slowly, singing quietly to herself as she went.

                                                              *******

        Frigid rain poured down in sheets as Star and Marco galloped down the muddy road. Star could hardly see Marco amid the downpour, and the rain chilled her so that she shivered viciously. She coughed, her head whirling at the sudden lurch. Dizziness threatened to consume her once again, but she fought it, focusing only on the fleeting sight of Marco’s mount.

        Pounding thunder. Flashes of light.

        Star blinked, moaning softly as the memory flashed in her mind’s eye. She couldn’t allow herself to succumb to the visions, not yet. Not until she was safe, and warm. But her mind said otherwise, and her vision tunneled; she was pulled into yet another memory.

        The pounding of hooves mingles with the continual rumbling thunder, and the sound frightens her. She hurries towards the window, her eyes wide as she glances about. Below, her friend’s father enters the gate, his face drawn and sad, and two knights follow shortly after. They hold the unmistakable look of defeat and loss. She darts away, her heart quailing at the sight. She feels as though someone else were in the room with her, but she doesn’t turn to look at them, too afraid of whom she might see.

        Within a half hour, her mother enters the room, silent tears streaming down her fair cheek. She embraces her daughter, clinging to her tightly.

        “Flammam Regis is under attack,” her mother says softly, “and your grandfather is among the fallen.”

        She doesn’t know her grandfather well, but she does know that he was a kind gentleman, albeit distant. She mourns for her mother and father, and grieves for the loss of his life.