Converging Destinies: Part 1

Chapter 130

       The group outside the town spent the rest of the day there. Roya watched in horror as the cathedral of Solan slowly burnt away more and more.

       When the night fell, the group watched the city from a hilltop. There was the occasional flash, followed moments later by a boom. Clearly, Aaron was busy in the distance.

       More and more of the town went up in flames as Aaron's coup continued. Smoke filled the sky, blocking out the stars above.

       The group continued to watch for hours as the town continued. Then, they settled into an uneasy rest behind the hill.

       The next morning smelled of sea and smoke mingling together in the air. The usually blue sky was far more gray than usual.

       Cedric meditated the moment the group woke up. Soon, he was done meditating, and he provided the group with food and water.

       The group felt the feeling of resilience and greater strength once more. Roya had never felt so strong before, nor had their power ever increased so quickly before.

       "Does this happen a lot for you?" They asked.

       "I think it's just part of getting into combat so often, and getting out alive every time." Ella said. Roya simply nodded in return.

       "It's a... strange feeling. Especially now." They said. Ella nodded.

       "Don't worry, we'll get her back." Ella said before getting up.

       Away from the others, Cedric and Eris sat alone together.

       "We should make a plan." Eris said.

"I think everyone else still needs a moment." Cedric said, glancing back at the rest of the group.

       "You're right." Eris said.

       "I've noticed you've been practicing something, what is it?" Cedric asked.

       "I've been figuring it out for a while. Seeing you use lightning's kind of inspired me a little bit in how I go about learning my magic." Eris said.

       "Really?" Cedric asked.

       "It's a spell that lets me use lightning, it's different than yours, but I think it'll still be useful." Eris said.

       "That's good." Cedric said. A silence hung over them for a second as they both looked at the city. Remnants of smoke from the night before still rose from it.

       "Soon, we'll make a plan to get her back, I promise." Eris said.

       "We just need a bit more time to recover. I think tonight everyone will be ready to discuss a plan." Cedric said.

       "Why do you think that?" Eris asked.

       "Part of druidic magic is noticing things around you, especially in nature. But, it works for people to." Cedric said.

       "Oh, it's like that time we meditated and I had to listen." Eris said.

       "Yeah, it's something like that." Cedric said.

       "Wait, when we did that, we found Zerai just afterwards." Eris commented.

       "Okay, what are you trying to say?" Cedric asked.

       "I was just... maybe another good thing will happen if we meditate." Eris said.

       "Probably not, but it's worth a try." Cedric said.

       And so, the two sat there in meditation, hand in hand. They listened to the sound of waves on the beach. They listened to the rustling of the grass and the wind in their ears. Every so often, they could hear just a faint reminder of Oarshear in the distance. Each sound of a bell or distant shout a bitter reminder of the events that had transpired the day before.