Chapter 7: Desert Requiem
Part ONE
"What are you waiting for? Get inside!"
I felt a hard shove on my back.
As a door slams behind me.
"Aerra!"
I blinked twice and realized I was on my knees, staring down the floor.
Oh. I lost balance when someone pushed me from behind.
I looked up and realize I'm already inside the bedroom. I saw Nora striding towards me. Aeron is down on one knee, looking at me worriedly. "That bastard—!" he cursed under his breath.
How odd.
How did I got here?
I remember walking out from Cerguz's quarters. And I remember looking at Aeron's back...
Everything else is a blur.
I pushed myself up and eyed Aeron. "Aren't you suppose to ignore me?" I murmured. He flinched and stood back up. "I can't ignore you when you're letting people just push you around like that." He murmured almost inaudible but I heard it anyway. He then turned around and marched away.
I looked at the door behind me.
Did I walked all the way here?
How come I can't remember?
"Are you alright?" Nora wraps her arm around mine. I nodded at her. "What happened? What did Cerguz say?"
I side-glance Aeron who was already climbing up his bed. Stray walks up to us and crossed his arms. "What did the old fart wants?"
I remembered what Cerguz told us... but I want to talk about it with Nora first.
I shook my head. "It's nothing." I bowed my head down. Stray turned to Nora as she just shrugged.
"Well, at least you both returned here in one piece." he says as he went back walking towards where the rest of the children are.
"Nora," I whispered. "I need to talk to you"
She nodded in a frown. "I have a bad feeling about this." she says sighing. "Go ahead. What is it?"
I told her everything Cerguz told us: about the collector, the negotiation and the condition he left us with.
I can see Nora's eyes widened in shock. She looked wan with her lips apart. "Nora???" I grabbed her shoulders and shake her a little. She snaps and rubs her temples. I can see her jaw tightening.
"What if our powers awaken during our birthday? That's only two days away!" I murmured, letting her go.
She shook her head. "Don't worry. Just because you're turning ten doesn't mean your powers will necessarily awaken instantly. I awakened mine at age of eleven. Ten years old is just the average minimum age for awakening but it still varies with people."
"But what if either one of us or both do awaken our powers then?"
She took my hand and dragged me gently along with her as she made her way towards my bed. "You need to rest for now to calm down."
She made me sat down my bed as she got on her one knee and combed the side of my hair. "I promised myself, I will be the one to kill Cerguz. I won't let him do to you what he did to my sister. Not to you, not to Aeron, not even Stray. He would have to kill me first if that happens"
I looked at her in surprise.
Did Cerguz killed her sister then?
"You're not alone in this. I'm sure even Stray won't allow anything bad happen to both of you. Okay?"
I don't think asking her now what happened with her sister would do me or her any good. So I just took a deep breath and laid down as she pulled a blanket over me.
"Nora!!! Sing to us!" One of the children demanded as she stood back up and nodded.
"Just rest for tonight. Everything will be alright." She assured me as she went to her bed and began to strum her instrument.
'Everything will be alright'
But— such words we both know means nothing here in Ouboros. Not unless someone arrives to rescue us.
We all listened in silence as she sang her usual melody.
I closed my eyes as that scene replays in my minds. How Cerguz said it as he stared at us with his leering eyes as if he's enjoying telling us that one of us will be sliced and sold away.
Cutting children into pieces like some meat... yet he can offer negotiation from it as if it's the most natural thing to do? What a sick twisted man...
It's plastered in his eyes, the way he stared...
Wait a minute!
Now I know why he seemed so familiar—
I bumped into him in Osteell during Levi's announcement of succession!
It makes sense—! That ever since I left Osteell I started feeling that someone is watching me every now and then, even if I was in closed spaces.
It was him. He was watching me.
Maybe I am his primary target.
I did heard how one of his men rejoiced when they got the two of us Arcanian kids. It was because of me Aeron was taken too...
He's not suppose to be here.
But if I'm his primary target, it would only make sense that he would have to choose me first if ever our powers awaken at the same time, right?
Soon, Nora's song ended and the entire room was in hollow silence. I shifted to my side and stared blankly to the wall.
Even if Nora told me everything is going to be alright, its hard for me to easily swallow it just like that.
I kept shifting from one side to another as the silence went on.
I'm not sure how long I have been awake but when my eyelids finally closed...
~~~~~~~
I found myself in that dark abyss again.
A red framed mirror in a distance.
Standing solemnly like a door.
As if inviting me in it's eerie silence.
Oh god. Not again...
Please, Aerra wake up!
I shut my eyes close
Aerra, wake up now!
I chanted in my mind
Wake up—!!!
~~~~~~~
I gasped.
Opened my eyes and found myself panting as I sat up from my bed.
Thank god I woke up.
I can't watch that horrible reflection again.
I... don't want to sleep anymore.
That morning, we were led back to the pits outside the Ouboros' base after breakfast.
I stared blankly at the sands on the ground while the gusting dry wind envelops around me. I honestly don't feel like training today. Not when I feel like we're pending to be sold like meats.
"Let's begin." hollered Stray as I grab any blunt sword lying around. "Show me what you can do first" he says as he tried to attack me. I tried to parry but my sword drops on the ground instantly. "Tighten your grip. Plant your feet on the ground. Brace yourself!" he says, as I picked it up and we went on again. Same result ensues.
I picked it up the third time and glanced to where Aeron is. He's climbing the ten foot wall with Nora watching over from below.
He's already nearly half the height already.
I can't even reach that far yet but he manage to climb it the first time he tried.
Aeron really is amazing—
"Hey!" stray hollered as I turned and faced him. "You're out of focus." He grumbled, standing impatiently before me.
I separated my feet apart and planted my foot down. I need to do my best somehow.
I need to focus.
But my body defied my thoughts.
My hands felt rather limp.
I bit my lips in frustration.
Stray studied me in silence. "You're bleary eyed. Did you even sleep last night?" He grunted and heaves a sigh in annoyance. "Just go back and climb that wall"
"What?" I stood back up
"You're mind is elsewhere. Just go build your grip and stamina for today."
"But I can...."
"No, you don't. Your brows are furrowing ever since we began. You look as if you just witness an entire nation burned overnight. I don't think you're conditioned today."
I wanted to protest but then he walked towards me and patted my head, "But if you manage to climb the wall, we can resume immediately... but only with your sword swings."
I nodded in silence. "Just be patient, kiddo." he uttered as I turned and went to where Nora is. "Done already?" she asks, looking pass me to where Stray stood. "Oh... okay, I see." She added even before I could even reply anything at all.
I stood at the feet of the wall, in exact alignment where the flower I aimed for before is growing high in much vertical extent.
I hear a shuffle and some noises. I looked to where it was coming from and saw Aeron on the ground. Sands and dust covering him.
He fell down...
He cursed under his breath as he panted.
He then charges and went for another try but he slips down instantly. He cursed again. Kicking at the ground impatiently as Nora tried to calm him down.
He's out of focus too.
I guess, I'm not the only one.
Cerguz has this effect on us.
Maybe he really planned to tell such thing to us to put us both on edge.
He didn't have to inform us but he did nevertheless. Maybe because he enjoys how people are tormented with the idea.
That sonuvabitch...
In that case. I won't let him win in this.
I squatted down to tighten my shoe laces.
My eyes stayed on the sky of dawn anklet.
My fingers run around it in a caress.
I tried to imagine how Aeron struggled to learn to braid ropes just under the belief that an anklet charm would protect me from falling ever again.
How long did it took him to perfect it, I wonder?
Especially from someone like him— impatient and sometimes short-tempered.
But despite that he poured his best to create this four colored anklet that I'm wearing now with all hope it would work it's charm.
Even in his simple innocent ways, my brother is doing his best for me.
I have to do my best too...
Perhaps if I showed him that I can also climb the wall it would reassure him somehow that I'm not bothered with last night. And that whatever happens, I will strive to do my best as much as he should too.
I closed my eyes and tightened my fist. I will give him the flower and show him that it's going to be alright. I stood back up and opened my eyes to gaze up where the flower slowly dances in the breeze to perhaps two to three feet higher than the part of the wall Aeron is climbing.
I want to give it to him.
I choose my steps, one at a time in patience. Grabbing one rock edge to another while pulling my weight up as I go.
I can only hear the wind blowing against my ears, plugging it in it's drowning ruffled plastic-like noise.
I can feel the sting of heat of the sun as I went on higher and higher; The heat of the rocks against the pads of my finger pierced through as if it had begun to melt the first layer of my skin. But I tightened my grasp on them rather than letting go.
I don't want to look down.
I just need to go up.
Focus.
The flower is almost near my reach.
I think I understand which edge to choose next.
Soon my body is beginning to move on its own, choosing my steps as if I knew which is best.
Just a few more.
Just a few more inches.
The flower is—
I braced my other arm to carry my weight with my feet as I stretched my other arm to let go and reach for the flower.
The wind blew strongly.
I pushed myself closer to the wall to balance.
I looked up at the flower.
Oh.
There's two of them.
The wind blew harder, carrying dust with it. So I squinted as I reached for it. I lift myself almost trying to tip toe.
Finally, I felt the stems of the flowers in my grasp. I closed my hand into a fist and sighed in relief.
I got it—!
I moved my feet slowly back down
But then the rock collapsed under my weight. At the same time, so did the one my only arm was holding on to.
Everything went slow for a second.
I gasped.
I felt like my heart slid up my throat as my body slipped down.
I didn't even had the time to think anymore to try to comprehend what was happening.
All I knew next was that I was staring at the bright blue sky above me. Wind blowing fast against my back, rushing pass my ears.
The walls went on further and further away from me as I descended down.
I can hear my name being yelled down behind me in stark fear.
I closed my eyes.
And waited for the wind to come to a stop.
Nora will be there to catch me anyway.
Free falling, I felt my body suddenly hovers upwards instead. I opened my eyes and a shadow looms above me, covering my view of the sky.
Black cloak flutters wildly against the wind as black strands of hair shone against the sunlight.
I squinted and realized dark purple eyes stared back at me coolly. His black hair all was blown aback as the wind circled around us.
This might be the first time I saw his entire face without all his bangs covering it.
What a charming face.... I wonder if it's a sin to call it an angelic face despite him as a mercenary.
"You really are something" he says in a sneer, one dimple showing as the wind finally came to a stop. "Why are you looking at me like that... weird girl."
Gently he puts me down.
"Aerra!" Nora wraps her hand around me. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
My eyes gravitated to those starry purple eyes that looked down back at me.
As Stray finally closed them and he walks away as if nothing happened.
"Sorry. I was really going to catch you down here. But I don't know what came into him, he suddenly came rushing up from behind me the moment you slipped." she murmured. "Geez. He stole my spotlight!"
"It's fine, Nora." I chuckled.
"Anyway, congratulations! You just climbed a fifteen feet wall!"
Was that fifteen?!?
"I'm not good with specifics but look how high you've climbed instead of the wall we first planned for you to climb! I told ya' didn't I? A goal is a good inspiration!"
But rather than the flower... my inspiration actually is—
I turned to where Aeron was. He stared back at me with so much mixed emotions out from his eyes.
I slowly pulled Nora's arm away from me and walked towards him.
"Aeron..." I begun as I took one of the flowers I got and handed it over to him. He looked surprised and at the same time perplexed. "I heard desert flowers are rare. It will work as a charm just like the anklet you gave me. I want you to have it! I don't know if it would be enough to protect you, seeming though that you're growing stronger by the day" I chuckled. "But who knows, right?" I grinned at him.
Suddenly he touches my cheek. I look at him as he just eyed me with his warm gaze before he snaps out of it and steps back and rubbed his nape bashfully while looking away. "Geez. Y-you're so impossible! You never fail to give me a heart attack yearly." He grumbled, face flushing red as he took the flower from my hand. "T-thank... you..."
"Hey! Remember what you told me when we first got here? We'll train to be the best! I know time is against us but I'm pretty sure we will get out of this place soon. So we mustn't lose hope!"
He looks at me calmly and slowly he smiled. "If you says so. Let's do our best then!"
I beamed at him as he just sighed as if defeated.
Ah. I remember... I need to tell him about it too.
"Aeron, listen. I think Cerguz said those things last night just to mess with us. So let's try not to think about it too much. Nora told me it's not exactly at the age of ten all the time so—"
"HOLD IT!!!"
Both Aeron and I looked at Stray as he went marching to us. "What do you mean Cerguz say this and that—! What is going on? What did that old fart tell you last night? Tell me the truth!!!" He grabs both our heads and tightens his grip.
"Ouch! Hey!?"
"Let go!!"
"Now, I know you two snow heads are hiding something from me. How the hell should I know how to help you guys if you're keeping it to yourselves!?"
"It's not like a secret!" I grumbled as I struggled to get his hand off me. But his grip only tightened.
"Tell me now"
"Okay okay! Let go first!" Aeron yelled.
"You're making it look like coercion if you don't stop." Nora says, walking towards us.
Stray releases us and crossed his arms. "Go spill it!"
Aeron nodded and began explaining it all out. I supplied some as well, added to what Nora told me.
I watch as Stray's face transitions from impatience into shock and back to brooding.
Stray closed his eyes. "So what do you think shall we do?" Aeron concluded. "Well, Nora is right. It's not always the exact age of ten. But the possibility is there alright. The more stress you are about it, the likely you might trigger it to awaken your powers though. Sometimes Cerguz forces it out that way. So for now..." he stated but stops half way. There was silence for a minute.
"For now what—?" I murmured.
"If a collector is already waiting, Cerguz would likely be impatient anyway... Just give me time to think! I'll tell you both tonight!"
"Tell us what?"
"The plan, of course!" He sighs. "Let's just continue the training for now. If we stand here like this Cerguz might see it as suspicious. The children back at the base will be held reliable if so."
"Okay." we both replied.
I looked at Nora as she just frowned anxiously.
"Come with me and practice your swings" says Stray as he gestured at me to follow him. "Let's continue your wall climbing, Aeron" uttered Nora in a smile as Aeron nodded back.
I head to where Stray is and took a blunt rusty sword that was lying on the ground. I just put the other flower in my pocket. I'll give it to Nora tonight.