We had been riding for the entire day and I finally decided to make camp for the night. Tomorrow was the day. _The_ day. The day I would leave Rafe behind and do _it_. I couldn't even think about it. Luckily I didn't have to. Not yet.
I helped Rafe get off the horse and together we put the bags on the ground. I told Rafe to get some dry wood for a fire, but warned him to stay close. I went to find a river for freshwater.
I was back with water before Rafe, but I could still hear him sing and talk to himself, so I wasn't too worried. I sat down on the cloth and I took, without thinking, the letter from the bag. I pulled away the black ribbon and opened the parchment paper roll. I read the elegant black handwriting yet again, like I had done so many times before. The first time I had felt mostly disbelieve, then came confusion and then mostly fear. By now, it was mainly acceptance. There was nothing I could do about it, it had to be done. It was the only way.
"That is the letter again." I heard from behind. I rolled it back up as quickly as I could. "I told you, it is not important," I said. He didn't believe me. I could see it in his eyes. But he didn't say anything, which confused me in a whole different way than the letter had. I decided to keep the letter on my person from now on, and I put it in the well-hidden pocket inside my cape.
He placed a pile of wood as big as his arms could carry on the ground. We made a small firepit with stones and sand and lit a fire. I had used my knife to get us some meat. It was a hare. I usually didn't kill animals for food, but the only other thing I could make was a herb salad or soup and I could not find enough of those to live from in the area.
The night fell and the full moon appeared in the sky surrounded by millions and millions of stars. We lay down on the cold grass and we watched the twinkling night sky. After a while, I heard soft snoring next to me. I smiled and brushed through his blond hair with my fingers. I would miss him when I left him and it would be hard to not have him with me like right now. After a few minutes, I started jawning as well, so I carried him closer to the fire and put him down with the thickest blanket to keep him warm. I wrapped myself in the second blanket and it didn't take long before I fell asleep.
When I woke up it was still dark. The fire had gone out and I couldn't see much. I heard an owl hoot in the distance and the shuffling of animals under the trees nearby, but those were not the sounds that had awakened me. I looked around but I saw nothing out of the ordinary. I stood up and glanced at Rafe. He was still fast asleep. I walked around for a bit but saw nothing, so I decided it was nothing and went back to sleep.
The next morning I woke up early. The sun was just rising and the birds were still singing their morning songs, but it was already quite warm. I knew Rafe could read, so I left him a message by writing on a large stone with a piece of charcoal.
GETTING WATER
BACK SOON
I took my two leather flasks and a clay bowl I use for cooking. At the river, It did not take long to fill all of them with fresh, cold water. I took a few sips straight from the river, but I didn't dare to take more than that. During my training, one of the first rules was to cook water before drinking it to prevent illness on a mission.
I closed the flasks, hung their cords around my neck and took the heavy bowl in my hands. Slowly I started walking back to Rafe.
When I returned I saw that Rafe was awake. He was sitting with his back to me and he looked at something with great interest. I was shocked when I saw a little black ribbon in his hand. Immediately I put the bowl and flasks on the ground and I ran towards him. When I could see his face, I saw his expression. He looked scared. No, terrified. I ripped the little white paper from his hands and saw that it was not the letter, but it was the same paper. That must have been what had awakened me. I was afraid to read it, but I had to, so I turned it around. There were only three words written in the elegant handwriting from the letter.
Bring the boy
"No" I whispered. "No!" I turned the letter around and around, but there was nothing else, except for a few red drops that looked way too much like blood.
"No..."