We walked down the steep hill to the village.
The scene was rosy and the sky hazy with reddish clouds. Before long I was carrying both Bella's and my jacket. It was warmer than usual.
A perfect day, if only we could have enjoyed it.
Bella hummed as she skipped along. I kept my eyes on her back constantly, ears listening for any signs of trouble.
Suddenly she stopped, she bent down on the ground cupping something in her hands, "Look, Preston!"
I jogged over and saw a huge red flower, its silky petals cradling a perfect golden centre.
Bella gave me a huge smile, "We haven't seen one like this before."
"Come, I'll put it in your hair."
She turned around and I carefully fixed it to her braids.
"How does it look?" She asked, twirling around for me to see it.
"Beautiful," I said gently. Deep in my mind, I wondered if she had longed for a different set of hands. My brother, no matter how much I practiced, had a way of braiding Bella's hair.
We didn't stop anymore after that.
Finally, we reached the first houses of the village.
If it was ever a pretty place, it wasn't one now. The homes bowed low to the earth as if they were trying to melt into the ground, and the path was littered with debris no one had bothered to sweep.
Bella carefully navigated hole after hole. Once, she tripped and I caught her.
It was unusually quiet, no children played in the streets, and no wives hanging out clothes. The air was still except for our footsteps.
Sure enough, the store was as run down as the rest of the town.
There was no laughter, no bustling customers and no one was playing music. Bella hugged my arm.
"Preston, I'm scared," She whispered. "Where are the people?"
I didn't want to panic her. Gently I took her arm and brought her forward to face me.
"It's gonna be okay," I soothed, "Everything is going to be okay."
The door protested loudly as we stepped into the store.
To my great surprise, there were half a dozen people huddled inside. The instant we entered, the people froze. A customer dropped her bundle and it fell to the floor with a clatter breaking the silence. Everyone jumped.
"What do you want," Shouted a man in the back, "You've already taken everything we have to offer."
At the same time, the woman who'd dropped her bundle pleaded, "Forgive me, Lord Jadyn." She dropped to her knees.
That brought me to my senses.
"I am not Jadyn!" I shouted at the crowd.
A child peeked from between her mother's legs, "Who are you?" Asked the girl.
Her mother hurriedly shushed her.
Looking around the store I saw that items had been thrown all over the room. No one had attempted to clean them up.
The realization hit me hard.
"Has Jadyn been here?!"
Everyone nodded silently. At once a tall woman began to cry.
"He comes every moon cycle, demanding supplies. When I couldn't provide him with anything he said he needed, he went into a rage," She cried. "I thought he was going to kill me for it!"
The other patrons nodded solemnly.
"He robs us!" Wailed an old man.
We had to get out of here, and fast.
"Where is he now?" I pleaded
"I don't know." The storekeeper replied.
Bella looked at me with frightened eyes. We never knew Jadyn to be this far out on the borders of his territory.
"You should leave, stranger," A man in the back said. Looking closer, I could see he was elderly, bent over a cane, but his eyes shone with wisdom. Hand gnarled with age, he reached out to me. "I've seen many things. Good and evil, hate and love. And I sense you are in danger."
Danger was an understatement.
He looked at me with sad eyes, "Take care of her," his eyes fell on Bella.
I felt her hand tighten on me. She looked up at me, pleading silently. I heard sighs of relief follow us as we exited.
Bella and I stumbled up the ridge at top speed.
I slowed when we reached the house, but nothing was out of place.
Inside, the dim light revealed our beds still standing unmade. Nothing had been touched.
Something twisted in my gut.
"Something's wrong," I said quietly.
Bella walked to the back door and stopped there. The door opened onto a tiny porch, but before Bella could try the handle to check that everything was clear behind the house, the door burst open.
Bella screamed, falling hard on her back.
Then an all-too-familiar voice pierced the air, "Hello, my brother."