Ralph thought about it for a minute. He wasn't really concerned with the reasons, just that he was able to take it a little easier. He was getting pretty tired with digging, but he probably could go maybe another hour, given the relaxed pace he'd been working at. Yet, the option of getting out of the sun was especially appealing to him right then.
"Sure, I'll help," he said, hoping that whatever Wes wasn't sharing wasn't going to make him regret agreeing to this.
Ralph walked over to where one of the ladders was to climb out of the hole, leaning his shovel by the ladder, leaning against the side of the hole.
He didn't want to think about anything other than being able to get out of the sun. As long as it wasn't a reason that wouldn't allow him to stay out of the sun, then he was certain that he could live with whatever was being kept from him.
"So, do we just get to sit on the ground and take it easy?" Ralph asked as he started walking next to Wes, as Wes led the way to where the children were being kept.
"Uh, well, something like that," Wes hedged, sounding more evasive than Ralph liked.
He was sure something was going on, but he couldn't say for sure if it was anything that he would like or not. All he could be sure of was the fact that Wes was uneasy giving him clear details. Which made him start to regret agreeing to this. Whatever it turned out to be.
When he arrived, he was shocked at the cheering the children made. While these weren't all the children that had been in the village, there was at least thirty of them. Nor were these all that had been rescued. From what he could tell, these were just the ones that hadn't been injured or anything.
"Okay, we brought the one who told that story Feon mentioned," Wes said, to the children, causing them to erupt in another cheer.
Ralph's mind spun when he heard that. Story?
He wasn't sure what Wes was talking about, but he definitely had a bad feeling about this. He could only think of one story that he'd told since he got here, and he didn't think that it would come back to haunt him. Especially not in this way.
"What story are you talking about?" Ralph asked, trying to sound cheerful, but he doubted he was succeeding.
"Oh, just the one that you told Cinder's family," Wes replied. "We were reaching a point where it was getting hard to keep them here, so when they heard about the story that Feon said that you told, we were able to use that to get them to calm down and wait."
"You knew they were wanting this, didn't you?" Ralph accused.
"Of course I did," Wes replied. "I just said as much, didn't I?"
"Then why didn't you tell me this?" he asked, wondering if it would be inappropriate for him to beat the daylights out of Wes in front of all these children in this world. Or if that might be considered, a bad idea.
"Because I doubted you'd have come if I told you," Wes answered seriously.
Ralph couldn't deny that. Though, he could at least tell that Wes was being honest about that, so he couldn't complain too much about that part.
Although, as he turned to look at the faces of the expectant children, he couldn't help but sigh. He reminded himself that he did want to get out of the sun and that any cost would be worth it.
He just wished it didn't have to be this. It was a big enough pain when he'd told Cinder's family, and that was just five children as his audience. Here he wouldn't be surprised if he had to field questions from every kid there.
He couldn't help but feel nervous with all the expectant eyes on him. How did that story go?
_
Hesha looked over at the group of kids under the shade trees. She wished she could listen to the story as well, but someone had to keep her sister company. Especially since she was awake now.
"Are you sure you don't want to go listen to the story?" her sister asked again. "If you want to go listen to it, I'll be fine. You don't-" her sister stopped when she started coughing again. Hesha could only look at her worriedly as more blood came up.
When the coughing fit ended, she smiled kindly at Hesha. "You don't need to stay with me all the time. Enjoy what you can today," she finished.
Hesha shook her head determinedly. "I want to spend time with you more," she insisted, giving her sister's hand she held in hers a gentle squeeze. It was true, but she still wished she could listen to the story.
Her sister sighed. "Look, I can't force you to go, but I'm sure you'd enjoy it more," her sister started to say, but then stopped, an odd glimmer entering her eyes. "You know, why don't you go listen to the story. Then you can tell the story to me. How does that sound?"
Hesha shook her head again. "What if something happens while I'm listening to the story?" she asked, her biggest fear coming out before she could stop herself. "You're coughing blood up again, and those strangers who can heal with magic aren't able to right now."
Hesha felt tears entering her eyes again, despite her best efforts to not cry. She hated when they came when she didn't want them. Especially in front of her older sister, Inshet.
Wiping the tears away, Hesha looked at her sister, trying to give the fiercest expression she could. "I don't want to lose you," Hesha said, her voice breaking, dispelling the look she was trying to go for. "You still need to teach me what you promised."
Hesha wished she could do something to herself to keep from crying as even more tears started leaking from her eyes.
"Hesha," her sister said gently. "What I wanted to teach you, others can just as well. I wanted to teach you as much as you wanted me to, I'm sure." Her sister paused as she carefully took a deep breath. "Sometimes life doesn't always give you what you want."
Hesha looked at her sister feeling a little puzzled. She'd never heard her sister talk like this before. It almost felt like it was someone other than her sister. The immovable defense that was always there to protect her.
"Wh-what are you talking about?" she asked, her confusion making her forget about her tears and breaking voice.
Her sister smiled gently at her. "There used to be someone I had thoughts of having children with," she confided. "Only… her got the plague."
Hesha wasn't sure how to react to this news. She wanted to say something in response, but she also didn't want her sister to stop talking. She hadn't heard about this before, so it felt like it was even more important for her to hear about it now.
"I'm sure he would have been a good brother-in-law to you, but when he died, I felt like part of me died with him," Hesha felt horrified as her sister looked away from her as she spoke. "I haven't met anyone who I thought would have been anyone I felt measured up to him. So, just because you want something, doesn't mean you always get to have that."
Hesha nodded. She wanted to say something, but her mind remained blank. She couldn't say what was in her heart because she wasn't sure what that was right then. She also was scared that if she said anything that it would either come out wrong or it would change how her sister looked at her.
She couldn't say why she felt that way, only she didn't want to lose a moment with her sister if her sister wasn't going to make it. Nor did she want her sister to hate her for being weak like a boy in any manner.
"You know, there's something I just realized I forgot to mention," Inshet said, as if she wasn't in the same place anymore. "There's something of our mother's in our house. If I remember correctly, you kept the bandits from burning it down, so it should still be there."
"Wh-what's still there?" Hesha asked, unhappy with how her voice was on the verge of breaking again, but wanting to know what her sister was talking about more.
Inshet shook her head slowly. "I'm not really sure. Just that there's something that our mother kept hidden for us up in the thatch," she merely said, closing her eyes as she turned her head to look up at the tree above them.
Hesha suddenly felt torn. She wanted to go search for what her sister just mentioned, but in order to do that, she'd have to leave her sister. Yet, she couldn't say that whatever it was Inshet had just mentioned was going to still be there if she waited too long.
Besides, she doubted that she wouldn't forget about it.
"Don't worry about it, Hesha," her sister said gently, before another coughing fit erupted on her. "I don't need to know what it is. Mother told me about it when I was younger than you are right now, and I had mostly forgotten about it." Her sister paused for a moment before continuing. "She told me that its something for emergencies. That if something ever happened to her, that it would help us be taken care of."
Hesha couldn't help but start to feel confused about what her sister was saying. "What do you mean?" she pleaded, feeling like she was about to lose herself, and not just her sister, with the way this conversation was going.
Inshet took a deep breath and smiled at Hesha. "I'm not saying anything about what's going to happen to me," she said gently. "I'm just letting you know about whatever it is so if I don't survive this, that you'll be able to find it."
Hesha wrapped her arms around her older sister again, unable to control her tears again. Although, this time, she wasn't sure that she cared at the moment. She couldn't think past anything that her sister had said.
"Hey, hey, now," Inshet chided her playfully. "If you act like that, people will start thinking you're a twig. Getting all emotional like that."
"Sorry," Heshet said, as she pulled away from her hug, wiping the tears from her eyes again.
"Remember, no matter what happens to me, you need to find your brothers and our father. I was told they didn't find their bodies, so that means they're still alive. It's up to you to find them and make sure they're safe if I can't do it myself." Inshet instructed. "If I make it, then we'll be able to do it together, but if not, you'll be their last hope, alright?"
Hesha nodded soberly. She was determined to not let her sister down. No matter what it took. She just hoped that she wouldn't be left to take on this impossible task by herself. Her sister knew so much more about the world and would know where to start looking, while she only knew about what was in the village. She hadn't a clue as to what might go on in the world outside the village.
Only, she was certain that she was about to find out. Whether she was ready for it or not.
_
Charlie was in the wagon, watching the scenery as it moved by. She wished they'd at least give them a blanket so she could at least cover up with that, but it didn't seem like the people who weren't in the cage were concerned with that.
Which meant that she was left feeling very uncomfortable sitting in the wagon, her legs pulled up to try and shield her nudity from the others, even though it was clear no one was interested in looking at her. Not that it bothered her, since everyone in the cage was completely naked.
Charlie couldn't tell if a person being mnaked meant that they were supposed to be in a caged wagon like this, but all she could gather from the mind of the people who were able to roam about freely was that they didn't care. They didn't seem concerned about the modesty of people in the caged wagons, or any potential health risks with that.
The day was moving on and the sun was shining directly down on them. Charlie wasn't sure if they'd be able to get something to block the sun or if they'd be given water at some point, she could only tell that she herself felt like she was dying for some water.
She also couldn't say why they were able to detect that she had magic, but didn't do anything to stop her from using it. She didn't plan on complaining, though she did get the sense that if she did use her magic, she better be careful not to use it openly too much in ways that can be seen.
If she did that, she was certain that they'd keep a closer eye on her, if only to figure out what she was capable of. Which in turn would also make finding an opportunity to escape that much harder.
Which she couldn't be sure would or wouldn't happen. Only that if she ruined any chance of being able to act on it, then she might as well just give up now. Which, naturally, she had no plans of doing.
Still, she wished there was a better way than to have sealed her voice. While she'd gotten used to the tightness in her throat, she still wasn't happy about not being able to ask questions or make complaints.
She doubted it would get her anything, but at the very least she'd be able to blow off some steam that way. Which at least would make her feel better about her situation.
As Charlie was about to rest her head against her knees, she suddenly realized that there was a lot of activity around them outside the wagons.
Startled, she looked around, and realized they were approaching what looked like a town or city. She couldn't say much from the angle she had to see the gate, but she could at least see part of the wall. On her side, though it was barely in view due to the angle they were approaching it on. Plus, if she hadn't been on the side of the cage, she doubted she'd be able to see it at all due to all the other people in the cage.
Charlie wondered what might wait for her in the town or city. She couldn't help but feel curious and wondered what might be wrong with her that she wasn't feeling any fear. Not any trepidation at what might happen in there.
In a way, it almost felt like something she'd gone trough before, yet she knew for a fact that she hadn't had this happen to her ever. Not a single time, not a single weird dream or anything.
The closest she'd ever had that she could think of to a situation like this was when she was getting a physical at a doctor's office. Where they needed to see her body in order to check for things like hernias and other stuff she didn't care to remember.
Even though her mother, as a doctor, explained each time why each place was necessary to check, she still never liked those. Yet, because she knew her mother was a doctor, she couldn't say that it was wrong or anything.
She just didn't like being seen naked.
Yet, here she was, aside from feeling uncomfortable at being naked in the cage with other people completely naked, she didn't feel anything more than that. The best she could describe it was that she was as calm as a summer's day or something to that effect.
The activity around the wagons seemed like the people who either ran this wagon train or worked in it were getting ready to enter the city. Charlie wouldn't be able to say what was necessary for the people to do or not, but what she found most strange was the fact that almost all the people were women. She only saw maybe one or two men, but they were wearing dresses. She was also only able to tell that they were men through peeking in their minds.
She wasn't sure what to make of it, only that it was merely another pebble on the mountain of weird things that she'd encountered in this world so far. Especially with how she'd ended up sleeping near the side of the road naked in the first place.
She also couldn't be sure, but she felt like shed lost quite a bit of time. Time that she couldn't account for or think of what she might have done during that period. She occasionally could see flashes of something that didn't make any sense to her.
Making the roots of a giant tree her bed inside a house built at the base of the tree, walking through a city gate with no one noticing her, even as she stepped between armed soldiers who were stopping everyone else from leaving, and swimming in a river while a dorsal fin of a shark that could easily have been twenty feet high passed her by.
Nothing of those flashes made any sense to her, almost like she had been under some sort of drug or was hypnotized or something. If she could still talk, she wasn't sure what she would have said about it, if there was anyone she could talk to about it.
Sighing, she put her head on her knees as they rolled closer to the waiting city. She wasn't sure what was going to happen, but knew it wasn't something that she could stop at this point. She could only wait and watch events as they unfolded around her. The control she'd had over her life was gone as if it was an illusion she'd dreamed up while she slept at some point.
Yet, despite all of that, she didn't feel scared. Nor did she feel numb. If anything, she felt more determined to overcome whatever came before her until she could get out of this situation. Where she'd be able to find a way to get her clothing back and continue on her search for that griffin canyon.