Chapter 3 * Secrets*

Three weeks later; “Aaah ouch!” Dacia picked herself off the ground rubbing her bruise arm, from where Sais kicked her. “Do you have to hit so HARD?” Dacia frown at her arm where is started to turn an ugly purple color bruise.

“Oooh I thought you wanted to learn how to defend yourself?” Sais laughed and smile as she took a small sip from her cup.   

“What has gotten into you lately? Ever since you returned from visiting your friend, you have been so happy and cheerful. Do you care to explain?” Dacia put her hands on her hips waiting for Sais answer.

Sais kept smiling at her cousin, and blushed a bit. “However do you mean?”

“I KNEW it, I knew it. It’s a man?” Dacia rushed over to her and grabbed her hands, “Please tell me?” Dacia leaded Sais to one of the hay bales and sat on top of it like a little kid waiting for bedtime story.

“Dacia, it’s not like that. He’s name is Sean, and he’s a good friend. He’s a caster as well. He accepts me how I am. I feel comfortable when I’m around him. That’s all, nothing else to tell.” Sais moved away from Dacia and head back to the house, with Dacia following close behind her.

“Nothing else, right. You haven’t stopped smiling since you’ve returned a few weeks ago.” After a few moment without Sais replying “I’ll let it pass. I’ll better be off, before mother sends someone for me” Dacia took off down the road not before waving at Sais.

It was nearly dusk, and before Sais started to make her fire. She started to brew up some soup, when a knock at the door. Arlo wasn’t alarmed; he looked up at her then back at the front door. Sais put down her wooden spoon on the table and headed for the front door. “Who is it?” she called from behind the door. There was no answered, She waited another moment, before calling out again. This time the person answered.

“Sais it’s me Sean” he answered back.

Sais smiled and opened the door hoping for a smiling face, but it wasn’t. Sean face wasn’t smiling, it looked hardened and worried, “What’s wrong?’ she lead him into her home. “What’s wrong?” she rushed him into the kitchen, she quickly closed the entire windows in her home. She wasn’t taking any chances for someone to see him in her home, since he was the one that kidnapped her a month or so ago.

Sais returned back to the kitchen where Sean was standing looking at her, “Sean what is it?”

“We found her, your mother” Sean dark eyes looked worried when he told her.

“What? Where?” Sais pace around the room. “Why are you here?” she stopped in front of Sean.

“Master Ronan has ordered that you be under watch, I volunteer to be here.” Sean looked down from her stare.

“Why would I need protection? Is she on her way here?” Sais took a deep breath, “Is that why Master Ronan has sent you here?’

          “Sais, Master Ronan believes that your mother will attack you here, where you are the most comfortable. I’m here till we can move you to a different location.” He touched her shoulder gently.

“I’m not leaving, She not going to make me run that easy!” she shrugged off his hand.

“Sais it’s not that you are running, you need to protect the ones that you care about, by not being here. She will use them against you if she has the chance. Master Ronan is not leaving these people defend less, once we move to a different location. Master Ronan has ordered that a small unit of his army be place here to protect the village.”

Sais understood far too well, what people will do for the ones their care about. “Alright, but I don’t know what I’m going to tell everyone. They are going to be very suspicious of me when I leave again. I just got back a few weeks ago.” She took the pot away from the fire. “When will we know of a safe location for me?” She poured a bowl of soup for her and Sean, without asking if he wanted any.

“I don’t know, maybe a few days. Until then I shall be staying here with you” he blow on his soup before spooning a mouthful.

Sais sat across from him at her table spooning a mouthful of her beef stew. She smiled at the sight of Sean seeming very comfortable in her home as he ate his soup, like he belonged there. “A few days here I can keep you hidden. My cousin Dacia comes by every day to train with me. I’m just showing her the basics. Other than that no one really bothers me. Quinn the royal caster stops by every few days, to spar with me.”

Sean face softened when he listened Sais spoke to him, “That’s great won’t be hard to be here, when no one comes by.” He smiled at her. “You seem happy to see me than usually.”

“I am. I feel completely like myself. I don’t have to hide what I can do when you are around. You were very understanding when you found out what I could do.” She stood up and walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a loaf of bread and began slicing up pieces leaving her back towards him.

Sean walked over to her and stood next to her, “You saved my life, and if you didn’t do what you did I would have been dead. Besides my Father was a Fire raiser, he told me not all fire raiser were evil; you are not evil. I owe you my life and I will repay the debt to you, by keeping you safe.” He picked up the plate of bread and walked back to the table and sat in down. “Shall we finish?”

          The next morning Sais woke up early and quickly changed, and hurried down the stairs to the kitchen, where she found Arlo and Sean entering the back door. “Morning, I thought you would be still sleeping.”

          “No, I’m here to protect you. I got up just a little before and headed out. I took Arlo with me.” He patted Arlo on top of his head. “I was thinking, that maybe we shouldn’t stay here for a couple of days. I don’t know how long it would take to find a safe spot for you.” He leaned against her door frame.

          “I was thinking the same thing. Do you have a place where I can go?” she walked over to the fire place and started with her hand.

          “I do have a place where we can go, it’s about three days ride here. We should leave soon.” He walked over and placed the rest of the bread on the table. He then walked over to her and handed her a bowl for the beef stew that Sais was heating up.

          “Alright I need to pack and leave a note for Dacia; she can tend to my home while I’m gone.” Sais pours him some soup than herself and sat at the table. Quickly they eat, and Sais rushed upstairs and started to pack, after a little while she returned to the kitchen, where Sean was packing bread, fruits and cheese into his pack.

          “What about Arlo?”              

          “I’m taking him with me, I’m not leaving him behind.” She walked out the kitchen towards the barn. She returned back to the kitchen, where Sean was putting out the fire. “I’m leaving Dacia a note saying that I’m heading to the great eastern village of Eason, where it is said that the water have great healing powers. It’s a huge village, where I can’t be spotted. The horses are ready, we should leave.”

          “Alright,” He stood and heading towards the horses.

          Sais and Arlo stood in the kitchen a moment longer, “Secrets, upon more Secrets” she sighed, and secured her home before saddling up. “Let’s go!”

v    

 

“We have another half a day before we get there.” Sean stopped his horse and climb down. “I need to walk; I’m thinking I’m getting saddled ridden.” He laughed.

Sais followed his lead. “Are we making camp? Or should we ride thru the night?” Sais stretched her legs out. “Half a day’s ride, if we camp tonight or keeping going thru night be there in the morning.”

          “I think we should rest awhile. Let the horses rest a while. We can continue in a few hours.” He found a place to lay his blanket down and take a quick nap. “Don’t you ever rest Sais, it’s been a whole a day since you rest, and you don’t seem a bit tired.”

          “I can hold up for a while, before feeling tired some” she glanced down at Sean who was sitting on the ground looking up at her. She placed her blanket down by side him, and lay down next to him.

          “I have a question for you Sais. You are part Fire raiser; my father told me that certain fire raiser could be hit with a Suisun energy blast, and lived thru it. Suisun blast can stop any man’s heart. Only the most powerful of Fire raiser can withstand that kind of blast. Because you are part Energy and Fire, do you think that you can survive that blast?” He turned to face her.

          “I don’t know, maybe. But I wouldn’t take that chance.” She paused. “I’m going to tell you something only a three people know. The day I found out that I was a fire raiser, I killed the man that killed my father. I just didn’t kill him; I turned him into ash from the inside out. I lost control and black out, even now I still can’t remember everything that happens. That is why my mother is trying to kill me, she thinks that I will lose control again and kill a lot of people.”

          “Sais, trust me when I say, I won’t let that happen. I know and you know that will never happen. You safe people from killers, like I do.” He touched her hand. “I will be here for you. Rest now, we saddled up in a few hours.”

          Sais waited for Sean to drift off to sleep, so she could slip away for a moment. Sais quickly moved thru the brush before whistling for Arlo. Sais waited for Arlo, she sat down as she waited for Arlo; she raised a small fire ball in her palm. Sais focused on the fire ball, she started to feel light headed, and then a powerful surge went thru her body. She finally awake from her daze like stage, when she realized it was nearly dark; Arlo lay next to her on the ground. Seemed confused, and was quick on her feet, and ran for Sean. As she reached where she left him sleeping only black smoldering ash lay where his blanket was. “Sean” she screamed, Arlo was next to her growling, there was no sign of Sean or their horses, and she looked for tracks. “Come” she followed the tracks away from where they stop for a quick nap. She came upon a fallen body just a few feet from her and Arlo. It was Sean; she looked around seeing if it was a trap. She called out his name “Sean, Sean” she walked slowly towards him; she knelt down and turned him over seeing that he was uncurious, and alive. She tried to wake him, when she heard Arlo start to growl, And then a branch snapped, she whirled around send an energy blast into every tree behind her. She caught full sight of her assailant falling from the tree, he wasn’t the only one. Four more men circled her and Arlo.

          “We’ve been waiting for you” the bald headed man spoke to her while playing with his fire in his hand. “We have been sent to give you a message, join us” he paused “Or perish with them” He motioned towards Sean, who started to come to. “This will be the only and final offer. Which is it?” he raised his palm midway to his chest.

          Sean slowly stood up, “Sais will never join you!” he barked.

          Sais gave Sean a sideways glance, “Never” she shot three energy blast at the bale headed man and his fellow men to his right. Arlo sprung into a leap and took down the man on Sais’s left side.

          Sean sent energy bolts at the last two men behind them. “Let’s move” he yelled. Sean sent another energy bolt at the two men. The two men dodge Sean’s last energy bolts. They came charging towards Sean, with fire blast. He jump and rolled out the way back on his feet. “Let’s try this again, while I’m not sleeping.” He started to circle the men.

          Sais charged the baled headed man, with energy blast, and energy whips. Arlo jump off the man he took down snarling at the other man that Sais shot her energy blast. “Where is she?” Sais roared “Where is she” she continued to attack the baled head man. She kicked him in his rib cage.

          “You won’t find her, if you didn’t know that she was alive for the last eighteen years. You not going to ever find her unless she wants you too.” He sent a fire whip at Sais, pushing her back. “Retreat” he rolled back into the brush, so fast that Sais couldn’t follow him.

          Sais turned to see Sean sent one of the attackers into the tree line. Sean whipped around seeing Sais walking over to him. Arlo came charging from the brush towards Sais, she spotted the fire bolts a little too late when it hit her on rib cage. Arlo jump over Sais crumple body as it hit the ground. Arlo tackled the fire raiser to the ground, ripping the attacker’s arm, and clawing at his throat.

          Sean ran towards Sais fallen body, she was alive, but barely breathing. Sean sent any energy surge into her body trying to heal the damage of her body. “Sais, stay with me,” He whistled for their horse. Arlo trotted away from the dead fire raiser to his master, nudging her with his head.