Chapter Five: The Rebellion

The brothers are led by Squall to a camp of rebels near Flux.

A warm, slow gust washed over the motionless body. Laying face-up the wind could barely cause the cape of the body to flutter. Half opened, the pale blue eyes of the body stared silently into the sky. Nearby two figures stood, and even from far away you could tell the age difference. The taller, and older one was nearly half a body taller than the other, and much more thicker than the other. He was muscled, but there was still some extra weight on the elder. The body resembles the shorter, younger one more, both were slim, though the body was slightly more muscled and about a foot taller, and both had a brownish slightly disheveled hair. After that, the similarities ended, the younger standing figure had brown eyes and a slightly tan complexion, both the elder standing figure and the body were pale. Both standing had a disgruntled look to their faces.
“What’s he doing again?” Squall asked River, looking into his brown eyes. Both looked over to where Ash was laying in the dessert sand.

River rolled his eyes and looked back to Squall. “I think during our break he fell asleep.” Than both of them laughed. Secretly River was nervous, he didn’t know or trust Squall even though he seemed like an o.k. guy.

Sighing at the delay Squall walked over to Ash. He was about to shake him awake when he noticed Ash’s eyes were open. “What are you doing?” Squall was slightly annoyed.

“Enjoying the warmth.” Ash said simply. When they had walked out into the dessert, Ash remembered a conversation he had had with Curt. Curt had told Ash that he would love the dessert, it was always hot and easy to find quite places, and when you didn’t want quite, the towns where very lively. Flux had been where Curt had told Ash he should eventually live. ‘One day, when you don’t have to hide who you are, I bet you’d love Flux. I know how you love the bustle of cities and Flux has that, and more! Magic is everywhere. If there’s ever a place you would be welcome, it would be there. I’ll take you there someday and we can just lay in the sand sometime.’ A tear rolled down Ash’s face. Normally he didn’t cry, especially around other people, but he couldn’t help it and he forgot Squall was there.

Upon seeing the tear on Ash’s face, Squall was taken back.

He took a step back. The soft puff of the sand, snapped Ash out of his thoughts. He stood up, wiping the tear from his face. “Let’s continue,” he said as he walked past Squall. When he reached his brother all he said was “Curt”, and River understood.

Catching up to the brothers, Squall again took lead. He didn’t understand what had happened, but he knew not to ask about it. Shrugging inwardly, he walked headlong into the gentle dessert breeze. He sighed, the wind always calmed him.

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“How much longer do we have to walk through this heat?” River complained to Squall. River didn’t like the heat like his brother did.

“A couple more hours that’s all. Just as the sun will set.” Squall replied. “Which is good. It gets freezing out here at night.”

“Freezing in the dessert? No way.” River said in disbelief.

Speaking for the first time since he they had started again, Ash informed river. “No, he’s right. Curt had told me that before. Apparently it’s quite the temperature change.” Briefly, he looked to Squall to if he was correct. He was glad when Squall nodded towards him.

A short silence broke up the talk. Only Ash seemed unhappy. Squall was glad for the slight wind, or he might not be as calm. Than Squall broke the short pause.

“Whose Curt?”

Both brothers tensed slightly. River because he knew that Ash was sensitive about Curt right than. Sensing that he had said something wrong, Squall started to apologize. Ash cut him off.

“He was our employer. And friend.”

Seeking to change the conversation, Squall asked the question that had been burning at him since he heard Gree tell him that they were Marked. “You really are Marked, right? Do you mind showing me your Marks?”

“I will, only because you have treated with respect and like normal people. Thanks for that.” Genuinely meaning that Ash replied.

Taking the glove of his right hand, Ash held his palm towards Squall. Squall looked at the red dragon that curled into a spiral there. It looked like it was meant to be there, the color stood out, but not harshly or unnaturally.

“Here’s mine.” River said stepping in front of Squall. They had stopped walking and River had been standing to the side. He turned away from Squall and pulled down the collar of his shirt. A blue serpent snaked from one side of River’s neck to the other like a necklace.

“Interesting. Doesn’t the placement of the mark supposed to have something to do with your power?” Squall asked the brothers and started walking again.

Neither had anything like that before. But than again they only knew the basics of their powers and their marks. Curt didn’t know much. Ash was the one to respond. “I’ve never heard that before. Where did you hear that?”

Shrugging, Squall answered. “A book about the legend of the Marked I think. It still is weird that we already think of them as a legend. The originals I mean.”

“I agree.”



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Just like Squall had said, they made it the camp just as the sun was about to set. Ash still couldn’t figure out how Squall was able to distinguish any sort of direction in the dessert. Yet, he did and he got them here. Not knowing what to expect, but knowing that this might be some sort of solution to their running and hiding, Ash was determined to see where meeting these rebels.

As the camp first came into view, Squall stopped. He drew in a deep breathe and stretched. A smile spread across his face. For the first time he truly seemed to relax. Ash thought Squall looked better that way, more natural. Than Squall turned to the brothers.

“We made it.” He smiled, but than remembered his job and it shrank, however slightly. “We will go directly to Banner, the camps leader. He will explain some of what’s going on. Than he will set up a tent for you to sleep in.”

Both nodding, the brothers followed Squall when he started walking again. When they did reach the camp mere minutes later, they realized that the camp was surprisingly large. Ash had figured a small band of outlaws or refugees. Thinking that it would people like they had been in Dusklight, River also expected smaller numbers. In reality the camp had to number in the hundreds. Squall lead them through the heart of the camp, even at such a late time, the camp was lively. Some waved to Squall, most were to busy to even notice. As they moved farther into the camp, Ash realized this was more than a simple rebellion. There were families as to be expected, but Ash did not expect to see them setting up shops and trading like they were in a town. This was a fully functional community as well.

When they reached the heart of the camp, there was a noticeable difference in the people and atmosphere. Actual buildings now were littered around them. Men and women in armor walked everywhere. Suddenly the camp had become a military encampment.

They came up to a large tent. A man and a woman in armor stood guard at the entrance. They smiled at Squall when they saw him and welcomed him. Obviously not battle hardened. At least that’s what Ash thought. Squall patted them on the shoulder and lead the brothers inside. Inside the tent, a man sat at a table. He was looking through a stack of papers. Upon seeing the three teens enter the room he set them down and stood up. He was taller than Ash, but not taller than Squall who was considerably tall by any standards. The man was wearing a partial set of armor, chain mail sleeves where attached to a leather vest. While he looked like a soldier, he had a softness to him that made Ash and River feel at ease.

“Welcome back Squall.” The man said shaking hands with the teen. “Who did you bring with you this time?” He chuckled, causing his chain mail to clink.

“Banner.” Squall said almost militaristically, before he introduced the brothers. “This is Ash and River. Gree found them through the Gauntlet. Seems like that place does have other uses than revenue.” Both chuckled at this. After they were done Squall continued. “They are Marked.” Banner smiled when he said that.

“Are you really?” Banner asked the two teens.

Fixing the mans gaze, not fully trusting the seemingly friendly soldier of a man Ash answered him. “Yes. And I was told you would accept us as friends.”

“No need to be defensive. We have much to talk about. I will give you some details now, but I’m sure your tired and hungry so I’ll keep it brief for now.” Banner tried to calm Ash.

More trusting than his elder brother, River piped up. “Thank you Banner. I’m pretty starving myself.”

“In a moment I’ll show you to our cook. First though take a seat and let’s talk.” Banner gestured to two chairs across the table from him. River and Ash sat down, both glad for a rest from the walking. Squall stayed standing. Banner looked at him curiously.

“You too Squall.” He gestured to another on another side of the table. “And remember this isn’t a military, so please relax.”

Squall allowed his body to slump down and sat down. “Sorry you know it’s in my nature.”

Returning to look at the brothers, Banner sat down and leaned back into his chair. “So I take it your marks are dragon and serpent right?” His face got more serious, yet still retained that kind softness.

“I’m marked with a dragon and my brother by a serpent, yes. How did you know?”

“Those are the only two left.” A small smirk flashed across the rebellion leaders face. River wasn’t really paying attention like always, but this caught his attention.

“Only two left?” Ash repeated. “What do you mean?”

“You aren’t the only Marked in this camp. In fact with you here, all the marks are represented.”

Both brothers were stunned. Ash slumped against the back of his chair. He had thought they were the only Marked, now that the originals gone. It had never occurred to Ash that if he and River received it from their parents, others would as well. Curt said it was possible, but he had no way of knowing if any other Marked were even married. They weren’t alone anymore. There was others like them. Finally, they had found a place where they didn’t have to hide. Maybe even find a new place to call home. But Ash wouldn’t let himself believe that yet. Just in case this was a trap, Ash had to stay focused for River’s sake.

“How can we believe you?” Ash said slowly after a minutes pause. “My whole I figured we were the only ones like us.”

Banner merely nodded and smiled. “Squall.”

Squall stood up slowly. He looked at the brothers. “I thought the same thing when I got here a year ago. But trust me,” he paused lifted his shirt up halfway. There on the center of his stomach was a yellow griffon. It was standing stalwart like griffons were known to be. “You aren’t alone anymore.”

After a short to let everything sink in, Ash replied. “Looks like it.”

As Squall was sitting down and lowering his shirt, River let out a yawn. He stretched groggily. Than when he saw everyone looking at him, he smiled sheepishly.

“You’ve had a long day, and I don’t doubt you need time to digest what you’ve learned. We shall continue this tomorrow.” Banner stood up. “Allow me to show you where get some supper before I show you the barracks. I’m afraid you will have to sleep there tonight, tomorrow I’ll have a tent set up just for you two.”

Ash muttered a thanks, still lost in his own thoughts. Indeed, it was a lot to think about. River nodded sleepily. Squall stayed inside the tent for a minute, remembering how it was for him when he first learned he wasn’t the only Marked alive. Than he left. Banner showed the brothers to a small tent where a portly man was cooking stews. He dished a bowl out to each other brother. They ate while they walked to the barracks. There were a lot of empty bunks, Banner said, so they could be off from the soldiers. Out of habit, the brothers did find bunks away from everyone. Neither brother spoke much to each other as they laid on the hard mattresses. River fell asleep within minutes. It took longer for Ash to finally get some sleep. He knew he was safe here, but he still wasn’t sure what these people stood for. Plus, he couldn’t stop thinking about what Barren had told him. Finally however, Ash found sleep.

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Sitting up, Ash stretched his back. Sleeping on the hard mattress was worse than the forest floor. Looking over at his still sleeping brother, Ash decided to let him sleep more. He wouldn’t want to go listen to what Banner had to say anyway. River just had to wait till he told him what was important. Standing up slowly, Ash walked out of the barracks. Briefly he wondered what would happen if it turned out these rebels wanted them out, but quickly he banished the thought.

Shielding the sun from his groggy eyes with his arm, Ash looked about. The camp was just starting to move as well. It seemed he was one of the first up. Some of the rebels were putting on armor or stretching their bodies for the days work. Ash tried to remember where Banner’s tent was and headed off in what he thought the right direction to be. Before he could find out if he had chosen correctly however, someone shouted out to him. He turned around to see Banner himself.

“Glad to see your up so early. Where’s your brother?” Banner asked as he got near.

“Still asleep. “ Ash replied. “But he wouldn’t want to know all the details as I do.”

“I see. Very well let’s go back to the main tent.” Banner gestured in the way Ash had been heading.

Little was spoken as they walked to where Ash had meet Banner the night before. Neither thought anything was necessary at that point in time. For the second time Ash walked into the tent. This time Ash noticed that the place was rather nice, a couple carpets covered the floor and the chairs had some embellishments carved into it. Banner gestured for him to take a seat and sat across from him. There was a short pause before Banner started.

“I’ll introduce you to the other Marked later.” He started. “First, what would you like to know?”

“What do you stand for? What do you want to accomplish?” Ash asked, he knew this was the moment of truth.

Banner looked directly at Ash. “I’m not going to lie to you. I respect you. And if you decided you don’t like our cause, you and your brother are free to go, or stay and enjoy our hospitality for as long as you want.” He waited for a second before continuing. “Our goal is to restore this kingdom to its original status as a place of good. We want to help the rightful king back on his throne, he was always good for the people. We realize that he may not want the job, but if we can just get his support I’m sure he can point us in the right direction. Also we want to tell the kingdom that the Marked are not to be feared, that you are people just like them.” So far Ash was right along with him. “We are willing to fight for it as well. Politically, and with man power if need be. That is what we want Ash.”

Deciding how he should phrase his next words, Ash paused before he responded. “I agree with everything you said. In fact, River and I have been working towards the same goal. That, and we want to create a place we can call home.”

Smiling warmly, Banner asked the important question. “So are you with us?”

“We are with you Banner. If you are with us.”

“Of course, we won’t ask of you anything you don’t want to do.”

Ash smiled at Banner. “I’m glad we happened to run into your men at the Gauntlet.” He stood up and extended his hand.

Standing and taking Ash’s hand, Banner also smiled. “As am I.”

“On the west end of the camp is our training grounds for the troops. In an hour bring your brother there. I’ll get the rest of the Marked there so you can meet them and inform them that you will be joining us.”

Nodding, Ash told Banner he would meet him than. He thanked Banner and paused before he walked out to get his brother. Ash couldn’t believe their luck. Not only had they found other Marked, they had found that they pledged themselves to the same cause as he and River had. If he hadn’t just had that talk with Banner, he wouldn’t believe it. Smiling all the way back to the barracks, Ash went to wake up River.

When Ash arrived at the barracks, River was still asleep. Laughing at his little brother, Ash shook River gently. River stirred about, but stayed asleep. Ash shook him harder, this time River sat up a tiny bit. Ash threatened to use his magic on him if he didn’t get up. River got up a minute later.

After explaining that they had the same goals as the rebels, and that they were joining up with them to River, Ash told him that they were supposed to meet the rest of the Marked soon. River was excited to meet the other Marked. He didn’t show it as much, but Ash knew he was glad that the rebels were on their side. Nearly an hour had passed, so the brothers set out to meet the rest of the people like them.

The brothers knew they had come to the training ground before they even got there. A crowd ringed the field, and it wasn’t just soldiers, it seemed the whole camp was there. Ash had to plow his way through the crowd to get into the field. Standing in the middle of the field were four people. They recognized Squall and Banner, but not the other two. And to Ash’s happy surprise, both of the other two were girls. River also noticed they were girls, and he also saw Ash’s smirk. Sighing, River laughed at his brother. They brothers had paused at the edge of the circle of people, not knowing what to do. Than Banner saw them and beckoned. Not sure what was going on they stepped into the field, and the crowd started to whisper excitedly. Puzzled, the brothers kept walking. As they reached the others in the field, they got a good look at the two others.

One girl was wearing a short black dress, it was ripped in many places, but that seem to matter to the girl. Her eyes were fierce and a dark brown color, nearly black. Her hair was black and sleek. The only that wasn’t dark about her was her skin, which was very pale. She had a dangerous look to her, with all sharp features. She stood taller than Ash by a head.

The other girl was very different in almost everyway. Her hair was a tangled short blonde that covered one of her eyes, which where were a sweet hazel color. Her stature was small, only as tall as Ash’s shoulder, and Ash was shorter than average. A soft bronze color, her skin glistened in the sun. Ash found her to be the prettier of the two.

When the brothers had joined them, Banner spoke. When he did it was loud enough for the crowd to hear as well. “Welcome Ash and River! The Dragon Marked and the Serpent Marked!” Upon hearing that the crowd cheered. Ash was completely stunned, he never expected to be celebrated for being Marked. River waved to everyone.

Banner continued when the crowd settled. “Meet the rest of the Marked.” He pointed to Squall. “You have met Squall, the Griffon Marked before.” Squall bowed slightly. Banner than pointed to the blonde girl. “This is the Trent Marked, Terra.” Terra giggled slightly and raised her hand to Ash and River, smiling sweetly. Her smile reminded Ash of honey. Than Banner pointed to the girl in black. “Met Cassia, the Allis Marked.” Cassia, surprised Ash and River by smiling and nodding toward them. Her smile was actually quite friendly.

“Ash and River have agreed to join our cause!” Again the crowd cheered. Again when it quieted , Barren continued. “Thank you all for coming and showing your support for the Marked.” As he said this the crowd dissipated. Excited chatter filled the air as the camp went back to its business. Banner turned his full attention to the Marked, seeming to relax more.

“Sorry for making a show about that.” After a second, Banner apologized to the brothers. “Seeing the Marked give these people hope.”

“Helps the moral.” Squall added. “Even with all of us Marked, a battle would be disastrous at this point.”

“I doubt we would be much help in a battle though.” Ash said. He still didn’t have much of a clue how to use his power. “We barely know how to use our magic.”

Sadly, River nodded. River was even farther off than Ash, he had yet to ever use magic. “We have trained in weapons though.” River wanted to prove that they still could hold their own. The younger brother knew Ash would want the same thing.

Unexpectedly, everyone just smiled. Barren patted Ash on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, they didn’t either when they got here.”

The girl in black, Cassia, spoke than. Her voice was quite, but strong. “I couldn’t even perform a push.”

“A push?” Puzzled, both brothers repeated her. Ash finished the question. “What is that?”

Terra, the shorter blonde girl answered them. “It’s a simple projection of energy. Like this.” She pushed her hand towards Ash. To his surprise it felt like he had been nudged. Seeing the shock on his, the others gave a laugh.

“I’ve got some things to take care of, please excuse me.” Barren said before walking off. “Oh, and Ash? Your tent is set up. It’s on edge of the militaries section of the camp, here on the west edge. One of them will show you the area I’m sure.” He than walked off.

“First we should explain a few things.” Cassia spoke. “There’s a small building near here set aside for us Marked. We should go there.” Despite her looks, Cassia seemed a nice enough person. Also, Ash realized, she was the eldest. He guessed her to be only a year or two older than himself.

Setting off from the field, Ash and River followed Cassia, Squall and Terra to one of the few actual buildings in the camp. It was a small wooden structure. Almost like a storage shed. On the inside however, it was obviously not a storage shed. There was a table in the center of the room. A shelf ran along one side of the room, which was littered with bottles, a small assortment of books, and some food. Squall immediately took a chair at the table, leaning the back against the wall. Tapping Ash lightly on the shoulder, Terra gestured to a sack by the door. It was the sack Flora had given them, Ash had forgotten the sack at the barracks, but he didn’t understand why it wasn’t at his tent instead of here. Grabbing a book from the shelf, Cassia walked over to the brothers.

“This book was written by one of the original Allis Marked. It gives basic instructions on how to perform Marked magic.” Cassia told the brothers. She extended the book to Ash. “Read this later, it will help with understanding our magic.”

From his relaxed position, Squall spoke up. “This place is where all things to help us train are located. That’s why its so close to the field.”

Bringing a bottle down, Terra took over. “This is a liquid that triggers our magic. I’m sure you’ve noticed that when certain things happen your magic inside swells. With this liquid, you don’t need to be triggered.”

“Helps with intensive training.” Cassia added.

“Of course we can still do magic when not triggered.” Terra continued.

Showing how connected the three were, Squall than picked up the dialog. “But in order to do some really impressive stuff, you need to be triggered.”

Terra had set the bottle back on the shelf as Squall finished. She than took a seat at the table. “This is also a place where we can talk freely. Only us Marked allowed in here.”

Silently, River had opened the sack and took out a fruit. He sat at the table and started eating. Wiping the juices from his face he spoke. “Is there something that you would like to say than?”

After a slight uncomfortable pause from the other three, Cassia answered him. “There is.” She than leaned herself against the wall and crossed her arms. “We think there might be more Marked than just us.”

“What makes you say that?” Ash responded.

“Because only my father was Marked. For Squall it was his mother. Terra had both Marked parents, both Trent’s. It seems that we inherited our parents Marks. And since our parents were the only Marked, it makes sense there could be more.” Cassia explained. The other two nodded as Ash looked towards them.

Thinking this conversation might take awhile Ash sat down next to River. Seeing River eating the fruit, made Ash realize he hadn’t eaten anything since the last night’s stew. Almost as if she sensed his hunger, Terra handed Ash some dried meat from the shelf. He took a bite before he spoke. “Our father was a Serpent and mother a Dragon Marked.” He paused to chew the dried meat. He was surprised at how good it tasted. “It’s likely that at least one more of the original Marked had a kid.”

Chewing on the end of a feather he got from his pocket, Squall replied to the elder brother. “Yes, but we can’t go looking for them. Chances are they were hiding like we were, or have no idea they are Marked, and we don‘t want to put them in danger. You know how most people think of us.”

“So what do we do than?” Ash questioned. “There has to be something we can do.”

Pushing herself off the wall, Cassia was the one who answered Ash. “Sadly, there isn’t much. We wait till our contacts hear anything about possible people being Marked. We’ve only had two false leads so far.”

“We can help these people however. That’s why I’m here.” Again Squall spoke.

Seeming partially annoyed, Cassia sighed. “Yes, but you seem to think that we are part of the rebel’s military.”

Squall sat forward, the two front legs of the chair hit the ground audibly. “What are we part of than? We are here to fight.”

“We are here for the people Squall.” Softly, Terra spoke. Everyone looked at her, surprised.

Squall’s anger seem distilled. “I fight for the people.”

“We all do. Even I will.” Terra said, a strange fierceness danced in her eyes. “But we are here for more than that. Someone has to stand for what’s right. We represent that to these people.”

Even though he knew he didn’t know everything that was going on here, Ash spoke up. “Couldn’t we be a third part of the rebels than?”

“Third? There already are three parts Ash. The soldiers, the people and the politics.” Cassia started, but continued before Ash could open his mouth. “But I see your point.”

“That way, Squall could be our line to the military, and he’s happy.”

Settling back into his chair, Squall appeared to calm down. He nodded towards Ash, indicating he indeed would like that. Seeing that he was making some progress in figuring things out, Ash continued. “I’m not sure how things are set up, but I’m willing to bet there would be little resistance for it.”

Again leaning against the wall, Cassia nodded. “There is a core group of people that act as the head of the rebellion. We are calling ourselves Unity by the way.” Ash nodded his head in approval. “Right now it’s a trio of people. Barren, leader of the military, a woman who leads the political side and Derek, who leads the people. Each group also has their own body. With hundreds of people each with different focus’s and backgrounds its an effective system. If we do as you purpose the core group would include one of us. Plus if we send Squall as our link with the military we would need to send one of us to the people and another to politics.”

“Well, you seem to have that figured out quickly.” Ash laughed. “Is there something wrong with my plan?”

“You.” Cassia said simply. Than she explained. “You’re going to want to train heavily for awhile, and get situated here at camp.” Resting his chin on his hand, Ash figured where Cassia was going. “The plan only works if there are at least four people able to handle the situation. We can talk about this again when you get everything figured out here.”

“Agreed.” Ash didn’t need to say more.

Changing paces, Terra looked at the brothers. “We should get to know each other better. When it was just me and Cassia, we decided that the Marked should become a close knit group. Squall had the same thought when he came.”

River smiled and sat up straight, glad for a conversation he could take part in. “Where should we start?”

The next hour was spent sharing information about themselves. The other three shared with the brothers about themselves as well. Indeed they did want a close knit group. Ash had been correct, Cassia was older than him at 20, just a year older than him. Squall was the same age as Ash, and Terra turned out to be two years younger than both of them. River, who was used to being the youngest, joked that he would be better than them by the time he reached 17. Beyond their age, Ash and River explained how their work for the past years, what little they knew of their parents and showed their marks. River asked to see the other’s marks, curious as to what they looked like. Terra’s was located on the top of her right foot, the green tree-man covered all of her small foot. Across the top of Cassia’s back was a grey Allis, a creature with giant feathered wings, a long scaled body, a reptilian head and rope-like legs. When they had seen her mark, Cassia quickly buttoned the back of her shirt back up.

At Terra’s request Ash explained what had brought them to Flux. He told them about the mage in white and how he brought created animated skeletons.

And than Ash told them how the mage destroyed their home, With Curt inside.

There was a long silence after Ash was done. None of the others knew what to say. But finally Squall was the one to end the silence.

“I’m sorry Ash.” Squall came over and patted Ash on the back. Than he walked over to River and did the same. “You to River.” Both brothers thanked him.

“Maybe he made it out.” Terra tried to cheer them up. “We could get someone in Dusklight to ask around and see if there was anyone inside.” Hope flooded into Ash, he looked up at Terra. “We have a couple in or near there I’m sure.”

“Really?” Meekly, Ash responded. He suddenly hoped they were right.

Cassia was the one to respond. “Of course. Especially for a Marked, people here realize how much we’ve already had to go through. They would probably volunteer for the task.”

“That would mean so much to us.” Ash thanked his new found friends.

Another pause followed, this one out of respect for the brother’s mourning. Ash was entertaining the hope of Curt being alive. The three other Marked took turns either hugging or patting River on the back, who had finally broken out into tears. When River had calmed down and Ash broke from his thoughts, Ash stood and stretched.

“How bout you show us around the camp and explain of things will be?” Ash smiled, moving on to a lighter subject.

The next hour was spent around the camp, with Cassia, Terra and Squall showing the brothers where everything was located and sometimes introducing them to people. The three explained that basically their job as the Marked, they kept everyone’s moral up and to train. Also, the military side of Unity asked them to accompany caravans and generally be their ‘just-in-case’ people. Other than that, they were allowed free reign, no one saw them as dangerous or feared. Yet, the three felt they should do more to help Unity, so they worked on odd jobs around the camp. Squall knew some basic smithing, so he helped the small number of blacksmiths in the camp, repairing the commoners tools. As a Trent Marked, Terra often went into the forest where a small group of farmers were located, to help them grow food for the camp. Cassia, before she joined Unity, was a cook’s apprentice, therefore often she helped by cooking meals for the soldiers and the few political figures that followed their cause. Neither of the brother’s had really any specific talent, but they both agreed that there had to be something they could do to help the people that took them in.

The others started giving the brothers ideas. Even after only a day together, the Marked found they all got along great. To them all it was like they were family.

“So you really don’t have any talents?” Squall asked. “You two seem pretty smart, hard to believe you’ve got no skills.”

“Unless you count spying and stealing a skill, we don’t.” Ash answered.

“We never had much time. We worked in Curt’s shop in our spare time.” River continued.

“He had an herb shop right?” Terra questioned.

Ash nodded. “Yeah a small one, but he had a lot of very wealthy customers. I guess he had some pretty rare stuff.”

“Did you pick any herbs for him?”

River chimed in again. “All the time. There wasn’t much to pick near Dusklight though.”

“In that case,” Terra said, than continued. “We have a few Menders in the camp, they work with the military mostly, but maybe you could find medicinal plants for them?”

Ash gave her a puzzled look. “Menders don’t need plants for their magic though.” He was right, only Druids used components for their magic.

“Oh.” Terra sighed. “I had no idea. To be honest I don’t know much about magic, other than my own and typical Mages.”

Cassia spoke than. “Actually Terra, it might be a good idea for you to help around the Menders.” When she saw the quizzical look on Terra’s face she explained. “You know that the Trent Marked were supposed to be great healers, so it might help your training to learn something from them.”

Indeed, the Marked legend had said that those marked by the Trents were great healers. Terra nodded to Cassia. “You’re right, that does sound like it could help. But we’re trying to help Ash and River not me.” She laughed a little.

“Don’t worry Terra, I’m sure we will figure it out eventually.” With a shrug, Ash waved away the problem.

They started back towards the Marked’s building when Squall brought up the subject again. The conversation had wandered into other, smaller things before than.

“You know, I bet training is going to keep you preoccupied for awhile anyway.” Squall pointed out. “It will give you some time to think about what you could do to help.”

Stretching his arms, Ash chuckled. “There’s a lot it seems we could learn, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Quietly, but loud enough that the other’s heard, River also spoke. “I don’t like to study.”

The Marked all laughed at that. River joined in after a second. It was than that Ash realized something. Something that made him smile even more.

This was the first time he had true friends that he didn’t have to hide who he was from. But, even more importantly, he knew they had found a place where they could belong.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Squall grinned at Ash. He knew he was about to win, the bruise on Ash’s chest was enough evidence of that. Sure, there was a cut on his own shoulder, but Squall had been in many fights before and a small cut was nothing to him. Plus, Ash looked winded. Raising his shield and hammer, Squall ran to finish the fight.

Ducking at Squall’s first side swing, Ash countered with a slice only to be blocked by Squall’s shield. Feeling Ash’s blade hit his shield, Squall pushed his shield forward, sending Ash tumbling backwards. But, Ash quickly regained his footing and prepared for Squall’s next charge. The charge came only a second after Ash was completely on his feet. This time Squall swung his hammer from above, towards Ash’s head. With a quick sidestep, Ash dodged the attack, but again Squall pushed at Ash with his shield. Seeing no other option, Ash hopped back a step to avoid the shield. A small grin spread over Squall’s face, Ash had left himself open when he jumped back. Sensing victory, Squall leaped at Ash, his hammer sweeping at Ash’s midsection, his shield held across him.

A loud crack was the next thing either of them heard. But it was the sound of steel hitting steel instead of hammer breaking bone.

Ash stood next to Squall, his swords barely blocked by Squall’s shield. Both let up at the same time, resetting their stances. For as much experience as Squall had, he hadn’t realized that Ash also had some experience. Before Squall’s hammer had hit him, Ash had twirled sideways and took a step forward attacking with both swords from above. Seeing the attack just in time Squall had raised his shield. But now, Squall realized that he had underestimated his opponent.

This time Ash took the offensive. He quickly stabbed with his right sword and slide low with his left. Normally this would have hit at least once, but Squall was unlike any other person Ash had fought. He was left handed. Which meant Squall carried his shield with his right hand and his hammer with his left. It was a very unusual fighting style, and Ash was having trouble figuring out how to combat it.

“Ok, enough you two!” Terra called from the edge of the field. “Cassia just brought dinner!”

Upon hearing the word ‘dinner’, both relaxed. Ash sheathed on sword and was tying his other when Squall patted him on the back. Squall’s shield was slung over his back and the hammer on his waist. Ash looked up at the bigger man. They smiled at each other, it had been a good fight and both found they liked the sparing match.

“Your left-hand style is unusual. It’s hard to know what to against it.” Ash said. He had taken more of a beating than Squall, only landing three hits against Squall’s ten.

Squall chuckled. “I can’t help but use this style, I’m left handed.” They started walking back to the Marked’s building. “You’re style is pretty unique as well. Not many fighters fight so offensively as you do, especially with two swords like that.”

“Oh, and using a shield as an offensive weapon isn’t unique?” Both chuckled at that.

Over the past couple of days Squall and Ash had quickly become good friends. Although they were quite different from each other, the similarities that they did share allowed them to bond quickly. Although not as deep, all the Marked bonded quickly. Just like Terra had suggested, the Marked were indeed becoming a close knit group. Everyone got along well together. Even River, who was the youngest and often felt out of place, got along with everyone.
While Ash and Squall talked about their sparring match, on their way to the Marked’s building, River ran up from the far side of the field to join them. River had been watching the two spar, seeing what he could learn from them, but both of the two elder teens fighting styles for him to pick up anything. Yet, he enjoyed watching anyway.
All sitting down at the small table in the building, as the brothers had learned was an everyday occurrence, the Marked talked about what they had done that day. Mostly it was for the brothers benefit, since the others already knew much of what the others did everyday.
“…than I came back here to cook us dinner. Terra really has some great stuff growing in that farm.” Cassia finished telling about her day.
Terra smiled. “Thanks Cassia, but you know that most of it is the farmers, I just help everything grow.” This was true, but without Terra most of the crops couldn’t grow.
The conversation went on like this until everyone was finished their dinner. It had become custom for Ash to ask about the major events in the camp. He realized that if he and River were to truly become apart of Unity, they should know what was going on.
“Anything happen around camp today?” he asked as he patted his full stomach. ‘Another great meal’ he thought.

Cassia, who worked with the political members of Unity while they were in camp, heard the most about major events in the camp, responded to Ash. “You’re going to like this one Ash.” She smiled than continued. “The major players in Unity are thinking of asking us to join the main council.”

At this everyone become turned and listened intently. Squall and River, who had been about to play a card game, dropped their cards and faced towards Cassia and Ash. “They understand that you and River didn’t know much about the inner workings when you first got here. But it has been nearly two weeks since you first arrived and the council asked me to run it by you if we had thought about joining them now that we have enough of us to have effectively integrate into all aspects of Unity.”

Scratching at the small stubble that Ash had acquired since leaving Dusklight, Ash looked down thoughtfully. “Well, there’s still a lot we don’t know about how Unity works.” He looked up, glancing to see if everyone was listen, since this involved all of them, before he continued. “But I think we know enough. Right little brother?”

River nodded, he wasn’t sure what good he would be, but he wanted to give it his all and do what he could. Happy that his little brother had actually been paying attention this time, Ash smiled at River. He reached over and patted him on the shoulder.

“Well,” Squall spoke, “Seems like this is going to be the Marked’s first official meeting than.” He crossed his arms.

The mood had turned quickly serious from the casual way that they had all fallen into behaving around each other. Yet there was also excitement in the air. All five knew that this was a big moment for them. It meant that finally they could finally help Unity in such a way that they couldn’t before. Also, it meant that Unity was readying to do something about the corruption of Everlast.

Solemnly, Ash spoke again. “We’re going to need a leader right? And someone to be a representative each of the other groups of Unity?” The others nodded. “Cassia. You should be the leader.”

“I agree.” Cassia said. “But to be fair, I could also be our council member.”

“You’re the eldest and you understand the workings of Unity better than any of us. Who else could be our leader?”

“You Ash.” It was simply spoken. So simple and yet it took Ash off guard. He had not expected anyone to nominate him, but Terra had done it.

When he looked quizzically at her, Terra explained. “You’re a Dragon Marked. Your strength is your heart, that’s always a good quality in a leader. People like you more too, no offence Cassia.” With a wave, Cassia acknowledged she understood. “Plus, you’re used to looking out for others.” She glanced to River, who nodded to her.

“I couldn’t ask for a better leader!” River beamed.

“A vote than?” Cassia suggested, than nodded when Ash shrugged.

He couldn’t believe that Terra and River would think of him as a leader, Ash swelled with pride. He knew Cassia would make a better leader than him, but…

Squall stood up. “I say Ash be our leader.”

Ash snapped his eyes to Squall. “What?” he muttered under his breath. Why did they want him as their leader?

The next words that were spoken made Ash’s draw drop. “So do I.” Cassia said.

Ash sat in stunned silence. It didn’t make any sense. Why in the world would they choose me, Ash thought. “I… Thanks guys. I lead with the best ability I can.” In just a short time, the others were ready to put so much trust in him, it made Ash grin with joy. Never had he felt so good about himself.

“So, Leader.” River said, with a silly smile on his face, “Why don’t you lead this meeting?” The others shared in River’s smile. Squall sat down and again crossed his arms.

Standing up, Ash looked around at the others. If they wanted him as their leader, he resolved to lead the only way he knew how. With his heart. With that thought, Ash looked around the table where his fellow Marked, and friends, sat. The all looked to him, nodding and smiling, showing they had faith in him.

“Now, about our representatives to the other groups in Unity…”

The meeting went smoothly and everything was quickly figured out. Ash was surprised at how effectively they got things resolved and the lack of dispute over positions. Terra was to be their link to the people, who were referred to as the Heart group. Squall, of course, was the connection to the Fist group, which was the military’s name. The Mind, the political group, was Cassia’s department.

“There is still one issue.” Ash said, “River has no job in the group yet.” His voice had gotten deeper as he addressed them as their leader yet, remained soft and friendly. It made him sound very much like a leader, River thought. “it doesn’t make sense for only one of us to be left out.” River smiled up at his bigger brother, he always tried to make sure his little brother was treated well. “Therefore, River’s job will to be our eyes around the camp.”

“You want me to spy around?” Astonished, River questioned. He thought Ash trusted Unity.

Ash smirked at River, he figured that was River would think. “No, I want you to be our link to the common people. That includes the lower ranked soldiers, the people not in the Body’s council and everyone else who the rest won’t be interacting with.”

“Got it!” River liked his new job. It didn’t seem hard and over the past week, River had meet some kids his age, and this job gave him an excuse to talk to them more.

“Well than.” said Ash as he sat down. “When do we tell this to the rest of Unity?” He looked to Cassia.

“There’s a council meeting tomorrow just for our answer. I told them we were going to have a meeting. I figured we would have an answer by tonight.” Cassis explained to Ash. “You should be the one at the meeting. As our new leader.”

Ash nodded his agreement. A short pause followed before Ash waved his hand and said the meeting was over. With something as little as that the rest of the group visibly relaxed, and soon after casual talk resumed. River watched his brother, he hadn’t seen Ash this happy in a long. He smiled.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Later that night in the barracks, Ash was making a small flame float around his finger. It was a new trick he had picked up from training with the other Marked. River was propped up on his elbows in a bunk across the room. Both brothers had smiles on their faces.

“So today was a good day huh?” River said to his older brother, “oh glorious leader.” Both laughed at the joke.

Creating two more flames appear, Ash sat up and made them twirl in the center of the room. “It was. In fact, it was a great day!” said Ash with a laugh, “You do know that your job isn’t really required right?” He looked at his younger. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t feel left out. I’ll figure out a true job for you eventually.”

“Yeah, I know.” River shrugged, “But don’t worry, I trust you. You wouldn’t let me be forgotten.” Than River laid back into the hard bunk. “I see you’re getting better with your powers.”

“Yeah, training with the others has helped a lot.” The three flames disappeared and the room was suddenly dark. “What about you River? Had any luck with your magic?”

“I was able to create a small pool of water yesterday. That’s my biggest feat yet.” The tone of River’s voice told Ash that his little brother wasn’t happy with this.

“That’s sounds pretty damn difficult.” A sigh escaped Ash’s lips. “Why aren’t you happy?”

River rolled onto his side, his back towards Ash. “Well… Your fire actually is useful. What can creating a pool of water do to help us?”

“Got to start somewhere. Plus you can always put out my fires.”

Both brothers laughed. Knowing that River wouldn’t let this keep him down, Ash was content. Laying down, Ash glanced over at his younger brother. A small trickle of water was flowing off the side of his bunk.