Coming Home

The young mother discovers the bloodshed and chooses how to protect her ward.

Sometimes, the lack of sound can be just as alarming as excess. 

The young mother smiled down at the 3 year old Lova with her already wildly curling copper hair cupping her chin. Lova had been freshly changed and washed and was already rubbing her eyes with exhaustion- not fully understanding the thrill that the Naming Day would bring in a mere 5 hours or so. She took Lova's hand carefully and walked as quietly as she could back down the short corridor from the stream room. The little pat of Lova's tiny feet brought a warmth to the mother's heart but she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. 

It wasn't until a mere 4 steps from the view of the sleeping chamber that she realized that the peaceful beat of breathing had been silenced and exchanged for awkward shuffling and a strange gurgling sound that seemed to echo against the wall. The mother shot out a halting hand against Lova's chest as she carefully and quietly peeked around the corner of the hall, nearly buckling when her eyes found the bed of Doriyan. 

In an instant, the mother's eyes took in a wealth of information. She saw two cloaked figures with their backs to her, repeatedly shoving blades into the chests of her wards. She saw bright and shimmering blood sprayed in strange arcs against the happily painted walls and blankets. She saw the long and slender arm of Doriyan hanging oddly from her bed- blood creating a small stream that dripped from her little finger. And she saw the face of one man standing over her, whose dark eyes seemed malicious and terrifying with the blood of her little ones smeared against it. 

Stifling a gasp and startled cry, she leaped back out of sight and pulled Lova to her chest. Her mind was a confusing  mix of terror and uncertainty, and for one horrible moment she considered running out the back exit through the play yard and leaving Lova to die. Almost without thinking, however, the meditations and prayers that she had so longed to be free of in the Valley came back to her in a rush, calling to her the clarity she so desperately needed. What is my task? She asked herself, the same way she had been trained and she knew. The Great Father meant for her to care for children. He knew my heart for it and the Father sent me here. Her moment of scattered thoughts had passed in a matter of seconds, despite feeling as if they had been there for valuable minutes. The mother looked into Lova's grey eyes which were filled with confusion but now wide awake. We have to get out of here. She knew. 

Filled with a second wind and what could only be the spirit of the Great Father, she clutched Lova to her chest and took off her slippers, feeling the ground as she had when she was a girl. Silently she moved with a single mind. She was to protect this girl. The last girl. As she exited the outer carved entry she was momentarily shocked at the lack of awareness that the kingdom had. Where are the guards? She wondered. The lack of care, however, didn't stop her as she knew the only safe place. For all she knew the kingdom was being overrun from the inside. The only place she knew that provided absolute safety was in the confines of the Valley nestled between two large mountains and guarded by her family. 

Lova began to shake as the mother ran with her towards the stable, which was beside the menagerie. Once again the mother was puzzled as to why there was not more commotion. Often times it took as little as a maid walking down the maids' hall toward her lady's chambers to create a havoc of roars and cries of outrage. She was quickly running out of breath as she finally made it to the side door of the stable, now locked tightly shut until the morning. The mother hit the door in anger at her discovery and pounded on the door to get anyone's attention. 

"Please!" She cried to herself, tears threatening to spill over as they already were on Lova's small face. Suddenly she heard a creak of the side gate of the menagerie and the mother began to tremble as she tried to hide herself among the hedges that lined the walkway. She tried to silence her erratic breathing and the choking noises of terror. She could feel his eyes on her before she could fully see his form. Her arms clutched Lova tighter to her- images of her shielding the small form with her body as his cloak came into view. He was one of them.

Colrin had heard the pounding of the door of the next building and paused patiently as some of the animals that he communed with began to stir from their reverie. Knowing that the break of their concentration would likely mean his discovery, he strode meaningfully toward the low gate that indicated a servants' entrance and opened it without thinking. He cringed inwardly at the squeaking of the old gate and stepped away from the menagerie, his feet finding silent ground, as he got away from the area of noise. 

To Colrin, the senses that he was blessed with were each as important as the last. In the dark of night, although his eyes were well adjusted at this point, could not be trusted. As the bats that lined the opening to a cave he had once stayed in during a great flooding, he shifted all of his focus to his ears. As soon as he had he could hear the pounding heart of the person who had pounded on the doors of what he now recognized as a stable. He slipped out his blade quickly, searching for the guard or servant who had the misfortune of discovering his group's purpose but instead was drawn to a group of hedges near the path. His well trained eyes focused in and realized what he was seeing. A woman. Trembling with tears slowly spilling down her hand that attempted to hold herself silent. She wasn't beautiful, nor did she appear to be strong, she was merely a woman. 

Memories of Colrin's sister who would likely be the same age as she was flooded the forefront of his mind before he could control his thoughts. His heart clenched at the frail girl who had died of the elements when he had crossed his first desert as a boy. His brows knit together in anger at how that life had ended, and that he had failed to keep her safe. Without even considering who she might have been, he took the dagger in his hand and moved forward purposefully. Colrin ignored the way she shrank back, clutching herself, as he went to the stable's servant door and hit the lock hard with the butt of the dagger. The first hit busted the center gadget where the key would have been inserted, and with a loud and sharp clang the second hit burst the frame of the lock, causing it to drop to the dirt. It would have been hard to tell who was more surprised at what had happened, but before he could reconsider his actions, he ran toward where his brethren were in order to warn them to escape. 

The young mother, who had all but given up hope of escaping alive, gasped in shock as what she thought was going to be a dagger to the heart turned into a granting of freedom. Oh Great Father! She cried inwardly, recognizing this strange twist of fate as the miracle she knew it must be. For a moment she wanted to cry and thank the cloaked man but the moment passed as he didn't even turn to look at her before he ran toward her former station. Thank you, Father. Please help us escape! She prayed adamantly. Forcing her jelly legs to stand again she hardly considered the noise that they made now as she carried Lova into the stable and began preparing a horse as fast as she could. Although she would have chosen an easier ride to carry them to safety, she knew that what she needed more than anything was the energy of youth. The mother didn't bother with a saddle or foot steps. She simply placed reigns onto the younger horse, Sagen, and set Lova atop him before throwing the stable doors wide open. The loud sound of the doors knocking back against their hinges set the menagerie into high alert, creating an alarm of its' own as she mounted Sagen and urged him into a run.

Sagen, who always longed to run, had no issue doing what she commanded and she was thankful. By some miracle, she allowed herself to consider freedom for the first time. Lova was shaken roughly as Sagen twisted through the winding dirt between houses and shops on the way down the hill of Usal. She began to cry loudly but was drowned out by the loud and rhythmic thumping of the feet below them. The mother glanced over her shoulder behind her and saw a number of lights coming on in the windows near and inside the castle and wondered how long she had before someone realized they were running. 

---

Hours had passed since the mother and Lova had exited through the city gates at the base of the hill. She had always had a fondness for the city that sat against the sea when she had lived there, but now wanted nothing more than to be gone. Sagen had slowed to a moderate pace as his energy levels began to decline and the mother felt empathy and guilt toward the obedient horse. The mother was profoundly grateful that Lova had finally given into the rocking of the ride and fell into a fitful sleep. It was then that she had the sharp realization of what had happened. 

Her charge had always been to care for the human children. Because the humans were all but died out, it was a miracle but also a necessity that they continued their reign over the land in fairness. The mother's heart ached for Lova, who in one night had lost all of her family and friends and now very likely was the only candidate left alive to rule. Deeply, the mother hoped that the older mother had been able to escape the slaughter, but knew that it was unlikely. She watched the sunrise begin to come up over a strange horizon and she was filled with a new terror. She had never traveled alone before and barely knew her way down one road. 

Eventually, after a full 7 hours of travel and nearing noon meal, Sagen had reached his final point. He stopped and shuffled a bit- his legs shaking. 

"I know, boy, I'm so sorry." The mother told him, patting his head and slipping off. Lova by this time was awake and needed desperately to use another stream room. She was still silent, trembling, and pale in the bright sun. The mother was overwhelmed by the hopelessness of it all. Sagen spent a moment eating some of the tall grass that grew in these hilly and wide lands and cared very little. Lova was helped to relieve herself and immediately felt pangs of hunger but was still so upset by the confusion of last night that she couldn't form words. 

"Mother?" Lova whispered, looking off toward trees that barely dotted the horizon. 

"Yes, Lova?" She asked, breaking the intense silence aside from the whisper of grass waving in the wind. 

"What is your real name?" The mother, all of the sudden filled with exhaustion so intense that she could barely stand, looked down at the girl without hope. The last human girl.

"Kalila." She said, although the name felt like a distant memory of a peaceful time. "Kalila" parroted the girl in her poor speech. Kalila sighed and tried to stand taller.

"Lova, do you trust me?"

"Yes,  mother."

"We need to keep going." She said with a resolve that she barely felt. Setting Lova back on top of Sagen, she began to walk beside the horse in an effort to keep him going. 

They were a strange sight, the mother and the small girl. Anyone who passed by on the road could see that they were at the end of their rope. And seeing a mother away from a station or her Valley was nearly unheard of, which gave indication of struggle. It was no surprise then, when a man and his two workers passing slowly down the road with a wagon full of wheat heading to grinder, that they stopped in puzzlement. 

Kalila did her best to walk with confidence toward the trees that were still so distant that they were easily a day away. When she saw the men, she was again filled with fear. The mark of earth was upon them- a dusky green that wrapped around the wrist and up the arm of one, across the face of another, and likely hidden under the tunic of the third because it couldn't be seen. Kalila's pearly and white mark curled gently across her collarbone and up the back of her neck before stopping just under her hairline but she worried that it wouldn't be enough.

"Ay there!" The man with the green along his arm called first. Kalila kept moving as if she hadn't heard, although Lova was staring openly. 

"Ay, I say!" He called again with his strange and country accent. Kalila stopped shuffling forward and pointed her hazel eyes to him, hoping to cover her paranoia.

"Ay" She called in her soft way.

"Where are ye headed?" He asked, still a bit confused as to how a mother could end up with a child in the middle of the outer fields of Usal. "Are ye lost?" He asked. As much as Kalila wanted to ignore him, she found his question laced with kindness and hard to bear. 

"No, sir, " She started as he came even closer. ", I'm headed toward the Valley of my people." the mother said, assuming he recognized her origin. A strange look crossed his face and he nodded.

"On merely a horse?" He asked. Kalila began to wonder if the other two even had a voice. The man stopped when his cart reached her horse and he reached out to pat the trembling and exhausted animal. "Yer horse is mighty tired." He commented in pity and reached into a bag and pulled out a carrot to share. Once again Kalila found her thoughts preoccupied with the Great Father and what he had planned here. 

"I know, we have come a long way."

"The only thing that way is Usal. Traveling back from a visit, are ye?"

"Aye sir, but perhaps misjudged the distance." She said, hoping to sound wiser than she felt. The man ran his tounge along the dirt in his teeth and he sucked in sharply. He thought a moment on the young mother and her girl, who obviously were running away from something. Then he considered the wheat that sat bundled on his cart. They had nearly a full day left of travel before reaching the grinders who promised a hefty sum. It was then that he saw the brand on the horse's golden chest. The brand of the royals. Once again he studied the mother, who looked rather desperate to be on her way.

"Ye look mighty ready to be goin'" He remarked, to which she said nothing. She fully expected him to tear her away from Lova and return her for a hefty ransom.

"Indeed, ye look like ye might be willing to trade." He suggested with a knowing smile. Kalila's eyes shot to the man's who HAD to know their situation was wrong somehow. The man simply looked on, seeing money to be made in the return for a fine horse such as this- or better yet, an easy and youthful replacement of the mare that bore his cart. 

"I- I could trade for your horse, a bit of food, and a direction to travel." She said. He smiled a true smile, revealing four missing back teeth.

"I think we can do that."

__

As if those two hours of careful shuffling had not happened, the mother and Lova were once again on their way and nearly reaching the trees that had begun to look familiar. Already the sun was high in the sky and nearly to evening meal as the mother finally crested the path that cut into the dense trees and for the first time in nearly a day she recognized the view in the distance. The skyline that had a thick layer of trees along the bottom was topped by a series of mountains that continued for miles. Thank you, Great Father, Kalila thought as she urged the horse to move faster again. She could almost see that wide valley and hear the hum of meditation and laugh of joy. 

By the time she had made it to where the Valley came into view near a rushing creek, both the mother and Lova were so exhausted that they could barely stay on the replacement mare they had traded. The horse, although slower, proved more steady and able to travel greater distances. Kalila's heart ached as the village in the valley began to be visible from the offshoot of the path that they had traveled on so long. The sun had almost sunk beneath the mountains  and the torches were being lit as they always were every night. A methodical and even keeled practice that was timed in rhythm that complemented the land they lived in. 

As the mare traveled down the slight hill and closer to the village they approached the small and single watchtower. The Valley very rarely had visits of enemies, so the watchtower more often served as the keepers of town news and director to the correct location. The Valley was used to taking in the wary traveler, and was known for the kindness it gave. The people of The Valley, mothers and fathers, were caretakers by nature. Rather than being marked by an element they appeared marked by purity that was echoed in their souls. They trusted and worshiped the Great Father who led their way.

Kalila could hardly keep herself from laying in the sweet grass where the horse stood as she waited for the watchman to greet her.

"Aye, wanderer!" A man's voice called down from the tall distance. The mother was so overwhelmed by the emotions of safety and appreciation for being home for the first time in 3 years that she found her throat choked with tears. Lova, who had cried on and off during the entire journey, was also without a voice.

"Wanderer! State your purpose!" The man called again. Kalila could only guess who was at the post on this day. It had been so long! Before she could muster a hoarse cry, the watchman used the rope to slide down on calloused palms to the grass. 

"You are in th-" He stopped speaking as soon as he got close enough to see the worn and dirty white tunic of motherhood and the girl that she sheltered. Upon closer inspection, he began to recognize the familiar flip of warm brown hair that was usually braided but had fallen away from its' captivity. He had spent entire summers studying the back of her head.

"Kalila" He whispered, confusion and concern marring his face. She slid off the horse onto painful and exhausted legs, and tried to pick up the girl. Zaen rushed to her side to catch her and the girl before she nearly collapsed under the weight of the small child. The mother looked closer at the man who helped to steady her and was surprised and shocked to recognize a former schoolmate. Zaen was someone she rarely spoke to but knew well.

"Zaen," She tried but had to swallow before having the strength to speak ", Zaen I have to see the Father." She said. It was dark and almost unheard of to disturb the Father during his private time. But the urgency of her voice and the wear of her appearance left no room for doubt. Zaen picked up the girl who was all but without consciousness in his arms and led Kalila down the hill and into the village she used to call home.