Chapter Eighteen

The group takes a break before continuing on with their journey...

    “You guys?” Ninari called up to Amy and Dieteru with a sigh. “Don’t you think we should stop for the night? It’s beginning to get dark.”

    The two stopped walking, giving one another quick glances before Amy looked back to Ninari. “We are kind of set back as it is-”

    “But you don’t want to face the Alangi King all tuckered out do you?” Kieto asked at Ninari‘s side. He yawned. “It’s going to be a tough fight as it is for you.”

    “But, the Alangi will be leaving tomorrow night-”

    “That‘s tomorrow night.” Dieteru stated cutting her off. “Since the High Elder gave us those directions, we‘re already more then halfway there. We can still get there in time.” He paused studying her cautiously. “And you are still recovering from that infection Amy.”

    She remained silent for a moment, thinking on their present situation as she looked to Ninari and Kieto. They did look rather tired, and Dieteru was right about her as well. Since she hadn’t taken any of her medication and was working on what the doctor had originally given her, she believed the infection may be coming back.

    She sighed, throwing her hands up in defeat. “Fine. I guess that’ll be alright as long as we get an early start tomorrow morning.”

    “Great, let’s find a place to set up camp.” Ninari said walking around, looking for the ideal spot.

    Amy looked over to Dieteru. “I really hate you, you know that?”

    “Hey don’t blame me. I didn’t want to stop.” He stated walking toward Ninari. “It was all your decision.”

    Amy slapped her hand on her forehead. “I can’t believe I fell for that one.” She muttered to herself as she walked over to where Ninari had decided to set up camp.

    She watched as they began gathering firewood, setting the kindling and stray branches on the ground just outside their encampment. They had seemed to know what they were doing, until Kieto tried to start the campfire. Amy walked over to him her hands on her hips. “What are you doing? I thought you guys knew how to do this?”

    Ninari now knelt on the ground aside of Kieto, trying to help by rubbing two sticks together in an attempt to start a fire while he placed dried leaves around the two sticks. She looked up to Amy. “We do know, it just…Takes awhile…”

    Amy sighed as she looked to Dieteru. He just shrugged. “They seem to be doing fine to me.”

    She shook her head. “We’re going to be here for a while…” she then opened her pouch and began digging through it. “I know it’s here somewhere…”

Dieteru came over to her watching her search through her bag curiously. “What are you looking for?”

    Amy smiled as she pulled out a small rectangular object, liquid could be seen inside. “It’s a lighter. I hope it still works…I haven’t tried it since the accident.”

    She thought back to when she was first given the lighter. It had been Susan’s until she had given it to Amy to hold for safe keeping at school. She had been caught once before and she didn’t wish to be expelled. Amy had tucked it into her bra strap, completely forgetting it was there until she changed for her training. Now, she just held unto it, being the only thing she had left from her time.

    She now walked over to the other two knelt on the ground. “Move back a little ok?”

The two sat back watching Amy curiously as she tried to flick the lighter. “What are you doing?” Kieto asked.

    Amy turned to him with a slight smile. “This is from my time. You use to be able to turn this little wheel and…” she trailed off as she tried it a few more times. “Hm. Maybe water got into it somehow.”

    Ninari watched her hit the top of the lighter off the palm of her hand. “It doesn’t seem very useful.”

    Amy shook the lighter once more before turning the little wheel again. A bright flame came from its top, startling Ninari and Kieto. “Wh-what is that? Magic?”

    She giggled at their comments. “No, technology. These where common back in my time.” She lit the dried leaves placing more around the little fire she had started. “Now all we have to do is make sure it doesn’t go out.”

    “Right! I’ll take care of that part!” Ninari said gathering more twigs to feed the fire.

    “Hey, hey, can I try it?” Kieto said now aside of Amy.

    “Well, I guess…just be careful with it. I don’t want you to set yourself on fire.”

    “I’m not that stupid.” He commented taking the lighter from her. “I just want to study it…maybe we can figure out how to make them again…”

    Dieteru shook his head. “Like you could.”

    Kieto looked to him with narrowed eyes. “I could better then you.”

    Amy shook her head as she watched the two brothers argue before her. This is going to be a long night.

 

    After a few hours have past, Ninari and Kieto had fallen asleep, leaving Amy to her thoughts once again. She stared into the flames of their fire, mesmerized as she thought about the day before her, wondering how everything would turn out. If she was really going to die in her fight with the Alangi King and how the others would react once she was gone…

    “So,” Dieteru began in a low voice startling her. She hadn‘t even seen him sitting across from her on the opposite side of the fire. “How are you feeling?”

    She shrugged not bothering to look up at him. “All right I guess. A little cold and tired, but I guess I’m alright.”

    “Have you been taking your medicine?”

    She shook her head taking the brown bottle from her pouch, studying them. “I don’t need them.”

    There was a small pause as Dieteru shook his head. “You’re not going to get better if you don’t take them.” She didn’t answer him as she threw the bottle into the fire. It cracked loudly as the plastic coating burned within the flames. Dieteru looked back to her with a puzzled expression on his face, surprised at what she had done. “Why did you do that?”

    “It just seemed like the right thing to do.” She said standing, beginning to walk away.

    Dieteru quickly rose to his feet following after her. “Don’t you want to get better?” When she didn’t answer, he took hold of her left arm, turning her back to face him. “Amy, are you in that much of a hurry to die?”

    She shook her head avoiding his eyes as she looked to the ground. “Of course not, but fate has other plans for me.”

    “What are you hiding?”

    She let out a long sigh before looking him in the eyes. “Sagieta said you mustn’t know. That only she and I are to know the truth.”
    “The truth about what?”

    “I can’t say.”

    “Tell me.”

    “You are not to know.”

    “Why doesn’t she want you to tell me? I’ll only find out later.”

    “She believes you’ll try to interfere with my journey-”

    “I would never.” He stated slowly as he released her arm. “You are the one who will save my people. What could possibly make me want to interfere?”

Amy let out a sigh of relief. “That’s what I thought you would say.”

    “So, tell me what it is.”

    “Well, Sagieta told me that the prophecy she had told everyone else…well it wasn’t finished.”

    “Not finished?” He asked puzzled. “What else could there be?”

    Amy turned away from him, trying to think of how to say it. “The prophecy says that an Angel of Black Wings shall come and defeat the Alangi King. You know this as do your people.”

    “You’re stalling.”

    “No, I’m not.” She said facing him.

    “Amy-”

    She took in a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know how to say it.”

    “Just say it.”

    She looked to the ground. “That’s easy for you to say…Alright.” She looked back to him. “The rest of the prophecy states: ‘When the dust settles, the Angel of Black Wings shall never be seen again.’ Or something like that.”

    There was a small silence as Dieteru watched her, a questioning expression on his face. “You are to die?”

    “We don’t know.” She said looking away from his gaze. “But that is the most rational assumption.”

Dieteru shook his head in disbelief. “That’s insane!”

    Amy quickly walked over to him. “Sh! I don’t want to wake the others.” She said in a low voice giving cautious glances to Ninari and Kieto.

    "Why shouldn’t they know? They have the right.”

    “Dieteru, please. It’s already hard for me to go on this journey. Please don’t make it any harder.”

    He turned his head, not bothering to look at her. “I won’t let you do this.”

    Amy watched him taken aback. “But, your people-”

    “My people are from a proud bloodline. They would not want anyone sacrificing their lives for theirs.”

    “But if I don’t do this-”

    “We’ll find another way.”

    She shook her head doubtfully as she wrapped her arms around herself. “There is no other way.”

    “We don’t know that. We’ve never tired.” He took a step toward her as she looked to him. “We heard the prophecy and waited for the Angel to come and save us. We didn’t even try.”

    “Dieteru-”

    “We will find a way.” He said reassuringly. “And we are going to tell Ninari and Kieto.”

    “No-”

    “They have the right to know.” He said turning from her to wake the others.

    She grabbed his arm. “Please. At least wait until morning. They need their rest.”

    He looked away from her. “You’re unbelievable. You were facing this journey, knowing you were going to die, and you still worry about everyone else.”

    She smiled slightly, walking away from him to the fire. “Why should I worry about myself when I was chosen to protect others?” She gradually lowered herself onto the ground next to the fire lying down. “Goodnight.”

    She placed an arm under her head, staring into the flames of the fire. She was cold and had hoped the fire would help warm her as she thought of what Dieteru had said. If he wasn‘t going to let her do this, she would have to think of something to do. Maybe I’ll wait until he falls asleep and continue on with the journey alone. 

    She could hear Dieteru’s footsteps come behind her. He knelt down aside of her, placing a hand on her shoulder as he laid down aside of her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

    “What are you doing?” She said in a hushed voice.

    He tightened his grip pulling her closer resting his cheek upon hers. “It’s too cold out here for you in your current condition. Besides, I can keep a closer eye on you this way.”

    “You figured me out-”

    “Wasn‘t hard.”

    She sighed. I guess I’ll just have to stay here tonight. She thought frustrated, yet glad. She was able to be with the group for another day before she would…die. But, she would rather die for them, and that’s what kept driving her closer and closer to this King. I don’t care what he says. I have to defeat the Alangi King. If I don’t everyone else is going to die.