The Reader - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

Emmeline struggled against the tight grip of the man, clawing at his hairy arm. She tried to scream again but her voice died in her throat as something slammed into her stomach. A fist, maybe? Emmeline couldn’t be sure but the pain made her lose her grip and her arms dropped away, limp. 

Breathing became nearly impossible and to suck in another breath was like climbing an extremely tall mountain. It felt like each breath could be her last. 

Why wasn’t Newt waking up? 

Emmeline took matters into her own hands, biting down on the mans arm. He yelped in pain, but didn’t release her. She sunk her teeth further into his dirty skin and he immediately let go. Emmeline scrambled away, tripping over the roots of the trees. 

She couldn’t make out any of his features but she knew the man was large. She scrambled towards the fire, hoping that maybe, just maybe, the man would fall into the fire or Newt would wake up and help her. But as she passed the white flames on her frantic crawl, she realized that Newt was gone. 

Had another man taken him? She didn’t have time to worry about that - the original man was still hot on her trail. Too bad she hadn’t thought to take one of Master Zoro’s knives - not that she would be willing to kill anyone anyways.

Emmeline continued to crawl across the ground in no particular direction until she almost hit a tree. 

Suddenly, Emmeline grabbed the rough bark. It burned her fingers but she wrapped her legs around the trunk and began to inch upwards. It didn’t take long for her to shimmy high enough to grab a branch and pull herself into the tree. 

Just as she anticipated, the man followed her to the tree and wrapped his arms - which were as thick as the large snakes sometimes seen in the forest - and began to climb the way Emmeline had. The girl grabbed the branch above her and continued to pull herself up. The tree wasn’t tall and soon Emmeline was at the top. 

The branches were thin and they bent under her weight. Luckily enough, the next tree wasn’t far away. Emmeline didn’t hesitate - she knew to think was to die at the hands of the man. 

She pushed herself from the branch and leapt to the next tree. Emmeline hit the trunk hard, but she managed to keep herself against the tree and gripped it with white knuckles. She inched her way upwards so she was at the top of the new tree, and then she risked a look at the man who had tried to take her.

The man was perched at the top of the other tree, but the branches were barely supporting him. The entire tree seemed to wilt under his weight and the man seemed to know what was coming. 

He copied Emmeline and pushed himself off the first tree. However, with his weight the tree snapped and the man’s lift was ruined. He fell to the ground, hitting the rocks and roots with his head. When Emmeline was sure we was unconscious she climbed down the tree, her ribs protesting the movement. 

She inspected the man, his limp body was covered in dirt and grime and blood. 

But as she reached into his pockets Emmeline realized that he wasn’t a trader after all. He had no burlap sacks or special dust that was supposed to make victims fall asleep. In fact - the pockets of his vest were empty except for two small sheets of parchment. 

The first was a letter addressed to someone named “Darling Arty”, and when Emmeline began to read she realized the letter was to the man from his wife. She stopped reading, trying to leave him with as much privacy as possible. The next parchment was covered in thin lines of ink - and the parchment was weak like it had been used a lot. 

Emmeline flipped it over to find her own face staring back at her. 

She did the best she could to bite back a scream, but it built in her like a festering wound. Just as she opened her mouth, something grabbed her arm and Emmeline let loose. 

She whipped her arms around wildly, attempting to make contact with whatever had hurt her or touched her. “Emmeline, what are you doing?” Confusion surfaced in her mind and Emmeline stopped flailing. 

Newt stood behind her, looking terrified and confused at the same time. 

“Sorry,” Emmeline mumbled, her voice filled with tremors. She wished she hadn’t flipped out on him. 

“What’s that!” Newt cried out, noticing the body that was behind her. 

“He’s not dead,” Emmeline explained with a blush. “He tried to attack me while you were goddess even knows where!” 

“I woke up when the scuffle started,” Newt said, kneeling next to the body and flipping one of the hands over. “I went to grab our bags because I hid a dagger in one of them - and I was going to help you.” 

Emmeline shook her head. “I took care of him, but look what I found.” 

She handed him the slip of parchment an shock registered on Newt’s face before it shifted to anger. He handed her back the parchment. “Echo, we need to keep moving.” 

Emmeline didn’t argue - although she did notice that he had referred to her as Emmeline earlier. She shook the thought out of her head. Focus, Emmeline. We need to get to Ibeni and then the Library of Power. We can’t focus on Newt and his weird habits. 

Newt was quick to put of the fire, but Emmeline could still smell the smoke. She pointed it out but Newt shrugged it off. They moved the body aside, although it took a lot of muscle work. Emmeline was still exhausted but she followed Newt anyways, rubbing sleep from her eyes. 

The forest was dark and the lantern had gone out, plunging the pair into darkness. Emmeline didn’t want to risk lighting the lantern again. 

But as they continued the sounds of the forest grew louder and Emmeline began to wish she hadn’t opted for the darkness. An owl hooted nearby, making her jump. Something cracked in the bushes behind them.

And as much as Emmeline didn’t want to admit it - she was scared. 

The weird man with the picture of her was enough of a freak incident. But between the boy from the day before and Temple of Purity gossip from Willow, Emmeline had a feeling something bigger was going on. 

That much was obvious. 

But how would a little boy start a war? So many questions raced through her mind. I’ll just ask Ibenily when we get to the Library, Emmeline decided. 

And so the journey continued. 

The sun was rising when they reached the first village and the second they arrived Emmeline began to wonder what all she had been missing by living at the circus. 

The village was alive with live even at the early hour. 

A travelling tradesmen was leading a donkey down the dirt paths, waving at the others like he knew all of them. Another woman was opening up her store for the day, fresh produce sending a lovely aroma towards Emmeline and Newt. 

At first, Emmeline was a bit nervous of all the people. She tugged her sleeves further over her arms as she saw many of the people exposed the marks on their arms. 

But it became clear that the carefree life the people lead didn’t concern a Reader and Emmeline felt more comfortable. Even Newt seemed to relax when he saw a nearby poet carrying rolls of parchment to a stand on the street. 

Children raced through the streets, their tunics and skirts billowing in the soft breeze. Emmeline had dreamt of a wonderful childhood filled with friends and games, but it never came true. Now, she was standing in a village where everyday was play for these children who were oblivious to the problems of the world. 

A woman spotted them walking down the street and called out. Newt was skeptical, but Emmeline let her approach. “I haven’t seen you two around here before. Anything you need help with?” 

Emmeline looked at Newt, who shrugged. “We’re just passing through.” 

The woman looked at the pair suspiciously before her frown morphed into a smile. “You look famished. Here, I insist you take this fruit - free of charge, of course. But be sure to recommend Becka next time you see someone hungry.” 

“Of course,” Newt smiled and accepted the fruit. He held out a piece to Emmeline, who bit into the sweet flesh. Juice dribbled down her chin and the tangy flavor made her hungry for more. But she tucked the remaining fruit into her bag for a later time. The woman seemed satisfied and practically skipped back to her stand. 

“Blimey,” Newt whispered when she was gone. “People here really don’t care about strangers, do they?” 

“Master Zoro always…,” Emmeline began but Newt cut her off. 

“He’s not our master anymore, just Zoro,” he interrupted. “And yes, he always made villages out to be hungry and poor - terrible places.” 

And Emmeline wasn’t sure that anything could be a bigger lie than that. 

This village was filled with so many people and so much happiness that she wasn’t sure how anyone could claim it was terrible. “Maybe not all villages are like this?” Emmeline suggested. 

“I find that hard to believe,” Newt smirked. “But I suppose that’s a good thing.” 

“Let’s go,” Emmeline pushed him. “We need to get to the Library and it can’t be that far.” Newt rolled his eyes but picked up the pace. 

The village was wide awake by now - even though the on the average circus day, none of the acts would be awake yet. People lined the streets, calling out prices and products. The poet recited stories to excited children, his face lit with excitement as he told of a troll and princess. 

Emmeline would’ve sat and listened all day if it weren’t for Newt, still dragging her along. And the sense of dread she felt for the boy. 

As the day wore one, Emmeline’s eyes began to grow heavy. By the time they reached the second village she was barely upright and in control of her own body. Noon had passed without mention and Newt was too afraid they would eat their only food. 

With empty stomachs, Emmeline and Newt arrived at the second village as the sun was just beginning to set. 

Exhaustion was setting in and Emmeline felt as though she had walked across the entirety of the two kingdoms. Newt was awake enough to sign them into the inn at the second village - and the kindly woman didn’t ask any questions. 

The room was small - with two straw cots. But Emmeline was battling sleep and the second she laid down it claimed her. 

Immediately, the visions followed. Every time Emmeline slept she would experience the worst visions of her Readings. So she wasn’t surprised when the visions took her away, and she couldn’t even protect herself. 

A young woman journeying to become a soldier - her eyes filled with the steel of determination. During her training an opponent slams a sword into the side of her head, killing her instantly. 

A man, sneaking out of his window to visit the neighbor’s more beautiful wife. His own wife catches him and keeps quiet. She sneaks away the next night to pray to Dixral. The man dies the next night by unknown means. 

A tiny girl, playing at a beach. A tidal wave picks her up, swaddling her in its grasp. The girl squeals with delight - and the noise is heard by a fire-user, who attacks the water. The tiny girl is struck with the bolts of fire that leave scorch marks across the sides of her face and down her arms - but the markings stay. 

A teen boy. Blood and war and death. His mother is covered with a silvery sheen while his father has a greenish tint. Both parents have no eyes - only dark pits. 

Emmeline hadn’t been expecting to wake so soon. As her eyes flickered open she saw the full moon and immediately wondered what had caused her to wake. 

She turned to see if Newt was experiencing the same things, and he was sitting on the edge of his cot, his eyes open but staring into nothingness. Emmeline was a little nervous - was he summoning something in his sleep? 

Suddenly, his pupils began to grow until they consumed his entire eyes, turning them all black. Emmeline felt herself tremor, but she held herself still. 

Newt’s mouth opened and dark smoke poured from it like he was a dragon - not that Emmeline had ever seen one. Then a voice came from the boy - a voice that wasn’t his. It was raspy and feminine, filled with a rich accent that Emmeline had troubled understanding. 

“Girl, you are finally awake,” the voice said with what felt like a hint of a smirk. Newt’s expression didn’t change even though something was speaking through him. 

“Who are you?” Emmeline whispered. The voice had almost spoken directly into her head - but she had no idea how to do the same. 

“Use your head,” the voice told her with a laugh. 

Emmeline thought back to what Master Zoro always pounded into their heads. There were two kingdoms, of course. The silver was to the east and the green to the west. Each one had six many regions, each one littered with villages. But each region was ruled by a patron goddess. Newt hailed from Dinrali, which meant his patron goddess was Dixral - goddess of death.

Only a patron goddess could sneak into the minds of their subjects, which meant Emmeline was speaking to Dixral. “You’re Dixral,” Emmeline guessed. 

Dixral laughed through Newt. “Took you long enough. I have been waiting for a while in the body of this boy. He hides many things from you, and from the others as well. But that is not the point. Can you guess why I am here?” 

“I’m assuming not to bring us some biscuits,” Emmeline replied bitterly. 

Dixral laughed again. “Right again, my dear. But I suppose guessing really is no fun. So let me tell you why exactly I am here. You know that Readers have no patron goddess.” Emmeline nodded at the well-known fact. “Well because you have no patron goddess all of the goddesses watch over you. So I am here to warn you - the boy you seek is in grave danger. As are you, darling. I recommend you find Ibenily before too long. Speak to her and use her knowledge to find the boy.” 

“Thanks for the information,” Emmeline sighed. “But I already knew all that.” 

Dixral seemed to raise an eyebrow. “The boy you seek is like you in a way. He hails from no kingdom nor region - not a singular one anyways. But you Read him, correct? And you saw many things - especially war. I remind you that Readings always come true. There will be a war and there will be sides. The goddesses will be forced to choose sides as well.” 

“Why are you telling me this?” Emmeline asked her. 

“My dear Echo,” Dixral said. “There are things you won’t understand. But for now, know that whatever you do will lead to a war. Everything is already decided and we can’t change it. So when you save the boy, remember that everything you do will lead to war. There is no escape.” 

“So you can see the future?” Emmeline was grasping at straws now. As much as she wanted Newt back so she could tell him everything, she wanted the goddess to stay and comfort her. Even if the goddess of death wasn’t super friendly, she had still warned Emmeline. 

“That is my sister’s job,” Dixral said. “I must say farewell now. This boy is fighting my grip on him, which will only do him more harm than good. I hope I didn’t hurt him. Good luck, Echo.” And with that Newt fell back against the bed and the dark smoke circled once around Emmeline before disappearing. 

The boy fell back against the cot. Emmeline rushed to him, trying to find a pulse. 

His heart was still and he wasn’t breathing. Emmeline cried out, slamming her hands against his chest in attempt to wake him up. 

Suddenly, Newt bolted up right, coughing and wheezing. His pupils were back to normal, although his skin was still pale. Emmeline checked his pulse again, no surprised to find that it had appeared, though abnormally fast. 

His eyes closed again and his breathing resumed, but Emmeline didn’t want to take her eyes off of him. Had he almost died because Dixral had possessed him? Or was there something else at hand? She wasn’t sure. 

Exhaustion overwhelmed Emmeline again, and she finally let sleep take her again. 

This time the visions didn’t come. 

The sun streamed through the windows, and on to Emmeline’s face. She stretched, opening her eyes fully. 

Newt was asleep on the other cot, a small line of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth. Emmeline smiled to herself but decided to let him sleep. He needed the sleep if they were going to reach the Library. 

That was until a scream shattered the silence. 

Emmeline’s heart leapt into her throat as she bolted upright. She risked a peek out the tiny window - which she had to use a bucket to reach - and discovered a small crowd was forming in the center of the road. 

In the middle was the man that had attacked them in the forest previously. Terror flooded Emmeline’s body as the man glanced around at the windows of the houses. She ducked and stayed hidden behind the wall for a moment until she risked another look. The man was beginning to speak, so she unlocked the windows and opened them enough for the sound to leak through. 

“... attacked me,” the man was saying. He was holding a piece of parchment too far away for Emmeline to make out the details. 

But she already knew what was on it. She felt around in her pockets and withdrew the small parchment she had stolen from the man not long before. A sense of guilt began to worm its way into Emmeline’s body. Did the man belong to this town? 

“The girl wasn’t alone, either,” the man was explaining to anyone who was listening. Beside him was a woman who might have been his wife, as she was clutching his arm tightly and wiping the dried blood off his forehead with a wet cloth. “There was someone with her, and they fought back against me. No amount of gold coins is worth fighting the pair.” 

“Why is Viridi even looking for her?” another lady asked. 

“She lied to some of the soldiers and therefore is charged with treason,” the man sighed. “I wouldn’t have even tried - especially a task from the Green Kingdom - unless the coin was enough. The reward is rich, but I’m done helping the West.” 

“You could be condemned for treason yourself,” his wife gasped. “You helped the Green Kingdom!” 

The man shrugged. “I have a feeling Silver will be after the girl before too long. She doesn’t stand a chance…” 

“What is going on here?” another woman strode into the street, clutching a basket of fruit to her side. The man showed her the parchment and the woman wrinkled her nose. “I know that girl! I gave her fruit yesterday.” 

“Really?” the man seemed surprised. 

“She’s staying at the Inn,” the woman explained and Emmeline felt her hopes plummet. 

She closed the window and locked it, flipping the bucket back over and gathering her stuff. The man was searching for her and so was the entire Green Kingdom by the sound of it. 

“Newt,” Emmeline whispered frantically. “Newt!” She shook him harshly and he groaned, his eyes flickering open. He rubbed his head, propping himself up on the cot and groaning. 

“Echo? What’s happening?” he was suddenly wide awake and Emmeline shoved his bags into his hand. 

“I’ll explain on the way,” she hissed, throwing the open the door to their room. “Don’t get seen.” Newt arched an eyebrow but didn’t comment, which Emmeline appreciated greatly. She couldn’t run and talk at the same time. 

“Did a super hot guy see your or something?” Newt asked with a laugh. 

Emmeline rolled her eyes. “Shut up and carry the satchel. Leave your ego behind if you can’t fit that in the bag.” 

But as soon as Emmeline opened the door the room filled with the sound of footsteps at the bottom of the inn. Emmeline slammed the door, locking it tightly. “Open the window,” she ordered. 

Newt stood, pulling on his satchel before darting to the window. He peered out and turned to Emmeline, his face rather green. “Are you insane?” 

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights,” Emmeline grumbled. Then she climbed out the open window, gripping the ledge of with her fingers. “It’s not too big of a drop - you should be fine.” 

Then she let go and plummeted to the ground. 

Her feet absorbed most of the shock, but Emmeline groaned from the impact. She rolled aside just as Newt landed where she had been. 

“They’re escaping!” someone cried out, but Emmeline didn’t have time to turn and look. 

She grabbed Newt’s hand and they fled into the alleys of the town, arrows whizzing over their shoulders. 

Then a blinding pain hit Emmeline in the arm.