Chapter 7- Ver

Chapter 7- from Ver Rimpina's view

Watching the campfire flicker as his two companions slept, Ver refused to let his eyes close. He sat cross-legged on the ground with one hand on the hilt of his dagger, the other fingering the paper in his pocket.

        Pulling it out, he read the scribbled handwriting on it:

        “One can be found where two rivers meet in a long-forgotten forest, another with a well-trusted dragon. The most powerful one under the bridges to other bridges, and the last guarded in the heart of enemy territory.”

         Ver stared at the paper, hesitating upon his next action. Looking back up at the fire, Ver thought he saw it change. He thought he saw the fire become more intense, as if waiting for more fuel. It had been a while since he had added any sticks to keep it burning. Looking at the ground around him, he saw numerous twigs scattered about him. He picked some up and tossed them into the fire.

The fire crackled, sounding content with its new food. Ver stood up and sheathed his sword. Walking over to the fire, he stared at it for some time before walking over to the girl. Her breathing was slow, but steady. Ver nudged her with his foot. When she didn’t respond, Ver laid his hand on her forehead and felt the usual amount of warmth coming off of it.

Standing up again and walking over the Markus, Ver nudged him. He groaned and turned over, his back facing Ver.

“Wake up.”

“I already did my watch.”

“I have something to show you.”

Markus rolled over, looking at Ver through sleepy eyes. “Like what? It can’t wait for morning?”

Ver knelt down. “Not unless you want her knowing what she really is.”

“What’s so bad about that? She knows she’s running from the so-called law .”

“She doesn’t know who her father is. It’s obvious.”

“She’s wanted, and so are you now. Being caught with both of you is handing my head over to the guards. Knowing who she is will help her understand why every uniformed person hates her.”

“Do you know who her father is?”

Markus shook his head. “No, but I have a guess.”

“Who?”

“That man who led the rebel group.”

“Yeah. Him. You should be happy you weren’t there when his head was chopped off. His name was Whabur Quay.”

“Okay. I’m going back to sleep now.”

Markus rolled back over. Ver dropped the piece of paper in front of Markus’s face. “Then read this when you wake up.”

He stood up and resumed his previous position by this fire, this time looking out into the forest. He heard some rustling behind him for a second before it went quiet again, remaining for only a few seconds.

“Her father wrote this?”

Ver turned around to see Markus sitting up, looking down at the paper. “No. He said it with a sword at his throat.”

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay.