7 - The Seven Crystals

"Keep up Nadia, we can't keep stopping for you" Sophia called back to her sister.
She was worn out, exhausted and starving. The sun rose on the third morning since the destruction of their village. They had trekked a hundred miles on scraps and berries they could find. Their destination was the town of Muint, they hoped that they could tell someone what happened and hitch onto a cart heading for Paciadan. Sophia knew they ran trade routes out of town, she was praying that one would help them.
Nadia moved sluggishly up a steep muddy slope, occasionally losing her footing and having to reach out hopefully for the nearest branch. She huffed and puffed, climbing up to catch up with her sister. She looked up to see leaves fall down, Tommy was scouting ahead using the high branches in the giant Headle trees that towered above them. He skipped happily from branch to branch like a childish monkey. He clambered to the top and look back from where they came. He could still see the smoke in the distance, it rose high and thick, blacking out the sky to the east. Tommy felt sad as he gazed upon what was left of the only place that had ever really felt like home to him.
They were travelling through Headle Wood, named after the trees that grew there, this was the only place in the entire kingdom where these trees grew. Their red sap was rare and could be used for medicines, but could only be extracted in efficient time if you had the right screw tool to get beneath its thick bark.
The day moved on slowly, some heavy showers pour down upon but only lasting a few minutes. The girls tried to grab at the chance to get some water, using leafs as a bowl they guided the water into their open thirsty mouths. They walked another twenty miles before they came across a river. The River Te Awa flowed through the wood but with a heavy current. The girls rushed towards it but were stopped in their tracks when Tommy dropped down in front of them. He turned towards them and held his finger to his lips and made a quiet shushing sound. The girls looked round, not sure at what he had spotted then there was a rustle in a bush to the right of them. All three heads turned like startled deer, they held their breath, wondered what might pounce at them.
A small wild dog popped its head out of the leaves, growling at them. All three took a long breath of relief and chuckle to themselves. But then suddenly five other dogs came running out of the bush, the three, now panicking, quickly turned and dashed in the other direction. One way was blocked by trees, the only other route was across the river. Without hesitation Sophia dived straight in and came up, bobbing around, gasping for air. Tommy followed and surfaced just as quick. Nadia looked unsure and crept towards the edge. She shook her head as her sister shouted.
"Come on Nadia jump in! You have no choice!"
Realising her sister was right, she leapt in with the dogs nipping at her heels. She made a big splash and hit the water hard, but wasn't able to miss hitting her head on the rock lurking below the murky surface. Ten seconds had gone by and Nadia hadn't come up, Sophia got worried and swim firmly against the strong current. She dived under, Tommy could do nothing but get swept down stream by the current. Sophia came up with her sister clutched in her arms. Nadia's head was bleeding and she was unconscious.
"Come on sis, you can make it, I need you" Sophia pleaded as she let the current take her.
After twenty minutes of floating down stream, they swam to the side clutching at low branches and pulled themselves out. They looked around carefully before moving on, this time making sure they was nothing that could chase them. They found a secluded spot, hidden from view by a few thick trees. Sophia picked this as their place to stop for the night as the sun was going down through the trees in the distance.
Tommy using some sticks and kindling lit a fire, building it up slowly to help keep the girls warm. Sophia didn't want to admit it but having him with them on this journey had been priceless, he helped them at every turn and they probably would have been eaten by other things if it wasn't for young Tommy Sprakan.
Nadia was slowly coming back to the land of the living. Sophia helped her sip some water she had collected earlier. She stroked through Nadia's hair, trying to comfort her. Tommy had pried away at some tree bark for hours to get a tiny bit of red sap to put on the back of Nadia's head. She thanked them both as they got ready to drift off to sleep for the night.
The fire was still blazing well, Tommy had nestled himself between two branches about five feet from the ground and Sophia lay down close to her sister on the soft woodland floor, finding some moss for a bit of comfort. Nadia couldn't sleep, she was clutching at something in her pocket. She pulled out a brown book with a shiny golden binder. It was wet from the clash with the river but she could still make out the words. She had just managed to grab it from her bedroom before the attack started and she pulled out of the house by her sister. It was her most prized possession, a book that her dad had given her when she was seven years old. He knew from the moment she could talk that she was going to be the smart one in the family. She stroked the covering and read the gold lettering on the front 'The Legend Of The Seven Crystals'. They stood out, lifted from the page. She opened the cover and turned to the last few pages and read the end as she did every night before she could sleep, she felt like it was her one last connection to her father.
The passage read:

'In ancient times there was a race of stone people called the Kamren. They were a religious order which tasked themselves with the duty of maintaining the Kingdoms safety against all evil forces. They worshipped the God Bermius, they believed that Bermius once walked the lands bringing health and riches to people who needed it.
As times went on, fewer and fewer races believed in Bermius but the Kamren never lost their faith. The will of men grew stronger and they began to build cities and roads that lay a shadow over the once beautiful Kingdom. The Kamren did not agree with the ways of men and were cast out and driven to the mountains of Berg.
A man called Polhin made himself king and claimed rule over every living creature in the land. He was not an evil man but wanted power for his family. For his brother, Tlonius, the same could not be said. Tlonius was greedy and manipulative, he enjoyed bending people to his will. He hated his brother and wanted the throne for himself but his brother had a son, a living heir.
Tlonius hired three sell-swords to murder the little prince in his sleep. The prince lost his life after just three winters from his first cry. The Kingdom mourned the death of their prince, all but Polhin. He became mad with rage and drank heavily. He slowly destroyed himself and his Kingdom over the next few years. The poor revolted and took down the government and the only man that stood against them was Tlonius for fear of losing his throne. During the final battle of the uprising, Tlonius caught his brother in the crossfire on purpose with an arrow through his heart. Polhin fell over the battlements to his death and was said to have muttered the last words 'I will see my son again'.
After the dust settled Tlonius took the throne, he was not merciful to those who rose up against the king and had them and their families all slaughtered like cattle. He ordered their headless bodies to be hung on crosses outside their native town to show the people what happens when they disrespect their king.
A lone warrior who used to fight for King Polhin's army called Asher Cline, sort out the race of Kamren to ask for their help. Asher was one of the last men to still believe in the ways of Bermius. He spent four years of his life tracking down the Kamren after his wife was killed by Tlonius after raising up against his brother.
He found them lurking within the burrowed caves of the mountains of Berg. He stood before them as a believer of Bermius and asked them for forgiveness for man's crimes against the Kingdom. He told them that he wanted man to start again and asked them to burn the cities to the ground leaving people to fend for themselves, to return to their origins in the dirt. They told him that for this task to be completed Asher would have to sacrifice his heart so that seven crystals could be made from its righteous soul. He willingly gave them his heart and cut it out of his own chest with the knife his wife had given him the day she died. His body is said to still be laying there in the mountains of Berg in his grave marked with just two letters 'A C' and the carving of a knife.
Tlonius learnt of Ashers betrayal and commanded his armies to march on the mountains of Berg to capture these seven crystals for his own personal gain. A long battle ensued which lasted weeks and left thousands dead, humans and Kamren alike. Tlonius drove himself mad searching for those crystals once the battle had been won, he never found them. He died falling off a cliff months later, trying to get a better look at a cave, well that is one story anyway, another is that the last Kamren killed him and hid his body, taking the crystals with him or he was thrown from his horse and still wanders qthe hills in search of the crystals. The whereabouts of the seven crystals are unknown but they are said to shine like stars in the night sky. Some say they were scattered over the mountains, or taken to the furtherest reaches of the Kingdom. They may not even exist. But it is fair to say if anyone ever does find them then they will be able to burn down cities with a single touch.'

She shut the final page with a smile on her face, her ritual was complete, it made her feel whole again as if everything wasn't actually falling apart around them. She lifted her head to look at Tommy, she thought of what he might be dreaming of, she imagined them filled with images of free flowing rivers and trees dancing in the wind. She gently rested her hand on her strong, tough older sister, thinking how lucky she was to have someone like that who was looking out for her. She looked straight up into the night sky and could just catch a glimpse of a few flickering stars. She had always thought since that dreadful day at Fort Goran that her father was up there, watching over them both. Now she knew that her mother joined him, together again after six long years apart. She lied down beside her sister with a smile on her face. She wanted to feel safe and happy before having to wake up to the horrible day of tomorrow which was more walking and the unknown of what lay ahead of them at the Town of Muint.