Chapter 2

A Chapter by gavinmichaels

Chapter 2

The rat tat tat of rain on the roof of the tent greeted Shiran as she came to consciousness. Opening her eyes slowly she took in her surroundings, a large tent with several sleeping forms. From the meager light she took it to be just after sundown or just before sunrise.

She experimentally moved her limbs to see if she was bound, and finding that she was not Shiran slowly lifted herself into a sitting position. She noted four forms in the tent, all of a size to be men, and all of them between her and the exit of the tent. One of the forms was obviously her brother, who also seemed unfettered. If she could make it to him and wake him without rousing anyone else they might be able to make a break for it.

Gauging the distance and path to her brother was easier than making her way over. Unlike plants these men constantly moved rearranging the landscape and making her revise her plan. She glanced at each man's face as she passed locking them into her mind for future reference in case they came after her or Ethin again.

Once she reached Ethin she gently nudged his shoulder while cupping her hand over his mouth in case he made any noise. He came awake instantly since he had always been a very light sleeper. Though his nostrils flared he did not struggle or make any noise.

Shiran bent close to his ear, "It's me," she breathed barely making a sound. "We're going to get out of here now. Just follow my lead."

Instead of the acquiescence she expected, Ethin gave one vehement shake of his head. Taken aback Shiran dropped her hand from his mouth.
"No sis," he said just as quietly. "We are not captives, but guests."

"What are you talking about?"

"These men are here at our mother’s request."

"I don't understand, mother passed several years ago, how can they be here at mother’s request?"

"Do you remember the old tale mom used to tell us, the about the elf and giant combining to save the world?"

"Yes, yes, she used to tell us that to make us feel better about being of mixed blood."

"Well that's what I thought as well but it turns out it was true. She was, in her own vague way, preparing us for our futures. You know she was a Power user, it's obvious because someone had to have taught you and there were no others in our village.

"You also know because of her elven blood she lived longer than most humans. Well before she came to Helvian she used the Power to do a divination for the king. This was about nineteen years ago. In this divination she saw a terrible evil rising, and us, her children, standing against it. The battle could go one of two ways. The poem she recited to us was a small portion of this divination, but crucial. It contains the key to victory. The time foretold is at hand and they have come to take us to learn of our destiny."

"Wait," Shiran hissed, "why should we believe any of this? Why do you?"

Ethin lowered his in shame. " On her death bed mother gave me a letter...."

"And you didn't tell me?!!!"

"She asked me not to. Not until the seventh day of Eryth."

"That's today!"

"Yes, I was supposed to tell you and we were to read the letter together, but you were already gone when I got up. I struggled through the morning trying to decide whether or not to wait for you and finally in the early afternoon I decided that I would read the letter first then let you read when you came home.

"It was good that I did. It told of the divination and that there would be men coming to take us to the king, where we would learn the whole of our destiny. Where we would learn to fight the evil that rises."

"Wait," Shiran interrupted " are you telling me that we are supposed to fight this “evil'?"

"Yes," Ethin answered.

"With what?" Shiran shouted, no longer caring if she woke anyone up. "You, a man who cannot bring himself to do violence even in his own defense, and me, a girl so weak in the power that I pass out after using it to knock a couple men down?"

"Actually," said a smooth voice from just outside the tent entrance "you did more than knock a few men down. I had three of the four who would have died if not for intervention with the "Power" as you call it."

Shiran squinted through the gloom trying to make out the man’s face. As he stepped into the tent holding a small oil lamp, she gasped and recoiled. It was obviously the same man who had shielded her before, but the whole left side of his face running down into the neck of his tunic was swollen and purple.

"If you are trying to smile it's not working." Shiran sniffed, an obvious effort to conceal her unease at the damage she had caused him "You look more like a snarling dog! And I will not apologize for my actions! You shouldn't have tried to contain me with such a weak shield. It's your own fault!"

"No, no need to apologize. We didn't realize you were near. We were going to meet you outside the gates with your brother coming before us to explain. You did right in trying to protect your brother.
"Let me start by introducing myself. I am Ereith, a friend of your mothers. I was actually quite young when I met your mother. She worked in the palace and I was the son of one of the groundskeepers. She used to watch me with the other palace children, but I distinguished myself from the others early on. Smarter than the others I was reading before them and began working with the power before I was seven. She was my teacher.

"When I was twelve she did a divination for the king. This caused quite a stir and she became the target of several factions in the palace who thought she was charlatan just trying to usurp a noble or even the throne itself. Fearing for her safety the king sent her to this village on the outskirts of his kingdom, with the admonishment not to speak of who she was or anything of her prophesy for fear that she would be found out and killed.

"Before she left she pulled me aside and told me of this prophecy, asking me to come find you on this day, claiming that your safety hinged on it. I agreed, not sure how to take everything I had just learned, still being so young, but your mother had always been so good to me and had never lied to me before.
"So I have kept my word, though I don't know what I'm to protect you from. I am your friend as I was your mothers, and will give my life to protect you and help you fulfill your destiny."

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