The Shamer's Daughter - A Fanfiction

Chapter 32 - Home

There were eight of them. Mr Magnus and the Widow, the Weapons Master, Rose, Nico and Dalie and Dina and her mother. It was a miracle that no one had found them through the night. They must have searched the city first, thinking that they didn't make it out and if they were lucky, everyone would think that they had died in the tunnels, eaten by beasts. But they had a long journey before them. They were all exhausted and always had to be on guard. The journey would take half a day on horseback, but they only had two horses and had to take turns resting their legs. Dina sat on the brown one for most of the way. Her arm was getting worse after all the pulling it had been through and though Melussina didn't tell her, she suspected sepsis. She grew more and more sick as the days passed and could barely stand on her feet. Dalie hunted and Magnus and the Widow gathered whatever edible they could find in the forest, but water was scarce and They were all thirsty all the time. On the morning of the third day, a maple leaf fell on Dina as she was lying bent forward on the horse's neck. It reminded her of the maple grove by the stream back home and when she reached to pick it from the horse's mane, where it had gotten stuck, she noticed a creek going under the road. She took a deep breath and though the smell wasn't any different than the rest of the woods, it made her realise that they were home. Birches. And when she lifted her head, she saw the hilltop with the white trees that had given the town its name. How she longed to rest in her own bed, wake up with Davin and Melli and have breakfast with her entire family in their small kitchen. But she never got to do that again. The first house you encountered when you came from that direction was that of the Shamer. At least it used to be. The only thing that was left now was a pile of stubs and ash and a few severly scorched beams. Everything was ruined. Even the trees in the orchard had been chopped or burnt and the once rich herb garden was now trampled and unrecognizable. The well was broken and at its bottom, their only goat was floating with its intestines contaminating the water. The water wouldn't be drinkable for years to come. Chicken and rabbits were beheaded or gutted and scattered across the courtyard and a rooster had even been flung against a wall and left a bloody mark that was almost dried out by now. A sparrow landed on what used to be the stable and sang a happy little tune, which made Dina want to writhe its neck around. Didn't it know what had happened? Everything was gone. Dina was so paralysed by the sight of her whole life smeared across the ground that she didn't even hear her mother's cries. And she didn't even notice how she started running towards the town with no regard for anyone else. Of course she needed to know what had become of Davin and Melli - and Dina felt a little guilty for not thinking of them sooner, but there wasn't room for any other feelings inside of her right now. The only thing she felt was grief and anger.

"I should have killed him." Nico muttered, stayed one step behind Dina, so he wouldn't intrude. Dina wished with a burning desire right then, that Nico had indeed used the sharp edge of his sword. There was no doubt: this was Drakan's revenge. They found Davin and Melli at Rikert the smith's house. It had happened the night before. Dragon soldiers had set the house on fire while they were asleep and Davin had made it out with his little sister without being noticed. The whole town had been searched, but it managed them to stay hidden in the loft of the workshop. Though Drakan had promised great awards for their capture - as it turned out, Birches were loyal to the Shamer and her children. No one had snitched, and to Dina's surprise, the Miller had actually defended them to one of the soldiers and had spent a night in the arrest. Beast had gone missing when the fire started, but they had found him the next day hiding out by the edge of the forest. Dina was met by the biggest hug imaginable by her brother when she opened the door to Rikert and Ellyn's place. And soon after, Melli joined in and they all melted into one big ball of love. Dina couldn't help but start crying now and though it started as happy tears from seeing her family again - it soon turned into uncontrollable sobbing. It was like everything caught up to her. All the danger she had been in, all the horror she had seen and all the pain she felt. Rose was sitting a little awkward by the table with a glass of tea that Ellyn had poured for her.