Hold Me as I Fall

Chapter 1: Hold Me as I Fall

The stars shone brightly as the cold night air billowed harshly through the darkened forest. Tall trees stretched out towards the sky with thick branches and wide bases, reaching out to one another, entangling themselves. The wind blowing their leaves in a way that made the trees look as though they were shivering and forced to hold on to one another to keep warm. A small hole in the middle of the trees was playing host to a fire and surrounding that fire were five figures. Their clothes were tattered, cuts and dirt marked their faces, and the harsh winds were causing them to tremble.

"I am so sorry, Bevin." One of them whispered. His eyes were dark, his hair curly and golden. Tears glistened on his cheeks as his voice broke mid whisper. One of his eyes was swollen with a long cut that started just below his left brow and led all the way back to his ear. An empty sheath lay across his lap as he sat, legs crossed in front of the fire. He dropped his head into his hands while his shoulders shook slightly.

Across from him sat two female figures, both wearing light blue robes. "Coimeartach. A coward. That's what you are." Spat one of the two. Long dark hair framed her face and fell to the grassy forest floor, lost in the shadows as it dissipated into each blade of grass. The other woman draped across her lap and over her other leg, crying into her robes.

The second woman had silver hair that reflected the moonlight's gaze as it streamed down into their small opening. Her bare feet were visible just under the edge of the robe as it shifted from her sobs. The rest of her was hidden in the folds of the tattered remains of the robes.

"Seath. Enough. Arguing will only bring about more stress for Bevin." A soft, deep voice spoke from the edges of the fire. The flames causing shadows to fall on his face. His eyes a deep golden, his hair short and raven black. He spoke softly but his words carried a commanding tone as if to dare her to continue. A bow was strung across his back, along with an almost empty quiver. Silver feathers adorned the top of the arrows he had remaining. His nose was off center and dried blood caked his upper and lower lip, forming a red line down his chin, as though it had recently been broken.

Bevin sat up with the help of Seath. Her eyes were green with dark bags underneath them giving her a hollowed appearance. Her cheekbones were prominent and her lips thin. Tear trails ran down her face and met with the mucus that ran from her nose. As the flames flickered across her face, the bags under her eyes seemed to grow longer. She stared down at her hands, and softly touched a tattoo that was on the back of her left hand.

The shadows made it hard to see what the symbol was, but as the firelight rose and fell, a hint of purple could be seen. The seconds trickled by in silence with only the wind and the sound of the fire making noise. Bevin sniffled and watched as the purple seemed to get darker. Black ink replaced the purple and the skin around the tattoo suddenly became red, as if inflamed. "Dioghaltas," she choked.

All eyes turned to Bevin, wide in shock and surprise. "Bevin-" a voice started. This voice was not as deep as the male with the bow, but his words still carried a weight to them, as if he was in a position of power within the group. Only the shadow of his figure could be seen as he stood the furthest from the fire, on the edge of the tree line where the canopies hid him from the moonlight.

"Dioghaltas." She said again. This time, her voice was stronger, and steady. She looked up from tracing her hand to meet the dark eyes of the man across from her. He stared back in horror as she stood up, grasping a purple sword hilt that was near the heel of her right foot and pulling it up with her. "It is my right to take it. You cannot be forgiven, Boyd." Standing up, she was small and stood no higher than 5'2", her blue robes were torn, and bloodied. Deep cuts could be seen where the torn clothes moved against the wind. Despite her small stature, the stance and manner by which she stood gave a menacing feeling that was felt by the entire group.