Reminiscence

Chapter 13

The light begins to creep and crawl upon the land as we sit in a circle by the table. Mazuka's going over his plans, and I'm still trying to calm Matteo down. It slips into the shadows, and under the doors. Matteo's breath is shaky, still panicked from the hours before. No one got any sleep that night. Sometimes, I still think about the war, and how dramatic and traumatic it became after the demons broke through our barriers.

"People, we need a plan. Like now. Everyone will realize Victorie is missing."

"Matteo, please just shut up for once. We'll find them, but we also need to take the time to rest and form a team. It's getting ridiculous."

"Please do listen to Mazuka, he's right."

He glares at us, and I shake my head before getting to my feet. "I'm going to get changed while y'all figure out what to do for the day."

The hall is echoey when I advance back to my room. I nudge open the door and step back inside.

By the time I'm changed into my day clothes, the two men in the other room have formulated a board of ideas. I decide to lean against the doorframe and listen in.

"Okay so we know where they went missing, right?"

"Yeah. we do, but now I don't know where to start."

"You're taking Nesra with you, don't be a fool, mortal."

My hearing must be worse than I thought. Did he say he wanted to go find Victorie on his own? That can't be, he'd get himself killed if he went alone. "We don't even

know where they are, Matteo. Don't be a fool." I sigh and step into the room.

"I'm not a fool. They asked me to keep them safe for crying out loud and I'm gonna keep it. I don't break my promises."

"Looks like you may have already broken that one, boy."

Mazuka sweeps up the papers and leaves quickly and quietly.

I follow him out to the garden, where he's pulling up vegetables and doing his best to dust them off. "Why'd you say that 'Zuka. you know he's worried about them." I murmur as I move to the small marble bench in the corner.

"He's already broken that promise. He never even made it in the first place, all they wanted out of him was protection." He dusts off his hands and runs the vegetables under the small wash by the back of the house. At this point I'm seriously confused. What on earth is he talking about? Victorie did seem eager to, kind of, show off who they had as a friend and a protector.

Mazuka and I finish gathering everything from the garden.

"What did you mean when you said you knew about the promise, and that he never made it?" I question him as we head in through the backdoor.

"Lystia, the being of prophecy and future fortune read his and Victories telling to me. Then, asked me not to speak of it to anyone anymore. But the war happened. And it happened instantly. You remember, Nesra. Everything was thrown into chaos, everyone, too."

"Yeah, but Lystia's gone now or so we think, so why does it matter? What does it matter if the two had a weird fortune read to them?"

Mazuka pauses. "Because they should have never met." I stare at him.

If they hadn't, I would have never been put in this situation, and maybe that's a good thing. But, at the same time I'm glad I met them, and I met Matteo. He's a good person, albeit a bit frustrating at times. Everyone is like that though, tough and daring.

Maybe, just maybe, it's easier without Victorie here. No noise, no attitude (although theirs is quite pleasant most of the time), and most importantly, it's a chance for me to meet my friends and see my family again. No matter how long it's been, I missed them.