The Ember In The Storm (undergoing editing)

Chapter 9: Inquietude

      FOUR nights had elapsed after the day of Elizabeth and Jackson's encounter in the market. Everything was going pleasing. Elizabeth spent most of her days in the bedroom. Jackson had demanded so for he feared the other officials would learn of her stay in their campus and do ill to her. She would have been accused of being a spy or something foolish. Only Roman and his other four trusted men knew of her presence within his cabin.

Most of all, conflict would break out if the others knew of her relationship with the General himself. As much as it may have looked like imprisonment, her husband was only trying to keep her safe.

When she stepped outside, she only had to be with his men or he himself. Every morning, she was only allowed to step out during breakfast and when a small sound as much as the bush ruffling, she was hurried away into the cabin again, even if it would have just been a mere stray frail dog. On one occasion however, it was not a dog or even a rabbit.

Elizabeth was seated next to Jackson and laying her head on his shoulder that evening. The five troops sat opposite them and told stories as she smiled in fascination weakly due to her exhaustion.

They were all seated around an open air fire. Usually they would be cooking something there but that night there was nothing of special. The night was cold and so they decided to spend a few hours around it. It was huge and beheld flames of menacing red and orange. Elizabeth was three feet from it and she could feel the hot radiation hitting her face and legs. The mug of coffee in her hand was not helping as she was sweating from the atmosphere scalding.

Elizabeth still smiled at the five men ahead of her and behind the fire. One of them— who she had now began to know was Alex— was standing to his feet and demonstrating how he defeated a bear on his own.

"All but fables, believe not a word he says", one of the troops, Sean by name had said, rolling his eyes and drinking to his coffee—or tea.

"How would you know? I do not recall your presence there", Alex frowned down at him, bringing his hands to his waist. The two had a back and forth argument, just as they usually did.

Elizabeth laughed at them both softly, seeing how they acted like brothers. This dropped her smile and she could not help but remember and long for her own brother, Michael. She felt a deep sense of guilt within her heart for allowing him to be robbed from her so easily.

She lifted her head high to meet Jackson's, he doing the same and wondering what she needed. "I feel rather ti—"

However, she was cut shortly by him, his arms gripping her shoulders tightly and pulling her within, as if letting her dodge something.

"Kill it!" Jackson exclaimed pushing Elizabeth behind him. She opened her eyes in alarm and looked back to where she was seated to catch sight of whatever creature they had to be killing.

Besides her previous seat was a brute lifting its head high, nearly four feet. It was coal in color and its scales shimmered next to the burning bright fire. The sales of its neck was spread like a hood as it hissed at Jackson and Elizabeth angrily.

"A snake!" Alex jumped in alarm.

"Shoot it", Jackson said once more, this time rather calmly as his arms spread in front of Elizabeth in security. He sat still and nearly seemed nonchalant about the situation when in fact he was trying to not provoke it any further.

"The devil, we left our guns inside, General", Sean said with embarrassment. Jackson hissed just as much as the snake and in that second, it slithered quickly towards them, opening its mouth and hissing in achievement.

Elizabeth screamed behind Jackson, it was thin and sharp to the ear. Roman was surprised that that alone did not make the snake withdraw from attacking.