The Chronicles of Tenroha

Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Chloé and Mrs. Clary had arrived at the tree safely and she had been waiting, unable to sleep, all night. Mrs. Clary tried to stay awake with her to keep her company, but her age made it impossible and she succumbed to sleep after a couple of hours. Chloé had wanted to stretch her legs. The tree's hole was big enough to hide her and Mrs. Clary, but left little room for comfort. She felt cramped inside the tree. She crawled out and walked around for a while before returning to the tree.

She sat down outside with her back against the tree and her feet stretched out. She was watching and waiting, listening and worrying. The longer she watched, the more she yearned for Jeremiah to arrive. The sun began to rise over the horizon and she could hear the birds beginning their morning songs. She prayed that her husband was safe from harm as the sun peeked over the horizon.

She sat and watched a squirrel bouncing around on the ground to help take her mind off of the events of the night. Another one joined it and they began chasing one another. She watched as they climbed a tree, running around it in circles, and spiraling their way towards the branches. She noticed a hawk roosting in a nearby tree. She could see that it had taken an interest in the commotion on the ground.

The two squirrels, not noticing the hawk, stopped on a branch and began chattering at each other. The hawk swooped in and snatched one of the squirrels and flew back to its perch in a neighboring tree. This brought Chloé back to her thoughts, and she prayed even more. She prayed for the safety of the town and all of its people.

As she sat, she began to imagine the horrors that might have befallen Jeremiah. Now that the day had begun and the sun was out, it made watching for danger much easier. She remained there in silence praying, to anyone and everyone that would listen, for her beloved to return to her. By mid morning Mrs. Clary had awoken and had begun consoling her.

She could see, in the daylight, that she had left the horse out in the open and that she needed to hide him better. She went and untied him from the tree she had tethered him to in haste the night before and moved him to a thicket of brush with some grass to graze on that was out of sight from anyone coming from the direction of the main road.

When she had finished, she returned and sat down next to Mrs. Clary. She placed her head on the old woman's lap and began sobbing. The troubles from the night before had finally broken her. She cried for the city that had been attacked on her wedding night. She cried for all the people she had come to love and care about and the many others as well. She cried for her, now, husband that was more than likely dead, but mostly she cried because she didn't know what to do. The exhaustion of worry and grief had taken their toll on her and before midday, she had fallen asleep. Mrs. Clary whispered in her ear, "Sleep now, poor child, you'll need it soon enough.

Her dreams were worse than the thoughts that had been plaguing her at night. In her dreams, it was nightfall and the men who were wearing the crimson armor came to the city and began climbing the walls. Some carried ladders and others were throwing grappling hooks. She saw many of them fall to arrows being shot at them from high in the walls, but many had succeeded in climbing over the wall and were now attacking the Peacekeepers.

She then saw Jeremiah, her beloved. He approached one of the soldiers who was trying to open the main gate from the inside. He struck him with his sword as he called for help. He quickly overpowered and killed the man. He then rushed towards the next enemy he saw. He dispatched him as well. Two more men arrived and began trying to open the gate. Jeremiah called out to them and they attacked Jeremiah together.

Jeremiah blocked each blow that was meant for him with his sword. The two men quickened their attacks and Jeremiah matched them strike for strike. While he was engaged with the enemy, two more men in n crimson came up from behind and began to remove the beam of wood that was bolting the gate. An arrow flew in and struck one of the soldiers that was trying to lift the beam in the back of the head. He dropped it when he fell to the ground and the beamed pinned the other man's arm beneath it. Trapping him from escaping.