Death of a Guardian

Chapter 14

Emryk was startled awake sometime later by Etieniel. Jumping up on his mat, he saw her smiling down at him, reminding him everything was real. His world was, in fact, destroyed. Aleks was gone forever. His parents might already have been taken to be sold into servitude.

He sat there covered in sweat as his mind sank down into a pit of despair. Etieniel placed a hand over his heart. He felt a wave of relief as his mind stopped and his heart slowed down to its normal rate.

He just met her, but somehow, he knew he was safe for the moment. Though she looked rather young, her eyes gave him the feeling he was looking into those of his grandparents. Oh, God, how did he forget about them?

They would be in trouble too. All their lives they wanted to visit Wiszow and live for a time on the Mare Maestoso. His grandpa was in the Legion in his youth for over thirty years. Because of that, they were granted an extra thirty years of life and health.

His mind was returning to sadness, but he felt Etieniel again and looked into her brown eyes. They looked so kind and caring.

"Come on, Emryk, it's time to eat. There are some people you should meet as well.

She reached out for his hand, taking it, she helped him up. They walked outside where people were sitting around tables on small boulders, wooden benches, and chairs. Interspersed around several tables were firepits with large pots of soup cooking.

At the opposite side of the tables, a small stone building was in front of the lake that stretched out to the dam walls holding Mare Maestoso from drowning them. Smoke was coming out from several chimneys in the structure and Emryk's stomach rumbled as the scent of food carried to him. He followed Etieniel to a firepit and grabbed a wooden bowl. She scooped some out and handed it to him.

He looked around as she filled a bowl for herself. Several people looked at him, smiled and nodded a greeting. There were people of all different ages, of all different colors, and some people he suspected were gender nonconforming.

He used that term because he didn't want to guess how they saw themselves and would wait to be told by them. It intrigued him the different ways they had to show their true selves. He was most fascinated by the makeup.

Sitting with Etieniel, he continued looking around. Most all the men and women wore the same clothes. Some people, it appeared, made their own slight changes to match their style. Some even had leaves or flowers weaved into them. It seemed so foreign to him for people to dress so openly different. It excited him.

Again, he looked at those with makeup. They couldn't possibly be receiving goods from the Kingdom, so he wondered how they made it.

Etieniel spoke, making him wonder if she could read his mind. "They use flowers, moss, beetroot juice, and anything else they can find. While berries can be used, everyone prefers to save them all to eat. While you can survive with the magical water alone, you will go mad from lack of satisfaction."

Emryk didn't respond, but just continued looking around. Taking his first bite, it surprised him how good it was. A smile came to his lips as it became one of the best bowls of soup he ever tried.

Looking left, branches were coming out of the ground, making crosses. His face fell, knowing what they represented. They were markers for those who died.

Etieniel watched and ate her soup. They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment. "Emryk, what I do here is to help anyone if they ever need to talk. Day or night, you can find me in the hut closest to the falls. You can talk to me about anything."

"Thank you. You said earlier that you're the oldest here. Were you the first to come down here?"

"Yes. But they did not mean for me to be here. They tried to kill me. But I survived."