The 'Gifted' (The Infernal Devices Fanfiction)

Chapter 7 - The Heat of the Fire

Tessa steered Chester, next to Will's horse, as they had set off on the trade road, the only pass through the mountains, in order to reach Baskerville. The road was built as smooth as possible, to allow wheeled-carts to be used for the transportation of goods.

The road was also wide enough to fit two horses snuggly, so they could ride side-by-side. However, none of them were in the mood for talking after the events a few hours earlier. An eerie silence had befallen them the whole journey. Used to talking and joking with them, Tessa felt sadness cover her like a blanket, choking her.

Jem's arms felt like they were holding onto her only weakly, and Will was slouched down over his horse, not even watching their surroundings like he usually did. They must have been a pitiful sight to the passers-by, the majority of whom were merchants. They carried goods from food, to wine and ale, to carpets, rugs and sculptures, on carts behind their horses. That made it easy for Will's horse, still carrying the cart with Thomas's body, to blend in. They had decided to bring Thomas with them, so that he could have a proper burial with the Clave and his family.

Tessa's mind wandered back to what had happened after Jem failed to heal Thomas. She had tried to comfort Will, only to find Jem just as upset, thrusting his hands against the stone wall. She had rushed over to stop him, but the damage had already been done. His hands were a bloody mess, cut to ribbons. She had wondered briefly, if he would be able to play the violin again, before she had remembered his 'gift'. Surely his healing ability would allow him to recover? She looked down at his hands now, and although she couldn't see them through the bandage she had wrapped over them, she could see that the bleeding had stopped, so she took this as a good sign.

Once Will and Jem had settled down, seemingly numb to the world, they had both gone over to Thomas's corpse, and Jem had said a few words in his memory, his voice ragged and raw. Will had said nothing, staring down at the body, expressionless. His face was as cold as stone. It had seemed to her like he didn't know what he could possibly say. However, she then heard him whisper, "We will avenge you, Thomas, to our dying breaths, if need be. I promise you this."

Since Tessa hadn't known Thomas personally, she couldn't say anything on his behalf, but touched by his bravery, she had lent down and kissed his cold forehead lightly, to honour him. They had then thrown a blanket over his body, to hide him, and set off, the world suddenly devoid of the colour and promise it had held only moments before.

A sudden bump in the road jolted Tessa back to the present. Since Jem hadn't been holding onto her tightly enough, he nearly fell off the horse. Luckily, she had reached behind and grabbed him, before he could topple off. She then positioned his hands more tightly around her middle. Will didn't even look up, let alone tease Jem about it, like he normally would have. The thing that worried her the most was that Jem didn't seem to care whether he fell off the horse or not. Jem and Will both were acting just as lifeless as Thomas was now, their eyes glassy, with no fire left in them.

They had decided that since there were wanted posters out for all of them, it would be best if they didn't sleep in a town or village where they could be recognised. Instead, they would sleep near the road, in a place hidden from view. They had yet to find such a place, with the barren landscape that currently surrounded the road, making all of the environment clearly visible.

It was becoming darker, which was alarming, as they couldn't see the bumps and rocks on the road clearly enough. Luckily, Tessa spotted a small clump of trees, which would provide them shelter, and would shield them from view. She urged Chester towards it, and Will's horse followed suit.

Firstly, Tessa and Will gathered some food and water for the horses, and tied them to a tree. Will unattached the cart from his horse, to give him a rest from the added weight. Meanwhile Jem collected some fallen branches to use for firewood and started unpacking the horses.