The Tribes of K'haren - Completed

Chapter 17.1

A small fire was crackling loudly in the middle of the night. They had not managed to find much wood and since they had lost their backpacks in town they didn't have any firewood with them. Luckily, they had been able to refill their food and water supplies with goods from the caravan. There had been enough for all the phraio but since it was originally meant for trade, the diet was rather one-sided. However, it would suffice to keep them alive long enough for them to find some other tribe. And the portion Kran, Nume and Raf had claimed sufficed for them to get somewhere, though Nume wasn't sure where.

Now they were trying to call Sethara once more, just like they had done in front of the tavern. Nume realised that it wasn't that long ago at all but it felt like ages. And just like back then, Sethara didn't seem to hear them. Fear filled Nume, what if it was already too late. Her hands were shaking badly now and she felt terribly cold. The fire wasn't big enough to keep her warm in this particularly cold night. Shifting closer to Kran, she found some comforting warmth.

All of a sudden, Nume heard the sound of floating water. It filled her with intense joy and relief and she jumped up immediately. Sethara appeared behind them and looked just like she always did.

'And how exactly did you land here?' the siren spoke, looking at their surroundings.

'Good evening to you, too.' Kran replied.

'We've been abducted by dragons, sold to phraio and saved by Bay...' Raf muttered, looking rather annoyed.

'Oh really? Why didn't you call for my help?' Sethara asked, fuelling Raf's anger. But before he had a chance to answer, Nume started talking very fast.

'... they know where you are, they saw it in Tarlequin's mind, he said you're in danger...' Nume spoke.

'Where is he?' Sethara asked when Nume finally paused to breathe.

'With the other phraio.' Kran replied.

'What other phraio?' Sethara demanded, looking very confused.

'The ones in the carts, listen, we've been sold by a tribe and we weren't the only ones, Bay caused a massive chaos and we managed to free the other captives as well in the end. But they blame us for the death of some witch and they don't trust us because we're with a baymout that they watched slay several umeno... Anyway, Tarlequin is with them now, he'll take them somewhere safe.' Kran explained hastily.

Sethara looked content with that answer. She turned to Nume and said: 'Calm down, the dragons can't harm me, they won't fit into my cave and they are way too proud to ask anybody for help...'

'They aren't.' Nume interrupted her. 'Didn't you listen? They've sold us to that phraio tribe! They seem to trade with them so why wouldn't they pay somebody to go after you?'

Sethara was quiet for a while but she didn't look as worried as Nume would have expected. The siren muttered something about being unable to leave her cave because she'd then not be able to stay in contact with them but she didn't explain as to why that was. 'You have to keep going, the prophecy must be spread in order to come true.' Sethara then said.

'But where do you want me to take them? The tribes are on the lookout for them, they are worth quite a bounty...' Raf said with a hint of regret in his voice. Nume could tell that he still mourned losing the second half of his payment.

'Not all of them are.' The siren said, referring to the tribes. 'If you just find a way to show them that other species aren't all bad, everything will turn out alright! Get them to start communicating with others so that these can help teach them how to be better. Raf, you should remember how the dretho lived before the phraio came, despite not having been with them for very long, if already you could teach the phraio so much, imagine just how much more a pack of frago or a clan of dwarves could do! But they hate each other for a good reason, the phraio have taken away their lands and thus it is them who have to step forth and make contact, ask for forgiveness, even. You just have to open their eyes to what they have done, show them and they will learn. Just like these two here.' She finished, pointing at Kran and Nume.

'But you didn't just tell us, you told me yourself that if you just say it out loud, a phraio will not believe you, will defend his own culture and people! That's why I couldn't tell Kran, isn't it?' Nume said.

'Yes, this and the curse...' Sethara whispered. Nume hated her for mentioning it, she'd nearly managed to forget.

'And yet,' Nume insisted. 'If we just go to them telling them about all the things they've done wrong, they won't be willing to listen...'

'That's why you should have stayed with Tarlequin. He can make anybody listen to anything he has to say. But well, I guess he'll do you a favour by being with these phraio... who knows, maybe he'll make them understand all by himself.' The siren said slowly.

'Then what do you need us for? Why Nume and me, I mean?' Kran interrupted her thoughts.

'You still don't understand, do you?' she asked back. 'You two are the Outcast, but you're not just any outcasts, you are the first who saw for themselves that the tribes are wrong. That things aren't alright there and you decided to leave. You weren't chased or taken away like those phraio on the carts you've told me about. It took a while until you understood what you've run away from but deep inside, you've already known from that fateful morning you first ran away.'

Since nobody interrupted her this time, Sethara went on and on. Slowly, Nume started to understand why the siren hated Tarlequin and yet seemed to like him somehow, they were very much alike when it came to their talent of talking. But Nume's head still refused to fully believe in those nice words, she just didn't see herself as the hero Sethara portrayed her as. So far, she hadn't really done anything heroic, she'd just run away and from there on followed others' orders.

'If you could stop being so negative for once, that would be very nice!' Sethara suddenly shouted at her. Nume had forgot that the siren was in her mind and could thus hear everything she was thinking about.

'But it's true! We're not special, you're just trying to make us special because we're the ones you've chosen!' Nume insisted angrily now.

'Remember me saying I've chosen you because you're the only one who was around?' Sethara asked. Nume nodded. 'I lied. I chose you because I looked into your heart and saw potential, I saw how different you were, how different you've always been. And I just knew you were the one I was looking for. But I'd come a bit too early, you weren't ready yet. I thought you wouldn't be for weeks, maybe even years... but just one day later, there you were, changing the world. And you've brought him with you despite explicitly deciding to leave him behind. I didn't quite realise that, though, at first. Only once I realised he'd come fully on his own, not just being dragged along by you but because he too felt mistreated by his tribe, I understood that the Outcast was both of you. On your own, you'd give in, you'd obey and try to fit in with the other phraio... but together, you are strong. K'haren needs you for you are the idol all phraio should look up to. Those thinking for themselves and not blindly following some Great Leader having no other qualification other than his inheritance!'

With these last words, she gave Kran a short apologising look. But then her expression suddenly changed. Her mouth stood open and she made a strange sound before looking down on herself, raising her hands to her chest were a gaping wound had appeared out of nowhere. The others watched in shock, unable to help her since she wasn't really there. Sethara fell to her knees and tried to say something but blood had already filled her lungs. Nume heard Raf curse loudly and Kran shouted the siren's name.

Nume couldn't bear it, she closed her eyes and tried to blend it all out. This can't be real, she thought to herself. She needed Sethara, she needed guidance. The siren couldn't just die now and yet Nume knew it was real and there was nothing to be done about it. I'm sorry, she thought to herself, praying that Sethara could still hear her. I promise you I'll do my best...

But no answer came and when Nume opened her eyes again, the siren was gone. The pond had disappeared with her but the grass was still wet and if that didn't suffice as proof for what had just happened to be real, the expressions on Nume's friends' faces surely did.

// I'm sorry, I really am. Is a vote asked too much now? I'd still appreciate it!