Power and Love

Chapter 35: Burn

Arthur's POV

First time in weeks, I slept peacefully. Usually I would have those dreams, then woke up and fell asleep again. When I woke up this morning, only Matthew was awake. He greeted me, smiling and holding a bow and a quiver full of arrows.

"Where are you going?" I had asked.

"To hunt. Want to come with me?" I nodded and went to find a bow and arrows. I had wandered around here, and now I knew this place like my own pockets.

When we came back, my mood had brightened up a little. Matthew had told funny and maybe a little embarrasing things about Alfred. I was still chuckling to them, but it ended when I heard a bloodcurling scream of pain. I startled, glancing Matthew. He had a expression of horror and panic. He started running. I followed him, worried.

Soon we were at the where sick and dead were placed.

"Allistor!" Matthew exclaimed, looking around. Finally he spotted him. Again, I heard that scream. Dylan sat next to Allistor, holding his head in his hands. Brittany was stone-fased.

"Brother? What's wrong?" I hurried next to him. Allistor didn't answer, only looked away. Matthew walked next to him and sat down, hugging him. Dylan looked troubled.

"The sickness has come back." Brittany said, and I felt slightly nervous.

"What sickness?" Dylan answered to me.

"The sickness which killed Seamus and Patrick."

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I let out a cry and woke up. I opened my eyes, glancing around, but luckily I couldn't see if anyone was awake. Or maybe they just thought it was the patient's cry. The sickness, as my mother calls it, kills its patient in a extremely painful way. It slowly eats away the patient's internal organs, so they couldn't eat or breathe well. Dylan said that there were no cure; they could only ease the pain. I hoped it wouldn't spread, or we'll be all dead.

"Why are you here, anyways? Shouldn't you usually stay away from the patient?" I had asked.

"All the people, who live here, are close to each other, so when one dies, we gather to say a farewell to them." Dylan answered. "Many of the people are immigrants, thiefs and murderers, who have their second chance here. Now they are good." I nodded.

Oh god, it happened again.. I saw that vision again. I rose up and sneaked out of the main cave. I didn't know why I see it over and over again. Tonight, however, it felt more vivid. It might be a warning, I thought.

The torches were burning as always, like they were enchanted. Even if I touched them, it didn't hurt. I inhaled deeply, enjoying the peace of night. Half moon was shining on the sky. I walked over to the bank of the river, where I sat couple days ago, when I had arrived here.

Suddenly, I noticed a man next to me. I startled, but the man only smiled warmly.

"Good night, youngster. What brings you here, to Verdi?" The man's voice was slightly hoarse, but nevertheless kind and understanding, like he knew what I was going through.

"Good night to you, sir. May I ask you, what is your name?" The man flickered, looking uncertain.

"I do not have a name, young boy." I felt rather annoyed, when he called me just a boy. I was seventeen, for god's sake! Well, my birthday is today, so I'm eighteen now. "But you can call me Virra."

"Virra? Interesting name. Where are you from?" His name didn't sound Spadian, or other kingdoms' names either.

"Oh.." The ghost's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm from a continent, which has been destroyed because of the wars we had." Now it was my turn to be confused.