Escape from Cirices Part 1

Chapter 8

"STOP!!!" Abigail yelled.

Abigail, Magda and Lokeyia stopped their horses so quickly that they jumped. Abigail climbed off Noctus and walked over to the base of a tree. At the base of the tree a person lay. They couldn't see the person's eyes but he or she had light brown hair.

Magda walked over and drew her dagger but Lokeyia dropped everything.

"NOOO! No! SARA!"

"What!"

Lokeyia gently turned the person over. The eyes were closed however she was instantly recognisable, Sara. They had found Sara! Tears fell from Lokeyia's turquoise blue eyes onto Sara's face. Magda brought over a water bottle from one of Mervis's packs. She leant down and gently placed a hand on Sara's chest.

"She's alive! We need to give her water."

Lokeyia, still weeping and choking slightly, moved out of Magda's way as Magda tilted Sara's mouth open and began feeding her drops of water. Abigail scaled the tree which Sara lay at the foot of. It was a beautiful, slender pine tree. She looked down, confused to see an empty water bottle, an empty food pack and a knife positioned where Magda couldn't see it.

Slowly, Sara began to revive. At first her eyes opened and were only golden brown slits. Magda also commented that Sara was able to swallow. After she was given another half litre, her eyes slowly opened fully to a fantastic golden brown. Soon, she realised she was being helped and was able to sit up. After that, Magda gave Sara the water bottle and let her drink from it. Lokeyia simply stared.

"Lokeyia. Is that you? Is that Magda with you?" asked Sara passively.

"Yes, Sara. Abigail is with us too!" said Lokeyia happily, her eyes sparkling like gems.

Sara tilted her head up and smiled when she saw her. Generally, Sara would be thrilled to see her friends but as she was on the brink of dying from dehydration, you can't blame her.

Lokeyia got onto her horse and they mutually agreed Sara would travel with Jade. Magda and Abigail helped Sara up onto Jade. Abigail collected her empty water bottle, her empty food pack and her knife. As Abigail took lead, she studied that knife carefully. It was a kitchen knife. And a very fine one, at that. Only rich families could afford a Asterian knife. Asteria was a distant place, lying West of Merope and took about as long to get there as from Cirices to Merope. Asteria was found along the river that supplied Ricaus (South of Cirices), Cirices, Asteria and finally Pixella (Far North beyond mountains). This river was called different names. The part between Ricaus and Cirices was called the Ricaus River, the part between Cirices and Asteria called the Green River. Asteria had a lake which they named Dew Lake. Most of the river's' water stayed at Dew Lake, then the remaining water went off to the mountains. When Dew River (named by Asterians) got to the mountains and went underground, the river became so thin it was only a creek when it exited the mountains. The Pixellans named the part between the mountains and their town, Pixel Creek.