What Heroes Don't Think About

3. The bowman, Part I

A day passed. She spent it sleeping – she was capable of little else. And she hated herself for it. She had to find Dominic. She had to heal, so she could fight. Every time she'd woken up that day, she'd recited the Elvish couplet she'd learned to heal herself. Each time, she felt the pressure in her head grow a little lighter. And each time she'd tried to get out of bed, a searing pain shot up her, straight towards her head, the second she took a step. So she'd had to lay back down, and use more of her magic, but even the effort of reaching into the rhythm of the simple poem and drawing the magic from it proved overwhelmingly exhausting, and sent her back to sleep.

There had been a small meal and cup of water waiting for her each time she woke up. And at one point–a point past sunset, though she had no idea how far past sunset–she awoke to see Kaylessa sitting at a stool by her side. Whatever she'd been doing before she started to stir, Didi didn't know, but by the time she'd opened her eyes Kaylessa's eyes were on her.

"Where's Dominic?" Didi managed to say with a rusted voice.

"Oh, child," was all Kaylessa said.

Didi tried, again, to scramble up out of bed, but this time a stern look from Kaylessa stopped her before the pain in her head could. "Not so fast, now. You still need your rest."

"But Dominic–"

"Dominic is nearly a grown man, and I let the sheriff know he's missin', so any adventurers that pass through here are gonna have their eye out for him. He's gonna be fine. You need your rest."

"But he's in trouble!" Didi managed to finish her sentence, her voice cracking into a whisper. Kaylessa handed her a cup of water, which she downed in a gulp.

Kaylessa took away Didi's empty cup and leaned back in her seat, looking at the ceiling. "Look, child... I know you love that brother of yours, and I know he loves you, but he's a teenage boy, after all. Teenage boys – and some teenage girls, too, for that matter – well, they tend to reach a point where they think their family is holding them back, and they get the wanderlust and head off on their own. I know your brother always had that look in his eyes, like he was dreamin' about being somewhere else. You seem happy enough here, but I always figured he would get restless and head off on his own someday. And if he was wanting to go off and be bounty hunters – I think he might've made up his mind on that long before he asked you. Here; have some more water."

"He wouldn't leave me!" Didi insisted, tears spilling. "He'd never do that!"

"Well, I'm hoping he'll realize how much he misses you and comes back on his own. But these years are his time to figure out who he is."

Didi fell silent. She could not explain to Kaylessa, but she knew Dominic wouldn't ever run away without her. In all those years daydreaming about leaving their mother's home, the idea of leaving a sibling behind had never been part of the picture.

It had become a necessity. Drayden, the next oldest after Didi, couldn't be trusted. He hadn't wanted to leave. The younger kids had been scattered all over the house, there had been no time to gather everyone together. She remembered Dominic shaking her awake in the cool night air, saying "Come on, we have to go now!" And her following, too tired to ask questions.

The rest of the memories were fuzzy. They'd traveled half by foot, half by teleport. Dominic had not ever cast a teleport spell before. Each time they'd landed with headaches and partial amnesia; only clinging to the vague notion that they had to get away from their mother.

The memories had slowly come back while they rested. Didi had woken up on the ground in tears, suddenly remembering who she was and what she'd done - run away, left the kids behind. She'd shaken Dominic awake to ask him why. He'd stared blankly her before seeming to suddenly remember everything himself.