Dreams of the Oracle

Chapter 6

Ashur walked the overgrown road that led to their house. He had no idea what was wrong with his sister, but he knew she would tell him when she was ready. She weighed next to nothing compared to the logs and rocks he had been hauling all day, so carrying her was no problem. Her crying, shuddering body slowly went limp. He paused and looked down at her.

He moved her so he could see her face. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing evenly, she was asleep.

He shrugged and kept going.

The trees and shrubs still glistened with moisture from the morning and previous day. The forest looked fresh and renewed. Ashur took it all in, breathing in the forest smells. Towering oaks stood on either side of the road like sentries. He made a living clearing land like this, but he still appreciated the untamed forest. To this day he had no idea what had prompted his father to take them all to the edge of the wilderness, but it wasn't all bad.

This was always how it was when he came to pick up Cass (except of course that she was usually awake). He would leave his work of taming the woods for King and local Lord and take some time to enjoy the land he lived in. Cass hated school and often their walks home would consist of her pointing out the atrocities committed by that Clayhorn girl. It had been on these walks that he had quietly begun teaching her how to defend herself. The more she told him about the nastier personalities in her school the more convinced he became that such training was necessary. The only problem was father. Father was against it.

This was a surprise because his father had gone to such great lengths to train him. They practiced swordplay mostly, now, but his father had taught him how to fight without weapons, how to fight with a knife, how to fight with just his feet, as well as using bow and crossbow. Originally, this was all done under the guise of teaching him "how to take care of himself." Now it was simply Father-Son-Time. He believed his father had another reason for training him. He likely had another reason for not training Cass as well, but since he never gave him a good reason, and since Ashur didn't want to see some urchin rearrange his sister's face, he had disobeyed his father's orders.

He looked down at her; she was moaning and starting to move in her sleep. Cass had always had vivid nightmares. She struggled harder against his arms. Her head shook back and forth and her hands clutched her sides. Her moaning and mumblings began to sound more like words, but he couldn't make any of them out.

By the time he was in view of the house Cass was practically trying to attack him. His iron grip kept her from flailing about, but she squirmed and struggled. She had started crying again and she had a sheen of sweat coating her skin as well. Ashur kept his grip as he came to the door. Just as he was about to carry her to her bed, her eyes snapped open and she went still. Her eyes were crusty from dried tears and wide with fear. Then she seemed to realize where she was and get a hold of herself. Ashur set her down gently and waited for her to say something.

"Are you okay?" he asked finally, when she hadn't spoken for a while.

She shook her head and stared at the floor.

He reached out and held her close. She hugged him back and they sat like that for a time, neither one saying anything to the other. Ashur would normally return to work shortly after taking his sister home, but he wouldn't leave his sister in such a state. He gently took a washcloth and cleaned her face. She let him but stayed silent. Time passed and just as the sun sank below the horizon, father walked through the door.

Ashur stood up, prepared for a lecture about not showing up to work and responsibility, but Abdiel didn't even glance at him. The big man cleared the room and knelt in front of his daughter. He reached out and stroked her hair. She looked up at him for a moment, her face puffy and red from crying. Then she looked down again. Her father watched her, concern showed in his blue eyes.