Chapter 57:
Home
A tree with an inky black trunk towers above the forest canopy, bare of branches except for the very top. The afternoon wind tugs at its leaves. There’s
something
about it.
“Jade,” Trevus calls. He’s walked quite a distance ahead. How long have I been staring?
The tree peaks high above the rest, and it doesn’t share the shape of the winding-branched trees that surround it. It sticks out, like it belongs to a different forest. I
remember
that tree.
I stray from our path and enter the forest, heading straight towards the tree.
“Jade?” Trevus calls.
I don’t have an answer for him just yet. The tall tree stretches high above the sparse canopy, acting as a beacon.
The woods boast a distinct mossy scent. A dusting of tiny pink flowers dots the ground. I’ve been here before, a long time ago.
“What is the reason for this detour!?” Giddius calls from behind. The three of them hasten their pace to keep up.
I’ll explain later. I rush faster through the forest – leaping over raised roots and ducking under branches.
The beacon’s dark trunk comes into view. I stop. Despite its height, the base of the tree is narrow enough that my arms could reach around it. That wasn’t the case ten years ago. I’ve grown.
The three men catch up. “Girlie, what do you seek in the forest?” Marcellus asks.
I tear away the ferns from the base of the trunk and brush the dirt off.
Trevus steps beside me. “What drew you to this nosawood-” He stops at the sight I’ve uncovered. The letter J is carved in the tree’s black bark, with the wood long since healed around the knife wound.
I liked this tree. It was different to all those around it – like it didn’t belong in the forest.
Giddius and Marcellus stop on either side of me, waiting for an explanation.
I climb over a large root and continue around the tree. “I remember the rest of the way.”
“You remember?” Marcellus asks.
“I walked it as a child,” I say. “We’re close.”
Trevus follows on my left, and Giddius takes the right. They remain vigilant as we walk, their guards raised. With Asarus’s experience raiding, he’s an adversary to be wary of.
We’re minutes away from my home village. In the first few years of captivity, I longed for nothing more than to return here. When laying on the straw in the tower cell, I’d imagine waking up snuggled in my bed in Elder Hannah’s home.
When I reached sixteen, I began to come to terms with the fact that my bed at Elder Hannah’s house would have long since disappeared. I was an adult. No longer would the elders of the village volunteer my care and shelter. Despite living there for the first ten years of my life, I never truly belonged. Even in Mephia, a child that could put others to sleep instinctively led to distrust. The elders provided for my needs not out of love, but obligation.
Dry sticks snap under our boots. We’re close now. I like to think some of them missed my absence. Elder Eric was happy to have my help in his fields, and Victor the physician humored my effort to prepare his supplies. Would I even be welcome now? The last they saw of me was when the militia raised by Lord Asarus invaded their homes to carry out my abduction, a terrifying experience brought upon them by my presence.
What will they say when they see my face today? Will they shoo me off, just as many did in my early years?
I look to the three large men at my side, my eyes finding Trevus. It doesn’t matter how the people of the village react to my return. This is no longer my home. I don’t need their acceptance anymore. They’re not even the reason I’m here.
The last of the forest gives way. We stop on the ridge. Thirty little houses topped with thatch roofs lie in the depression ahead. The old wooden houses have been bleached gray by the sun. As a child I imagined that a giant’s footprint shaped the land, and our village was built at what would have been the ball of the foot. This was the place I longed to return to for so long. It’s humbler than I remember.
The forest that once crept all the way to Elder Paul’s house has been cut back, and the fields have been moved from the west to the east. It’s different. It makes sense that they went on with their lives after I was taken.
A brunette woman steps out the forest a few paces to our left, a staff across her shoulders supporting two buckets of water. Her eyes widen at the sight of us – four strangers, three of them large and armed. She drops the buckets and takes off running.
I recognize her – Hayley. She was five years older, one of the ones who loved to remind me how different I was. The quarrels that seemed so important as children make no difference now.
I rush after her. “Hayley! Wait!”
An arrow whizzes past my ear and embeds itself in the soil just ahead of her feet. Hayley screams and topples forward in fright, landing in the grass.
I whip around and am immediately enraged to find Giddius with his bow in hand.
He picks up on my glare. “You ordered her to halt. I ensured that she honored your command. She is not injured,” Giddius says.
“No more shots at the villagers,” I say.
He looks over at the toppled woman. “Understood,” he says. He picks up the staff she dropped.
I hurry to Hayley. She’s back on her feet, but Marcellus and Trevus have already reached her, the two large soldiers blocking her path back to the village.
Giddius and I catch up. Hayley’s frightened eyes frantically jump between the four of us. Her white dress is soiled green and brown from her fall. She’s trembling, her face painted with the fear of a person anticipating death. No. No. No.
“Hayley don’t be afraid,” I say. “There’s a dangerous man in your village. We just need to know where we can find him.” Going in blind knocking door to door is asking to get ambushed.
Hayley looks at Trevus, her eyes soon finding the sword on his hip. He’s the tallest among us – the one she deems most frightening. Being boxed in like this must make us appear far more dangerous than the man I’m talking about.
“As has already been stated, you need not fear,” Trevus says. He steps back and gestures for Marcellus and Giddius to do the same, offering her a little more space. He points his finger in my direction, an instruction for Haley to put her focus on me.
“You- you know my name?” Her voice is barely louder than a whisper. She doesn’t recognize me. Being younger than her, my face has changed more than hers has.
Maybe this would be easier if she didn’t know my identity. I opt not to introduce myself. “We’re looking for Lord Asarus. He recently arrived with goons at his side, the same man who invaded your village ten years ago.”
“Ten years ago – how do you…” Hayley’s brows twist up for a moment. She puts the pieces together. “Jade?”
She knows. I nod. I was so focused on what to say to Asarus that introducing myself to those from my childhood didn’t cross my mind.
Hayley’s hands snap to her mouth. “You look different.”
I’ve grown. I’m not a helpless little girl anymore.
“You sound different.”
My accent must sound Versillian to her ears.
Hayley’s eyes move to each of the men before returning to me. “Are the warriors your…” She trails off, unsure of the right word.
“Trevus is my partner.” I gesture to him. “And Giddius and Marcellus are my friends.”
Hayley follows my hand to Trevus, her expression in disbelief. The last time she saw me, I was a crying child being dragged off by a Versillian militia. Anyone watching would have imagined I would end up enslaved if lucky and dead if not. Now, I’m a free well-travelled adult, and I have earned the respect of three intimidating Versillian soldiers.
“Jade, we linger in the open,” Trevus says.
“Hayley, where is Lord Asarus?” I ask.
“He’s staying in the dining hall,” Hayley says. I remember it – the tall building in the center.
“How many men accompany him?” Trevus asks.
“Four,” she says.
“Hayley.” I pull her attention from Trevus. “A great Ceramayan army is on its way here. Tell the elders to evacuate everyone to the forest for the day.” The queen knows we’ve escaped, and she knows we planned to follow Asarus to this village.
Hayley nods.
“You have hours at best,” Trevus says. He’s watching the ridges that surround the village on all sides. The uneven terrain makes it impossible to see any force approaching from a distance.
Hayley nods again before hurrying down to the village.
The dining hall is one of the oldest buildings, now occupying the village center. It doesn’t take long to spot its taller roof. We move quickly.
The people of the village scatter among the sparse buildings as we approach. Well-armed strangers aren’t something they’re accustomed to. I recognize most of their faces – Elder Eric, Farmer Holland, Auntie Emma and even Dan. Though none of them appear to recognize me, or if they do, they’re too frightened to approach.
Having spent so much time away, traveling to so many different towns and settlements, I notice an aspect to my home village that I hadn’t picked up on before – poverty. Compared to cities like Antiock, Lystra and Zaybeth, the homes are small, the roofs are dilapidated, and the people’s clothes are simple.
We step onto the wide dirt road and follow it to the dining hall. The double entrance doors are sealed shut. I have many memories running around out here in the evening after finishing my dinner while the adults chatted inside. This old, cracked building seemed so much grander back then.
Marcellus grabs his axe, and Giddius nocks an arrow on to his bow.
“I want to talk to him, not cost more lives,” I say.
The men lower their weapons, but still keep them in hand. Trevus’s sword doesn’t leave its sheath on his hip.
“Asarus!” I call. “I heard you were looking for me!”
Deep voices reverberate inside the building. They heard my words.
The double doors creak open.
Author’s Note:
The draft of the next chapter is the length of three regular chapters, so it’ll take a little longer than normal before it’s ready to be published. Thanks for your support reading this story so far!
Thanks for the update
I like that
🤣🤣🤣
That’s a lot of bums
I am so exited
Omg lol, she definitely isn’t even if she could be
Oh but it’s ‘even’ Dan
Yeah!
I’ll be honest it also seems like a flood and landslide risk. Building at the bottom of a incline is unwise…
So 4 vs 5
That’s so chill… though I suppose a random village like this couldn’t do anything about a soilder
Exactly!
You definitely are not a helpless little girl anymore
So she remembers about Asarus having come to collect her… people knew his name. I suppose they could have learnt it after but hmm
I really did think Trevus of all people would have more diplomatic skill
Really shows why people don’t like Versillian since they are so abrupt
They are the current threat and more evident in her mind compared to some mysterious man
Jade hates the idea of people fearing her… after what happened when she was a child.
And it’s also just not a nice thing to do going around scaring people
Yeah, these guys have no chill
She did not order her… she simply asked her
This really does show the darker side of the Versillians though
Dude isn’t making any friends by shooting arrows at people lol
Though I guess it makes sense if you consider Asasus might be in the area and they won’t want him knowing too soon they have gotten there
It really isn’t… what if he had hurt her
She also had no context for what a place like a city could be like
Yes, exactly! you don’t need their acceptance
That’s sad… shooing off a young child simply seeking affection
I get the feeling the most concerning aspect with be the Versillian men traveling with you…
Ao why didn’t they contact the six on the existence of another mage? So she could be protected or even just receive training on how to control her powers…
Depends on how deep set the memory is in the brain
Is he angry? Cause of the formality it sounds like he’s angry but I know he doesn’t feel that way towards her. Maybe more concern?
That’s a nice description! Very pretty but also eairy
Bum, bum, bum!!!!!
You know she’s a no death negotiator guys
Just Dan made me laugh XD
Let’s get this bish
Trevus and I are in love, Giddius is the friend who is now a loyal puppet and Marcellus is besty
Ya know boy, a friendly “Hello miss” goes a long way in these situations
Ah yes, scare her! Torment the poor lady!
My boy Giddius… Diplomacy is not his calling
things are always more impressive as children
They better not
Sometimes old paths are memorable, but 10 years is a great sense of memory
This is where we started being concerned she’d gone mad
Ooh such a cliff we hang from. Great chapter need more please
Can’t wait for the action to happen, to know why he took her as a child