They
continued on their journey. Chiff was not far now, and they were all hoping
that Strife’s men were still there. They all knew how time moved men and the
other places which the Stranger thought that his men might have gone would be
terribly time consuming to reach. This fact compiled with her continuously
growing deep running distrust of the man made Peace’s own stress level rise to
a most disconcerting level. Peace was starting to question this stranger more
and more, despite her and her brother’s continually affirmed prayers that he
was indeed the man Yeshua had given them to help. She had seen many good and desirable
qualities in the man, especially for the purpose they desired him for. He was
brilliant, having collected more knowledge and skill in his lifetime that most
of Arthea’s best military commanders. Yet he didn’t lord it over others, and if
you weren’t talking to him about tactics or watching him fight you might even
mistake him for another rugged traveling soldier of fortune. It was obvious to
Peace though that he’d seen more of the world than he wanted to. His eyes
showed his age and his tiredness. He was ready to be done, and yet he was able
to keep going, so he did. There was much about him however that Peace did not
understand.
Peace
wondered about him. He seemed ever old with all the stories about him.
Reportedly he’d done everything, been everywhere and lived to tell about it. Yet
for all that something seemed too able. Nothing lived through all that and was
that able. He’d been a soldier, a leader, an adventurer; all for years on years.
Yet he was still quite obviously brilliant and strong and also seemingly
untroubled, despite the aging light in his eyes. No one was ever that truly
untroubled. Especially not people from here. Had he truly walked out the Lord
he’d been serving, betrayed him even? What had been in that village, did he
truly do it for a woman or a boy? Being allowed to retire from the King’s army
was also a questionable happening at best. What of those he’d killed or ordered
killed, there must have been at least hundreds. Did they ever haunt his nights
like they did Peace’s? And after everything he had supposedly done, why was he
out here, in the middle of the waste, just wandering around? There had to be
something: something deeper… something she needed to know before it brought the
whole plan crashing down and left Arthea without such needed help.
Then
again looking at her own state at the moment… it may not be a stranger that
brought about Arthea’s ruin. There had to be a way to stop these nightmares,
resolve the deeper problem. The problem that had been unresolved so very long.
Peace looked up at the rising sun and silently questioned. She’d prayed, she’d
studied, she’d listened and yet… perhaps today an answer would come.
It
was another three hours before they stopped to wait out the hot part of the
noon. They met and discussed travel plans before heading to rest.
“At
our current pace we should arrive by tomorrow evening, before the gates close.
Once there I’ll search for my companions. If I do not find them within a day
then I’ll know they’re not there.” Strife laid out his thoughts.
Zeal
quickly voiced his concern. “Will one day be enough? Chiff is quite small but people
are still often difficult to find.”
“If
they’re there, I’ll be able to find them. There’s no use wasting precious
time.”
The
three siblings nodded in agreement. They had very little time as it was.
“What’f
they aren’t there?” Yevish piped up from where he was setting up one of the
tents.
“Then
we head for Arthea quick as we can. I can pick up who I need along the way.”
Strife stated blatantly.
“Pick
up who you need along the way?” Justice gave the man a quizzical look.
“No
offense, but I’ve been here a good bit longer than you. I’ve served under a lot
of people and worked almost everywhere. We got half a blasted country to cross,
and it’s all territory I know. I’ll be able to find who I need. Time seems to
be our most precious element at the moment.”
Justice
nodded. This man did have a great deal more experience than them, and he was
the one God had sent to help them. There were also enough towns along their
route of travel that gathering a relatively decent party would be possible. Not
that decent was a word one could really use with warriors from here, but that
was simply a fact they’d have to deal with.
“That’s
settled then, let’s get some rest.” Zeal finished up the meeting, noting the
tired and vacant expression that was trying to conquer Peace’s complexion. He
walked over to the already set up tent with her. “They’re getting worse aren’t
they?”
Peace
stared at the ground for a moment and then looked up at her brother. She nodded
and then distractedly gazed back at the surrounding terrain.
Zeal
followed her gaze. Why had these nightmares returned to her now, especially now
when they so desperately needed everybody at their most possible best? They’d
prayed, they’d searched, they’d done everything they could think of. Zeal didn’t
know what her nightmares where of, but he knew they were somehow connected with
here. Why shouldn’t they be though? She’d been miserable here in Barakdethen,
he and Justice had done their best but what were two teenage boys supposed to
do? They were working full time jobs to keep food on the table while their
sister worked as she could. Not to mention that though Qualith was better than
many cities Barakdethen was still mostly without law or rule. Every man and
woman was allowed to do just whatever they could get away with. They’d tried so
hard to protect her, and Hope… Dear Hope. They’d all been so young, and mother
and father… They’d been through so much already and then to lose little Hope,
only 8 years old. Mother died soon after: just couldn’t take it anymore, nobody
could blame her. Father, he’d tried, he’d tried so hard to keep going, but he
was old and when the soldiers came calling again. Well, Zeal never saw him
again after the soldiers came to call him back into service. He didn’t really
know what’d happened, but he respected his father no matter what, for all that
he had done, regardless of his final act. It had all been so long ago. He
looked back at Peace. She’d suffered the most from that, losing her twin. They’d
been close, very close.
Zeal
smiled a bit as Yevish came up and tightly hugged onto Peace’s legs. The boy
was so mature in many ways, but he was still a child in desperate need of love.
Love that he’d found in Peace and in God. Peace gently stroked the boys head
and then followed him into their little tent. She needed the rest.
Zeal
watched them go and then went and sat in his own tent. He wondered to himself
if Peace’s nightmares had something to do with Hope. Her and Peace had been very
close, they never left each other’s sides, for many reasons. Safety and the
warding off of loneliness among them. Though their family was close all of them
worked at some place or another, even he and Justice. Justice was just 9 and he
was barely 7 at that time. Peace and Hope needed each other, and mother needed
them. It was hard, but they had made it so well… until then. Father had been in
the wars for years before then, but the loss of Hope was just too much. She had
always fit her name, and kept the family spirits up. There was never a
situation in which she despaired, never a time when she doubted. She was sure
of herself and of the joy of life, yet always so gentle and naïve. Such a
beautiful girl too, both of body and spirit. He’d missed her, all these years.
Sometimes late at night her could hear her childish voice singing some odd song
or hymn she’d heard or made up, and Peace’s rougher voice joining in with hers.
It was odd, but Peace’s voice had been terribly rough as a child, had become
gentler as she grew, and now… well it was really quite gentler than Hope’s now.
Zeal shook his head and laid back, he needed rest too. This journey was hard on
them all, but he prayed, he prayed it would save Peace’s land and bring them
back together finally.
