All Heaven in the Midnight of the Sun
Chapter Nine
"What's the trouble here?"
Garret and Kurin both jumped and turned to face the intruder. He was young, probably still in his teens, but his face, shadowed by the black cloak , displayed a hard edge that spoke of the grit buried underneath. He looked at the scene before him questioningly. Then he saw Kurin.
"Damn! A moogle!"
He turned to run. He barely got two steps before Garret's sword was at his throat.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
The hard edge seemed to disappear, and the youth whimpered in terror.
"I'm just a scout! Please don't kill me!"
"For the Empire? Dammit, what are they doing here?"
The scout shook his head violently, nearly slitting his own throat in the effort.
"I don't know! Nobody told me anything!"
His eyes flashed, for just a second. But it was enough.
Garret tightened the sword against his neck.
"You're lying." His voice was cold and emotionless. He began to draw the blade across his throat.
"Okay! Okay! All I know, is that it has to do with something about a village getting destroyed!"
Garret and Kurin looked at each other. Kurin swore under his breath.
The scout shifted slightly, trying to look at Garret's face.
"Hey, wait a minute! I know you! Aren't you that trai-"
Garret slit his throat, and his blood sprayed a hideous pattern upon the leaves. He gurgled something unintelligible and crumpled. Garret turned to Kurin, looking at him questioningly.
"Will they find the village?"
Kurin shook his head slowly, as if unsure.
"Not unless they have any reason to search the surrounding woods thoroughly enough to break through our wards."
They both turned back to Aeris.
Her eyes were open, staring straight ahead into nothingness. Then, slowly, she spoke.
"What was he going to say…before you killed him?"
Garret closed his eyes.
"Something no one needed to hear."
"Was he going to call you a traitor?"
Garret sighed.
"It was a case of mistaken identity."
Kurin opened his mouth to speak, but Garret raised one hand to silence him.
Aeris turned her head away.
"Why are you lying to me?"
Garret tried to respond, but found he could not muster the strength. Kurin spoke for him.
"Because it was in the past. It was part of another life."
Aeris laughed bitterly.
"I think I know a little about things like that. Please…tell me."
Kurin began to speak again, but Garret shook his head.
"Why are you denying her this, Garret? What are you seeking to hide?"
"I'm hiding nothing, old friend. I will tell her myself. But, it's getting late. First, we will set up camp, and then I will tell you…what I can."
Kurin gave the dead scout a sideways glance.
"Not here, though. If there was one scout, there will be another. We need to find a cave."
Aeris was already getting to her feet.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Aeris found it morbidly humorous that nobody mentioned what had happened earlier. It was almost as if they were purposely avoiding the subject.
Perhaps that was best. Whatever was happening to her… She knew within her heart that it was not something that could be analyzed and discussed, not made subject to the laws of man and beast. She knew as well, that whatever it was, she had to get it under control. But why was this happening to her? Why?
"You all right?"
She jumped, startled, and looked over to see Kurin staring at her with a mixture of worry and curiosity...and fear.
She smiled.
"No. But I'm under control. Are we there?"
Kurin nodded, then pointed to the shadowed entrance to a cave, secreted behind a copse of trees.
"We should be all right there."
She nodded, and followed him into a cave.
And as she stepped into the dimness, the wind seemed to speak, to utter words that hissed and sputtered like smoke.
"Because you are a puppet."