Chapter 19

After the Fuget incident, Reith, Justina and Rianna had made their way back to Amabat. Rianna claimed she had no further leads as to her husband's whereabouts so she would continue to aid Reith in her search in the meantime.

Several days had passed without action. Reith sat alone in her room, pondering the strange dreams and flashbacks that haunted her. Who was she…? Whenever the question appeared in her mind a dark feeling swept over her, like a fear but without a cause to stem from. The only other thing which she could grasp was the word "Epentar". Justina had informed her that it was the capital of Yason-Roven and would be impossible to reach. But, what if it was the only thing that would aid her? She got to her feet and stared out of the window at the sunlit landscape beyond. Here, there was little war and fighting compared with the places she had passed with Calintz. Calintz…what are you doing now? I hope you're alright…If only she could see him again, but where he was no one knew. Even General Agreian had disappeared without warning. It was impossible to deny the feeling that time seemed to be seeping out of her grasp, although she could not understand why or what she was rushing to achieve.

She finally turned around, her face determined: she was going to Epentar. Whatever dangers awaited her there she would deal with.

"Reith? Where are you going, honey?" Rianna trotted up to her as Reith approached the main doors.

"I am going to Epentar,"

"Don't be stupid, you'll get killed! That's Yason territory,"

"I'm sure if I explained to them…they'd understand,"

"Reith, honey, it doesn't work like that. We are unfortunately in the middle of a war,"

"I…I still must go, Rianna,"

Rianna looked at her solemnly, shaking her head.

"You have a fire in you, a determination and, hell, I admire that…but, I cannot help but worry for you're safety. If you really do insist upon going then I'm coming with you. After you saved my ass I can't just let you go and get killed," she said, placing a firm hand on her hip. Reith smiled, she was glad to have someone like Rianna around. She was like a rock, never moving and always there.

Despite Rianna's pleas not to tell Justina, Reith insisted. She could not break her trust to the young priestess who had helped her so much.

"She's just gonna go berserk, you know!" Rianna complained as they made their way towards Justina's room.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll understand…" Reith knocked lightly on the door and it opened a second later to reveal Justina's stoic face.

"Reith, I thought you were taking it easy today," she said.

"I…I've come to a decision…"

Reith explained as best she could to Justina that the only way she could move forward was to venture into the lands of Yason-Roven. Justina shook her head the whole way through, a look of pity and apology on her clear face.

"You know I can't let you do that, Reith," she said eventually.

"But, Justina, you must understand!"

"As a priestess of Amabat my job is to understand the fears and worries of people, but, also to prevent death and destruction. That is why I cannot allow you to travel to Epentar. I am sorry, Reith,"

"I told you she wouldn't listen," Rianna said tiredly. Reith clenched her small fists in frustration.

"And I suppose you were responsible for her coming to such an absurd conclusion?" Justina sent a piercing gaze at Rianna.

"How dare you!"

"No – I came to the decision myself. Rianna had nothing to do with it, she only offered to help me,"

The priestess sighed and shook her head again. "I'm sorry Reith, but I cannot allow you to go to Epentar…there has been enough deaths as of late,"

That night as Rianna returned from an evening stroll she heard the soft sound of weeping coming from Reith's room. She felt sorry for the girl. She was so naïve, so unsure of the world. In a way, Rianna envied her and also admired her – wouldn't it be refreshing to see the planet in a new light? But yet, she pitied Reith. She had been thrown into the middle of war, a war she seemed completely ignorant of. Rianna slowly pushed the door open to reveal the girl lying curled on the bed, sobbing.

"Oh, Reith, honey, what's the matter?" she said, coming to sit down beside her and place a reassuring hand on her trembling shoulder.

"Everything…" she sobbed.

"It's not all that bad. You're here, safe. You've got friends that care about you,"

"I don't know who I am…I'm afraid…"

"I know, I know…" she hugged the girl close as she wept. They stayed like that for a long while until Reith gradually began to stop crying.

"You really want to go to Epentar, huh?" Rianna said. Reith nodded, looking pleadingly into her eyes.

"Well…there is no point in living a life in misery. If there is something, anything, that you can hold onto that will give you hope then you must do it. That's why I'm searching for my husband…And that's why we're going to go to Epentar,"

Reith looked at her wide, eyed.

"Really? You'd help me?"

"Yeah, but we have to go without them knowing. Justina will only try and stop us,"

"Yes…"

"I guess now is the best time. All the guards are asleep,"

"But…"

"You don't want to go?"

"It's not that…it's just…Justina is my friend, I don't want to disobey her trust in me,"

"Justina is held back by her faith, Reith,"

"Perhaps…Do you think she will ever understand?"

Rianna sighed. "Justina finds reason to carry on in her faith, she doesn't need to go searching for something. But…I think one day something will challenge her beliefs and then she'll go searching. I think she'll understand then,"

"Oh…" Reith sighed, her face torn in an inward struggle of emotional conflicts. She finally stood up.

"I must go to Epentar," she said.

They gathered enough supplies to last them the journey and sneaked out of the temple in the dead of night. The guards paid no attention as they had already fallen asleep at their posts or were talking and joking among themselves to much to notice the light pattering of footsteps as they swept by.

The night's air was frigid and sharp, a sudden change from the day's warm glow. Stars twinkled, every so often obscured by a blanket of dark cloud that drifted below them. Rianna had said she knew the quickest route as she had taken it many a time when visiting Astal, her husband.

"I used to get such a thrill from it, seeking out every night. We used to meet in the forest on the borders of Yason-Roven and spend all night just talking under the stars…" she sighed. "Yeah, those were the good, old days, huh? I wonder where you are now, Astal…"

"He never said where he was going?"

"No, not a word…You know, all these months it's been plaguing my mind: did I do something wrong? Was it because of me he left?"

"Why would he leave because of you, Rianna?"

"I don't know…Perhaps I could have been more affectionate or have had more interesting in his research. He became…so distant, so detached. Hell, I tried talking to him countless times but in the end he'd just storm away…"

"I don't think he left because of you…"

"I know he had a son, although I'd never met him. He brought him up one time when I pressed him, saying how he wished he could have been a decent father…but that was all he said," she shook her head in dismay.

"Perhaps we will find him in Epentar, after all, he is half-Yason, right?"

"Yeah, maybe…"