Chapter Three
Southern Serenes, west of Tanas and the Miscale River...
It was the next day they encountered a delay. There were many more soldiers at the edge of the woods now than there had been when entering, and it caused them to sharply veer off their former path to find a less guarded area to exit the forest through.
"But you two are strong, aren't you?" Amy said as she crouched behind a bush, peering through the greenery to spy on the two golden-clad soldiers that could be seen talking at a distance away. " Why do we need to hide when we can easily dispatch them and be done with it?"
Soren took her arm and pulled her away from the bushes, walking back towards the safety of the trees' shadows. "That would be unwise. We've already called too much attention to ourselves in Telgam, and even if we did do something here, there are simply too many reinforcements readily available to come to their aid. We would be pursued the rest of the way to Grann and risk drawing attention to the desert. Violence isn't always the answer to our problems, Amy."
"There's not usually this many soldiers about this area though," Stefan mused in front of them as they weaved their way through the trees. "Perhaps it's about the disturbance in Flaguerre northwest of here."
"I doubt that one Beorc boy is the cause of this." Soren replied. "There's no reason why soldiers are guarding the entrance to Serenes for that."
He saw Stefan's shoulders go up and down in a slight shrug. "The Order's uptight about security, it wouldn't be farfetched."
"What happened in Flaguerre?" Amy asked as she wiggled her arm out of Soren's stiff grasp and caught up with Stefan up front.
"Apparently a boy somehow bypassed the Order and snuck into Crimea. I heard about it in Telgam, but if the news has gotten that far, it must be some days old. They probably already retrieved him."
"A child?!" Amy gaped. "Really? I can't believe it!"
"It's what the rumors say," replied Stefan.
"The truth has most likely become warped," Soren said. "Flaguerre is always well guarded precisely because it is the border city to Crimea. It would be almost impossible to bypass the border security undetected, even for us. The chances of a mere boy having achieved this are even slimmer. "
"Oh come now, why must you always be so pessimistic?" Amy groaned. "What if it did happen?! Just what if it did happen?! You overestimate them too much!"
Soren shook his head. "Amy, you've seen only a small extent of their power."
The girl was silent for a few moments as they walked. When she spoke again, her tone had become uncharacteristically cold. "When I first came to the inn at Telgam a few years ago, I met a child. His family owned a farm close by and he often came to visit on errands. I became good friends with him." She paused, glancing at her companions. Walking besides her, she could tell Stefan was listening, but Soren had turned his attention to the trees to their left where the soldiers had been seen.
"Over the years, he slowly confided in me. He told me about dreams and curiosity his family hadn't taken well with. It was about the lands beyond Begnion... He wanted to know the truth." She stopped walking, the strain of trying to force an emotion away forcing her to halt. "He found old books in the farm's secret cellar and I...I taught him how to read them. They talked about Tellius before the war. I told him about it, about myself, about how the world used to be. I thought that if one person knew...if at least one person kn-knew... " Her voice began to crack and she paused to steady herself before continuing. She had their complete attention now, but as her hands flew to cover her face she realized she no longer wanted it.
"Only the boy had the knowledge, yet not long after, the Order came. I don't know how they found out, but they came! They burned the whole farm down!" Her voice was quickly rising in pitch. "They labeled his family as heretics and placed them on trial for blasphemy. They were all publicly hanged! And all of it, all of it... it was my fault!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Stefan crouched to her level and pulled her into his arms as she heaved silent sobs.
"I helped the boy escape though," she whispered into his shoulder, just audible for all of them to hear. "He said he would find a way out of Begnion. The books were written by an ancestor of his that lived in Crimea." She shook her head something fierce then. "I told him he wouldn't find anything but a wasteland, but he didn't listen. He ran off before I could stop him and I haven't heard of him since!"
Stefan exchanged a glance with Soren as he held her small frame, but the mage's expression was unreadable again as he silently watched them.
Amy suddenly moved out of his arms to grasp his shoulders firmly in appeal. "Oh Stefan, what if it's him they've caught in Flaguerre?!"
"Amy-"
"Please! There was something about him! There was something about him that was familiar! I couldn't quite pinpoint it, but what if he's one of us? We can't let them do anything to him!"
"Did you tell him about the Branded in Grann?" Soren cut in sharply. There was no hint that he had felt any compassion for her story, but there was an angry edge to his voice that made Amy wince. She looked lost for a second before she hung her head and responded with a guilty nod.
"Then we need to verify his identity. We can't allow the Order to acquire that information."
"He will never reveal it! He swore to me that he'd keep it a secret!"
"Amy, what were you thinking! What did you think telling a mere child would achieve? How many more do you think will die if the Order learns of the colony's location? How could you have been such a fool?! They've innumerable ways to loosen a tongue!"
Amy shrunk away from him, returning to the safety of Stefan's arms.
"Soren, lower your voice." Stefan tried to warn, hoping to calm his now visibly agitated companion who had begun to pace. He didn't think they were completely out of the range of the soldiers they had seen earlier and he didn't want Amy to cry any further, but he understood Soren's sudden temper though - he was alarmed as well.
If the Order knew about the Branded colony in Grann, they would not hesitate to find it and destroy it. The Branded had become a persistent thorn in their side for centuries, inciting little rebellions here and there, the only resistance left.
"We'll have to split up," Soren said.
"Split up?" Stefan asked.
"Yes. Getting the Medallion to Micaiah is our biggest priority, yet we can't overlook this if it's true. Yet we also can't jump to conclusions," he paused. "How long ago was the last time you saw this boy?" He directed the question to Amy.
She stayed quiet, shaking her head and refusing to answer. She didn't want her voice to quiver.
"Gods damn it, Amy!" Soren snapped, "We can't play this game!"
"Amy, please," Stefan said gently.
"The l-last time I saw him was some weeks a-ago, perhaps a m-month or two," she answered quietly, trying to take control of her emotions. "I don't really pay attention to time anymore, but he headed west after that. I think that he's too smart to have headed straight for the border in Flaguerre though."
"Is it possible that he might have tried the mountains?"
Amy mulled over this for a few seconds before answering. "If he was really serious on crossing to Crimea, it's a possibility, but he's got a horrible sense of direction. It's not unlikely that he could have wandered for days in the mountains until he was caught by sentries and sent to the nearest town - Flaguerre. I don't think he would have given up so easily, and I imagine he might have made a commotion. I believe he was capable of that."
Stefan nodded. "From there, people who saw talked, and rumors spread. It must have been some days ago."
"We have no choice," Soren said finally, ending his pacing as he turned back to them. "Amy and I will head back to Grann. Stefan, you need to learn more of this. "
Stefan nodded, already following his train of thought. "I'll return to Flaguerre and see what I can find."
"More than likely, they've already transported this boy to the capital. Just see what extra information you can learn from the people there," Soren said.
"We're separating?" Amy asked, suddenly alarmed as Stefan parted from her. He wasn't going alone, was he?
"Stefan can move the fastest here and he's the best at blending in. The journey to Grann will be slow with the increased troops around this area, and it will be easier to travel at night once we leave these woods. It's possible that Stefan will rendezvous back with us before we return."
Stefan laid a comforting hand on Amy's shoulder. "That's right, Amy. I'll most likely be back soon."
"Wouldn't it make sense if I came along with you?" Amy ventured. "I could tell you if I recognize any details said about him."
Soren was already shaking his head. "Amy, you'd only hinder-"
"You'd leave Soren to travel alone?" Stefan smiled at her, earning himself a glare from the mage. "He's wounded, remember? I'd feel more comfortable if you traveled with him. You've also got a task to complete with the medallion."
"I..." Amy began, lost for words.
"We don't have much time, Stefan," Soren interrupted him.
Amy pulled at his robes, her throat too tight to speak. Stefan understood and brought her in a reassuring hug.
"Take care of him," he whispered in her ear, with a tone that suggested he hadn't been joking in his earlier comment. Stefan gave her another reassuring squeeze before he moved away.
He exchanged a nod with Soren. "Be careful."
"To you as well."
~xxx~
Wow, I would apologize a million times over for being late and promise not to do it again if it were feasible.
;{
So I remember in Awakening, when you're fighting Soren in the bonus wireless features, he says something like "Violence isn't always the solution." Coming from him, that kinda shocked me!
Thank you to everyone who has shown such support, it really makes me happy to see that other people are enjoying this fic, no matter how small it is at the moment.
Everyone can be assured that even if I take really long, I will always update a story! I'm not one to give up on one, no matter if it takes me years to finish, hmm!
Short chapter this time, but I'll make up for it later!
Happy belated 2013 Christmas!
EDIT April 4, 2015: As I'm going back to edit chapters and such, there was this one typo...And I don't know why, but I laughed hysterically at it. I don't even know how I could have possibly made it!
"We don't have much time, Stefan," Soren interrupted war.
As always, thanks for reading!