As promised: the second update today.

Chapter 4

Uninvited Guests

A couple of weeks had passed since I had come to Camp Jade with Zephys. The daily routine settled in. I always prepared dinner from them and, twice a week, someone would go out and gather supplies with me. Not much memory had returned during my time here, except for a few recipes and hospitality habits that I must have learned in my past. Occasionally, three of them would go on a mission, leaving one behind to stay with me at Camp Jade. I still felt like I was burdening them with my presence, but they always assured me that I wasn't. That is, except for Zephys.

It was a day like any other. I had just returned with Zephys from a painfully long trip into the woods to find something to eat. He sat soundless on the log next nearby as I sorted the plants in front of me.

"It so beautiful out today," I said, trying to break the awkward silence that always seemed to loom around us when we were together, "I love the spring."

"Spring just brings bad fevers." Zephys mumbled, staring at the lifeless fire pit.

"What season do you like?" I didn't look up at him in order to seem nonchalant. I always felt tense around him, but, recently, I had mastered the façade of serenity.

Zephys was quiet for a moment, pondering my question. Then, with an emotionless face, he responded, "I like winter."

Surprised, I lifted my head to look at him. "Why?" Truthfully, I hadn't expected him to even answer my question. He had told me many times that I asked pointless questions, most of which didn't even merit a response from him.

He shrugged, then propped his chin on his hand, "I like how sleepy it is. How quietly the snow falls from the sky… How any color stands out against the snow."

I couldn't hide my astonishment. Where did this poetry come from? I almost laughed, but I knew that would be rude, but, given our usual circumstances, I didn't think my reaction was too out of line. Maybe he was finally accepting that I wasn't leaving Camp Jade any time soon.

"Don't look so appalled," Zephys glared at me. He looked more offended than angry, his cheeks beginning to turn a little pink, but I remained silent in an effort to keep my mouth from falling open wide. "Say something." Fidgeting slightly, he kicked at the dirt by the fire.

Just as I was about to respond, I was cut short by another voice.

"Aye, Luna!" I turned and saw Areck walking into camp with Heroth by his side, as always. "We're back! You don't need to miss me anymore!"

I rolled my eyes playfully and Areck scooped me up in an embrace. Heroth patted me on the head and sat down next to Zephys.

"Okay, Areck," I smiled and pushed myself away from him, "that's enough."

I heard Heroth snicker to himself and Areck shot him a fierce look. I turned to get back to dealing with the bag of supplies and Areck found a seat on the ground near me. He sighed and lay back, putting his hands behind his head as a makeshift pillow.

"I love this weather." Areck sighed.

I looked up to see Zephys's reaction. His eyes shot up to stare at Areck, almost in a glower. I giggled slightly to myself, causing Zephys to glance my way. When he noticed I was looking at him, he quickly turned away, staring at his hands.

"Hey, Luna." Heroth said, "How long have you been back?"

"Not too long." I shrugged, eyeing the position of the sun to get an estimate. "Definitely less than an hour."

Areck leaned up from his lounging on the ground, his gaze shifting from me to Zephys, who was now looking off at something I couldn't see. "Zephys, how was your behavior toda—?"

"Shh!" Zephys stood up abruptly.

"What's wr—" I tried to say.

"SHH!"

Everyone remained silent for a few seconds. Then, hastily, Zephys leapt across the pit and pinned me to the ground.

"What are you—?" I gasped as an arrow flew right above my eyes.

Heroth and Areck sprang to their feet, each whipping out their respective weapons. From the ground I could hear footsteps and voices calling.

"I can see her!" I heard one say.

"Kill them all!" A louder voice called, "They don't need her alive!"

I drew my breath in sharply. Who are these people? With the help of Zephys, I got to my feet and ran to hide behind one of the tents. As I ran past, Kayif came running out.

"Luna!" He looked at me, "You've got to get out of here!"

"But—"

Before I responded, Kayif pulled out both his katanas and charged into the battle. All four of them were fighting, their swords moving faster than my eyes could keep up.

Suddenly, I felt someone grip my wrist and pull me against them. Then, there was a knife at my throat.

"You're much more beautiful than I had expected," the breath of my captor blew against my ear, making me tense up, "it's too bad I have to destroy this flawless face."

"Pl-please…" I begged, my eyes beginning to water, "Don't…"

"Sorry, Luna, but your time here is— Ahh…!" His mouth released a sigh and the knife dropped from my throat. I quickly moved away, turning to look at the body. He had a blade stabbed in the side of his stomach. Above him stood Zephys.

"We've got to get out of here." He reached out his hand.

"But what about the others?" I looked back at the camp, but I felt Zephys's hand grip my wrist tightly.

"Luna," his blue gaze pierced me, "we have to go."

I bit my lip and hesitantly glanced back again at the camp. Then, he yanked my wrist and I stumbled towards him. He scooped my legs up with one arm and supported my back with the other. He took off, running through the woods with me in his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest, trying to drown out the sound of battle behind me. The image of my attacker's dead body was still fresh in my mind, blood pouring from the puncture in his abdomen, and I tried to shake it out.

After a while of running, I opened my eyes and looked up at Zephys's face. He had a stern look, scanning around for any enemies. His pace slowed as we reached the end of the forest. Before us was a small city. He carefully placed me on my feet and I released him from my hold so that we could walk together towards the town.

"We should be safe here for a while," he said quietly, "We can blend into the town."

I nodded but didn't respond. I couldn't help but think about Kayif and the others. What if they had died fighting to protect me?

"Thank you," was all I could get out, "for saving my life… again."

"I would rather be fighting with my brothers in arms." He responded coolly. "I'm here on orders."

I couldn't help but let my shoulders droop. "I'm sorry."

Zephys grunted but didn't say anything else. Side by side, we traveled between two buildings and walked out into what looked like the center of town.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"This is Blackdell City." He responded. "Do you recognize the name?"

"No…" I sighed, hoping that it would trigger a memory.

"Well," he shrugged, "let's find a place to stay for the night."

We wandered the city streets together for a while, looking for the sign of an inn. I watched as people continued their daily routines, completely unaware of the day we had. I tried to act normal and put on a calm face, but it was hard, considering how unsure of the outcome I was.

A sign on one of the passing buildings caught my eye. "Look, Zephys!" I tapped his shoulder and pointed. "The Sleepy Bear Inn." I reached for the money pouch attached to my belt. I wasn't sure how much was in it, but I placed it into Zephys's hand. "Hopefully this is enough."

He opened the bag and looked inside. To my surprise, his eyes widened in amazement, and then he quickly closed it. Afterwards, he looked at me. "Where did you get all this money?"

"I…" All I could do was shrug. "I had it with me when you found me in the woods."

Zephys blinked and gripped the bag tightly as we walked into the inn. A woman was standing behind the desk and smiled as the door shut behind us.

"Good evening," she said sweetly, "can I get you two a room?"

"Two." Zephys responded immediately.

"I-I'm sorry," she looked surprised, "but we only have one room available."

Zephys groaned and threw two coins on the counter. "We'll take it." He snatched the key out of her hand and walked briskly up the steps to our room. I hurried after him, jogging to keep up. He opened the door to the room and we walked in. When he slammed the door unnecessarily forcefully, I couldn't help but flinch from the sound.

It wasn't a very big room. I sighed when I realized it only had one bed. I knew I would probably end up sleeping on the floor. When I looked at Zephys, I noticed that he seemed uncomfortable as well.

"We both need good rest." He muttered. "We will have to share the bed."

My face turned red. Although I shared a bed with Kayif for two nights, I spent my second day finding materials for my own bed, which I slept on for the rest of my days there. I felt awkward enough with Kayif, who was very kind to me, and I didn't want to think about how weird it would be with Zephys. Trying my best to remain calm, I lay down first and faced Zephys, who was standing off to the side of the room. He had his back turned to me and was taking off his extra equipment. He stripped down to his black undershirt and, before he turned back towards me, I flipped around to stare the wall. I felt the bed compress as he settled next to me. His breathing matched the pace of my own: fast and nervous.

"Do you think they're okay?" I asked, feeling my eyes fill up with tears.

"There were many men attacking us." I could tell from his voice that he was frowning.

Worry filled my mind and I couldn't fall asleep after that. I don't know what I would do if they all died in that fight. It was all my fault. I turned so I was on my back and stared at the ceiling. The more I thought, the sadder I became. Tears began streaming down my cheeks and I sniffed, trying to make them stop. But they didn't. Soon, I was crying uncontrollably, loud gasps of breath escaping my mouth occasionally while I tried my best to suppress the sound.

I heard Zephys rustle and he turned his face towards me. His eyes were still closed but he reached his arms around me and pulled me close to him.

"Stop crying," he mumbled sleepily, "there's nothing you can do now."

I felt a strange feeling of safety in his arms and my sobs slowly stopped. Zephys's breathing slowed, each breath pushing my hair slightly. For some reason, I found this calming and, before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep as well.

Let the adventure begin :)