Book Three: Battles of the Present

The storm moved eastward, and they followed it's shadow for several days. They watched over their shoulders, waiting for an attack that had yet to come. With nothing to their name but the skills of their hands and a few stolen weapons from Wenmoor, they scoured the land for food and tools, forging spears, bows and arrows out of anything they could find. But even though he didn't know all of them, everyone knew who him. Barret would regularly find himself being talked to as they pressed forward, with many of the prisoners asking rather personal questions about him and Eris. He tried his best to answer all of them, but the pain was still too close to his heart, and he would often wander away from the group when they stopped to get peace and solitude. Well, almost solitude. "They're just curious about you. Most of them just want to make sure they're not making a mistake."

"I know. I just wish they would stop asking about Eris. I… it's not easy."

Haelith put her arm around him. "Who said it would be? Losing someone is always going to leave scars."

He let himself relax as they stood with their backs to the group. It was midday and they stopped to rest for a short time as they usually did. Overexertion would only serve to hurt them in the long run, so they paced themselves. He was drawn away from Haelith as many of the former prisoners began to stand up and stretch their legs. Barret sighed, and took his usual place at the front of the column when he saw a yellow and white Ishtaer waiting for him. "Mind if we talk this afternoon?" her voice was soft, but higher than most others. He hadn't realized just how much prison had physically changed her, as he had heard her voice as raspy and harsh before.

"I suppose not. I don't believe we were ever properly introduced."

She chuckled and smiled. "Well, then let's change that. I'm Anriea [ahn-rEE-uh]. I wanted to thank you. I never thought I would feel the sun on my face again. Never thought I would feel the grass between my claws. I expected to die in that prison. So thank you."

"You should thank Raine. She's the reason we're actually free. Her and… and Eris." He turned away, the pain coming back. "All I did was give us a destination that Raine or Haelith would have gone to anyways."

"You did more than that." Ariea said with a smile. "You've made a tribe."

Barret whirled around, a confused look on his face. "Tribe? What are you talking about?"

"You are young, aren't you?"

"Only twenty seven, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Your actions are that of a leader. I have seen it before. I had a friend who became the elder of one of the northern tribes. She would lead us forward, figuratively and literally, much like you do now. Sixty years ago she presided over funerary burnings for many of those around us, she always kept moving forward, and never let anyone fall behind. You could have left us all to rot in jail, but you chose to stay and free us. You could have chosen to be the first one out, but you were the last, even going back for Erisdar. You have become a tribe leader in the eyes of many."

"I do not want to lead. I only want to get back home." Barret frowned. "If you want to follow me, then by all means do so, but I do not want a tribe. I am a wanderer of the wilds, a man who has- well, had no home. I had no friends or family for so long, I do not know how to care for people other than myself and a few others. Leading a tribe was never my goal."

"But it is who you have become." She insisted. Barret glanced backwards at the many prisoners who trudged along behind him. They could have left him, they could have vanished into the wilderness, but they were here. They followed him. They trusted him. "Leadership is not something you may want, but it may be something that you need to do if we are to survive."

"I am not someone you will want to follow forever. When we reach Edinmire, I will leave you. My friends are going to fight in the war, and I will join them. If you follow me still, then you take your life into your hands."

Anriea chuckled. "I do not wish to go fight. This is not my war to wage. But there are some who will think differently. Meklep may only have one hand, but he used to tell stories about how he was a great warrior before he was caught, dueling Erisdar to a stalemate, only being caught when reinforcements came. It was most likely not true, but he has the heart of a warrior, and inspired many to fight on."

"And what did you do before this? What was your drive in life?"

There was silence for a few minutes. "I… had a lonely life. When I was young, I traveled with a small tribe, wandering the world, and I helped by keeping the camp when the hunters were out. But I left them when I came of age to find my own path. I wandered for nine years, seeing much and hearing much. I traded stories and trinkets for food and supplies, and made my way all the way beyond the western mountains, where the Western Keidran territory lies. I found a secluded area on the coast, near a small village. I spent much of my time in solitude, but it was a good life. I had no cares or worries about the world, content to take my little boat out to the cove and fish for food, hauling my catch into town to listen to the going-ons of the outside. Sure, it was lonely, but it was peaceful. Until he came. News of my existence reached the ears of Erisdar, who came for me in the night. I tried to flee, but I couldn't escape him. I admit that I long to go back west, to see what has become of my old home. But my home was little more than some branches tied together, a bed and a fire pit. I had so little. It's probably gone now, blown away by another storm."

"Perhaps you could go back someday. When this is all over, you could try to find your way back again. If it was on the coast, you could join a crew of sailors to try and go around the long way. Sounds like another adventure is just waiting for you." Barret tried to sound cheerful, but Anriea turned away.

"No. I have to let the past go."

Barret chuckled at this. "Well, if my friend can leave his past behind, anyone can."

"Oh? Who are these friends of yours in Edinmire?"

"There's a bit of everyone there. A Basitin, a couple wolves, a tiger, some humans. Raine and Haelith have friends there too. In fact, you may know my friend, if by nothing more than his reputation. Sure, he used to be the worst of the worst, but he turned his life around entirely, pledging himself to be married to a Tiger Keidran. Someday, they will be Mrs. Flora and Mr. Trace Legacy."

"Legacy? So the rumors are true? The monster has turned away from the dark?"

"He has made it his mission to destroy his past, to leave it all behind, but his past hasn't been kind to him. Demons, literal demons have come to pull him back. But I know him. He won't go down without a fight."

"Then… I look forward to seeing him. I heard rumors about him while in prison, but I didn't think they were true. A Grand Templar turning away after a violent coup? Far fetched if you ask me, but here you are, telling me it really is true."

"I trust him with my life." They walked for several minutes without talking, letting the sounds of the thinning forest dominate for a while. "You said you were a captive for seven years in Wenmoor, but they killed that other Ishtaer. Why did you live so long?"

Anriea's face turned sour. "I was a plaything for them. An experiment in pain. They tortured me for fun, tried new spells on me and tried to break my will without destroying me entirely." She held out her arms, turning them over. Thousands of little scars could be seen on and under her scales, some parts were branded and other parts had scales forcibly extracted, never to grow back. "I am only sane because I found ways to rebel against them silently. I made them work for every sound and flinch I gave them. I grew accustomed to constant pain, and would laugh when they failed to draw forth screams. I wanted to remind them how strong Ishtaer are, so that the others would not suffer as I did. They hated me in there, so they took me all the more, to try and break me. I see your face, it was never Erisdar who tortured me."

Barret sighed, wishing he knew how to hide his emotions better. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Pain does not define who we are anymore. We are free. What doesn't break you strengthens you."

"Haelith said something like that too."

"She is wise. Have you told her everything yet?"

"Told her every- oh." Barret turned away, embarrassed. "No… I didn't think anyone else heard me."

Gentle laughter came from her. "Well, perhaps you should tell her all the things you were too scared to say before. You have great courage, young hatchling. Use it." Anriea slowed her walk and joined with the rest of the crowd, smiling. Barret looked back to her as she talked with someone else, smiling. He turned his eyes to the forest and to the plains he could see beyond, knowing that she was right. He had become a leader of many, whether he wanted to or not. They would follow him home.