The Children of Destiny

Chapter 12 - We've Gotta Get You Out of Here

It was getting dark, so Scout took me back to his place where we talked for a bit longer. He told me he had five older brothers and one younger brother, and all of them wanted to fight in the war. He was the only one who wanted to do something else, and his dad didn't seem to accept that. Everyday, when his dad saw him leaving the house, he'd ask where he we going.

When he told him, his dad would always say, "Meanwhile, your brothers are combat training to be soldiers and fight and NOT let their natural fighting skills go to waste."

Scout hated when his dad said things like that to him, but he always ignored it. He also told me that elves weren't naturally born with the circular markings under their eyes. It was makeup that they all agreed on putting on so others would know what element they could control. Mint green meant wind, light blue meant ice, dark blue meant water, red meant fire, and the list goes on. After we talked for a while, Scout stared at me for a bit before moving closer to me.

"Can I check something really quick?" he asked. "I promise if you feel uncomfortable while I'm doing this, I'll back off."

I shrugged and nodded. Scout, upon seeing that I agreed to whatever he was doing, walked me over to his bed and had me sit down. He sat down next to me and placed his arm right next to my leg. He moved really close to my face and grabbed something from his pocket.

The knife... I thought as he pushed me down onto the bed and held me down with one hand.

"I... I'm so sorry about this," Scout stammered.

Sorry about what? I wanted to say, but before I could say or do anything, someone yelled something and Scout shoved the knife back into his pocket and looked over his shoulder.

I peered around him to see an elf that looked much less scrawny and way taller than Scout, but had his silky black hair and blue eyes. Scout got off me and helped me up, smiling nervously at the person in front of him.

"Hey, dad..." he muttered. "We were just, um, having a friendly chat between friends, right?"

I wasn't so sure I should've agreed, but I didn't have much time to think before Scout's dad stomped over to me and looked me up and down with disgust. The markings under his eyes were red, which was bad because the only light in the room was a few torches here and there. He said something in the same language Scout had spoken in before, and I could tell because he said the same thing Scout had said.

"Dad, not in front of him, please," Scout complained. "He didn't even do anything! If you're gonna blame someone, blame me."

Scout's dad glared at me and I took this as a sign to move out of the way before I got hurt. Scout's eyes widened as his dad rounded on him and started yelling in the same language he'd been speaking in when he said whatever it was that made Scout complain. All I could understand was that he was definitely angry and was scolding Scout for being anywhere near me. It all took a turn when Scout yelled back. He must've said something really bad, because his dad flinched away before glaring at him with pure hatred in his eyes. Without any warning, Scout's dad slapped Scout across the face and Scout yelped in surprise.

I wanted to do something, but my feet felt like they were rooted to the ground. Scout staggered backwards and crashed into the wall, obviously disoriented, and his dad left the room as if nothing happened. When I was sure his dad could no longer see inside the room, I rushed over to Scout.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," Scout groaned. "He didn't hurt me too badly this time..."

"This time?" I echoed. "This has happened before? And it's been even worse?"

Scout nodded.

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone," he confided. "But, you seem trustworthy enough."

My eyes widened and I grabbed Scout's hand. He took one look into my eyes and immediately curled up into a ball on the floor and started crying. I crouched next to him and put my arm around his shoulder. I usually did that when Kenai felt upset back at home, so I was hoping it worked with other people. Scout glanced at me briefly before he hugged me and cried on my shoulder.

I patted him on the back and muttered, "I'm gonna get you out of here, no matter what it takes."

"Surely you'd be killed if you tried to sneak me out of the village this late at night," Scout said, still resting his head on my shoulder.

"I'll be alright," I said. "Roxie and I have handled just ourselves pretty well, so I think we'll be fine with you."

"But, what if..." Scout trailed off before finishing his sentence and instead said, "I trust you, human."

"Stop calling me 'human'," I said, remembering that I'd never formally introduced myself to Scout. "My name is Evander. Call me that instead."

Scout smiled up at me and said, "Pretty name, and fitting too."

"Stop flirting and let's go," I hissed. "We don't have much time until it's too dark to travel."

I ran out of the room with Scout trailing behind me and rushed outside. Roxie saw me and tipped her head to one side, confused on why I was so eager to leave. Scout quickly untied her from the fence post and she bolted over to my side, the rope still tied around her neck. I looked around to see if there were any elf guards around before Scout led me towards the walls that bordered the village and made it invisible from the outside. He put his hand on a brick and started muttering in what I now recognized as Elvish; I wondered if he was just going insane. Suddenly, an opening in the wall appeared and Scout lead me and Roxie through it.

"Now the real challenge is getting you past Owletta without her thinking you're kidnapping me or something." Scout joked.

"Will she really think that?" I asked.

Scout just nodded and looked up at the sky, checking to make sure Owletta wasn't anywhere near us. He was about to run off, thinking the coast was clear, when I grabbed his hand, getting his attention, and pointed up at a shadowy figure soaring through the sky. Scout stopped and looked up, shouting a quick phrase in Elvish to Owletta. Owletta regarded him with a loud screech and flew away, not even paying attention to me at all.

I took the lead from there, bolting away towards a rock that I knew would make good shelter. I'd seen an abandoned foxena den underneath it, and foxenas usually make enough room in their dens for an entire skulk of them. I let Scout climb under the rock first, then Roxie, and finally, me. We rested there for the night and, for once, I didn't feel lonely. I had Scout by my side, and somehow, that made me feel a lot better about this whole "the pressure's all on you because of this huge prophecy, so don't screw up" situation.