Our Destiny: Bearers of the Dagger

Impossible, Part 14

The village was so quiet a night. It was weird to think only a few hours ago all hell was breaking loose. Screaming, fighting, murder. Now it was deathly silent. And all the bodies and damage had been moved or tidied away, as if all the previous horrors had simply been erased. But not to Nick. The road might have become totally deserted but he could still see remember the corpses. And the blood. It was the most violent thing he had ever witnessed in his life. How would he ever forget that?

How would he forget the first time he killed a man?

Nick shivered a little. He was standing in the open doorway of the cottage.

Aston had been good to them. He had provided them with fur rugs and blankets, waterskins, rations and even spare sets of clothes to replace the damaged and spoiled outfits they were wearing. Now the village champion had given the group their own cottage to spend the night. Well, it was unoccupied now. The previous family were killed in the Tengura raid so it made sense, though none of them wanted to sleep in the same beds as the victims. Instead the teenagers had pitched themselves in the floor around the chimney, huddling together in their fur blankets while they contemplated everything they had seen today.

Well, everyone but Charlie. He had stayed behind to speak to Aston and hadn't returned yet. That wasn't the main reason Nick was up and standing by the door, though he was a little wary of how long his friend was taking. By the end of the feast everyone was more or less drunk or tipsy so he couldn't imagine they would have that much of a conversation. But Aston seemed to be really grateful to Charlie, something to do with saving his life, he wasn't sure, but that would have made sense. So, yeah that was one reason Nick was waiting there. The other was he simply needed the fresh air. He needed the cold nightly breeze to wash over him and keep him sober. They had found out so much tonight that had changed everything they thought they knew about this place. Nick needed to think for a moment. What was their next move? Melwaith? And what would happen there?

He sighed to himself.

When Aston asked them questions or something important was said, Nick's friends had turned to him. They looked to him to speak for them, to understand and look after them. It didn't matter if he wanted it or not, that was how everything was. It was what everyone needed. And he wasn't going to fight that. They needed Nick to make the decisions.

Okay then. He would do his best. God, he hoped he'd do his best.

So that was why he was keeping his head clear. He needed to be thinking about the future and how they'd make sense of their way forward.

Home.

That was their goal.

Tomorrow they would leave for Melwaith and once they reached that city, there they would find the answers they'd need to keep heading forwards. Nick would make sure of that. They would need him to and he wouldn't let them down.

Mutterings behind Nick unsettled him from his thoughts. The others were still awake, neglecting a decent rest in order to discuss the day's events, but how could he blame them? This was all beyond anything they could have imagined to happen. Emma... How was she dealing with this? Nick turned to the raven-haired girl, wrapped up in her blanket up to her neck. She was so distant at the feast. What was she thinking about? Nick wanted to know.

'It was insane,' Chris said, bringing the room's attention toward him. The guy was sat up with his furs draped over his shoulder as he warmed his palms on the fireplace. 'Did you see me?'

'You had that massive sword,' Steve's voiced echoed across the room.

'Made it look easy,' Luke agreed. The stocky teenager was lying on his back, picking a finger nail. He was staring up at the ceiling.