Forgotten Shadows

Chapter 3

War is not the outcome that any of us wish to come to but now that he is back from the dead, it is inevitable.

/-/-/

A chill, and a gentle breeze. Sand wrestled and danced. Clouds drifted with purpose, the sun passed across the sky, swallowed by the horizon. Then it rose again. Faces passed, a soft chime, a heart leaping tingle.

Shattered lands.

An elf, dark skin and clothing, cold, hateful. Seidr.

A soft sound, like someone rolling in the sand. Leaping up again, a laugh.

Aria! Her own voice, laughter. Fear and relief.

A woman, purple eyes, a beautiful face. Sadness, loss, and pain. But friendship.

A dark place, clearer now, cold. Two people, one larger than the other.

Evil, darkness, malice. So close to her. Afraid.

Gentle, sad, longing, and loss. Sheut, what happened to you?

Power happened. A kiss, gentle, but so malicious. A hiss from pale lips, golden eyes alight. Insanity happened.

Another place darker then the first.

why don’t you stop running for once Aria? He leaned against the young woman, trapped. She stared at him fear clear in her eyes. Why don’t I show you what you’re really capable of doing?

You wouldn’t, panic.

Oh but I would.

A scream of pain. You sentenced yourself to death by doing this. A warning or a threat. Both.

I know, cruel satisfaction.

More images.

Fire, smoke, red sky’s, burning bodies and house, armies and blood, shadows of death

A massacre

You would let world burn. Hatred.

For the sake of power, yes.

/-/-/

Waking was gentle, despite the calamity of the dream. Like being eased back into the world. Unfortunately, Farah felt as tired as she had when she had first lain down to sleep, despite the passing of time. She remained still for a while yet, her thoughts inward.

Seidr, Aria, Sheut. Many faces she had never seen before, and names she had never heard. And that chime in the beginning. She had only heard that chime once in her life, when she was being sparked into existence. She wondered if going back into the desert meant that she was to return back into oblivion. A sad thought, but not entirely unhappy, either.

She turned her awareness outward as the being beside her shifted into awareness as well. She sent him a pulse through the meta-link they shared, and received one in return. She relished in the greeting as it filled her with warmth of a friend. It did not matter if she was tired, he would lend her the energy she needed.

He chirped softly as he turned his head, her blue eyes met his green. He lifted a hand to her, sensing her exhaustion in the weak pulses she sent him. She met his fingers halfway and they glowed where they pressed together. They exchanged a stronger pulse of energy then could be shared across the meta-link. A swift exchange of emotions and thoughts and an instant understanding passed between them.

Important.

Neither of them really knew which one the thought came from. It resonated between them all the same.

She moved and broke contact, her mind returning to her own form. She smiled at him. The energy exchange had left her feeling marginally better.

The bed they lay on together was pressed up against the wall. She rolled over him, gracefully gaining her balance on the floor before he could even feel her weight. He still lay on the cushion, looking up at her sleepily. He would likely return to a restful state. She had too much on her mind, and the rest of the camp to prepare.

The trailer was not large. In fact, it was very small. She pivoted and opened the door. It earned her a disgruntled snort from her brother as cold air rushed in and swept out the warmth. She laughed slightly at him and he returned her a good natured glared, sending an annoyed pulse her way.

She was out the door before he could vocalize his discomfort. There was only one step and her bare feet landed on the cool sand, squishing between her toes pleasantly. She moved away from her trailer and closer to the center of the camp.

A camp fire fought to remain alive, small flames licking at the wood it was fed, combatting the cold morning. The horizon had yet to release the sun, but grey light had scattered the darkness. Clothes lines hung from trailer to trailer and wash buckets had been set out to cool. They would be moved under the trailers when the sun rose so that they had a source of cold water.

A small group sat around the fire, warming themselves in the chill morning. The night shift, meant to watch the camp and make sure guards did not decide that they should no longer camp here. The capitol was not fond of gypsy troupes, but there was so much money to be made in such a large city that it was worth the risk.

As she approached them she chirped her friendly greeting. Only one chirped back, and sent a soft greeting pulse. The other two were balancers and would not be able to make the sound.

Ris made room for her, a friendly smile on his face as he scooted a little on the makeshift bench. She sat next to him, leaning into his warmth and taking some of the energy balancers naturally exude. Her skin glowed faintly where she touched him.

Ner chuckled. He was a fellow Veran, like herself, and understood what she was doing, even if Ris and Meir did not.

He sent her a reprimanding pulse but she only smiled sheepishly.

“Didn’t sleep well, I assume?” He asked her around the cigar in his lips. He was grisled and old, and had a hard life behind him. Like most other Veran, he had been a slave for most of his younger life. Almost the instant he wondered in from the desert as a new spark he had been strapped down in chains. Eventually, the metal bond had damaged him permanently and he had been thrown away to die in the shattered land. He had come back, but he could not change his form as seamlessly as he had used to.

Ris was the newest member of their troupe, and it showed. Ner was not fond of him, as he was not of any new gypsy or rom to join them. But it also showed in how he treated the Veran in the camp. In the world he was from, Veran were slave class. Lower then homeless and whores. However, more often than not, they were the whores.

Ris still treated them with a manner of disdain, but with time it would morph into understanding. No balancer, or any other creature for that matter, had ever truly understood a Veran in all the centuries they had been wondering in from the desert, however the boy was physically attracted to her, so he liked Farah. He had yet to understand that Veran do not make romantic relationships with others.

The poor boy was torn between being okay with her seeking his energy, and jumping away from her contact. She was not hurting him. He would lose this energy anyway, she was just stopping it from being lost into the atmosphere. It was still disconcerting to him.

They had only reached the capitol the day before. Today, they would send a few trailers to the gates. They sold wares, trinkets, and charms. They gambled and tricked. They played performances for spectators. Sometimes, they even sold themselves.

It was not an appealing life. It was not luxurious, or easy. But it was a better life any of them would have had otherwise. They were free, after all.