Losing The Sun
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The sun was still high in the sky when they reached the first of their new campsites. It had been a long day, and it looked like there would be another one ahead before nightfall. They’d left the road behind them as soon as possible—the last thing they wanted to do was get caught by some patrol or other on this stretch of land that wasn’t even marked on any map.
There were plenty of places where people could hide out here if they knew what they were doing; all you needed was a little luck with the weather and an ability to stay hidden for weeks at a time without food or water.
“We’re going to have to move again tomorrow,” said Kip. “It’s not safe.”
He sat down beside her, leaning against a tree trunk. She leaned back into him, resting her head on his shoulder. He held her close, feeling how tired she was getting. This whole trip had taken its toll on both of them.
She sighed deeply. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you about my father sooner.”
Kip shook his head. “Don’t apologize for something he did. You can never change what happened between us, but we’ve got a chance now to make things right. We’ll find your mother and brother, and then maybe—”
A loud crack echoed through the forest around them, followed almost immediately by another. A branch snapped somewhere nearby. Then came several more cracks, each louder than the last.
“What is that?” asked Kip.
“Sounds like someone breaking branches,” said Tisarwat. Her voice sounded distant and far away.
“Or shooting arrows,” said Kip.
Tisarwat stood up quickly. “Let me check it out!”
They moved together toward the sound of the shots. As they drew closer, they saw that it wasn’t just one person who was making those noises. Several men dressed in dark leathers were moving through the woods, firing arrows into trees. One of them spotted them and shouted, pointing. Another man loosed an arrow from his bow, missing Kip by inches.
“Run!” screamed Tisarwat.
Kip grabbed her hand and pulled her along after him as fast as he could run. His heart was pounding, and he felt light-headed. But he couldn’t let go of her hand because if she fell, he wouldn’t know which way to turn next.
Another shot rang out, sending a shaft of wood flying past them.
“Keep running! Don’t stop!” yelled Tisarwat.
But he stopped anyway. He turned around slowly, looking at the men following them. They seemed to be coming at them from every direction. More arrows flew overhead, hitting the ground near them.
“Go!” said Tisarwat.
“No,” said Kip. “I’m not leaving you.”
She glared at him. “You don’t understand anything, do you? If you want to live, you need to leave me.”
“If I ran off alone, they’d kill me. And I won’t let that happen.”
More shouts rose up from behind them. The soldiers were closing in.
“Come on, Kip,” said Tisarwat. “Please.”
“Not until you promise to come with me.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Promise?”
“Yes. Promise.”
She hesitated only a moment longer before nodding sharply. “All right. I promise.”
Then she took his hand again and started running.
***
The Forest
When they finally made it to the edge of the forest, Kip found himself gasping for breath. The air was thick and heavy, and he felt dizzy and sick. He stumbled forward, trying to keep hold of Tisarwat’s hand. She kept pace beside him, though she appeared to be struggling too.
Finally, they emerged onto open grassland. Ahead lay a small town, built around a central square. Buildings surrounded the square, most of them two stories tall. Some were painted white, others gray. All of them had shutters over their windows, and many sported signs hanging outside: shops, inns, taverns, and so forth.
As they approached, Kip realized that these buildings weren’t actually part of the city itself. Instead, they were set well back from the center, forming a ring around it. In fact, the entire area was enclosed by a wall of stone blocks topped with sharpened stakes.
There were guards standing watch at the gate, wearing metal armor and carrying spears. They watched Kip and Tisarwat walk up to the entrance, but none of them tried to stop them.
Inside the walls, everything was quiet except for the occasional shout or curse. There was no sign of life anywhere. No people walking the streets, no animals grazing in the fields beyond the town. It was as if everyone inside the walls had disappeared, leaving nothing but empty houses and buildings behind.
“Where are all the people?” whispered Tisarwat.
Kip looked around. “Do you see anyone else here?”
“No,” she said. “Just the soldiers.”
“Well, there must be some people hiding somewhere,” said Kip. “Maybe they’re afraid of the soldiers.”
“Of course they would be,” said Tisarwat. “Who wouldn’t be?”
“It doesn’t seem very safe,” said Kip.
“We should get out of here,” said Tisarwat. “Now.”
Kip nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
He led her down the street, keeping close to the buildings and staying out of sight. After a few minutes, they reached the end of the block. At first, Kip thought this might be where the road ended—that it went nowhere further. Then he noticed another path leading off to the left, disappearing between two buildings.
“This is the main road,” said Kip.
“What does that mean?” asked Tisarwat.
“That means we can follow it out of town and find a place to hide.”
“Why didn’t you say something earlier?” she demanded. “I’ve been following your stupid lead ever since we got here.”
“Sorry,” said Kip. “I guess I forgot about it when things started getting scary.”
They followed the road through the town, passing more buildings. Most of them were abandoned, though a few still had lights burning inside. As they passed each one, Kip wondered what kind of business it might have once held. A bakery, maybe, or an apothecary.
Tisarwat slowed down, looking around nervously. “I think I hear someone coming.”
Kip listened carefully, but he heard nothing. Maybe she was just nervous. Or maybe the sound wasn’t real.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “It sounds like footsteps. Coming toward us.”
“Let’s hurry,” said Kip.
Soon enough, they came to the end of the road. Beyond was a wide field, stretching away into the distance. To the south, Kip could make out the dark shape of the forest.
“So much for finding a place to hide,” said Tisarwat.
Ahead, three soldiers stood guard at the base of the hill. Two of them were armed with swords; the third carried a spear. They stared straight ahead, not even bothering to look their way.
“Can you climb that fence?” asked Kip.
“How high is it?”
“At least ten feet.”
“Oh,” said Tisarwat. “I don’t know.”
“You’ll be fine,” said Kip. “If you fall, I’m going to catch you.”
“Thank you very much,” she muttered under her breath.
She took several steps backward, then jumped up and grabbed the top of the fence. Her hands slipped, and she let out a cry of surprise before falling back to the ground.
“Try again!” shouted Kip.
Tisarwat climbed to her feet and tried to grab the fence again. This time, she managed to pull herself up halfway. But then her legs gave out beneath her, and she fell backward onto the dirt.
The soldiers turned and began marching down the road toward them. The one holding the spear glanced over his shoulder, saw Kip and Tisarwat, and smiled. He raised the spear above his head, ready to throw.
***
Kip ran forward, leaping over the fallen woman and tackling the soldier who’d thrown the spear. His arms wrapped around the man’s neck, pinning him against the ground. Kip twisted his body, trying to force the spear out of the other soldier’s hand.
But the man on the ground struggled against Kip’s grip, kicking and punching. Kip felt the sharp pain of a blow to the side of his face, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
“Stop fighting me!” yelled Kip. “Or I’ll kill you!”
His words seemed to do the trick. The man stopped struggling, and Kip released him. With a grunt, the soldier rolled over and scrambled to his feet.
“Run!” Kip shouted.
Tisarwat did so without hesitation, sprinting across the open space and heading for the trees. Kip watched her until she disappeared behind the thick foliage. Then he turned to the remaining soldier.
The man looked confused. “What are you doing?”
“Don’t move,” said Kip. “And drop the spear.”
The soldier hesitated, then lowered the weapon.
“Good,” said Kip. “Now put your hands in the air.”
The man complied. “What is happening? Why am I being arrested?”
“Because you attacked my friend,” said Kip. “In fact, you’re probably lucky I didn’t kill you right now.”
“Wait,” said the soldier. “My name is Drem. What happened to my friends?”
“Your friends aren’t here anymore,” said Kip. “I killed them all.”
Drem frowned. “I don’t understand. How could you possibly—”
“Just shut up and listen,” said Kip. “There will be no more questions after this.”
Kip knelt beside Tisarwat, who lay curled up on the ground. She was breathing heavily, and there was a cut along her cheek. Kip touched her forehead, and she groaned.
“Are you okay?” asked Kip.
“Fine,” said Tisarwat. “I’m fine. Just give me a minute.”
“We need to get out of here,” said Kip.
“No,” said Tisarwat. “Not yet. We can’t leave until we find out why those men were chasing us.”
“Why would anyone be following us?” asked Kip.
“I don’t know,” said Tisarwat. “Maybe because they thought you were a spy.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” said Kip. “I’ve been traveling alone since I left home. No one has ever come looking for me.”
“Then what makes you think someone is after you?” asked Tisarwat.
“Because I’m the only person who knows where the book is hidden,” said Kip. “They must have seen me talking to you, and they figured out that I knew something about the book. That’s why they chased us—they wanted to stop me from telling anyone else.”
“So how did you escape?” asked Tisarwat.
“Well, I knocked out one of the guards with a rock, and then I used his knife to slit the throat of another,” said Kip.
“Didn’t you just say you killed them?”
“Yes, but they weren’t really dead. They had fainted. And when I stabbed the last guard, he woke up and started screaming, which scared off the others.”
“You mean you killed them all by yourself?”
“It wasn’t easy,” said Kip. “I almost died myself.”
“How many times did you fall?”
“Three or four,” said Kip. “At least.”
“Wow,” said Tisarwat. “That sounds like quite an adventure.”
“Yeah,” said Kip. “Let’s go back to camp before we run into more trouble.”
He stood up, and Tisarwat helped him to walk. As they walked, Kip noticed that Tisarwat was favoring her right leg.
“What happened to your ankle?” asked Kip.
“Nothing,” said Tisarwat. “I tripped and fell.”
“Oh,” said Kip. “Really? You don’t look hurt at all.”
“Of course not,” said Tisarwat. “I’m a wizard. I heal quickly.”
“A healer?” asked Kip. “Like a priest?”
“Sort of,” said Tisarwat. “Wizards can use magic to cure sicknesses and injuries. But it takes time, effort, and concentration. Most people won’t bother trying to treat themselves if they’re already sick or injured.”
“So you’re saying you healed yourself?” asked Kip.
“Yes,” said Tisarwat. “I was able to fix my ankle pretty easily once I got moving again.”
“But you still have a bruise on your face,” said Kip.
“Right,” said Tisarwat. “That’s going to take some time to fade.”
“Do you want me to help you?” asked Kip.
“No thanks,” said Tisarwat. “If you were a real healer, you’d be using your powers to save lives instead of playing around with rocks and knives.”
“Okay,” said Kip. “Whatever you say.”
Tisarwat smiled. “Thank you.”
The End