The Beast Within

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

Adrik had made his way back to his hut at the same time that Ceraun, Auris and Haneul had gone off to get their daily rations of food.

He sat patiently in the mostly empty house, he didn't know what his mother would want to carry so he had left the packing till when she would come back, although he would most definitely help her with transporting it.

He started to pace when a while had passed and his mother had still not returned, furrows deepened upon his brow as worrisome thoughts unbidden, creeped into his mind.

She had never stayed out this long before even when he would come back late, he knew she had come at the same time she usually did.

His anxiety soared, desperate eyes glancing at the windows and door for a glimpse of his mother's familiar face, her braided black hair and honey brown eyes.

The windows and door remained empty, mocking him in their starkness.

His panic was justified, he had been a physical witness to Ceraun’s tragedy which was a grim reminder that anyone could be a victim to the whims of the non-Mages.

So why wasn’t his mother back yet? What could possibly be the cause of her delay?

Except for Ceraun’s parents, she barely interacted with other Mages which was not as a result of anything she did but the fact that Mages all kept to themselves, you never knew when someone would turn you in to save the skin of their neck.

Non-Mages had managed to turn them against each other without too much effort, Adrik could bet that it was no doubt a part of their strategy because Mages would not be able to band up together to rebel if they were wary of each other.

He had gotten distracted by his thoughts and when he shook out of it, he decided to check outside the hut and saw his mother coming, it was a quick glimpse before he hurried back, he did not want her to know that she worried him.

“Adrik! I’m home.” She announced as she pushed open the front door. “Adrik? Are you back yet?”

Adrik hurried out to meet her, pretending to be surprised by her presence like he wasn’t already aware that she was coming.

“Welcome home, mother.” He said as he made his presence only to freeze up, his eyes going wide. "Who is that?” He asked, his eyes fixed on the figure who was hiding behind the folds of his mother’s skirt.

“Come on out, Laith, that’s my child, no need to be scared.”

Adrik waited patiently, watching with his arms folded as his mother tried to persuade whoever it was to come out, it seemed to be a child.

“Laith, dearest…” She cooed at them but the child refused to budge holding tighter to her legs.

Adrik dragged his gaze back to his mother, holding an expectant expression.

Noelani chuckled nervously, patting the child’s head.

“Where did you find the child, mother?” He asked, taking the ration of food from her hands to go place it on the dining table.

“On my way back home, she was wandering around begging for food, she is an orphan and far too young to be tasked with the responsibilty of taking care of herself.” She argued fiercely.

Adrik took a step back, raising his hands defensively. “I just wanted to know more about her, you don’t have to prove anything to me, I don’t mind if you decide to keep her.”

He said the words honestly, Mages’ instincts were to retreat into their shells when anything came along that could upset the balance of the way they lived their life so he was not surprised to find out that no one chose to help.

His mother beamed at his show of open support. “I’m sorry, I perhaps expected you to react the way people did when it became apparent that I chose to take her with me.” She sighed.

Adrik frowned, seeing the droop in her shoulders and the sad exhaustion in her eyes. “Those Mages have already begun to rot from within.” He muttered dismissively.

“More importantly, we have found a hut which we cleaned up and are all aready moved in.” He started to inform his mother. “Ceraun followed Auris and Haneul to get their daily food ration, all that is left is that you pack up and we make good our leave before it gets too dark.”

Noelani frowned, something in the information her son was relaying tugged at the back of her mind. “Ceraun went to the non-Mage settlements to get his food rations?” She repeated, her incredulity palpable. “Who decided that was a fine idea?”

Adrik shrugged, unperturbed, he was pretty sure Haneul and Auris would try their hardest to stop him from going.

“You don’t need to worry yourself, I’m quite sure that they would know to try and stop him, now perhaps if you would like to pack up?”

“Oh, of course.” Noelani shook her head, holding Laith with a firm grip to take her along with her to her room.

“Mother, how old is she?” Adrik asked curiously, when they went past him, he had the opportunity to properly study the child.

She was dressed in a tunic that was clearly not hers in the way that it dwarfed her, nearly enveloping her frail form.

One thin hand clutched his mother’s hand tightly, her dusty, small feet were bare.

One her head was a curly mop of dark curls, which were more tangled than they were curly and so dusty it was hard to be certain that her hair was black.

Out of a small, dirty face, bright blue eyes had glanced at him for the briefest of moments and he felt his heart slow, his memory bringing back to the forefront of his mind, the only other person he knew with that shade of blue.

“Six, I should think.” Noelani mused, stopping halfway to her room. “She barely speaks, it was hard enough trying to get out her name and where her parents were.

“I see.” Adrik mumbled distractedly, averting his face, not looking back in their direction until the both of them had disappeared into his mother’s room.

His mother seemed happy and that was enough, besides, they would soon all be gone to the war, he was glad that his mother had someone to keep her company.