The Beast Within

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

Adrik could not tell how long they stood there, watching with sad eyes.

Auris had broken into sobs at some point and Haneul let her rest her head on his soldier.

Tes's wails were ever-present, increasing and decreasing in crescendo but not stopping, the sun was starting to turn a blood red, touching the end of the sky.

Ceraun held her through it all, covered in fresh blood from his mother's ever bleeding throat and the now stale blood of his father, he was numb to the bone, the cold seeping through to his soul and dousing it.

Eventually, her frail body could not handle the strain she was forced under, fainting dead away.

Adrik, Haneul and Auris waited patiently for Ceraun to put himself together, they would have waited for days if they needed to.

Ceraun did not use that long, slowly he got up, unravelling his stiff joints his mother's limp body cradled gently in his arms.

Her left hand still held tightly to the bloody piece of worn fabric, her right hand clutching his tunic.

Her hair which was down for the first time ever since they were captured obscured her bloody face and was equally stained with blood like everything else.

They all walked back slowly to the town, the sun setting in the distance.

It was dark when they got to the rocky incline, Auris had learnt to temper her magic so she made a soft, bright glow, lighting up the way so that they could all make their way up.

When they got to the top, Adrik’s mother, Noelani, was waiting at the top, her curly hair loose and bouncing in the evening wind.

She guided the children and they all made their way to Ceraun’s hut with the help of Auris’s light, usually, usage of magic brought about severe punishments but the spies tended to turn a blind eye to these things when a family was grieving.

Haneul and Auris were orphans so there was no one to wait up for them and Adrik's mother was with them so he was not going anywhere either.

Gently and carefully, Ceraun laid his mother on her pallet, stepping back to hover in worry.

Adrik and Haneul remained in the living area while Ceraun retired to a dark corner of the room, not wanting to leave his mother alone and yet giving them privacy.

Auris helped Noelani clean up an unconscious Tes, scurrying out to fetch water and get strips of clothes.

Noelani cleaned her only friend up methodically, relieved that short of bruised and wounded feet and what seemed like a hurt throat, there were little else physical injuries to deal with.

Although she could not help but feel depressed, she had heard of women who ripped out their throats while crying over their deceased husbands, they usually passed soon after from grief.

She glanced occasionally at the boy curled up at the dark corner of the room, his back was to them and her heart twisted for him.

As a late child of their marriage, he had only ever really had his parents.

When she was done, she informed Ceraun, leaving him to sit beside his mother while she instructed the rest of the children to wait.

She had collected Tes's food ration for the day, cooking down a big meal which she went to bring, it would be all up to her to take care of them now, it did not look like a fun prospect but she could not leave them to fend for themselves.

It did not matter that the orphans got their rations anyway, she would still carry them under her wing for however long they had to spend.

She hurried over to her hut, returning in no time with food which she dished out, hounding them to eat up.

She also forced herself to eat, although it tasted like ashes and dust in her mouth, she wondered how she would get Ceraun to eat, it was her biggest worry.

It did not seem right to ask of him to eat when his father was dead and his grieving mother was lying unconscious in front of him, it seemed cold and unfeeling to.

She decided to tell him anyway, it did not hurt to.

"Ceraun." She called in a feather-soft voice into the darkness of the room. "Supper is ready if you wish to ea…"

She had barely gotten all of her words out when rustling movements cut her off.

Ceraun stepped out of the dark room, bowing in the dim lighting of the living room where Auris was still getting away with using her magic because she made it so that no one could see it outside the house.

"Thank you." He bowed stiffly to Noelani, walking by her to where she had placed his food at the spindly-legged table.

Ceraun ate methodically, not tasting the food, eating soured his stomach but he had to eat if he wanted to be strong to take care of his mother, stronger enough to avenge his father.

So he ate, forcing back every tasteless morsel, clamping down on his stomach so that it did not expel its contents viciously.

The silence that enveloped the hut was thick enough to be split by an axe, fires going out slowly in the other huts littered around.

No words were needed to be said and when Ceraun was done eating, he stumbled back to his mother’s side to watch over her.

"You children do not need to wait, Adrik you can also go back to the hut, I will remain here to keep watch." Noelani said to the children when all had eaten.

Haneul and Auris declined.

"Nothing awaits us in our cold dark huts." Auris said bluntly. "I do not mind sleeping on the ground."

Haneul supported her words and Noelani had just offered to her son simply for the sake of it, she knew very well that Adrik would not leave.

So they all sat up at the table, Adrik was perched on a stool in the corner as there were only three chairs.