The Beast Within

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

Haneul had been right about the hut, it was perfect for what they needed.

Although it would become incredibly useless when they were all to leave for the army because it would simply be too big for Noelani to live in all by herself.

The hut was surprisingly not as filthy as they were expecting, just a few layers of dust which Haneul swify got rid off with his magic.

The lack of neighbors was also coming in handy at moments like this because there would be no spies to report then to the non-Mage soldiers.

The area that Haneul had chosen was somewhere which was avoided by spies, he should know, he was a very important one before.

The reason why was largely unknown, perhaps an elderly Mage used to live in the area mostly by herself and terrified the children so they took to avoiding it entirely.

He was sure the non-Mage soldiers choose to turn blind eyes to it, it wasn’t like anyone really lived there anymore.

With cleaning out of the way, next would be the gruesome task of moving their things, Ceraun’s hut was the farthest from the new hut so he would be the one with the longest trips to take.

The new hut was big enough and had enough rooms that everyone could take one for themselves, it was not really big in the sense that it had better facilities or more space.

The rooms were roughly the same size as any other hut, it just had more rooms and made provision for a bigger company.

The biggest and best looking room was reserved for Noelani and Auris was allowed to have her pick, then the boys drew sticks.

It was just for the fun of it as the rooms were more or less similar.

Adrik spent half the time studying Ceraun and his moods, he could not imagine how strong one had to be to find the strength to muster up a smile even if it was the shadow of one so soon after a great loss.

For months after Dew’s death, his lips did not stretch in a smile nor did he taste laughter but yet here was Ceraun’s managing to effortlessly do that.

The familiar steel glint was back in his eyes again, if a bit darker and colder this time but it was back and that was most important.

After all was decided and done, they dispersed, heading back to their different huts to pack up.

Ceraun walked briskly, he did not want to tire himself out but he also wanted to hasten up.

Walking back into his hut felt like he was returning after so many years although he had only been gone less than an hour.

Nothing felt right in the empty rooms, ghosts whispering in empty corners as he drifted through the rooms.

Strangely, they felt empty, although his parents would be long gone by this time either to the mines or the sewing pit, he could not explain exactly how or why but the rooms felt inexplicably empty like no one had lived in them for years.

He left his parents room where he had watched his mother spend the last hours of her life, heading to his where he could clearly feel the difference, his room still had the essence of life.

His sheets were neatly folded in a way that was so unlike him he could easily tell that someone else had slept on his pallet, it would no doubt be Noelani and perhaps Auris, that was fine.

Quickly, he began to pack up, there was very little to pack, it was not like he had much possesions anyway.

The new hut already had sheets and utensils ready so he was only required to carry things of importance.

His things were not difficult to pack up nor the things he chose to leave behind difficult to decide upon. His parents possessions however was where the difficulty laid, what could he carry along? He wanted something to remember them by and yet felt like scum for ransacking through their things.

His eyes fell on the comb tossed to the side, the seashell comb from last night… it felt like ages ago.

It was his mother’s most prized possesion, slowly he walked over to bend to and pick it up, it felt warm in his hand, almost like his mother was the one holding his hand or perhaps he was just sick with grief.

What could he possibly carry of his father’s? His eyes scanned the dingy room, a strange kind of urgency running through him.

There was no reason to be in a hurry nor did it make any logical sense but the house felt like it was falling apart around him, it felt like it was up in flames, it made him want to turn tail and run.

But yet he could not leave without taking something to remind him of his father, as he stood at the middle of the room, confused and unable to make a decison, a glint at the corner of the room caught his wandering.

It was strange that it should for there was no source of light reflecting off on it but he was not about to debate that.

On checking on the glint, he discovered it was a shark necklace of his father’s.

His father had told him that it was the first ever one he had killed with his magic, while he was still young.

Ceraun hadn’t even known that his father brought it along with him from Coldmaw, he had not seen it in all of the months they had spent here already.

It could only mean that his father had only taken it out the morning before he died.

He squatted at the corner, staring with wide eyes at the meticulously cleaned shark tooth sitting at the middle of the elaborate rope necklace.

His father had told him when he asked that it was his mother, Ceraun’s grandmother, that had made the necklace.

And Ceraun had been eager to get his, his parents had told him while he was still young that there were some people who got their magic late.

He had found out later on that that was a lie, no matter how faint the magic was, every Mage was born with a bit of it.