REDEMPTION

39. BAD IDEA.

Night had fallen. The wind was a bit harsh as it blew beneath the trees. The water was still as fish occasionally jumped out of it. The ground was filled with few blades of grass. The branches atop the trees swayed left, obeying the will of the wind. Loose dust particles were blown into the air. The horses were quiet as two slept and one kept watch. Two figures lay on the ground asleep but soon the wind became unbearable.

Shawn groggily sat as he rubbed his eyes. He looked up at the canopy that blocked the view of the night sky. He stayed there for a while before jerking into an upright position. It was night yet no fire had been set. He looked around and Ralph had fallen asleep not so far from him. He leaned against a tree trunk and slept soundly. The horses were safe too. One of the horses immediately slept when it noticed he was awake.

Something was off but his sleepy mind could not yet figure out the obvious. The luggage was safe and seemed untouched. He looked at them again. And back to the horses. They all came in trios. But why? His mind voiced. But he did not notice anything amiss. Until…

‘Look after her for me.’ The words of his best friend rang through his head. He looked around one more time before realizing what was amiss. Achlysa, she was nowhere to be seen. She was not here. And that was why he was expecting to see a fire already started. She had left saying she would get firewood and get a fire started. When Shawn had offered to help her, she had rejected telling him you get some rest.

He was about to object when he remembered the last time he had offended her. Ralph had offered to go in his place but she had told him a single ‘no’. Achlysa told them she wanted you be alone. And when she did, none of them put up any resistance. They had wanted to but she left saying she could take care of herself. She left no room for discussion and soon disappeared into the forest.

If only he had had the courage to go after her and not follow her instructions, at least Shawn would have an idea of what kept her. However, now was not the time to start thinking of what ifs. It was time to act. Without further ado, he went ahead and woke his little brother before relaying the situation. Ralph was concerned about her. He wanted to go search for her but Shawn told him to wait for her just incase she called back.

And just you be safe, he had laid out a protective barrier around them before he woke Ralph up. It was not near perfect since it was done in a hurry. But, it would alert him if anyone tried going near Ralph’s position as well as keep out intruders. He knew it couldn’t keep Ralph in because of their opposite magic signatures but he hoped he would stay in it if not around it. He left in the direction he had last seen her go into.

Before long, his nose picked up the faint smell of something burning. It was not far from him so he sprinted toward it. Shawn hoped against hope that it was not something big. He hoped this faint smell was just his imagination. That she was no where near it and that she was safe. He had promised to keep her safe. And not once had he ever broken a promise. Especially, not to him.

This was the most important person to his best friend after his mother. It had been so long but he got to see it again. The look he once had when his mother had still been alive. Then, Bendra was not yet declared a noble and their meeting was a coincidental one. They met on a dark night, much like the one he was in now. Shawn was lost and Bendra just happened to pass through.

He had carried a wild goose on his head and when they crossed paths, they immediately became friends. It was not something magical but rather a friendly rivalry. Since then, they would go hunting together and when Bendra became noble, they still hung out. But after his mother died, he changed. Shawn had thought his friend would remain dead inside the rest of his life when what he did not expect happened.

Bendra had found a chance to happiness but now Shawn had lost it. He jumped over a bush when he came to the scene that was supposed to be where the fire was originating from. When he saw it, he froze. The ground was burning but it was not. The ground was frozen solid. Yet, the surrounding area was perfectly fine. In the middle of the iced ground lay a stick that was burning.

The fire looked like it was angered by something but the ice beneath it prevented it from spreading. To him it looked like the ground was trying to cool the stick from doing anything rush. He wanted to aid the stick by going back to the river, but he stopped when he realized it. There was something familiar about the stick. The design on it was not one from just any ordinary stick. Shawn approached it cautiously.

Shawn saw it, it was small and unrecognizable by first glance. But it was there. The fire obstructed his view but if he was right then this was a clue. He moved closer and it became clearer. Just beneath the strange design a centaur sat there. It was somehow intertwined with the design but did not look out of place. To anyone else, this would have been just a normal design but to Shawn it was not.

That centaur was a symbol Bendra had often used to brand things that were special to him. It was his way of saying, ‘hands off’ and ‘mine’. Shawn was sure he knew the meaning. If Bendra had gone through the trouble of branding her staff then whoever took her should be ready to pay for it. And he, would make sure they do.

Shawn was not sure about his decision but he went ahead and tried picking it up. He was not sure if it would go as it played in his head or not. But he was ready for it. As his hand neared the staff, the flames seemed to get smaller. But that was all they did, get smaller. After he stretched further, the flames still looked like they were burning.

He could not just leave it there. So far, it was the only clue to her disappearance. Bracing for pain, he held onto it firmly and picked it off the ground. The ice immediately disappeared but the flames remained. He endured them as he analyzed the staff. It was hers, no doubt about it. The blue phoenix that soared around the staff in grace. The realistic feeling one got from gazing upon it and the power of its owner still radiated from it.

The staff was heavier that it looked. Shawn began wondering how she held onto it as if it was a plain stick. He looked at it and unconsciously asked where she would have gone to without her staff. The staff reacted to his question. It vibrated so violently in his hand that he was tempted to let go. Yet, when he tried to, he could not. He was stuck.

Shawn was thrusted forward by an unknown force. He sped through the forest like it was nothing before he came to a clearing. Since it was totally dark, not even he could have noticed it. Knowing that he was being led there, he held onto the trunk of a huge tree that was ahead of him. He stood on its branches and pulled the staff back.

‘Wait.’ He mentally scolded. The staff obeyed reluctantly. It looked like it was sneering at him. Asking him why it had to stop. Mocking him. And demanding to be back where it belonged. It's master's hand. He began seriously wondering if he had finally lost it. The stick wanted to whack him but he dodged. It was still on fire and that would let the enemy know their location.

‘Switch off.’ The staff seemed to look at him wondering what he was saying. ‘We will be spotted before we have the time to rescue her.’ It understood and the fire went off slightly. And when it could go no further, the color of color fire changed from red to blue to green to white and finally black. The fire was a bit cooler but it was now burning his nerves and not his flesh. The pain was excruciating but he held back yelping in pain.

He looked around, trying to come up with a plan. Shawn wanted to make things right but he was not sure he had the time to. So he went with a very dumb idea. He got off the tree and walked right into the clearing. With nothing but a black burning staff.