We Dream of Hope

Struggles

There were a lot of questions left with Nadia and no answers. First, who was this Odion? Was he really the voice? Did Warner know about the voice she was hearing? Should she read the note he left her? Why did she care about any part of this? 

Are you going to push back in? 

She had cursed the voice before, but now missed the comfort it had provided her with earlier. 

Is your name Odion?

Silence answered back and she gave up, figuring bringing it on herself was what she deserved. 

The woman before entered the tent, “He left?” She looked at Nadia more confused than she was, “Are you okay dear?”

Nadia nodded, but still felt remorse, there was now an emptiness in her head that she hadn’t noticed before, but now with one less voice, it was a gaping hole. “I’m okay, he didn’t do anything. I’m going to get back to work. Let me know if he comes back okay?”

She nodded but Nadia knew it was a lie but had to let it go. She tucked the note into her pocket unable to gain the courage to read it. She was needing to finish up her work if she was going to get to her dinner. Which was the second thing she was dreading today. Oh, she longed for the simpler times when Tomin was her only undesired guest. 

She returned to her work and finished quickly before returning to her tent. The sun was starting to cast a deeper shadow on everything as it nearly concluded its decent. She didn’t dress up for her special diner, she left her day to day outfit on. Tight pants with a knee-length dress tanned and slightly stained but still one of the more comfortable things she owned. As difficult as her night was about to get she deserved to be comfortable. 

She went straight to Tomin’s tent. It was closer to the center of the campsite, but she guessed he was going to take her to the edge where the stars shone the brightest. Tomin was already outside dressed a bit more formally with a heavy fur coat and tall boots. He looked about ready to stay the night outdoors. 

“Nadia!” He was too excited for his night not sensing any impending doom Nadia was about to bring. 

“Hey Tomin, I wasn’t sure if you were hungry or not-”

“Oh yeah, we’re going to the campfire tonight. Let’s get moving.” 

Oh great, she thought, I can’t talk to him there. 

If Nadia’s laundry corner was the most isolated she could get in the camp, the nightly campfires were the exact opposite. People gathered at night to tell stories of the war times. Nadia never liked hearing about her mother in such a light, she never knew her so hearing that she was some sacred warrior everyone followed just rubbed her the wrong way. She wasn’t expected to fill her mother’s shoes, her father made sure of that, but she still felt like she wasn’t accomplishing nearly as much as her mother in any way. 

Tomin took her hand and led her straight to the fire, everyone was falling in the circle while a few people were getting the fire growing taller. He grabbed two seats near the clearing where someone stood pacing back and forth: the special speaker for the night. 

“I hear this one is going to be about the last battle.” Tomin leaned over to Nadia who twisted her fingers together and forced herself to smile. “Your mother was such a great woman. I almost forgot, your father was so grateful with me about saving you earlier but don’t worry, I’ll have a surprise for you later about that.”

“Oh great,” Nadia rolled her head back to look around for anyone else to save her from this insanity. How she longed for that voice, he hated Tomin more than anyone else she knew, he was the voice of reason in this crowd. 

No one came to her rescue but the speaker cleared his throat. He was an older man, certainly old enough to have fought a fair few battles, but tonight he was going to relive the final battle. “No one really understands what happened that night, those youngsters here always want to hear our tale of heroics. We would have liked to say we fought our hardest, but truth be told by the end of things, we ran. Not out of cowardice, out of a desire to preserve our race. We have no way of knowing how many humans are left alive, but with us. We pass along those stories from before so you all have no desire to leave this mountain. This is the safest you will ever be. So listen well,”

It always started the same way, gloom, doom, and just the right amount of death. Nadia grew so tired and he hadn’t even started his story yet. She could already pay it out herself though, but of course, she was going to be forced to watch and listen. 

“First I would like to raise my glass to our fearless leader,” Barren was absent as usual, but he turned to the cabin raising a glass and taking a long swig of his beverage. He turned back and scanned the crowd, “And another one for our own Nadia, the priceless treasure left to us by Hope, may she rest in peace.”

Yes yes yes, Nadia scoffed, not only was her mother named Hope, but she was someone who gifted Nadia to the world. A treasure, I’m sure no one wants to really have. 

“We were all celebrating that night, we had just tasted a victory that for most of us was our first one. We slew a small army of demons and freed a few of the slaves they were transporting. So we took a moment and set up camp, ready to feast. Some of those poor souls had never seen a feast. Hours and hours past. We finally settled down then as we took our final bites of wild boar a chill fell over the air. For those of you new to this fire,” a line which raised a few chuckles, “that chill was a common thing to feel when a demonic aurora was cast. This demon had to have been a hybrid, not one of those pure-blooded or children of the great knowledge himself. After the chill came the wind. Such a terrible bitter steal the breath out of your lungs cold type of wind and most of us were knocked flat. Our fires in one gulp were extinguished, the pitch-black darkness left us blinded, and then fear set in. You could hear the screams as someone came around finishing those it could find. I for one took the moment to hide among the trees as I cautiously made my way toward the mountain where I knew my safety was guaranteed. I never dared to turn back though I did once think I heard the sound of a howl. Seraphine, the war beast who was known to have killed countless demons. It’s rumored Seraphine was the first war beast created by the original angel of Hope the one whom our glorious leader was so named. Hope perished that night, no one saw what happened, but we all know thanks for her sacrifices, and for quick thinking on Barren’s part we were finally able to find a peaceful place again.”

At this point, the tale became more about how great they all have it now and praised her father too much for Nadia’s liking. She tuned the entire world out, still searching her mind for that extra voice. 

I’m sorry.

She felt a lump in her throat as tears pooled at the corner of her eyes. 

Tomin looked over to her just as she wiped her face before a tear could stream down. He leaned over to whisper to her, “Are you okay? It must be hard to hear about your mother still?”

Nadia nodded but only to get him to turn back around. 

Tomin squeezed her arm and stood up, “Thank you, Sir Collins, that was such a powerful message. It brought a tear to my sweet Nadia’s eyes. I just wanted to thank everyone tonight.”

What was this buffoon doing? Nadia needed to find some escape; it was about to get even more uncomfortable. 

“I know many of you are aware that Nadia and I share a special connection. I was so glad that I was able to save her earlier. I know I don’t have anything to say about the war,” He was now standing in the clearing and the previous storyteller had taken a seat, “Even now we are faced with our own battles. The war is never going to be over for us, I have every right to believe the demons have their own agents they send up to test every once in a while. I was helping Nadia earlier with the laundry and suddenly we heard this rumbling in the trees. This massive wolf big as a bear clearly bewitched by a demon, maybe the devil himself. I jumped right into the action, shielding Nadia from the powerful force of the giant dog. I was able to scare it away, but I say that we need to act fast! This beast is still out there, ready to take us down.”

Nadia stood up and stomped her foot which many people mistook as her agreement with the absurd tale woven through exaggerated nonsense. She turned and stormed off toward her tent. How could he do that? What is his problem? Is he really that stupid?

“Nadia!” Tomin called after her, “Nadia, wait, are you okay?”

She stopped not turning around only keeping her head down and she stifled her voice in hopes it would keep her from screaming, “How could you say such things?”

“What was that darling?” Tomin reached her, finally taking her hand.

“Am I just a joke?”

“Of course not, you’re Nadia!”

“Yes,” she snapped her hand back and finally turned around her nostrils flared, “Not someone apparently that needs your protection.”

“Of course you do.” She tried to take her hand again, but she was successful in being able to keep herself separated, “Nadia, your father was so happy that I helped you earlier, which is what I was getting ready to tell you. He was just so happy that he agreed that you and I should become an item again.”

If ever I could use another voice now would be the time. “Do you honestly think I want to be with you?”

“Of course you do.”

Nadia threw her hands up and continued to march away. Tomin unfortunately followed after her. She marched all the way to the edge of the camp ready to just run away from everything. Leave this camp, all its silly lemmings, and every story she had heard behind. As she entered the trees Tomin grabbed her, swinging her around face to face. 

“You’re so beautiful Nadia.” He wrapped his arms tightly around her holding her close. 

“Get-” she twisted and turned, “Off” she ducked down sliding out from between his arms but he was ready again and pushed her against a tree. 

“Nadia, what’s gotten into you?”

“Let me go!” She struggled as his grip on her wrists tightened

“You used to love it when I held you close. Don’t you remember those nights we spent together?” He dug his face into her neck rubbing his nose against her skin, “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

“Stop!” Nadia’s pleas turned into desperation as she struggled under the powerful weight of Tomin’s body. 

“Nadia.” He whispered, nibbling her neck. He pulled her hand down to his crotch, “Love me Nadia.”

Nadia clenched her fist continuing to struggle against him and swiftly raised her leg maiming Tomin and causing him to keel over. She took another swift kick this time landing it right in his nose before running off further into the trees.