“Ethen!” Raelen called, coming out the little
thatched roof house. “Where are you?”
All that
answered six year old Raelen was silence, filled quietly by the singing of
birds. Her older brother was most likely off hiding somewhere where she would
be able to find and pester him. He had promised her that he’d play with her
after he had finished his chores. Well, it appeared to her that the chores were
done and Ethen was no where to be found. “Ethen?! Raelen called out again,
trying not to feel too disappointed. She knew her brother was busy, but she had
been looking forward to playing with him.
Hearing no
answer, she turned back towards the house and intended to ask their mother
where he was. But before she could reach inside, Ethen jumped out from behind
the door she had left open, scaring her. “Boo!” he said.
Raelen let
out a small shriek which immediately turned to laughter. “I was looking for
you!” she informed him, crossing her arms. “You said that we would play when
you were done with your chores.”
“Well, I’m
done now,” Ethen replied. “What would you like to play?”
Raelen
thought very hard for a moment, trying to decide.
“Well?”
Ethen asked, trying to be patient with his little sister.
“I know!”
she declared. “Hide and seek!”
Ethen
smiled. “Good pick,” he said. “Do you want to count first or shall I?”
“I’ll count!”
Raelen said excitedly.
Twelve year
old Ethen grinned. “Alright,” he said. “NO peeking.”
“I won’t peek! Raelen insisted as he
wandered off. “I never peek!”
“You’re
peeking now!” he teased.
Raelen
turned, covered her eyes, and began counting very loudly so that Ethen would be
sure to hear her. When she was finished, she shouted out, “Here I come!”
She began
to look around the small farm, checking every spot that she thought her brother
could be. He wasn’t hiding behind the door, or in the horse stall, or even out
behind the house. When Raelen had nearly given up, something strange happened. She
closed her eyes and heard him breathing heavily and laughing to himself, but he
was no where to be seen. Startled, she opened her eyes and look around her,
confused at what had just happened. Then, in her mind, she saw where he was and
rushed off to find him. After a short ways down behind the house, she came to
the little stream that ran past their house and off into the forest. After she
had walked along its banks, she stopped at the foot of a large oak tree and
looked up. “Found you!” she proudly declared.
Ethen
dropped down out of the tree, landing in front of his little sister. “How did
you find me so quickly?” he asked. “This was supposed to be the best spot.”
Raelen
recounted to her brother what had happened.
“You saw me
in your mind and could hear me?” he repeated. “Raelen, that is impossible. You
can’t read minds. No one can.”
Raelen
looked down at her bare feet, trying not to cry. She looked back up at Ethen
and then glared. “How do you know? It is too possible! You just don’t believe
me!” she shot back at him.
With that
she ran off back towards the house as fast as she could. Ethen sighed and sat
down next to the stream, tossing pebbles into the still waters. Something
within him wanted to believe his sister, but then another part of him felt
uneasy. Besides the Tyrant, only the greatest of magicians had such ability and
it was one that took many years of training to perfect. So therefore, it was
impossible that Raelen had this same ability. After spending several more
moments deep in thought, he got to his feet and walked back towards the house.
Raelen was
sitting out behind the barn, drawing in the dirt with her finger. “Mama
wouldn’t want you getting your dress all dirty,” her brother’s voice came from
behind her. “You only have one other that you already managed to tear when we
were playing tag.
Raelen
ignored him and kept on drawing.
Ethen went
and sat down across from her. He reached in the pocket of his pants and pulled
out a little wooden whistle he had been working very hard on. Their father had
just taught him how to whittle little trinkets from pieces of wood. They sat
there in silence until Raelen could take it no longer and looked up at what her
brother was doing. “What is it?” she asked, watching as he carved away at the
whistle.
“This,” he
said pausing and holding it up. “is a little whistle. Papa taught me how to
make it.”
Despite
being angry at her brother for not believing her, Raelen was fascinated as she
watched his skilled fingers work away at the wood. She had always wondered how such
wonderful little things could be made from something as plain as wood. “There!”
Ethen said a moment later. “It’s finished. Would you like to try it out?”
Raelen
nodded eagerly and he handed it to her with a smile. She held it up to her lips
and blew hard into the end of it. All the sound that came out was a woosh of
air, not the pretty sounds that she had expected it too. “I think it’s broken,
Ethen,” she said, staring sadly at the little whistle in her hands.
Ethen took
it from her and said, “It’s not broken.”
“It’s not?”
Raelen asked.
Ethen shook
his head and blew softly into the little whistle. Out of it came the most
beautiful little tune that Raelen had ever heard. She clapped and laughed with
glee. “You can keep it,” Ethen told her. “It just takes a little practice.”
“Maybe
someday I will be able to play a tune as pretty as the one you did!” Raelen
said. “Thank you, Ethen.”
Ethen
grinned and replied, “You’re welcome.” For being only six years old, Raelen was
extremely smart and caught on to things very quickly.
Just then
they heard their mother calling them to come in for supper. “I’ll beat you to
the house!” Raelen said, jumping up and running as fast as she could towards
the house.
Ethen just
laughed and raced off towards the house, managing to beat his sister to the
door. “Aw, no fair,” she declared.
“It is too
fair!” Ethen replied back. “I’m older and bigger. Therefore, I am faster then
you.”
Raelen was
about to say something else, but was interrupted by their mother. “What are you
two arguing over this time?” Marianna asked, wiping her hands on a rag as they
walked in.
“Ethen beat
me to the house…again…” Raelen replied. “He said he did because he’s older and
bigger.”
Marianna
tried not to laugh. “Raelen, dear, I don’t think that that is something worth
getting upset over,” she said gently. “Now go and wash up for supper you two.”
As her
children wandered off, Marianna sighed. She remembered what it was like that
night six years ago when Raelen came to their family. She had felt panic, fear,
and wasn’t sure what would happen. Yet now, she couldn’t not imagine their
family without little Raelen. She brought such joy to them, and it was hard to
imagine that she was the Tyrant’s child. She turned back to the table and
started to dish out the stew that had been simmering over the fire.
Just then
the door opened and her husband walked in. “Hello my dear!” he said, coming
over to her and greeting her with a kiss on the cheek.
“Greg!” she
laughed. “How was the day in fields?”
Greg sighed
and his weather beaten face grew serious. “Not as good as I was hoping. The
storm last week took out a whole section of crops,” he said, sitting down at
the table. “We will not be able to harvest as much as I was hoping we would be
able to.”
Marianna
sighed as well. Their little farm had been struggling lately, but they were
managing to get by well enough. “It will be alright, my dear,” she told him.
Just then,
Raelen came bounding over. “Papa!” she said, giving him a big hug.
Greg pulled
her onto his lap. “How is my sweet Raelen today?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.
“Good!”
Raelen replied. “Ethen and I played hide-and-seek. I think I won.”
“Did you
now?” Greg replied.
Marianna
and Ethen took their places and they all began to eat.
“She only
thinks she won,” Ethen told them before shoving a spoonful of stew into his
mouth.
“ I did! I
saw in my mind where he was and I could hear him!” Raelen stated.
Greg cast a
quick glance at his wife and then slowly set down his spoon. “That cannot be!”
Marianna said quietly, feeling her heart sink within her chest.
“It is,
Mama!” Raelen said. “I know it happened.”
Her parents
looked at each other once more. “I am sure it was nothing, Raelen dear. Now
finish your food,” Greg said as he picked up his spoon again.
Raelen felt
frustration rise within her little heart. She knew it was true and something
gave her the feeling that her parents knew it was true too. “But…but….,” she
started to say.
“Raelen,
not another word,” Marianna said, getting up from the table.
It was
after dinner and when the children were safely tucked into their bed that Greg
and Marianna sat before the fire, staring into the flames. Raelen stirred and
her eyes widened as her parents voices echoed within her mind.
“What are we to do now, Greg?” Marianna
asked, reaching out for his hand.
“We go somewhere else and start
again,” he simply stated. “Somewhere away from here and where they won’t be
able to pick up our trail.”
Marianna felt the same fear and
panic that she had felt the night Bane brought Raelen to them rise within her
heart once more. More then anything, she wanted them all to be safe and away
from this ever looming threat that was constantly hanging over their heads and
in the backs of their minds. She took a deep breath and asked, “When do we
leave?”
Greg turned and looked at her before
replying, “Two days from now. We’ll go to the other side of the forest where it
is secluded.”
His wife sighed and said, “Well I
guess that’s what it will have to be then.”
Raelen
shook her head to clear it and then sat up in bed. She was very young and yet
she felt like this was all her fault. She lay back down and held her rag doll
close to her as she tried to go back to sleep.
*
*
*
The Tyrant’s bloodshot eyes widened and the shadows that were around him grew heavier. ‘SHE
LIVES!” he shouted. “Kendrick!”
Kendrick
came stumbling in the room from where he had been keeping guard outside. “Yes,
milord?”
The Tyrant
turned towards the window and said, “She’s alive, Kendrick and her powers are
beginning to stir.”
Kendrick tightened
his grip on his sword. “Who exactly are we discussing?” he asked.
The Tyrant
whirled around, grabbed Kendrick and slammed him up against the as the anger
gleamed in his eyes. “MY DAUGHTER WHO THAT LOCKSLEAF SCUM STOLE AWAY.”
“Of course,
milord,” Kendrick gasped. “How could I forget…”
The Tyrant
let go of his captain of the guard and moved away from him, clenching his
fists. “If we are to succeed, we need her and more specifically the powers that
she possesses,” he informed Kendrick. “I want you to set a watch near the
little farm where she is. When the time is right we shall make our move.”
Kendrick
bowed and turned. He jumped back suddenly as the Tyrant materialized infront of
him. “Don’t fail me, Kendrick,” he said. “It would be a pity to lose your fine
services.”
“I will
not, milord,” he replied as the Tyrant disappeared.
