hoard anything magic so that the people remain dependent on them. I think we’ll need to increase our pace greatly. No doubt the other stones will be moved soon, we can only hope to find them before they disappear."
"What if they move them before we can get there?"
He grinned, "I know people I can go to for the information we need, for the right price."
So many other questions ran through my mind, but I knew I should be more concerned with recovering so that I could keep up with Aton when we began to move again. It sounded as though things were not going to be any easier any time soon.
"Get some sleep for now—I’ll keep watch."
I gave no argument against his request, and lied back down. I closed my eyes as the calm campfire Aton had made warmed my back. I was nearly asleep when I heard a familiar voice.
"There you are, finally. It's good to see that you are okay." The voice was soft and sounded sincere, but was still very faint. This was the perfect opportunity for me to learn a little more about these people, without being interrupted. I kept my eyes shut and breathed at a steady rate to appear as though I was still sleeping.
"I know you are wondering what is going on here, and you are probably being told many different things, but you must trust me. The man you are with is not who he claims to be."
“She’s lying,” I though to myself.
Apparently I thought too loudly, "I am not lying, you saw me that night in the castle. Do you remember?"
There was silence. Did she want me to answer? I tried the same thing once again, thinking loudly in my mind, "I think so. What were you doing there?"
"The man you are with has been stealing powerful gems, even killing those who stand in his way at times. We have been trying to track him down and stop him. He is a murderer." Her voice was stern and there was great conviction in her tone.
"You’re lying. There is no way he could—"
"I know, he has been nice to you, but it’s because he needs you."
"You have no proof,” I said. I was growing angry with her as she tried to convince me to believe her, convince me that the first person to really change my life around and show me any sign of hope for myself was a murderer.
She sounded a bit stunned by my response. "I am sorry, but you must believe me. If you won't, then at least allow me to watch over you a bit. Let me be there as your guide."
I figured there was no way I could make her go away. Plus, another perspective guiding me through this journey, where I often found myself lost, didn't seem like too bad of an idea. "Alright.”
“Good, but you need to trust me at least a little in my judgment. Like right now you need to get some rest. You have a long journey ahead of you. Take advantage of his offer to rest. He will be relentless the rest of the day."
"Will you stop hunting us?"
The long silence revealed just how awkward it was for her to answer my question. "We must stop him. No harm will come to you by us. I can promise you this."
I found her answer satisfying enough for the time being, and I let my body give in to the overwhelming sensation to sleep. I fell asleep and my mind made no effort to comfort me with beautiful dreams. Instead, it chose to recover every ounce of energy possible. The sun was still beating down on my eyes, so I pulled the blanket over my face.
After what felt like a few seconds, Aton poked at my shoulder several times until I finally responded. I attempted to swat him away like an annoying fly, but he remained persistent and I woke up. My mouth was dry and my body continued to ache. However, my mind felt a little clearer and I could focus on the world around me. Aton handed me a pouch of water. "I stepped away for a moment and filled our water at a nearby stream. There should be enough to last us until the next town on our list."
"Where are we going now?" I found it best to make no mention of my conversation with the mage woman. I had yet again forgotten to request the name of
"What if they move them before we can get there?"
He grinned, "I know people I can go to for the information we need, for the right price."
So many other questions ran through my mind, but I knew I should be more concerned with recovering so that I could keep up with Aton when we began to move again. It sounded as though things were not going to be any easier any time soon.
"Get some sleep for now—I’ll keep watch."
I gave no argument against his request, and lied back down. I closed my eyes as the calm campfire Aton had made warmed my back. I was nearly asleep when I heard a familiar voice.
"There you are, finally. It's good to see that you are okay." The voice was soft and sounded sincere, but was still very faint. This was the perfect opportunity for me to learn a little more about these people, without being interrupted. I kept my eyes shut and breathed at a steady rate to appear as though I was still sleeping.
"I know you are wondering what is going on here, and you are probably being told many different things, but you must trust me. The man you are with is not who he claims to be."
“She’s lying,” I though to myself.
Apparently I thought too loudly, "I am not lying, you saw me that night in the castle. Do you remember?"
There was silence. Did she want me to answer? I tried the same thing once again, thinking loudly in my mind, "I think so. What were you doing there?"
"The man you are with has been stealing powerful gems, even killing those who stand in his way at times. We have been trying to track him down and stop him. He is a murderer." Her voice was stern and there was great conviction in her tone.
"You’re lying. There is no way he could—"
"I know, he has been nice to you, but it’s because he needs you."
"You have no proof,” I said. I was growing angry with her as she tried to convince me to believe her, convince me that the first person to really change my life around and show me any sign of hope for myself was a murderer.
She sounded a bit stunned by my response. "I am sorry, but you must believe me. If you won't, then at least allow me to watch over you a bit. Let me be there as your guide."
I figured there was no way I could make her go away. Plus, another perspective guiding me through this journey, where I often found myself lost, didn't seem like too bad of an idea. "Alright.”
“Good, but you need to trust me at least a little in my judgment. Like right now you need to get some rest. You have a long journey ahead of you. Take advantage of his offer to rest. He will be relentless the rest of the day."
"Will you stop hunting us?"
The long silence revealed just how awkward it was for her to answer my question. "We must stop him. No harm will come to you by us. I can promise you this."
I found her answer satisfying enough for the time being, and I let my body give in to the overwhelming sensation to sleep. I fell asleep and my mind made no effort to comfort me with beautiful dreams. Instead, it chose to recover every ounce of energy possible. The sun was still beating down on my eyes, so I pulled the blanket over my face.
After what felt like a few seconds, Aton poked at my shoulder several times until I finally responded. I attempted to swat him away like an annoying fly, but he remained persistent and I woke up. My mouth was dry and my body continued to ache. However, my mind felt a little clearer and I could focus on the world around me. Aton handed me a pouch of water. "I stepped away for a moment and filled our water at a nearby stream. There should be enough to last us until the next town on our list."
"Where are we going now?" I found it best to make no mention of my conversation with the mage woman. I had yet again forgotten to request the name of
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