A small black and white animal stepped out in front of Elaide.  She stopped short of
stepping on it.

“What is it Elaide?  Why did we stop?”  Fen asked as he ran into her.

“We’ve been caught.”  Elaide said under her breath.

A young brown haired girl picked up the animal as it purred softly at her touch.  The
corners of the girl’s mouth where pressed into a frown as her fox-like ears twitched in annoyance.

“Did you think you could leave me behind?”  

“Ally!”  Fen shouted excitedly.

Elaide quickly pushed Fen behind her, “Why did you follow us?  I told you I didn’t want to drag anyone else into this.  We’re being hunted, what part of that don’t you understand?”

Ally’s tails swayed in unison with those of the cat she was holding, “Tai and me want to help Fen just as much as you do!  And don’t talk to me about being hunted, I’ve been hunted most of my life!”

Elaide looked away.  Another explosion went off, but this one sounded closer.  The Coh were coming

“We don’t have time to argue!”

“Then let us come with you!”  Another explosion occurred even closer.

“Fine, just hurry up!”

Elaide lead Ally, Tai and Fen to the far end of the wheat field.  Every part of Elaide’s
body was beginning to ache, but she knew stopping now wouldn’t be an option.

“Elaide, are you okay?  Your hand is shaking.”  Fen asked.

“I’m fine.  We’re almost there.”

She stepped cautiously out into a clearing before motioning for Ally and Tai to
follow.

“Elaide where are we headed?”  Ally asked.

“We need a safe place to spend the night, somewhere the Coh won’t find us.”

“I can help with that.”  Ally said as she removed a small star shaped necklace from
around her neck.  A small light began emitting from it.

Elaide quickly whipped around and covered it with both hands, “Don’t use that
here!”

“Why not?  My star can guide us to a safe place!”

“Because the Coh can sense magic, remember!”  Elaide almost shouted as she
released Ally’s hand and grabbed a hold of Fen once more.  A small building sat in the middle of the clearing.  The decaying walls looked like they could fall at any minute.  Elaide gently pushed the door open.  The smell of dust and mold oozed from the moist wooden boards that were sagging with age.

“Ewww, it reeks in here!”  Ally said as she plugged her nose.

Tai started sniffing the room curiously.  Elaide closed the door behind them.

“Nya, do we really have to spend the night here?”  Tai meowed.

“No complaining from the peanut gallery!  I told you both to go back!”  Elaide
almost growled.

“Please stop yelling Elaide!”  Fen started crying.

“I’m sorry Fen.”  Elaide bent down and held him close to her, “…The reason we
have to stay here is because there is a barrier surrounding it.  So, we don’t have
to use magic to produce one.”

“How do you know that?  I don’t sense anything.”  Ally said as she took a seat on the floor and began stroking Tai.

“A long time ago Fen and I used to live here.  That was before we met you.”  Elaide
pulled a blanket from the knack sack she had been carrying and placed it on the
floor.  She then gently guided Fen to lay down on it.

“Really?  You know I don’t believe you’ve ever told me how you two met.”

Elaide lower her eyes and made sure Fen was asleep before talking, “It was
fourteen years ago, Fen was only an infant.  On my 4th birthday we heard a
strange knock on the door.  An older woman was standing on our door step.  I
remember that creases of her face seemed to swallow her shallow features.  Fen
was wrapped in a pale blue blanket in her arms as she spoke in whispered tones
to my parents.  She then handed them a brown sack filled with something heavy.  
Five years later, I learned the truth about Fen.  After my parents were killed by the
Coh, Fen and I was sent to the palace where we were raised a siblings.  It was
then that I also found out that Fen is the youngest son to his majesty.”

“I see.  Then I met you both, I think it was a year ago right?”

“Has it been a year already?  Huh, but I still feel like I know so little about you.”

“Me?  Well, to be honest I don’t remember much at this point.  I’ve been traveling around, hoping that something will trigger my memory.”  

Elaide smiled as she watched Fen’s back slowly rose and fell in rhythm with his soft breathing.  

“I want to cure his blindness.  Even if I can’t stop the King from sacrificing his son…I still want Fen to see the world before that happens.”

“It’s all my fault.”  Ally cried into her knees, “If I hadn’t delivered that stupid prophesy to the King none of this would have happened.”

“Ally please don’t say that,” Elaide moved over next to her, “Fen certainly doesn’t
feel that way.  He thinks very highly of you besides the king has many oracles at his disposal.  If you hadn’t told him, one of them would have.”  Elaide gently wiped
Ally’s tears away.

“I can still hear it clearly in my head, ‘The last born son shall be the first to see what lies beyond life.  Or disaster shall befall that which he cannot see.’  I didn’t
understand it at first…”  Ally’s voice trailed off.

“We can’t change what has already happened, but we can change the future.  I still believe that, so please don’t give up yet.  I can’t give up yet…”  Elaide could feel something wet falling down her cheeks, “Now get some sleep.”

Ally nodded and lay down next to Tai, who had already fallen asleep.

To be continued…