Empty Skies (Chapter Two)

This is the second chapter in my novel in progress: "Empty Skies"

Jaercy awoke to Eonas shifting. It was late morning, but the rain made for poor lighting. It smelled of spring, the warm air and the rain making for a fresh clean smell. He could hear girl breathing calmly under the hide blanket, and he smiled to himself. The pants he wore were still wet and he could feel the dried mud caked on his heels. It was a disgusting feeling, but yet he still felt calmed by the girls presence.

He noticed He hand was no long holding his, and he curiously wondered where it had gone, for the girl didn’t seem to have moved. He began to lift his head off the straw bed, but a light weight seemed to have been added. As he pushed off her hand flopped down onto the straw and Jaercy came to realize her hand had been resting in his hair.

Slightly taken aback, Jaercy felt the ridiculous form his hair had taken to while it had dried. The girl had ravaged his usually curly locks and it now looked as if a small torrent had taken to it. He turned around to see his brother rubbing his eyes.

“Mornin’ Eonas.”

Eonas groaned as he stretched his arms out from under his hide, and with a long abnoxious breath and a huge smile he responded, “Morning brother. How’s the girl?”

“Couldn’t forget a face like that could you?” Jaercy said truthfully. “She’s alright. I’m worried the wound will get infected and she’ll catch a fever, so I’m going to go to Dawn and see if she has any medicine I can buy.”

Eonas sat up straight and objected, “Jaercy! The money you’ve saved from hunting and selling your hides is enough to take us to the city soon! You promised we’d go, and I will hold you to it!”

“Eonas, this girl’s life is in danger. You would rather go into the city and see a few jesters perform tricks and pick your pockets than save this girl’s life?”

Jaercy’s brother frowned and looked down at the muddy floor. “Ugh. I’d just been looking forward to it so much. We’d have such a time, you and I!” An idea suddenly
seemed to dawn on Eonas. “We could buy swords!”

“Right!” Jearcy laughed. “You and what money?”

“Well I’d take yours no doubt.”

Jaercy smiled at his brother and stated jokingly, “From my cold dead hands boy!”

Eonas frowned back at him. The rain could be heard once again pounding on the roof and coming down outside. And as Jaercy began to look outside, Eonas started grinning from ear to ear.

“What is it?” Jaercy asked.

“Your hair’s a wreck!” Eonas laughed.

Jaercy moved both hands to his hair, again feeling the abomination it had become overnight. “So it is.”

Jaercy stepped out into the rain, letting it soak his hair thoroughly again. He matted it down and then ruffled it back up, stepping back into his home, walking back over to check on the girl. He took the cloth from her forehead and dampened it again by plunging into the bucket and wringing it out. As he placed it back on her forehead, her eyes fluttered and opened. The deep yet bright blue eyes stared up at him. Jaercy seemed to fall into them, her beauty gripping him again as he tried to tear his gaze away, but he couldn’t. Her eyes spoke more than any words could. She lifted her arm and touched Jaercy’s, her eyes saying the ‘thank you’ she didn’t seem to have the strength to say.

Jaercy took her arm by the wrist and set it back down on the straw. Eonas took great interest in the girl being awake, and appeared over Jaercy’s shoulder, peering down at the girl. She saw Eonas and smiled sweetly at him, thanking him with her eyes as well.

Only seconds later Jaercy realized he’d abandoned his father’s sword and his own bow and quiver of arrows in the woods. It came so suddenly to him that he stood up, knocking his brother back. The girl shrunk away momentarily, startled by Jaercy’s sudden movements.

“Dad’s sword!” He said urgently to Eonas. “I left it in the woods last night.”

Jaercy turned quickly and made to leave, but as he started for the door the girl reached out and grabbed him by the pant leg. He turned to her, and saw her expression of fear. She didn’t want to be left alone without him, not even for a minute. Jaercy looked pleadingly at her. His father’s sword was in the dirt under some tree, and his bow was soaked and drawn taught. If left for too long, it would wear and become useless.

Eonas saw what was happening and spoke up, “Jaercy. I can go get your things. Tell me where they are and I’ll get Aranaia to come with me.”

Jaercy loved his little brother a little more each day. Looking guilty he asked, “Are you sure you want to do this? It will probably take you most of the day to find it.”

“Hey, if Aranaia is with me, it could take weeks and I’d be happy.”

“Eonas, have I ever told you how much I love your little self?”

“All the time! I’ll go fetch Aranaia and stop back here before we head out.” Eonas started towards the door, then turned back, “Hey, think you can pack some smoked meat for Aranaia and I? I’m sure we’ll get hungry.”

Jaercy smiled and nodded, “Anything for you, brother.”

“Thanks!”

Eonas glanced out the doorway into the downpour of rain. Turning his body towards the entrance of their home, he took a deep breath and then plunged into the fresh rain of the morning.

***

Jaercy turned his attention back towards the girl as Eonas left the house. She looked innocently up at him and smiled, knowing he wasn’t going to leave her. Jaercy stared curiously at her deep blue eyes and wondered about her silver hair. He slowly reached out his hand towards her, and she shrank away from it shyly, as if uncomfortable. Taking a handful of strands between his fingers, Jaercy felt how soft it was. It calmed him to just feel the smooth silklike hair running through his open
hand.

He looked back into her eyes, making a conscious effort not to get lost in them. He licked his lips to wet them before speaking, “Could I ask you your name?”

The girl, suddenly being spoken to, looked away from him, not seeming to want to have to answer.

Jaercy spoke again, a little more forcefully, “Who are you?”

The girl wouldn’t look at him, worry suddenly in her eyes. She gnawed at the side of her lip, looking at the drying clothes on the wall.

Jaercy, slightly frustrated, stood up from leaning over her, and walked over to his bed. Sitting down on it, he took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. He placed his head in his hands and sat wondering about her strange attributes.

'Where did she come from?' he thought to himself.

He heard a rustling, and he looked up from his hands. She was sitting up in Eonas’s bed, looking intently at Jaercy, the bear hide falling to her lap. Jaercy looked away, turning red in the face. Standing up from his bed and exclaiming, “Have you no modesty?”

Jaercy peaked over his shoulder, and the girl still sat, bare-chested and looking intently at him. Realizing she obviously didn’t care about her exposed skin, Jaercy turned around and approached her quickly to cover her, but tripping over the bucket of rainwater, he fell face first into the muddy floor. The girl giggled.

His nose stinging, Jaercy rose slowly, his eyes closed from the mud all over his face. He wavered once on his feet, trying to maintain his balance as he wiped the mud from his eyes. He squinted at the girl who looked sheepishly down, as if trying to hide the fact that she was smiling.

“You find that funny?” Jaercy said, grabbing his throbbing nose. “I have to fall on my face to get you to make a sound?”

He removed his hand to check for blood, and there, flowing slowly but surely from his tender nose was blood. Jaercy threw his hands up in frustration, “Great! Now I’m bleeding.”

The girl stopped smiling, and reached out a hand as if beckoning him to come closer. Keeping his head tilted back to try and stop the bleeding, Jaercy inched towards her. Carefully averting his eyes, he knelt down at the foot of his brother’s bed, letting her hands gracefully descend upon his own. She grabbed his hands carefully and gently lifted them from his bleeding nose, frowning slightly.
Jaercy winced as the slight injury gave a twinge of pain. He’d fallen on his face before, but never so hard and with such lack of dignity. Reminiscing over his clumsiness, he closed his eyes in pain, feeling the blood run down his face. He suddenly felt the girl’s soft wet lips touch his nose. He was shocked, but didn’t move, wondering what in the world had compelled her to kiss him.

The burning in his nose stopped, and Jaercy opened his eyes, slowly lowering his head to come level with the young girl. As she slowly lowered herself back onto the bed, she wiped the small dab of blood and dried mud on her lips. It seemed strange to him, but he couldn’t keep from blushing. The girl lay back down, resting her head on the pillow and smiling sweetly. Jaercy immediately pulled the bear hide up to her collar, planting it firmly and trying to make her understand to cover herself. It was apparent that the girl didn’t understand his concerns, for she seemed taken aback by the firm placement of the hide.

Jaercy sat, the events of the night before running through his head. Beginning to connect his dream with reality, he looked towards the doorway, the rain still pouring heavily outside. It seemed to him as if his dream had led him to this girl, but how it had led him to her made no sense to him. He remembered flying over the landscape, feeling the horrible sense of urgency and fright. He looked back down at the girl, who just lay there, half smiling, half resting her eyes. Jaercy remembered falling to the ground through the trees and feeling the startling pain in his leg.

Looking down, he rubbed his thigh where it had hurt him, realizing then that it was exactly where the girl had been cut badly. He began to piece together the mixed puzzle in his head. His dream was seeing what was happening through the eyes of this girl. It seemed to make much more sense, but there was something missing.
What was she doing in the sky? he thought, rubbing his jaw and feeling the caked mud peel off.

“Ugh!” Jaercy began, “I’m still covered in mud.”

Standing up, he grabbed the nearby bucket of water that he’d tripped over and set it outside. As he did, he took care not to make the girl think he was leaving, for as he moved towards the door, she shifted and looked at him with frightened eyes. The rain began to fill the bucket with water, and Jaercy stood in the doorway, looking back at the girl and wondering what it all meant. She had silver hair, which he had never seen before in any person he’d ever met. His knowledge of the peoples of this world wasn’t extensive, but even in tales, no legend or person of any significance had silver hair. And her eyes; they penetrated him with their stunning ferocity. They were the deepest, yet brightest icy blue he’d ever seen, making even the most hardened and worn men stop to look in wonder.

As he sat, pondering about the girl’s strange characteristics, he suddenly remembered her kiss on his nose. He felt to see if it was still bleeding, but it had stopped, and by the feel of it, it had stopped when she’d kissed it. Jaercy knew of magic. He knew it existed in the world, and the more he thought about it, the more he came to believe that this girl had something magical about her. It scared him, to be in the presence of someone who could wield such powers, but at the same time, her innocence seemed to prove she was no threat.

Jaercy remembered a tale his father used to tell him as a child. Before the beginning of Lord Sigrum’s reign, not many years ago, the world had a small population of magic users. These magic wielders weree of the generations passed, known as Dragonmasters, for their magic attracted such powerful beings. The purity, or corruption, of that person’s soul attracted different kinds of dragons, and certain dragons granted the master certain powers. The blackest and darkest hearts attracted Black Dragons, enormous and frightful beings that granted their masters terrifying and evil magic, while the purest of souls attracted Silver Dragons, granting their masters immense power to use for the betterment of others.

A Dragonmaster was born with a power about him, but unless focused and trained, it would go unnoticed. This power can still be felt by other Dragonmasters and dragons alike. The dragons of the world are attracted to the power, and once a Dragonmaster’s power attracted such a being, the two would form an unbreakable
bond, connecting the two spirits in a frightening spectacle of power.

Jaercy remembered his father. He’d been taken by Lord Sigrum’s men to fight in his battles against the resisting Dragonmasters. Although defiant and traitorous, Jaercy’s father had always told him that the resistance was fighting for their freedom, and that he only went to war for the sake of his family, for those who refused to join were struck down and their families imprisoned.

Shortly after his father had left for the war, his mother became desperately ill. No ointment or medicine could cure the illness that had gripped her body, and she deteriorated under Jaercy’s watchful and loving eye. His mother had passed only months after his father had left word was sent to him by Jaercy. He knew not if his father had gotten the letter, but knew it would break his heart if it had. Jaercy had taken it upon himself to care for his brother, doing everything necessary to keep their cottage as a decent shelter, hunting for food, making clothing, and assisting the community whenever possible. The departure of his father and the death of his mother shattered both him and Eonas, but the two of them found the strength to move on and continue living their lives to their best.

Jaercy turned his attention back towards the girl on his brother’s bed. She almost seemed to understand that he was confused and hurting from those thoughts, and she just gave him an apologetic look. But Jaercy began to wonder if he had just saved the life of a Dragonmaster. It would make sense, considering in his dream she fell from the sky, but then why wouldn’t she speak to him.

“Why won’t you talk?” Jaercy asked.

The girl again turned her eyes away and seemed to not understand him. Then it hit Jaercy, maybe the girl actually didn’t understand him.

“You don’t understand a word I’m saying do you.”
The girl caught the sarcastic undertone and looked back at him. Jaercy just smiled and walked back over, sitting on the edge of the straw bed.

“Well I’m just glad I got to you in time,” he said. “If I had left you out there any longer, you could’ve died. The only thing I have to do now is find out who you are.”

As he finished his words, the girl slid over to him and nuzzled against his arm, her soft cheeks making him feel comforted. He looked down at her as she brushed up against him, “My! You’re affectionate. Do you talk at all?”

She just ignored his words and continued to nuzzle his arm. Deciding to just go along with the girl’s strange wishes, Jaercy sat patiently awaiting Eonas and Aranaia’s return.

***

It was warm, but the rain kept him cool as he ran. A dense fog carpeted the ground, making it hard to see farther than a rocks toss. Eonas made his way up the road towards an obscured gathering of small thatched-roof cottages. Thoughts of Aranaia made Eonas grin widely. It had been a couple days since he’d seen her, having been forced to work on preparing his home for a storm just like the current one. But the work had paid off. His home wasn’t flooded and the contents of his small cottage remained dry. Sure there were places that could use patching, but he’d leave that to
Jaercy. He tried hard not to think of what had just happened that night. He would explain everything to Aranaia when the time was right, and in doing so, he could revisit the subject then.

As Eonas trudged along, he saw two of the Lord’s cavalry trotting slowly out of the
mist and up the muddy road towards him. Not wishing to cause any sort of trouble,
Eonas stayed off the road, hoping to pass by undisturbed. There was a tension between the villagers and Lord Sigrum’s men that had caused many fights to break out, and Eonas had no wish to be in one of these tales. They passed by and Eonas bowed low. He could barely make it out through the sound of the falling rain, but he was sure one of the soldiers chuckled to himself.

He started back towards the cottages, glancing over his shoulder at the fading figures on horseback. Their shapes retreated into the mist. Straightening himself,

Eonas wiped away the hair that had stuck itself to his brow while bowing. He turned again towards the slightly more visible cottages and jogged the rest of the distance to them.

Upon arriving in front of Aranaia’s home, he shouted a greeting, “Morning! Anybody home?”

Eonas peered into the dark entrance to her cottage, and surely enough, a young child, only five years of age at most, poked his young head out of the doorway.
As if rehearsed, the child spoke quite amusingly, “Can I help you?”

Eonas smiled, “You certainly can Romar. Is your sister there?”

As if he’d been heard, Aranaia emerged from the shadows of her home, looking up from a wooden dish she’d been drying. Upon seeing Eonas, she dropped the bowl and dashed into out of the house, jumping into Eonas’ arms. Catching her and spinning about in the rain, he craned his neck back.

With an uncontrollable grin, Eonas looked into her beautiful green eyes, “Hey you.”

“Hey you,” she spoke softly back.

Letting her feet back to the ground, Eonas held her by the waist.

“Aha!” Aranaia’s father emerged from the home as well. “Good morning to you Eonas”

“Good morning to you too, Korrin.”

“You’re not looking to take Aranaia out into this storm, are you?”

Eonas looked back at Aranaia, “As a matter of fact I am.”

“Well there’s no better man to do it,” Aranaia’s father said with a smile. “Here, let me fetch you some breakfast.”

Turning back into the home, Aranaia’s father began to say something, but Eonas quickly shouted after him, “Oh! No worries sir, my brother’s going to have food ready for us as soon as we get there.”

Korrin looked over his shoulder, placing a firm hand on Romar’s head, “Is that so?”

“As a matter of fact it is, sir.”

Aranaia tugged on Eonas’ soaked tunic and pulled at him as she began down the road back to his house. Eonas stumbled but kept his footing, glancing back and waving as Korrin went back inside, laughing.

Aranaia could hardly contain herself, “Eonas?”

“Yes?”

“So what are we going to do today?”

“Well firstly I have a long story to tell you, and there’s actually a bit of work that needs to be done.”

Aranaia frowned, stopping in the muddy road and looking back at Eonas. “You’re all about work. You need to make some time for yourself, and more importantly…” She smiled innocently and bit her bottom lip, “… me!”

“Aranaia, this is no ordinary labor. Something’s happened… and it’s quite a strange turn of events.”

“I don’t follow,” Aranaia said carefully.

“Well, I don’t even know exactly what’s going on, but it’s serious.” Eonas began.
He jogged for a moment, catching up with Aranaia. He took her hand and fell into step with her. Together they walked, and Eonas continued to fill her in on what he knew.

“Basically, I woke up to Jaercy carrying in an injured girl.”

Aranaia gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth momentarily, “Oh no! Is she alright?”

“If she is physically, I doubt she is emotionally. She was cut badly and there was something not right about her. She had silver hair and the coldest blue eyes I’d ever seen in my life.”

“Silver?” Aranaia exclaimed.

“Ara, this girl was odd. Anyway, Jaercy left my father’s sword and his bow in the woods where he says he found her.”

“What was he doing in the woods last night? The storm was enough to keep Romar from sleep, and my baby brother sleeps hard than any being I’ve met.”

“I don’t know what he was doing. I haven’t had time to ask him yet. All I know is that he came home with this damn near dead girl, and now she’s asleep, or dying, in my bed.”

“So I take it we’re going to watch over her then?” Aranaia asked curiously.

Eonas scrunched up his face in slight frustration. Taking a quick breath he stated, “No, because the girl won’t let Jaercy out of her sight, so we have to go get it.”

“Well do you know where they are?” she asked.

“Honestly, I have no idea, so it will probably take most of the day. Jaercy said he could point us in the right direction though, so it isn’t futile. It’s just that it’s my father’s sword, and that being said, it’s the most important thing we have.”

Aranaia nodded quietly. “I understand.”

“Don’t think too much of it, let’s get something to eat since we’re here,” Eonas began. Then shouting into the house, he bellowed, “Jaercy! Let’s get that dried meat!”

                                                            ***

Jaercy had heard Eonas and Aranaia approaching, so when Eonas called for the dried meat, Jaercy was at the door with a sack ready to go. To see them together made Jaercy smile. The two of them had been devoted to each other ever since they set eyes upon on another only a couple years back. Aranaia had been there for Eonas when their father left, and didn’t leave his side for days when their mother passed. The two were inseparable, and they had plans for each other’s futures.
Eonas jogged up from muddy path, the rain soaking through his clothes and matting his hair down. He reached his hand out, taking the sack of dried meat and looking into the cottage past Jaercy.

“How is she?” he asked his older brother.

“She’s alright, but there’s something I think I ought to tell you two,” Jaercy said, stepping out into the morning rain. “I think she’s a Dragonmaster.”

Aranaia gasped, but Eonas lit up.

“You mean—” Eonas began, but Jaercy cut him off

“Listen to me Eonas. If she is, we’re dealing with someone who uses magic. This has become a lot more dangerous than we thought.”

“But how do you know?” interjected Aranaia.

“I smashed my face into the dirt and she healed it.” Jaercy said plainly.

“You what?” Eonas said, finding this strange.

Aranaia shifted uncomfortably,  “But if she healed you, why do you find her dangerous?”

“Because magic is nothing to be trusted!” Jaercy said harshly.

There was a short silence that followed. Both Eonas and Aranaia felt uncertain about Jaercy’s mistrust for the girl.

“May I see her?” Aranaia said suddenly.

Jaercy nodded and stepped aside, allowing Aranaia and Eonas to enter the home. Upon stepping inside, Eonas took Aranaia by the waist, pulling her close. She looked over at the girl, gasping slightly.

“She’s beautiful!” Aranaia remarked.

The girl stirred, hearing Aranaia’s voice. Opening her eyes, she saw Aranaia and jumped. The sight of a new girl obviously frightened her, and she looked around the room, searching for something. Jaercy stepped inside, and the girls eyes fell immediately upon him. Looking to him for comfort, Jaercy stepped past Eonas and Aranaia, saying to them gently, “She’s a little afraid of people she hasn’t seen before. I don’t think she knows yet that we’re all her friends and here to help.”

“She’s mighty skittish.” Aranaia thought aloud.

As Jaercy sat down on the bed, the girl crawled behind him and cowered there, peering over his shoulder at Aranaia. Seeing this, Eonas let Aranai go as she approached carefully.

“It’s alright girl, I’m not gonna hurt you,” Aranaia said soothingly. “I’m your friend too.”
Jaercy moved aside a little, letting Aranaia approach the shy girl. She reached her hand out, trying not to intimidate her, but the girl didn’t seem to know what to do.

She only sat, slightly frightened, as Aranaia approached. Jaercy looked the frightened girl in her shining ice blue eyes and said, “It’s alright. She’s a friend.”
The reassuring statement seemed to do the trick, as the girl leaned forward and touched Aranaia’s hand with her nose. Aranaia cocked her head sideways a little, bewildered by the girls behavior.

“Strange…” she said slowly. “She doesn’t act like a Dragonmaster.”

“I know,” Jaercy started. “Her behavior’s completely strange, and she doesn’t seem to understand a word I say to her, yet she can almost communicate with me… somehow… I don’t quite understand her yet.”

“But you think you will?” Eonas asked.

“Certainly. I’ve learned a lot about her since you left.” Jaercy said. “She’s got no modesty, and I can’t teach her to cover herself, for she takes it as an attack.”

“Hm. I’m sure we can find her out,” Aranaia began. “But I suggest we get your sword back. How about it, Eonas?”

Eonas nodded. Smiling, he kissed Aranaia on the cheek and turned towards the door with, “Let’s!”

Jaercy watched as the couple left the cottage, heading backing out into the rain and into the forest to fetch his father’s sword. He was truly loved by his brother, for no other sibling in the world would dare do a favor for him. It seemed to him as if their strong relationship stemmed from the hardship of losing both their parents at relatively the same time. Any way he looked at it, he and his brother had the strongest family bond of any he knew, and it warmed his heart to know that Eonas had someone to look after as he did after his little brother.