Her Dawning Empire: The Prophecy

Chapter 49

I looked to the passing village, savouring the feel of the warm breeze on my face. The sun was high in the cloudless sky and I took a deep inhale of the fresh air before leaning back into the seat.

We were currently in the carriage again, on the way to Bomani's residence in Apium province. Ayla was sat beside me along with Maya and opposite were the boys- Demir, Emut and Abrax. When we had woken in the morning, we were instructed to pack by Emut and had breakfast before leaving. Arun had stayed back with Negus to help rebuild the weapons.

I stretched out my legs with a grimace; I had been sat in this position for several hours and my entire body ached.

"Tell me why you couldn't transport us again?" I asked, turning to Ayla who was busily sewing away. She had said last night that she'd sew a silk nightdress for the three of us.

"Because, I've never been to his residence. I can only transport where I've been." She muttered half-distracted as she worked and my eyebrows furrowed at her words.

"I thought you were all taught to hone your powers by him?" I asked and Maya looked up from her book to me.

"He only recently moved there 5 years ago. Before that, he had lived with us, along with Madu Ustaaz." She answered before looking back to her book and I nodded at her words.

"He's really good at what he does, Hanna. Ustaaz really helped me with my powers too." Ayla reassured me, placing a hand on my leg. I had expressed my worries about not being able to access my powers to Ayla last evening, so her words slightly consoled me.

Demir let out a scoff at her words, his eyes still on the map in Emut's hand.

"A good thing too; I was beginning to tire of finding you sleeping on the floor of my room." He said to which Ayla reddened.

Emut let out a laugh.

"Or on my desk." He added, making both Maya and Demir laugh as well as Ayla to redden further.

"What is this we're speaking of?" Abrax asked, looking to Ayla with an amused smile on his face to which she let out a stutter, but it was Maya who spoke.

"Oh, when Ayla first came, she couldn't control her teleportation powers. She'd often teleport in her sleep and we'd find her in the strangest of places." Maya said with a loud chuckle, completely oblivious to Ayla's mortification who in response nudged Maya's side.

"What is it?" Maya asked loudly, turning to Ayla and I jumped in quickly to save Ayla.

"So how did you first end up discovering your abilities?" I asked, to which Ayla turned to me in relief before smiling.

"I was around 10 or 11, so 9 years ago. My parents began finding me in the strangest of places- the cupboard, the stable, the kitchen. At first, we found it amusing. They thought I walked in my sleep." She recounted with a wistful smile and I leaned in as she spoke.

"At first?" Abrax's voice spoke up curiously and Ayla nodded, her eyes deep in thought.

"It wasn't until I woke up one day, in the dead of the night, in a sea cave I had once visited years ago on a family trip, that I realised it was something dangerous. I didn't have a boat to get back and the water was too deep and vast to swim through. I stayed there for 2 days until a sailor found me." She almost but whispered and I placed a hand against her arm. I hadn't known such a thing could even happen with powers and I felt grateful then for not having to go through the same thing for my own abilities.

She placed her own hand over mine with a smile before continuing.

"My parents were confused; we were from a small secluded village and not well off. They were afraid that it would affect my chances of marriage proposals if anyone were to find out." She said with a small giggle and Maya let out a snort.