Swords of Isadren (BoyxBoy)

Chapter Eight: Death

When he had walked outside of the tent, it was almost scary how barren it looked.

The fires were put out, yet every Guard members bags were still there. There were a couple pots of stew above the fire pits only they looked as if they had gone cold.

From where the horses had been tied, Asman found they were all gone and like inside the tent, the grass was brown and crisp.

The whole entirety of the small clearing near the river they had stopped in was empty and dead.

Asman could barely make out where a portion of light had broke through the trees. When he looked closer he noticed that it was the Guard along with the horses.

The sky was pitch black and the moon gone, so it took Asman a few stumbles to finally make his way within shouting distance of the Guard. That was when he heard Niallen clearly through the thicket.

"No! Asman, do not come any closer!" Niallen shouted, his words striking a sad chord in Asman. "Listen to me, Asman. Find the biggest and fullest tree you can and then touch it! Just hold on to it until we come to get you!"

Asman frowned, but nodded anyway, even if Niallen could not see him do so.

He stared up at the sky and squinted while he walked away, glancing at how big a tree was and how meany leaves it had. It took a moment for him to finally find one bigger than the rest.

Asman could barely see in front of himself, and without shoes it hurt to step on the fallen branches and dead grass beneath his feet. He felt horribly similar to the night he lost his brother.

The tears came unbidden, rolling down his cheeks without sound as he threw himself at the tree.

His face scrunched with sadness while his palms laid across the bark, the weight in his chest fully gone but hardly even noticed by Asman.

He waited for Niallen, or even Dahlia to come get him, but no one came. Asman was alone and crying while he stood confused against a tree.

When he realized no one was going to come, Asman slid down and curled up in the large roots at the base of the tree, one hand still resting there while his eyes closed.

The bark was rough against his fingertips, but it felt nice to have something to show that this was not a dream nor nightmare.

Would this change what Niallen had decided about his ability to be a Guardsman? Would he instead think Asman knew about this all along and was truly a spy for the Feliasian King? The man had accused him of it before, why would he not do so once more?

There was also the problem of how Asman had magic in the first place.

He had never once suspected that this was something to be cautious of. There were no signs pointing towards this, or instances that proved strange. The Fae Magic that healed his wound had not done anything, so then why had the apparent small amount from him signing himself as a Guard trigger something?

Asman was no fool. He was intelligent enough to know that it was him that did all that damage. There was no other option besides that; so why did he feel as if this is something to be afraid of?

More tears silently left his eyes while the bite of a cold night nipped at his toes. Would Niallen ever come, or was this the mans way of leaving him behind while the rest rode out to another spot?

It would be smart of them to do so. What with Asman killing the surrounding areas flora and almost its fauna. He would never forgive himself if Berry or any other horses died from a lack of control on this magic. It would be even worse if any of the Blood Guards were killed either.