IMPERMANENCE

chapter thirty two - the village

Dagger could feel the rest of the members of the group trailing behind him as he raced for the village.

He couldn't feel his legs burning, despite knowing they would later. He couldn't feel his boots slamming on the harsh earth. All he could focus on was pushing his body further and further across the plain. Closer and closer to his village.

Just as he began nearing the outlining treescape of the village, Dagger heard the screaming. Without hesitation, Dagger released his sword from his scabbard he had been given last night by Zane. He could faintly hear someone calling his name behind him, but ignored it. From his location now, he'd enter the village from the East, which meant that his cabin would be directly across the way.

These people needed his help. They didn't have the luxury of harboring their own weapons to protect themselves and their families. And Dagger had no doubt whoever was attacking their village wouldn't leave the innocent people be.

Children, women, men, all innocent. Immense guilt took over him as intrusive thoughts crashed into his mind. What if someone was attacking the village because of him?

Dagger plowed through the overgrown grasses and only had enough time to shove it out of the way with his hands as opposed to slicing it with his sword.

As he finally broke free of the tall grasses along the outskirts of the village and onto the dirt pathway, he turned his body around and almost collided face first with Alessia, followed by everyone else, charging for the village at alarming rates.

"G—get out of here!" Dagger screamed out to them as they continued to catch up to his spot. This was his burden to tackle. "D—don't—"

Alessia drew her own sword in a split second, the rest of the group soon followed suit as they finally caught up to the two of them. Dagger panted as confusion swarmed his entire body and fogged his vision.

"We're helping," Alessia told him gently.

It was Alessia who now led the rest, pushing past Dagger into his own village.

"Let's go!" she turned her head and yelled to the others. They all drew their weapons swiftly, even Naomi was holding her own weight and bore two small knives in her hands. Dagger watched as they all ran into the burning village without hesitation.

The screams and cries of his neighbors alerted him back into action and sent him into another forceful run.

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The village looked plagued by death and destruction; it was in ruins by the time they arrived. Most of the buildings had burned to nothing but crisps and smoke. Some Guntherans had designed their houses to be nonperishable by flame, so only some of the well off families' homes still remained intact. The group made a run for it behind one of the standing houses to assess the severity of the situation.

Dagger peered around the corner of the building to view the center of the village. Women and children were tied up and thrown onto the ground, sobbing as they watched the males of their houses get beat, whipped, and tortured by soldiers. But they weren't covered in their usual Guntheran green.

They wore armor of red and silver.

Kintuin soldiers. Kintuin colors.

Dagger's eyes widened in pure shock.

He felt a pair of soft hands brace his shoulders and pull him back around the corner of the building.

"They're glamoured! They're glamoured!" he heard Alessia cry out to him. Her hands shook his shoulders, attempting to snap him out of the trance everyone had been put under, himself included.