Lost Souls

Chapter 5

*Cheyenne*

Laying awake Cheyenne stared at the ceiling, she thought of home and how this house was so strange to her. She had gotten so used to sleeping under the stars the months she was on her own. Logan plagued her, she missed him so badly it made her heart ache. She turned on her side, her curls had fallen loose from her braid. Lucky for her, Ember's aunt had let her stay with them for the night and eat dinner with them.

Her Aunt had been friends with her mother. Apparently they had grown up together though Ember's aunt was not part of Aes. She grew up in the town not far from the clan's men and visited often. She grew to know all that lived there. One of the only outsiders ever allowed to step foot on the motherland. Swallowing Cheyenne thought of her mother, she missed her dearly. She could not wait to return home and see her father again either.

She sat up knowing sleep would not come. She walked across the room to the window and slid it open. Shifting her weight she threw her leg over into the empty night air. The other followed and she pushed off free falling, at the last second she landed in a roll. She got her feet back under herself skillfully.

Her years of training benefited her as she took in the smells and the minute sounds of the night. Whispers traveled on the air, they seemed urgent. Cheyenne followed the sound, though it was hard to pinpoint due to the echo. She leaned against the wall listening to the hooded figures.

"We have to leave tonight, I am leaving first thing tomorrow." A woman's voice echoed to Cheyenne's ears.

"Are you sure about this Love? You will be leaving everything..." A man's voice sounded in response. Cheyenne moved to leave, feeling like she was eavesdropping.

"Hey! You!" The woman's voice echoed after Cheyenne. She turned on the defensive, her hands close to her knives.

"What are you doing here, who are you?" the man clad in armor.

"I am sorry to have eavesdropped on you. I was merely on a walk when I heard you, I am Cheyenne, daughter of Corrin."

At this the man and woman whispered to each other lowly, both looking at her in turn. The woman approached holding the man's hand, the man was more hesitant. As she got closer Cheyenne saw the faces under the hoods, the woman was very beautiful, her skin unscarred and clean. She had a regalness about her. Her midnight blue eyes seemed endless as she looked at Cheyenne.

"Daughter of Corrin, Chief of Aes?"

Cheyenne nodded slowly. Her hands still rested on her knives. The woman smiled and turned to the man whispering. "She can lead us through the forest, to somewhere we can be safe," the man shook his head at that.

"Rayne savages are unpredictable. I know I have battled them before. We cannot hope to survive among them."

Cheyenne set her jaw at the word "savage". Her people were not savages, these were the savages. Rayne, the woman, looked her over before shaking her head in disagreement.

"She seems civil enough. Though I have never met the savages before."

"Well I have and know this, they seem civil until they gut your best friend right in front of you" He didn't whisper this time he looked straight at Cheyenne. Her pale sea green gaze battled his as they set their jaws both.

"Nero, please give her a chance. I am sure she was not part of that." Rayne spoke sweetly to Nero. Soothingly she leaned her head on his shoulder and kissed his cheek softly. Obviously these two were more than friends. Nero sighed looking down at her, his resolve melted and he nodded. "Will you help us?" Rayne asked her.

Cheyenne thought about it, if her and Logan needed to get away would she ask someone she didn't know to show them the way.

"Yes," Cheyenne nodded. "But I want to know who both of you are, and you will both need horses, preferably agile ones." Rayne slid down her hood and her golden curls fell to her shoulders.

"I am Princess Rayne." She said quietly she looked at Cheyenne like she was waiting for her to bow. Cheyenne bowed to no one. The man took the princess's hand and removed his hood too.

"And I am Sir Nero Harker of Round Rock." He was a handsome man with short black hair and chocolate brown eyes so deep you could lose yourself in his gaze. The three of them headed off together to find horses and pack supplies, the time was set and all three were ready. They would leave right before the sun hit the horizon.

Cheyenne climbed back up to her room to see Ember sitting on her bed.

"Oh I thought you had left." Ember said looking down.

"No not quite yet, though I will be leaving very early tomorrow." She pulled off her bow and her knife belt. Ember watched her with curiosity.

"I want to go with you." Ember swallowed, though when her pale gaze landed on Ember she looked away again.

"Why would you want to do that? You know nothing of the Aes or how to live in the forest. Let alone survive the clan's men." Cheyenne said sitting beside her, she had decided much earlier in the night that she liked Ember.

"There is nothing here for me. My family is dead, and I am nothing but the girl down the lane. I wish to be more, I envy your freedom, your skill." Ember admitted looking at Cheyenne. This time she did not turn away from her sea green gaze.

"Your aunt is here...this is all you know." Cheyenne looked at her trying to gauge how bad she truly wanted to come.

"My aunt agrees. She wants me to go, to find my life out there." Ember shook Cheyenne's arm. "Please take me with you." Cheyenne hated being touched but she resisted the urge to rip away.

"Very well. You may come along with me. Meet me downstairs before dawn with a horse and supplies." Ember grinned and nodded rushing downstairs to get ready.

Cheyenne laid back in her bed smiling, tomorrow she would make her journey home. To her father, but most of all she would see Logan. Hopefully he would be just as happy about seeing her since she had left on not so good terms. That tended to happen when the daughter of a Chief openly disputed his orders. She had chosen to find her own way, out from under her father's arm of protection. She wanted to make her own name. Whether she failed or not she did so by her own power and determination. No one could ever say otherwise of Cheyenne Corrindottir, former heir to the wilds of Aes.

(Nero photo)