Seraph

6

They had been traveling for several hours, but Serafina noticed the children had gotten sluggish. "¡Ay niños, lo siento mucho! Olvidé que ustedes no han dormido. Sigue adelante y acomódate cerca de esos árboles. Let's stop to rest by those trees down that path!" she called. Startling the children due to the sudden sound in the silent night.

"Doña we can keep going!" Juana insisted, followed by a yawn. She blushed in embarrassment when she realized La Doña probably saw, even if she was far away.

Serafina had seen it, and it brought her smile up, "No, stop. The little ones are already sleeping. You need to sleep as well. You're still growing, and you only grow in your sleep!" She teased.

Serafina had chosen that particular set of trees due to hearing the gurgling of a creek nearby. The children pulled over to the side of the road and walked up to the creek bed and tied the horses nearby allowing the horses to drink freely. When one of the children bent over to drink, she stopped them. She got the cooking pot they had from the cart, filled it with water, then boiled it with her abilities. Once it cooled, she allowed everyone to drink. She had to fill it about three times before their thirst was sated. She still filled some canteens for later. Thankfully, the cart also still had the goods that they were going to trade, which included dried meats. So she had the children eat that before sleeping.

In the middle of the night, one of the older boys who had ridden the horses got up and slowly crept to the cart, pocketing some trinkets he had seen. Then went to the horses to untie the one he had ridden before to make his escape. Just as he lifted his foot to leave, he heard a voice from the shadows.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Serafina whispered from her spot on a branch way above his line of sight. He froze. Then drew his eyes upward to see her lazily lying on the branch. She was laying on her back, one leg bent, the other dangling off the edge, and her hat blocking her face from the moonlight.

He shook but then forced himself calm. Attempting to feign bravery, he replied with only a slight shake to his voice, "you don't hurt children." He attempted to act as though he were untouchable because of her personal morals.

She sat herself up and scooted back so her back was against the tree, legs in the same position, but tilted her hat up and then looked him in the eye, "Do you know why I don't hurt children?" she asked with a mischievous smile on her face.

Staring into her red eyes and seeing her smile, the fear in his heart intensified, and he couldn't utter a word. He shook his head no.

"Because children are pure. They're innocent. They don't have fear of someone's eyes a different color than their own. Or distrust of someone whose skin is a different shade than they're used to. They don't have the greed that adults have. That greed that makes them want to take what isn't theirs. Even ignoring the kindness given to them, they have no problem spitting on that kindness to get what they want. Children don't have that. Do you remember what I called you before?" she continued to question.

He shook his head no again.

"Young man," she whispered, smile disappearing. "I don't really consider you a child anymore. If you keep doing what you're doing. I'll treat you as a young man. A young adult. A greedy one at that." She dropped from that branch and landed on her feet with her legs bent. She never averted her eyes as she dropped and stood up straight. She was tall for a woman, always had been. So even on the ground she was still looking down at him, even with the distance between them. She was a fair distance away so as not to frighten the horse after all. "I like giving people a choice. So will you return the things you took from the cart and retie that horse? Or will I have to do it? The first option has you going to town where I'll ask the people there to send you on your way if you should wish. While the second option has you never seeing sunrise." For emphasis, she allowed her eyes to glow.