The Wishing Candle

Chapter 3: Elena Everlyn Alistair, 1742

Henri and I spent most of the night running through the forest, Henri leading me. Once we stopped, our breaths were ragged and we all but fell down on our backs from exhaustion. My gown was torn at the bottom and Henri’s jacket was cut on the sleeves.

          “Henri, where am I to stay? My house is demolished, my family dead, and nowhere to go. I don’t know of one place where Sir Kelly won’t find me.” I asked when I could finally catch my breath.

          “I think I know of a place. It’s a little small, but it’ll do.”

          “Where?”

          “You’ll see, now get a little sleep, I need to find out where exactly where in this forest we are.”

          I fell asleep almost instantly, but once I had, I wished I hadn’t.  I dreamed that I was in my house with my parents and brother. Ht house we were in was burning. I could hear my mother screaming and my brother crying to me.

          Then, they were gone. I was alone in my burning house. All of our family portraits burned away the faces of my Mom, Dad, and brother, and only left me. Then I burned down as well.

          I awoke in a cold sweat, breathing hard, as if I had been running a race. Henri lay beside me, sound asleep. I envied him. How he was able to sleep so soundly, I didn’t know, but I envied it. Of course, Henri had been through a lot, but hearing the closest thing to parents be murdered still would be tough.

          I decided to put aside my envy, and tried to concentrate on figuring out where we were. Where we were, was in the middle of a forest, in the middle of nowhere. That is as specific as I can get.  Hot because I don’t know the geography of my homeland, but because I haven’t been out of the house enough to know.

          Beside me, Henri stirred. Then his bright blue eyes shot open. He was in a cold sweat as well.

          “How long have you been up?” Henri demanded.

          “Only a couple of minutes, why?”

          “We need to get into some shelter. We’re too vulnerable out in the open.” He got up, and offered his hands to help me up. I took it, bewildered as ever.

          “How do you know where we are?”

          “Unlike a brother and sister I know, I was allowed to play in the forest. And I have taken Joseph for walks through the forest.” He answered with a smile.

          I didn’t return his smile. I still had no clue whether or not Joseph was alive. I hoped, deep down that he was alive. He’s too young to die. Much to young

          “Let’s go, before any wild animals find us.” Henri looked uncomfortable. Not the kind where, you’re embarrassed about a sibling or family member. It was the kind of uncomfortable where you were at the funeral even you didn’t know the deceased, but you knew the family member you never know what to say.

          Instead of talking more. He stayed silent as we walked to the unknown destination. Henri was doing the right thing. He was letting me think. That’s all I needed to do. Think. Think of what was to come, and of what has happened.