Eternally Luminous

Chapter 5

They sat outside on the darkened porch at night, talking about how life had gone for the past seven years since they saw each other. It was so surreal for Ana as she couldn’t believe the past couple of days of her life. Chloe explained that her son, Juden, the younger boy Ana had seen earlier was able to grow things from the ground, his ability was related to the earth and he was fathered to a bandit who stormed into town four years ago. The bandit had stayed in town a few nights and she told Ana that one of those nights they both got drunk along with the rest of the town, celebrating the moon festival and Juden was the result of that night. The father of Juden had left before Chloe realized she was carrying his child and she hasn’t seen him since. Ana asked her about the baby she was currently carrying and Chloe told her that the father was her husband, a local merchant who frequently was away in Deliah and Netherlile at the market and docks. Ana unraveled the chain of events that occurred with her and the Master and how she had killed him, spilling every detail and how she fled.

She hesitantly asked Chloe about her powers, telling her about her own and what Halley had said. Chloe threw her hand over Ana’s mouth and told her to not say a word out in the open where others can hear because they’ll take them away. “That’s what they’re doing you know? Taking some of us”, Chloe now whispered to Ana, “their taking some of us, who ever they can find, with abilities to somewhere in one of the other lands. Our aunt in Deliah should know more about this because she’s a seer, she can see what happens before it does”. Ana was confused and startled about this because she had never thought of the possibility of having an aunt, or someone related to her and now she was lucky enough to know that she has a sister and an aunt and a nephew with another one or a niece on the way. “Do you know anything about our parents?”, Ana shyly asked Chloe but anxious to know. “I’m sorry, I don’t. I just know that they have abilities too. You should ask our aunt about them”.

Within an instant, large bells rang and dogs barked. The trampling sound of horses echoed within the town. Men yelled and the shouted, spreading out across the entire town. “Quick Ana! Hide!”, Chloe urged as she pushed Ana off the back porch and towards the thick trees that were further behind the herb garden. Ana grabbed Chloe’s hand, but she shook it off and ran back inside the inn calling for Juden. Within a couple of minutes anxiously waiting amongst the trees, she heard the sounds of the men now laughing and sounding pleased. They’d captured Chloe. Ana heard her screams and the cries for Juden. With her heart pounding, Ana grabbed one of the trees and felt helpless and defenseless. She had no weapon, she suddently remembered the dagger in her boot. She lunged out of the darkness of the trees and sprinted for the back porch, the sounds of the men just on the other side of the inn on the main street. She crept up the back staircase and opened the back door. It creaked slowly and loudly but Ana moved quietly and swiftly. Maneuvering herself around objects as though she were a shadow in the darkness she crouched behind the front desk. She caught a glimpse out one of the windows at the front of the inn. She saw a group of about fifteen men, all armed and in armour. Most were on their horses but three were down from their horses and talking to the innkeeper. Ana could just hear their conversation.

“She’s pregnant, you said nothing about her being pregnant”, The largest man, who had olive skin and a large mahogany coloured beard said. Ana assumed he was the leader of the squadron.

“IT DOESN’T MATTER! She’s one of them! Take her away. Get her out of here”, the innkeeper pleaded.

Ana saw Chloe, she had ropes bound around her wrists and ankles and material tied around her mouth and was on her knees in the dirt. One of the other three men, a smaller, younger and clean-shaven clutched onto Chloe’s hair and looked at her in disgust.

“You shouldn’t be hiding here dear, they might see you”, a voice said behind Ana. She whirled around clinging to her dagger. It was the stumpy lady, the innkeeper’s wife. “Please do something”, Ana begged.