Tenacious (NaNoWriMo)

Chapter 14

-I jolt awake with a gasp. My spine stiffens and anxiety fills my heart. Liza. So that is the girl's name. Funny how I was ready to endure the king's dungeon for her without even knowing her name. Yup. I have serious mental issues.

"Kat? Are you okay?" Sam asks me. I put a hand to my heart and try to catch my breath. I really shouldn't be this nervous. It was just a dream though. Maybe. It just seems so realistic. And for some reason, Liza fits the girl. And if it was just a dream, what about the first time I saw the girl in my dreams. Not two days later, I met her in real life. What's to say that the girl didn't actually see Erion.

Oh, no. Erion. He seemed so concerned for me, and the way he suddenly calmed at the end of my dream, well, if I hadn't just met him a few days ago, I would say that he is planning on breaking into the royal dungeons to try to get me out. But Erion isn't that foolish, is he? I really hope not. Because planning an assault on the castle, that's just suicide.

I snap out of my thoughts when Sam starts to shake me. "Kat! Kat, listen to me! Are you okay?" he asks, punctuating each word with a harsh jerk of my shoulders.

"Yes. I'm fine. But I'd really like to get moving on the whole 'find the rebels' thing, if that's okay," I say. Sam looks at me suspiciously.

"Any reason in particular?" he asks. If I tell him I dreamed that my half brother that I only met a few days ago might lead an attack on the castle because some girl I'd helped escape that he doesn't eveb know told him I was in the dungeons and that I somehow know that that attack would lead to his death and many more, he would definitely think I've gone crazy.

"Um, I just feel like we'd better hurry up." Sam rolls his eyes, but, to my relief, turns and mutters a few words to the other men on watch. Within a minute, they are going around the camp, rousing each individual one by one. I bounce on the balls of my feet. This is going far too slowly. Without thinking twice, and before I can change my mind, I scramble up the tree I fell asleep on.

"Wake up!" I scream as loud as I can. My voice comes out far louder than I would have thought possible. It does the job, though. In a few seconds, every man and woman is on their feet. I jump down out of the tree, landing nimbly on my toes, not making a sound. Sam gives me a dirty look, but no one else seems to notice just who did the shouting.

"Everyone," Sam says calmly, "we are going to be leaving soon to find the rebel camp. Our rescuer was with them before she was captured, and she believes that there will be a place for us there." There are a few murmurs at the word "she," clearly not everyone was aware who their savior is. I take Sam's last words to be an opening for me.

"Correction. We are leaving now to find the rebels. You can come or not, but if you want to accompany me, I'm going now," I say. I don't look at Sam for any longer than I have to, honestly afraid that he is going to murder me with his eyes. I turn and stride into the forest, not waiting to see if anyone follows me.

Okay, I'll admit it. We've been walking for hours, and I have absolutely no clue where we are. I though it would be easier, but all these people staring at me are making me anxious. I hoped that the rebels would find us, like they had found me, but since they apparently only capture people on roads, and I am far too wary of the king to lead this huge group of fugitives on a main road, I haven't had any such luck.

The vision hits me suddenly, with no warning whatsoever. I'm leading a group of escapees one moment, and the next, I'm smack in the middle of the rebel camp. I don't see anyone, but I don't let that bother me. No, I don't particularly care why the vison camp is empty, because I know exactly how to find it.

When I am back in my own skin, I am still standing exactly where I was before. Well that wasn't so bad. Nothing like the dreams, where it felt like I am actually in them. This time, I was fully aware that I was in a vision. Not to mention the fact I didn't pass out this time.