Lightnings [Completed]

Chapter 29. Dry lands.

Quick A/N

Okay, this is the most Jordagold chapter I've ever written. Plus, it has some sort af a cliffhanger at the end. Welp, enjoy!

I was walking behind the crowd by Isa's side. People in
front of us were murmuring and whispering. Gone were the times when they walked organised, in special order. Now they all were moving chaotically, and for whatever reason it didn't slow us down. In fact, somehow we moved even faster than before, towards the safety. Probably it had something to do with the Thunder or the fact that neither me nor my friends had abandoned them.

- Hey, Aiden. - Isa bit her lower lip, as if she was worried.
- Yeah? - I smiled to her. For the last few days our relationships had improved, and I was really glad they had.
- Reginald... - She closed her eyes for a moment. - He wanted you to have this.

Surprised, I watched as she took something out from her inventory. It was an iron pickaxe, and it was a paiful reminder of what I had been through. The same pickaxe I crafted after the cow fell into the canyon. Huh. It's been not much more than a week since that day, but it felt like eternity to me.
- This is the pickaxe I used to work with. - I frowned, examining the tool. - I didn't know Reginald had kept it all the time.

- Neither did I. - Isa nodded. - Why would he do that?
I just shrugged. I was used to give the pickaxe up by the end of my working day, and I never questioned what happened to it after that.
- Anyway... - The ruler sighed and handed me the tool. - He wanted you to have it.

My eyes widened in shock. No, I knew I'd been in good relationship with the capitan of the guard. But I never expected him to give me something that could be possibly considered to be a weapon.
- I... - I couldn't find right words, my fingers sliding up and down the wooden handle. - I don't understand. Why would he give me anything like this?
- I have no idea. - Isa confessed. - But he also gave Maya and Gill their iron hoes. It was like he wanted all of you to have anything to protect yourselves.

- Thank you. - I smiled, accepting the gift and putting it in my inventory. Gosh, I totally forgot how it felt to have something in my posession! And that pickaxe - a tool that people learn to craft as soon as they discover mining - somehow gave me courage. That's when it hit me.
I had been sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. So, even after the Thunder, I would still be a prisoner.

I didn't want to come back to that life, even if not so many people would hate me. That little piece of freedom I was living in felt so good, I didn't want for it to end. Never. But I knew that my future was crossed with iron bars of a prison cell. And it made my heart hurt.
I glanced at Isa. She was few steps ahead of me, talking to some people. I guess if I asked her, she'd probably remove all charges not only from me, but from Maya and Gill too.

Which was exactly why I would never ask her to do so. It would look like begging - and I wasn't a beggar. That cowardish part of me had died in the cold cell. And the new me wasn't afraid of punishment. After all, that's what I deserve.
- Hey, Aiden! - Honor appeared out of nowhere, interrupting my thoughts. - What's wrong?

- Huh? - I didn't understand her question at first. - Oh, um, nothing. I was just... Thinking.
- Well, the guys have lost you! - The friendly guard smiled. - Come on, before Jordan and Miragold kill each other!
- Wait, wha... - I couldn't end, for she grabbed my wrist and started dragging me to the front of the crowd, occasionally pushing some people. That grip, despite of being strong, was gentle. Nothing like the iron grip on my forearms when I hadn't been even allowed to walk freely.