The Scions

Chapter 4

Walking to the castle took forever. These people didn't seem to have the same technologies that we have, like say, a car. Aleyn kept saying something about people meeting us somewhere, and soon, but he wouldn't tell me how soon soon was, or who they were, and I hated the feeling of not knowing. 

I suddenly stopped, done with it. "Aleyn, you are going to tell me right here, right now, everything, or I'm going to turn around and go home." I knew it was an empty threat. Despite all of my knowledge of certain things, I was hopeless with directions, and the route we took had been anything been straight.

"I'll tell you soon," Aleyn responded smoothly, without even the slightest hesitation at my words.  "And don't even turn around, because you know that you have no idea where you came from, and you've never been here before. We don't have time to stop and talk so stop stopping and come on!" 

I couldn't help but feel annoyed at his words. It wasn't like there were people chasing us or anything. All we were doing was walking, and honestly, it was getting kind of boring, and my feet were starting to ache. I wanted a break. 

I finally figured out who 'they' were when the man in charge- I still hadn't caught his name- stopped the whole group. "This is where we wait for the convoy," He said, sitting down with his back against the tree. 

I moved to sit next to Aleyn. I was still very confused, and I figured that this was a good time to get some answers. 

"Why are you taking me here?" I asked him. 

"I would think that obvious." Aleyn responded. "We are fighting a war, and we are losing." 

"And how do you think I'm going to help with that?" 

"Easy." Aleyn responded. "You are our last chance. You saw how powerful you were back there. And you haven't even been trained yet. With training, you are going to be the strongest and most powerful person on the battlefield. You are going to win the war for us." 

"The people fighting you are clearly more powerful than you. Even I can tell that, and I haven't even been here for a day. What makes you think that one person is going to change that?" 

"They won't expect you. Your parents sent you away so that you would be a surprise, and you would learn science and modern day ways. You have an advantage that nobody here has. You've lived in the other place." 

"Wait. So you guys are the only ones who know that I even exist? How did you get me out of here without anybody finding out?" 

"Even I don't know that much. They don't tell  me the big things. I'm 'too young,' as they say. I guess they want to keep me a child a little while longer." 

"We stopped being kids the minute those men attacked my school, and my home. They are the ones that need to suffer. Not whoever you're talking about." 

"Merlyn, I thought you were supposed to be smart. They are the same people. The people who attacked your home are the same people who are about to attack mine."

I mentally slapped myself on the forehead. Why wouldn't the be the same people? 

"Wait. If they don't know I exist, then how did they know that where to find me, and that I was anything special?" 

But the convoy had just arrived and Aleyn stood up without answering my question. 

He climbed into the wagon, and I climbed in after him. "Now we ride," Aleyn said, and that was the last time anyone spoke for a while. 

................................................................................................................................................................