Chapter 5

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The library.

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I woke up to a sea of blue and golden sun-kissed sand resembling that of a beautiful beach that Marie had gone on vacation once, on the Mediterranean coastline. I reached out to feel the grains of sand, but was met with a different texture altogether. It felt almost like strands of hair. I jumped back, shielding my body. My eyes met a petite blonde-haired girl, sat on the edge of the bed, a small smirk on her face.

"Wow, Emut had said you were a little scared and I should try make you feel better, but you seem fine to me." She let out between giggles and I gaped at the girl, having nothing to say. She cleared her throat at the look on my face, putting a strand behind her ear.

"Of course, how rude of me. I know who you are, but you don't know who I am. I'm Ayla, nice to meet you !" She let out enthusiastically and I laughed at how energetic she seemed. I gave a small wave in her direction and she teasingly gave one back. I looked at her attire, not surprised that she was also sporting a similar style to that of the others. She wore an army green tank top with khaki shorts. Out of nowhere, she sprang to her feet, moving towards the window.

"Come on now. We're wasting daylight. Let's get a move on!" She clapped her hands loudly and I cringed at the sharp noise.

"And where exactly do I need to be?" I let out poignantly, a yawn escaping my mouth. Ayla moved closer and it was only then that I noticed the piles of clothes in her hands. She waved her hand, dismissing my question.

"Forget all that. First, freshen up. The female washing chambers are on the next floor and I've picked clothes out for you. Emut figured we were around the same size and I think he figured right." She rushed in one breath, handing clothes to me and I agreed with her words. I was around 5'4 and she only seemed an inch shorter. Plus, our figures were very similar. I took the clothes from her hands and she urged me up before walking us out the room, me walking and her skipping.

When we reached the washing chambers, she handed over a linen towel and some other toiletries. I peered in to see a row of showerheads sprouting off the wall, with no doors. On the floor, were a line of drains.

"So, when you're done, make your way past the first floor and to the ground floor to the courtyard. You know where that is, right?" She questioned and I nodded numbly, the heat of the hall making my hair stick to my neck and I revelled in the thought of cold water.

"Good. I'll see you then, Hanna." She said and, with a slap on my butt, she was gone.

Today just got a whole lot weirder.

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I walked down the same steps that Emut had guided me up just yesterday, patting my hair down with a white towel, although that wasn't needed given the heat. I looked down at my attire, which was significantly different to that of what I wore in England aka the cold capital. It was from Ayla's wardrobe- that much was evident from the khaki cargo shorts that rested on the lower portion of my thighs. Granted, they did feel more appropriate for the climate, but that didn't mean I didn't feel slightly uncomfortable. I was most definitely not used to clothes such as these. The burgundy tank top put me in a similar plight and I wrapped my arms around my torso in a meek attempt to cover myself up.

Walking up to the courtyard, I caught sight of blonde and walked towards the fountain. Ayla smiled at me as I walked towards her, getting up. She jogged to me, meeting me in the middle, her hands resting at her hips.

"I think, it's time you got a tour, don't you think?" She questioned, her blue eyes squinting from the sun. Before I could even answer, she was already showing me around, dragging me my arm.

"So, first floor has bedrooms to the right. To the left, is Negus's quarters, so we don't go there. On the second floor, is the washing chambers to the left for the females and right for the male's washing chambers. During most of the day, we all tend to stay on the ground floor, however. Here, we have the office quarters, the library and the training grounds. Let me show you." She explained and I listened intently, trying to keep up. She was a really fast talker.

She skipped ahead walking to the far side, her hand gripping mine as she took me along. I moved faster to keep up. At long last, she halted to a stop in front of a door.

"This is the library. It has all kinds of novels, scriptures and scrolls." She explained, opening the large door that let out a loud groan in response. The smell of must and paper hit my nose and I gasped at the extraordinary size of the wooden shelves as they towered over us. Ayla pulled me out of my thoughts, pointing towards Arun, who was sat on an armchair in a small sitting area, his face deeply wedged between a book as he read.

"That's Arun. I know you've met him. He's really sweet, but can be really shy at times. He's always got his head in a book, so don't mind it if he's not much of a talker, okay?" She said, turning to walk out and I followed, processing her words.

He didn't seem like 'not much of a talker to me'. Rather, he seemed to be very friendly to me since I arrived here. We walked to the door and I held a baited breath when I caught sight of Maya entering the library. Just as I had predicted, she gave me a cold glare as she passed, her red hair tied in a loose plait. I gave a tentative smile in return to show I wasn't a threat, but that seemed to increase the intensity of her glare, her hand idly twirling a pocket knife.

I sighed in relief when she passed behind a bookshelf out of sight, her boots stomping loudly against the floor. Ayla seemed to notice this, glancing at me from the corner of her eyes.

"That's Maya. She's a little.... abrasive? She's Negus's daughter and has been trained in combat since the day she could hold a dagger. She fights for what she believes in and doesn't want anyone compromising that at all." She explained and, by the pointed look in her eyes, I knew she was talking about me. I sighed heavily. So, this Maya girl had it in for me and I didn't even do anything. Well, from what I know.

Ayla rested a hand on my arm, seemingly noticing my sudden downcast mood.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Hanna. She'll warm up to you." She comforted, but that only made my confusion grow. The way Ayla had said that was as though she assumed I would stay here for a while. Only, I didn't think I could. I had a home to get to and a life to get back to. Debra, Richard, Sierra, Marie, Sue, Pam- that was my life and I had just forgotten, in the midst of all the chaos.

I turned to Ayla, who was too engrossed in humming, her eyebrows knitted in concentration as she walked across the hallway.

"Ayla, what is it you guys do here? You, Maya, Negus and the rest- are you family? What is this place?" I questioned heatedly, to which Ayla raised a hand up.

"Woah, calm down, Hanna. I can't answer all of them at the same time." She joked and I laughed quietly, the questions still pressing on the back of my mind.

She glanced at me from the corner of her eyes, a smirk on her face.

"Well, to answer one of your questions. Yes, we are family. But, not blood-related. We've been here for years and have become a family in that time. We're all here for a purpose. The same purpose, actually." She explained, her hands gesturing gently as she spoke. I nodded, following behind her, but I was growing restless. It was as though every answer I got, from anybody here, just left more questions than I had at the beginning. No one here- not Negus, Emut or Ayla- had answered any question directly. It was as though they were evading something. And, it very much had something to do with me.

The creak of a large door, being pushed open by Ayla, got my attention and my ears perked up at the sound of the clinking of swords. Ayla stepped in first.

"This is the weapons room. We store all our weapons in here." She spoke as I walked in, my gaze landing on the large room with shelves and shelves of weapons, the metal glinting dangerously in the sun. The smell of metal was strong in the air and, combined with the heat, the room felt stuffy to say the least.

Ayla gestured over with a hand to the direction of the sound I had heard before and I peered past a shelf to see a large built male sat on a chair, sharpening a large knife. Unlike the others, he was wearing a chainmail of some sort, his dark russet skin glistened with sweat. He didn't seem to notice us and, if he did, he didn't look up and continued his task.

"That's Abrax. He's very laid-back. He's been here for the least amount of time, around 4 years, but has the highest work ethic. Seriously, he never stops. He's not very fun-loving. But, he's still very nice." Ayla explained, a small frown on her face and I processed her words. The way he sat in the heat of such a stuffy room, his hands never stopping, his stance never changing and his eyes unmoving, I was quick to believe what Ayla had to say about him. I moved back, feeling slightly intimidated and Ayla laughed at this before grabbing my arm and taking me through the hallway again which seemed significantly colder than the weapons rooms.

"And, last but certainly not least- the training grounds!" Ayla let out excitedly, her arms flailing high in a dramatic manner. I smiled as she pulled me down the hallway until we came to a door, her energy feeling contagious.

I allowed myself to be dragged into the large room. Well, it was more like a large hall. I scanned the area, my mouth agape. The walls were lined with weapons, with painted lines on the floor, sectioning off the hall into three bits. The first section was bordered with white, the second with green and the third with red.

I turned when the sound of echoing conversation came from the right to see both Emut and Demir in deep conversation, both of them inspecting a long thick weapon with a sharp metal end. Ayla's eyes looked over in the same direction and she smiled kindly at them. She turned back to me, her hand gesturing in their direction.

"Well, you've already sort of met Emut. He's a really sweet guy. He's been here since he was really young. He was probably here at the same time Maya was here. He's the unofficial leader of us. Mostly because he's very rational and optimistic. Two things we all really need." She said with a smile and I looked over to see Emut manoeuvring the weapon while Demir watched, his arms folded and his cold grey eyes focused on Emut's movements.

Ayla gestured to Demir.

"That's Demir. He came just before me, so around 11 years he's been here. He was very cold when I first got to know him, but knowing him for a few years now, we've gotten really close." She laughed slightly, her eyes lit up as though she was lost in the memories.

I looked over to the two males. They were now holding another weapon, this time. It was bronze and resembled a sword, except it started to curve at some point in the middle. Demir held it at the hilt, his eyes on Emut as he made a slashing motion in the air with it. The sound of it resonated in the large room and I imagined if it would have sounded the same had it struck someone. Both males were deep in conversation as they took turns holding and inspecting the weapon, laughing at points.

Ayla pointed to them lazily, walking to the door as I followed.

"They've been best friends since Demir arrived here. Before that, Emut was solely concentrated on training. Now, he's loosened up a bit. Of course, he still gets angry when Demir doesn't listen. Demir tends to be very impulsive with his actions. I think they both share different... beliefs." Ayla finalised, her voice hesitant as we walked through the empty hallway back into the courtyard.

I sighed.

"About the prophecy, right?" I guessed and Ayla nodded before shaking her head vigorously.

"No one hates you, Hanna! It's just the prophecy, you wouldn't understand the toll it's had, I just can't explain it, I-" Ayla stuttered around her sentences before I stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"It's okay, Ayla. I might not understand what's going on, but I know that no one hates me." I consoled and Ayla sighed in relief. She nodded her head to speak, but a loud blare of a horn interrupted her. I pressed my palms against my ear, looking at Ayla frantically.

Ayla, however, seemed fine as though the sound was familiar. She looked up, a small frown on her face before dragging me by the arm and dragging me past the courtyard.

"What is it?!" I screamed amidst the noise, unsure whether she heard me or not.

"Chigaru. They're looting a village. We need to see Negus." She shouted back as a reply and I nodded numbly, even though her answer left me all the more befuddled.

At long last, we were in the office quarters and Ayla let go of my arm. I panted heavily, not used to the exercise as Negus came into sight, Maya and Abrax at his side. I waited for a glare from Maya, but she looked dead ahead, a scowl on her face. This matter must be very serious.

Arun came from around the corner, a large straw-like bag strapped to his shoulders. He turned to Negus.

"I've got the weapons, Negus." He spoke, his voice light. Negus nodded at his words before turning to Abrax and, in response, Abrax took the bag from Arun's arms.

The sound of footsteps came from behind and I turned to see Demir and Emut running up in our direction. Both came to a halt in front of Negus.

"Where to, this time?" Emut questioned, his voice devoid of panting despite him having come from the same place I did.

I really need to exercise more

Abrax spoke, even though the question was referred to Negus.

"The Penta province." He said, his voice hard and Emut sighed heavily, turning to look at Negus.

Demir was the first to move towards the exit.

"What are we waiting for? It's just 5 minutes East of here." And, with that, everyone, except Negus, moved to the door. I looked to Negus to see what I should do, but he merely urged me forward with a gentle wave of his hand and a small smile on his face. I nodded slowly in response, walking behind the others.

I turned to Ayla, my voice a whisper as we walked out of the oak doors I had entered yesterday.

"What's Chigaru?" I questioned to which Ayla leaned in.

"They work for the ruler of Aaru. They loot villages, rape women, take their harvests and set fire to their houses. We're here to make sure that doesn't happen." She explained and I stilled at the severity of the situation. Here, in the heat of the desert, I looked to the people I walked amongst. Just who they were and what they fighted for, I didn't know. But, standing within them, I knew what they did, they did because they cared deeply about a certain cause.

But, just what was that?

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At long last, all came to a halt and I sighed in relief. Up ahead was a little village made of small houses. The houses were of a warm-brown colour with small cracks lining each house. Nothing could be seen from the outskirts, but the sound of rumbling footsteps and the screams of villagers could be heard, well and truly.

Maya kneeled to the ground before pulling out her pocket knife and looking towards the boys. She etched a map route into the ground as she spoke.

"Abrax, you and I will go near the banks and check the situation there with the crops and animals. We'll see how much we can salvage. Demir and Emut, you both will go to the bazaar. See if you can stop them before they escape with their loot. Ayla and Arun, you both will-"

"What is she doing here?" Demir interrupted, his grey glare on me and, suddenly, all eyes were on me. Abrax looked slightly confused and I recalled that we had never met nor had he been alerted of my presence. Emet looked blankly at me, his warm eyes burning into mine. Arun was probably the only one who smiled at me; Maya- on the other hand- was full on glaring, as per usual and I recoiled into myself. At that point, I really wished the ground would swallow me whole. Or, rather, a quicksand pit would take me in.

Ayla spoke, her arm resting against mine.

"Oh, stop scaring her, Demir. Negus told her to come." She explained much to my relief, but this only made Demir scoff. He folded his arms, his eyes on me as he spoke.

"This isn't a game. Someone could get hurt." Demir retaliated, his deep voice full of scorn and I pushed back the urge to hide behind Ayla.

Emut nodded slightly before ushering Abrax and Maya away with a hand. Giving me a last glare, Maya ran towards the banks. Abrax handed over the bag to Demir before running behind her. Emut watched before turning and coming towards me.

"Demir's right. You could get hurt. It's too early for you now." He explained warmly.

Demir scoffed yet again, a small laugh reverberating through his voice.

"Yeah, right. I wasn't talking about her. Her getting in the way could put the villager's lives at stake." He muttered and I rolled my eyes at his harshness.

Emut turned to glare at him, opening his mouth to speak, but Ayla spoke up before he could.

"You're right. That's completely understandable. Why don't I take her with me? Arun could go check on the safe place to round up all the villagers and I'll take Hanna with me to show her the ropes." Ayla let out, her voice full of hope.

Emut looked between the two of us, a cautious look in his eyes before heaving a sigh.

"Okay, but don't let her out of your sight." He said firmly before ushering Arun off who galloped like a new-born deer to the right side of the village.

Demir glared at me before turning to Ayla.

"I mean it, Ayla, don't let her get in the way." He warned before walking away with Emut.

Ayla sighed deeply, putting a hand dramatically to her chest. She then turned to me, a smirk on her face before ushering me towards her. I yelped as she dragged me towards the village, my legs almost giving out underneath me. Thankfully, we stopped 5 minutes in and Ayla squatted behind a small rickety fruit cart. I looked in distaste at the state of the rotting fruit, all covered in ants and flies. I crouched down beside Ayla, something that seemed achingly familiar to a dream I once had. It was only then I noticed the bow in Ayla's hand, her hand reaching out to the arrow satchel on her back.

"Woah, what are you doing with that?" I said, shuffling back slightly to which Ayla hushed me with a finger to her lips. She pointed a little ahead of us and I followed her finger to see a large built male as he made his way through the desolate alley. With the exception of his eyes, his face was covered with a thin scarf and he was donned in all white. He looked around, one hand carrying a large bag and the other clinging cautiously to his sword. I crouched down further in fear and Ayla mouthed 'Chigaru' before moving slowly in front of me, her hand pulling out a arrow effortlessly before drawing it. The action made a small creaking sound to which the Chigaru looked around rapidly, his sword at the ready. I panicked slightly, but Ayla remained calm as though there wasn't just a small cart between us and the lethal male.

She breathed deeply, whispering something to herself. I stayed quiet so as to not distract her and, then, she dropped her arm and the arrow went flailing through the air, striking through the heart of the male. I gasped as blood scattered the cart, retching at the sound of his body dropping lifelessly to the floor. It was only then that his eyes caught mine, but he was already dead by that time. Still, that didn't stop me from edging back.

"Nice shot." I muttered in shock. Ayla smiled at this, but didn't say anything. She seemed too engrossed in trying to remove the blood stain on her upper arm, her face pulled into a frown. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps could be heard and Ayla moved to draw her bow with ease. We both stilled, with baited breath, waiting. Only this time, as the intruders approached, Ayla didn't look half as confident. There was around 20 to 25 men, by the looks of it. I looked to Ayla impatiently. If they were to move another 5 metres in our direction, they could clearly see us.

"I can't shoot that fast. If I hit one, the others would be alerted of where we are. I can't put you at risk like that." Ayla explained in a whisper, her eyes on the Chigaru as they circled around, an array of sharp weapons in their hands. I felt numb and stricken. The men were only a few feet away from seeing us and, judging by the look on Ayla's face, there's not much she could do with me as baggage.

Just why did I have to come?