Champions of Serenity :Gathering the Circle

Chapter 17

Airidon woke in a sweat and rolled out of his bed, a sword in each hand. He searched the room with wild eyes, looking for the numbers of Greshinea’s men charging him from the forest.

“What is it, Airidon?” The sleepy voice of Shrina sounded from across the room as she sat up in her own bed. Fini grunted next to Airidon from the bed they were sharing in the small inn outside of Jentro.

The young man stood and returned his swords to their scabbards next to the bed. He sat on the edge of the bed and ran large hands over his freckled face. A thatch of wild reddish blond hair fell into his eyes and he brushed it back with an irritated wave of his hand. His nose was too big for his human features, marking the Dwarven blood that ran in his veins.

The bed heaved as the giant next to Airidon sat up and brushed his shaggy brown and black mane of hair out of his eyes. He ran his hand over his full beard, pulling a few feathers from the pillow out of it. Deep brown eyes looked at his young friend with worry as a hand the size of a ripe melon touched Airidon’s arm.

Fini’s voice rumbled from a deep chest and it sounded almost like a growl. “Was it another dream about the girl?”

The bed across the room creaked as Shrina jumped out of it and moved to join the two men. She was small, barely coming up to Fini’s chest and standing proud to every 62 inches she owned. Her golden hair was in multiple braids and several daggers were visible on her person, even in the shift she wore to bed.

“Airidon, you can’t do her or anyone any good if you don’t get some rest. I know that Fini and I would like to get some. Do you want something to help you sleep?”

Airidon pushed Shrina’s hand off of his arm and stood, pacing to the window and looking out of the oiled paper. Shadows played across the side of the inn and gave sharp contrast to the warm dance of the dying flames inside the room behind him.

“Airidon?” Fini asked softly.

Airidon slammed his fist against the sill of the window in frustration and turned to look at the concern on his friend’s faces. They had each been hunted by Greshinea; they each had had their families slaughtered by the self-styled emperor. And they each had dreams of the same girl in the forest. How many people dreamed of this girl? He didn’t know, the others didn’t know. But she was the one thing that drew them all together and it was also the reason Greshinea was hunting them.

“She was almost killed….I couldn’t have handled as many men as she did and she didn’t even slow down. Gods, Fini, Shrina, she’s just a baby. Why is this happening?”

“When you find the answer to that question, Airidon, let me know. Until then, please refrain from shouting battle cries and jumping out of bed fully armed.” Shrina said acidly and went back to her own bed. She didn’t like how Airidon fawned over a girl they had never met. He could do a lot worse than the queen of the Siblen people for a woman. But no, he had to have this girl that was probably just a figment of their dreams and was nothing more than a symbol of something anyway.

Airidon climbed back into bed and lay down, looking at the play of light and shadow across the ceiling as the fire died in the hearth. Fini’s slow breathing finally calmed him enough to lull him to sleep. As he drifted, he vowed to never rest until he either found this girl or avenged her death.

Shægnek reached out and brushed a soft strand of hair back from the sleeping warrior’s brow. Chaos had a soft spot for the One, but she thought the Second deserved a little extra tenderness. His was the hardest part of the group. He had to support the One, he had to wait until she was ready for him, and he had to be strong without having the huge support system the One had.

Not that he would ever be alone and be without those who would give him the support he would need. He would have all the help he could handle. But that didn’t change the fact that Shægnek thought he could use a little extra help.

The Second had his nightly dream of the One, now it was time to give him something nice to look forward to. Tapping into the dreams of the Earth half of Second, Shægnek sent dreams to the Second of the beauty that awaited him when the war was over.

“Isn’t that cheating, Shægnek?”

“No, Chaos, it isn’t. It’s part of what I do and there is nothing wrong with giving him something to look forward to. If all he gets is the hardships he must endure, he will give up. We need him strong in order to have the One strong.”

“Humph.” Chaos leaned over the window and watched the sleeping warrior. “You will win her in the end, but I’m not going to make it easy for you.”

In the window, Airidon stirred in his sleep and the two gods withdrew so he wouldn’t wake and see them. Chaos looked at him again and then at Shægnek. “He cares for her already. Is that from the merging of both halves?”

“I believe so. It was stronger once Phil had joined with Airidon. Talk with Serenity. I think these two are destined for something more than just this prophecy. But they are hers and she is the one who lays the path they must follow.”

Chaos nodded and left to talk to his sister about her champions.