Chapter 118: Common Sense Lesson

Book 3, Chapter 18 - Common Sense

Winter came along in Seldar. Aaron sat on the edge of his mattress, shivering. It was his most despised time of year. While the cellar was cool and provided relief in the summer, it was bitter cold during winters. Aaron wrapped himself in his dark cloak. He couldn't use his sheets. Carmin was curled beneath them, sleeping peacefully. She came to visit him often since that one unfortunate night. Aaron would usually wake her before dawn. Today, he let her rest. Orion was not going to train him that morning. It would soon be time for him to leave along with his real mother. That was why Orion had left. He said he had things to prepare.

Aaron was certain that he would be leaving in a few days' time. The thought was a growing weight in his mind. He wanted to stay. He'd been looking forward to the gifts Mely had promised to get him for his next birthday. He wished to receive a sword, though he knew his second mother wouldn't be able to afford one. He wanted to at least look the part of a knight. To give her an image by which to remember him. Mely still asked to have her book read to her now and then. She'd even managed to pick up reading a few words herself.

Aaron buried his head in his hands. It was terribly selfish of him to want to stay just to receive birthday gifts. With him gone, his mothers could at least spend their money on themselves. He would leave a gift for them before leaving. Or Orion would at least. Delin was to die. That was the condition. He would free his mothers from that witch's clutches.

Aaron fingered a cold coin in his pocket. A full silver crown. It would be enough to buy rations of bread and cheese for over a month. He had found it on the floor when sneaking about the halls of Celestial Whispers. He didn't know what to use it on. Aaron almost never left the brothel. The only times he went out was during someone's day off.

He stared at the engraved surface of the coin —one side had a crown while the other had a hand with palm side up to signify Tarmian mint. He wanted Delin to die. To just disappear and leave his family alone. But what then? If he was leaving afterwards, along with Orion and his mother as Lera said would happen, what would happen to his mothers? Where would they go? How would they earn and live?

Aaron looked up, pulled away from his thoughts as the door to the cellar opened, hinges groaning. Rarely, if ever, did anyone come to see him so early in the morning. Mely and Temelia walked through. The former wore a loose sky blue dress that thinned beyond the waistline to the point of near transparency while the latter wore a sleek and low cut black dress rather than her typical robes.

They both raised a brow when seeing Carmin, clothed by only a sheet, sleeping on Aaron's bed. “Well this is unexpected,” Mely said.

Temelia crossed her arms. She stood at least three inches taller than Melyanne who was wearing slightly elevated shoes. Temelia swung her head to bring over her smooth long tail of black hair to rest on one side of her. “So this is where she's been sleeping for the past little while… I have to say, I'm a little bit jealous. Though I'd rather wait for few more years…”

“Tem! He considers us his mothers!”

“And you're the only one that looks at him like he's your son,” Temelia responded while licking her lips.

Aaron felt hurt. He just now wondered what his mothers thought of him. Was he not like a son to them? “Do you not like me, Temelia?” he asked.

She knelt before him. “Of course I love you, my little angel. But you know, you only have one real mother. I'd rather you thought of me in another way.”

“Like what?”

“I don't know. What do you think of Carmin?”

“I think of her as a mother,” he answered with half honesty. Recently, he'd begun thinking of her as something more, though he wasn't sure what. He knew Carmin did things for him willingly which she did for customers reluctantly. Things that Lera had never done for him. Aaron had begun assuming these things to not be appropriate between a mother and her child and Mely's words all but confirmed it, though he felt embarrassed to ask for clarity.

Temelia shook her head. “Of all the things Lera is trying to teach him, common sense is the one thing she seems to have forgotten.” She turned, a sly smirk touching her lips. “Melyanne, surely you've wanted to at least take a peak. You know, like see how long it is?”

“How inappropriate can you be!?” Mely cried, folding her arms and glaring.

“Oh please. You tried coming on to him when he was eight.”

“That was a joke meant for Lera.”

“Really? You didn't think about it once?”

“I'm about to slap your cheeks until they bleed! And I'm not talking about your face!” Mely said.

Temelia snorted. “And I'm the inappropriate one,” she muttered, ruffling Aaron's hair and examining Carmin's sleeping form. “Really now, it's not fair. She's been keeping our angel to herself.”

“Aaron, put your boots on. We're going outside,” Mely said.

“For what?” he asked.

“Shopping,” she replied with a smile. “We both have the day off today. Sun must've risen from the west for Delin of all people to be so Flaming generous.”

Aaron turned around to look at Carmin. He didn't want to her to be alone when she awoke.

“She'll be fine,” Mely assured. “We'll be back before noon anyway.”

He reluctantly agreed and put on his boots. He had been seeing Carmin a lot more than any of his other mothers. And Temelia seemed jealous. He didn't want them to fight each other over something so trivial.

Aaron followed the two women outside. They both had old grey cloaks around their shoulders, Temelia's cloak again stopping just below the knees rather than extending to her feet like Mely and Aaron's. He rubbed the sides of his arms. It was a lot colder outside than it was in the cellar. His breaths came out in a cloud. Seldar's streets had been covered in a thin layer of frost —most of which looked little different from mud, having been trampled by so many boots coming from who knows where.

Aaron lifted his cloak a few inches above his ankle, trying not to get Mely's gift dirty. He clenched his teeth at a cold breeze that touched his shins. His worn trousers were torn at the bottom and too small for him now that he'd grown a few inches taller. He was past Mely's shoulders in height now. He looked up at the hurrying crowds of people rushing about their daily activities. He shuffled closer to Mely, feeling like a tiny boat amidst a sea of oncoming icebergs.

“Do you want to hold my hand?” she asked.

Aaron blushed nodding with an averted gaze. Her hand was ice cold. He looked up at her and noticed dark spots under her eye. Mely was tired but she still decided to take him outside. Temelia grabbed his other hand, flashing a sly smile. She had dark spots under her eye as well and her hand was just as cold as Mely's. Aaron noticed a bruise on her arm. “Who did that to you?” he asked.

The tall woman noticed his gaze. “Oh that? That's just a birth mark. Don't worry about it.”

“I've never seen it before.”

“That's just because I have darker skin. It's easy to miss such things.”

Aaron knew she was lying. He also knew that she wouldn't tell him the truth. He didn't even know what he would do if he knew the truth. He remembered something Lera would do when he got hurt. She would kiss his wounds and give him a warm smile. Aaron kissed Temelia's bruise and smiled at her. Her mouth opened in surprise and she looked away. Aaron's mouth dried as he realized how strange his actions might be. It felt awkward enough to himself.

Mely giggled. “You can't hide anything from him, Tem. He cares about us too much to not notice our pains. That's why he's our little angel.”

“That's also why I'll never tell him the truth. So that we don't have a repeat of the night from last summer.”

“Even when I'm older?” Aaron asked. It hurt to say that. Would they ever get to see him older if he was going to leave soon?

“Yes. Even then,” Temelia said softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

He refrained from asking further questions. Better to let them enjoy their time off than think of painful happenings. Aaron wondered where they were going. They passed many a stall and store. Each one had a glimmering something set before a window or upon a stand just bright enough to steal his attention. Each time he thought of asking to stop. But never did he actually open his mouth. His mothers had not the means to purchase all of his wants. And so he remained patient, suppressing his curiosity and desires.

They soon came to a halt behind a stretching line of people. Aaron couldn't see the front. He assumed it to lead to a store of some sort. “Is this it, Tem?” Melyanne asked. “Such a long line so early in the morning…”

“Yes. This is the place. It's worth it. I promise,” the other woman answered.

Aaron tapped his foot, expectations rising and excitement mounting. He let go of his guardians' hands and tried peeking beyond the line. He was suddenly lifted off of his feet. Temelia placed him on her shoulders. She let out an exhausted sigh. “You're a lot heavier than you used to be. A lot bigger too.”

“He has a lot of muscles,” Melyanne said. “All that labor and whatever it is that green eyed man trains him to do.”

Temelia raised an eyebrow. “And you would know this how?”

“Mely lets me take baths in her tub,” Aaron said.

“Aaron! That was our secret!”

“Now I'm really jealous. Of course you don't want to know how big it is. You already know,” Temelia said, taking her hands off of Aaron's shins to cross her arms.

“How big what is?” Aaron asked. A passersby gave them odd looks while the person ahead of them in line turned around, curiosity written over his expression.

“Nothing. I am never letting you take a bath with me again!” Mely hissed.

“ With him?” Temelia asked. “Aaron, did she get in the tub with you?”

He cocked his head to the side. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“Of course not!” Mely cried. “All we did was take a bath, isn't that right Aaron? I wouldn't do anything else.” Her words were coming out like a downstream rapid. There were a lot of people staring at them now. She shut her mouth and looked at the ground. Her flushed face matched the color of her hair.

None of them spoke any further. Aaron looked to the front of the line from atop Temelia's shoulders. A food stall was the prize at the end. As the line inched along, he saw what was being served. It was just snow on a stick. Or that is what he thought at first. The snow was dipped in different liquids upon the customer's request. One was a brown liquid while the other was white just like the snow. His curiosity peaked. He squirmed around, eager to try the snow stick. Temelia firmly held on to his legs so that he wouldn't fall off of her shoulders. He was allowed down when they'd reached the stall.

Temelia fished out a half silver crown and handed it to the bearded man in charge of the stall. “Three chocolate sticks please,” she said.

Aaron was shocked. Taste didn't matter. There was no way something so small should cost half a silver. It made no sense. He knew the price of bread. A half copper would get him some three loaves —five if they were stale and twice that if they'd begun molding. Yet snow, which he could easily gather from the ground, costed a half silver for just a small amount. He anxiously tugged on Temelia's cloak. He thought she was being cheated.

Mely put a hand on his shoulder. “Aaron. Look behind you,” she whispered. “This is the price of luxury. Our garments give our occupation away. Everyone else here is well dressed. And they're all standing three feet away from us. Such hypocrites. When they come to our house, they can't wait to push us onto our backs and yet outside they show such pretense. This is also a secret. Never voice such opinions aloud or you could get killed. Rich folk are a prideful and wicked bunch. They have no compassion or regard for others.”

Aaron briefly glanced behind him. The eyes staring back at him had a few curious looks, but for the most part, they were disgusted with him. It was the same look Mistress Delin used to give him. Temelia handed him a stick of snow. It was covered in a brown substance called chocolate. Aaron didn't expect much of it. It looked little different from the slush at his feet. He hesitated as he brought it to his mouth and only took a small bite. His eyes went wide. At first, he juggled the harsh ice around with his tongue. The sweet taste came afterwards. It hit him like a torrent and engulfed him whole just as his stick of ice was engulfed in chocolate. He eagerly took another bite, flinching at the touch of ice on his teeth.

“Do you like it?” Temelia asked as they walked away from the stall.

Aaron nodded. He was happy. Happy to taste something so wonderful. Happy that there were people willing to buy him something so expensive. People I will be leaving —no, abandoning soon. He clung to Temelia's arm. “Thank you,” he whispered.

She turned to Melyanne. “See? I'm his favourite now.”

The other woman snorted. “For now.”

The three of them continued to walk further into Seldar. Aaron struggled to memorize the many turns they took with so many people around them. At times they went through narrow passes, brushing by people. Other times they walked at the centre of wide open streets at the edge of which small travelling troupes performed or peddlers sitting on rugs sold foreign wares. Winter brought along a festive mood in Seldar. It served as a change in scenery and it brought with it different food items and fashion styles. The people had no worries of food shortages. Tarmia's Emperor ensured that every city's granaries and food stores were stocked and prepared for winter.

It was around mid-morning when Aaron and his mothers arrived at their next destination. A small tailor shop. Various cloaks and coats of many different colors could be seen from the windows of the store.

Mely squinted at the signboard above the door. “Is… Ismalls Coats… What is that strange symbol?”

“ Ismail's Coats & Other Things, ” Aaron read. “That glyph means 'and'.”

“Ah. Ismail. Make's sense. It's the shopkeeper's name.” Mely went inside, leaving Aaron and Temelia to follow.

The shop interior was more spacious than its windows suggested from outside. A distinct scent of fabrics cloaked the enclosed space. Ismail, a short dark haired man sat atop a stool, inspecting the seams of a bright red coat. He wore black trousers with a laced white shirt that had ruffled cuffs. He was too absorbed in his work to notice the ringing bell of his shop doors opening and closing. Mely cleared her throat and the man finally looked up. “Good morning, Ismail.”

“Oh. Um. Yes. It is a good morning. Is it? I haven't been outside. The windows are all dusty. Is it bright out?” He scratched at his poorly shaven chin and poked his head to the side to glance at his own shop windows.

“Why yes. A very lovely day,” Mely answered with a flirtatious voice. “You should get some fresh air. Is my order ready?”

“Your order? Let me see.” The man's eyes narrowed as he looked Mely up and down, muttering something about misplaced optics. “Ah. You must be Lady Anne. Hmm. Very… eclectic choice in dress wear. Doesn't seem Seldarite. Ah, your order. Right, right. Yes, I've completed your order not two nights past. I'll go get it.” Ismail scurried off, disappearing around a corner.

“Lady Anne,” Temelia echoed. “Cute.”

The tailor returned moments later with a dark cloth in his arms. He unfolded it to reveal a stunning black coat. There were no designs. No different colored cuffs or buttons. It was entirely black. “A complete black coat, just as the Lady requested. Insides lined with mats of black hare pelt for both warmth and comfort. Good cotton arms and cuffs and painted black metal buttons.” Ismail sniffed. “Mighty fine of myself, if I do say so. I'm not mighty arrogant, mind you. But I do feel pride. Almost like a uniform of a mighty soldier, this. Might I ask what it's for?”

Mely took the coat and inspected it. Satisfied, she handed it to Aaron. “Aaron, would you like to try it on?” she asked while taking out her purse.

Ismail's jaw dropped. “Oh no. Oh dear no. Is it for the child? I was sure I had the correct measurements of your mentioning. That coat is far too large for the child.”

“Nothing to worry about. I did in fact give these measurements to you. He'll grow into it,” Mely replied. “How much will it be?”

“Oh no. Nothing. I can't charge you if it doesn't fit its purpose. If you'll allow me a day or two I can have it adjusted. Or just take it. Black cloth is cheap. I worked hard. I made it durable and warm like you wanted. But no. Oh no. No charge. I don't charge for unfinished products.”

Mely's face lit up. She clasped her hands. “Really? I don't know how to thank you. I'll be sure to give you a discount if you ever stop by the Celestial Whispers,” she said with a wink.

“Where's that? What's that? Is it a shop? Does Lady Anne own a shop?” He looked her up and down again. “A dress shop? If I see it, I'll come by. As soon as I finish my orders, of course. Lots of work to do. No going outside for me. Not now. Not yet.”

Temelia waved a hand, smiling. “Certainly a variety of dresses to be found there,” she said flippantly.

Aaron tried the coat on while the two were talking. He thought it odd that there was a person who didn't know of the Celestial Whispers. The coat was indeed too long. It went well beyond his knees, kissing the tips of his boots. The sleeves were much longer than his arms and needed to be rolled back. It was a good match for his dark boots and cloak. Also very warm. “It's amazing,” he said. He wished he had a sword at his waist just like all of the other adults wearing vibrant coats. “I love it Mely. Thank you so much.” Aaron took the coat off and held it tight with both arms. A gift he vowed to never forget.

“Alas Tem, no matter how heavenly, food is just temporary. He'll remember the coat much better. Who do you suppose is his favorite now?” Mely taunted.

“Everyone is,” Aaron said, swallowing the lump in his throat, again remembering that he would likely leave soon. “I love all of you and always will. That includes mother and Carmin and Isabelle. Of course, you're all my mothers.”

Temelia sighed. “Seems our competing was meaningless.”

Aaron ran around the shop while looking at its various items. He wanted to purchase a return gift of his own. “Do you want to buy something else, Aaron?” Mely asked.

“No,” he said as he continued to run around. He was dismayed to find mostly cloaks and coats. Nothing suitable for two women. His eyes caught something white on the table that Ismail sat beside. Two pairs of gloves with white fur cuffs. One with a red rose pattern on it and the other pair had black roses. He held them before him, awed by their perfect seam work.

“Careful please,” the tailor said. “Very hard to make those. Pull a single loose thread and the perfections all ruined. Meant for female customers. Don't get many since I don't make dresses, so I stopped making them. Takes too much time. But they're complete. Yes. Complete items that fit most. A half silver crown for each pair. One of my best made with the best. High quality threads and fur.”

Aaron fished out the palm sized silver from his pocket and placed it on the table. He took the gloves and held them out for Melyanne and Temelia. “They match your hair colors. And your hands are always cold so I thought…”

Both women gasped. They went on their knees and hugged him tight. He felt embarrassed. “Never change, Aaron,” Mely whispered.

“I've never received a gift before. I won't forget this,” Temelia said.

Aaron shuffled his feet, breathing in the lavender air emanating from both of them. His guilt lessened. At least he'd managed to give a return gift before he disappeared.

The three of them left the tailor's shop and headed back outside, the sun now at its zenith. Aaron put his new coat back on and wrapped the dark cloak around it. The two layers helped keep him warm. A travelling troupe caught his eyes as they were making their way back to the house. He paused momentarily at the sight of their colorful setup. Seeing where his attention lay, Melyanne and Temelia halted and moved to join a small audience watching the performance.

At first there was only a jester juggling yellow balls while acting funny. It wasn't particularly impressive and wouldn't have drawn much attention had it not been for the red and yellow outfit that the jester wore. Once his solo performance had ended, the troupe put together a small play that lasted till noon. Something Aaron recognized.

They reimagined the popular story of the Estraean knight, the princess, and the witch. He looked up at Mely and could tell she was enjoying the play as much as himself. While the acting was crude and poor at times, the odd smoke effects that were used to display tricks of magic drew sounds of awe from the crowd. In the end, the round bellied man playing the knight had a clumsy fight with the witch. The witch went down in a splash of red paint as the knight pretended to slay her. Enthused clapping followed. Coins were dropped before the performers who were bowing and uttering sayings of gratitude.

Aaron held Mely and Temelia's gloved hands during the return trip's remainder. He made his way back down to his cellar upon arriving. Carmin was walking back and forth while gnawing on a thumbnail. She ran up and hugged him. “Where did you go?”

“I went shopping with Mely and Temelia. Did you not ask my mother? She had supposedly given permission to those two to take me outside.”

“No I… It'd be strange if I did ask. What if she found out that I've been sleeping here?”

Aaron was confused. “Does it matter? Mely and Temelia know.”

Carmin's stared agape, eyelids as wide as her open mouth. She panicked and ran out of the cellar, leaving Aaron to scratch his head. He could ask her about her troubles later at night.

Having nothing better to do, Aaron removed his multiple layers and practised the skills Orion had taught him. His hate for the man had only further fueled his attentiveness during lessons. Aaron had gotten proficient enough to land blows on his teacher, though, he knew that that would never be enough to beat Orion. The man almost certainly had more tricks up his sleeve that he hadn't bothered to teach.

Evening was fast approaching and no one came to fetch Aaron for his literacy lessons. He paced, anxious. Not only did he miss his morning combat lessons but his evening would soon be spent without incident. Something felt terribly wrong. Surely Lera wouldn't steal him away in the dead of night? Orion was wealthy enough to purchase both Aaron and his mother's freedom. Mistress Delin was also wanting to be rid of him. Ever since the night of the murders, her fright of him couldn't have been more obvious. She never once raised her voice or treated him harshly. It was as much as she deserved. But she didn’t deserve to be free of his presence. She deserved to be ended by him. He was the knight and she the witch.

Aaron bit his lip. The irregularity of his schedule gave rise to too many unpleasant thoughts. He wanted to at least say farewell to everyone before leaving.

The door to the cellar creaked open and the he finally relaxed his breathing. But it wasn't his real mother or Delin that came to fetch him. Temelia was the one that came inside. She closed the door behind her and wedged an old chair under the doorknob. “Temelia…? What of my lessons with the Mistress?”

“Oh you'll get lessons alright. Delin is fine with not teaching you today. She's fine with not teaching you at all in fact. She's currently speaking with Lera about something. So I'll teach you instead.”

“You know how to read and write?” Aaron asked, frowning. He didn't see any books or papers in her hands.

“I do, to a length. But no, that isn't what you'll be learning today. I'll be giving you a different lesson. A lesson in common sense. And… more,” she whispered while flashing that same sly smile.

Aaron felt his heart drumming again. He stood still in one position as Temelia undid the strings of her clothes. It was the same feeling that came over him when he slept with Carmin. But slightly different. Temelia had sprayed herself with a strange perfume that was making Aaron's mind go numb. His knees felt weak and his mouth was a desert.

Temelia felt like a sun too close. She removed her gloves and pushed them into his open mouth. “Not a sound my little angel. What I'm about to do is something no mother does to their child. So please, don't look at me like a mother any longer.” Aaron slowly nodded, obedient. He was subconsciously shuffling away from her as she slowly stepped closer to him, one foot before the other just as a stealthy cat. He tripped over the edge of his mattress and fell on his back. She took the opportunity to pounce on him.

***

“I apologize for jumping on you like that. It's just that working here doesn't allow me to be on top very often. I couldn't resist the opportunity to bully you a little. You'll forgive me right?”

Aaron nodded. His face was buried in his hands. He was thoroughly embarrassed. Temelia had explained a lot of things to him. Too much in fact. All while endearingly antagonizing him. How those two words fit in the same sentence, he couldn't guess. But he couldn't think of a more appropriate description.

“I'll admit, this lesson was in poor taste. But… you set my heart alight when you gifted me those gloves. I promise I won't touch you again until you're a few years older. But seriously though. Even I feel a little strange knowing that you thought of me as a mother for the past four years. No more of that, okay?”

Another nod.

“And you won't tell anyone about this right? Especially not Melyanne. Or Lera. Or anyone for that matter. You need to know when to keep secrets.”

Again, Aaron nodded. “Does this mean I shouldn't take baths with Mely anymore?”

“Well, that is up to you to decide. Given your age, it is inappropriate. Hold on. Anymore? How often do you bathe with her?”

“Every other day since we moved to a larger house.”

Temelia shook her head as she dressed herself again. Aaron did the same, wearing his cloak above his clothes, embracing its more regal darkness compared to the shadows of the cellar.

“Well, now you know better,” Temelia said. Sudden cries and shouts came from beyond the cellar doors. Both of them turned their heads. The sounds were muffled, as if coming from outside the house. Temelia frowned. “I wonder what's going on out there.” She removed the chair she had wedged under the doorknob and opened it to find Orion standing in the passageway. He had a sword in his hands. Temelia gave him a dirty look before walking past.

“What was she doing here?” the emerald eyed man asked.

“Nothing. I was just um, I asked her to tell me a story is all,” Aaron lied.

“A story is it…? Well no matter. Prepare yourself, Aaron. We are going to have lessons now since I was away during the morning.”

Aaron frowned, head tilted. Lessons at evening? He thought Orion had left to prepare things for their inevitable departure from the house. “Are we just practicing today or am I learning something new?”

“Something new,” the man said with a smile as he slowly stepped towards him. Aaron was eerily cautious of the sword in Orion's hands. When practicing with weapons, they'd usually use wooden weapons. Aaron also noticed a bow and quiver strapped to Orion's back. “This will be your first and only lesson on this topic. Today… Today you will learn how to die.” Orion raised his hand while smiling.

Aaron stood mute, transfixed in a single position by an overwhelming feeling of dread. Fear of the betrayal he always knew lay hidden behind those emerald eyes. It drained him of all his strength. He couldn't will his body to move. His limbs thought it pointless. Orion, his teacher, was trying to kill him. There was no point in fighting back. Aaron would never win. He imagined himself splitting in two, fists clenched and shaking. His eyes watered as he imagined the despairing faces of all his mothers when they discovered him hewn in two and lying in a pool of red.

Something grabbed Orion's arm before he could bring the sword down. “Aaron. Run!”

He blinked. His breath broke as he realized he'd been holding it. Temelia was holding his would be killer back. He was confused. His mind barely had time to register what was happening.

“RUN!”

Aaron finally did as he was told. He hadn't taken three steps when he heard a horrendous sound along with a gasp. He felt something spray onto his back. Drops of warmth touched his neck. He turned around to find Temelia impaled through the shoulder by Orion's blade. Orion pushed her away. He bore a wicked smile as he slowly walked towards Aaron. Temelia grabbed the killer's ankle.

“Run…” she whispered.

Run? Leave her? To this villain? He was angry. Angry enough to kill as he had before not half a year ago. He was supposed to save them. Save those he loved. Be the gallant knight from the story. But he wasn't brave like the heroes of stories. Orion's perfect teeth and glowing emerald eyes pierced through his anger and shattered any confidence it may have brought. Aaron fell on his rear and slowly crawled backwards. Orion stabbed Temelia's arm and twisted his blade. She screamed but held firm to his ankle still.

“Temelia…” Aaron breathed.

“RUN! RUN AARON!”

He finally found his courage. Just enough of it to get up and run. Every step of his was an echoing war drum in his ears. He realized he hadn't found courage at all. He had found a coward's fleeting resolve.

“You cannot run, Aaron Zz'tai. I will hunt you down,” Orion said.

His words rung through boy's thoughts and haunted him as he fled out of the cellar.