Heart on Fire

JP with Winteroak and Gonyaul:

Malacost looked at the dynamic of the two and allowed himself to be treated by Voah listen not only to their words but their body language. The two seemed to have formed some sort of bond, which was not that surprising although the tenderness in their eyes when looking at one another made him realise their was something deeper here. Something he hoped he could exploit.

"There isn't much more to tell. While looking for you and your other companion, as we pushed deeper into Fang we were set upon by the witch and her men." He said retelling what he had told Voah before. "She was too powerful for us and they had numbers on their side. I only avoided capture because I hid inside a nearby cave which they seemed to scared to enter. A few days later I made a promise to the Pillars that I would avenge our defeat and try to kill the witch even if it meant giving my life." He said and went on to explain how he had tracked the witch her, and how he believed Islana to have been killed in the desert once the Odonine were done with her.

Gonyaul had finished aiding Voah and took a seat across the room to watch her finish Alcuin’s shoulder. He intently followed every wrinkle of the old man’s face, listening earnestly to what he was going to say about Islana.

As the words kept flowing it was like a beautiful river in his hopes was being polluted by black tar, until the fast rushing waters were made barely moving by the sticky substance. The news of Islana’s fate brought tears to his eyes and a catch in his throat. His gut felt awful, like a metaphorical blade pierced through him and twisted.

Gonyaul, not one to hide his emotions, painted grief down the canvas of his cheeks. The silent tears dropped into his lap having run their full course from the deep dark pools of his unique absorbing eyes. He didn’t try to wipe them away, instead letting them evaporate on his smooth skin in the dry heat, leaving behind a subtle trail of salt.

He rose shakily, in part from the news and the fatigue from having stayed awake all day and all night. “Excuse me, must go get things.” He bowed to Alcuin and Voah, covered his face, and exited into the already bright morning light.

He just wanted to be alone for a second. Plus, he needed to go up to the high hide, where he hid several of their important valuables and bring them back to camp now that Voah was back. He found the nearby abandoned building and going through the interior this time made his way to the roof to retrieve them.

Once at the top, he let himself go completely and groaned with sadness. It brought him to his knees and he curled up and cried to an extent he had never experienced before with the new day sun as his only witness.

His memory retrieved a treasure trove of moments he had spent with Islana. From there first meeting to their last parting. She was like a sister to him, adopted, and the fact that they were closer in age then the rest made them share some commonalities that simply came with youth.

Boyce was gone. Now Islana was gone. And he knew not what had become of Alexis. His ‘family’ was falling apart and he was powerless and absent to prevent it.

He started trying to recover, struggling with the involuntary sniffles which unfortunately had turned into hiccups. The comedy of the cute little squeaks felt like they were mocking him for his display.

He looked up in the direction of the sun. It’s fiery rings reminding him of the girl on fire. Was the sun not content to just briefly not remind him of his loss? Not just to him, but the world? Islana was going to blossom into a world changer. She was going to be amazing and catch the world on fire with her beautiful spirit. She was going to be like the sun, a bright and radiant example that inspired others.

Gonyaul shielded his eyes from the sun and spoke as if he knew the celestial body as a close friend. “Could not you …(hiccup) go hide behind a cloud (hiccup) for moment?”

Their staring contest was swiftly concluded, the sun always winning. As if a whisper was carried on a beam of light, Gonyaul suddenly paused and his eyes widen in an epiphany. Alcuin said she was lost to the desert, that didn’t mean there was proof of her death. Voah and he survived the desert. Countless others have too. Islana was a strong woman, if anyone could do it, she could.

This new thought pierced the tar filled river of his hope and fresh rushing water washed it downstream beyond sight and reach. The river of hope was gleaming in the sunlight again. It truly believing that Islana was not dead. No, she was very much alive.

Gonyaul cleaned up, gathered the bag of personal items he had hid and returned to their camp. The hiccups remained.