Dies Lucis Part2

Frenvir stared at where Pax had gone with a bitter expression on his face. He could not just bring himself to do what she had asked. Wara and Zola were like his children and he could not just let them go like that especially at the time of the year. Who knew who had used magic and needed a life to save theirs.

Wara was a stubborn person who never listened unless it interested her. How was he supposed to break the news to her?

And she would never leave the child behind. Frenvir sat on the rock, annoyed. Suddenly, he shot up rather dramatically. He had calculated the days till the week of doom and discovered it was the morrow. The warning signs always came the day before.

He ran faster than a man his age should have done in a bid to inform Wara not to go out as the times were dangerous.

On his way, he heard a loud shout. He stopped to listen and then he heard it clearer.

"Have mercy please! I have children to feed!" a man cried on his knees as a woman with an axe stood above him, aiming for his head.

Frenvir frowned. Not even a day into Dies Lucis and the killings had already begun. Perhaps ,out of the goodness of his heart or because he knew the man, Frenvir decided to help.

"Stop!" he yelled rather loudly as the woman was about to swing the axe. The woman paused and stared at Frenvir. "Stay back!" the woman yelled back, placing her palm up as a sign that she would not hurt him.

In the midst of her distraction, the man leaped up and jumped the woman, collecting the axe and with one big blow to the woman's head, she was killed.

"Theode!" Frenvir gasped in horror. "How could you? She was going to let you go!"

Theode did not respond. Rather, he turned his bloodied face to Frenvir and the man saw that Theode had been infected.

Frenvir brought out a dagger from his pouch belt. "Theode! Snap out of it! I do not wish to fight you!"

There was no response, rather, the man charged forward with the axe, aimed straight for Frenvir's head. Frenvir rolled to the ground, he sighed as he knew the fight would take a lot of his strength and because he did not wish to end a friend's life.

Plus, it was dark and he could not rely on his eyes that well unless he wished to be hacked to pieces by his friend. Theode charged in again, swinging wildly in a bid to hurt Frenvir. The man was a hunter and had a lot of strength. He was said to be the strongest man in their little village. Now that Frenvir thought about it, it was strange how Theode could be so strong.

Frenvir also had to remind himself not to let Theode touch him or he was doomed. Frenvir dodged another wild swing and swung his dagger, relying on the sound of Thoede's heavy footsteps. There was a squelch and Frenvir winced, knowing he had hit Theode's throat. Suddenly, a large hand slammed into Frenvir's side and sent him flying. In a bid to try and stop the bleeding, Theode had dropped the axe and had thrown his arms up. Unfortunately, Frenvir was quite close and had been hit by Theode's violent thrashing about.

"Frenvir" the man wheezed. "I'm s s sor" There were no more words and the man died. Frenvir winced as he slowly got up. Those infected sometimes had cases of when they relapsed right before dying, making them aware of what they had done in their very last moments.

He stared at the dead body quickly dissipating with a blank expression and left the place wordlessly. He did not stop to help anybody again on his way back home despite the countless screams for help. He did not even flinch as someone was reduced to dust by the infection right before his eyes.

He entered his hut wordlessly and sat on the floor. Wara stared back at him with a knowing look on her face.

"The date shifted again. Did it not?" She asked as she reached into Frenvir's pouch belt. She brought out a few herbs and shook them in his face. Frenvir gave a slight nod and she placed them down.

She stood up with a huff and went through the small curtain on her left, returning with a mortar and pestle in her hand.

"Who was it this time?" she asked as she sat down. She brought her arm forward and stared at Frenvir expectantly. He sighed and turned to the side, showing the slightly ripped clothing. Wara ripped it further apart and smiled sweetly when Frenvir gave her a shocked look.

"Theode." Frenvir mumbled and Wara sighed, pushing the herbs into the mortar and slowly crushing them into a fine paste, she mumbled incoherently.

She stared at Frenvir and grabbed a handful of the paste. Lifting the parts off the shirt where she had torn, she ripped it off completely. Frenvir let out a pained sound and she clicked her tongue, silencing him.

Wara suddenly let out a gasp and tapped Frenvir. "When last did you use magic?" Frenvir frowned. "It has been a long while since I did. Why do you ask?"

"LOOK!" Frenvir's infection had spread throughout his whole back and was rapidly spreading to his arms. Wara sighed. She rubbed the paste on his back and took more from the mortar, lightly spreading it as she muttered words Frenvir could not understand.

The infection began to reverse itself and stopped to be how it was before the Dies Lucis.

"All done!" Wara dusted her arms and that was when Frenvir noticed his surroundings. "I do not see your erm collections of your pictures or special quills as you call them. Did you perhaps finally see sense and give them away?"

The man grunted as he pulled himself up, lightly slapping away Wara's hand when she offered to help.

Wara debated telling the man but then came to a conclusion. "I am leaving Senior Frenvir. I leave before dawn." Wara paused for a reaction but when she received none, she continued. "And I am taking Zola with me."

Frenvir recovered from his shock and shook his head. "You can leave, but the child stays. Where will you even go to? You have never even left this village before."

"The forest. No one goes there and no one will find me there. Zola will be with me. I cannot argue with you this night. If you force me, I will leave when you least expect it."

Frenir sighed. When Wara got like that, it was almost impossible to win against her.

"Go to sleep Wara, we will discuss this in the morning." Wara nodded and turned for the curtain with the mortar and pestle in her hand before turning back and pointing to a cup on the floor.

"Do not forget your water."

Frenvir nodded and picked the cup, drinking the water and proceeding to the other curtain on the right. He immediately slept as he hit his mat. When he awoke the next morning, the hut was unusually silent.

He rushed into Wara's room in a hurry and found it quite bare. "Wara? Zola?" He called but no one answered. "WARA!"

The girl had left long ago a few minutes after Frenvir had gone to sleep. She did not trust him to let her go. She did not trust anyone. She stared at the child holding her hand as they made their way through the forest.

"When are we going to get there?" Zola asked, huffing as his legs were tired.

"Just a little longer dear. Just a little longer."