Young Writers Society

Yes, this is a very rushed chapter. It's probably full of holes and mistakes :( Anyway, I'm dedicating this one to @Birkhoff for making me like this again and for giving Jeff a name :)

The whispering was endless.

They seemed to surround him, coming from all directions. Yet they seemed so close, in his ears and even within his mind. Tallon hadn't slept since he and his sister had left the The Prancing Gazelle Inn, and now his head was hurting as if multiple needles had been pushed through his skull. His ragged breathing echoed through the stables that they were staying in. His sister was curled into a ball next to him, sleeping peacefully nestled amongst the hay. He watched her with envy.

Snow was everywhere, they had no chance of making it back to their base. Tathin was injured and they were all starving and frost bitten. We're going to die, thought Tallon. We're all going to die.

The pain was unbearable and Tallon gripped his head tightly as if hoping that if it burst he would be granted some relief. His head didn't burst though, there was no relief and the whispering just got louder and louder until it was all that he could hear.

Jasper had lead the group back to their base. He was always the one who got them to succeed, to survive. Though it hadn't ended there, the next day and the next day and all the days after that were filled with brutal training, abusive trainers and the never ending fight for survival in the harsh Ascerian winter. Let me come home father, he would beg, in his letters, in his prayers and in his curses. Let me come home. Please, let me come home! However, every plea had been met with a hollow silence.

“Argh!” Shrieking Tallon stood up and ran to the stable wall. Maybe if he bashed his head in this would stop?

“Tallon!” The sweet sound of a child's voice resonated through his mind.

Alitha?

“Tallon, what's wrong? Are you hurting?” She was sitting up under his coat which he had made her use as a blanket. The look on her face seemed to contain mixed emotions of panic, fear and concern. Tallon tried to get his breathing under control, the pain had subsided slightly almost as if his sister's voice had sliced through the harsh whispering.

“I'm okay, Ali. Go back to sleep,” he replied hoarsely, making his way back to his sleeping place. His sister didn't do back to sleep though, instead she continued to stare at him.

“Ali, I'm alright really,” Except for the throbbing in his head. He gave her a hug, “Just go back to sleep, everything will be better in the morning. I promise.”

***

Tallon shook the farmer's hand.

“Thank you so much sir, for letting us sleep in your stables. We really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” replied the weathered old man. “Couldn't have you sleeping out on the road now could we?”

Tallon smiled appreciatively, he looked at his sister who was staring at the old man with a frown. The old man looked back at her curiously.

“Say, your brother has pink eyes!”

Tallon felt every muscle in his body tense, his mind on high alert. “Ah, no you must have been mistaken,” Tallon chuckled. “Everyone thinks that but in truth, my brother is slightly sick and for some reason it makes his eyes seem pink.” He glanced at Alitha before smiling at the farmer. “Thank you sir! And good day.”

The farmer continued to watch them as they turned and headed down the road.

“I don't like him,” said his sister.

“Why? He gave us a roof to sleep under didn't he?”

Alitha shook her head. “I don't... I don't trust him.”

Tallon tried to quiz her on why she felt this way, but his baby sister just stayed silent. It was far less cold further north up Grienden road. It was probably because they were starting to near Nordyire where it was always warm and never snowed. The scenery had also changed, from plain, flat grasslands to lush green farming areas filled with different crops. Tallon looked at his sister.

“Are you feeling better?” After she had used her magic to defeat the wraith she had been sick and exhausted. Even one as young and innocent as her had to suffer the consequence of using magic, she had vomited black blood for almost an hour that night. Whatever she did it must have been powerful because it was said that the more magic you used or the stronger it was, the stronger the side affects. Tallon had heard that the great sorcerers were able to control their vomiting, that they were able to almost “postpone” it.

“I'm okay, getting better actually.” She glanced at him. “How- how about you?”

Tallon grimaced, the pain had diminished to some extent but the whispering.. it was always there even if faintly. “I'm okay, bunny. Don't worry about me.”

He saw Alitha smile at his use of her pet name. He had given it to her after she came into possession of an albino mountain rabbit when she was six. She seemed to accept his answer for now and didn't prod the issue further. They continued to walk in a comfortable silence for sometime.

It had been some hours before Tallon thought that it might soon be time for a major rest break. They had reached a moderately sized village, and he wondered if they could get some fresh food to eat. He lead his sister past the houses with thatched roofs and the larger buildings like the school and general trade store. There seemed to be something going on in the town square, people were all crowded around a young man who was speaking passionately to them. Tallon positioned Alitha and himself inconspicuously behind a momentarily abandoned bakery and tried hear what was going on.

“People, can't you see?” The young man was standing on a large crate and his voice travelled throughout the hushed square. “He is a tyrant! He uses your goodwill and manipulates us for his own greedy purposes.” He looked across the crowed, and swept his arms in a wide arc. “You need to open your eyes! See him for what he really is!”

“Tallon.” whispered Alitha, tugging his coat. “Why are we here?”

“Shush, I'm listening!” he whispered back.

“The Emperor is a good man! And a fair ruler!” cried a male voice from within the crowd.

“He is leading us all to our deaths! The war with Ascerai will ruin us!” replied the young man.

“The Emperor's taken us to war before!” called out a bearded man. “And we came out victorious! He can lead us to victory again!”

“This time it's different!” protested the young man, waving his arms slightly to keep balance. “This time it's Ascerai, not Rissen! Rissen was large and filled with villages. It's armies were poorly trained farmers. Ascerai is the land of warriors! And what's more is the bridge-”

“The Emperor's business is his own, if he wants to go to war that's his problem. As long as it doesn't affect us.” called a man in butcher's wear.

“It will affect you! He'll bring up taxes to fund the war! He'll use up our food to feed the army! He'll-”

“Wait! You're Jeff aren't you? Jeffard, the silk merchant's son. Aye, I've heard about you goin' from town to town spreadin' your hearsays.” This time it was a rugged man who looked like a sailor speaking.

“It's not hearsay, it-”

“Shut with your lies boy. Aye, I understand now.” The sailor turned to face the crowd. “Of course he be hatin' on the Emperor! The Emperor taxes the rich as well as the poor doesn't he? Jeff here probably wants to see the old king come back.”

An angry murmuring rippled through the crowd.

“Taxing the rich wasn't the only good thing the Emperor did!” cried a lady in an apron. “He made Liandor safer too! Me and my daughters can walk around the streets at dusk and not fear a hair on our heads be harmed!”

The words “hear hear” could be heard amongst those standing. Tallon could see an expression of desperation forming on Jeff's face.

“Aye, that be true!” agreed the sailor. “He also made everyone equal before the eyes of the law. A beggar could go up against a noble and expect a fair trial.”

This time the cries of “hear hear” were louder and some in the crowed began pumping their fists in the air as they said it.

They have no idea, thought Tallon, about the monster he really is.

The sailor glared at Jeff. “Take your lies somewhere else boy. Most of us are happy with things as they are. What could we do anyway? Start a revolution? Replace the Emperor? Forget this nonsense. Go to your cloths and silks. We don't want you causing unrest here.”

There were shouts of agreement from the crowd and the people began walking away leaving Jeff to stand on his crate alone.Tallon was torn, he wanted to go to Jeff. He wanted to tell him that he was right, that the Emperor was a monster, that something had to be done, but he couldn't. He couldn't risk that someone might see him speaking with a possible enemy of the Emperor. He couldn't endanger Alitha's life for the sake of quenching his blood thirst. He took her hand and pulled her away from the village, and from Jeff.

“I thought we were going to eat!” she whined.

“We'll eat later!” he snapped. The whispering was getting louder again, and the pain was resurfacing. He just wanted to get away from this forsaken town, and from everything that had happened to them.