Aaron couldn't believe it having your own mother hating you no wonder Jezebel clings to her friends with an iron grip. Hector and Falkner tried to push open the gates but they didn’t budge.

  “Aaron, can you levitate over the wall?” Jezebel asked

  “I can try” using skylight and levitating off the ground but know matter what he’d try he could not get more than ten feet off the ground giving up and lading faster than he’d wanted sharp pain went up his injured leg picking up his spear off the ground limping towards Nyssa

  “Now what?” Safiya asked. Omari landed on the wall

  “there appears to be know one here”

  “We move on then” Falkner said, walking around the town and they followed him. another empty settlement. I don't like where this is going.

  “Hector, what can we do for food if our supplies run out?” Falkner asked

  “I don’t know there is nothing to hunt and there are no barriers or anything”

  “Omari, have you been able to hunt?” Aaron asked

  “yes but only squirrels and some rabbits that is why I keep leaving you” and with that he left again to hunt he’s a big owl and he needs a lot of squirrels stopping to pick up dirt with his free hand this soil is poor for growing crops is that why nobody is left because the land died either war or crop failure it doesn't bode well for us if we can’t hunt or find plants to eat the landscape rolled by slowly and at times and he thought riding was slow! William walked behind him breathing hard he’ll manage I’m sure for a little while anyway

  “I need a break” William called they stopped and sat on the road waiting for William to catch his breath they ate lunch while they stopped

  “we need to ration our supplies more” Falkner announced they all grumbled getting up with a grown my leg needs time to heal but I can’t stop or else we will run out of food I know it they all walked slow because of there injuries it’s just William took a blow to the knee. were are moving to slow they camped for the night and dinner was light just one piece of flatbread and a thin slice of cheese this is going to be a long trip Falkner jumped up and stared behind him. Aaron immediately turned around to see a figure on a moa with a black cloak and holding two glowing purple flames before riding away.

  “What was that?” Jezebel asked

  “And why was he holding purple candles?” Safiya added, everyone stared at the spot where the figure was.

  “Double watch tonight” William insisted

  “We don’t need a double watch” Falkner said after a while he sighed “fine but only for tonight” William went to bed.

  “Farmboy you take watch with Safiya it's your turn” Nyssa said before curling up in her blanket looking worried why don’t they call me by my name? Safiya looked at him with her eagle eyes of hers she began to pace dagger at her waist when something moved in front of them Safiya grabbed her sling and picked up a rock chasing after whatever it was

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  “Safiya!” Aaron hissed “don’t go out there” grabbing his spear and levitated back and forth should I go after her she can’t defend herself as well as everyone else here while he was debating she returned with two rabbits slung over her right shoulder

  “You shouldn't have ran off like that”

  “Relax Aaron I saw a rabbit and I found two for the group we needed the food” putting them down on her pack

  “You could have been attacked” Aaron said sitting down on the dirt looking in the distance

  “You don’t get to decide how capable I I’m” Safiya said sounded offended your short and have a dagger but he let the matter drop the hours went by slowly seeing nothing of note Safiya was gutted her rabbit then woke up Jezebel so she could take watch than the figure came back two purple flames in the night before riding away again.

  He went to bed scared. In the afternoon they were going to stop at the next village witch was pretty close at least that what his map said we haven’t seen any animals in days beside two rabbits no wander Omari is never around he has to spend all day hunting they stopped for the night in the middle of nowhere with the same dinner

  “I’ll take the first watch” Aaron said, taking a seat on a dead log spear in hand watching the pitch black night nothing could be seen and nothing could be heard nothing moved and he fell asleep someone yanked me to his feet

  “what gives?” Aaron said leg was flaring in pain. surprised

  “you fell asleep on the watch!” Falkner said

  “I’m sorry and besides nothing happened anyway!” Aaron pointed out Falkner looked at him like a fool shaking his head.

  “are you going to make that bet for everyone we’re lucky we didn’t get attacked”

  “What about candle stickman” Nyssa pointed everyone looked at her.

  “Is that what we’re calling him?” Jezebel asked

  “Nyssa is right, we should all be on guard . We don't know what that was and Safiya saw him last night as well. we got lucky” William said with one more glare from him they got everyone up and walking eating as they walked Omari could be seen flying in the distance but he never got much closer to them after days of walking he didn’t fall asleep on the watch when a village could been seen on the horizon and a good sized one by the looks of it.

  “Aaron can you lead the mule” William called taking the bridle from him before they reached the village they had to let the pack animals graze so they didn’t starve after that they entered the wide open gate the houses were one or two stories tall with tile roofs and made out of bricks the whole village seemed to be made out of bricks but the road was made out made out of cobblestones. passing empty shops which have become all too common. Everything has become empty.

  “There’s someone moving in that window!” Safiya said, pointing to a two story house. “I don’t see anything” Falkner said

  “That’s because your eyesight isn’t as good as Safiya's. How can you see when your eyes turn into flames anyway?” Jezebel answered Falkner;s eyes burst into flame

  “Hector, William and Farmboy let's go check it out” Falkner said storming off towards the house levitating after him Falkner kicked open the door and walked into an empty house checking everywhere finding nothing Aaron levitated upstairs to the second floor and finding two skeletons in a bed leaving quickly they returned to the group

  “Well?” Jezebel asked

  “Nothing but two skeletons” Aaron answered

  “I know what I saw” Safiya said

  “Sorry but you're wrong” Hector said Jezebel frowned. They tied the pack animals to a post near a three story inn Falkner and Nyssa found the only one. at least there is one in a village this size. It's nice Aaron thought as they walked in. The floor and furnicheer had no dust, the Marble desk had no one to run it but papers were piled in neat rows on the desk. odd. The sun was setting outside so it gave the whole place an almost golden glow. They took their own rooms for the night and tried to get some sleep . It's going to be a long day tomorrow and a hungry one at that.