Shervin opened his eyes, as a salty, cold wind slapped on his face. Naira's grip was so tight on his wrist, it felt like her hands were glued and won't come apart. She had clenched her eyes shut, maybe afraid to open them.
There were green meadows all around them. Far in the distance, an ocean churned violently. The sky was azure directly above them, and it met the ocean in saffron ribbons. A bit ahead, there was a stone outcropping inside which goats and cows grazed the green grass of the meadow with abandon.
A ray of sun cracked through the clear white clouds above and pooled in front of Shervin.
"Where are we?" asked Naira, her voice at edge.
"I am not sure," said Shervin.
"What did you do? Did you just apply a Porting Ward on us? How did you know how to do that?" Naira rattled off questions which Shervin didn't have answers to. The first emotion that rushed into him was relief. Relief that he had not been captured by those men in silver cloaks. The second feeling was of utter confusion.
He had thought about home. This was not home. According to the geography of Rukhnar and surrounding towns, there was not a rolling green meadow nearby, and there definitely wasn't an ocean. Where had they ported to?
"I don't know, Naira," said Shervin. "I just did what I thought was right. I thought it would work!"
He took a deep breath and finally considered telling Naira all about that night in the woods.
"Naira, I have to tell you something," he said, and began his tale. Naira listened intently, as the ocean ceased its churn for a moment, and a calm descended over the horizon. When Shervin was finished, Naira punched him on his arm.
"Ouch, why would you do that?" said Shervin.
"You could have told me earlier!" said Naira. "You touched the Holy Shrine and came out alive!"
"What?"
Naira took a deep breath. "Have you heard of the False Ascendants?"
Before Shervin could respond, the earth shuddered. He looked to his right. A plume of dust rose in the distance, and he could see black figures against it. The ground beneath rumbled and groaned as the figures came closer. Brightly coloured men and women on horseback thundered across the meadow, chanting and singing. Some had drums in their hands, while some were blowing on flutes. All of them were wearing some sort of a headgear.
As the procession went past them, one of the horsemen reined his horse in and stopped right beside Shervin.
"Welcome to Amaria, traveller. Are you lost?"
"We are lost." Shervin told the truth. He was done hiding. "We come from Rukhnar and have lost our way."
"Rukhnar?" The horseman raised his eyebrows. "I don't believe it."
Then, he whistled. He was soon joined by a woman riding another horse.
"Serrina, look, they are from Rukhnar," said the man.
"What? That isn't possible!"
The woman narrowed her gaze and scanned both Shervin and Naira from head to toe. Her face was a mask of concern.
"How are you both still alive?" said the woman. "We heard that city is dead."
"How did you hear that?" asked Naira.
"The writing was on the stars," said the woman. "Come with us. We'll tell you everything you want to know."
***
Shervin's wish of riding on a horseback was finally fulfilled, even if he was not the one handling the reins. He was strapped tightly on the saddle, and held the waist of the rider for support as the horse galloped across the fields. Cool wind rustled his hair, as some of the tiredness of having used a Porting Ward was dissipating. His wrist still tingled, and he glanced at the mark every now and then. His mind was still a tumultuous blur of thoughts and contradicting information.
Why was Rukhnar attacked? Why was a Void Demon able to pierce through the Wards in the city? Why were the men in the Silver cloaks after him? And most importantly, why had his father hidden the fact that he was a Prime Warder?
A huge stone gate wreathed in shrubbery and vines loomed in front of them. On the other side of the gate was a settlement. Tents and thatched roof huts. Open air cooking on giant cauldrons. A thin stream snaked through the center of this small township and disappeared somewhere far off, until it met the ocean.
"What's this place?" asked Shervin, as his horse staggered to a stop. He was assisted in getting off by the rider, who scooped him up in his arms and placed him gently on the ground. His ears flushed with embarassment. Even though he was fourteen, he felt like a toddler while disembarking from the horse.
"This is Camp Maxim," said the rider.
The woman called Serrina approached Shervin, with Naira in tow.
"This is a base camp for all refugees from Rukhnar," said the woman. "We know exactly what happened there and why. Come with us."
Serrina strode across the muddy ground and Shervin followed. Soon, they came to an open area where a podium was set up. People milled about the podium, eating, drinking, making light conversation. Shervin saw someone he recognized from his school, a boy named Tarin. He also saw the flower-maker and the toymaker of Rukhnar, having a hearty laugh about something in particular.
"Is everyone here?" whispered Naira, tugging at Shervin's sleeve. "Why didn't we know of this? Why didn't anyone tell us?"
"I guess we will find out soon enough," observed Shervin, while scanning the place. His eyes searched for his father, but something told me he wouldn't be here.
Serrina grabbed the tarp of a nearby tent, pulled it, and went inside. Shervin stood at the entrance, unsure of whether he was meant to follow. But a moment later, Serrina peeked from inside, gesturing him in. Shervin entered and Naira followed.
Inside the tent sat some familiar faces.
"Father?" screamed Naira, as she let go of Shervin and ran to Minister Vernit, who was sitting on a stone platform, smoking a pipe. The Minister hugged his daughter tightly, a single tear crawling across his stubbled cheek. There were bags under his eyes and it looked like he hadn't slept for days.
"I thought you were gone," said the Minister, his voice a croak. "I thought I had lost my daughter."
"Where is Amar?" asked Naira.
"He arrives tomorrow. He is in safe hands. I sent for the best Prime Wards when I heard about the Void Demon's attack."
"We..." Naira began, pointing to Shervin. "We were together. We are alright. There's a lot of things you should know father."
"I am sure," said the Minister, looking right at Shervin. He shifted slightly in his seat. "There's a lot of things you both should know too."
Then, he signalled to his right.
From the shadows behind him emerged someone Shervin never wanted to see again in his lifetime.
"How are you, Sherry?" said Karn, with a sneer on his face.