I huddled closer to the fire and glared at the two others and rubbed my eyes. They felt itchy and almost swollen like from my crying and my throat was sore from my sobbing and wailing. I never thought I would break down like that but there I did, I couldn't control it and finally I calmed down after awhile. I have come to think that if I had gone on one second more that Tamlen would have knocked me out to stop the ear splitting wails. 

"Feeling better?" Da'len'ven asked holding out a mug of steaming tea. I pressed my lips together and glared at her and held tighter the now damp cloak. She growled softly at me and then shoved the mug at me, I in return shoved it back. 

"Look you will drink this and stop wallowing." She commanded and shoved the mug at me again. The beast inside of me growled making anger burn in my veins. My eyebrows twitched as I stared at Da'len'ven and before I knew it I was speaking. 

"You will not command me!" it came out as a hiss and I could barely tell it came from my throat. 

"I wouldn't be commanding you if you'd just listen." She said calmly as Tamlen walked up to her side and took hold of the mug. She looked at him with her lips pressed and then let the mug go and stormed to the other side of the fire. 

Tamlen sat across from me and handed me the mug with a sigh I took the mug and took a sip that almost burnt my tongue off. We sat in silence until I looked over the rim of the mug and got the courage to speak.

"How long do I have left...?" I asked with a lump in my throat and my eyes went back to the contents of the mug which was swirling as steam rose up from it. 

"It.... depends on a few things." 

"Like what?" I asked looking up to this face and felt my eyes narrow as something started to click in my brain. Tamlen was leaning back and the fire was lighting up his features and he looked so well young. I repeated his name in my brain and tried to think about how why that name rang a bell. Slowly my brain took me back through all the conversations with the story teller before my eyes snapped up and studied his profile. 

"I don't really know how---" he started.

 

"Your son looked just like you." I blurted out cutting him off which made his eyes snap back to me. 

"Looked? You mean he wasn't...." Tamlen said thickly.

 

"No he went down by an arrow." I said softly and banished the image of the blonde haired youth with an arrow protruding from his stomach. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought him up." I said after a few seconds of silence. Tamlen nodded and then stood up.

"Keep next to the redhead and find the wolf and you'll be fine." He said curtly and walked away. I hung my head and looked to the tea and felt like hitting myself, I was so stupid for bring up something so painful for someone who only helped me. I got up and threw the mug into the mud and walked over to the small stream we were camped next to. I place  my bare feet into the freezing water and sat down and placed my fingertips into the water.

Soon I started getting warmer and something coiled in my stomach, it felt like my skin was tingling from something. I looked to my skin and watched as my markings started glowing. I looked at them with confusion and I couldn't help a shiver that ran down my spine. A few moments passed and then they stopped glowing like someone blew out a candle. 

"Won't leave you again." passed near my ears and it felt like Conner was whispering those words right next to me. I got up and started pacing when he was nowhere in sight and started contemplating if I was going crazy.

"If that's what you want then okay." She said softly and then quickly her hand snapped out and connected with my forehead. I gasped and reeled back from the pain and my arms thrashed about as my balance left me and darkness claimed me. 

"C'on da's it." a voice smother in an accent breathed as my eyelids peeled back slowly and my stomach churned. A small dark skinned elvhen woman with gold hawk like eyes placed a bucket in my lap just in time for all the contents in my stomach to leave me. My head spun as I leaned back and I place it in my hands. 

"Wait ye need to ztay in da bed!" The woman called out as I started running. Movemovemovemove! it yelled in my brain as I ran. I didn't know where I was but I trusted this instinct that made me move to the training grounds. I turned down many corridors passing guards and servants in my rush and shoved anyone in my way. 

 

I made it to the grounds as the sun was kissing the ground. My feet stopped and my heart jumped and a gasp ran up my throat as a loud scream pierced the air. Tears welled up as a figure with bright red hair slumped over as blood splatter the pale sand.