Road to Salvation

Road to Salvation - Brendan Williams (A.W Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Twelfth Grade)

Sunlight filtered through the trees glowed like embers, spots of light dancing across beaten dirt

roads as heat radiated with a soft humid hum. The sounds of animals hidden inside tree bark and

shadows told one was always being watched, and the traveler being viewed? A single cart,

driven by one raggedy black mare that pulled the cart with occasional grunts, the sound of rolling

wheels fitting into the chorus of sounds nature provides in its existence. Though not everything

was tranquil in the woods, or more specifically, not every person.

“If we spend even one more minute just rolling on this road, I think my legs are going to fall

off from lack of use.” At least that was the thought that passed through Thomas Fain’s head as he

and his family rolled across the countryside, bodies stiff from the long passage of time stuck in

their cart. Runaway’s from the currently in shambles kingdom of Casamet. Armies battling

wasn’t anything uncommon when every upstart noble thought themselves the most competent

man alive, but until now it always seemed so far away, kings battling for power and glory like in

a storybook. Except now, it was very much a real worry that washed over the family, the

memory of rising smoke and crumbling stone walls, and flags bearing the symbols of the

kingdom of Ravenmore flapping in the wind still clear in their minds even after a week’s worth

of distance between them and the invading force, prisoners of wars were common and peasants

with no actual importance to the world at large stood no chance of seeing the light of day

unshackled again if caught, if they weren’t simply executed for resisting. Even now, it took

Thomas everything he had to not simply lay down and cry, and he still would have most likely

lost that fight if the scorching heat hadn’t made him sweat out any sort of moisture left in him.

His alabaster skin red from the heat making his freckled face even more prominent as his

shoulder length orange hair matted against his forehead. It wasn’t just his hair, the boy's clothes

also suctioned to him cradling his skinny frame like a embrace. Thomas the Fain’s only son was

always rather lean and tall, earning him the name beanpole from most of his friends, but now his

stomach seemed even more hollowed out from receiving the bare minimum to eat. They had

only been able to grab the bare minimum of supplies as they fled in the night, and those were

only going to last if they spread them out scarcely, so he and the rest of his family ate when they

could but never indulged on their journey.

“How much longer pa? We’ve been traveling what seems like ages and my legs have fallen

asleep for so long I don’t think their going to wake up,” Sarah Fain groaned, sweat rolled down

her pale face,her emerald eyes alight with frustration, they had barely taken the time to stop and

rest let alone bathe. Her clothes were dirty and tattered and her flame streaked hair that used to

dance in the wind like flickering embers, was now a mangled mess of knots and loose leaves.The

rest of the family didn’t fare much better of course, but Sarah was the most audible about

everything that caused her discomfort.

“Only a little longer, just be patient please, just a little longer…” Reas Faine, though his words

lacked any enthusiasm or drive, was a robust man. Reas Faine had his family’s signature pale

skin, but everything else about the man couldn’t be more distinct. While his two children had

more lithe figures,he was stout standing a head shorter than his son and only a hand’s length over

his daughter, his face chubby with a flat nose that framed once joy filled eyes that now squinted

from stress and the sun's rays.

“Sarah, stop bothering your father, this trip is already hard enough as it is,” Elizabeth Faine’s

voice carried a tone heavy with finality, if she had her way the whole family would be acting as

if this was one big casual getaway and not a demoralizing escape. Elizabeth was always

attempting to stay optimistic in her own stern way, she didn’t tolerate or allow anyone to mope,

back home if one of the Fain children had a particularly rough day and was lounging about, she’d

send them off to do chore or other task with a “If you have time to mope you have time to work”

and a huff, but she’d always cook their favorite dinner that night and would let them slack off the

following day because the task “slipped her mind”. Though even that was becoming a challenge

for the stubborn woman. Frustration was barely hidden under her sun tanned face, copper colored

hands picking at the hem of her woolen dress. Already holes began to show on the fabric,

evidence of her strained mood. Unlike Reas and his pale skin, Sarah and Thomas did not inherit

her darker complexion, but the two inherited essentially everything else from Elizabeth. High

cheekbones framing all three faces, but most prominent on Elizabeth that accentuated her sharp

face, as if she was always studying something she found fascinating and had just made a new

discovery. Lips always pursed ready to make a nasty remark, although currently Elizabeth spent

more time chewing her bottom then talking about anything.

“Oh of course let me just sit back here for an eternity, that will certainly help rejuvenate us,”

Sarah bit back, but a sharp stare from her mother was quick to have her stumble out an apology

and turn away from everyone. She muttered but it was indecipherable. Thomas shook his head at

his sister's most frequent outburst and leaned back against one of their food crates, grain or

potatoes or whatever other food his father was able to scrounge before they ran.

“Ran,” Thomas said softly under his breath, memories of the moments before the incident

playing in his head like a dream, at least that’s what it felt like to him. Even a week out, some

parts felt so unfocused in his memories, he was sure anyone could convince him he made it up.

All four Faines were holed up in their family home to escape the rain, Reas’s crop getting much

needed water after a particularly long streak of cloudless skies. A little place that was growing a

bit too small for the growing Faine children, but still comfortable enough, simple furniture

organized to Elizabeth’s taste and spotless after a recent dusting. A Crackling fireplace filled the

small home with the smell of oak and mixed pleasantly with the beef stew that filled the families

bowls. All and all, it wasn’t a particularly eventful night: small talk to the children about their

studies, humorous remarks from Reas Faine that returned only groans from everyone at the table,

and blissful silence as everyone simply enjoyed another’s company.

Then the screaming started. Shrieks pierced the air like an arrow, smoke and ash rising into view

tainting the city in smog that choked the life out of any unfortunate to be caught up in it. Chaos

was erupting in the streets as men both coated in and brandishing steel fought against guards

clearly unprepared for such a bold assault. The kingdom of Casamet had always been on bad

terms with somebody, neighboring kingdoms such as Launderel and Lion’s Gate had both been

in small scuffles with Casamet over borders and farmland respectively, and those were only the

close kingdoms. Casamet would challenge far off kingdoms for perceived disrespect like not

responding in time to letters or for mines filled with jewels miles away. Usually these small

disputes cooled off with both sides doing nothing, but this wasn’t the case for Ravenmore.

Thomas didn’t know much, it wasn’t his business or interest, but from what he could recall, it

had something to do with trade or some other resource that brought the two to blows. However it

was always just minor skirmishes, too much to be a simple battle and too little to be called a war,

Ravenmore soldiers charging the capital sounded just as possible as a dragon swooping in and

claiming he was king, yet it happened.

After that most things were fuzzy for Thomas, He could remember his mother pulling him out

of his seat to motion everyone out the backdoor. Sarah was absentmindedly dragged by their

father, her eyes stuck in a perpetual wide eyed disbelief. Eventually, everything else became

simply background noise to the families escape as their feet hitting the paved roads and their

heavy breaths being all his mind could hear. Twice or more they’d be stopped, either by a guard

telling them to run for safety, like it was some great secret, or avoiding the invaders, men whose

faces were hidden under conal shaped black helmets that murdered light, so not even the

gleaming sun could reflect on the dark metal. Over their armor, every single man wore a deep

purple overcoat made of wool with their kingdom’s crest stitched in, a large raven swallowing

the sun, and each had at least two swords strapped to their waist. To Thomas, they all seemed

like death itself, a grizzly reaper whose face appeared on these strange men every time he and his

family hid behind a wall with baited breath.

“Quiet,” he remembered whispering to his sister as the four hid behind rubble, they had just

barely been able to slip behind before a Ravenmore squadron descended on another family trying

to run out the city. It was a harrowing sight, a heavy set man was pushed to the ground thrashing

and screaming while chains were snapped to his arms and legs, hogtying the man. His wife was

standing a few feet away, a look of utter defeat painting her soot covered features, her eyes had a

red tint to them, she had cried out every tear she could at this point. The woman wasn’t even

attempting to run, instead waiting to be dragged off with her husband, a small child at her waist

clutching at his mother’s skirts white-faced. The man was subdued, his family carted off,

Soldiers pulling his flailing body and the woman and child silently shuffled behind them.

Thomas and Reas had tried to move as soon as the men were out of eyesight, but Elizabeth

forced them to stay until she was sure no one else was coming. Once she was satisfied, it was an

all out sprint for the family, something Reas and his more round form didn’t take too kindly, the

older man huffing for air as they sprinted through the city’s walls and into safety.

Once they finally stopped running, the Fain’s found themselves outside Casamet walls, the

forest in front of them and rising clouds of smoke behind them

“We can’t go on like this, we need our things if we are to get anywhere,” Elizabeth said,

though she did not sound excited about the possibility of re-entering the city. “I say we wait near

the woods and come back for the wagon, in the dark even they’ll need rest.” Elizabeth hid any

fear behind the stern tone she’d use when telling Reas to go out to market or for Sarah to stop

slouching. Reas himself was propped against a fallen log taking in quick, shallow breaths

attempting to recollect himself. His face was red like the cherry tomatoes he grew by the window

in his bedroom, but he was listening to his wife all the same

“You’re right as always-nightfall and at its darkest” He sighed., Unlike Elizabeth Reas’s

worries, his played out on his face. Grim determination mixing and swapping places with

gripping dread at speeds it was hard to not imagine the internal argument the man was having

with himself. After a few moments it became clear which side had won, as he marched on to the

woodlands and made a gesture for them to follow.

Time seemed to fracture like glass, Thomas able to count each shattered piece as seconds, all

four crouched behind thickets and bushes, staring at the once proud walls of their city, watching

as more and more smoke rose into the sky. By the time the sun made its slow descent into the

horizon, smoke had made a faux night that hung over like an ominous forewarning to all who’d

enter. Even then, Reas and Elizabeth waited another few hours before creeping back into the city,

Thomas and Sarah attempted to follow, but were both quickly motioned back to their hiding

places with a glare from Elizabeth and a small frown from Reas. And then they were gone,

leaving Thomas and Sarah to wait out in a spring chill. Night seemed to be especially biting as

the two simply sat in silence, moonlight breaking through the tree’s, sparkling like nature's own

natural stained glass. When night fell, it, too, seemed to stretch an eternity. Thomas could feel

worry tattooing itself onto his bones with every passing moment his parents didn’t return. Sarah

couldn’t stop crying either, she tried to hide the muted sobs, but in the silent night her sorrows

were as vocal as a rooster, and Thomas grimaced to himself with every muffled noise. He

couldn’t tell her it would all be alright, he couldn’t bring himself to lie, even to make her feel

better. Just as both seemed to be getting to their breaking point, Sarah ready to shout and Thomas

prepared to dash inside the city himself, both heard the rumbling of wheels. Elizabeth and Reas

Faine were making the family horse Rain walk slowly, keeping noise to a minimum as they rode

in their worn, rickety cart. Thomas and Sarah felt breath return to them as their parents came

back successfully from sneaking the cart out of the city.

“What are you two waiting for! Get on and hide in the back, before I drag you in by your

ears,” whispered Elizabeth, Sarah and Thomas wasted no time in following her command, each

stopping only for a moment to hug the two tighter than they’d ever had before. With haste, fast

as their horse could manage the family was on the road.

“Halt, by the word of the Nightwatch halt!” A gruff voice broke Thomas’s moment of

recollection, sitting up in one stiff motion his head bumped against a crate, a dull thud echoing

into the dense forests. He vaguely heard the sound of a second thud and a small “ow…” from his

sister. But he was too busy peering out the side of the wagon to look at who had called. The sight

was not reassuring, he knew the name but more so in passing. The knightwatch were elite scouts

for Ravenmore, the type of men you sent out for tracking or if something needed to mysteriously

go missing in the dead of night. They wore the same symbols the regular knights of Ravenmore

wore, but they didn’t adorn armor. Instead the lower half of their faces were covered in a

midnight black sash that highlighted the unfeeling cold that were the men’s eyes. Every other

piece of clothing was a mix of deep blues and purples that seemed to bend on their bodies and

fade into the shadows cast by trees. Running into these men at all was usually a death sentence,

at least from what Thomas remembers reading in old story books, these men were stuff of legend

or at least the group was, The Nightwatch were as old as the kingdom fo Ravenmore was and

they were older than Casamet, which in itself had been around for well over 400 years, it was a

group so shrouded in mystery and fear that just the rumors of their coming is enough to make

several kingdoms back down from a conflict. Safe to say, Thomas was very happy they had met

these men in the daytime.

“What seems to be the issue?” said Reas from the front of the wagon, not at all sounding

confident. The stout man seemed to sink even lower in his seated position, which seemed

impossible, but fear had a way of bringing new capabilities to everyone. Reas’s hands nervously

rubbed at the reins, not in an effort to run, but to simply do something. Elizabeth, on the other

hand, seemed to be shaking, at first Thomas thought she might be ready to burst into tears like

Sarah behind him. However, seeing the way she clenched her tattered skirt till her knuckles went

white and how red in the face she was becoming, Thomas would bet everything that mother’s

poorly concealed rage was about to blow. Like a kettle only seconds from a boil, Reas doing his

best to calm her down without making too much out of it, gently stroked Elizabeth’s arm.

“State your business, and be quick about it.” said the man, who Thomas was finally able to

get a good look at. His first thoughts about the strange but certainly dangerous man were simple,

big. Everything about the man was big, from his absurd height that seemed to tower over them

even in the cart, to his broad shoulders that made him wide enough to take up the space of two

men Even his voice was boisterous, he’d gone down a normal speaking voice after Reas pulled

to a halt, even then his deep rumbling tones were enough to cause a person insides to tremble.

“Just passing through good sir, we’re merchants, you see? Set off to the kingdom of

Casamet, but we heard of trouble in the area, so we decided to cut out losses and turn back,”

Reas said, keeping the truth of their origins just in case these men were searching for runaways.

Reas was just grateful that it was such a hot day, the sweat that coating his face might’ve been

easily mistaken for his being cooked by the sun and not the stares. Thomas still watched silently

over his father's shoulder, his curiosity mixing with fear. Sarah, on the other hand, was quick to

duck back into the cart and stay out of sight.

“So, the news has already made it this far, huh? Word travels fast” The Nightwatch man said

with a chuckle, but there was no mirth in it. His hard eyes, a deep clear blue, reminiscent of an

icy tundra, stared hard at Reas. “Wait here, any unwanted movement, and you shall not see

another moon.” He grunted, turning around to regroup with his fellow Nightwatch.

“Absolutely ridiculous, the utter gaul of that man. No, not just him, these people if you can

even call them that, to think he can treat us this way. I bet he’s enjoying this, if I had half a mind

I’d walk right up to him an-” That was as far as Elizabeth got into her whisper rant, her voice

razor sharp and thin enough to slip between the cracks of even the tightest armor. When Reas

shook his head empathically, a look of pleading painted on his face.

“Please dear, contain yourself,” he said, but with a sharp look from his wife, Reas continued

to ramble out a explanation under his breath, “I know you are upset, but angering them any

further does none of us any good, please just for a little longer show restraint.” Elizabeth let out a

strained sigh of acceptance. Thomas, however, wished his mother had stayed angry, he certainly

was. To the headstrong lad, his fear only made him more frustrated at the helplessness of the

situation. Having to duck and dive to avoid looks in dread of what one person’s foul mood may

cause, mixed together with a rage to cry out just to say exactly what he thinks, damn the

consequences.

“Fine, but I swear to everything that is good in this world, if they try something funny, I’ll lay

them over my knee and show them how to properly behave, no matter what age they are.”

Elizabethsniffed. She was small, butno one in the family doubted her promises.

If the journey so far had made time crawl, sitting there made it seem the creator had paused

time and forgotten to resume it all together, only the men’s unintelligible muttering proved

otherwise. Every twitch that played across their features was like a pendulum swinging: one end

being safe passage and the other to be forgotten to everything but the forest.

“Maybe if we’re lucky, they’ll keep speaking forever and forget us,” Thomas muttered after

being made to wait half an hour past when they were forced to stop. The sun’s slow climb did

not wait for anyone,increasing heat only extinguishing any goodwill left in the Faines like a

downpour over a campfire. Luckily-or unluckily, in Sarah’s perspective, and a small bit of

Thomas as well-the Nightwatch finally finished deliberating as the leader, Richard Durs, which

the family learned after overhearing the man being addressed by a beanpole looking nightwatch

who eyed the family as if observing a freshly cooked meal with his golden eyes, began to

approach them once more, an amused expression on his face. He was a tall and angled man,

every part of him rough yet regal, from his armor with all its scrapes and dents that borrowed

shadows itself to make it’s black and dark purple hues, to his alabaster skin with a lampshade

mustache perfectly groomed and shining from oils. Richard Durs didn’t look like the buffest man

in his group, but to the family it was clear he was the most dangerous. He walked like a wolf,

prowling forward and swaying on his feet, always ready to pounce, his sharp beak nose slightly

bent to the right and his smile had all the warmth of a corpse. His men followed him without a

word, falling in line before quickly spreading out to make sure the Fain’s couldn’t run.

“It seems the creator smiles upon you all this day. We shall be letting go, of course with a

small fee. I’m sure everything in that cart will suffice,” Richard’s voice rolled like distant

thunder as he chuckled, this time joy reached his whole face for a moment before being buried

under sharp angles and rough edges. Richard might have truly believed he was being courteous,

expecting gracious nods and thanks, maybe even some groveling. That was not what he received.

“You pigheaded, heavyfoot, and dull man. If you think for even a second we’re giving you a

single scrap of our belongings. Well, you might as well turn around right now and march all the

way back to people who care about your demands!” Elizabeth pointed a thin finger directly at

Richard’s chest and pushed against him with it in every other word. Her copper skin tone

lightened to a darkish pink as anger flushed her face, returning double as it had once been before

she was originally calmed down.

Richard’s face darkened, his mouth tightening slightly at the edges. Eyes that were already

hard as stone became iron. It was clear that this man wasn’t used to refusal. His hand twitched on

the hilt of a long and most likely black sword. itching to escape its hold and begin fighting. “I

could pretend I didn’t just hear that, but nightwatch doesn’t exactly take kindly to people

refusing us.” Richard had dealt with some level of defiance before and expected that this would

put an end to it. Unfortunately, he very much underestimated short tempers, heat, and long travel

on a rough road. A rock hitting Richard in the shoulder, bouncing off his armor with a soft thud.

Looking up he saw that Thomas was standing and had another stone ready to throw.

“Don’t you dare threaten my mother again, or I’ll show you what for!” Thomas had always

taken more after his mother when it came to personality and it shone here. Thomas balled his

fists and stared Richard directly in his eye, daring the bigger man to make the first move and

attempt to fight him. For a long time the surroundings were dead silent, Sarah and Reas looking

with open mouthed horror unable to find words, Elizabeth just nodded her head with satisfaction,

and every single one of the armed men simply looked stunned. Thomas was ready to fight, but he

wasn’t ready for what actually came. A large bellowing laugh, rolling thunder that shook the

area.

Richard needed time to regain his composure and actually smiled again, this time sticking

around as he stepped forward. Pulling out his sword, as expected, a black piece of jagged iron

seemingly designed to cause pain. “I think you, boy, have the right attitude to you. Stare

defiantly into impossible odds, naive but that makes it better,” Richard said laughing, before

drawing his blade, too quick for Thomas to have seen. The blade itself was like the rest of

Nightwatch, silent and deadly, a piece of black steel that darkened even further from years of

blood stains till it was midnight itself, purple ravens in flight adorned the hilt while a white wolf

ran up the curve of the blade, this was Richard Dur’s fang. A precise tool of murder perfected. It

left a mark so thin that until it bled Thomas didn’t know he was touched, Elizabeth’s eyes

widened in shock before settling down in a deep frown that showed off age lines, beads of sweat

pooling down her face showcasing her fear, but her shown with a deep anger that was also ready

to start fighting Richard for touching her son. “I’ll leave it at that then, come on now you lazy

lot,” he said to his men as he turned to stalk off into a new direction, and they followed silently.

One or two gave the Faine family a passing look that told nothing of their emotions before

dismissing them entirely as slipping into the dense greenery. Thomas let out a breath he didn’t

realize he was holding, soon followed by three other clearly relieved people.

“If you ever do something that fool-headed again, I’ll have you wishing that sword more than

nicked you.” Reas\settled back down into the cart and got it moving again, mumbling about

idiotic sons and foolish actions. But even while angry Reas couldn’t hide the smile on his lips.

“That was very brave, but I’ll do even worse,” Elizabeth said sweetly, her eyes twinkling

with pride as her look of worry contorted into a look of smug satisfaction, lips tugging slightly at

the edges in her attempts to smile while not rewarding his brash behavior, but Thomas was even

more sure of her threat than his fathers and nodded his understanding quickly. Elizabeth turned

around and leaned against Reas for support, she was not as unbothered as she tried to let on.

“Almost made me pass out,” Sarah said and punched Thomas in the arm, she too was smiling

even as she said it.

“Well I ain’t gonna apologize for doing it, but I’ll just be happy if we never see men like

those again,” Thomas said laying once again against a crate, sounds of unity following his

statement. “At least the worst has to be behind us now, just another few days,” he said, and he

hoped that was the truth.

The cart was quick to motion again, covering as much distance as the family could manage, the

closest kingdom was Lion’s gate, a prosperous city that outsized Casamet by twice the amount of

land, and so that was their destination. Casamet may have been on bad terms with them, but

they’ve never denied trade with the people before, and the family hoped they would allow the

refugees in.