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I sat with him and held his hand as he tried to rest. Once he was asleep, I got the book from its hiding place and wrote that my father's injuries were healed. Before I even put the pen down, my father started to stir. I look over at him and see that his injuries are gone.
"Father, thank you for coming back early."
He smiled at me and sat up. "Oh, Tessa, what has happened?"
"The orcs! They are threatening to kill people, starting with the children, if they don't find the knight who showed up here the other night and killed many of them!"
"That's terrible," he said, gripping my hand tight.
"We need to figure out where the knight is and how to stop them. We have to do something."
I grabbed the book and started to write, wondering if the knight would survive against the orcs. The orcs are fierce warriors, and the villagers aren't exactly trained fighters.
But as I write, the words flow through me. I write about how the knight is invincible and has the power to defeat any opponent.
He truly cares about the lives of others and goes into battle without concern for his own life.
"Tessa," my father whispered, "are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Father."
My thoughts drift back to the knight and the fact that it might still live. It gives me hope that I may be able to do something to help us all.
"Tessa, you should go to bed. I'm sure you're exhausted."
"I'm okay, Father. I want to finish writing."
"Okay, but I'll be awake. Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere, and your mother will be here soon."
I turn my attention back to my story and continue to write. The rumors I have heard all my life about demons came racing back to me, and I write about a demon that comes from far away to protect us. I picture him handsome and strong, letting my imagination run wild. I finish writing and look down at the page.
"I think I have found our knight,” I whisper to myself.
I read it over and laugh before I return the book to its hiding place and wait, hoping that my hero will show up.
FIVE
VARZIG
It’s warm, and the air is dry. Uncomfortably so. The heat even led me to remove some of my armor.
We have all been searching for days. But the tome is nowhere to be found. Of course, that old demon could be wrong.
There are whispers that not all the doors in his mind are open. I can believe those rumors. I had to catch him several times before he went off a cliff.
And he did not even notice.
The King was a fool to send him along with us.
But we have reached what seems to be an old citadel. A stone structure mostly buried beneath centuries of sand.
The desert consumes everything eventually.
I still cannot shake the feeling that I should be more than just a warrior. I cannot help it. The emotion has settled deep and thick in my bones and in the very marrow of my body.
I should be more. I can be more.
But the King doesn’t see that. He sees nothing except himself.
