This is a sneak peak of a fantasy story about eight fugitives that decide to use small things to try to destroy the tyrant who has taken hold of their land. To make this peak make sense, you should know that the symbol of their country's royal family is a flower called 'laura'.
Jasarrah drew her left knee against her chest and wrapped an arm around it. Leaning her cheek against the kneww, she asked casually, "What do we do now?"
"What do you mean?" Peli was also lying down, a blade of grass in his mouth.
"I mean, we've escaped, yeah, but now what? We certainly can't go home--we're fugitives. Do we split up and go our seperate ways or should we stay together?"
"I think..." Kalan started, but was interupted by his brother.
"We'll be harder to find if we split up."
"They are looking for eight people," Daleira agreed.
"I think..." Kalan started again, this time to be interupted by Willow.
"But, I think we may be safer together. If we don't know where we're going, maybe we should go as a group."
"But that ties us together," Peli argued. "What if we don't agree on things?" He looked pointedly at Daleira.
There were several undercurrents of emotion running through the group. What Jasarrah could feel the most was Kalan's growing frustration,
"I'd like to see us..." Daleira didn't get the rest of her sentence out because the young man jumped to his feet.
"Listen to me!" he yelled, stunning everyone silent.
He looked at them all, the fire that had at times been in Peli's and Willow's eyes--and sould--but not his, flaring. Even Myling, who was often in his own world when not pouring out bitterness and pain, looked at him. Jasarrah felt an almost fondness in the Seer, as if he envied in Kalan an innocence he'd never had.
When it was clear that all attention was on him, Kalan continued, "Have any of you been listening to what Myling has been saying? Really listening? It was not our destiny to die in that prison or from hanging. We were meant for other things. Do you remember? Hope, he said. Life, he said. He spoke of a path that could bring our kingdom back from the edge of pain. I think we are that hope."
"What are you talking about?" Peli sat up.
"Somewhere out princess lives! Her kingdom is held by tyrants."
"Hey, calm down, buddy."
"Calm down?" Kalan began to pace. "Were you calm when you pushed Daleira through the door? We have the chance to make a difference." Then, he whirled on his sister. "Where is it? I know you still have it--they didn't take it. We have to fight for it. We need to." He held his hand out to Willow demandingly. "Give it to me."
"Fight for what?" Daleira asked, but, unlike Peli, there was no derision or patronization in her voice.
Kalan's hand shook as it remained there in front of Willow. Jasarrah felt her confusion dawn into understanding, and Willow began to search in her clothes. After a moment, she came out with something very small but perfectly shaped. Gently, she laid it in Kalan's palm. He looked at it for a moment, watching the sunlight glint off of it like some kind of heavenly blessing before holding it up for the others to see.
"This," he said very quietly. "We have to fight for this."
In his fingers, he held a tiny and beautiful laura.