Tranquil Fury by P.G. Thomas

her pocket, squeezed the juice into Ryan’s mouth, felt his forehead, smiled that his fever was gone, and even Zack looked healthier. She then went back to her tree, sat at the base, and leaned against it for support, as she watched the sunsets, mesmerized by the colors, slowly the smile on her face faded, as a dreamless sleep welcomed her.
     
    Chapter 7
    John was the first to wake the next morning, and went to watch the road without Eric having to kick him awake. Eric woke an hour later, and started the fire in preparation for the morning meal. Logan woke up, helped with the meal, and soon smells of fresh meat, and bean juice brought John back from the road. Lauren also wandered in from the forest, with her tri-wood staff in hand.
    Eric was both pleased and surprised to see her, “Lauren, I am sorry for what I said. I was just upset. I didn’t mean any of it,”
    “I know. We were both upset.”
     “Mirtza should be back soon, and then we can get out of here.”
     Laurens words were blunt. “And go where?”
    John looked at them both, “Please don’t start fighting again. It won’t accomplish anything.”
    At this point Ryan rolled over, “Will you guys please be quiet. I have a terrible headache.” He sat up, pulled his blanket off, and they could see the dressings on him.
    Eric smiled, “Mirtza must have come back last night and brought a healer. We have good news, the dead rise.”
     “It's because you guys are making so much damn noise, the dead cannot get any rest,” said Zack as he rolled over.
    Eric was almost giddy, as he thought that Ryan would surely die, and was not placing any bets on Zack, so the sight of both injured parties now awake cheered everybody up. As Eric dished out breakfast, he said, “Now all we have to do is wait for Mirtza, the elves, and get to civilization.”
    Ryan tilted his head to one side, “Elves? Can somebody please explain to me what has happened? And where are we?”
    Lauren, while pleased to see Ryan awake, offered to sit watch while the boys updated him, and did not know how they were going to explain what had happened, or how he would never see his parents again. Part of her wanted to stay, watch the tears well up in his eyes. Watch Ryan cry uncontrollably, the way she cried when they told her about Samantha, how she had died in Ryan’s car. Wanted to hear him scream at the injustice of what was happening, wondered if he would scream as loud as she did. She heard the first sobs before she left the new camp, heard the first screams as she passed through the old camp. Part of her wanted to smile, part of her wanted to cry, but there was no part of her that wanted any of them to be stuck here. After lunch, John came out to relieve Lauren from the watch, but she did not rejoin the boys, and instead returned to her little camp, to avoid another fight.
    * * * * * * *
    It was mid-morning when Mirtza gave up, stopped his steed, and whispered, “Back to the covered forest.” As they raced back, he considered his options; I have tried my best, don’t know what else I can do. I will gather them together, and tell them what I have found, which is nothing. Nothing—but those damn plague posters . The only thing I can do is use the bracelet, open as many portals as possible, and go through the one that looks best. He tried to think of other options, but much like the answers he sought, those alternatives also eluded him. In a matter of hours, the covered forest came into view, the magical steed began to slow down, and as he stopped in front of the expanse of the covered trees, he saw John stand up and wave, could hear him yell to the others as he went running inside. Defeated, Mirtza dismounted, gathered his thoughts, and then looked to the east; dust clouds. RIDERS! They are moving too fast .
    Mirtza waved his cloak over the steed, pulled the cloak back, revealing the horse amulet on the ground, which he exchanged with the wagon replica, and after repeating the action with