Chapter 437 - Luri (1/2)

A small caravan with five bull-drawn carriages slowly made its way along a deserted dirt road in the dark of the night.

Each carriage held a dozen people which comprised of women, children and elderly, while the men walked beside them, surrounding each carriage from all sides.

In the second last carriage sat a young woman of around 20 years of age, tightly embracing an infant in her arms.

The temperature was around fourteen-degree centigrade outside and each of her breaths let out steam that was visible even under the torchlight.

She gently shook the infant back and forth with an anxious expression.

”Hildi, hold on my love, we'll be there soon,” she whispered in the infant's ears who was had her eyes shut tight. Her face transitioned between a shade of red and white as she wheezed with some effort. Clearly she was very sick and the cold night was only adding to the pain she was feeling.

The woman placed the back of her warm hand on the infant's forehead and her eyes instantly became wet.

”Please honey, wait a little bit longer. Mommy will get help soon,” she said in a trembling voice before taking off the only coat-like garment she was wearing and wrapped it around the infant.

The cold, dry air pierced her skin like needles but she didn't flinch once. Only staring at her daughter's face without blinking.

She wanted to cry, to let herself mourn the passing of her husband who had died just a few hours ago, but now wasn't the time. The only other person she had now was her daughter, there was nobody else left from her family and now even she was now in dire straits.

In the carriage around her were other women and children in much the same conditions. They had on rough animal hides that provided a little bit of protection against the cold. All of them looked weak and malnourished. Some even had their limbs tied up in bandages made from normal clothes.

The situation was the same even in the other carriages. These were the refugees from a small town about 160 kilometers away from their current location.

The town was attacked just before dawn. These people had no idea what or who attacked them. Loud booming sounds rang out when the night as was at its darkest followed by screams and cries for help.

The young woman's name was Luri. She was an orphan who had gotten married less than a year ago. And last night she lost her husband, leaving her alone to take care of her now sick child.

Her eyes quivered ceaselessly as she felt her daughter's body become colder and colder.

”No please, don't leave mommy, don't leave me too,” finally a few salty tears dripped down her cheeks and fell on the child's face.

Luri couldn't continue looking at her anymore, seeing her slowly slip into the darkness. She hugged Hildi even tighter while raising her head to look at the cloudy sky above through the wide cracks in the carriage's roof.

Her right hand clutched a red ruby necklace in the shape of a five-sided star. It dug into her skin and drew blood.

”Please....help. I don't have anyone else, please protect my child,” she mumbled.

In her palm, the ruby shone with a dim light and absorbed some of the blood, becoming dim once again.

She prayed over and over again without pause, on the verge of losing her sanity. Her eyes became dim, showing no sign of intelligence.

Just a couple of minutes had passed when a commotion broke out from the front and the carriages came to a sudden halt.