Ambar slept restlessly under the night stars. One of his neighbours had offered to let him rest in a cart. He adjusted the sack of potatoes he was using as a pillow. He was safe now. Thalia was safe now. So why couldn't he stop seeing his father engulfed in fire or his mother's lifeless eyes? He had felt so numb, and now it felt real with no crisis to distract him.

  “What are we going to do with them?” Ambar heard a man's voice outside the cart. “We don't have enough food and supplies for both of them. I've asked around, no one has enough to spare even for themselves right now.” That sounded important. Ambar opened his eyes and crawled closer to the whispers.

  “Shhh, Ambar's sleeping. Don't wake him up. Poor boy has gone through a lot. He'll need more stability than just being passed around like a beggar." A second voice said, this one a woman's. Ambar was trying to place names to the voices but didn't recognize them.

  “Ambar isn't the problem, I've seen him work. He's a little strange but can pull his own weight, the problem is Thalia. No one has any extra after the attack already, but for someone who's injured like that? We'd need to find a good place for her” the man's voice continued.

  Ambar frowned. They were talking about him and Thalia? Didn't they have any say in their lives? Ambar felt an urge to get up and give that man a piece of his mind, but something stopped him. What did they know about him and Thalia? Maybe they were just trying to do what they thought best?

  “I could take care of the Girl for now, if you can take care of the Boy. We can at least spare enough to bring her to an orphanage in a town. Fairsbright isn't too far, I just don't know, will they be ok with it? They've already been through a lot.” the woman said.

  Ambar bristled, an orphanage? Thalia would go to an orphanage over his dead body! He'd take care of her, they wouldn't need charity from these people.

  “They're children, and it's the only real option. The matter is settled then, we’ll assign them to families in the morning.” the man said matter of factly.

  Settled? Ambar thought. Go to hell!

  The wheelbarrow was broken, so he'd need something to carry Thalia in. Maybe a few supplies. He could get to Fairsbright on his own, and then get a job. He'd take care of Thalia.

  Ambar started making a list of what he'd need.

  He grabbed a sack and paused. He didn't want to take things from his neighbours. No, they were no neighbours of his, and they were forcing him to do this. He had to do this for Thalia. His hesitation over, he started filling the sack with food.

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  There was a handcart not too far away, he could push that and have Thalia ride in the back.

  He crept through the camp. The handcart had just a few odds and ends, some food.

  No one was in it.

  He put his sack in the cart and went back to Rolven's wagon.

  He quietly slipped in. Thalia was bundled up, and sleeping peacefully. Ambar gently slipped her arms around his neck and carried her. She was lighter than she should have been.

  He carefully carried her outside to the handcart and bundled her in. She barely stirred.

  “What are you doing?” A voice asked behind him.

  Ambar turned. Behind him was Rolven.

  “I'm leaving. Don't try to stop me.”

  “That cart isn't yours.” Rolven stepped forward.

  “No one is taking Thalia away from me.” Ambar growled stepping towards Rolven

  Rolven stopped, “What do you. . .” Ambar punched at Rolven’s nose.

  “Stop, Ambar.” Rolven said, easily blocking the strike.

  Ambar couldn't let him alert the others, he wouldn't get far enough pushing the handcart.

  Ambar punched at Rolven's body twice and followed with a kick to his knee.

  Rolven blocked the punches and turned away from the kick. “It's not too late Ambar.” he pleaded.

  Ambar stepped in, he tried punching Rolven’s face, but he had his guard up. He kneed at him. Rolven stepped back. Why wasn't he fighting back? As children, Rolven could always beat him. Was he just playing with him?

  “If you won't stop, Ambar. I'll have to make you stop”

  Rolven lunged forward, his arms reaching for Ambar's hips.

  Ambar tried to step back, but Rolven tackled him hard and they fell to the dirt. Ambar tried to punch him, but Rolven grabbed one of Ambar's arms and tried to grab the other.

  It wasn't fair!

  Ambar gritted his teeth and felt a snap inside of him.

  Rolven’s eyes widened as Ambar lifted his hips and rolled on top. He would not be stopped!

  Ambar's fists pummelled Rolven's face. He couldn't block, he could only turn his head.

  One of Ambar's fists connected with Rolven’s temple and he stopped resisting.

  How loud had that fight been? Ambar needed to get them out of there!

  He rushed to the handcart and pushed. It felt light to him. He could run while pushing it. The direction didn't matter, he just needed to get away from here!

  He ran, the handcart jostling on rocks as he ran uphill. Soon the camp was far behind him and a lake spanned the vista in front of him.

  He could see the blockage, some boulders had fallen into the canal and diverted the water.

  It felt wrong to leave the canals dry, but what could he do against boulders bigger than him?

  On the other side of this valley he saw smoke rising.

  Who lived all the way up here?

  He heard a stick crack behind him. A huge figure behind the trees, too big to be human. Its crude and scarred features sneered at him. Dark skin, golden eyes, its teeth were sharp, ears pointed.

  The crude furs it wore barely covered rippling muscles, an axe in its hands.

  A dark orc? They had to escape!

  He tried to pull the handcart, but he suddenly felt exhausted, as if whatever had given him his unnatural strength had fled him.

  All he could do was fight.

  He stepped out, arms up, his legs wavering beneath him.

  The orc smiled and dropped its axe. It cracked its knuckles.

  Ambar remembered the snap when he lifted the beam. The snap when he needed to push past his strength. The snap when he was fighting Rolven. He needed that snap one more time!

  Come on! Come on! Ambar thought to himself. Whatever was giving him strength before, he needed it now! He gritted his teeth, he growled. The orc charged.

  Ambar punched. He felt it connect. With a soft inner snap, he passed out.