Chương 92: Book 3; Chapter 91; Help has come!

"Mist creatures…" Blake's mum whispered upon seeing them and slumped into the chair. After the initial shock passed, she jumped back to her feet, grabbed Blake by the hand, and waved to Rainee to follow.

"Come!" she said in an urgent voice "We have to leave now." Seeing that Rainee didn't listen, she took her by the hand too, but to her own surprise, found out that the girl was immovable; pulling a stone statue would have been much easier than pulling her. Rainee wasn't going to obey. She had ignored her inner voice for way too long today, and she was not going to repeat this mistake again. And this voice was strong and firm — this is the place where she should be, where she wants to be.

It is difficult to explain this "voice" to others, as many understand it as some sort of command, which it is not. It simply indicates where you would like to be if all details that are unknown to you were known. If all that you don't know about the situation suddenly became clear and known, and you could make a decision based on facts, you would choose to go to the place where that inner voice was calling you, while the reasons why you would choose to be here are unknown to you.

Some might call it intuition, just much stronger and much more accurate. Rainee wasn't going to ignore this voice any longer, definitely not in favour of somebody's fears.

"You go," she said.

"I will stay and see how things will escalate. It would be best if you could find a hiding place and stay there. Leaving the village might be even more unsafe now than to stay in it. But if you choose to leave, don't stay neither on the path nor close to it, and don't retreat in groups. It would just draw attention to you." Blake's mum was about to say something, but then changed her mind and chose not to argue anymore with this strange girl whose coming had brought such turmoil into their peaceful life again.

So she turned around, ready to leave, when she felt Blake's hand slipping from her hold.

"Come," she said firmly, stopping in her tracks again.

"We have to leave now!" But Blake was already standing next to Rainee and didn't show any signs of obedience. On the contrary, he just waved his hands in front of him.

"No, I am not going. I will stay with Ren, but you go. We will find you later, after all this is finished." The poor woman had had enough and couldn't cope with it anymore. She wasn't going to argue with these children and just walked closer to take Blake in her arms and carry him away, but didn't succeed, as Blake vigorously hid himself behind Rainee, and no matter how much his mum tried to catch him, she could not succeed.

"Come! We don't have time to play," she urged him, and seeing that her efforts were in vain, turned towards Rainee for help.

"Could you help me to catch him?!" she half pleaded, half commanded.

"He doesn't want to go," Rainee said in a calm voice. She didn't help Blake to hide, but wasn't going to help in catching him either. She wasn't even sure that running or hiding would be much safer than to stay here. Right now, she could sense fear and terror spreading from a different direction than the attack had just come from. Rainee wasn't sure who was spreading this terror or if it was related to this attack, but she wasn't going to investigate.

Right now, she knew that the best place for her to be is here, so she will stay. And she was not in a position to advise others, as she simply didn't know what is best for them, so everyone should act as they feel is best for them. If Blake wants to stay, then she is not going neither to encourage him nor oppose his decision.

"But you should go," she said. Seeing that Blake's mum was left speechless after her reply, she added, "You don't want to stay, so there is no reason for you to be here. Blake is right, we will find you after all this is finished."

"I really don't understand you!" Blake's mum exploded. She really could not. How could someone say that she should go into hiding and leave her son behind? Is this girl even human to say such a thing? She must be completely devoid of any love, sympathy, and understanding!

"What does it have to do with what he wants? He is too little to understand the danger we are in!"" Age doesn't make this understanding any greater," Rainee thought to herself but didn't say it aloud. In her eyes, no one understood the severity of the situation. People from the mist don't attack settlements at random. At least, she had never heard about it. And when an attack is launched, it doesn't come in the form of a few people.

If the King's Army does not make it in time, it is highly unlikely running or hiding will save anyone. As a confirmation of her thoughts, screams and shouts of sorrow came from the village, startling Blake's mum even more. In no time, news was brought that a few people had just reached the village, fleeing sudden attacks on a nearby town, and more were coming in the hope of escaping in this direction.

The news that an attack had just come from this direction too was devastating, and that was what had raised screams and shouts. If Rainee had not interfered, the fleeing people would have been met by the very same foe that they were running from. Hearing that there was a warrior who had stopped the attack, hope was born in people's hearts, and they started to pile into the pavilion. The realisation that this "warrior" was a small, skinny teenage girl killed this hope in no time.

Panic had taken over, and people started to scatter, not knowing what actions to take and what direction to go. During all this pandemonium, an understanding of the situation hit both Blake and his mum. Both got scared to the core, but still, Blake wanted to stay and his mum wanted to leave, but eventually, both stayed, as despite all his mum's pleas and efforts, she wasn't able to either convince him to go or catch him and take him away.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. So eventually, she just slumped down in a chair in the farthest corner of the pavilion, prepared for the worst, while Blake stayed next to Rainee, prepared for the best. Rainee didn't give any advice, as even if she did, no one would listen to her anyway. All this turmoil and indecisiveness were alien to her.

Not because she was not afraid or because she knew the outcome of the events that had so suddenly engulfed this place and everyone in it. It was just these mismatches between the actions people wanted to take and the actions they were actually taking struck her once more. Why people would behave like this, she could not understand. If you want to run, then you run, don't leave any doubt in between you and the action your heart tells you to take. Run the best you can.

Not fuelled by fear, but because that is the best course of action you see. What is there to be ashamed of? If you are stopped by shame from taking the action you know is best to take, then you will neither do it well nor will you be useful anywhere else. If you run without shame, from your heart, most likely you will succeed, as full effort is never undervalued or unappreciated in this world, no matter what direction it takes. If your heart tells you to hide, then hide and be the best at it.

And you will be the best at it if you do it from the heart. And you will succeed. If your heart tells you to help others — then help others. But if your heart tells you to hide but instead you try to help others, then you are going nowhere and will benefit no one, and most likely someone will have to come and save you and the people you are trying to help, or all of you will perish.

If instead you do what you truly want to do, then most likely you will not need saving, and those who save would have one fewer rescue on their hands. Or if you are so desperate to help others while all your heart wants is to take a different action, then at least honour it and help them in the same way as your heart tells — if you want to hide, then hide others with you.

It will never be as successful as fully following your heart, but at least you don't dishonour it completely, as by doing so, you will just bring more trouble to yourself and to those around you. Why people would honour one action above another, Rainee could not understand. What is the point of pretending? It was the same with Blake's mum. With all her heart, she wanted to go and hide somewhere, where no one could find her until safety returns. And she was free to do so, and she would probably succeed.

But she stayed here just because Blake didn't want to go with her… Why? … Rainee already knew the answer she would be given if she asked aloud. Because of love. Because of care for another. But what love and what care was it? If you love, you want to stay with those you love, not to keep them for yourself… If you love, you empower those you love, not subdue them to your own will…

If you care, you make sure that the subject of your care receives what they want; why instead force on them what you want and, on top of this abuse, tell them that it is because it is best for them… How can it be best for them if they don't want it?

Isn't it just simply saying that what you want for them is best and what they truly want is not important, or even brings pain to those who "suffer" from these wishes, when in reality, all that they do is just pursue their own preferences without any consideration for the other side. Blake wanted to stay; his mum wanted to leave.

But she stayed because he didn't leave with her, and now, if something happened to her while here, Blake would take it as directly his fault and would have a very hard time getting over that self-blame, when in reality, there would not be even a smidgen of his fault in it, as he repeatedly asked his mum to go, promising to find her afterwards. He had already been blamed so many times for being stubborn when, in reality, the one who was stubborn and unreasonable was his mum.

Rainee didn't know the reasons why Blake wanted to stay — she could only guess, but it was obvious that this decision was somehow related to her. There was only one way to find out, and she chose to use it.

"Why do you want to stay?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Because you are my friend and you are staying. So I will stay too," Blake said firmly.

"If I go to hide, I will not know what happens to you. Besides, you said that help will always come to those who ask."

"Yes, I did," Rainee smiled fondly at him.

"Even in such situations?"

"Even in such situations."

"Then all will be good," Blake said, full of trust and reassurance.

"It cannot be any other way," Rainee smiled at him again, thinking to herself that the "good" he meant and she meant might be very different. By saying "good," Blake probably was hoping that all would return to what it was before. Rainee didn't think that way, as events are brought to bring a change. But she strongly believed that where this change will take them will be a good place. In fact, a better place than it was up until now. Maybe very different, but still no less "good," no matter where they will end up.

That's how they stood there and watched this gathering in the distance. And it didn't promise anything good.

"Wouldn't it be a good time to ask for help?" Blake asked.

"Yes, it would be, and it is," Rainee gave him a short glance, supported with a warm smile. She returned her gaze back to the distance. There were more than a hundred people in the crowd now, and they didn't look either friendly or like travellers. They were not advancing towards the village anymore but stood quietly and waited for something or someone. Rainee would have liked it much more if they had simply attack. That would be more or less random, and defence against such an attack would be much easier.

But it wasn't the case, and all she could do was just watch and observe. Soon, more people arrived; among them, there were a few riders. One in the middle looked particularly disturbing, as even from here, you could see that he had more than two arms. Everyone in that crowd parted for the riders to give way and seemingly waited for commands.

The four-armed rider was looking intensely towards this pavilion, and Rainee could feel his gaze upon her, going right through her, as if checking her not only from outside, but from inside too.

"Should we call for help now?" Blake asked again with trepidation.

"I already did," Rainee answered.

"When are they coming?" Blake eagerly asked.

"Can they be quick not to arrive late?"

"Who?"

"The helpers." She looked back at him first with confusion, but soon, the confusion on her face changed back into a smile.

"I don't know if someone will come. It is not a message to someone. I don't have the means or ability to summon someone directly, also I don't have the authority to tell someone to come when I want, and even if I did, these people would have to be very close to come in time — even the King's Army cannot appear instantly on call."

"But you said you asked for help!!" Blake's voice sounded all panicky now.

"Yes, I did. I assessed the situation, and after realising that there was little chance that these people would leave without trying to harm us and there also were not many possible outcomes in which we would be able to withstand an attack if one came — and look, it is already coming — so I asked for help."

"But that means you just wished someone would come and help us! You didn't ask anyone directly. What if no one comes?!"

"Help always comes when you need it and ask for it. Never forget it and never doubt it. Only doubt can stop you from asking loudly enough."

"But what if no one comes?!"

"Help doesn't always come in the shape of a person. If you want to see a human helping you, then you should ask for it in the first place. But remember, I already told you, the more specific and picky you are, the more complicated it is for the world to fulfil your request. Help can come as a being or as an event, or as an outburst of strength, or as a lucky accident, or even as a gust of wind that brings sand into your opponent's eyes.

Or yours, if that is the help that you need," the last bit wasn't spoken aloud; it just flickered in her mind.

"But look how many of them are coming! What can wind or luck do? And what if there is no wind, and luck is on their side? What if no one else comes either?!!" Blake didn't look that confident anymore, and tears started to roll down his cheeks. He ducked to the ground to hug his dog for support and comfort.

"I don't want to die, I don't want Deamon to die, I don't want my mum to die… And you said yourself that you don't see any options to defeat all of them by yourself. What if you need a person's help and no one comes?!"

"Then there is no one in this world more suitable for the situation than the people who are already here… If no help comes, then there is no one capable or strong enough to provide you with the help you need…" She didn't look back at Blake anymore but was looking directly at the fifteen to twenty people approaching. First, they were walking quickly towards them; then they started to run breaking into a charge.

"They have come! Help has come!!" Blake's voice from behind made her turn around. A handful of strong, young people, armed with swords, approached from the village. All with eyes of steel and determination on their faces. Killing intent was rising from them together with some swear words: "damn demons," "send these killers to hell," and similar… Very determined, very angry and furious. One could see that they had had enough of the mist people. Someone as sensitive as Rainee was, could feel the pain too…

In fact, lots of pain, the pain of loss and despair. And thirst for revenge. Following these people, men from the village also came, as if inspired by these young men, and also driven by fear of losing their homes and the lives of people they loved. Blake looked overjoyed. He finally relaxed a bit and rose back to his feet.

"It worked! They have come! The help really came!"

"This isn't help…" Rainee said quietly, more to herself than to anyone else.

"This is a disaster…" But there was no time left to explain herself. The mist people were just a few steps away, and she swung her sword.