Vultures followed the wind; the scent, it called them. From afar came an alluring aroma, carrying a promise- to sate their starving stomachs, keep them full for days.

For far too long they had pecked at leftovers, hunted minor prey, watched the burnt bodies from the holy touch recede to the underground. But this time, nature was calling them. A feast for their devouring laid somewhere beyond the hills.

Little William looked at the sky to see all the vultures flock together and fly away in a certain direction. He had his wet towel wrapped around on his head. Surely it would protect him from the heat of the day better than any cap!

"William!" a voice called.

"What is it Sammy?" He shouted back.

"Jonathan is going on an adventure! Let's persuade him to bring us along!"

"Oh! Let's go!" William said on impulse. He was surely not going to miss this! Sammy had started running towards Jonathan's hut, and it took only a moment for William to catch up to his fellow 6-year old, their short steps giving them an impression as that of scurrying mice, their little footprints marking the soil with a steady yet imperfect groove.

Grace helped Jonathan pack his belongings. She was glad that her friend had finally recovered from the suffering they were both sharing internally and had finally cheered up. It always made her world a little brighter to see him smiling.

At the moment, he was busy arranging various items. He had chosen a wide range of things as gifts for the ones he was about to visit.

Grace handed him a cloth, and he took it instinctively, without so much as looking to the side, and used it to clean the various sized pots that stood before him.

He had hand-painted them with mesmerising designs. She had accompanied him all evening the day before and helped him with the process.

"Jonathan!" A voice yelled, high in pitch. "Can you take us with you?" Little William was adamant on being on the wagon, and he did not forget about the other boy standing beside him, eyes shining like the stars, to be on this expedition.

"I'm sorry, William. Why don't you ask Martha or Beatrice? They'd take you to the cliffs for a change. You haven't been up there in a while. It would be nice." Jonathan paused his work to look at them. "I can't take you with me, the reason being-" he exhaled, "-this is our maiden voyage. We don't know what obstacles or even dangers that lie in our path. Only the ones who are skilled, trained and able, would accompany me. But I promise you! If the journey is smooth with no hurdles, I will surely bring you along next time! But don't let the other kids on this. The wagon can't fit you all." He grinned and resumed his work.

Grace admired his way of talking. It was so well delivered. She could see the two boys a bit sad, yet accepting the reason. It was magical how his words could work so well at times.

"As soon as Jonathan has departed with the others, I will come play with you." Grace offered to them, smiling and ruffling both their heads.

"Thank you Gracie!" They jumped excitedly and then ran outside.

As she watched them exit the door she said, "We sure know how to deal with them." Her voice carried the smile with it.

"Yeah," Jonathan chuckled and patted her shoulder, then pulled her in close for a sidewise embrace.

It was a rather windy day. Despite the heat, they didn't feel nearly as bad as before. Because of it, the wet clothes had dried up in no time.

Five of them were going for the trip, and Grace plucked the new dried clothes from the rope where they were hanging, each belonging to each of them respectively.

"All ready! Go, distribute these." Grace set the pile on Mary's hand who quickly went to each of their houses and handed their respective clothings over.

Grace entered her hut and got changed. The new clothes were comfortable and it felt good to wear something new after months of wearing the same. After quite a while they had had a good produce, and because of it they all had got all these new items.

When Grace came out of her hut, she found the others readying the wagon. Orlando was already there brushing the mules, while Martha fed them with a heavy meal this time. Jonathan and Mary were just coming out and a short while later, Beatrice joined them as well.

"It would be quite a burden on you. I hope you can manage," Grace said to Martha, who confidently nodded that it would be fine.

"It's not like I'm the only one," she stated. Quite true. She had a good number of henchmen in her arsenal.

Grace smiled. "We would be departing then. Stay safe." She patted her shoulder and took off to the carriage where Orlando, Mary, Jonathan and Beatrice sat ready.

She sat beside Beatrice opposite to the siblings.

"Alright then. Let's go!" Orlando whipped the mules, making them neigh loudly and gallop towards their destination.

"Yeah, so this is the way to Sepiden, and to go from there to the mountain village would have taken us nearly two days. But through this path, we follow a nearly straight line, and only wind up the ways uphill after arriving at the junction where that path from Sepiden connects as well. Looks like a triangle, see?" Jonathan showed them the map with much enthusiasm.

It had contours and other topographical details and looked rather intimidating at first glance.

Grace asked, "So how long would this path take us?" She hunched over.

"Exactly a day, or maybe a bit more if we choose to take rest in between," Jonathan said, closing the Book of Salvation. The path was rocky and the wagon was constantly rattled by jerking.

"So, like this village, are their others? Is any showed on the map?" Grace continued. The map had certainly fascinated her.

"Oh there are several! In fact there must be a settlement a little ways north. We would cross it and should be able to see it close in the distance." Jonathan looked outside, right through the gap made by the heads of Grace and Beatrice. Grace looked out as well. The view was rather the same, only difference being that the canyon hills seemed to get higher and more rigged.

"This is definitely something unexpected." Orlando smirked and scoffed simultaneously. "This is what you had wanted, right buddy? Discovery!" He laughed heartily.

"It does get me rather excited, Orlando," Grace heard Beatrice say from her side. She was smiling. "I wonder what new kinds of things we are about to see!"

"Hopefully, we would be able to get a lot of new information as well," Jonathan said, having a determined look on his face.

"I'm intrigued to see what other kinds of crops they have there, and how their way of life is!" Mary said, her head kept on Jonathan's shoulder, excitement seeping through her words.

"Yeah, as I told you, Mary, she definitely had a dress like nothing I had ever seen! It was-" Jonathan was suddenly cut off when a massive blast hit the wagon.

One moment they were fine, gradually closing in on their destination, the other, they fell out of their seats, the wagon almost out of control- tipping over.

Grace was startled and the mules kicked in all different directions, getting agitated and scared. "Easy! Easy!" Orlando was screaming.

Then to Grace's horror, Beatrice was suddenly pulled up by strong hands that emerged right from her side and put into a large sack that was thrown over her head, or rather her body was thrown into it headfirst.

"What is happening! Who are you-" Grace could only say so much before getting bagged herself.

After what felt like an eternity, Grace was able to see the light again. She heaved in a deep breath of air as the sack covering her body was pulled off.

She was now tied at the wrists and she saw the others try and break free, only to give up soon after. The knot was too secure. It was fruitless.

Grace found herself looking at how they were all sat in a line against a wooden slab, their backs pressed on to it and their heads protruding up.

"Welcome!" suddenly said a voice. It was supposedly the leader of the group who had ostensibly kidnapped them, throwing his hands off to the sides. He had ragged clothing, and dreadlocks for hair.

"What are you doing? Why are we all tied up?" Grace said all concerned and worried about what might happen next. What was the meaning of this abduction?

"Oh, don't worry, sweetie. We are here to strike a deal," he said glinting a smile at Grace, who didn't find it pleasing, and was scared even more. It felt evil.

"Oh really?" Orlando began. "Because, right off the get go, your methods seem to be unfair."

The leader scoffed back at him. "This boy knows how to talk. Well, be it that way. We are adamant and determined. What we want cannot be negotiated with," he said, putting his hands on the waist and taking a seat. He was no older than Orlando himself.

"Whatever it is, it can't be finalised. This is no way to treat your benefactors," Orlando said without a second thought, without even a glimmer of fear or being intimidated.

The leader tensed and his jaw tightened. "Believe me, you don't want to go there," he said rather vehemently to Orlando. He then turned around and called someone.

"This boy right here?" He pointed at the boy who came running to his side, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "He knows your whereabouts. That is, now we know your whereabouts. He kept an eye on you while you were off for Sepiden, all the way back to your village." He smiled maliciously. "If you choose not to comply with us, we will set fire to your crops. Surely you would not want that, would you?!" He screamed. "We mean it! While you clutch yourselves and cry in your beds, all your produce would be reduced to ashes." The words were like venom dripping from his lips.

Horror descended on the captives, and Grace could see them being terrified of such a situation.

"What is it that you want?!" She shouted with blurry eyes.

His expressions softened. "There." He smiled. "What we want is very meagre in comparison. We want in. We need you to parcel us into Sepiden."

"What?" Grace said with disbelief and looked at the others as they exchanged worrying glances.

"Why?" Mary asked, too afraid to enquire anything elaborate.

The young man laughed. "Why? Can't you guess?"

"Protection from the elements?" Beatrice spoke. "But, that's unfair and illogical. How do you expect us to take you all inside? How can you get in even by force? They outnumber you by hundreds, if not thousands."

"Parcel you into Sepiden..." Jonathan seemed to repeat the words to himself more than anybody else. Then he looked up. "How can that be?" A whole village in a single shipment? How can a single carriage suffice? And the question does not arise in the first place. The goods are checked. There can't be smuggling of people like this. We would be caught soon after we enter! And if that were to happen, we would be punished! We can't even deliver the produce-"

"Shut up!" The leader barked back. "I said no negotiations!" He spat the words right to his face.

"Hold on." A different voice said from somewhere behind them. Grace tried to turn around but failed to get a proper view.

"What is it?" The young man said derisively, turning around.

"This aura... This should not be... It cannot be!"

"What aura? What are you talking about?" His face suddenly turned pale.

"The dark aura. Their eyes," the voice was horrified. It was a girl's voice. A young girl. But what was she saying?

"This is bad news-" his voice was cut off when he saw Orlando slide out of his constraints.

Grace spotted it. A knife in Orlando's hand. She remembered. He always carries that with him. She smiled brightly.

"You don't want to do this the hard way. I'm stronger than I look," Orlando threatened.

"Leave them and run!" The girl called out. All the others surrounding them backed off and ran to their houses.

Orlando cut all the other ropes that tied each of them. "Huh, that was pure cowardice. Not even a little fight? I'm disappointed." He snickered.

"You always look for an opportunity to get your hands dirty." Beatrice smacked him as soon as she was free.

"No, that is not it," Grace spoke.

Jonathan looked at her, and she felt him reading through her troubled state. "What is it, Grace?"

"It's not that they are cowards. They outright declared their desperation to get into Sepiden. That action can't be undertaken by cowards."

"Right...but you surely mean more than that," Jonathan said, in a level voice.

Grace looked right at him. "I-I do. The voice. The girl's voice. Did you hear what she said?"

"What-" Suddenly his eyes opened wide.

"She mentioned our eyes. How could she see them when our backs were faced to her?"

Silence.

Nobody could counter that.

How was it even possible?

Grace could tell that none of them had paid a close attention to her words. They were all too occupied with the situation.

"And more importantly-" she gulped and said a bit slowly, for the next words she was about to utter instilled terror into her very being.

"-what is this...'dark aura'?"