17. Karul

"Not much longer, now, sir," the driver announces.

I glower out the carriage window as we bump along the road, studiously avoiding looking at the one seated across from me. Ever since my damned nightmare at the inn, I"ve been unable to face her. Bad enough that I made a fool of myself waking up screaming and sweating - but did I really have to snap at her like that when she tried to comfort me?

Am I really so insufferable?

I know we must be getting close to her hometown based on the descriptions she shared during our journey here - her eyes lit up as she spoke of the babbling creek and old willow tree marking the village outskirts.

But as I take in the increasingly grim landscape outside - charred stumps beginning to replace the verdant forest - a sense of foreboding curdles in my gut. Jasmine seems to share my fear. Her shoulders tense as she leans closer to the glass.

"No, it can"t be..." she murmurs, panic creeping into her voice as the carriage trundles over the crest of a hill. She gasps, hand flying to her mouth at the sight laid out before us. My heart drops into my boots.

When the carriage pulls into what used to be Jasmine"s hometown, I"m struck speechless by the sight before me. Where a cheerful village should sit nestled in the valley, there is only a wasteland of ash and cinders.

Skeletal building frames rear up out of the destruction like the bones of some ancient beast. Jasmine lets out a low, keen, grief-stricken sound slicing to my core. Smoldering timber frames and piles of ash are all that remain of the simple thatch-roofed cottages.

The land looks almost unrecognizable compared to the bubbly descriptions Jasmine shared with me on the journey here. "No, no, no," Jasmine mumbles, staring out the window. "It can't be…"

I follow her gaze and spot the first signs of destruction - a crumbling chimney and scorched frames of buildings. My stomach sinks.

She shakes her head in denial. "This can"t be right. This can"t be my home."

The carriage pulls into the center of town if you can even call this blasted wasteland that anymore. Jasmine releases a pained cry at the sight.

"No! It"s...it"s all gone," she whispers, hand flying to her mouth. Tears spill down her cheeks.

As she turns to me wounded, I don"t know what to say, as this poor, sweet delicate thing looks to me for guidance and comfort and answers. Yet, there are no answers I can give her. And so I simply stand witness, letting her tears wet my tunic as she clings to me. I smooth back her hair, offering the only comfort left to give - my presence.

Jasmine collapses against my chest, choking out great heaving sobs that wrack her slender frame.

"There, there, my dear," I say, awkwardly patting her head as one might an anxious pet. "No need for all this hopeless blubbering." Hmm, perhaps a bit too callous? I try again in a gentler tone and lift her chin, looking into her tear-filled eyes. "I"m so sorry, that was thoughtless of me," I say sincerely. "Of course, you have every right to grieve."

This draws a hiccuping sob from Jasmine, and she buries her face in my chest again.

Blast it all! I"m just making matters worse! So long living under father's rule it's hard to feel for yet another razed village.

I stroke her hair and back, trying a different tack. "Okay, okay, we"ve got this all right?" I say in a soft, steady voice. I curse myself for being so jaded. "All we need is a plan of action. Anything in the world can be solved by a solid plan of action."

At this, Jasmine pulls back to look up at me, her lower lip still quivering.

"Let"s go to the nearest garrison and see if we can learn anything about what happened here."

Jasmine grasps my hand, hope flickering across her face. "You would do that for me?"

"Of course," I reply without hesitation. "I said I would help you get to the bottom of this, and I meant it. We"ll go to the garrison and ask questions. Maybe someone there knows something about survivors."

"Oh, thank you!" Jasmine cries, throwing her arms around me. "I just know we"ll find them. I can feel it!"

As I look down at Jasmine"s tear-stained face, her eyes still holding a faint glimmer of hope despite enduring this horrific loss, I feel another unwelcome pang of warmth blossom in my chest.

Damn it all, I"m growing soft!

Vengeance now behind me, I have greatly softened, and here I am pandering to this sweet, delicate creature. I mentally curse myself as I feel my heart constrict seeing her sorrow. I shouldn"t be allowing myself to feel this way. Caring only leads to agony in the end. I learned that lesson the hardest way possible.

But despite my misgivings, I can"t seem to steel myself against her. Try as I might to fortify my defenses, she has slipped past them again and again, leaving me exposed.

She deserves someone better than a broken, vengeance-driven bastard like me. I don"t deserve the light she brings into my darkened soul.

But spirits help me. I can"t stop myself from falling all the same.

My blackened heart beats only for you, my darling girl.

Hand in hand, we slowly make our way back to the carriage. I help her inside, her steps heavy with grief and disbelief. As the carriage rumbles down the pitted road away from the destroyed village, she stares numbly out the window.

Seeing the devastation fading in the distance seems to make it fully sink in.

Her home is gone.

I reach across the space between us and take her delicate hand in mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She turns her head to look at me, eyes glistening. "We"ll get answers," I promise her. "I know it"s hard to have hope right now, but we will find out what happened."

Jasmine nods, clinging to my hand like it"s her lifeline. We travel in silence for some time before coming upon the nearest dark elf garrison. An imposing stone structure flanked by banners bearing the royal crest.

I help her down from the carriage and keep an arm around her shoulders as we walk inside. The guards eye us suspiciously until I inform them we are here seeking information about a human village that was destroyed. One disappears to fetch the captain, while the other leads us to an empty chamber to wait.

"I am Captain Theron. I"m told you"re inquiring about that human village that was destroyed?"

I explain it was Jasmine"s hometown and we are searching for clues about what happened and if there were any survivors. The captain nods. "Ah yes, a great pity what happened there. A marauding band of orcs from the Shadowglade forests saw it ripe for picking."

Jasmine gasps softly. I squeeze her hand in support.

"It was utter devastation," the captain continues. "Those beasts left nothing standing. They slaughtered every villager they could find. Sadly, none survived their onslaught."

I feel Jasmine sway slightly, the meager hope she was clinging to vanishing. I steady her with a gentle touch on her waist.

"You are certain there were no survivors at all?" I press.

The captain shakes his head. "None. We arrived too late. The orcs had already vanished back into the woods, leaving only death behind them."

Jasmine emits a low, wounded cry, hiding her face in my shoulder. My heart aches for her.

"The clan, we don't even know their names, but an ancient order, more vicious and vile?—"

I hold up a hand to stop the captain from elaborating further on the orcs" atrocities. "That"s enough. Please, she cannot bear any more."

But it"s too late. Everything hits her at once; she lets out a faint cry and goes limp in my arms. I scoop her up before she hits the stone floor. The captain leads us to an empty room where Jasmine can recover from her fainting spell. I delicately move her hair away from her pale face.

A healer arrives shortly after to examine her. Following a thorough examination, the healer confirms that Jasmine merely fainted as a result of the tremendous shock and grief from the devastating loss of her entire family and hometown.

"Her spirit is deeply wounded," the healer says with a tone of sorrow. "Such trauma would devastate anyone."

I nod, gazing down at Jasmine"s fragile form. Why must she suffer so? She looks impossibly small and delicate lying there. I despise feeling this helpless - I wish I could shield her from this agony.

The healer excuses himself, recommending rest and care. I pull a chair to her bedside, keeping vigil as she sleeps. Occasionally, a whimper or tear escapes her unconscious state.

My heart aches to see her in such distress. But I shall remain steadfast by her side until she wakes. When she finally stirs sometime later, I take her hand gently in mine.

"Jasmine? Can you hear me?" I ask softly.

Her eyes blink open, still clouded with pain. "Karul?" she croaks. "Is it...is it really all gone?"

I nod sadly, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. "I"m afraid so, my dear."

Overwhelmed with emotion, a fresh sob breaks free from her throat. I smooth her hair back from her tear-stained face.

"Everyone is gone..." she whispers hoarsely. "My family, my friends... I"m all alone now."

I feel her small body tremble with renewed grief. Without conscious thought, I embrace her more tightly, as if I can hold her fragile pieces together.

"I know," I murmur, my voice thick with emotion. "Hope is the cruelest thing sometimes."