It was the twenty-fifth of the third Shift, of the Section of Reward, and the new two hundred and fifty years in the Stering calendar was close.
The village people seemed like they could dance, happiness radiated from every person.
Cassian was with Cele and Daniel; they too were happy—as happy as they could be. The reason Daniel had stopped attending training was because of the death of Dalia. He had been the first to know, for he inherited her water ability, which he didn't take lightly. Days he spent in bed with a high fever just for inheriting it.
But it was not only Dalia that had died. Jeremy, Captain Lucas, and every man Cassian had met in the seven days it took for them to reach the village. Lucas was supposed to be Cassian's uncle, yet he barely knew him, so it didn't affect him much. Dalia's death affected him more.
They were all killed by dragon fire, so there had been no bodies to bury, just ash.
And though many families had lost a loved one, that couldn't stop the festivities that was the Reward Day. Everyone was ready for it. Three pigs and two cows were given by Lord Roberto for all to share and feast.
For the young boys, activities at the barracks had stopped, but there was no stop to work—helping the farmers move crops, trying to catch the pigs and cows the Lord had given as well.
In which case Ezo and Cassian weren't allowed to get close to the animals. The mere sight of them made the beasts go crazy and run, causing the death of a calf that tried to flee and kill itself with the loop around its neck and suffocate.
The calf had been too young to eat, but Ezo still took the body, hoisted it onto his back, and carried it away.
But today the three of them had nothing to do, so they were going towards the creek. As they left the center of the village, the once clear road became a little trail, houses left behind now changed by the green of trees.
"I know a place where the water is deeper," said Daniel, "We should go there."
"I'm not sure. Last time I tried to swim there, the older boys would start sending you away." Cele didn't look convinced with Daniel's proposal.
"Let them try. We have you, Cele. Just let a little fire to scare them, and you'll see." Cassian noticed how Daniel's confidence had grown this last Shift. He was no longer the scared boy. Maybe it was because of his inherited ability… or Cele.
"What do you think, Cassian?" asked Cele. She really looked like she didn't want to go there.
"Let's go, I want to see the small rock wall the other boys had built to make it deeper." He really did, even the other Cassian emotions seemed thrilled for it—what man didn't like a good wall? A boy in his case.
"Alright then, but you're gonna regret it." She pouted and started walking a little faster. She was still two years older than Cassian and as such taller, so it was hard to keep her pace. It was a comical sight, like that of a little brother who always followed the older sister.
When they reached the creek, roars could be heard as kids cheered for the boy jumping from the root of an old tree that lay a few meters above the water. A splash went up as the kid hit the water. Kids were running by the bank; one of them screamed an obscenity as his foot met the spike of a rock, and the ones he had tried to catch started laughing at him.
Cassian couldn't help but let a small smile at the sight.
"Seems fun! Let's go, Sian." Daniel caught Cassian's arm and ran towards the root the boy had jumped from, and new kids were jumping.
Without thinking twice, Daniel made a run for it, but his bravery was met with pain. The root was wet from the water kids had dropped from the wet of their clothes. Daniel fell over and hit his face. Now he was out of the water, the shirt he had removed in a breeze now in his nostrils trying to stop the bleeding and covering the embarrassment.
Cassian left him behind and made his way toward the small rock wall. "Wall" might have been too generous of a name—they were only a bunch of rocks piled on top of one another. The water still flowed over and through the holes between the rocks. From the side, water fell like a tiny waterfall.
Still, it did the job, and this area was indeed more deep.
Then Cassian heard a loud sound, like rock striking rock—sharp and flat. The sound came from farther down the creek and caught his curiosity. He needed to know what it was.
Walking carefully to avoid sharp stones and pushing aside branches, he found Cele with other kids lifting rocks and dropping them onto those in the water, causing the noise.
"What are you doing?" asked Cassian, curious as to why they were making such loud sounds.
"Catching fish," said Cele.
"Fish? What kind?" Still bewildered. What kind of fish could they catch by hitting rocks?
"The little ones. Those that hide under the rocks. Look—Silas got one." Cele pointed at a green-mossed rock. On top of it was a tiny gray fish, barely visible as its scales reflected the light.
"Isn't that too small? You could eat it in a single bite." Confronted Cassian. What could she do with those little things? If she really wanted to fill her belly, how many would she need?
But Cele gave him a look as if he were the strange one. "We're not going to eat it. It's a competition to see who catches the most." She replied.
"Oh…" Cassian said, feeling a little foolish. "Can I participate?" asked Cassian.
"Do it, but you're going to lose," Cele smirked.
With that, he picked a clearer spot—here the mud wasn't stirred up by rocks crashing. But Cassian was not planning to play by their rules. First with his ability to control ground, he made a hole in the bank that he later connected to the creek, and water filled it. Then with his eyes, he saw the way the current moved, and changed it by putting rock so water flowed to the hole he had made.
One by one, fish started to be trapped in his little scheme. When he counted around seven he sealed off the connection. And then the final part of his plan: With his water ability, he created a spinning current in the pool. The little fish swirled around, soon either dead or unconscious—none of them moving.
Cassian took them out and put them on top of a rock like trophies for all to see. But trophies have more value when you have someone to show off, and the sound of rocks breaking one another could still be heard. So to Cele he went.
When he reached her, he saw sweat down her gray skin, mud covering her hands, and even some smeared onto her head from wiping at the sweat.
"How many did you catch?" Cassian asked, holding back a smirk. At the question Cele's face brightened with a smile and arrogance in her eyes.
"Three," she said with her fingers close to Cassian's face. "Even Silas who was winning still only has the same fish. What about you, Sian? Got something?"
Cassian shrugged his shoulder with little confidence, and in turn Cele seemed to grow more delighted.
"Shouldn't we go back? We already spent too long here. Eduardo told me to meet him before Yellow," said Cassian.
Cele nodded and held up her palm. In it, a small flame appeared. The bottom was orange but the rest was a light yellow. Cele saw the small flame with a brow. "Yes, we should leave. Mom also told me to not spend too much time at the creek."
As the two were walking up the bank, Cassian poked Cele's back.
She turned. "What now?"
Cassian with the same finger pointed toward a rock speckled with glimmering shapes. Cele, curious, got close, and when she could distinguish what it was, Cassian was already running, and she sprinting behind him.