But I can't see into him and he turns away to face the open road.

            “Never ye mind. Ye'll tell in yer own time I'm sure. Why do ye think there ain't been a soul here to snatch us all to the queen's delightful company?” It is clear that this conversation is closed for now.

            “Probably because every time any soldiers get near us, they are sent running in terror from Annie and Danielle.” I and Isaias chuckle a bit and then I fall silently into thought.

            It has been a long day and most of my energy has been spent. In order to walk at all, I lean heavily on Isaias. To distract myself, I keep falling into a ridiculous game with myself. I continuously wish for things that range from the possible to the impossible. I wish that we find some animal to kill for more food soon. I wish that I could fly. I wish that Scelerisal had never been born. I wish that I could remember something, anything. I wish that I were as strong as Korin or Isaias. I wish-

            “Look out!” Isaias yells and knocks me to the ground. I fall hard and my breath is knocked out of me. Swords clash and I can’t stand. I can’t even lift my head to see what is going on. I am a failure, a failure to everything and everyone. Someone yells and I hear a grunt and someone lands on top of me. If I lacked the strength to stand before, I now have no chance of even attempting such a feat.   This is so humiliating! I try to raise an arm but I am lying on top of one, and the other is underneath some person’s body. I can’t even smack the ground in anger. Suddenly, there is silence. Near silence anyway. The only sound is that of wind, the forest, and heavy breathing. I desperately wish to look up but I cannot. I bite back anger. I don’t know whether or not to make a sound; whether it is friend or foe that has prevailed. For about five minutes, the only human sound is that of the heavy breathing. Then I hear footsteps in the snow, the sound of things being pulled over the ground, and muttering along with something jingling and all of it invisible to me as I stare into the cold, white snow in which my face is buried. The footsteps approach me and I close my eyes. First, the body is pulled off of me and I almost sigh in relief. An unfamiliar voice swears. Its owner is very near and I concentrate on being as still as I can. I’m not sure whether it is wise to play dead as it very doubtful that I can leave here on my own. But whoever is here attacked me and my companions and I don’t know what they would do to me if they found me alive.

            Do I hear sobbing? If I do, it only lasts a few seconds before a gentle arm props me up. I keep my eyes closed and my body limp. “Please, please, please not you too. Please.” Gloved fingers turn my face upwards, there is a pause and then a face is pressed to my chest. “At least you’re alive. Wake up! Please! Just open your eyes!” I suppose there is no more use in pretending anything so I open my eyes as requested and see a man’s tear streaked face peering intently into mine. The intensity is immediately replaced by immense joy he yells, “You’re fine!” and then, less loudly, “You are fine right?” I wish I had the strength to shake him away from me. Who is this person?

            “Why should I tell you anything about me? You don’t even have courtesy do introduce yourself.” Is want I want to say but all that comes out is, “Who?”

            He seems confused, “Who? Who is what?”

            This time I am able to spit out much more, “Who are you?”

            “What do you mean ‘who are you?’ don’t you know who I am? What have they done to you?” He looks, disgusted, shocked, and scared.

            “Answer the question please.” I am in no mood for anything but a direct answer.

            “I’m-I’m your partner. I just rescued you from what appears to be some of the queen’s people or at least one of them appears to be her’s and if one is, they all are right?.”

            “What’s your name?”

            “Tom.”

            “Ok, Tom, if you’re my partner, what’s my name?” My head is attempting to spin but I do my best to hold it in check. Things are trying very hard to make no sense at all. The only explanation I can find for this person’s strange behavior is that he is a person who found out about my amnesia and is trying to manipulate me. Unfortunately for my attempt at being levelheaded, his answer come with no hesitation and is even harder to make sense out of.

            “William, but we all call you Will. Why are you asking such pointless questions when we should get going? We don’t want anyone finding all of us here. Besides, you are sort of scaring me”

            “They aren’t pointless,” I say quietly, “and you came up with the wrong answer. My name is not, in fact, William or Will. Now what have you done with my friends?” He swallows and every other emotion in his face and eyes is gone but fear.

            “This can’t be happening. No!” He breathes deeply and then brings me to a tree that he props me sitting up against. Now that he is no longer all I see, I observe a bloody body next to where I had lain and my entire traveling party chained to trees unconscious. He sits next to me and stares deep into my face again. I hate it and wish that he would stop with the act. It is an act right?

            “So what now?” He asks, “Do I tell you everything or do you tell me what is wrong with you and why you’re acting like an enemy to all you ever stood for? Do I tell you that I searched three months to find you only to find you like this or do you tell me that you have been a spy all along? No, first, you tell me why you are acting so, so,” he gestures to the spot in the snow that marked where I first saw him, “like that. You know, at first I was worried that something might be wrong with you, but the more that I think about it, I just hope that you haven’t betrayed us.”