Windscript Volume 24, 2007-2008 - Saskatchewan Writers' Guild

The Magazine of Saskatchewan High School Writing
Cepra woke from his daydreams as an armed man came down the hallway. Cepra drew his gladius from his belt
and raised it.
“Disarm yourself!” the guard yelled at the man. The man hid his face in his cloak.
“Of course!” the man responded. He drew his weapons and tossed them on the ground. The man raised his cloak,
but not his hood, to show Cepra that he didn’t have any more weapons.
“Alright, approach!” Cepra told him. The man walked up to Cepra.
“I wish to see the oracle,” the man said.
“Oracle Vaura,” corrected Cepra. “Do you have an appointment?”
“No.”
Cepra checked the scroll containing Vaura’s timetable.
“She doesn’t have an appointment. I’ll go and tell her,” Cepra said.
“Good,” the man said. He pulled off his hood. Cepra instantly remembered the man as the customer Vaura had
prophesized to die. The pale man drew a knife and stabbed Cepra in the chest. Cepra went down to the ground,
blood staining his shirt. He dropped his gladius. Blackness took his sight and he heard the door being kicked
opened.
I’m dying, Cepra thought as the pain grew. He knew what the pale man was going to do. The man was going to kill
Vaura. Not her! Not her! Don’t let her die! She isn’t going to die! Cepra coughed and staggered up. His love
for Vaura overcame the pain in his chest. He looked down and saw that the dagger had sliced deep. Cepra grabbed
his gladius and stumbled into Vaura’s room.
Cepra entered Vaura’s room and pushed through the violet curtains. He found the oracle struggling against the
pale man as he tried to slash her throat. The pale man laughed as he overpowered her.
“You touch her again, and I’ll make sure her prophecy about you comes true!” warned Cepra. The guard raised
his gladius and advanced.
The pale man looked up and used Vaura as a hostage.
“I’ll kill her!” he screamed, and pulled away her cloak. Cepra barely registered her beauty, only seeing the fear in
her eyes.
“You…” growled Cepra. He wondered what he was going to do to save the woman he loved. The pale man raised
his dagger closer to Vaura’s throat. Cepra knew he had only one action. The guard threw his gladius to the ground
and raised his hands in defeat. Vaura’s eyes filled with more fear. Cepra’s heart felt as if he had been stabbed again.
The pale man laughed. The former customer pushed Vaura to the ground and rushed at Cepra. A grin spread
across Cepra’s face. He had always appreciated irony. Cepra drew his own dagger from his secret spot and stabbed
the pale man in the heart. The pale man coughed blood and stared at Cepra. He hadn’t had a chance to react.
Cepra staggered to Vaura to make sure she was okay.
“Are you alright?” he asked. His concern for her was clear, but he no longer cared about hiding his feelings. Vaura
nodded in response.
“Let me see your wound,” she asked. The oracle took out a box and treated Cepra’s wound.
“You better sit down, you’ve lost a lot of blood,” Vaura told him.
Cepra gathered Vaura’s cloak and handed it back to her. He sat down quickly as he felt dizzy. Vaura came over and
placed her necklace around his neck. Cepra froze at the display of love from her. Vaura came to him and hugged
him.
“I don’t think I’ll sleep after this,” Vaura said. “Poor man.” The oracle looked at the darkening sky. “Stay with
me…please.”
Cepra nodded and let himself smile.
“I’m here.”
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windScript volume 24