32 Haven

After leaving Stormbringer to die, Ven's mind was full of thoughts. She was well aware that if things had played out only a bit differently, the roles might have been reversed. The mission she had chosen for herself would lead her down a thorny path.

She looked at Amon, cradled in her arms and reaffirmed her resolve. In time, she could make use of him to accomplish her goal. However, the time wasn't right to rope him to her side. He was still too loyal to the Ravens and their leader to aid her.

Converting him might be a though process, but she was confident that her path was the right one. As long as she was sincere in her approach, without revealing too much early on, he would come to agree with her.

With plans and ideas swivelling in her mind, Ven continued her journey to find help. After a while, her arms were numb from carrying the weight of the rather heavy Amon. She was much than an ordinary individual, but her restless advance was taking a toll on her.

Ven hadn't fully recovered from the impact of the crash, but she was still forced to exert great effort to help Amon. Her muscles were aching, and she wasn't sure how long had passed since she started walking.

A long while later, Ven saw daybreak on the horizon, and a jolt of dread filled her heart. She had walked for an entire night, and she hadn't seen any settlement. All around here were plains and smalls hills, with some trees sprinkled around the landscape.

Her eyelids were closing on their own, and Ven knew she was at the end of the rope. She exerted the last of her strength to put Amon on the ground gently. He had long since passed out from the pain. His breathing was still regular, albeit slow.

Ven sat next to him, before limply falling to the ground. She laid there, motionless, trying to hold on to the last strand of consciousness she could muster. She was well aware that if she also passed out, the two of them might not make it out alive.

However, hunger and exhaustion finally took their toll on Ven, and she couldn't hold on. She slowly drifted to sleep when she heard a shrill voice in the distance. She paid it little mind as she felt the cold embrace of the dark take hold of her.

A sweet aroma drifted in the air and was in Ven's nose. The smell immediately woke her up, her hunger stronger than the soft arms of Morpheus.

The first thing her eyes saw was the wooden ceiling above her head. She immediately realized that someone had taken custody of her, but she highly doubted that it was the Order. The soft lighting, comfortable temperature and the overall coziness of the room she was in didn't fit with her idea of a cell.

Similarly, there was no way for the Ravens to have retrieved them so fast, which left only one option. They had been rescued by civilians. This might be the best outcome as it would allow them to lay low while they recovered from their injuries.

Ven could hear some voices speaking softly in the room as if trying not to wake her up. She tried to discern what they were saying, but she couldn't make out their words. She decided that it would do her no good to pretend to be still asleep. Plus, she wanted to learn some more about where she was currently.

Ven let out a light groan as she propped herself up on the soft mattress. Her body was aching all over. Evidently, the soreness that she incurred from the crash was manifesting itself. Previously, she was able to ignore it due to the urgency of their situation. However, now that she was rested, she could feel the full brunt of her body's terrible condition.

She ignored the pain and adjusted her body in a forty-five-degree angle. She came face to face with a young man and a woman of similar age. She was in a small room, and Amon was laid on a bed next to her. A wooden nightstand separated the two beds.

The unadorned walls were made of brick, and there was a single door on the wall opposite of the two beds. A chair was next to Ven's bed, and the young woman was seated on it. She had a tray on her knees and was blowing on what seemed like porridge.

The man was standing behind her, a hand on her shoulder. The man was skinny and had a head full of light-brown hair. His features were gentle and revealed a lot of kindness. The woman was quite pretty, with her short hair and big eyes. She had a soft smile that grew larger when she saw Ven move.

The man hurried to Ven's side and adjusted her pillow to make sure she was comfortable. The woman then spoke in a melodious voice. "I hope you were able to sleep well despite our home being this modest. Wait a little bit, and this porridge will be cold enough for you to eat. It should be light enough to not upset your stomach."

For a moment, Ven was taken aback by the excellent treatment that the two were offering to her, a complete stranger. However, she wasn't in any condition to argue, so she nodded her head. She looked to Amon and asked the couple what was going on.

"Is my friend alright? He is gravely wounded and needs urgent medical care.

-Don't worry. Replied the man in a steady voice. My wife was a nurse, and she was able to give him primary care. We can't do anything about his broken bones, but as long as he rests long enough, I suspect he'll be fine.

-He already looks much better than he did two days ago, so I suspect his regenerative capabilities will allow him to pull through, added the woman.

-I see. That's good then. Can I ask where we are?

-My, how rude, exclaimed the woman. I am Marie, and this is my husband, Jared. We run a small independent orphanage outside of London. We found you two collapsed near the train tracks two days ago and brought you here. Luckily we had a free room."

Ven nodded as Marie spoke, but her body froze when she heard a small detail. Marie had said something similar earlier, but Ven had chalked it up to a misunderstanding on her part, but it seemed like it was true.

"Wait, so you mean to say that we've been sleeping for two whole days?

-Exactly, said the man with a faint laugh. It seems you were exhausted. You were in quite a bad shape when we found you two. For now, you should take time to rest and recover. Your condition was much better so you'll be able to get better in a few days. It'll be harder for your companion. He might even need physical therapy if he takes too long to wake.

-Is there anything I can do to repay you?

-For now, take care of yourself. It gets hard at time to manage an orphanage so we might request your help when you feel better."

Ven nodded her head once again, and the couple left the room. Marie left the porridge on the chair for Ven to help herself. The couple knew that she needed some time alone to process the information she was just given.

Without waiting for the food to be cool enough, Ven jumped on the bowl and devoured it in an instant. Fully aware that she couldn't move around too much, she went back to sleep.

For the next few days, Marie would come in the room a few times a day to bring food to Ven, help her to the bathroom and assist her with whatever she needed. She also fed Amon and periodically cleaned him.

Ven was grateful for her help, and the two women had gotten to know each other over the last few days. Ven also grabbed the opportunity to learn some more about the situation they were in. She learned that Marie's parents had died in an accident when she was still young. She was then raised by Jared's parents, and the two had fallen in love.

The couple decided to build an orphanage by themselves and run the place independently to help humanely raise children. The orphanage that the Order ran were notoriously poor in quality due to a lack of funding. The young couple wanted to give children an opportunity to have a good childhood despite their various circumstances.

Ven had not seen the children, but Marie told her that she instructed them to stay clear of the room to allow them a peaceful recovery. After nearly two weeks, Ven was finally well enough to walk by herself and Marie led her outside the room. As soon as she stepped out, Ven saw two dozen children in the corridor staring at her with curious eyes.