Chapter 2
"Sharon, I'm going with you," he said hastily as he crammed his clothes into a trunk. "You can't survive out there alone. You need a man." He drew himself up, proudly, humorously. "And I am a man." And I coughed elaborately.
It was my plan. Steal away into the night, dramatically.passionately. And now Bryan was holding me back, and I hated him for that. There was no time to lose. Sure he was a boy: A protector, but he can be annoying a lot of times. And a mere teenager is not a man. Not yet, anyhow.
"Okay, Bryan. But don't get in my way," I gave in, pretending to sigh, and then, I smiled.
"'Kay, then big boy. Let's go. Can't wait," I said heartily, swinging my food bag over my tired shoulders aching from bending down.
Bryan grinned and we went.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bryan was quiet most of the journey. It was very hard to decide which path we should take. I dared not go east, where bandits roamed most. Nor the south; there are trolls and ogres. And even, I thought to myself bitterly, 'No way am I going close to where my father died.' Yes, on a foolish mission to trade with the gnome village, Kguutcca. Never. Never am I going close to PeErrrghyu, the ogre village. I could not die. Not this young. Not if I could help it.
And if Bryan dies, I won't forgive myself as long as I live.
The thought surprised me, but I soon forgot it when we got to the Kyrrian Splits.
That name surprised me all the time. When my mother first told me, I thought of only split ends. you know, on hair. But I soon realized the importance of the place.
It wasn't as glorious as I thought it would be.
"You call this a spring?" cried out Bryan indignantly.
We had a right to be annoyed. Are water supply wasn't that lasting and we needed somewhere to fill it up again. Fortunately, we spared some of our stress into knowing that there was a perfect spring to fill everything.
And now there's a spring with horrible muddy water, the sides dripping with.toads?!?
"Eeeurgh," I moaned as I stepped on something.
Was it.No it wasn't..It was..the human skeleton?
'Don't get carried away with your imagination,' I warned myself in my head. 'Don't scare yourself.'
Which was impossible.
"This place, ogre infested," he said, in a low voice.
I let out a choke.
"Hush," he whispered, "They'll hear you."
I took a look at him, Bryan. His face was pale with anxiety and yet there was no other signs of fear painted on his face. "Listen," he said under his breath.
What was that? A cackle of laughter from somewhere not far away made me jump. They were having a feast.
On human flesh.
I gulped. "We're not the only ones here," I said, cautiously, pulling Bryan back as a band of ogres advanced forward from the bushes.
They were the ogres that never had the chance to join that feast.
"Sharon, I'm going with you," he said hastily as he crammed his clothes into a trunk. "You can't survive out there alone. You need a man." He drew himself up, proudly, humorously. "And I am a man." And I coughed elaborately.
It was my plan. Steal away into the night, dramatically.passionately. And now Bryan was holding me back, and I hated him for that. There was no time to lose. Sure he was a boy: A protector, but he can be annoying a lot of times. And a mere teenager is not a man. Not yet, anyhow.
"Okay, Bryan. But don't get in my way," I gave in, pretending to sigh, and then, I smiled.
"'Kay, then big boy. Let's go. Can't wait," I said heartily, swinging my food bag over my tired shoulders aching from bending down.
Bryan grinned and we went.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bryan was quiet most of the journey. It was very hard to decide which path we should take. I dared not go east, where bandits roamed most. Nor the south; there are trolls and ogres. And even, I thought to myself bitterly, 'No way am I going close to where my father died.' Yes, on a foolish mission to trade with the gnome village, Kguutcca. Never. Never am I going close to PeErrrghyu, the ogre village. I could not die. Not this young. Not if I could help it.
And if Bryan dies, I won't forgive myself as long as I live.
The thought surprised me, but I soon forgot it when we got to the Kyrrian Splits.
That name surprised me all the time. When my mother first told me, I thought of only split ends. you know, on hair. But I soon realized the importance of the place.
It wasn't as glorious as I thought it would be.
"You call this a spring?" cried out Bryan indignantly.
We had a right to be annoyed. Are water supply wasn't that lasting and we needed somewhere to fill it up again. Fortunately, we spared some of our stress into knowing that there was a perfect spring to fill everything.
And now there's a spring with horrible muddy water, the sides dripping with.toads?!?
"Eeeurgh," I moaned as I stepped on something.
Was it.No it wasn't..It was..the human skeleton?
'Don't get carried away with your imagination,' I warned myself in my head. 'Don't scare yourself.'
Which was impossible.
"This place, ogre infested," he said, in a low voice.
I let out a choke.
"Hush," he whispered, "They'll hear you."
I took a look at him, Bryan. His face was pale with anxiety and yet there was no other signs of fear painted on his face. "Listen," he said under his breath.
What was that? A cackle of laughter from somewhere not far away made me jump. They were having a feast.
On human flesh.
I gulped. "We're not the only ones here," I said, cautiously, pulling Bryan back as a band of ogres advanced forward from the bushes.
They were the ogres that never had the chance to join that feast.