Chapter 5
How long I stood there and stared at the letter I know not. But I do remember Adelio nudging me and commanding me to open it.
The letter was in my teacher's hand. It started out with the phrase "Well, my dear Ophelia, I know that if you are reading this then I am dead, and I take great comfort in knowing that all my years of teaching you have not been in vain (for how else could you have discovered the letter but to open this journal?)."
"Typical!" I muttered with disgust. He was always one step ahead. It was what he prided himself on. And even after his death, he was still one step ahead.
His death. How could I think of it so lightly? I gave myself a hard mental kick and resumed reading the letter.
Some of the portions of the letter were unimportant, but the general meaning (as he expressed in five and one half pages of writing) was that I must finish a job that he had never finished.
"He has killed me, Ophelia. You know who he is, I am sure. Go to my house in Bast. Do not let your intentions be known, in fact, do not travel under your real name. I'm sure that some of my lessons on disguising have reached you, so please put them into practice! When you reach Bast, go to the back stairwell (in the servant's quarters). Fourth stair up with a crowbar should do the trick. Send the information to the appropriate court, and for goodness' sake, be careful!"
I finished the letter and stared at if for a few seconds before folding it up. I had much to do and little time to do it in.
"Well? What does it say?" Adelio asked. I handed him the letter. "What does it say?" he asked again, "You know I don't understand Ogrese."
"What? Oh!" I said with some confusion. It had completely escaped my notice that the letter was written in that language, although it was a smart move. Very few humans (or ogres for that matter) can read Ogrese.
I read the important passages aloud. The gentlemen listened in silence as I translated for them, concentrating on each word that flew from my mouth.
I looked up after finishing the letter for the second time and caught myself in a deep gaze of Adelio. He looked at me intently for a few, brief seconds that felt like eternity and with such a gaze that burned me. His look told me plainly what he wanted. It was far from what I wanted. I knew who was going to win this argument.
"How long?" I asked.
"Three hours," was the reply.
"That long?" I said, struck by disbelief.
"Yes. Do you know what to do?"
"Of course, you get what you need," I responded. He gave a slight nod in my direction before turning and leaving the clearing. I stood gazing where he had left for a few seconds, and then came to my senses and, folding the letter, walked over to my side of the camp.
"What is going on?" Osian asked.
"I'm packing, you heard what the letter said. I must go to Bast," I said, grabbing the necessary fighting equipment and looking around for some clothes.
"I'm coming with you," he said.
"No, you are not," I replied. It was really rather monotonous. That was the second time that that conversation had taken place that day.
"I am not arguing with you, I am going."
"You are not going!" I nearly shouted. "What gives you the right? You don't even know me! I don't even know you! All I know about you is that you are the heir to the throne of Kyrria! And speaking of the royal family, such as we are, what exactly do you think they will say once they learn that you've decided to go gallivanting off on a dangerous adventure that has nothing to do with you? Do you hear me? You are not going!"
He looked at me with an even temperament. "Adelio is going."
"Adelio is a close friend. And I don't want him to go. But I know I can't stop him, and I know he had got my back when it counts the most," I told him.
He said nothing; he just looked at me with a rather unnerving stare.
"Look I'm sorry I yelled at you, but you are not going."
"I must be loosing my touch," I thought. I then cracked.
"Fine, you can go. But," I added as he showed signs of gratitude, "if, for any reason, you let Adelio and myself down, we leave you. It will be your job to find some way home. We will not baby-sit you. And, you had better be prepared for everything."
"Of course. When do we leave?"
I informed him to come back in just under three hours, if he could manage it. If not, we would
"Leave me?" he guessed. He guessed correctly. "Don't worry, I will be back." With that he turned and left, leaving me to organize and pack supplies.
I must have repacked my bag so many times I had packed every object in the camp at least twice. By the time the boys got back, I had finally finished. Adelio looked calm, a little nervous but for the most part composed. Osian was out of breath. It was understandable, considering he must have had to run if he were to make it back in time. At the last moment, I grabbed my teacher's journal, to occupy my mind at night. I was hoping to break the code.
Very little was spoken that day. I briefly asked Adelio if he had had any trouble in obtaining supplies, which of course he hadn't, and Osian how on earth he had managed to convince his parents to let him go.
"I managed. You have nothing to worry about," he said in a tone that implied that no further discussion on the topic was necessary.
Halfway through our afternoon walk we came to a man who needed medical attention. His leg had been run over by his cart. Adelio and I were posing as traveling doctors, and Osian was our assistant. I was the only one with any real medical training, but having a female as the leader of the group wasn't proper, and we did not need any more attention.
"Can we help?" Adelio asked. His wife, who was kneeling at his side, looked up with such a look of praise I felt s pang in my heart, as if I had run over this man's leg.
Adelio asked the woman for some space and I examined the man. Osian gave him a little bit of medicine to dull the pain and wiped talked quietly with the man as I wrapped the leg tightly with a bandage.
As I helped the man back to his house (luckily not too far away) I explained to the woman that he had not broken a bone, but bruised it. She was upset until I explained to her that he was fortunate in this regard, but must still not do any walking or standing for two weeks. She thanked me profusely and paid me.
Nothing much of interest happened for the rest of the day. We stopped to camp soon after the sun went down, and set up a small fire. Hopefully, we would be able to stay in an inn tomorrow. After a dinner that I had foraged for, Adelio went off to an early rest. I then felt free to ask Osian a question that had been burning in my brain.
"What did you talk to that man about?"
He looked at me curiously and answered. "Not much. I just told him he was going to be fine and asked after his family."
"Do you know him!" I bolted upright, alarmed.
"No, but I figured anything to keep his mind off of his pain. And it worked too."
I nodded. I was too tired to work on the code of my teacher's journal, so I took out his letter instead, and reread it. Tears swelled in my eyes, and I couldn't help it. I turned away to the blazing fire, wiping my tears away. I felt two hands on my shoulders, and heard Osian speak.
"Ophelia?" he asked. The sensitivity in his voice was shocking.
"What do you want?" I said, irritated. I could not help it, but I could not control my feelings. Here I was, crying and getting mad at the same time. I was half pixie, wasn't I?
He turned me around to face him. I looked into his eyes, stubborn. He looked back with that same even look he had used countless times before. I burst into tears and buried my face to his chest. I cried for the first time since my parents had died, and he held me in his arms and rocked me gently, stroking my hair.
*Author's Note(s): I hope that wasn't too much of a cliffhanger. Sorry it took so long and that this chapter is short and pathetic. I've just been really busy and kinda hit a writer's block because of it. Thanks for the reviews! And btw: the whole fallow/ follow thing: Dincristeil, you are right. Follow is to go after. Sorry for the mix-up, but fallow is actually a word that means uncultivated, so my spell checker didn't catch that, and I didn't notice it when I was reading through it. So, thanks for reading, and please review with ideas or comments or anything!*
How long I stood there and stared at the letter I know not. But I do remember Adelio nudging me and commanding me to open it.
The letter was in my teacher's hand. It started out with the phrase "Well, my dear Ophelia, I know that if you are reading this then I am dead, and I take great comfort in knowing that all my years of teaching you have not been in vain (for how else could you have discovered the letter but to open this journal?)."
"Typical!" I muttered with disgust. He was always one step ahead. It was what he prided himself on. And even after his death, he was still one step ahead.
His death. How could I think of it so lightly? I gave myself a hard mental kick and resumed reading the letter.
Some of the portions of the letter were unimportant, but the general meaning (as he expressed in five and one half pages of writing) was that I must finish a job that he had never finished.
"He has killed me, Ophelia. You know who he is, I am sure. Go to my house in Bast. Do not let your intentions be known, in fact, do not travel under your real name. I'm sure that some of my lessons on disguising have reached you, so please put them into practice! When you reach Bast, go to the back stairwell (in the servant's quarters). Fourth stair up with a crowbar should do the trick. Send the information to the appropriate court, and for goodness' sake, be careful!"
I finished the letter and stared at if for a few seconds before folding it up. I had much to do and little time to do it in.
"Well? What does it say?" Adelio asked. I handed him the letter. "What does it say?" he asked again, "You know I don't understand Ogrese."
"What? Oh!" I said with some confusion. It had completely escaped my notice that the letter was written in that language, although it was a smart move. Very few humans (or ogres for that matter) can read Ogrese.
I read the important passages aloud. The gentlemen listened in silence as I translated for them, concentrating on each word that flew from my mouth.
I looked up after finishing the letter for the second time and caught myself in a deep gaze of Adelio. He looked at me intently for a few, brief seconds that felt like eternity and with such a gaze that burned me. His look told me plainly what he wanted. It was far from what I wanted. I knew who was going to win this argument.
"How long?" I asked.
"Three hours," was the reply.
"That long?" I said, struck by disbelief.
"Yes. Do you know what to do?"
"Of course, you get what you need," I responded. He gave a slight nod in my direction before turning and leaving the clearing. I stood gazing where he had left for a few seconds, and then came to my senses and, folding the letter, walked over to my side of the camp.
"What is going on?" Osian asked.
"I'm packing, you heard what the letter said. I must go to Bast," I said, grabbing the necessary fighting equipment and looking around for some clothes.
"I'm coming with you," he said.
"No, you are not," I replied. It was really rather monotonous. That was the second time that that conversation had taken place that day.
"I am not arguing with you, I am going."
"You are not going!" I nearly shouted. "What gives you the right? You don't even know me! I don't even know you! All I know about you is that you are the heir to the throne of Kyrria! And speaking of the royal family, such as we are, what exactly do you think they will say once they learn that you've decided to go gallivanting off on a dangerous adventure that has nothing to do with you? Do you hear me? You are not going!"
He looked at me with an even temperament. "Adelio is going."
"Adelio is a close friend. And I don't want him to go. But I know I can't stop him, and I know he had got my back when it counts the most," I told him.
He said nothing; he just looked at me with a rather unnerving stare.
"Look I'm sorry I yelled at you, but you are not going."
"I must be loosing my touch," I thought. I then cracked.
"Fine, you can go. But," I added as he showed signs of gratitude, "if, for any reason, you let Adelio and myself down, we leave you. It will be your job to find some way home. We will not baby-sit you. And, you had better be prepared for everything."
"Of course. When do we leave?"
I informed him to come back in just under three hours, if he could manage it. If not, we would
"Leave me?" he guessed. He guessed correctly. "Don't worry, I will be back." With that he turned and left, leaving me to organize and pack supplies.
I must have repacked my bag so many times I had packed every object in the camp at least twice. By the time the boys got back, I had finally finished. Adelio looked calm, a little nervous but for the most part composed. Osian was out of breath. It was understandable, considering he must have had to run if he were to make it back in time. At the last moment, I grabbed my teacher's journal, to occupy my mind at night. I was hoping to break the code.
Very little was spoken that day. I briefly asked Adelio if he had had any trouble in obtaining supplies, which of course he hadn't, and Osian how on earth he had managed to convince his parents to let him go.
"I managed. You have nothing to worry about," he said in a tone that implied that no further discussion on the topic was necessary.
Halfway through our afternoon walk we came to a man who needed medical attention. His leg had been run over by his cart. Adelio and I were posing as traveling doctors, and Osian was our assistant. I was the only one with any real medical training, but having a female as the leader of the group wasn't proper, and we did not need any more attention.
"Can we help?" Adelio asked. His wife, who was kneeling at his side, looked up with such a look of praise I felt s pang in my heart, as if I had run over this man's leg.
Adelio asked the woman for some space and I examined the man. Osian gave him a little bit of medicine to dull the pain and wiped talked quietly with the man as I wrapped the leg tightly with a bandage.
As I helped the man back to his house (luckily not too far away) I explained to the woman that he had not broken a bone, but bruised it. She was upset until I explained to her that he was fortunate in this regard, but must still not do any walking or standing for two weeks. She thanked me profusely and paid me.
Nothing much of interest happened for the rest of the day. We stopped to camp soon after the sun went down, and set up a small fire. Hopefully, we would be able to stay in an inn tomorrow. After a dinner that I had foraged for, Adelio went off to an early rest. I then felt free to ask Osian a question that had been burning in my brain.
"What did you talk to that man about?"
He looked at me curiously and answered. "Not much. I just told him he was going to be fine and asked after his family."
"Do you know him!" I bolted upright, alarmed.
"No, but I figured anything to keep his mind off of his pain. And it worked too."
I nodded. I was too tired to work on the code of my teacher's journal, so I took out his letter instead, and reread it. Tears swelled in my eyes, and I couldn't help it. I turned away to the blazing fire, wiping my tears away. I felt two hands on my shoulders, and heard Osian speak.
"Ophelia?" he asked. The sensitivity in his voice was shocking.
"What do you want?" I said, irritated. I could not help it, but I could not control my feelings. Here I was, crying and getting mad at the same time. I was half pixie, wasn't I?
He turned me around to face him. I looked into his eyes, stubborn. He looked back with that same even look he had used countless times before. I burst into tears and buried my face to his chest. I cried for the first time since my parents had died, and he held me in his arms and rocked me gently, stroking my hair.
*Author's Note(s): I hope that wasn't too much of a cliffhanger. Sorry it took so long and that this chapter is short and pathetic. I've just been really busy and kinda hit a writer's block because of it. Thanks for the reviews! And btw: the whole fallow/ follow thing: Dincristeil, you are right. Follow is to go after. Sorry for the mix-up, but fallow is actually a word that means uncultivated, so my spell checker didn't catch that, and I didn't notice it when I was reading through it. So, thanks for reading, and please review with ideas or comments or anything!*