I just realized that for Anita to be around in year 103 she would have to be over one hundred years old. That's okay, it is fiction! ) Please read and review!
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Crystal Chronicles: Guardian of the Moon
Chapter 2
Within moments the papaomous and wagon had been wheeled into the pavilion by a few villagers. A cot had ben set up near it and the mysterious man lain upon it. He had awakened and Anita had taken the job of getting him to eat some fresh bannock and fish. Aiden, the village elder, was trying very hard to keep the frantic villagers from getting into the wagon for fear that the man had brought the caravaneers home.
"Now now, everyone, please take a seat and we will handle this calmly and quickly." Reluctantly the People of Naedyus found seats. Though they were scared, they respected their elder.
Aiden walked over to the man who was eating some of Anita's bannock. "Are you well enough to... will you speak to them?" Nodding the man rose from his cot and stood in front of the frightened villagers.
"My name is Quinn. I'm a traveler. I was very far from any civilization when I stumbled across a caravan in a clearing deep in a wood. There had been a great battle. At least a hundred goblins lay slain about the clearing. Among them lay seven warriors."
There were gasps from the crowd, and a few loud sobs. Lunil's mother had buried her face in her husband's shoulder. Lunil looked at her feet.
Quinn continued, "When I arrived I searched the wagon. Everything had been taken save the log book. The caravan's chalice was gone. I heard a call and turned. One of the warriors was alive. I ran to him and asked what had happened. He told me as quickly as possible for he was bleeding terribly. He said he had been charged with logging the journey. He gave me his sword and asked me to return it along with the log to Naedyus. I agreed to do so and he died before me."
There was a moment pause. A Yuke women stood up out of the seated crowd. "Where are they now? Have you brought our children back to us?"
" I buried them where they fell as all caravaneers are honored." Quinn answered.
There were nods of approval from the crowd.
"I journeyed many miles and eventually found your fair village. I am sorry to have brought this upon all of you, but I felt someone had to."
"We thank you Quinn the traveler, and invite you to stay in our village as long as you like." said Aiden. Again there were the solum nods. "Now that we are all informed" The village elder paused and swallowed hard. His voice was shaky with his effort to hold back tears. "of our caravan's valiant defeat, we must decide what we are to do."
The crowd seemed shocked. Move on, just like that. Aiden seemed to read their minds. "I know it seems sudden and, we shouldn't ever forget our caravaneers that have passed, but we have a great decision to make."
There were looks between the villagers. ShayFa rose. Even though his lilty stature did not bring his head up above the crowd, his presence filled the pavilion.
"We should send out another caravan!" The blacksmith said.
"That is one of our choices" Aiden stated.
The Yuke women who had questioned Quinn before now stood and faced ShayFa. "Another caravan? so soon? we haven't gotten over our loss yet Fa! Do you really expect anyone to be ready to send out another family member? I have just lost my only child. I will not watch my husband walk over that bridge."
"And I have lost my eldest daughter! " ShayFa retorted. "That is just like you Yukes Sarine! To think of none but yourself! If we do not send out a caravan the village will be lost!"
"Now, now ShayFa, we won't get anywhere by fighting. We must work this out as a village." Aiden tried to intrude.
The lilty gave a frustrated grunt and sat down. Sarine took the opportunity to speak. "If we keep sending out our children to die then we won't have a village anymore will we?"
"What do you propose Sarine?" Aiden asked. "We can't not send a caravan. The crystal must be replenished."
"We can hire warriors!" said Sarine. "from more prosperous cities!"
"where will we get this money?" Another lilty asked. AbayFin stood now. "I don't think I have much of a place to speak seeing as how my family has not suffered a loss, but Naedyus has no money to hire such warriors. If the peril outside our gates is so great that it can vanquish an entire caravan of powerful trained fighters, then the warriors we would have to hire would be very expensive." Everyone knew he was right. Being the town merchant Fin and his wife traveled quite frequently with passing caravans. He knew how things outside the village were priced.
"If we don't send a caravan we will have to leave!" ShayFa stood again angrily. "I will not leave the village to monsters! We have been here for two hundred and four years now. This is our home, we can't just give up."
There was a pause the families of Naedyus looked from one another. ShayFa sat down once again. "It seems" started the old Clevat elder "that we have brought up three choices. We can leave our village for good. We can try to hire warriors to collect our myrrh, or we can try to send out another group from what remains of us. All three are risky. All roads are dangerous. It is too late to decide anything. Let us meet again at noon tomorrow and vote as a village."
The Naedyus villagers slowly and grievously made their way to their homes. Finally all that remained in the pavilion was Lunil's father, Aiden, herself and the traveler Quinn.
"Elder, I know now probably isn't the time but I must speak with you about the wheat and corn harvest."
Aiden looked up to Lunil's tall worried father. "Isaac, What is wrong?"
"Only half the wheat we planted has sprouted. I don't know what is wrong. The field is fertile."
Aiden nodded. "we will give it a few more days and then replant what isn't growing. It will be done later, but we must try."
"If I may be so bold sir" Quinn approached Isaac and Aiden from the corner he had been standing in. The other two men turned to the traveler. "The wheat in your fields hasn't been the only to suffer. I went through the fields of Fum on my way here and they were having troubles with their crops too. Not just wheat, they found worms in their apples for the first time in five hundred years. If you ask me, something is terribly wrong."
"Yes" Aiden agreed "Abay-Fin told me the price of food all over has risen. I didn't think anything of it until now. Our whole caravan defeated. They were the finest warriors we have had in years. Something is happening."
Isaac looked to his feet. "That was another thing I needed to mention. Without my elder sons we won't even be able to harvest the wheat that is growing."
"Don't worry Isaac, when the time comes we will all pitch in. The wheat will be harvested." Aiden put a hand on the farmer's shoulder.
Isaac nodded "thank you, Goodnight elder, sir Quinn." Isaac made to leave the pavilion. "come on Lunil, it's late"
"Coming" Lunil followed her father from the pavilion.
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I liked this chapter because I got to come up with villager names. Also I started working on the website for this story. I will create a link in my profile when it is ready. Hope you enjoyed this installment. Chapter three is almost done. Please Review!
