Chapter 14

Pursuit

"I'd have to see it to believe it Kratos." Anna snorted, she was eating, and a small wonder he was too. Granted he was probably eating a fifth of what she was having, but it cheered her whenever he came to the table with some appetite. "A bridge that spans an ocean, you have to be joking."

"It's a wonder of Tethe'alla Anna, and it will take at least a half day of walking to cross." He moved a bit of curry on his plate, he had already eaten a few bites, and his slower metabolism wasn't demanding much more out of him. "There are rest stops, small benches here and there, but no place to rest if you were caught out there at night." He contemplated the plate, toyed with a pool of sauce, then pushed the food away.

Noishe, hearing his master was done, came to the table. With wide eyes, ears slicked back, and a whine on his lips, he begged, and barked, until Kratos relented and handed over the remains of the inn's well made curry. Kratos had, at first light, gone and ordered food for himself and Anna. Then just as the sun fully risen and false dawn was but a memory he had returned and brought their breakfast back to the room. Anna had not been pleased to wake up in a room with no fire or no warm husband to snuggle up for warmth. She had let him known how she felt, keeping her tone down so not to wake Lloyd, and had been a bit sour until he mentioned the bridge.

Now she was restless, she wanted to see this wonder.

Kratos had kept his thoughts to himself. He had seen this bridge hundreds of times, another visit wasn't going to mean anything more to him. But Anna had never seen it, she had seen so little in her life.

As a daughter in a large leather armor makers family, she had been shunned all contact with the outside world. She once grudgingly told him that her family wanted nothing to do with her, and she wanted even less to do with them. All save her half sister Lillith, but because Lillith was a priestess of Martel seeing her was out of the question. Anna knew that, accepted that, and admitted to him that it hurt.

"Trust me," She snarled, her hands clenching in a show of rare rage. "We will have to deal with them once, I need to see Autumn, to see if she will leave, then after that we'll never have to deal with them ever again."

Kratos had wondered, worried and wondered what had happened to Anna to make her hate them that strongly. She was normally so filled with love, with hope. He had swiftly changed subjects, and she had been relieved to do so. Something fluttered in the back of his heart, a warning, but he kept that to himself, decided that Anna's family who were a whole world away, had no influence on them at this moment.

"It seems as if you will get to be an adventurer after all."

Kratos mused, watching Noishe walk around the room whimpering, his tongue lolled out as far as it would go. The protozoan whimpered, as much as he could around his tongue, and was now begging them for a bowl of water. Anna snorted, then went to the sink and turned the handle. Water poured out, and after her moment's shock she worked herbowl under the stream of water. Kratos watched as the protozoan all but dove into the bowl.Noishe quickly pulled his head out from the water andwhined,he thenran around the room yalping.

"Anna, did you turn the red nozel to get water?"

"Hmm, yes dear, why?"

Kratos coughed, then pointed to Noishe. It was not his dogs day, Noishe rolled on the wooden floor, yalping, hot water dripping from his furry face.

"Oh no, that was the hot water wasn't it? Oh Noishe I'm so sorry!"

"Finish packing Anna, I will tend to this." He got up, then snatched up the bowl Anna had left for Noishe and dumped the contents into the sink. Then he turned the blue nozel and let the water run for a moment. After the water stopped steaming Kratos filled the container, and turned off the Tethe'allan mechanism with much more confidence then Anna had shown. He kneeled down and lay the bowl on the floor, Noishe again tried to drown himself. The protozoan's teeth chattered when he came up for air. "I told you begging for human food was not a good idea when you are still in your Arish evolution Noishe, you must be patient."

Noishe only glared at Kratos, his ears were slicked back in chagrin.

They had had this talk a hundred years ago, and it always cropped up every century as Noishe would forget the last embarrassing incident and try to eat human food yet again. At least this time he wasn't in his hawk form, coming in to a hawk trying to eat spaghetti had been one of the strangest experiences in Kratos' life. How Noishe had even made the food still baffled Kratos, there was very little in the way of ingredients in Derris Kharlan, and talons were ill suited for turning nobs and pressing buttons that worked the magi-tech stove he owned...

"If you try again I'd at least smell the food first, to see if it's spicy instead of just wolfing it down."

Noishe snarled, revealed his tiny teeth, and the mercenary laughed. Anna came into the room, a backpack filled with their lighter traveling gear on her back, their son in a strange purse-child carrier hybrid. She stared at him, a humored smile on her lips. Anna still believed that Noishe was a dog, no insistence on his part would sway her to realize that Noishe was one of the eternal protozoan. Noishe's first form having been crafted by the Essence of Mana and the High God at the feet of the Mana Tree, Noishe was definitely older then Kratos, and in all probability was stronger and wiser then the seraphim could ever comprehend.

All Anna ever saw was a dog, and all their son ever saw was a ride.

Kratos mentally sighed, and gave Noishe's silken ears a scritch.

"Better now?"

Noishe barked, wagged his tail, and wiggled his silly looking ears.

"Good, lets pay the innkeeper and leave."
"To adventure!" Anna was yet again filled with enthusiasm. She always was enthusiastic about anything new. He recalled her first reaction to his wings and flushed. Enthusiasm was not the word for that scenario. She had also been so thrilled to see Noishe, had fallen in love with the puppy shaped protozoan at first sight. As long as Anna trusted her gut instinct, as she called it, she was thrilled with whatever she saw.

In that way they were opposites.

Anna was out going, honest, sincere, loving... She trusted others. Loved humanity, and what she didn't love she knew that all she had to do was bend her will on it, be determined enough, and she'd change it. Mithos, no problem, they would just walk to Slybek, do some tedious research, and the answer would materialize right before them in easy little packets.

A life time.. no four hundred life times... had shaken Kratos of that determination.

Time had bleed determination out of him, along with his faith in the good of the human race.

She'd have hated him if she knew what he was thinking, she'd had smacked him at the very least. Time, he sighed and rubbed at his temples though it was his heart that ached, too much time. He had been here far too long, seen far too much. Noishe barked, then sensing his mood whined and gave his friend a lick with his severely abused tongue. Kratos smiled, stroked the back of the protozoan's head, and stood.

"Adventure?" Kratos rose an eye brow. "All I see is a very long walk over miles and miles of ocean."

"You are such a grouch, you know that?"

Anna crossed her arms over her chest, or rather tried. She was hampered by her son, and the many straps that held the packs to her back. The newest additions to her belt made him grieve. Anna, at Kratos' firm order, now wore a sword and knife. He wanted to give her a shield, for they were very expensive. He honestly didn't have enough money to get her one yet, hopefully as they traveled they would gain funds through various jobs and skirmishes that they'd encounter on the road. Kratos freverantly prayed that it would be jobs, not fights, that would add to their income. He did not want his wife and son exposed to combat, did not want to see them become as scared as he.

"Maybe, I am."

Lloyd smiled, oblivious to the whole conversation, and made a happy noise. Seeing his father, and his "dog" always made him happy. Kratos hopped that his son would be able to hold onto that happiness, the road was always rougher then the cities, any child would grow annoyed or angry at the lack of comforts.

"Daddy's just a grouch Lloyd, don't pay any attention to him."

Noishe barked as if to agree.

Outmatched Kratos rose his hands in defeat, then slipped out of the room. In the hall he sighed, opened thier money pouch and did a quick scan of the remainingfunds. If they were very lucky when they got to Slybek they'd be able to rent rooms for a week. And he had yet to get the price of the room from the innkeeper for this weeks stay. Closing the pouch, tying it to his main belt, Kratos slid his sword over it. Any pickpocket would have to work around three feet of steel to get to the money inside, and the only way they could honestly slash it open was by crawling under him, pushing the sword aside, and making a stab at the sack, then trying to snatch the pouch or money as it fell. He'd feel that, and any stupid would-be thief would feel his sword in their gut.

A fair trade over all.

Kratos picked his way down the stairs, turned towards the welcome desk and froze. Three papal knights stood in strict attention. They looked like statues cast out of bronze, and the bronze was starting to change colors. At least that's what there armor looked like it was made out of, and he could see nothing of the men in the armor. One visored head swerved in his direction, and Kratos forced himself to not tense, ordered himself to remain calm. With what he hoped was a casual air he hung back, leaned against the wall, and then closed his eyes. After all no sane man would approach the papal knights, they were notorious for seeing blasphemous thoughts and taking the sacrilegious person to the nearest prison.

Anna

Anna shivered, she could have sworn she heard Kratos' voice.

Anna

Her hand drifted to the new sword, she shifted Lloyd so he would not get hurt when she drew it.

Papel knights are in the building, you must stay in this room. They might be Mithos' pawns.

"What..Kratos how..."

Anna I can not hear you, I can only sense your emotions, you must listen to me. Stay in the room, they are searching for a mercenary and his slave. They do not seem interested in searching the rooms right now... Damn that bastard! Anna you have to leave the room some how without being seen, the innkeeper just suggested that they check the clients rooms. They have a description of you, but strangely not one of me. I am safe down here, so focus on getting yourself out of there.

A strange calm filled Anna, she held Lloyd to her, and with the packs in her back walked out of the room. She went down the hall, then went to the far room, the cheapest and one of the few unoccupied rooms of the inn. They bed was made, not recently since the covers were slack. Over all the room was bare. Gently Anna lay her baby on the center of bed, then went to the window. The innkeeper's voice echoed in her mind.

"Normally people don't like this room, I mean all you see is a wall."

The man had been making a gross understatement. There was at most three feet before you saw the other wall. It wasn't even an alley, it was just a space between two buildings. She swallowed, then unhooked her packs. Quietly, aware of every squeak of the floor boards, she lay out every scrap of clothing and sheet that they owned on the floor. Then, because she had no other ideas Anna tied each item end to end, making a primitive rope.

"Come on Noishe," Kratos' green and white dog looked to her, then to the rope, his eyes filled with horror. "You get to go down first."

The door opened, and as it did one of the most annoying inventions of man kind went off. A bell had been placed on the upper left corner of the door, it jingled with a cheer that was a marked contrast to the demeanor of the one who entered. The two knights who weren't searching the rooms, and the innkeeper, turned. A dog, brown, wet, and miserable came into the inn. It whined, and at that familiar sound Kratos looked up from his sharpening of a knife. Coated in mud, literally dripping mud onto the hard wood floor, he had to admit the messy dog looked familiar.

When as the dog's brown eyes met his Kratos understood.

"Aisst! Mutt, get out of here you filthy beast!" The elderly innkeeper snarled. He flapped his hands and waddled after the dog. For a second the "beast" looked like it was contemplating murder then with a low growl it trotted towards the door. That sounded like a great deal like a human's grumble, and it turned into a snarl as Noishe head-butted the door. Noishe wagged, no.. he wiped, the thick stub that was his tail, on the door as it swung shut. Innkeeper, knight, and mercenary, stared at the door for a long moment. Kratos snickered, and the innkeeper looked at him, morally offended.

"I'm sorry sir, but the way you have kept me waiting to pay you... I sympathize more with the dog then you."

At the word pay the innkeeper actually brushed past the knights and apologized. Kratos ignored the man, fished out the pay, it was when he was going to give it to the innkeeper that the two other knights came roaring out of the guest quarters. There was a commotion, a babble of words, the words "break in" carried over the rest of the babble, and all the knights and the innkeeper went up to the stairs. Alone in the main hall Kratos considered leaving the money on the desk...

For all of two seconds.

Pocketing the money the seraphim left the inn. He followed the muddy paw prints to an abandoned building. Anna was already washing off the muck that covered Noishe, all the while whispering what sounded like an apology. Noishe growled, nipped Anna, and the second she untied his tail went away from her so that he could lick where the string had bound it.

Seeing him approach she smiled.

"Adventure, is it always like this?" Reading his troubled expression she laughed. "Don't worry Lloyd's fine, he's right there." She nodded her head to a small drawer she had stolen from the inn. The blanket that had been laid in the drawer stirred, and Kratos could see their son moving. He did not like the small cold drawer, and though he did not cry, unhappiness was on his face. Kratos went to Anna, kissed her, then went to his son and held him. She smiled at Kratos, smiled as he held his son, then went back to packing their clothes.

"Anna, why in Origin's name are..."

Noishe whined, then when Kratos turned to look at him the protozoan shook his fuzzy head.

"Yes dear?"

Noishe whined louder, then shuddered.

"Ahh, never mind."