this is an original story, so no copying, and remember that i intend to use this later and hopefully get it published.
this is one of the chapters that i feel is lacking something, i just cant put my finger on it. hmmmmmm. it took me nearly 8 months to finish this chapter, and i'm still not really satisfied with it, but it'll do.
GOOD KARMA ANYONE?
R&R!
please and thank you!
D.L
Chapter 15
Simon
Anyé and Garron continued riding down the dirt path well into the damp night. They performed a small charm to keep themselves and the horses dry as they trudged through the muck on the forest path. As the moon finally overcame the storm clouds, they decided to have a quick rest.
Garron led the two weary horses down an embankment to a nearby stream, while Anyé searched for food, and a safe place to rest. The puppy wandered about and chased the rodents and squirrels that had awoken to the commotion.
A few moments later, Anyé walked cautiously down the bank of the stream to tell Garron what she had found.
'I have great balance normally' she said jokingly, as she stumbled down the hill. Garron laughed as she tripped, catching herself on a nearby sapling.
'Haven't quite learned your lesson have you?' he asked, offering her his hand to help the rest of the way. 'By the way, did you find any thing?'
Anyé nodded her head, nearly toppling herself into the stream. She held her arms out for balance, and explained to him about the cave.
'It could be called a cave, but it's more of a three sided overhang really. There's no food in it or near it, so you'll have to conjure some, I still can't. It's not that far from here, and if it starts to rain again...'
Garron interrupted 'It's not going to rain, the moon is right there!" He pointed skyward. Anyé shushed him to be quiet casting a fearful look up.
'What?' argued Garron.
'Am I going to jinx it?' he folded his arms and smirked. 'Like I said' he continued. 'It is not going to rain!'
As he spoke the storm clouds covered the moon once more, this time accompanied by a flash of lightning, a boom of thunder, and a drenching sheet of rain to announce the storm's arrival.
Red yelped in fright and scrambled down the embankment.
'Oh' was simply all Garron said.
Anyé eyed him angrily. 'Have you never heard of the calm before the storm?'
The duo made their way up the bank in the pitch-black darkness, and squelched their way to the cave. They coaxed the horses slowly into the space and tethered them on a stalagmite in the back.
The cave was full of them, all different colors from blue-green to purple. Garron found dry wood in the far back of the cave, and piled it in the center to light a fire. Anyé sat down opposite him and stared into the multi-colored flames.
'How do you think the wood got here?' she asked cautiously. 'From some one a lot like us.' was Garron's reply. The fire wasn't much, but it didn't matter, they both fell asleep long before it burned out, and did not see the lone shadow detach itself from the wall...
Anyé's dreams were a strange mass of confusion. A man with red hair tossing her up, and catching her, lavishly dressed people she couldn't name. Smiling faces, laughter, and the echoing voice of the mysterious shopkeeper, 'royal blood must return to the throne.'
Anyé woke with a start, struggling to remember where she was. Everything was dark as she looked for the noise that had awoken her. She stood up carefully and listened, it sounded like laughter, or sobbing.
'Well' she thought. 'I'm going to need some light if I'm ever going to figure this out.'
She walked in the direction she prayed the fire had been in. when she found the cold ashes, she tried to find the flint and tinder Garron had used to light it. Three and 1/2 steps later, Anyé tripped head long over Garron, falling hard on the stone next to him.
"Gees! What the heck do you think your doing?" He yelled sleepily.
"Shut up!" Anyé hissed covering his mouth. "Something's in here!"
They and the sleepy eyed puppy cautiously stood up. Ailise glanced around wide-eyed, trying to see in the darkness.
"ARRRRRR!" A small creature suddenly thudded into them knocking the wind out of both. Ailise was knocked out of the fray, but Garron continued to grapple with the intruder, Red snarling, but leaping clear of the scuffle. There was a series of red and blue flashes and loud popping noises as Garron tried to use some magic to over power the attacker
Anyé frantically crouched down on her hands and knees and scrambled to find the even one still burning coal.
"Yes!" She shouted as her hands the warmth released from a glowing log.
"Gotcha! Anyé I got him! Give me a light so we can see who this terror is!" shouted Garron. He was clearly having a hard time containing the creature.
Anyé placed her hands over the coal and pulled like she had to clear the water from Garron's lungs. She sat and watched as the small flame took life and filled the cave with dancing light. She carefully added some twigs and sticks to keep it going.
"Ok, who are you..." Anyé looked up and saw a well-known face streaked with tears looking back at her. "Simon?" gasped Anyé. "What are you doing here?"
The small boy struggled against Garron's grip as he answered, the puppy tugging on his pant legging. "Looking for you of course! Hey do you mind telling your thug to let go? He's crushing my ribs."
Garron let go and dropped the boy to the floor; red let go, but kept up his snarling.
"You two know each other?" Garron asked warily.
"Yes." They both replied.
Simon stood up and brushed him off, "I figured when you didn't come back with Tara, that you had gotten captured." Said Simon, "and as usual I was right. I thought you'd like to know that you shouldn't go back to the valley."
He looked at Anyé, "at least not right away."
"Why shouldn't I?" Asked Anyé, "Seth is going to take over, I have to go and warn my uncle!"
Garron stood quietly watching the scene unfold.
"That's exactly why you can't. Not alone any way. We need help." Simon stated. "But that's not the worst of it, Seth is up to something else, I can feel it."
Garron interrupted for the first time, his voice still hoarse from the fight. "What do you know; you're about 6 years old."
Anyé and Simon stared at him in disbelief.
"What?" asked Garron in shock.
"I'm 12." answered Simon stiffly.
Garron sat down on the edge of the fire. "Close enough!" He huffed.
Anyé shot him a threatening look before turning her attention back to Simon. "I ran into Seth earlier, he's the one who set me up."
"Well, he has a bunch of people ready to take the valley, just waiting on his whim." said Simon matter-of-factly.
"Well then we're going to need help, three just isn't enough." sighed Anyé.
"I have an idea." Garron chimed in. "I'm pretty well connected back home, you could come with me and talk to some of the big guys, and they'd be willing to help."
Simon eyed Garron carefully. "And where exactly do you live? We're not going to Brocklbainia are we?" He sneered.
Not intimidated at all, Garron replied with dignity "I live in Tollone."
"You're from Tollone! I've always wanted to go there! What's it like?" Gushed Simon excitedly.
Garron's shocked expression to this outburst caused Anyé to laugh hysterically. Garron smiled and began to tell Simon about Tollone's beautiful mountain ranges and of the wonderful Bercotte Castle, and the towns around it, where he used to live.
"The building is made of this white stone; it's so smooth that the whole castle looks like it's made of a cloud." He continued on about the castle in particular.
"It was a beautiful place; I went once about six years ago, Goldun was trying to make a treaty with Prince Mortaro." Garron's reminiscing was brought to a halt by a loud snore from Simon. He was curled up, holding tight to Red in his sleep.
Garron stared at the boy confused.
"Don't be offended," Anyé told him "Simon does that all the time, he must be really tired the poor thing." She brushed Simon's dark hair out of his face.
"It's not that." Garron said, Simon snored again, louder. 'It's the fact that such a loud noise," another snore "could come out of such a small person!" Simon rolled over again and snorted, Red followed suit shortly after.
Anyé and Garron laughed, and they continued to talk of Bercotte castle until Garron fell asleep. Ailise could not however; she was haunted by the final words that Garron spoke before he drifted off to sleep.
'Being in the castle, it made me really want to go home, and the problem was that I was home. I swear, in my lifetime, I will at least set foot in my castle again. I vow it."
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