(-a/n- Okay! Check this out! A super duper speedy update! Hehehe, I do love summer holidays:D Happy Independence day to all of ye Americans out there. (Btw...what precisely is Independence day?!? Someone please educate me!))
Thanks to all these lovely people who reviewed :D
ShadowHunterLokiSeriliaRight or RynErynfaerkilling u with umbrellasthe. dead. addict.CelticGoddess09TsumetaiTaiyoukaiSkyline RomanceSarahE7191OrohippustheknightofkonahaK.D. Raiepobbp, bookworm, LadyAdellaidonyx-jade potterTortallanShadow,truffletruffle01Forget Me Not BlueNotAfraidToLiveLady Muck & TRANSFIGURATION.
Kel Lol! I updated soon so you're gonna have to love me for all eternity! –jokes-
BlackWidow12Happy Birthday (well for two days ago!)
Pie of Doomehhehehe, how come you were swimming all day? I love swimming :D
Yabberliwhich ocean are you swimming in? Do you sail or surf or kayak? Sighs…I'm stuck at home, but never mind…:D
Confusedknight xxx
Kel's mind reeled with shock. It sounded as though Vishnaucht was dead. Her immediate thought was panic, but she dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand to try to keep herself calm.
Stay calm, she told herself severely.
As Kel looked at it she had three options. Either she raise the alarm, provoking awkward questions later, or she could run away into the city and wait for Alex to return; after all with Vishnaucht dead there wasn't much information to be gathered from his household. Her final option was to go back to bed and pretend that nothing had happened.
One thing was clear though; her usefulness in Vishnaucht's house had just expired. With that in mind Kel decided that running away would be the best option. She could do nothing to help Vishnaucht now.
But then her nose caught a whiff of something; was that smoke? As Kel inhaled, the unmistakable smell of burning reached her nostrils. Suddenly a terrible realisation clicked inside Kel's brain.
'…If you don't have a house then you won't be needing the money…'
Maggur's associate was going to torch the house, erasing the evidence of Vishnaucht's murder. Kel was filled with anger, killing Vishnaucht was one thing, but dooming his wife, mother, three young children and all of his servants to the same fate was inhumane. She couldn't let it happen.
Springing up, not caring how much noise she made, Kel unsheathed her dagger. As she crossed the kitchen, she heard the unmistakable sound of footfalls upon the wooden floor of the hallway.
Her heart hammering madly, Kel concealed herself behind the slightly ajar kitchen door and waited. Again Kel was faced with a difficult decision. Her initial plan had been to let the murderer go, but as she waited she remembered that the man knew the codes to Vishnaucht's accounts. If he walked free Maggur would receive the large sum of money anyway. It was then that Kel realised what she had to do, what Alex would expect her to do.
As the man stepped through the kitchen door, Kel leapt out and planted a solid punch to the back of his head. The man dropped like a stone. Dragging him into the corner of the kitchen, Kel refused to look at his face. She paused for a moment indecision reigning in her. Then she caught another whiff of acrid smoke; she didn't have time to waste.
This man was prepared to kill twenty innocent people without so much as batting an eyelid, he works for Maggur, Kel thought desperately. In the end in was her earlier vision of her friends unprepared on the battle field that swayed her mind. The war must be delayed.
And Kel brought her dagger down across his throat in one swift movement; killing him. She stumbled back staring at the blood pooling out of the man's lifeless form, horrified with herself.
Kel tore her eyes away from the sight before her and ran to the servant's quarters.
'Fire, fire,' she screamed, the smell of smoke becoming ever stronger. Kel shut the door to the hatch, hoping to delay the smoke that was now pouring down the hatch and into the kitchen.
Kel ran up the flight of steps, two at a time, shouting all the while and banging her fists upon each door, when she got to the top, she flung open the door to her room and screamed for Haina and Greta to get up.
Satisfied that all the slaves and servants were awake she ran back down the stairs, passing sleepy confused people on her way. With no time to waste Kel pushed past all of the people and returned to the kitchen.
Removing her headscarf and hurriedly dipping it in the half-full sink, Kel tied the dripping piece of material firmly over her mouth and nose. She then ran into the main hall.
The hall was cloudy with smoke and upstairs Kel could see the dancing light of flames from the study; the fire was really starting to take hold.
Up to the first floor she went, bursting into Torrianna's room.
'Get up,' she half screamed, her voice hoarse from the smoke. 'There's a fire, get out,' and half pulling the sleepy woman from her bed, thrust her across the room and out onto the staircase.
Coughing slightly Kel continued on her up the corridor, but as she arrived, she saw that the old woman, Vishnaucht's mother was already awake and hurrying down the corridor towards her.
'Get out,' shouted Kel, 'just go.'
The woman didn't need telling twice and hurried away at a surprising speed for a lady so old.
Kel made her way up to the second floor, where the children's bedrooms were. The two older children were still fast asleep and Kel quickly roused them. Helping them to tie pillow cases around their mouths, she dragged the two terrified children out of the house.
The eldest boy must've been about Kel's age, but he froze, petrified by the clouds of smoke that filled the hall. The girl thankfully seemed to have more sense and took her brother's hand, pulled him forward.
'Run, get out of the house,' screamed Kel.
Eyes streaming with a mixture of smoke and heat, Kel forced herself up to the top floor. The youngest child; a boy of six sat upon his bed, bawling his eyes out.
Kel didn't blame him, as everyone had fled, not even the nursemaid had given a thought to the small boy trapped on his own at the top of the house.
She scooped him up and stumbled back across the room. Coughing like a hag, Kel made her way down the flight of steps. Remembering something that Anders had once taught her she dropped to the ground in search of some smoke free air. The boy, still clinging on was beginning to choke too.
She crawled forward, unable to see anything at all through the dense smoke. Halfway down the second staircase, the searing heat became too intense for her to go on. Through her impaired vision she could see the dancing of flames ahead; the fire had spread to the whole of the first floor. She was trapped.
Despair filling her, Kel placed her hand upon the stair rail to haul herself up and pulled it off, yelping with pain. The banister was red hot meaning that the fire had reached the other end.
With a massive effort Kel stood up, still cradling the little boy who had now become limp in her arms, she ran back up to the nursery and barricaded the door behind her.
It was easier to breathe in here and Kel lay for a few seconds on the floor, gasping like a fish out of water. Leaving the boy lying prone on the floor she stumbled over to a window.
Gloriously fresh air poured in, filling her lungs and giving Kel hope. She wasn't going to die like this; helpless and choking. Gathering up the small child and checking that he was still breathing, albeit shallowly, Kel laid him on the window seat, so that he could inhale the fresh air too.
Aware that she had only minutes before the fire reached them, Kel used her bloody dagger to tear strips off cloth off of the child's bed. She tied them roughly into a harness for him and in turn attached him to her belt.
All too conscious of the dizzying drop beneath them, Kel lowered herself out of the window. Thanking the gods for whoever decided to make creeping vines on trellises fashionable, she found foot and handholds among the creepers and iron trellis.
The boy, still unconscious dangled precariously below her. Praying that the boy wouldn't wake up while he was hanging in midair, she began to climb downwards.
Thorny vines ripped at her already burnt hands, but Kel gritted her teeth and battled onwards. One section of trellis felt dangerously loose beneath her hands, but luck was with her and it held.
The heat that emanated from the windows was enough to make Kel faint, but she hung on grimly, concentrating on putting one foot after the other. When Kel's feet finally hit solid ground, her knees buckled beneath her, but it wasn't over yet.
Smoke was still pouring out of the building and Kel's lungs couldn't take much more. Stumbling up once again with the boy in her arms, she saw Cook hurrying towards her. Kel half ran, half tripped her way forward to the front of the house and onto the street.
There congregated the rest of the household and quite a few nosy neighbours. Many gasped at the sight of Kel, smoke blackened and bloody appearing out of the smoke like an unearthly apparition.
The air was mercifully clean on her burnt lungs and as she reached the gathering of people. Kel pulled the small boy out of his harness, placed him in his mother's arms before surrendering to the blackness which swam at the edges of her vision.
--
Before she knew it, ice cold water was being poured over her head. Spluttering Kel sat up, she tried to breathe but found that her lungs burned and she began to cough.
'There, there,' someone soothed. That someone propped Kel up on a bucket. 'You can't go to sleep; you've got to get some air inside that body. I know it hurts but just concentrate on breathing.'
Dimly Kel recognised the firm but fair voice of cook. After a while, Kel felt a little less light-headed and opened her eyes. They smarted and Kel swore involuntarily in Scanran; something which she had picked up off of Tamil, the head gardener.
Everything hurt; her lungs, throat, eyes, nose, hands and feet, all stung or ached. Cook had removed her makeshift mask and was pouring water down her throat. Gulping greedily, Kel finished up the water and groaned, wanting more.
'We'll just take it steady lass, there's a girl.'
'How in the name of Mithros did you get out of there alive?' asked Cook wonder evident in her voice.
'The Goddess's luck,' smiled Kel, wincing as she sat up further.
A blurry figure handed Cook another beaker of water, which she gently helped Kel to drink. Draining the glass once more, Kel suddenly noticed how cold she was. She began to shiver uncontrollably.
As she sat there, semi-conscious, she remembered everything that had happened in unerring detail. She could remember the man's blood pooling over the flagged paving stones of the kitchen, hear his last rattling breath. She had killed a man.
Then came the memory of the despair, of believing she was going to die. It was all too much. Kel was beyond crying, instead she began to laugh quietly, her giggles turning into hysteria and then into dry racking sobs. But no tears fell, she hiccupped and shook, but not a single tear left her eye.
Cook sat by her, rocking her gently.
'It's just the shock,' she explained quietly to any passers-by. Gradually Kel quietened down and began to mumble incoherently in a blend of Yamani, Common and Scanran.
They all sat in the street until dawn arrived. Kel had dropped off to sleep eventually, her head cradled in Cook's lap, exhausted by the proceedings. When Kel did finally wake up the fire had almost burnt itself out, leaving just a blackened husk of the building it used to be.
Sitting up, she noticed that Cook had gone and so she clambered unsteadily to her feet. There was still a small group of people huddled in the street, although the majority seemed to have dispersed.
'Ah, Lia you're awake,' Cook said.
'Where is everyone?' croaked Kel.
'The Misnauffs, have put up the family for the night, when the Mistress wakes up then she'll decide what to do with us.'
It seemed mightily unfair to Kel that the family had been offered shelter for the night and the servants had just been left on the street, but she said nothing, knowing that the behaviour was nothing unusual.
Kel milled about for an hour or two, talking to Greta, Haina and Marc; the three other slaves. At one point Cook dragged her aside.
'Lia did you know that the Master did not get out of the house?' asked Cook directly.
Kel sighed, sensing that it would be pointless to keep information from Cook, who already seemed to know so much.
'He was dead before the fire even started,' whispered Kel, so that no one else could here.
Cook sighed, 'I expected as much, Vishnaucht was in way over his head.' She seemed to forget that Kel was there for a moment. 'What you just told me remains strictly between the two of us, for all intents and purposes, he died as the result of a tragic accident.'
Kel nodded and left to go and rejoin the other slaves.
'I bet we'll be back to the slave pens,' said Marck glumly. 'That allus happens when things go wrong; the slaves are the first to go.'
And he wasn't far wrong. When Torrianna emerged just after the tenth bell, her eyes red-rimmed and her cheeks tear-stained, she announced that the slaves were to be sold. She told the rest of the staff that they would be moving back to Vishnaucht's mother's house and that only her ladies maid, the governess, Cook and the head Gardener would be accompanying them.
'So what happens to the rest of the servants?' asked Kel. 'Where do they go?'
'They just have to apply for another job.' Greta shrugged, 'at least they can choose there masters. I hate going to the pens, you could get landed with a really bad master.'
'What about me?' asked Kel, 'I already have a master, I'm on loan.'
This time it was Haina who shrugged.
'You'll probably be held for a couple of weeks and then if he doesn't turn up you'll be sold on.'
An hour later, a chain attaching them by the collar at their necks, the four slaves were trudging down to the slave pens, a smartly-dressed, yellow-toothed man leading them.
Kel was still dressed in the same shirt and dress that she'd been wearing the night before, albeit that they were now stained with soot and torn from her climb down the trellis.
She had gotten rid of her belt and the makeshift harness earlier that morning. Kel had also left her dagger and it's sheath inside the burning house; slaves weren't meant to have weapons after all.
Haina was snuffling behind her, whether from her illness of because she was crying Kel didn't know. Greta held her head high stubbornly and Marck trudged along in silence, his pose dejected.
Kel felt humiliated, walking along like a dog in a collar through the streets of Hamrkeng. Of course it wasn't that she was embarrassed of people seeing her in this way; she didn't really know anyone here anyway. But it was the fact that she was being treated no better than an animal.Eventually they reached the slave pens.
'I've got three for resale and one for holding,' called the man in clipped tones.
The door opened to admit them and they were ushered into a side room. The slaver handed his smart, red coat to one of the servants by the door and disappeared out of sight through a side door.
A big man, with massive hands and a thick, pudgy neck walked over to them.
'We've gotta git you cleaned up,' he said, with a slight lisp to his voice. 'Please don't try any funny stuff, or it'll be the worse for ye.'
He unlocked the chain that joined them together and instead attached individual, small but longer chains to their collars.
'Follow me,' he grunted.
They were led into a large room which had a rectangular bath set in the middle of the floor.
'Git ye clothes off and put 'em in the crate 'ere,' he instructed.
Greta, Haina and Marck had obviously all been through this process and Kel tried to look as though it were the same for her too.
She fought to hide her blush as she removed her dress, shirt, shoes and underclothes, until she stood there, completely bare, wearing only the iron collar.
When all four of them were ready, the man gestured to the bath.
'Off ye go then,' and he grabbed Kel's arm, dragging her towards it and pushing her in.
The bath was very long, quite thin in width and very deep. Kel struggled to stand in it as she gasped for air. The bath water was stone cold and smelt horribly of disinfectant. The mixture of the cold and disinfectant fumes hurt her already damaged lungs and her eyes stung.
'Git movin' then,' said the man, prodding Kel with a stick.
Kel realised that she probably had to splash her way to the end, by which time she would be clean. It reminder her of something she had seen Yamani farmers do to their sheep. It had been called 'sheep-dipping' and had been used to kill any bugs in their woollen coats.
The disinfectant also stung at her cuts and burns, but Kel gritted her teeth and moved slowly forwards, her heavy chain making everything twice as difficult. Behind her she heard a yelp as someone else entered the pool.
'Make sure ye clean yer hair too,' he called. So Kel clamped her mouth shut, pinched her nose tightly with her unburned hand and ducked. The cold pressed in all around her for a few seconds and then she surfaced, trying to wipe the water out of her stinging eyes.
When she reached the end she hauled herself out and stood shivering, trying to cover herself with her arms.
Once the man had ensured that Marck and Haina were also making their way down the pool he came over to Kel. He picked up a large bucket, dunked it into a trough and poured the contents over Kel.
This water, like the bathwater was also freezing cold, but it didn't have any of the tangy smell of disinfectant. When Kel wiped this water out of her eyes, she noticed that he was openly staring at her scar.
Uncomfortable she shifted, aware that there was nothing for her to cower behind. After a few seconds he moved on to Haina, who had just climbed out of the bath, followed by Greta and Marck.
Next the four of them were each handed a rough towel with which to dry themselves. Finally they were handed a loincloth, shirt, breastband for Haina and Greta and a skirt. The clothes were worn and ill-fitting, Kel's being far too large for her skinny form, but at least it was something to escape from the scrutiny of the guard's and her fellow slave's gazes.
Marck was the first to get dressed and still looking slightly drowned from his bath, headed towards the door. At the door, there was another man with a book. Marck rolled up his sleeve to show the guard something and he was allowed to pass. Greta and Haina did the same. Unsure, Kel hung back.
'Git a move on will ye,' prompted the man who had been in charge of cleaning them.
Kel reluctantly made her way forward.
'Number?' asked the guard.
'Pardon?' asked Kel stupidly.
'Your number,' said the guard, 'what is it?'
Kel looked at him blankly and the guard sighed. A second guard came up behind Kel and grabbed her roughly. He yanked the large sleeve of her shirt back to reveal her upper arm. He exchanged a glance with his colleague.
'I'm Lia,' said Kel hesitantly, 'I belong to a private master-'
'Yes we know,' said the guard impatiently. 'Juan, take her to be sorted out.'
Kel didn't like the sound of being 'sorted out', but she allowed herself to be led by Juan, the guard with the lisp.
He led her down so many twisted corridors that it was impossible for Kel to remember them all. She contented herself by trying to form a mental map of the place. She knew that there were at least three floors and four separate blocks. As they neared the end of their journey Juan led her down another flight of steps into an enclosed room with no windows. It was lit solely by the light of a fire.
As she drew closer to the fire and the man sitting there, she realised what was going on and began to struggle.
'Oh no ye don't,' said Juan firmly and lifted the squirming Kel onto a bench which looked disturbingly like a healer's work bench back at the Palace, except for this bench was carved roughly from wood.
As she struggled, thick straps were placed over her back, lower legs and her neck. These straps were tightened until she couldn't move. She was lying face down, her head turned awkwardly to the right and the only part of her body which she could move was her arms. A strip of hardened leather was then placed inside her mouth.
Juan then took hold of her left arm and pulled it out to an awkward angle, at ninety degrees to Kel's body. Kel then felt another strap tightening around her wrist until she couldn't move that arm either.
Her shirt sleeve was rolled up to the shoulder and she felt a pair of massive hands clamping her arm even more firmly, one at the elbow and the second at the shoulder.
She could sense the second man moving around, and heard him pick something up. A second later a searing pain flared across Kel's arm. She allowed herself to scream, not bothering to try to conceal her emotions; knowing that this pain would've had full grown men screaming.
Again another brand was placed to Kel's arm and her renewed scream filled the dungeon. It was too much for Kel to take in after the night she'd had. By the time the fifth number was burnt into her skin, she didn't even bother to scream, instead she just lay there gritting her teeth on the piece of leather, numb from head to foot, aware of only the pain in her left arm.
She dimly noticed that she was being untied and carried away by Juan. Eventually she was dumped unceremoniously in a cell which already contained four other women.
The women ignored her, chattering away in what sounded like Tyran, not paying any attention to the small heap of a girl lying in their cell.
Kel shifted slowly until she was curled into a ball on her right side, removing any pressure from her left arm. She allowed herself to have half an hour of weakness, sobbing slightly as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Kel slept for the remainder of the day, allowing her brain to recover from the shock of the last twenty four hours.
When she woke, she tried to ask the women when they were fed, but was rewarded with blank looks so she gave up. Sitting quietly in her corner of the cell, she steeled herself and carefully lifted up her shirt sleeve. She winced and almost cried out as she peeled the cotton away from the burnt skin until her shirt was rolled all the way up. Taking a deep breath Kel looked down at her arm. Branded across her arm in small figures, burnt into her skin was;
L0258
It wasn't a big mark; about two inches long and half an inch high, but Kel couldn't take her eyes off of it. It was another thing that would be with her for the rest of her life; however long that may be. At this rate not very long, said Kel thinking of her close escape from death only hours previously.
Of course Kel knew that over the years the ugly black characters would fade to white scarring, but it would be ever with her as a reminder of how she was once a slave; led like a dog, bathed like a sheep, branded like cattle and left in the straw like a pig.
It took several days for Kel to feel a bit more like herself. Her eyes were the first things to recover and her lungs were feeling a lot better, although Kel suspected it would be a while before they felt completely normal. All the small cuts on her hands had scabbed over. The only two vivid souvenirs from her "adventure" were her two burns; one on her right hand, the other branded into her left arm.
I'm getting quite a collection of scars, thought Kel, thinking of her chest and the lined scars on her back from where she had been whipped just before she met Alex.
The women who shared a cell with her, gradually became more friendly. At first Kel hadn't a clue what they were saying, but if she listened carefully, the Tyran language was quite similar to Scanran.
Bored, with nothing else to do, they began to teach each other. Kel taught them basic Scanran and they in turn taught her basic Tyran. Kel learnt that they had been slaves in Tyra for four years, but had only just been transferred to Scanra. There was an eighteen year-old, one seventeen year-old and two ladies in their early twenties.
Kel lied and told them that she was fourteen, which they seemed to believe, despite Kel's obvious lack of a womanly shape.
Kel had quickly discovered that life as a slave in the holding pens was boring. Kel was obviously waiting for Alex, praying everyday that he'd come to free her before she got sold on. The four women were being held because they had already been bought, but their new master wanted to pick them up after a journey to Dundine.
After four days of recuperation, Kel was itching to do some exercise. She hated being cooped up and paced for hours around their cell. That afternoon Kel had a visitor.
'Cook!' exclaimed Kel surprised, 'what are you doing here?'
'I've just come to buy Greta,' she replied, 'fortunately for me, she hadn't been sold like Marck and Haina have. I told the mistress that I couldn't possibly hope to run a kitchen without some aid and after a few…substandard meals, she saw sense.' Cook looked at Kel critically. 'I'm sorry that I couldn't take you as well, but I knew that you'd soon be moving on with Alexei.'
'I'll be fine, don't worry about me,' said Kel, inwardly glad that at least Greta was going back to a good position.
'Well then, I must be getting back to my work. I'm sure that we see each other again Lia, you just keep safe.'
Kel smiled crookedly.
'Me…get into trouble?' she said innocently.
Cook laughed and left without a backwards glance. Kel sighed as she sat down, wishing that Alex would come soon.
Whether by fate or chance, her wish was answered and the next day, Kel was being towed out of the Slave pens by Alex.
'Don't look too pleased to see me,' he whispered as they passed the guards.
Kel allowed herself to be led away, expression blank, quashing down the relief and happiness inside her.
When they returned to Alex's room and the door was locked firmly behind them, Kel flung herself onto Alex. He returned the hug, laughing happily.
'I missed you,' he said unabashed.
Kel murmured her agreement.
He held her at arms length, as though to examine her. Kel winced as his hand touched her left arm. Alex noticed and carefully rolled up her sleeve. Catching sight of the brand, which was oozing slightly he looked up at her, remorse plain in his eyes.
'I'm sorry Kel,' he said.
'Don't be,' said Kel shortly.
They made eye contact and no more was said on the subject. Instead Alex got out some of his creams and bandaged Kel's arm. It felt ten times less painful once cleaned and smeared with a liberal amount of pain-relieving cream.
'So,' Alex said once he'd finished, 'care to explain why I return to find Vishnaucht's house a ruin and you in a slave pen?'
Kel sighed and began her tale. She told of how she had overheard Vishnaucht's murder. When she got to the part about her killing the man, her voice choked.
'I had no choice,' she said, eyes filled with shame.
'You did the right thing,' Alex assured her with a comforting squeeze on her shoulder. 'Thanks to you, Maggur does not have control of that money.'
'Seven-three-zero-four-seven-two, and four-five-two-eight-nine,' said Kel.
'What?'
'The codes for Vishnaucht's accounts, seven-three-zero-four-seven-two and-'
Kel was interrupted by a laugh of glee from Alex.
'So not only does Maggur not have the money, but we do!' exclaimed Alex.
As Kel continued to describe how the fire had quickly taken hold Alex's expression darkened. Kel was unsure how to tell about her heroic rescue of the youngest boy, so she just left it at,
'I shouted and screamed and woke everybody up.'
That night Kel ate like a king. Alex took her slave collar off and they dined at a popular restaurant in the lower city. After three months of small portions or leftovers it was heaven to Kel. She fell asleep warm, full and content; something which she appreciated more than ever as the outside temperatures dropped below freezing.
The next day Alex asked Kel if she was ready to begin her daily fencing lessons. Kel agreed hurriedly and, being wary of her bandaged hand and arm, she began to warm up.
Alex ran through all of the drills that she had been practising and commented on her improvement. Their swords became a blur as Alex increased their practise speed to a whole new level.
To them swordplay was an art, a precision, not just a way to defend yourself or beat an opponent. Each blow was perfectly executed and matched by a perfect block. Halfway through the "heron" drill, there was a knock at the door.
The person outside knocked three times, one loud, one soft, followed by another loud knock. They halted their practise and Kel made to hide her sword but Alex shook his head.
'It's a friend,' he said simply.
He opened the door to reveal,
'Cook?!?' said Kel in surprise.
This time it was Cook who seemed more astonished however to see Kel standing there.
Cook stepped inside and locked the door behind her.
'Am I interrupting anything?' she asked.
'Nothing that can't be interrupted,' replied Alex.
Kel sat, grabbing a cloth and proceeding to polish her blade absent-mindedly.
Cook however was staring at Kel. This girl had been working for months in her own kitchen and get she barely recognised her. There's something different about her, thought the Cook.
It wasn't simply that Kel was dressed in shirt and breeches with her hair tied up out of the way, naked sword in her hand. But that she held herself differently. Kel looked more confident, more relaxed here.
'I did say that it wouldn't be the last time we met Lia,' said Cook smiling. 'However I will admit that I wasn't expecting it to be quite this soon. Having a lesson are we?' she said, gesturing to the fact that Alex's sword was still out as well.
Kel nodded.
'Come on then, let's see how it's going.' Kel suddenly realised that Cook was expecting her to duel Alex.
'I'm not very good,' she said hurriedly, 'Alex always wins-'
Cook laughed,
'The day you beat Alex is the day that you're well on your way to becoming a legend. He's the best. I don't think I've ever seen anyone best him before.'
Wondering as to when a cook from Hamrkeng would ever have seen Alex fight, Kel got up.
'A free duel?' she asked.
'A free duel,' Alex confirmed.
They bowed to each other and began to fight. Their blades met each other, whipping round at lightning speed and each twisting away. Neither of them were holding back; it was swordplay at it's most finest.
Alex attacked like a whirlwind, clearly dominating the duel, but Kel held her own, allowing him to gain little ground and executing her own attacks ever now and again. They feinted, lunged and dodged as the duel became even more intense.
Kel spotted a tiny opening in Alex's defence and took it, the next thing she knew, her sword was being wrenched from her hand and it clattered away across the room, Alex's sword point at her nose.
'Well fought,' said Alex, clapping Kel on the back. 'That move there I think will be the next one I teach you. Your feints are all perfect and will fool a lesser swordsman, but when you know that you're fencing against someone good, the "glimpse" feint is highly effective. I gave you a tiny opening, so small that you thought it was just a natural mistake, then I anticipated your move…' Alex smiled at his young charge, 'you've improved so much, you really have.'
Kel glowed with pride. Cook watched this exchange and couldn't help but feeling a sense of familiarity about it. She frowned, puzzled at this feeling. Putting it out of her mind she smiled at the obvious affection that the two in front of her had for each other. It was almost as though they were brother and sister…then it hit her…
'So…' said Alex, 'what brings you here?'
'I overheard something which I think you'll find interesting,' said Cook.
Just then she was interrupted by Kel having a coughing fit.
'Are you sure you should really be exercising this much?' asked Cook casting a critical eye over Kel.
'What do you mean?' asked Alex puzzled.
'Well she inhaled an awful lot of smoke last Thursday,' seeing Alex's continued confusion, she added, 'when she rescued Samil.'
Alex turned questioningly to Kel, who had the decency to blush slightly.
'Oh she didn't tell you then,' said Cook. 'After waking us all up she charges upstairs to check that the family all got out safely. Then she realised that the youngest boy Samil is still on the third floor, so in she charges, right to the top of the house to try and get him out. I don't know what happened in there, she was inside the house for ages, and it's a miracle she even got out alive. Then just once we think that there is no way that they could still be alive, we see her climbing out of a third-storey window, Samil dangling below her.'
Alex stared at Kel.
'She probably saved us all that night,' said Cook.
Kel shifted uncomfortably under Alex's stare,
'It wasn't a big deal…'
Alex shook his head exasperatedly.
'You saved twenty people Kel, of course it's a big deal.'
'And I killed one,' Kel reminded him, looking at the floor.
'Who did you kill?' asked Cook interestedly, 'is that how you got that split lip?'
'She killed the man who murdered Vishnaucht,' explained Alex.
'Good riddance too,' said Cook bluntly.
'Who split your lip?' asked Alex.
'What is this? Let's interrogate Kel time?' said Kel grumpily.
'Kel?' said Cook confused.
'She's Kel,' said Alex pointing to his disgruntled friend.
'The split lip?' he prompted.
'There was a gang of boys beating up a child,' said Kel, 'I couldn't just ignore them.'
Alex shook his head, half wonderingly, half despairingly.
'See what I have to put up with?'
'It's not fair that people are treated in that way,' said Kel.
'Not it's not,' Alex agreed seriously this time. 'You just seem to manage to find so many people to protect, that's all.'
Kel shrugged, 'There will always be people who need protecting, I just do something about it that's all.'
'And who protects you?' asked Alex.
'I can look after myself,' Kel shrugged.
'I don't doubt that,' said Alex, but there was a troubled look in his eyes.
Cook broke the awkward silence.
'So, are you ready for my interesting piece of information yet?'
'Yes, of course,' said Alex.
'I heard it from a reliable source that Stenmun and some of Maggur's big followers are going to meet in a town near Sekholm next month. They'll be inspecting the mines there and recruiting for the army.'
Alex turned to Kel, his handsome grin fully in place.
'Fancy going to visit Sekholm?'
(-a/n- Wowee! Super long chapter, and a super quick update! You guys had better give me some super long reviews! Lol. I've been sitting on the sofa, on my dad's laptop all day writing this (well not all day, but many, many hours!) Seriously though I do love to know what you think of my writing so please just leave a review, it doesn't take long!)
Confusedknight xxx