|
Twice Upon A Story, chap 2. (FINALLY!) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
***If you didn't catch the first part, chapter one is in the journal entry that is dated 08/04/07*** ~ Chapter 2 ~
Horris and I walked about three miles without saying a word to each other. I was too tired to engage in conversation. Not to mention, I already had so many thoughts swimming in my head to worry about outside communication. Though, there was something that was bothering me and it was increasingly growing in the back of my mind. It was afflicting me in the strangest of ways.
"Horris?" I called to him.
His head turned in my direction. He seemed concerned. "Something wrong, miss?"
"No" I said. "I just have another question. If I’m supposedly from another world, then where exactly am I now?”
He chuckled at my inquiry. "You are in Evenglowe, Miss Dawson."
I rolled my eyes. "Please, call me Eden. I hate it when people call me ‘Miss Dawson.’ It makes me feel like an old woman."
He gave me an awkward smile. "As you wish…Eden"
Then, once again, there was complete silence. I hated silence. There was always a tenseness inside me when there was no sound, an emptiness filling me up. It was strange and unsatisfying. Thankfully, Horris wasn’t finished speaking.
"It’s just a little while longer. Are you tired? We could rest if you’d like."
I shook my head. "No thanks. I’m fine. I thought you said it was just a short distance away."
“Ha! It is, miss.” He huffed. “It’s a lot shorter than you think.” Then his smile gradually faded away from his pale face. His head was facing the ground as he walked in a slow, poignant way. Something was troubling him. I could see it in his eyes.
"I’m sorry about earlier.” He said, suddenly. “I didn’t mean to be so discourteous to you. I was in a bit of a hurry, you see, but I know that does not excuse my actions. It was very un-gentleman like of me. I apologize for my ill-mannered behavior."
I was shocked to hear such touching words from him. Surprisingly, he really did seem sorry. "It’s okay" I muttered. "You were just trying to help."
"No!" He countered in haste, his eyes stricken with a touch of sadness "It’s more complicated than that. I just seem to be pushing everyone away lately. You see, my dear wife left me a few days ago and I guess I’m still a little distraught."
"I’m sorry." I said sincerely.
“It’s alright” Horris continued. "She left me because I was too caught up in my work. I’m always away from home, see? On business. The problem is that my work can be very life threatening at times and I’m sworn to secrecy by the people I work for. I’m not aloud to tell anyone about my occupation, not even my wife. So, naturally, it doesn’t sound too good when I’m gone all day long and I can’t even explain where I was. She gets suspicious. Why she would think I would ever do such things to her, is against me. She told me once that she wouldn’t ask any questions about my work, of course it didn’t last long. She began to get very concerned about me. I was always coming home in tatters." He pointed to the bandage on his face. "Work gets a little rough. Anyway, she told me that she wanted me to quit. The problem is that my job is real important and it means a lot to me. The only problem is that so does my wife. Then one day she confronted me about it and told me that I had to make a choice between her and my job. I tried desperately to convince her not to do anything drastic, but she had had enough. I told her that if I quit, lives could be at stake, which is the truth. But the fact that I was fighting for my job, enraged her. The next day she packed up her belongings and left to stay with her sister. I haven’t seen her since.”
"Wow" I said spontaneously. "Is your job really that important to you, I mean, that you’d choose your job over your own wife?"
He sighed "You have no idea. Let’s just say it’s for a good cause."
I thought for a moment. What in the world kind of job is that dangerous? Moreover, what kind of job is that secret?
"If it’s for such a good cause, then why is it secret?" I asked.
Horris did not speak.
"Oh right." I said remembering that he couldn’t tell me about it.
"It is confusing, though. I see your point." he said. "I don’t understand it either. Frankly I don’t care for the idea. It’s costing me my marriage. Unfortunately there are bigger things happening then my marriage crisis."
Horris was sure full of problems. They seemed almost never ending. But, he was right. It really was a confusing issue. I was curious to know what was going on. What were the bigger things Horris had talked about? Hoping for an answer, I questioned him about it.
“Bigger issues? Like what?”
"Hmm…I suppose I could tell you that" he said scratching his head. “Just don’t tell anybody. We don’t need an uproar going about, do we?"
I nodded. "Cross my heart."
Horris cleared his throat. "Let’s see. Where should I start? Um, well, oh I know!" he thought out loud. "Now you see, there has been a load of trouble around here lately, big stuff like attacks and missing people. Nasty things. The king is getting worried. He fears that the world may collapse."
"Collapse?" I asked. "How’s that?"
“It’s a long story, Miss Eden”
I gave him a look of curiosity. “I have all the time in the world.”
“I see.” He hesitated. “I suppose, if you’re that eager to know…” His voice trailed off into space and continued into his story. "Well, it started about two centuries ago. A horrible curse was put upon this land by a wicked man named Julius. This curse wasn’t like any other. It was a darkness curse, one that would engulf the world in total darkness. With that, the world slowly began to die off. Grass parched beneath one’s feet, all food became coated in a poisonous slime and the water turned to blood. It’s a curse capable of destroying everything and everyone in it. But somehow, Julius had found a way around it. A way he could survive while he watched the world parish before him. However, the curse did not last long. A valiant savior came into our world and killed Julius, thusfore destroying the curse upon it. But now we think that another, Julius’ heir, is running about. There is evidence of a new curse, and it’s not just because of the massive amount deaths. If you notice that all the leaves on the trees have fallen, you would surely think it is autumn. It’s not autumn. It’s spring! The trees and other plant life are dying. If that isn’t enough, there have been shadowmen about the forests lately. They are night dwellers. They’re not supposed to survive in day, but they still manage to. Nasty creatures, really. They’re demons of the night. You don’t want to run into one of those. Anyway, there’s one other problem. After King Utmus died, the prince, along with his fiancé, went missing and left us without a king. Fortunately, Utmus’s head sorcerer, who is a very powerful man, came to be our new king. His name is Gideon. The only problem is that he isn’t a very good king, but I guess I can make do with him for now. As for the savior who destroyed Julius, she is long since dead. Now we wait in silence for a new savior to protect Evenglowe. Of course, we do have people we depend on now. After the first curse, the king at that time had devised a way to protect his people. He organized a group of experienced protectors and named them the Protectorates. Yes, I know! The name isn’t very thought out. But, they are in fact, friends of mine and they are pretty damn good at what they do. Actually, now that I think of it, one of them is the sorcerer I’m taking you to. Nice lad. Very strange, though. Bergeus is his name. Which reminds me!" he said in remembrance. "I almost forgot! He’s probably not even home. Blast my memory! I guess you’ll have to talk to Pinta then."
"Pinta? Who’s that?"
He chuckled. "He’s Bergeus’ apprentice. He can probably take you to him. Cute little guy, he is! Just don’t let his size fool you. He’s pretty tricky."
I took a minute to recap everything he just told me. It was very strange. Everything seemed so familiar to me. It’s like I’ve been here before or been through the same predicament. But how could I? I just couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
"Who exactly was this savior?" I asked.
Horris put his hand on the side of his face and stroked his chin. "I’m not quite sure, really. I’ve heard stories. I heard that she was a strong, powerful woman from another world, such as yourself. Other than that, I coundn’t tell you much about her."
Then he stopped dead in his tracks. It was like he hit a wall or something. I turned around to see what was the matter. Horris was standing still, glaring at me and smiling deviously.
"I wonder…" he said, and proceeded forward again.
It took me a brief second to realize why he had stopped. Then it hit me. Oh God! I hoped he wasn’t thinking what I though he was thinking; that I was the next savior! Dear God! It’s ludicrous! It couldn’t be me. It just couldn’t be!
Then Horris turned to me. "I suggest we be very cautious. We’re being followed."
About a few yards away, a wolf, the creature I had seen in the forest, was tracking our every footstep…
…and it was hungry. _____ _____ ______ ______ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ __
The rest of the way there, I walked at a very swift pace. The thought of being followed was disturbing and mind boggling, mostly terrifying. I didn’t like the fact that Horris did nothing about it. It was like he was just waiting for the creature to attack. Despite his attitude toward the situation, he did seem to know what he was doing. So it seemed.
We stopped at a line of tall trees and long grass. In the distance you could see a large house surrounded by tall arbors. The house appeared very private. It must’ve been a nice place to live.
“Is that it?” I asked.
“That’s it. Lovely place isn’t it? I would love to have a house like that. Wouldn’t you?”
I gaped at the house in awe. “Most definitely!” It was truly astonishing. Anyone would dream of living in such a place.
“Well?” Horris implied. “What are you waiting for?”
His statement caught me off guard for a second. “What? Aren’t you coming with?”
Horris leaned in closely and whispered into my ear. “I would gladly go with you, Eden of the other world, but somebody has to distract that Godforsaken beast. We wouldn’t want you getting killed on your first day here.”
“What about you? Aren’t you worried that it might get you?”
He shrugged. “Not really. We’ve had encounters before. Nothing serious. She won’t dare attack me. I’m much to lean to make a meal of.”
“Wait a minute!” I snapped, feeling a strong need to argue with his last remark. “If that’s the case, then why would she follow you?” His plan just didn’t seem to make any sense. You don’t hunt down a man if there’s no reason to hunt him for. It’s plain ridiculous.
A smirk developed in the corner of his mouth and he put his hand up to it as if he were to tell me a secret.
“She thinks I’m up to something. She simply doesn’t trust me. The creature’s been following me for quite some time now. I have a feeling that she may have ties with the people responsible for all the chaos around here. Maybe, possibly, the Brotherhood. There isn’t enough evidence to tell. I’ve been hopping she’d follow me, though. I’d like to dig a little deeper before accusing her of anything, you know, to be thorough. But it doesn’t matter. She’s a vicious thing, no doubt.”
“Oh” I stated, pretending to understand what he was talking about. Then Horris to a step backward and took a good look at me.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”
I tried to seem thankful, I was thankful, but it’s hard to emphasize when you’re cogitating so many questions you wish were answered. I straightened up and gave him a cheesy smile. “Thank you, Horris. I greatly appreciate what you’ve done for me.”
Horris put his hand on my shoulder. “Any time, young miss. It was nice to have someone to talk to for a change. Now I must bid you farewell. I look forward to meeting you again one day. Our time together was rather enjoyable.”
His hand gradually slipped off my shoulder. As he did so, my smile faded away. Horris noticed immediately.
“Don’t fret my dear. I’m sure everything will work out for you. There’s still hope left.”
He turned around and started walking back the other way.
“Horris!” I called to him.
He rotated on the balls of his feet to face me and waited for me to go on with what I was going to say.
“If it’s not too bold to say…” I continued. “…I think you should tell your wife anyway, about your job, I mean. If the people you work for find out, and you happen to get sacked, it doesn’t mean you have to stop doing good things. A marriage is something you don’t want to waste, especially if you really love each other that much. She cares about you, you know? Don’t loose her.”
He beamed at me, inspired, and put up a friendly hand.
“I’ll take that in to consideration!” He yelled back. Then he turned around and walked off. I watched him until he vanished form my field of vision. Then when he disappeared into the horizon, I focused myself on getting to the sorcerer’s house.
It didn’t take me long before I reached the steps of perhaps the most wonderful house I’ve ever laid eyes on. It was a huge wooden place that was covered in leafy vines and strange white flowers that I have never seen before. Even around the sides of the house were adorned with many gardens filled with colored plants that released a pleasing fragrance. A large stone chimney was perched up on the roof and exhaled puffy, gray pillows of smoke that clung in the air like clouds. The whole place was like a miniature castle, except that it was much homier and had a warm touch to it.
I stood in front of the doorway, eyeing it briefly before I actually went up to it.
I knocked once.
The door creaked opened in front of me. I was determined to walk in, but I was afraid of intruding.
“Hello?’ I called out.
Nobody answered.
I took a single step inside. The moment I entered, the aromas threw themselves at me. The house smelled strongly of ginger and lilac. What an odd combination of scents. It reminded me of the nasty little popery my aunt used to buy, only this smelled way better.
The room I was standing in was covered in little trinkets and paper had settled along the tables and the floors surrounding them. The room was an absolute disaster! It was certainly not what I had expected it to be. It was a pigsty.
I called out once more to see if anyone was home.
“Hello?” My voice echoed in the large room.
To the left of me, I heard something move. It was a small swishing sound. I searched the room with my eyes to see what it was, but saw nothing that could have made the sound. There was nothing that had been disturbed, that I knew of. I heard the little noise again. This time my eyes caught what was moving. On the table in front of me, where the papers were muddled across it, one piece seemed to be floating upward off the table. It was being pushed up by a force coming from underneath it.
My weight shifted back toward the door, causing me to stumble into it and slamming it shut. I watched the paper rise slowly until a pair of bright blue eyes lifted over the edge and stared up at me. Then a tiny hand reached out and pulled off the paper.
“W-w-who are you?” Came a squeaky voice. The person behind the desk was still hiding from me. I could tell by the voice that this person was only a child.
“I’m Eden Dawson. I was brought here by a man named Horris Greyhorn. He sent me here to see someone named Pinta. Do you know where I could find him?” I explained.
The child’s eyes lit up. He shot up like a spring, throwing his hands in the air.
"I’m Pinta!” He chirped gleefully.
The child was a young boy, about eight years old maybe, with thick, curly black hair and ocean blue eyes. He was incredibly short, about three foot eight, and had long pointed ears. He was definitely the cutest little boy I’ve ever seen.
He walked out from behind the desk. His clothes were pretty average. He bared a white collared shirt and brown pants rolled up to the knees. The only thing that stood out on him was a scarlet red scarf, thin and wool, that was wrapped neatly around his neck. He sort of reminded me of a Christmas elf.
He walked over to me and bowed with courtesy.
“How may I help you?” His tiny voice squeaked.
I giggled. I tried not to, but he was just so adorable and rambunctious, I couldn’t help but let out the happy feeling he gave me.
“Well, I’m not really from around here. I just need some questions to be answered. A way home would be nice, too.” I said, still giggling some.
“Oh, of course! Silly me.” He said clapping his hand against his forehead. “I was expecting you.” He skipped over to a stool and dragged it out about three feet and propped it next to a stand. He carefully climbed on top of it, balancing on it in order to reach the top shelf. He reached up to it with all his might, and when he pulled his hand back, I noticed that he was holding what appeared to be some kind of letter. Grasping it tightly in his palm, he jumped off the stool and ran to me, holding out the letter.
“Master Bergeus wants you to read this, because I can’t read. He said that if somebody came looking for help, to have them read the note to me.”
I opened up the letter and unfolded it. I glanced at the squished, goby lettering. Slowly, I read the letter alound.
<<Pinta, I have gone to speak with the king. I want you to take the Aeris to Gideon’s castle immediately. I will meet you there. Be careful!
~Bergeus~>>
“What does he mean by ‘Aeris’?” I asked.
“It’s a word for someone who is from another world.”
“There’s a word for it?”
Pinta tittered. “Of coarse, silly. It’s easier to call them that, I guess. It’s a lot shorter than calling them an other-worlder. That just sounds funny.”
I beamed at him. “I suppose you’re right.”
Pinta skipped on over to a closet and pulled out two, what looked to be, black cloaks. He handed me the larger one.
“What’s this for?” I asked.
“There are some nasty people about, these days. We can’t be too careful, and it’s Bergeus’ orders. He told me not to leave without my cloak.” Pinta looked me up and down. “You also have to blend in. People will think you’ve gone mad, looking like that.”
I glanced down at my attire. He was right. I couldn’t blend in with these clothes. I’d look like an idiot. I threw the cloak over my shoulders and tied it around my neck. It was incredibly long and smelled just as strange as the house. The cloak stretched down to the floor, just enough to brush up against it, but after I pulled the hood over my head, it lifted a little bit.
Pinta threw on his cloak as well and clumsily made his way to the door, tripping over the bottom. His was also too long for him, but with his short size it would be hard to find anything that fits him nicely. He turned the handle and opened the door. He waited for me to go through.
“Ladies first.” He said to me
I couldn’t help but grin. “You’re too kind.” I said as I walked through the doorway, Pinta following behind and locking the door shut. We were on our way to the king’s castle. I knew that there was no turning back now. What I didn’t know was that what I was about to get into would change my life forever.
Kushalyn · Wed Feb 27, 2008 @ 12:41am · 1 Comments |
|
|
|
|
|