Chapter 5

The Girl

Kicking the sand up behind us as we rode. I am still thinking of my dream. I rode with Torin because Rostlyn was on my horse. Eldon does not trust him yet, I don’t blame him. Plus I wanted to stay close to Torin just incase there is something that Eldon and I had missed when we told him that he was fine. He is still a little weak and I am still worried.
“Alana, are you all right?” I heard Torin ask. He had been talking to me, but I had not been listening. I think he figured it out when I did not answer to his questions.
“I am fine.” I answered. So he went on talking, not taking any note of what I had just said.
I could not stop thinking about that dream. I could not move. I thought for some time. Before I knew it we came up to a town. This town was like no other I had seen; it had a wall all around it, and there was a guard at the entrance; the guard wore a shining metal suit of armor.
I got down from the horse. Torin tried to stop me but he was too late. I walked up to the guard. As I got closer, the guard seemed to shrink in size. When I was standing in front of the guard he came up to my chest, this surprised me a lot.
“My I please pass? I need to get in there right away.” I said as I pointed to the town behind the wall.
“I am under strict order that no one goes in and no one goes out.” The guard answered. It was then that I noticed something strange about the guard’s voice; it was that of a woman’s.
“You do not understand I must get in there. There is someone that my brother and I must speak with. It is of the greatest of importance.”
“It is not I that do not understand it is you. I told you there is no one in and no one out.” She scolded me.
“Look, Abby, I need to go in there to see someone. It is very important.”
“How do you know my name? Do I know you from somewhere?” She questioned.
“No, you don’t know me.” I answered.
“Then how do you know my name?”
“It’s complicated. Look I will give you anything that you want. I just want to pass. Please I beg you.”
“Fine you may pass…but you must earn it.”
“What...how?”
“You must fight me and win.”
Alana don’t do anything stupid. Eldon’s voice came into my head.
Would you let me deal with this. I think that I can beat her.
There is no reasoning with you is there?
No.
Fine do what you want.
Thank you.
“Will you fight me or will you walk away and not look back?” she asked impatiently.
“I will fight you.”
“Alright choose your weapon.”
I drew out my sword and held it in front of myself. She did the same. “It looks like we are ready to begin.” I said examining her weapon. It was plain, nothing special; it looked like the one that all the nights carried. I just wondered why she was a knight. It is almost as bad as a woman dressing like a man. “Shall we begin?” I asked a few seconds after she drew her weapon.
“The sooner I beat you the sooner that you can leave.” She answered in a full of herself kind of voice.
“You sound very confident that you will beat me. I would be the same way if I had a suit of armor on and my opponent had only cloth.”
“As you wish.” She said as she started to take off the armor. Her figure was like mine and you could tell that she had muscle. There was no doubt in my mind that it would be a good fight. I knew that she had to be an excellent fighter if she was in the position that she was in. “There now it is more fare.”
“Yes I would say that it is.”
Our sword swung together and the fight began. Her foot work was perfect and the way that she handled the sword was impeccable. She gave me a challenge and I would say that she is almost as good as Eldon. The fight went on for a long time. Neither of us able to break the others defense. Go to the left…no the right…come on you are not even trying. Eldon came into my head.
You are not helping me go away!
You are not fighting as good as I know that you can. Step it up. I know that you can beat her.
You are distracting me.
Wrong I am helping you
No you are not! Get out of my head NOW! There was no way that he was helping me. I could not concentrate on what I was doing with him in the background telling me what to do. While he was in my head I mad e a few curtail mistakes and if she had been a few seconds fast could have taken my life.
I could tell that we were both getting weak and it was only a matter of time before we would have to strength left at all. The sound of clashing metal was now the only thing that I could hear and I knew that I had to beat her. I am getting to weak. I thought to Eldon.
Sorry I can’t help you, you went in to this thing all on your own.
Thank you so much for all your help. I thought sarcastically ending it.
“Alright…you win…I can’t go on any longer.” She said a few swings later.
“Good, I don’t know how much longer that I could go. You are by far the best that I have seen.”
“Thank you, are not all that bad yourself.”
I think that we should take her with us. I thought to Eldon.
Don’t you think that we have enough people right now with us?
Well I would like a woman to talk to. It does get kind of boring with all you guys.
You do have a point.
I know that I do, plus you saw how she fights we could really use her if we get into a battle.
Yes I believe that you are right if she wants to come I think that I can allow it, but no more people.
Alright.
“From seeing your skill I do believe that we would have a good advantage with you by our sides. I guess what I am trying to say is will you come with us. I could use the company of a woman and I think that you would get along wonderfully with the rest of the guys.”
“I do believe that I will take that offer. I want to get out of here. See new things. You know, have adventure.” She answered after a long while of thinking. It was very important that we leave quickly. We must meet a man that is to tell Eldon and me what we need to know. But first we need to go and see the wizard that had talked to me the night before.
“Well you will defiantly find it with us.” I said with a smile.
“Good, I am glad that you feel that I am good enough to travel with you.” She said as she opened the gate.
When she led us into the town we saw people scrambling along the road that went though the town. I could not figure out what was going on. There was no order in the town. It almost seemed, from the way that the people were running every which way, that there was some sort of panic.
“I want you to look after these three.” I said to Abby as I pointed at Torin, Quentin, and Rostlyn. “We will meet you back here when we are done.”
“That sounds good.” Torin answered.
“Are you Abby?”
“No, why would you ask me that?” Torin answered sounding a bit confused.
“Because I was talking to her and you answered.”
“What am I not aloud to talk now?” he asked getting mad.
“Keep these two away from each other.” I warned her as I pointed to Torin and Rostlyn ignoring Torin’s last remark.
“I will do all that I can.” She said as I started to turn around.
“Thank you, we will return as soon as we can.” I said over my shoulder.
As Eldon and I made our way through the crowd, the people shoved me and stepped on my feet. There was no way of pushing them out of the way, so I just stayed very close to Eldon because I feared that if I was separated from him that I would get lost. There was suddenly a blur of colors as we vanished from the crowd. For what seems like a long time I can’t see a thing. I felt a hand grab my arm, I look to see who it is, but I still can’t see a thing.
We repair in a dark, wet place that was unfamiliar to us. I looked again to see who was holding my arm…just Eldon; I breathed a sigh of relief. But the relief was short lived; Eldon clenched my arm tightly as the shadow lurked towards us. I did not know what to expect. It might be a troll. I thought at first. No, it’s too small.
Then I saw it; it’s ugly face staring back into mine. Its breath was fowl; I was face to face with a goblin. Its green skin made mine crawl; its beady eyes looked back and forth from Eldon to me. I couldn’t look away. I was under its spell; its smell reached my nose. It was the worst smell in the world.
Don’t move, Eldon thought, Don’t talk.
I knew at that moment that we were reading each other’s minds.
Fine smarty how are we going to get out of this? I thought.
Well there is only one of him and to of us.
So? Oh, now I see what you are getting at. I thought as I made a quick grab for my daggers. At that moment it became war. I slashed at the goblin, and Eldon who had already had his sword out, finished him off. I stabbed him once more just to be sure. As I did this more came running at us, more then we could handle. As we started slashed and stabbing a figure came out nowhere. He was on our side, I think. After he killed the first one they all started running away. I did not get a good look at him. He vanished as quickly as he had appeared.
There was green ooze all over the wet floor and us. The smell still lingered in the air. I dropped my daggers to the floor. As I did this someone came walking toward us, the being walked slowly and with a limp of the left side. Eldon must have seen it to, he was on one knee.
While you are down there could you grab me my dagger? Hurry and get up that could be another one. Let’s go. I thought as if scolding him.
This is the wizard that we have come to see. You need to kneel in his presence. He is more powerful then we are.
At that moment I dropped to my knees in hopes that he had not seen the mistake that I had made.
He walked up to me and put a hand out, and said in a soft and soothing voice. “You may get up my child. I will forgive you. You may forget what you have done, for I in time will forget as well.”
“Thank you for our kindness.” I said as he helped me to my feet. Eldon was already standing.
Out of nowhere a table and four chairs appeared. All of which were made out of wood.
“Are we expecting someone?” I asked looking at the fourth chair.
“Yes, but do not worry right now about what may happen in the future. Worry only about what is happening now.” He announced in a deep voice as if to scare us. “My name is Klaus. I am the wizard that you have come to talk to.” He could tell that something was troubling me. “What is it my child, you look troubled.” His voice soft and worrisome once again.
“I have just been thinking of something in a dream I have recently had.” I answered.
“Well just listen to me now and I will hear you later.” He looked at the chain that I wore around my neck. Attached to the chain was a silver fairy. She was holding a vile that contained a magic dust. It was given it me at a young age. I was told that it was the dust of life. If I only had known how much that this little vile could do.
I fingered the pendent as he looked at it.
“Do you know what that is for?” he asked.
“My mother told me that it is the dust of life. As long as I kept it save the world would be save.” I replied.
“Your mother is only half right; it is also the dust of strength.”
“I do not understand.”
“The strength can be used in two different ways. It can be used as physical strength or mental strength. But only you will be able to use it. The way you use it will define you as a person, if it is used for good or evil. But the real strength comes from within. Use it…” He was cut off as a puff of smoke appeared behind us. The smoke was taking any air that I had. I started to choke.
When it finally cleared, a tall man stood where the smoke was just moments ago. He hid his face under a long brown cloak. But I could see his eyes staring back into mine. His eyes were as cold as ice, as was his heart.
“Is this the person that we were going to meet with?” I asked looking at Eldon; almost hopping he would say no.
“I don’t know I can’t see his face.” He answered not taking his eyes off the stranger.
As he said this the man lifted his hands to reveal bear-like claws. I knew at that moment that we were face to face with the most deadly creature to ever walk the face of this world and those to come, and it was lowering the cloak that covered the eyes that were still locked on mine. My heart pounded.
The hood of the cloak fell to the shoulders of the beast and I gasped, with horror.