Rojuun

by John H. Carroll

  Chapter 12

  The next morning, the cousins awoke to the smell of breakfast. Vevin brought them plates of food when they sat up. “I hope this is good. I’ve never cooked before.”

  They looked dubiously at each other as Vevin watched for their reactions. Liselle took the first bite. Tathan waited for her reaction and was surprised to see a positive response. “Mmm!” She finished chewing. “This is good, Vevin.”

  Tathan took a bite of his. It was good. “Thank you, Vevin. It tastes excellent.”

  “Oh good! I’m glad you like it.”

  Liselle noticed he wasn’t dancing.

  Vevin lightly touched his cheek next to the wound, wincing as he did so. The gash looked particularly angry.

  Liselle set her food down to climb out of her sleeping roll.

  Vevin watched warily as she moved toward him. When she put out a hand to touch his cheek, he shied away.

  “Shh,” she whispered to calm him. He trembled as she touched the skin near the gash. The skin felt firmer and more textured than human skin. It was hot near the wound but cool elsewhere.

  “Shh.” Liselle calmed him again. She placed her other hand to his right cheek in order to hold his head still. “I think I can ease some of the pain for you, Vevin.”

  Even as a child, Liselle could ease pain in animals and people. It was something she hadn’t told Tathan, thinking it would seem frivolous to him.

  “It’s all right, Lady Liselle. It will get better.” Vevin tried moving away.

  She held him firmly. “Shh. I’ll be gentle. Shh.” Liselle moved her hand to the top of the gash. Invisible energy ran from her fingertips to the wound. The redness calmed.

  Liselle wouldn’t be able to heal it completely. Her eyes were able to see inside of an injury and determine how to mend it, but this didn’t look natural. It didn’t help that Vevin’s skull was made of something different from bone. Added to that was the fact that his skin was much denser than human skin.

  She could take away the infection though. Her fingers moved lightly down the length of the gash, mending as much as possible while removing the infection. Vevin’s breathing came easier as she healed him. By the time Liselle was done, much of the redness was gone and the skin around it was cooler.

  Vevin looked at her in awe. The swirling of his eyes was calmer. “Thank you, Lady Liselle. It feels much better.”

  “You’re welcome, Vevin.” Liselle smiled wearily. “I wasn’t able to do much, but hopefully that helped.”

  “Oh yes. It helped a lot. Your hands are very soft. They feel good.” Vevin did a slow version of his happy dance.

  Liselle blushed at the compliment. “Thank you, Vevin.” She sat down, grabbing her plate of food to finish eating. The healing had left her famished.

  Tathan stared at her with an eyebrow raised.

  She didn’t want to answer questions. “Vevin, have you seen Sir Danth this morning?”

  “Oh yes! He’s still banging his head against the wall. He’ll make a nice new cave in a few weeks at the rate he’s going!”

  She turned to Tathan with an arched eyebrow. “Now may I go get him?”

  “I’ll go with you.” He stood and led the way, taking his plate of food with.

  Liselle took her plate as well, but Vevin was empty-handed.

  Tathan looked back at the creature. “Did you eat, Vevin?”

  “Oh yes! The first time I tried to cook breakfast, it wasn’t good, so I ate that. Then I made this and it tasted good.”

  “Why did you eat the first breakfast if it wasn’t good, Vevin?” Liselle asked.

  “Well, we didn’t want it to go to waste, did we? Never waste food.”

  “I suppose we didn’t.” Liselle scarfed the rest of her food and snatched a bit from Tathan’s.

  They headed down the ramp into the lower cave. From the open doors of the vault, they heard the sound of metal hitting stone.

  They walked up behind Sir Danth. Tathan tapped the knight on the shoulder. “Sir Danth. Please stop banging your head against the wall.” He turned to the other two. “There, I asked nicely.”

  Vevin nodded. “Oh yes! You asked very nicely!”

  Sir Danth, however, did not stop.

  Liselle glared at them. She placed a hand on the knight’s back. “Please, Sir Danth. Come talk to us.”

  The knight suddenly stopped and turned to face her. “Of course, Milady. I apologize. It was not my intention to upset you. It does not hurt if that’s any consolation.”

  “Well that’s good. We have a camp in the cave above with food if you would come with us.” Liselle showed him her empty plate.

  “Actually, since I no longer have doors to guard, I would like very much to go outside.”

  “Yes, of course we can do that.” Liselle set her plate on a rock to take the arm Sir Danth offered. The two walked down the tunnel.

  Tathan and Vevin looked at each other, shrugged, linked their arms and followed.

  Once outside, Sir Danth took a deep breath of air. He looked at the stream burbling along its merry path. “How very different from before,” the knight remarked. “I believe this is the Prolly Stream, which once ran through Aaltdiin.”

  “Aaltdiin?” Liselle asked.

  “Yes, Aaltdiin is the name of the city we are in.” He looked around at the peaceful forest. Flowers were everywhere, butterflies flittering about between them. “Or at least the city that used to be here.” He pointed toward where the stream went off the ledge of the cliff. “Prolly Stream used to be the same height as the rest of the city. It fell to the forest below. The stream must have worn this modest canyon in the centuries since.”

  “I imagine it was a beautiful city at one time, though I find the forest that’s taken its place delightful as well.” Liselle smiled at her knight.

  “It truly was, Milady. Tens of thousands of people lived here. There were smaller towns and villages throughout the forest.” He gestured grandly toward the cliffs. “And beyond was the rest of the Kingdom of Morhain.”

  “What happened to the Kingdom?”

  “Everyone disappeared.”

  Liselle’s brow furrowed. “Disappeared?”

  “Yes. Everyone just started disappearing.” He shrugged. “Wizards and scholars tried to figure out how or what happened, but they never succeeded.”

  “People don’t just disappear from an entire kingdom, Sir Danth,” Tathan protested. “Something must have happened to them. Surely there was a disease, or they left, or something.”

  “I would agree with you my good man. However, that is exactly what happened. Poof!” The knight gestured with his hands. “More and more people disappeared. Over the course of six years, nine out of every ten people disappeared and no one ever figured out where.”

  “Poof!” Vevin giggled. “Poof, poof.”

  Sir Danth ignored Vevin. “It was decided that all who didn’t disappear should leave. As one of the last Knights of Morhain, I agreed to stand watch over the Crown of Morhain to protect what the king considered the last and most important symbol of the kingdom.”

  “I’ve never heard of people just disappearing though. It doesn’t make any sense,” Tathan insisted.

  Sir Danth spread his arms.

  Liselle became thoughtful. “So . . . What will you do now that there’s no crown to guard? Do you intend to search for it?”

  “Heavens no. There is no reason to do so.” A hollow chuckle emanated from within the armor. “Besides, I might find myself honor-bound to protect it again if I did. I don’t want to stand around for another millennium.”

  They laughed at that.

  Tathan asked, “So what will you do, Sir Knight?”

  Sir Danth was silent for a moment. Then he held his arms out helplessly.

  “Travel with us, Sir Danth.” Liselle squeezed his arm. “We could use the company.”

  Tathan
turned to her. “We could?”

  “Yes, Cousin. We could.” She crossed her arms, daring him to disagree.

  “All right. But next time you decide to invite someone to travel with us, don’t you think you should be considerate enough to discuss it with me first?”

  Liselle’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you.” He put a hand on her shoulder to let her know he wasn’t upset. Then he turned to the knight. “Sir Danth, I agree with Liselle. Will you join us in our travels?”

  “I would know where you are traveling and what you intend to accomplish before I agree.”

  Liselle and Tathan looked at each other and shrugged. “We don’t know,” Tathan admitted. “Our home . . .” Tears welled in his eyes. “Warriors killed our parents. Liselle and I were the only ones to survive. We’ve been traveling without knowing where we’re going or what to do.”

  The loss stung Liselle, drawing moisture to her eyes as well.

  “Would you go back to seek vengeance then?”

  “The warriors are dead and I don’t feel like fighting a kingdom for vengeance.” Tathan shook his head. “Our parents and family are buried in peace. That is enough.”

  Liselle nodded in agreement.

  “You show great wisdom in this. I have seen people eaten by vengeance and it is not a pretty sight.” Sir Danth paused in thought. “I would travel with you, but there is something you should know about me.”

  “What would you have us know, Sir Knight?” Liselle asked.

  “I am hollow.”

  “Hollow? You mean you have no sense of purpose, or . . . I don’t know what you mean,” Tathan said.

  “I mean I am quite literally hollow. I have no body.”

  Tathan, Liselle and Vevin exchanged glances of confusion.

  “I was once a strong, tall, and especially handsome man. However, I no longer have a body. I am hollow.” He banged on his armor with the knuckles of his gauntlet.

  Tathan looked at Liselle.

  She shrugged.

  He turned to Vevin.

  “Poof!” The silver-eyed creature danced a jig.

  Liselle giggled.

  Sir Danth took his helmet off.

  The group stared in shock upon realizing he had no head.

  Holding his helmet in the crook of his elbow, the knight bowed.

  They could see the inside of the armor. Sir Danth Wazmordin was definitely hollow.

  Liselle paled at the sight. “Oh . . . hollow . . . I see now.”

  Sir Danth stood straight, though he didn’t put the helmet back on. “Wizards, clerics and the greatest smiths of the land created this armor. It was made to withstand everything in order to keep me alive to protect the doors of the vault.” His rich voice came from where his mouth would have been.

  It was an odd experience to listen to the disembodied sound.

  “My body survived for two hundred years before finally giving out. My soul, however, was bound to the armor, so I was not able to go to the heavens.”

  “Well . . . that must have been disappointing,” Tathan said lamely.

  “Quite! My body began to decay in the armor. That vault was humid and warm, which compounded the matter. Fortunately my body was dead, so I couldn’t smell myself.”

  Vevin hopped in his dance. “Oh yes! That would have been terrible. I can’t stand the smell of decaying bodies.”

  Tathan and Liselle weakly nodded in agreement.

  “Anyway, my flesh, meat and innards sloughed off my bones and oozed out of the armor.” He didn’t seem to notice the sick looks on the faces of his audience. “One of the enchantments on the armor is that it is always clean, so I had that going for me.”

  “That’s a nice touch.” Liselle clutched her stomach, feeling decidedly green.

  “Most definitely. My skeleton remained for a hundred years or so, but then fell apart into my armor. After that, I rattled every time I walked. It was irritating. I did find it interesting that I can still hear and see even though I have no sense of smell or taste. Anyway, I finally emptied what remained of my bones onto the altar in the cave above so I wouldn’t have to listen to them. I organized them properly of course.”

  “Oh!” Liselle yanked the ring off her finger and held it out to the knight. “I’m so sorry, Sir Danth. I took this off of your finger.” She glared at Vevin and Tathan for putting her in the situation.

  Sir Danth waved his hand in refusal. “No, no. I saw that on your finger right away. Please keep it as my gift to you for rescuing me.” He smiled at her . . . at least Liselle imagined it would be a smile if the knight had had a mouth or face. “The question is, do you still wish me to travel with you now that you know I am a hollow man?”

  Liselle was about to answer yes, but decided it might be wise to consult with her cousin this time. When she looked to him, he nodded gratefully. She turned back to the knight. “Sir Danth, it would be a great honor to have such a noble . . . knight as you join us regardless of whether or not you have a body.”

  “Thank you, Milady!” He bowed, unintentionally showing the inside of the armor once more. Liselle looked a little more closely and was thankful to see no sign of innards or flesh left inside.

  “Oh wonderful!” Vevin did his happy dance. “This shall be exciting!”

  Liselle looked at Vevin for a moment, and then turned to the knight. “Sir Danth, Vevin was hoping to use this for his home. Do you mind?”

  “Not at all. Truthfully, the place is not mine to give or refuse, but I will certainly not stand in Vevin’s way.”

  “Oh wonderful!” Vevin did two backward somersaults in a row. “Thank you so much! I have a new home!” The happy dance continued with new vigor.

  Liselle laughed in pleasure at the sight. “Does this mean you’ll stay here, Vevin?”

  The dancing stopped. “I was hoping I could come with you.” His hopeful look was much like a puppy dog.

  She was about to agree, but looked to Tathan first.

  The expression on his face was uncertain. He shrugged.

  “You don’t mind leaving your new home, Vevin?” Liselle asked.

  “Oh no! I don’t have any treasure yet, and it’s never a home without treasure! Plus, I like you, Sir Danth and even Tathan. I like you, and want to be your friend and travel with you!” He nodded vigorously.

  Liselle laughed again. “Then it’s settled. We are four. Shall we continue on the path north? Or . . .” She waited to see if anyone else had any ideas.

  “South is where your home was, Milady?” Sir Danth asked.

  “Yes, we believe there’ll be more warriors. It was my intention to explore the world anyway. I just didn’t expect my journey to have started so violently.” Tears welled in her eyes again. She wished they would stop doing that.

  “Then I vote for north as well.” Sir Danth put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He was very gentle considering his gauntlets were made of steel. It was a bit unnerving to be comforted by an empty suit of armor. She thought of him more as a person when not looking at the missing head.

  “Oh yes! I like north. North is fun!” Vevin’s happy dance added a new move. He altered it for each situation.

  Tathan thought about it for a moment. “I agree with north because there isn’t any other way to go right now. It was originally my intention to reach the Northern Kingdoms and find a new start there, but when Liselle and I were looking over the cliff, we saw some sort of fortress by a lake in the north. It looked curious.” Tathan pointed toward the cliff he had stood with Liselle the day before.

  “Would you show me, Master Tathan?” the knight asked.

  Everyone followed Tathan to the cliff where he pointed out the structure by the lake.

  “That is not a part of the Kingdom of Morhain. The lake used to be much smaller if I remember correctly.”

  Vevin shielded his eyes. “There are people
there. Not all are human. I’ve never seen the other race before!”

  “Other race?” Sir Danth asked in obvious surprise. “Humans are the only race in the entire world of Ryallon.” The knight still had his helmet off. With or without it, he managed to convey expressions. Liselle thought it might be part of the magic of the armor.

  “Oh no, there are others,” Vevin said. “I’ve never seen or heard of this one though. They have four arms I think. It’s hard to tell from this distance.” Vevin was straining to see. No one saw the tiny blue tendrils running through his liquid eyes due to their own futile attempts to view the new race.

  “You can see people there Vevin?” Tathan asked in amazement. “It’s so far away that I can barely make out that it might be a fortress, let alone see any people.”

  “Yes, of course I can! You mean to tell me that you can’t?” he asked in surprise.

  Tathan only sighed in response.

  “It looks like there are lots of bugs there too.”

  “Bugs? Do I even want to know?” Tathan asked.

  “Big bugs,” Vevin replied.

  “Let’s see if we can find a way there. Perhaps there will be adventure,” Liselle suggested enthusiastically.

  “I think that an excellent plan, but we must be cautious, Milady.” Sir Danth waggled a finger. “Master Vevin mentioned a race he had never seen before as well as big bugs. It could be dangerous.”

  They all looked toward the fortress in thought. Vevin, of course, was doing a little dance, a thoughtful dance.