“Fortunately… that’s just where I was going.”
He looked around to see if there were any guards nearby, but in this situation I think they were too busy running from those barbaric dwarves. Who knew so much chaos could ensue in only a few minutes?
Adrian carried me to a nearby shady corner, next to the prison walls, carefully sitting me down.
“I’m going to see if my horse is still alive and get him ready since – you know – I’ve been imprisoned for about two years.”
I couldn’t help but give a feeble chuckle, but immediately winced thereafter. He put his hand on my shoulder.
“Careful.” He comforted me with a faint, but worrying grin. “I’ll go clear the way of guards. You’ll be safe here. I’ll be back, I promise.” With that he set off to go see to his horse just outside the city walls.
I felt incredibly weak and sank down further to the ground, having the wall to support me. My breathing was heavy and I struggled to keep it stable. It was just terrible.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I noticed Terrowin pass by. He was in a hurry, covered in soot and surprised by Borin’s sudden arrival.
My heart skipped a beat and I felt like breaking. Mixed emotions engulfed my mind and enclosed on my heart. I couldn’t take it. I didn’t know what to feel. I didn’t want him to see me. I wanted him to just hurry by and never see me again. I hoped and prayed that he wouldn’t notice, that I would be a shadow, but it was too much to ask. I swear that if I didn’t have enough control over me like I did, I would’ve hyperventilated for sure.
Terrowin froze in his tracks, catching the sight of me out of the corner of his eye. His arm was healed, but did I care at the moment? Not at all.
He was utterly surprised, yet all the same, from what it seemed, relieved. His eyes softened, though not without that hint of concern and unease they carried.
My lip started to quiver.
I wanted to get out of here, but where was the use of your legs when you need them the most?
I shook my head.
Terrowin gradually came closer, the steps he took painstaking.
“Carlaylin…?”
“Go away…” was all I could manage. “Go away,” I repeated between gritted teeth, only slightly louder and angrier. I clutched my stomach directly after to ease the pain.
He gave a step backwards, his eyes glistening.
“Carlaylin… I-“
“Please,” I cut short. “Just… go. Y-You don’t know what it’s like to be a slave for three months.” I coughed. His eyes exchanged glances between all my terrible wounds, the blood and dirt and slits on my shirt, my pale skin and dark eyes.
Not to mention the faint weight loss I had undergone after months of nothing but stale bread and hard labour.
Terrowin seemed genuinely downcast, as he couldn’t find his words.
He tried kneeling down by my side, searching my face, his eyes locking with mine.
“Please, I have a perfectly good explanation for all of this… for all I’ve done.”
I reeled my head away to cough.
“Are you okay?” I bit down on my teeth.
“Of course I am!” I said sarcastically, tears lying shallow.
“Carlaylin… Come on. We have to get to Morrowburg. You need help.”
“You selfish jerk!” I snapped. He tried to ignore my statement and grabbed my arm.
“Let’s get you on your feet.” As he forced me to stand, the same terrible memories rushed into my head and I couldn’t help but panic.
“No, let me down!” He ignored me. “Please!” I shouted and pulled away, falling to the ground.
“Can’t you see I can’t walk, you dolt?!”
“Carlalyin…”
For but a moment, we stared deep into each other’s eyes. That was before I landed a painful blow to his jaw. He stumbled back and regained his balance, grasping at his wounded jaw. A trickle of blood flew from the edge of his mouth.
He had nothing to say.
Well, he did get punched a lot these days.
“Leave me alone and go!”
“I…”
“GET AWAY FROM ME! Just…” I blinked the tears from my eyes, “Go…”
He looked ashamed of himself. He dropped his gaze and hung his head and disappeared around the corner, sensing that he didn’t have much of a choice. I wasn’t about to be persuaded to go with him.
I gave a sigh of relief, glad that it was finally over. I shut my eyes tightly.
Why did that bastard have to show up?
I quietly sobbed to myself, almost unnoticeably. The pain was too much. Inside and out. It felt as though I couldn’t escape it…
Soon enough Adrian returned and approached me from a distance. It reassured me. He was truly a sight for sore eyes. I swiftly wiped the tears from my cheeks, hoping he wouldn’t notice. Adrian knelt down in front of me.
“Well he’s gone, but I managed to ‘borrow’ a new one.”
He smiled. I gave him a faint smile in return.
He lifted me up once again but I winced. “Oh, sorry,” he apologized.
“Anything else I can do for you before we leave?”
“B-Break that merchant’s nose. He’s one of the main reasons I got… stuck in that godforsaken mine.” Adrian returned a mischievous grin.
“He’ll get what’s coming to him soon enough.”
I have to admit that I was glad, but failed to fight back a sigh.
“Don’t worry,” Adrian comforted, “It’s a good thing I know a monk in Morrowburg that’ll be able to help cure you.”
Adrian then rushed with me in his arms to the gates through the terrorised city, at war with enraged dwarves. I couldn’t help but look back and notice that Terrowin had been eavesdropping on us all this time. He looked at me with a grim expression and a feeling of deceit as Adrian carried me away. He closed his eyes and turned around, walking away.
We reached the outside where a white saddled horse was waiting for us at the foot of the forest. Adrian carefully helped me on and got on next. I slumped against him, folding my arms around his waist for support. I wasn’t exactly keen on falling off anytime soon.
He immediately kicked the horse’s flanks, letting the horse run at full speed. We travelled in haste for who knows how long, though, for me it felt like only a few minutes had passed us by. I didn’t really focus on how long it took us to get there since I was constantly nodding off between consciousness and unconsciousness. Plus, I’m pretty sure I needed some sleep anytime soon. I was too busy trying to stay alive.
I kept repeating ‘don’t go into the light’ in my mind, which actually seemed to help. It was not long until I felt slight drops of rain fall on my bare skin.
“Hang on! We’re almost there!” Adrian announced over the cries of the loud wind and the horse’s hooves. The sky turned dark shades of dark grey and thunder roared loudly in the distance as we approached a large, a dark city. I guessed it to have been Morrowburg.
After we entered the city, Adrian pulled the reigns and the horse made its stop in one of the back alleys.
He hurriedly climbed off and got me into his arms. By now I could barely keep my eyes open. It felt as though my whole body had gone numb.
“Try to stay awake.” I could feel myself tremble, barely able to focus on my surroundings, feeling like the temperatures had just fallen to sub-zero.
“Just leave me.”
“Not if I can help it.” He took a deep breath, staring out into the distance.
“I know we’ve only known each other for about two months or so, but I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want you to die. Please stay with me, even if it kills you.”
Bad choice of words, Adrian.
Too bad I couldn’t reply to point out his fault, but felt a sudden warm feeling in my heart. It’s sweet, actually. Someone actually doesn’t want me dead…
He ran
through the streets, shoving people out of his way to get to the cathedral as fast as possible. First the people cursed, waving enraged fists around in the air, but went silent when noticing what he was trying to do.
The beautiful cathedral grew larger as we approached it. It was shade of light grey against the background of dark buildings and ominous storm clouds.
Adrian thirsted out his shoulder and burst in through the large wooden double doors with all his might.
“Brother Deodonatus! It’s me, Adrian! I am in dire need of your help!” he cried. Like a chubby competitor from the Olympics, Brother Deodonatus came rushing to his call, almost slipping several times on the smooth marble floors as he gave sharp turns. The floor was so clear that I could see my own reflection in it.
You look terrible…
The cathedral was unbelievably large and the ceiling stretched up high, supported by large stone columns. The monk wore a brown robe and had a ring of hair that surrounded his bald spot on top of his head... just your average monk.
“Adrian!” he gasped, breathless. “Adrian! I can’t believe it! It’s really you! You’ve come back, after all these years…” He shook his head to push his current thoughts to the very back of his mind as he focused on the now.
“But what is it?” he asked, apprehended of Adrian might say. A combination of shock and terror flickered across his face for an instant when he caught sight of me.
“She’s terribly ill and wounded. I need your help.”
The monk didn’t hesitate before taking action.
“Quickly! In here!” The monk guy led us straight into a single room nearby. He hurried us inside, revealing nothing but a normal sized room that neatly contained but a large double bed and a single chair next to it. A dressing table stood in the corner. It was a simple, but beautiful room, decorated in the cultural aspect that the rest of the cathedral carried so well.
“Set her down.”
Adrian hurried and laid me down onto the first comfortable bed I’ve been on in three months. My head slumped lifeless to the pillows.
Through the slit beneath my half-closed eyelids, I noticed Brother Deodonatus leave.
“It is absolutely essential that you keep her conscious. I’ll be right back – I-I think I might have something.”
He dashed out the door like the portly athlete he seemed to be. I weakly turned my head to Adrian who sat down on the chair next to the bed, his eyes trailing Deondonatus as he left. His eyes soon fell to me.
“You’ll be fine. I promise...”
I turned my head to the door, just in time to see Brother Deodonatus running into the room with some supplies hugged in between his arms and a bowl filled with some liquid sloshing about in a bowl. Time slowed down and I could hear nothing but my own heartbeat… It wasn’t long until I fell away into oblivion…
CHAPTER 26
JUST ME, THE LOCAL IDIOT,
SIGHTSEEING THE MIRACLE OF FLYING
DWARVES
TERROWIN
I sat and watched miserably as the city burned down in flames, many angry dwarven warriors attacking lots of innocent citizens as they screamed and ran for their dear lives. Some of the dwarves even took the chance to steal from a few nearby buildings, yelling, “It’s mine!” Even the guards couldn’t fend them off. I actually saw one of them being run over by a hoard of dwarves, yelling their battle cries with swinging axes and swords and maces.
I sat hunched forward, my shoulders slumped. I deserved to be nowhere else…
I heaved a heavy sigh, not even bothered by the flames of the fires closing in and all the chaos occurring about me at the moment. I just sat there on a lonely stone bench, my arms resting on my upper legs, trying to get over the throbbing pain at my jaw… I swallowed, feeling as though a marble sat stuck in my throat.
How could I have been such a fool?
I closed my eyes.
Why, Terrowin…? Why are you such an… idiot? You didn’t realize her pain. You never knew just how bad you made it for yourself…
I took a shaky breath and opened my eyes.
But I… I didn’t have much of a choice. I… I just couldn’t. They would’ve killed me. They would’ve killed her, if I kept fighting. They would’ve taken me away. They would’ve identified me as Terrowin Belanos and reported back to my father. I would be condemned. I would be locked behind the walls of Hayley and then who would be left to help her out of those mines?
I slowly raised my gaze and looked up at the chaos surrounding me. If only I had the chance to tell her what my plan was, my intentions. If only...
Carlaylin, I never meant for it to go this way… I’m so, so sorry. I thought I could do it. Three months I tried, but I could never help you…
With a strong sense of despair, I stared at the incidences in front of me, no courage and no will to beckon me to move. I had never felt worse… The guilt gnawed at my stomach like a hungry rat and ate away at my heart like a poison.
You doomed yourself. This is all on you.
As I sat there, I suddenly felt the edge of a cold, sharp blade touching my neck. My face fell to a frown, knowing when I was being threatened. I turned my head to my left. My gaze rolled down.
One of the ugliest dwarves I had ever seen held his double-sided axe to my throat alongside a sour expression that was enough to shrivel me to a pulp.
“Why don’t you just kill me now and get it over with, Borin?”
Borin sheathed his weapon and looked at me with bewildered eyes. Looking closer, there was an obvious glance of disgust and disappointment glinting in his eyes.
“Pathetic.”
“I know. That’s Terrowin for you.”
With a snort, Borin folded his arms.
“What are ya still doin’ here?” I sighed and raised my hands with the utmost uncertainty.
“I have nowhere left to go.” Borin cocked his head and narrowed his eyes.
“Ya could go after tha’ other friend of yers tha ya left with tha’ other human. The name is Carlaylin, I think.”
I shot my gaze to the sky in query.
“Sure, why won’t you call her by the name and not me?” I waved it away. “Look, how do you know about this?”
“It’s hard to miss. It’s all out on our daily dwarven gossip.” I hung my head.
“Sure it is,” I sighed.
Only a moment passed where not a word was spoken, me revelling in my own misery, repent and resentment toward myself. It was Borin who borke the silence with an arched eyebrow.
“Uh, yer on fire.”
“Hm?”
He pointed to the column of smoke rising from my side. I looked to my side and saw a small flame eating away at my jacket’s edge.
“Oh.” Without as much as my heart skipping a beat, I just calmly batted it away with my hand and continued my depression session with my chin resting on the palm of my hand, nonchalantly staring out in front of me. Borin, on the other hand, looked quite shocked as I didn’t take the fire quite as seriously as he had most probably anticipated.
“I uh…” He quickly paused to take a deep breath.
“Go after her.” I flashed him a glance.
“How will she ever want to see me again after all I’ve done?”
“All you’ve done?”
He had a point. I touched by wounded jaw and pushed it back in place, hearing a slight crack.
“Nothin’ will come of it if ya just sit here and do nothin’ about tha matter. Move yer ass and go after her if ya want things to turn out right again.” I frowned and met him, face to face, finding some of my courage resurfacing from its hiding once again.
Since when was Borin a philosopher?
“I’ll make my own decision, thank you very much. No one orders me around but myself and especially not a short-tempered dwarf.”
“The matter will be different if ya have an axe stuck in yer head.”
Borin withdrew his double-sided ax
e from his back and held it in position, ready to strike with only his greatest pleasure.
My eyes broadened.
“…a-and my decision is to go to Morrowburg.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle nervously, scooting a few paces to my right.
“No need to get irrational.”
As though he didn’t hear me, Borin pointed the tip of his axe at me.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”
“Yer trespassin’ on dwarven territory.”
“But I thought we were well acquainted.”
“Nah, I’ve been waitin’ to slice ya with mah axe ever since I met ya, but unfortunately I’m not allowed to. Shame tha’ is.”
A slight smile appeared on his lips and led to him sheathing his axe again. If that was his way of teasing playfully… then he was truly a terrifying little man.
“Just get out of here and go apologize to yer girlfriend.”
“She’s not my-” Borin touched the hilt of his axe as a warning.
“I’ll be on my way.”
I stood and dusted some soot off my clothes.
“Mind givin’ a step to yer left?” I looked at my little dwarf associate.
“Why?”
“Just do it, human! They’re firin’ the catapult.”
I didn’t like the sound of that and less so understood it, but yet obeyed in fear of his sharp looking axe. As soon as I gave way, I heard a loud and deep battle cry coming from the… sky? Looking up, I saw something flying my way. It could be a giant boulder, but I decided against it as I noticed it to be a dwarf shot my way. I bit down on my lip and leaped out of the way, just in time to see my trusty stone bench split in half.
The dwarf looked lightheaded, but managed to get to his feet, finding it difficult to keep his balance. He faced me and gave a large toothy smile, only to show the bits of teeth he had left. He gave one final thumbs-up and went on his way.
“That looks…”
“Harmless. Yes, I know,” Borin said and looked at that same dwarf storming some other unfortunate object.
“Hey, Boris!” he shouted.
“Try breaking down a building next time!”
Wizard of Elements Page 26