by Ritu Ghosh
He soon joined the rest of the party for dinner. He enjoyed the big meal of pork chops and chicken stew with bread and red wine. For desert, everyone got freshly baked cheery pies. Sentas spoke to the guests merrily and asked them about their quests. Brandon listened with great interest and had his dinner quietly without making any fuss. Even Mrs. Renn was lost in their stories.
Aaron was happy to know that at least he was going to be with experienced fighters. He knew that the wolves cannot harm him with these two men by his side. He wished to learn from them their skills of fighting.
After the meal, Brandon was asked to go to his room and the rest of them shifted to the hall.
Dan sat next to uncle Sentas. “We will be leaving tonight with the boy” Dan said in a serious tone.
Sentas was puzzled. He said “What?! What do you mean leaving with the boy?”
“The boy is to come with us” Ony repeated.
Sentas grew furious. His expressions changed rapidly.
“Aaron is not going anywhere with you.” he said.
“I thought you knew” Aaron said looking at uncle.
“No! I welcomed these men into my house because they said that they were friends of your father. They wanted to talk to you. I thought you could learn something about your parents. But now, I do not want them here anymore.” Uncle Santas said without hesitation. “You should go now!”
Ony was flaring his nostrils and Dan was thinking about how to convince Sentas. Aaron came closer to uncle and sat him down. “Uncle, I have to go with them“
Sentas was confused. “But why Aaron? Why do you have to go?”
“Uncle, the wolves attacked the village because of me” Aaron said.
“What?! That’s nonsense! Who told you that? It’s not true” Sentas said.
“It is true.” Said Dan.
Uncle looked up at Dan and before he could say anything, Dan said again “Mr. Sentas, Aaron’s parents were members of a secret council. And so are we. Our job is to fight the Evil that the world has forgotten. Aaron is destined to follow in his parent’s path” He paused for a moment and then continued “I thought you were informed about this by one of our council members already.”
Uncle looked at Aaron and Aaron remembered the conversation he had with uncle last night. There was a fear in uncles’ eyes that he was going to lose Aaron.
“No, I don’t know anything. This is ridiculous!” Sentas got back on his feet and tried to protest, but Aaron caught his arms.
“Uncle, I am going with them, I have to! You knew I had to go one day”
Sentas fell silent.
“Uncle, they are looking for me. If I stay here, they will come again. I do not what to risk you and Brandon for this”
Uncle suddenly hugged Aaron tight and said nothing. Tears rolled down his eyes, he was not ready to part with Aaron.
“Can’t you stay for just a few more days?” He then turned towards Dan and Ony “Please Let me have a few days with him.”
“No, we can’t wait. The beasts are out there looking for Aaron. They can attack anytime again.” said Ony.
Uncle finally gave in. “Alright then let me know if you need anything for the journey.” Uncle sighed and walked away with his head hanging down. Aaron didn’t see him for the rest of the evening.
“We should rest now. We will leave at the break of dawn” said Dan. “It’s going to be a hard journey ahead”
All three of them entered Aaron’s room. Dan made a bed for himself on the floor and Ony slept on Aaron’s bed leaving a very little space for Aaron to sleep. Ony soon started to snore loudly. Aaron couldn’t sleep for a long time, it kept him wide awake.
This was the last time that he would be in his room. He didn’t know if he would ever come back to Brinsar, the village where he had sweet memories of all his life was slipping away from him. He will never see his family and especially his little brother. His heart ached. He wanted to go and talk to Brandon, hug him for the last time but he held his urge to do so. It would be too hard for both of them. Hoping that he is doing the best for everybody, he finally closed his eyes. His full stomach helped him sleep nicely.
“Wake up!” a heavy hand fell on Aaron’s shoulder. Aaron woke up startled.
As he looked with blurry eyes Ony covered his mouth and signed him to remain calm. The room was dark. A little light come from the outside through the window. He saw a shadowy figure standing near the window. It was Dan, he had a sword in one hand and a knife in the other.
‘What’s Dan doing there?’ Aaron wondered.
With a quick movement, Dan threw the knife out of the window. Aaron heard a shriek and a thud. Dan ran outside flinging the door open. Aaron again heard another shriek louder than before.
Aaron ran to the window to see what was going on, but he couldn’t see anything.
“What is happening?” He asked Ony.
Dan came back to the room with loud steps. He was panting and his sword was drenched with something black, it dripped and made a little puddle on the floor.
“Time to go!” Dan said looking at Aaron.
Without saying a word Aaron picked up his bag and joined Ony. He knew that he did not have much time before another attack happens. They hurried downstairs. The incident had woken everybody up. Uncle was standing downstairs in his night clothes and trying to make sense of what had just happened. Brandon was there looking at everybody with his sleepy eyes.
All three of them came down and rushed towards the door. Brandon saw Aaron all packed and leaving and started panicking. Sentas tried to hold Brandon close but he managed to get out of his grip. Brandon grabbed on to Aaron before he could get out of the door.
“Where are you going?!” He asked with watery eyes.
Aaron was not sure what to say to his little brother. He knelt in front of Brandon and held his face in his hands.
“I am going on a big adventure with these men, Brandon” He said trying to sound happy.
Brandon seemed to smile at the mention of adventure.
“You have to take care of uncle and this house now!” Aaron added.
Brandon nodded and hugged Aaron. Uncle carried him away and asked Mrs.Renn to put him back to bed.
He then came back to the hall and asked Aaron to write letters to him.
“There is no time, we have to leave now.” Ony said.
Aaron tore his eyes away from his uncle and hastily walked outside into the darkness. If he had to leave now, he wanted to get over with it. Get as far away as he could from there.
It was very dark outside. The icy cold wind hit Aaron’s face. He was not used to being outside at this hour. Everything was silent. Everyone was sleeping in their cozy homes.
The horses were standing near the big oak tree. One of uncle’s men was tending to them. The two horses were the same Aaron saw in the morning and the third one also looked very similar. He came closer to take a better look at the horse. It was the best horse Uncle Sentas had, it was also the best horse in the whole village. Uncle had bought it for himself from the city. Aaron always had his eyes on this horse and had always wanted it for himself. But today, getting it this way did not make him very happy.
Aaron loaded his bag onto the saddle and quickly pulled up his cloak. He had his sword dangling at his belt. He waited for the two men to join him. The men were assuring his uncle of something. He didn’t want to look back.
Both Dan and Ony came to their horses. Before Aaron could get on his horse, the men were riding already. Aaron mounted his horse and followed them. He looked at his house for the last time. Uncle Sentas and Mrs.Renn stood near the door waving goodbye. He pulled the rein hard and went behind the others.
Before passing the boundaries of the house he saw a giant Weather Wolf fallen dead near the bushes.
Chapter 6
The Silent Captive
The men didn’t stop for many hours. Aaron was trying hard to keep up with them but he was falling behind. It became difficult for Aaron to breath
e as the wind was hitting him hard on his face. Dan and Ony did not seem not to care much about it. Aaron got tired soon. Seeing Aaron slow down, the men slowed down to half their speed.
“We have passed the village and the nearby woods, the wolves will not follow us here” Ony said.
“Keep your voice low Ony. We do know about that yet. They could be hiding behind these trees right now” Dan said looking around.
The ground they rode on was plain. There were not many obstacles and Aaron’s horse seemed to enjoy the path. They progressed slowly.
“So, are we safe now?” Aaron asked.
“Safe?! There is nothing safe kid. You always need to be prepared for anything” Dan said.
Aaron did not like Dan calling him a kid. Of course he was not a kid anymore. He was sixteen and had just single handedly killed a giant Weather Wolf.
“Prepared for what?” Aaron asked.
“Prepared to kill anything that attacks you” Ony said “if you can’t get them, they will get you.”
‘It was not fair’ Aaron thought, ‘They never told me that I will be in constant danger’. He wanted to turn back but he knew he couldn’t. He tightened his jaws and waited for the men to take further decisions.
The night was still dark and chilly. There was good amount of mist in the air which was now settling on Aaron’s face, his clothes and shoes. He was not comfortable; he remembered the big fireplace back at his house. ‘How cozy it would be to just sit there and fall asleep?’ as he thought, he felt very sleepy and began to doze off.
“Kid, don’t drift off here. We have a good five miles to go before dawn” Dan interrupted Aaron’s sleep.
“Five Miles?!” Aaron said to himself regretting why he ever left home. Shaking off his sleep, Aaron rode with the men fast till it was dawn. The light from the sky made everything look blue around them.
Aaron realized that they were now on lands he never knew. The huge pine trees were standing tall, all emerald green. The pine needles, the green grass and the brown ground made the place look like a blanket woven with different colored threads. The path was very welcoming. He saw a few pine corns scattered here and there. This reminded him of Flynn very much. He and Flynn used to collect Pine corns. They treasured pine corns as they were a very rare thing around the village. The blue light faded away and the day was breaking in quick.
Dan stopped suddenly.
They were in the middle of the forest. There were pine trees of various sizes. Dan got down from his horse and stopped near a cluster of bushes.
“We will rest here for a while and then journey ahead” Dan said.
Aaron was very happy at the mention of rest at last. He was tired; he had not slept well at his house the last night. And also, he was riding for a very long time now. Aaron tied his horse next to Dan’s and patted its neck. His horse looked tired next to the Dan and Ony’s horses. Before he could take his blanket out of his bag, he heard someone snoring. Ony had fallen into a deep sleep as soon as he hit the ground. Aaron and Dan looked at each other and could not help but laugh.
Aaron pulled his blanket over him and closed his eyes. Never before he slept on the bare grounds, leave alone the jungle. He missed his bed and the many layers of soft covering on it, but he fell asleep sooner than he thought.
He saw beautiful dreams of him floating over the clouds. He was sitting on a white horse that could fly. He plucked fruits that tasted like heaven from high up in the trees. Some pretty girls served several plates of fruits, cheese and other delicious dishes to him. He could smell cheese ‘hmm… just like home!’
His pleasant dream was broken by the sound of an argument. Aaron opened his eyes and saw the two men arguing about something. Ony didn’t look very happy, he sat grumpy on a rock nearby with a piece of bun in his hands. He chewed on it ruthlessly.
Aaron could hear his tummy grumbling too. He was hungry. Dan was cooking some meat over the fire.
Aaron packed his blanket carefully and kept it inside his bag.
The men stopped arguing after they saw that Aaron was up.
“Here, help yourself” Dan offered Aaron a few buns and pieces of cheese that Mrs.Renn had packed for their journey.
Ony was still grumpy but he came back for more cheese.
Aaron ate till he felt stuffy. He didn’t complain about the dry breakfast. It felt like heaven to him. He drank some water to gulp it down.
“Eat well till the supplies last” said Dan giving Aaron and Ony some meat he cooked. Ony was now sitting next to Aaron.
Dan put out the fire as soon as everyone finished their food.
The weather was pleasant; the sun was not harsh. Aaron’s horse looked much better, after feeding the horses they untied them.
They soon came across a river. They stopped to wash their faces, hands and feet in the river. It was refreshing. The horses drank from the river.
‘What’s up with him?” Aaron asked Dan, looking at Ony standing at a distance.
“Oh! We had an argument about the path that we should take” said Dan looking the other way.
“Well, looking at him, I can tell who won!” Aaron smiled, but Dan wasn’t amused.
“The path he suggested was easy but dangerous. I could not risk your safety on any condition” said Dan.
“You still think the wolves are following me?” Aaron almost chocked.
“It doesn’t matter what I think Aaron. If they are not wolves they could be something else. But they will all come with one intention” he looked at Aaron “To finish you!”
“Why? Back in the house you said that you are part of a secret council. What kind of secret council is it? What evil are you fighting?” asked Aaron.
“Well, I am not the best person to tell you everything, but you should know about your heritage. Aaron, we are the ‘Defenders of Kron’. It is our duty to protect the land of Kron from the Evil Force.” said Dan calmly.
Aaron was taken aback. “But how can we protect the whole of Kron?”
“We are a secret group formed to break the Evil Force from within. We do not go to war like the other warriors or the armies of the kings. Our job is to take the evil down wherever it raises its ugly head. We are all highly trained in alternative warfare.”
Aaron felt a surge of thrill, he was going to be a part of something exciting.
“What is this Evil you speak of?” Aaron was curious.
“This evil was born thousands of years ago. Since then, it has come back in many forms over and over again. There are Men, Animals, Wizards and Giants who have fallen under its influence. This force has turned them all Evil too. We have to be on a continuous watch to identify and destroy this evil.” Dan shifted his weight and then continued “This war will go on forever if we cannot finish the Dark Lord.”
“Dark Lord? Who is he?” asked Aaron immediately.
“You will get all your answers once we get to the Blue Mountains.” Said Dan.
“Blue Mountains?!” Aaron exclaimed. He had heard about the Blue Mountains in folk tales of the village. A place where weird things are seen after dark. Some say that there was a wizard who lived in these mountains. He would turn you into something horrible if he caught you. ‘Why would you go there?’ He thought, but he remained quiet.
Before Aaron could ask another question, Dan was on his horse ready for the journey ahead. Ony too was ready on his horse and was not showing any willingness to stay further. Aaron filled his pouch with water from the river and joined them soon. He kept thinking about what kind of war he was going to be part of. He imagined what the Dark Lord would be like. If the wolves that attacked him were so monstrous, what else would the Dark Lord be capable of doing?
The forest they entered was strangely welcoming and peaceful. Aaron had never come this far from his village. The forest stretched many miles with no sign of any big or dangerous animals. Time to time, he saw small squirrels jumping from one tree to the other and birds chirping on the high branches of the tall trees.
�
��So am I a Defender now?” Aaron asked enthusiastically.
Ony burst into laughter and sped ahead.
“Not till you have been trained. Every young member has to train and pass the test before they can be Defenders. Till then, you are under training.” Dan said with a straight face.
Aaron was annoyed, he was getting dragged into something that he was not willing to do and now he had to train for that too. He followed them quietly. He didn’t ask any more questions. He realized that he knows nothing about what is going on. May be he should just wait till they reach this strange Blue Mountains. Aaron’s horse had vigor like he had never seen before. It was able to keep up with the others with no effort. Maybe, this was the horse’s destiny. Aaron smiled to himself as the thought passed his mind.
The forest was not very thick but it seemed to be never ending. The men rode like they knew the jungle very well. They have come miles from the village, he started to miss the flowers, the streams and his cozy house more than before.
Ony suddenly came to a halt and turned tuned towards Dan.
“What’s the matter?“ Dan asked.
“Someone is following us” Ony said, his ears were standing up.
“Who can follow us? We have travelled at such a great speed and for so long” Dan said, but Ony was not listening to him.
Ony asked Dan and Aaron to wait at the same spot and rode towards the East. The sun was already on top of their heads and Aaron was sweating. Aaron checked his sword in case he needed to use it.
“You will not need that kid” Dan said.
“But Ony said someone is following us” Aaron asked still clutching onto his sword.
“Well, Ony can sense living beings from many miles. That’s one of his best traits. But trust me on this, I have come across many Evil beings and this place doesn’t have any such things. The trees and the birds will be silent if any of them were around. Besides, they would not come out in the broad daylight because they will perish. They find dark and deep places to hide when the sun is out.”