The Crimson Claymore

The Crimson Claymore: Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The middle of summer had finally arrived where the days grew hotter and the nights shorter. Seldom did they decide to travel during the day but instead chose the coolness of night to carry them more swiftly. During the hottest hours, they discovered what little shade could be found to rest and nap. Andron rather enjoyed Starlyn's cheerful company, but he was unsure about the other kheshlar. Erenuyh did not seem to speak much or acknowledge him at all. He did peer at Starlyn from time to time, but he hardly even spoke to her. It seemed a spell took him each time he looked upon the fair kheshlar. Andron did admit that Starlyn's beauty outmatched any other he had ever seen, but he thought it was common among the kheshlars. Perhaps she was even a treasure in their eyes, and Andron didn't doubt it.

He always fancied the old Wiseman tales of kheshlars while sitting at a campfire smoking pipe weed, but he thought they were more a myth than reality. Starlyn was the first of her kind that he'd seen, and he had been entrapped by her beauty. In the stories, they were the fair folk, fair of both appearance and tongue. It was also said they had strange ears and thin but strong bodies. He had also heard that they did not eat meat, were friends of the forest, and immortal of life. As far as he could tell, the stories did not go astray. She was the first he had seen, but he was hopeful she wouldn't be the last. Erenuyh would be the second kheshlar that Andron laid eyes on, and the first male. He noticed that there was little difference in the appearance between the men and women, for he had studied when the six had surrounded them. The men had stronger jaws, larger ears, and thicker cheek bones. Still, these comparisons were small and had to be closely observed. The clearest detail would be the body shape and slightly less pale face of Starlyn. He wondered if all the kheshlars had as fine a bosom as Starlyn.

They traveled near relentlessly once they exited the large forest of the west. The plains were bare now but a few scattered trees within giant meadows. Most of the ground was bright-green grass with goats and sheep aplenty grazing upon it to keep it trimmed. Large mountains could be seen far in the distance to the east, and they seemed to travel straight for them at a northern slope. Andron had remembered seeing mountains as tiny specks to the south of where he lived, and so he gathered Starlyn was using them as a marker. They did not travel all the way to the mountains but instead kept a league away atop small hills heading north.

Andron dearly wished he was back upon the saddle of a horse again, for his feet grew weary sprinting across the hills. He soon realized how much more energy kheshlars had than men and how out of shape he was. True it was that he was thin, much thinner than Searon perhaps, but his endurance was low. It had not always been, but after such a journey that he had, he did grow tired. After that, he grew perhaps lazy as he sat upon Searon's fair white-and-black striped horse.

On the morning of the seventh day, they began to slow and were at a quick-paced walk. It seemed like a standard walk for the kheshlars, but it was quick in pace for Andron. Each morning, they seemed to slow in pace to relax with the morning breeze. Then they would search the hilltops for close area of shade or water to rest during the hot summer day. That day, they found both a large oak tree with shade and a pond only fifty paces in front of it. Andron smiled broadly when he sat down in front of it.

Soon, when his back was relaxed against the stern trunk of the tree, he pulled out a long-stem cedar pipe and packed it with pipe weed. The plant was called Klitheaur, and a common weed that grew in the outskirts of his village. It was used by most for its healing and potency of relaxation. The smell was good and the taste even better. He found a few twigs that he lit with his flint striker and dipped into the opening of his pipe. After taking a few long-desired inhales of the fresh pipe weed he leaned his head back in relaxation. Erenuyh's nose seemed to twitch at the stench of the weed, but he said nothing. Starlyn, however, looked intrigued.