Blood of Decusia

Chapter Nine

It took us about an hour to reach the river. No one really spoke the whole way, which was fine with me. I was still processing all of this history, as well as how it connected to me.
"Here we are," Warner said, stopping at the edge.
It was a massive river, about 200 feet across. On the other side, I could see what looked like some sort of village. I could see people too, men, women, and children. Beyond that, was a patch of trees, nowhere near the size of the one we just left and beyond that I could see a dark range of mountains in the distance.
"Hey!" someone called.
A dark haired man was running towards us from one of the huts. He was carrying a large wooden pole, about eight or nine feet long. I couldn't really see his face, but he was lean, with long brown hair.
"Finn!" Warner called.
"You guys were supposed to be back yesterday!" the man, Finn, called, "Romulus is furious."
"Who's Romulus?" I asked.
"He's the beta," Warner answered, "He's kind of our boss."
"Like a wolf pack?"
Warner smirked, "Exactly."
    Finn lifted up the pole, high over his head and slammed it into the ground, twisting it deep into the earth.
    "What's he doing?" I asked.
    "Just wait," Marcus answered.
    For a moment, there was nothing. But then there was a deep rumbling and the ground started trembling, like an earthquake. I stumbled, grabbing Marcus's arm. He looked at me and smiled.
    Suddenly, the surface of the water burst, as a rock formation rose, stretching from one end to the other. It rose until it curved up into an arch, a few feet above the water. A bridge. 
    The ground stopped shaking and Marcus and Warner stepped on to it. I hesitated, still shocked by what I saw. Marcus turned back to me, while Warner kept walking over.
    "Come on," he said.
    I took a deep breath and stepped up. I half expected it to collapse under the weight of the three of us. It didn't, so I followed.
    I didn't breathe easy until we had reached the other side. All around us were groups of identical hut-like houses, each of them had the same symbol on the side of each. It was a wolf howling up, connected to a crescent moon.
    "He's waiting."
    For the first time, I got a good look at Finn. He was handsome, like Warner and Marcus, with warm brown eyes, and a kind expression. I guessed he was someone people got along with very easily.
    "Yeah, yeah," Marcus waved him off.
    Finn led us into the village. As we walked by, I could see people staring at us. Suddenly a kid, probably about 10 years old ran up and tackled Warner in a big hug.
    "You're back!" he exclaimed, releasing Warner and hugging Marcus.
    "Hey, Lowell!" Warner smiled, tasseling the kid's hair.
    Lowell looked identical to Warner, except younger. He smiled, revealing two missing front teeth. He wore all black, similar to Warner and Marcus, but he had a wooden sword hanging by his belt.
    "Romulus is pissed," he said, "Dad, too."
    So they were brothers.
    "Yeah, we've heard," Warner sighed.
    Lowell turned to me, confused.
    "Who's she?"
    "Lowell, don't be rude," Warner said, throwing an arm around his brother.
    "This is Clove," Marcus said, "She's visiting"
    Lowell, seeming to trust Marcus, smiled and stuck out his hand.
    "Hi!"
'    His grip was strong, stronger than any normal 10 year old.
    "Hi," I answered, shyly.
    "Let's go," Finn spoke up, "He's waiting."
    "Catch you later, buddy," Warner said.
    "Bye!" Lowell waved, running off after some kids who were playing nearby.
    Finn led us further into the village when we reached a hut with ROMULUS on the door. He turned toward us, focusing on me.
    "He requested to see Lyon and Cruise," he said, "No one else."
    Marcus stepped in front of me.
    "She needs to come with us," he  said, "We have urgent business to tell Adolfus and Romulus, now."
    "Well, Adolfus isn't here and Romulus requested you two."
    "But-," Warner started.
    The door opened and a man appeared. He was built with tan skin, haad  fierce blue eyes and his long black hair tied back in a ponytail. A scar on his cheek that ran from under his ear, across his jaw to his chin and. Eyes that were fixed on me. His gaze was so intense I felt myself squirm.
    "Cruise, Lyon, inside, now," he demanded in a deep voice.
    "Romulus-," Marcus started.
    "The girl can wait outside," he interrupted, "Blanchflower will watch her. Take her for a walk."
    He turned and walked back inside. Marcus and Warner exchanged a look.
    "It's ok," I said, "I'll be fine."
    After a brief hesitation, they followed Romulus inside and shut the door. Finn stood there awkwardly, staring at me.