SafeGuard

Chapter Twelve: Westard Road

The midday sun sits high in the sky as William Piper, Alex Dodgeson, and an unconscious Shawn Thyume journeyed far from the tall walls of SafeHaven. Alex sat in the carriage, his back pressed firmly against the front bench. His wrists resting on his bent knees, with his stained red hands hanging from his wrists. His body ached, and crawled. The effects of the venom gently playing with his body. The skin on his fingertips pulsed and tingled. The blood rags to clean Shawn's wound lay just inches from him. His mind broken from the trauma of what occurred at SafeHaven. He stared at his fingertips as the world faded away.

That dream of him dawning the Guardian armor now seeming like an implausible fantasy. Alex fought, studied and cried for that fantasy. Now all that gone. The nights and days, blood and pain spent journeying to the dream, worthless. He remembered the time he twisted his ankle, almost to the point of breaking, while dueling with a fellow apprentice. It took weeks for him to feel comfortable on his feet. Now, that pain he felt during that time, pointless. The nights he waved off supper and went hungry so he could study, meaningless. His hands became fists. "What will come of me now?" He asked himself. "Where do we go from here? How did we get here?" His head fell into his open numb red palms.

Alex couldn't help but compare this to when he left his home with his father. His father hurried them out of their home in Sara to rush to Highland. His mother killed by the deadly overdose of the hornet's sting. A common plant in Forrea that can be crushed into a reeking paste. The sour odor carries paralyzing effects when inhaled, leaving the user numb but in ecstasy. But if ingested too much would stop the heart and lungs. His father scrambled Alex out of bed, somewhat effected by the hornet sting himself. The tart odor coming from his mouth and nose as he pulled Alex from their crumbling home near the outskirts of Sara. They ran from their home in a panic, just as they are now.

A drop of blood ran down Shawn's side. Alex sighed as he leaned over to grab the last clean cloth. His bag sat, open, next to the rag. He could see his knife propped up, over various things thrown inside. Pura crafted the knife for Alex after he overcame his second trial. The stitching on the hilt loose and worn, but the blade inside the sheath proved very durable. She stressed it was not a blade forged for battle. He played with the cloth on the seat, rubbing it between his thumb and index finger as he looked at the knife. The running drop of blood caught his attention and he quickly pressed the fabric against Shawn's open wound. He worried about Pura and Ony. What would James King do to them? Should the Master Guardian allow this to happen to Shawn Thyume, he would surely do worse to others. His heart ordered him to stop the carriage and return to SafeHaven, but his mind controlled his hands and feet. Alex buried his desires as he roughly pushed against Shawn's open wound.

William guided the carriage away from the westward road. His hands grew tired of holding the reigns as they reached the midway point between SafeHaven and the South Run River. They hugged the border line where North and Eastlands. Bundles of tall standing trees scattered among the fields. He saw the tall majestic sambar deer roamed the plains to the north, migrating around a cluster of tall trees. The dark coat of the stag shimmered in the sunlight. The tall antlers pointing to the bright blue sky above. The herd of sambars gracefully grazed on the tall green grass. William examined the surrounding fields for hunters. The herds brought hunters from all around to the Northlands for the heavy coat and reach meat. One sambar could offer a farmer enough coin to feed his family for several weeks.

William tugged on the leather reigns. His palms sore from the constant friction. William slapped on the side of the carriage. "I am going to stop! There is a small pond ahead."

"Very well." Alex muttered as he cleaned around Shawn's wound.

The carriage slowed to a halt just a few feet from the pond. Tall grass swayed in the wind at the pond's edge. The murky water unappetizing to most. "It's not the cleanest of waters." William said, judging the water. Alex bent down emotionless. He ran his fingers into the cool water. The murky top layer swayed away.