The River King

Chapter 3: Cymon

He wasn't the person Finneas was expecting. From the way Sebastos explain it, he assumed he was going to be meeting up with the Sensor. There was no mention of another person. Something felt amiss.

"You two look surprised?" the man said.

He stood up and approached Finneas and Kistoph. Finneas was unsure how old the person was, but he must have been in his early twenties. The man had dark skin; far darker than the Natives who lived in Estmere. He was not from around here. His rather large nose stood out. No one Finneas knew had a noise like that. Wearing a leather jacket, he was far taller than either Finneas or Kistoph. Placing his hand out, the man signalled for a handshake. Neither boy knew how to react.

"Where's Seb?" Finneas asked, trying not to sound too aggressive.

"Serious, what the heck's going on?" Kistoph yelled abruptly.

The man signalled for silence. With a soft voice, he told them, "There are guards nearby. Unless you want to get caught, I would stay quiet."

Finneas decided to let the man explain himself, even though Kistoph still didn't sound convinced. His friend was staring at the man as if he was a threat. Finneas, on the hand, decided there must be an explanation.

"Who are you?" Finneas asked.

"My name's Cymon," the man explained. "I'm from what you call the Riverlands."

"What's someone doing from Rivetia here?" Kistoph said, still sounding a bit aggressive. Finneas could understand. His friend was being just a tad bit protective.

Although Finneas didn't understand everything the Sensor had told him, there were a few things he could remember from the conversation. Sebastos said something about a portal in Rivetia. Surely something happened, which stopped the Sensor from travelling with them. Cymon must be their guide, Finneas assumed.

"I'm a friend of Sebastos," Cymon explained. "We were meant to be travelling together, but something has happened."

"What happened?" Finneas asked. Everything was starting to make sense.

"I'm not too sure," Cymon explained. "Sebastos said he had to travel south. He said he'll meet us at Rivetia, I'm sure." As Cymon spoke, the sound of guards could be heard from the distance. "We need to get moving," Cymon said. "If we can hear them, they probably can hear us too."

Cymon began to move towards the forest area. Finneas followed from behind. However, he noticed his friend wasn't following. Kistoph was defiantly standing put.

"Why should we trust you?" Kistoph remarked. "You could be a spy for the mayor. Or the Order. Or whatever these bad guys are called."

"I'm a Water Taper," Cymon explained. "My people have been enslaved for centuries. I'll do anything to set them free. But we don't have time to discuss matters like this. We can do introductions later."

Kistoph didn't seem convinced. "Prove it?"

Cymon seemed defeated. He simply shook his head.

"This is dangerous," he explained, "but if it makes you follow me, then..."

Cymon didn't say anything else. He searched through his backpack, taking out a water bottle. Unscrewing the lid, Cymon poured the water out. He then placed his hand over neath the damp soil, palm facing the ground. Drops of water began sprinkling upwards as if up-side-down rain. Placing his hand in a bowl shape, Cymon turned his palm upwards. A good amount of water was clutched in his hand.

The two boys stood there, amazed. Neither boy spoke, waiting for Cymon to respond. Finneas heard about these magic powers, but never had he seen them with his own eyes.