The River King

Chapter 9: The Natives

"Damn it!" Lochen cursed. "He got away!"

"No chaff!" Kistoph replied. "Those two suddenly poof! What else you thought happened?"

Lochen ignored him, and instead dashed toward where Cymon and the wind taper had vanished. He studied the ground. Picking up piles of salt, Lochen studied the glimmering material.

"A warper," Lochen commented.

"A what?" Finneas asked, approaching Lochen.

"A warper," he repeated. "It's a teleportation thing. It's... well... you wouldn't understand."

"Understand?"

"I'll explain later," Lochen replied. "But we need to find Cymon first. He mustn't have gone far. Warper only allows a person to transport themselves a short distance away."

"Any idea?" Kistoph asked, towering above the Lochen. Like Finneas, his friend was trying to get a good glance at the ash remains. "Directions maybe?"

Lochen shook his head.

"I'm not some know-it-all," Lochen replied. "I only know the prince is nearby."

"Great!" Kistoph bemoaned.

"Hey!" Lochen barked. "There's no point yelling at me. I'm not the one who's kidnapped Cymon."

As Kistoph and Lochen bickered, Finneas noticed something rummaging through the trees down below. Although faint, he could hear someone pulling something along. Atop the treetops was a bluest mist.

"I think I know where they went," Finneas interrupted the quarrel. "I think they're down there." Flynn pointed to where he saw the bluest haze.

"Does a warper cause blue smoke?" Kistoph asked.

"Blue smoke?" Lochen responded. "I think so?"

"You think so?"

"I said I wasn't an expert."

Finneas ignored the two. He also ignored the pain stabbing at his foot. While Finneas didn't exactly trust Cymon – with the Water Taper abandoning them back in the temple, and him not revealing his true identity as a prince – Finneas had started to grow fond of him, finding Cymon as a person he could approach for guidance. Despite all that'd happened, Cymon had helped them anyway. After all, he did protect Finneas from the guards. Finneas had no intention of abandoning him. At best, he could at least return the favour and save him from whoever had captured him.

At first, Finneas attempted to make his way down the steep slope as carefully as possible. His heart pumping like a mad galleon, and an eagerness to find Cymon, cause Finneas to sprint down the hill. This was a bad idea. As usual, he wasn't paying any attention to what was in front of him and instead relied on gut instinct. It took only one rogue rock to cause Finneas to trip. The boy uncontrollably fell raggedly down the hillside. Finneas tried his hardest to stop tumbling, but as he descended Finneas continued to thump along the ground. His head hit something, causing him to blackout for a brief moment. The next thing Finneas could remember was his friend towering above him.

"You okay?" Kistoph asked, before helping Finneas back onto his feet.

"Better than I ever been, I think," he remarked somewhat sarcastically. Not only were his feet in pain, but his entire body was also aching. "Where's Lochen?"

"Nearby."

Just as his friend spoke, Lochen crept up from behind.

"Speak of the devil," Kistoph commented, after being taken by surprise. "Don't do that again!"

"We need to hurry," Lochen ignored the other boy's remarks. "I think I know where the sensor took Cymon."

Lochen pointed southward. The sun was beginning to rise, allowing Finneas to make out the silhouette in the distance. Another abandoned temple, perhaps.