Wayfarer - Yaena the corrupted guardian

Chapter XI - Keyn's return

Chapter XI

Keyn's return

I woke up in a dark room, on a floor hard as stone. I felt something on one of my ankles. To the touch, I guessed a circular ring to which a chain was attached. I could not hold back a shiver. The slabs were cold, and the openings at the top let in a cool wind. My eyes struggled to get used to the darkness. Gradually I could make out the few things in the room.

A pile of straw lay against a wall, not far from the attachment of my chain. It seemed excessively long for the space available in the prison. A small wooden crate stood next to a door which surely led outside. A tray had been placed there, on which rested a small bowl of soup and a loaf of bread.

I was hungry. With nothing else to spare, I set about eating what had been graciously offered to me. The bowl was frozen and it was difficult for me to absorb its contents. Every sip of the mixture made me wince, as it was so bad. The bread was a meager compensation and I was not at all satisfied with the meal.

As I put the bowl back on the tray, a rustling sound reached my ears. Something was walking through the grass on the other side of the wall. It went around my prison and the sounds died down in front of the door. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, a key was inserted into the lock. It turned twice, and then pulled back. The door slid to the floor, letting in the timid light of a firefly.

I was dreading this moment. I wondered who would come into my cell. My companions? Humans? Or perhaps... creatures from the Otherworld? My fears vanished as soon as a leather boot appeared in the doorway. I could not hold back a cry of joy.

"Kheyn!" I said, happy to see a familiar face.

He stared at me for a moment, on guard.

"Yaena? You've finally come to?" he asked, one hand in his coat pocket.

"Do I look like I'm still dozing on this dingy floor? I mocked."

He put his index finger in front of his mouth, and cautiously came to meet me. After checking each of my eyes, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Good to see you again." he whispered as he unhooked my chain. "You've come at the right time, Yae."

"What do you mean by that?" I said in a low voice, anxious to learn more.

"I'd love to answer your questions, but time is running out. The whole kingdom is after us and they'll probably be here any minute. You've made quite a mess of things in town. Several nobles were killed and a whole neighborhood was destroyed."

He held my hand and grabbed the lantern he had left at the foot of the stones near the entrance. The shutters were down, to reduce the amount of light emitted. Keyn checked the surroundings before slipping into the night, without letting go of me. The cool wind made me shiver, reminding me that I was only lightly clothed. Carefully, Keyn wrapped me in his big coat, taking care to button it up.

" Let's go." he said simply, reassured that I was no longer cold.

For several minutes, we walked through the middle of a wood without me knowing our destination. Finally, we reached what looked like a crack in the ground. It separated the forest in two, which resumed dozens of meters below. Keyn turned off his lantern and, a few seconds later, covered his skin with his robust scales. He grabbed me by the waist and jumped into the void, without warning.

Suddenly, a thunderclap erupted, while a flash of lightning ripped the sky in the distance. I then discovered the presence of a camp, upstream. It was located in the middle of a crossing, surrounded by willows. The place was gloomy, to the point of making me uncomfortable. A few bags had been prepared. I could tell from the footprints on the ground that some had already left.

In the shelter of a tree, I saw someone waving at us. As I squinted, I could make out the peculiar attire of Grond, a friend. Keyn raised his hand in turn, and he joined us, buttoning his heavy coat in anticipation of the coming rain.

"The others have already left," he explained, pointing to the mountains to the west. The last I heard, there were some enemy sentries posted in a village. The rest of our pursuers should be a little farther north.

"Who are they?" I asked.

Grond seemed surprised to hear me and I saw a smile come over his face.

"Glad to have you back, Yae. Our pursuers are none other than the royal troops themselves, led by your rival: Her Majesty the Queen. She hasn't forgiven you for humiliating her like that. We'd better hurry, it's going to be a long and bumpy ride."

Keyn took a towel and invited me to sit on a cloth. He carefully cleaned my feet before handing me my heeled boots. They weren't perfectly suited for travel, but I had nothing else. He then swapped his coat with mine, covering the hood on my head with care. After we each grabbed our bags, Grond took the lead of our group.

"Let's go." he said, swinging his pack onto his back.

We walked without haste, at a leisurely pace. The rain was approaching, bringing with it its share of problems. Just outside the forest, a flash of lightning zigzagged in the sky, illuminating the path.

A young man was waiting there, with dirty fingernails and big farm boots. He looked nervous, and tapped his feet. When he saw us, his eyes lit up before expressing surprise. He spoke a few words so fast that I didn't understand anything. Grond asked him to repeat, trying to be as friendly as possible. The boy took a deep breath and resumed at a slower pace.

"Are ya travelers?" he asked, looking at us in turn. I'm waitin' for my father and friends so I didn't expect to run into a group of strangers, especially at this time of day. Wher're you from?

His gaze fell on me and he seemed taken aback. Keyn stood between us, obstructing his field of vision with his imposing body.

"We come from the region of Orsay, north-east of here. We got a little lost on the way, so it's a good chance to run into someone. Does this trail lead to the mining town of Ergrad, kid?"

"I understand perfectly!" he said, his eyes lit up with admiration. "It's easy to get lost when you dunno the area. You lucky to have found the trail. If you follow it in this direction, you should arrive at my village, which is only a few kilometers from Ergrad. I would've gladly accompanied you but I must wait for my father's return..."

"It doesn't matter, kid. Your help is precious to us. Take care of yourself, the weather might be bad with the storm coming."

"Thanks for your concern, good sir! But don't worry, I'm strong as a beaf! My father says so."

He bent his chest as he said this, his fist closed on his torso.

"Your father should be proud of you, kid." Keyn replied, running his hand through the boy's hair. "We will not pester you any longer. Take care of yourself."

Grond greeted the youngster and started walking. When I passed in front of the young man, he looked at me for a long time before thinking aloud.

"You're really pretty young lady. We don't see hotties like ya often around here... I'm really lucky to have found you! What's your name ?"

I answered with a smile and Keyn put his arm around me, pulling me to his height.

"Sorry little one, but you'd better forget about us quickly." he replied.

With that, he hurried off without turning around, his fist clenched. I couldn't help but get out of his grip, a little irritated.

"You don't need to express yourself in my stead." I reproached him. "I am perfectly capable of defending myself."

"I just don't like his ways very much, that's all. I understand how you feel, but I've been on edge for a few days now with these humans on our tail. I wouldn't be surprised if he revealed our presence to the local authorities, which is why I wanted to end this meeting quickly."

I shook my head. Embarrassed by my attitude, I preferred to remain silent. Keyn cared about me a lot, and I was angry at myself for taking it out on him. I promised myself that I would make it up to him in the future, no matter what.

Finally, in the early morning, we reached our destination. The mining town was visible on the horizon, illuminated by a faint ray of light through the cloud mass brought by the storm.