Deadlands

Chapter 5 - Travels

We walked over to the tree, far away from the beast. We could still hear it cry out into the clear skies above. The guards will surely come this direction now. Maybe they'll be scared of the beast. Currently, I'm not too certain.

"Maybe we should hurry so they don't come this way." I suggest.
    

"Hurrying is the least of our problems.. how about we find out where we are going to go first.." He said to me. I chose to silently agree. There's no telling where we are, where we are going, and where home is. The man pulls out the map frantically and tries to assume where we are. He struggles to find any good landmark in the large, worn out, yellowed map with ink markings and chalked out objects. I can't even tell, this isn't my home-land! This isn't Ferihale!

     He goes back into the bag to search for something. He takes out a compass, some rope, one of those jars, and finally a sack with something in it.
"What's in there..?" I ask. The man pauses, looks at me, shakes his head and looks back.
      "Do NOT, breathe this stuff in. The last person I knew who did it, died in seconds. So give me a few.." He warned. He took out an old piece of paper to scoop the strange powder with and placed it on the ground. He takes out his 'magical fire stick' and lights a string buried in it. "Stand back.." He said, pushing his arm against me as he moved backwards.

Then with the light of a thousand suns it shone upon the world around us, producing not only a nice heat, but a strange and magical, enticing, ellipse only created by the sorcerer who bestowed it upon my eyesight.

"You wizard..." I say to him. He only glimpses at me in what I assume is disgust. "...What is it..?"
"It's a uh.. hm.. to make it simple.. it tells us where we are.. when we want it to.. so as you can see if I place the map in the 'pallet'- as I call it- you can clearly see.. Where we are!" He said pointing to a spot.
"...how..." I began, "...how wondrous.."
"Now.. before it goes away.. let me see- ah! there. That's where the camp is. We can rest there.."
"What do you me-"

The ellipse collapsed in a fiery spiral as he takes away the map. I calm myself after such wonders. This sorcery has been the kind of stuff I would of wished to die for as a child. I've always loved the stories.. Except for the grim endings.. of the witches and wizards.. But, it is defiantly supernatural.. has to be.

"So.. What did you mean..?"
"The camp? What else, We can rest easy there. Although it is a little bit to walk with my leg.."
".. And why are you so eager to talk all of a sudden.. you were so.. quiet.."
"Oh I'll do that."
"Hm.." I express suspiciously. I don't like what's happening. I do not believe I will return home.. I do not believe he knows of it's whereabouts; if he cares. But onward we go to the camp.. to rest. We start walking but the man began to lag behind a little. I slow down to walk at the same pace. We turned down a path through another forest. It was nice.. The birds chirping, the trees whispering to us; just the sweet nature all around us..

Out of the blue came a fierce wind from behind us. It blew us forward and onto our faces.  We quickly turn around to look at a large, strange, but almost majestic beast: a troll..

"Run!" He yelled out. I immediately got back up and ran away. Shortly after I realize I am no longer on the ground. Neither is the man. We turn our necks to see the rather tall and large troll grabbing us by our outfits from the back. The man ejects a dagger from the bottom of the fire stick and  stabs the beast in the hand. The troll lets us go with a roar and we were set free.

"Go now!" He shouted as we ran. We didn't quite have a destination in mind but getting away from that troll was one of our priorities. I look back and see him charging at us while holding his slightly bloody hand.
"It's charging at us!" I yell to the man, who is surprisingly pretty fast with that leg of his.
"Uh.. Let's.. Go left!- No right!... Up that tree!... Into that little hole-like crack on the cliff!"