Behind My Blue Eyes

Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Exploration

I held onto the special leash that Kelan was attached to as we walked through the early morning but busy city streets.  Vendors started setting up on the sides of roads for the trade of the day ahead.  The air smelled faintly of fresh morning air but mostly it was just the scent of an old city.   Kelan ran around pulling me along, sniffing and jumping and yipping at everything.  He was having a ball and I was having a heck of a time keeping up with him.  A large cat that had amber eyes and two tails crossed in our path.  It hissed at Kelan who reared and ran after it.  He had incredible strength for a ball of fur.  I heard Michael call after me as I was pulled along the cat chase.  All the while I tried to pull back and stop Kelan. 

My hood flew back off of my head as my feet hurried to catch up with Kelan as he zipped after the cat.  I didn’t notice what part of the city we were heading towards, I was only concentrated on Kelan’s chase and trying to stop him from making any damage.  Finally the cat ran down an alley and disappeared behind a door and Kelan stopped.  He was pawing at the door though trying to get to the cat.

“Stop that Kelan.”  I said in a reprimanding whisper.  The alley was dank and nasty and I didn’t like being there at all.

I yanked back hard on the leash and my elbow hit something.  Something solid and alive.  I looked back behind me to see t he huge ogre that had torn apart the inn a few towns back.  I felt the blood drain from my face and toes as I looked up at the tall mass of muscle and ugly. 

“That’s my night-crawler.”  He said pointing to Kelan, who was now trying to cower behind my legs.  His huge hand almost knocked me over.

“Um...No it’s not?”  My hands shook where I held onto Kelan.  I held on tighter to stop them.  No Michael to protect me and a huge seven foot ogre. I laughed a bit hysterically in my head.  But there was nothing funny about the menacing looking club in the ogre’s hand.  “Look, maybe we can negotiate?” 

He snorted.  “It’s mine.”

“I belong to her not you, you big ugly brute.”  Kelan’s voice sounded from behind me. 

At that the ogre got angry.  He raised his arm ready to swing the club. I grabbed Kelan and moved as quickly as I could.  The sound of crashing behind me, just a few feet from where I had been standing let me know that the ogre had struck.  I started to run with Kelan in my arms but really I didn’t expect to get very far.  I looked over my shoulder to see the ogre readily running after me then felt myself being picked up.  I screeched but a hand covered my mouth.

“Hush girl.”  A harsh whisper sounded in my ear.   I saw the ground fall away from under my feet and a building come closer to me.  We landed on the roof of it for just a second then took off again and landed three building away.

I was completely shaken and petrified when my rescuer let me to my feet again.  I took a few step away from him and stared.  He was tall, almost as tall as the ogre. But he was beautiful.  His long silvery hair flowed in the morning breeze and shone brilliantly.  His face a perfect set of lips, a fine aristocratic nose and high cheek bones. His features were all light.  His eyes though, they were amber and had a cat’s elongated pupil in them.  His ears as well were set further back on his head and long and pointy.  He was wearing armour, expensive and shiny looking armour.   

This was my great grandfather. Iola. 

You might think Iola was a funny name but it meant power and he was powerful.

“Th – Thank you.”  I said remembering my speech.   Kelan was huddled in a shaking mass of fur in my arms.

He looked at me from above his nose and then nodded.  “Your name child?”