Välikirja: The Wyvern's Pact

Chapter Two - Chaucer

Chapter Two - Chaucer

          Its innocent, purple eyes stared at me, blinking a few times.

          "Uh, hi?" I blurted out.

          It released a breath it could've been holding for a long time already. "Chaucer really thought it was Aiden again!" it exclaimed, moving its tail slowly. "Is she the one Aiden talked about?"

          "Huh?" Who was Chaucer? And who was it talking to?

          "Ooh, is she Koshka?" it asked me. It was definitely talking to me...right?

          I scooped it up with my right hand and put the chest on the bed with the other, then I held the purple thing in my eye level, my eyes meeting its purple ones. "I'm Koshka." I pointed to myself, nodding my head as he nodded, too. "What's your name? And what are you doing inside the chest?"

          It beamed a brighter smile at me, scratching its neck with its feet like a cute animal, then it shook his head. "Aiden locked Chaucer inside the chest and told him to stay put. When Koshka came, Chaucer thought Aiden was going to hurt him! He really did!" It nodded many times, its wings shaking as it spoke. "Now, Koshka is here to save Chaucer!"

          My brows furrowed as I tried to put the pieces together, then I asked it, "Your name is Chaucer?"

          It nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Yes! He is Chaucer, and he is very glad to see Koshka!" it giggled.

          I didn't know why he talked like that, but perhaps he just talked that way. The good thing was, I was finally beginning to understand it. Chaucer was the gift Aiden talked about. For what purpose? I didn't know...yet, but he was nice to me. Perhaps he was here to be my companion, to try to make me feel better as I stayed here inside.

          "What are you, Chaucer?" I asked, putting him on my lap as I moved backwards and leaned on the pile of gray pillows. "Are you a dragon, too? Just like Aiden?"

          He started nodding, then he shook his head. "Chaucer isn't a dragon, but it's close enough. Chaucer is an Amaranthine, a small creature from the dragon family," he said. "But Aiden isn't a dragon; he's a wyvern!" The way he said wyvern was like he was expecting me to be amazed at what he said. A wyvern? A dragon? What difference did it have?

          "Wyvern, dragon, whatever..." I shrugged. "I won't waste time understanding that. He's a meanie anyway." I buried my head into the pillows, trying to get comfortable.

          I sighed. Safia... What could she be doing right now? I couldn't help feeling guilty about what I was doing; it seemed like I forgot about her already, but I didn't! I was just... Aiden wasn't here, and banging on the door like a mad woman wouldn't help Safia.

          "Chaucer?" I called as I closed my eyes and tried to get some rest. I had been awake for the whole day, and it was getting dark already. I could see the night through the two windows beside the bed and across the cabinet. My body was killing me.

          He crawled on my body and made his way towards my face. His small feet tickled me as he quickly moved like a very cute insect. "What does Koshka want to tell Chaucer?" He put his small hands on my nose and balanced himself on my face.

          I giggled, trying not to move too much so he wouldn't fall off. "Hey, that tickles--"

          The door opened. My eyes snapped to the open door, through which Aiden entered, then they gazed over his black shirt under his open coat. "Dinner is served," he joked humorlessly. He placed a plate with food on the gray desk beside the door and brought his gaze back to me.

          "Are you feeding her, too?" I mumbled, loud enough for him to hear.

          He raised a brow at me. "Why would I?" he said calmly.

          I placed Chaucer on the pillow and stomped my way towards him, grabbing the plate from the table and giving it back to him. "Give this to her," I told him.

          He slid his hands into his coat pockets, turning around. "I don't take orders from you," he said, leaving the room.

          "Argh!" Before he could close the door, I grabbed one of his hands and put the plate on it. "I won't eat it, Aiden! Just give it to her, please!" Safia needed energy to keep herself together. I wasn't there when she needed me most, because I looked for a way to help her escape this castle. I knew the magisters didn't like her from the start.

          "You're starving." I was. He smirked, looking into my eyes as I stared daggers at him. "Eat your food before it gets cold." Chuckling, he shut the door before I could react.

          "Aiden!" I slammed my fists against the door again. "Aiden, please! She needs to eat; she could be starving right now!" I heard him mumble an "I don't care." as he walked through the hall. I pounded on the door one last time before sighing. Why was he so cruel?

          "Koshka?" Chaucer called from the bed.

          I reluctantly looked at him. "What?" I spat.

          He lied on the pillow like a baby, looking at the ceiling, his little arms stretched sidewards. "What was Koshka going to tell Chaucer before Aiden came?"

          I shook my head dismissively. "Just forget about it." When he had asked me why, I told him that I wasn't in the mood, making my way to the bed, then I curled up into a ball, closing my eyes and crying myself to sleep. The image of Safia starving to insanity tormented me as I tried to sleep.

          "Kosh, wh-why did you do this to me? Why did you condemn me to this punishment?"

          My arms trembled as tears poured down my face, getting the bed wet. "I'm sorry, Safia. I didn't know." My head hurt; it was like something drilled into my brain. I felt so heavy, like I carried all the weights in the world. "I was just trying to help..." I was falling into darkness, into a pool of pain, into abyss.

          I heard cries for help, calling my name. They were all from Safia. She needed me; I needed to be there to protect her. She trusted me, but I only got her in so much pain.

          "I'm sorry, Safia," I cried. "I'm so sorry..."

          "Koshka!" a bright voice called, pulling me back to reality. "Koshka, don't cry. Aiden wouldn't like it if Koshka cried."

          "Ha!" I shook my head, dragging myself to a better lying position on the bed, my head now resting on the puffy pillows. I would've noticed that my arms were trembling if I hadn't been amused by the image in my mind, Aiden's real reaction if he saw me crying. He would laugh at me, or even throw a party. That was how cruel he was. He took pleasure in other people's pain and suffering. "I'll never let him see me cry," I mumbled as I scooped Chaucer up with my hand and placed him on the pillow so I could see him. I wouldn't let Aiden see me cry. I would never give him pleasure. Never.

          He smiled at me, flashing a toothy grin. "Koshka loves Aiden, doesn't she?"

          I sneered. "Never in my life."

          "Come on!" he teased, grabbing my hand laid beside him. "Koshka can tell Chaucer anything."

          I scoffed, nodding my head. "Yeah, like telling you how much I hate that cruel man, or how much I would've wanted to leave this place if he hadn't locked my best friend in his dungeon, or maybe--"

          "Why did he do that?" he wondered, tilting his head like a child.

          "Because he's plain cruel," I deadpanned. "Can we please stop talking about him?"

          He shook his head. "Wait! Chaucer doesn't understand. He said--"

          "--he probably didn't mean what he said, Chaucer," I spat. "He lied to me; he tricked me. He just made you believe he was a good guy and was there to help, just like he did to me." My stomach growled. I hadn't eaten in almost a day. My eyes snapped to the food on the plate, making my mouth water, so I bit my lip; my pride was still at stake. I took a deep breath. Now what would it be? My pride, or delicious food?

          My stomach gave me an answer.