Välikirja: The Wyvern's Pact

Chapter Six - The Calling

Chapter Six - The Calling

          With the rotten berries in my hand and a glass of water on the other, I tried to open the door by pushing it with my knee. It creaked as it opened. It wasn't locked? Had he forgotten to lock the door before leaving? No. Perhaps he didn't bother to lock the door because he was too lazy to do so. Nobody was going to sneak in and steal something anyway, so it wasn't necessary.

          As I entered the room, the chest came to view, in which Chaucer was trapped. Kruug! Kruug! Kruug! It rattled on top of the cabinet, urging me to open the chest as soon as possible and put an end to his suffering. I did what I was being urged to do; I put the glass of water beside the chest and opened it, releasing Chaucer. There was no reason keep him inside that chest. It wasn't his fault that he always spoke of Aiden like he was a perfect man, it wasn't his fault that I wasn't as innocent as he was, and it wasn't his fault that simply hearing someone throwing compliments at Aiden made my chest churn.

          "I'm sorry," I said. I waited. I waited for an answer. I waited for screaming and shouting, or at least an outburst. But I heard nothing that I had expected.

          First, there was giggling, and the next thing I saw was Chaucer soaring in the air, away from the chest. He drifted quite slowly; I found it easy to follow him with my eyes. There was no hint of anger or sadness in his face, not even in his voice. He was still happy, like he had always been. And this brought a smile to my face. He wasn't mad at me for locking him inside that chest. But why? Why wouldn't he be mad at me? He should be! It was cruel of me to keep him there instead of talking to him and taking him with me. I hated Aiden because he locked Safia in the dungeon, and I had done the same to Chaucer, my friend who never failed to cheer me up.

          I spoke once again. "I'm sorry, Chaucer." He still didn't look at me, because he was too busy laughing and flying. He probably enjoyed the space in the room, especially after being kept in a small chest where he couldn't move freely. There was only one thing left to get his attention—the rotten berries. I hoped he was still hungry.

          "Here goes nothing," I murmured. I lifted my open hand, the black, rotten berries resting on it. The putrid smell of the berries made my nose wrinkle in disgust. How could a cute, little creature love eating these things? I couldn't even stand the sight of it when I first saw them.

          "Rotten...berries?" I cringed as I said those two words. Who would've thought that a person like me who had the courage to try to go against a man who could turn into a dragon would cringe at the feeling of holding rotten berries? If it weren't for Chaucer, I wouldn't agree to take these berries. Of course, these came from Aiden. Where else could I get rotten berries?

          This time, his head swerved to my direction. "Ooh! Is that what Chaucer thinks it is?"

          I nodded. "Yes, it is."

          With a quick turn, he landed on my hand, his little feet tickling my palm. How cute! He grabbed one of the four berries on my hand and nibbled it quickly. It was amazing how a small creature like him could devour his food that quick. But it was his favorite meal; perhaps that was why he ate so fast. But, when he moved on to the next berry, he didn't pick it up and nibble it on his hand like he did before. Instead, he bent his back and nibbled the berry on my hand directly, like a chicken. He did the same with the last two berries, and it took him less than two minutes to eat all four, which was pretty fast.

          "Chaucer," I called, stroking his purple, little head with my forefinger. "I'm sorry for closing that chest while you were still inside. I didn't mean to, but I knew that it was still cruel of me to do that! I should've come back for you! I'm such a hypocrite, I know, but, please, please, forgive me, Chaucer. I'm so sorry!"