Origins Unkown

chapter 6

Rylan stood just outside the double doors leading to the garden. He stood in the shadows, eyes closed, trying to locate Brenden.

"No need to try so hard." Rylan heard a whisper. He opened his eyes and looked around, but saw no one.

"Fountain." Came the soft voice again.

Rylan walked along the shadows of the castle walls until he saw Brenden. He was lying in the shadow of the fountain. He looked very tired am ashier than the night before. Rylan laughed inside.

"I was told you were advised not to come out. Maybe you will listen next time. I should leave you there until dusk, but Tess would never forgive me." Rylan hurried over to Brenden and scooped him up, throwing him over his shoulder, Rylan ran back to the giant double doors.

"I'll take you to the study. Tess is waiting for me there. I'll fix you up with a tonic and then you will have to rest." Rylan said setting Brenden down with a thump on the tiled floor, just inside the door.

"Okay." Was all Brenden could muster the strength to say, even though he wanted to sure Rylan for the rough landing.

Rylan had a passing servant help Brenden to the study. He hurried ahead to fix the tonic. He wanted Brenden as far away from Tess as much as possible.

Rylan entered the study to find Tess reading some papers.

"Now, don't panic, but Brenden spent too long out in the sun, I think. I'm fixing him a tonic, then he's going to go rest."

"I warned him about prolonged sun exposure. Idiot!" Tess said still reading.

The door swung open again and Brenden stumbled in. Rylan helped him into a sitting position and handed him a cup.

"Drink this, then you will be escorted back to your room." Rylan said.

Brenden, shakily, took the cup and downed its contents.

"Thank you." Brenden said in a whisper.

Rylan crouched down beside him, where only Brenden would hear.

"Don't thank me yet." Rylan waved to the servant and walked back to Tess.

Tess looked up with watery eyes.

"What is this?" She asked, handing Rylan the papers she'd been reading, oblivious to the fact that Brenden had just been in the room.

Rylan scanned them quickly, and then looked at Tess.

"This is what I wanted to talk to you about. Basically it says that we are the parents of the child of prophecy, among other things." He said sitting on the couch next to her.

"Oh. What else is there? Is it bad?" She said wiping her eyes.

"Some of it is. First, I need to explain about my brother. For a time, he pretended to be me and he worked for the Keeper. When I found out, I went to them and told them I would never work for them and that my brother had lied and tricked them. They were very angry and swore that Kevyn would be taken care of. I pleaded for his life and the only way to save him from them, was to do one job for them." He stopped and stood up to pace the floor.

"What did they want you to do?" Tess asked.

"They wanted me to kill the Hunter." He said in a whisper so low Tess couldn't hear him.

"The what?"

"Hunter. From what I'd gathered, the Hunter is the person who is suppose to seek out the prophecy child's mother and kill her."