The Silver Crown

Chapter 7

Caleb

We reach the foothills as the sun touches against the Serpent's Teeth mountains to the west. The sky lights up a brilliant orange and pink and the scantily spread bushes around us cast long shadows. I see a small stream running down the hill and find a large fallen tree just around the curve.

"We'll make camp here." I say, pointing to the tree.

Kylee drops to the ground, rubbing her legs. "I've never walked that fast before. How far did we walk?"

"About eleven miles." I say shortly. I start gathering dead wood from the tree and nearby bushes. Kylee stands back up and looks around unsurely.

"Do we need to build a lean-to or something?" she asks.

"Not tonight. The weather's pretty clear and it should be fairly warm tonight. When we get up into the mountains it'll get a lot colder. Do you know how to start a fire?"

"No. My family doesn't like camping."

I hand her a metal bowl out of my pack. "Then take this to the stream and fill it up. I'll get a fire started so we can have a warm dinner. Hot food's going to be a luxury, so enjoy it while you can."

She takes the bowl with a weak smile and starts walking stiffly to the stream. Once she is out of sight I turn back to the pile of wood I'd arranged. I carefully start the fire and arrange it for cooking. I add a bit more wood and pull out some roasted meat and flatbread to warm over the flames.

Kylee gets back to the camp shortly and hands me the bowl of water which I place over the flames to boil. I hand her some bread and meat and we eat in silence as the sun sets over the hills. When the water had boiled for several minutes I take it off the heat and set it aside to cool off again. Kylee notices in confusion.

"What's the water for?"

"Drinking."

"Then why boil it?"

"You have to sanitize it. Don't know what has drunk, bathed, or died in that stream."

Kylee pales slightly and turns back to her food. We continue in silence for a while, finishing our meal.

Eventually Kylee looks up again. "How did you end up in this place? What brought you here originally?"

I don't answer her at first. "I was summoned." I tell her slowly. "Rolcarnagur brought me here because he wanted to use me. I managed to escape from his stronghold with some of the other prisoners. We ran to Andrus and spoke with the council. I was chosen to join the company sent to return to his stronghold and steal the Dark Artifact known as The Black Glass."

"Steal it? Why not just destroy it? That's what you did in the end anyway, wasn't it?"

I stiffen and stand up slowly. "We didn't mean to destroy it. The Dark Artifacts were made to control the balance." My voice sounds tense and forced. Her green eyes flash across my vision. Her soft, gentle gaze warming and chilling me. I see the Black Glass, clasped loosely in her hands as she falls. I shake myself back into the present. "If we just destroy them all, we will only release the powers of Darkness into the world free of all restriction." I draw my long dagger. "It's time for you to start learning how to use that dirk. Anything could appear in these mountains."

Kylee seems to accept that the discussion is closed. She stands with a groan. "You ran my feet off today. My legs are stiffening."

"I'd apologize, but I was pushing the pace deliberately." She looks at me in confusion. I explain. "We're on a tight schedule. We had to reach these foothills before nightfall. Additionally, you'll need to move fast to stay alive out here." I move around the fire and stand facing her. She draws her dirk and holds it unsurely. I show her how to hold it at the base of the grip and then take a stance in front of her.