Knowledge Keepers book one: A wizards journey

Chapter 11: Caravan to Nowhere

David arose to the feeling of water being poured onto his face. He jumped to his feet still not knowing that the trouble was over. He raised his hand in front of him in a defensive stance and realized that he held no dagger. Then he remembered the wolves had ran away. They had ran out of fear because of him. He couldn't believe that he was able to control the fire in such a way. Catrina and Richard were both in front of him now.

"Are you ok David? Catrina asked with a sympathetic look in her eye.

"I'm fine. What happened to me? Why did I pass out?" He asked

"You accomplished something that you should not have been able to. The way you moved that fire so effortlessly and effectively was something you shouldn't have tried." She told him.

"I don't know how..." David started to say

"But i'm glad you did." She said as she grabbed him and hugged him.

"You really did that?" Richard asked in awe.

"I guess I did. I don't know what came over me, I heard Catrina scream and The words flowed out of my mouth. I cant explain it but I felt like I was part of the fire. Like it was an extension of myself." David explained.

"I don't care how you did it, we're all alive because of you." Richard said as he slapped David on the back.

"Your hurt!" she cried out. Catrina opened her bag and began to rummage through it.

"Its nothing." David said. "I don't think he bit to deep." he told her.

Catrina pulled out a rag and ripped it in half. She used one half and began to wipe the blood away and cleaned the wound with some water. She used the other half to wrap his arm.

None of them felt like talking and they were all tired so they decided to go back to sleep. David and Richard took turns sleeping that night ready to wake up Catrina at any hints of wolves, but they never returned. They reached Fage after a couple hours of walking in the morning. It wasn't a large village but compared to Skythe it was huge. It held a little over two thousand people and had two inns, a tavern, and seven stores that carried a variety of different items. There was a large wall made of wood that completely surrounded the village. David couldn't understand why this was necessary.

"Maybe with the size of the town they did not have enough guards to effectively patrol and keep wild animals out." He thought.

As they entered the village the streets were already full of people. People headed to work, headed to shop, and people just standing around talking, which was something that didn't happen a lot in Skythe. In Skythe people rarely sat around and talked early in the morning. Most people were already in the fields by the first sun light. Also unlike the village Richard and David grew up in there were actual guards, in full armor, everywhere. Unlike the militia they had grown up around that wore simple leather mismatched armor with a club or a dagger, these had full chain mail armor and most carried short swords. Also each had the royal insignia engraved on their armor.

Catrina's eyes went wide as all of the people walked about attending to their daily business. David and Richard had never seen so many people either but David forgot sometimes just how new this was to her.

Catrina insisted that they try to find a doctor first to get David's arm properly treated. After asking around they made their way to one of three doctors that lived in Fage.

"What are you kids doing traveling alone out here? Your lucky you weren't killed." he told them as he began to clean David's wound.

"we're headed from Skythe to Meridia." Richard told him. "Me and my friend here are planning on starting a business down there."