Dimension Travelers

Chapter 45

The old man brushes our horse. We don't say anything. We get our stuff and wait for him to say something. He doesn't. He just pets the horse. What's so great about a horse anyways? If they weren't so common, they'd be in zoos.

"Come, you need to rest." The old man says.

Jared and I look at each other.

"You need not fear me, children. Come." The man says.

We hesitantly follow him. He leads us to his small home. He opens the door; an older woman is sitting in a plush chair. She's in front of a fire, reading. She looks up to acknowledge our presence, and then continues to read. The old man leads us to a kitchen. We sit at a table. The older man walks over to his...wife?

"Dear, we have visitors." The old man says.

The woman looks up from her book. "Yes, we do. Did you want me to cook for them?"

She seems annoyed...how hospitable.

The man turns to us. "Would you like something to eat?"

"Yes, please." Jared answers for us.

The older man turns back to the older woman. "If you would, please, dear. That would be hospitable of you."

"Yes, it would." The woman says bitterly.

She gets up and starts cooking. The older man sits down with us at the table. We sit in silence for only a few minutes.

"Where do you come from?" The man asks.

I'm too disoriented to answer so I let Jared do the talking.

"That's not important." Jared says. "We're on the run."

"Are you, now? From who?"

"Assassins most likely, but we don't know."

"Did She send them?" The woman asks.

"Yes--no--we don't know." Jared says.

"Are you some of those notorious Rebels that we've heard about?" The man asks.

"Yes. Both of us are." He looks at me.

I just nod.

"Does she speak?" the man asks.

"Yeah, I speak." I answer. "We're tired. We've been riding almost all day. Forgive us if we seem a bit...unsettled. We've been through a lot."

"Oh, I see. So you were in the battle in front of the castle?" The woman asks.

"Yes. We organized it, if you can believe that." I answer.

"I organized a small army of prisoners to take out the inside to weaken Them." Jared answers.

"You kids are clever." The man says. "Are there more like you, more from Earth?"

We're taken back. How'd he know about Earth?

"Um...yeah." I answer. "Two others."

"Male or female?"

"Male." I answer, as if that has any significance.

"I see. Where are the others?"

"Fighting." Jared answers. "We were trying to find a healer in a nearby village. But that's when the 'assassins' started chasing us--"

"--in the pouring rain." I add.

"Yes, in the rain." Jared looks at me. "They chased us beyond the forest, and we ended up here. Well, in the desert."