Tales of Minecraft: The Curse (Remake)

14: Close Encounters

We're halfway through the original book guys! That didn't take as long as I thought it would. *looks at original chapter* Wow, I finally wrote a 1000+ word chapter.

Zip's POV
Dax had led us to a barn out the back of her house to crash in for the night. When I woke up the following morning, I saw that everyone had crashed in the hay except for Fury, who was up in the loft, already awake. She turned her head to me when she heard me sitting up.

"Hey," she said.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" I asked.

"A bit."

Dax came to get us several minutes later and took us to the centre of the village, where people were selling fresh fruit and vegetables and eggs and all sorts of other items. Aaron met us in the centre and gave us each an apple for breakfast. He also somehow had a bone for Wolf, which Wolf was very appreciative of.

Fury took a bite of her apple. "So, where's your underground library?" she asked bluntly.

Dax sighed. "I've told you, you're not going to be allowed access to it. No strangers are allowed. In fact, I'm breaking the rules by letting you guys stay here."

"That bad huh?" Tim asked.

"You have no idea," Aaron told him.

"Why? Why aren't any strangers allowed?" I asked. It didn't make any sense.

Dax didn't meet my eyes. "I'm not the person to tell you that."

"Then who is?"

Dax didn't answer. "Finish your apples. The gate is in the north, you know the way. There's another village almost a full day's walk to the east. They'll take care of you." She went to walk away.

Fury grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop. "Dax-" That was as far as she went.

With her left arm, Dax drew a dagger from a hidden pocket in her back and slashed it at Fury's arm. Fury grabbed it with her other hand before it could touch her. Aaron started forward, his hand going for his axe but Fury saw him. Her right arm, the one holding Dax's arm, went to her sword on her back but she didn't draw it out. Her apple was lying forgotten on the ground.

"I can move faster than both of you," she threatened. "Neither of you will be able to land a hit on me."

By now, my friends and I had our hands on our weapons but I motioned for them to not draw them out. We were at a stalemate.

"I know you can't allow us access," Fury started. "So tell us who can, and we'll go talk to them."

Aaron looked at Dax. Dax and Fury had a staring contest, both assessing the will of the other. After a minute, Dax slowly nodded.

"If that's what you want," she muttered. Pulling her wrist and dagger from Fury's grip, she walked through the village. We jogged after her, sticking close as she went to a slightly larger house that was just outside the village centre. Inside, the house was warm, with lots of wood and soft carpet. Dax knocked on a door just to the left of the entrance. A male voice called out "Enter" and we walked inside.

The room was a study, with a few bookshelves on the walls, two chairs and a large wooden desk with a man sitting behind it in a black chair. He had the same wary green eyes as Dax, but his hair was short and black, and he was strong.

"Dax? Who are these strangers?" he asked, a trace of a challenge in his voice.

"I'm sorry Father, they insisted on seeing you," Dax told him.

"I told you, no strangers are allowed inside the village!"

"No one tells me where to go and when to leave," Fury said, her voice angry.