Heed My Warnings and Survive (Second Draft)

Chapter Eight

It had been a fitful night, my dreams were full of the face of the man I had killed, and that of Zanders scream. I woke multiple times until I decided to give up on sleep, and keep watch, letting Finley rest. The night passed quickly, and for once, the cold didn’t bother me, I thought I would have deserved the biting sting on my damp skin, but it didn’t bite, it was even a little warm. I cursed the weather. I sat for a few more hours until the sun began to shine through and the humidity that always came, began seeping into the air. When it was bright enough to wake the others I did so. They groaned, and reluctantly sat.

“Draven did you get any sleep last night?” Finley asked.

“Not much, no,” I replied.

“You sure you don’t want to rest?” I shook my head.

“No, I can’t sleep right now.” I went to pick up the sword, but when I saw the dried blood still on the blade, my stomach churned, and falling to my knees, I wretched. Finley rushed over to me.

“Are you alright?”

“I need you to clean that,” I said, gesturing towards the sword by my side, not daring to look at it, for fear of another puking fit. Finley quickly took the sword away.

“I need something wet,” He said, searching the ground Kiara removed one of her boots, and gave Finley her wet stocking. Finley wiped the blood away without a second thought about the dirty stocking. Kiara put the now stained stocking back on, and replaced her boot. Finley held the sword out to me. I shook my head.

“Can you carry it, Fin? I can’t bear to look at it.” I hadn’t told Finley, and Kiara about the guard, but I assumed they had gathered what had happened. Finley tucked the sword into his belt, while Kiara helped me stand. I still felt a bit queasy, but it was bearable.

We had been walking for a few hours, when we saw smoke rising above the trees.

“Look.” I pointed. Kiara, and Finley looked, and went wide eyed, and without a word, we all rushed towards it.

We entered a small clearing where lay at least fifty slaughtered men. Their tents were torn down, and smoldering. I looked around the camp, horrified by what I saw. We walked around searching for anyone who might be living. But there was not one man left alive. We got to what would have been the leader’s tent, it was the only one still upright. We entered. It looked strangely familiar.

I looked at Kiara, she nodded. This was the camp of the bandits that had captured us, and someone had cleared them out. It was a horrible fate to befall anyone, even these men. I wondered for a moment why I hadn’t seen the leader in the field of the dead, that was until I saw him lying on one side of the creaky bed. I swallowed hard, and looked away, my eye catching on a table in the corner, which the contents of a bag were spilling out onto. I recognized it. “That’s my bag,” I said, crossing the tent in a few quick strides. I examined the contents of the bag, everything was there, and nothing was broken, most likely the bandits didn’t know how to use my remedies, and I didn’t care at all, because that meant I still had them.

“Kiara your bracelet is here too,” I said, picking up a ruby encrusted gold band. Maybe I could make her a dress to match this. I thought. I then shook my head. Let’s not think about that now. I handed the bracelet to Kiara, and she slipped it onto her wrist. I carefully replaced the contents of my bag, and slung it over my shoulders. I then noticed a small belt of pouches that had been behind the bag. I grabbed it, and looked inside, there were some travel rations, a small bit of bandages, some gold, and a small vial with a substance I recognized as a deadly poison. I took the belt, and fastened it at my hips. I went back over to the others. Kiara was looking at the bed longingly.

“We can’t stay here,” I said. “And what’s more those furs probably smell just as bad as he does.” Kiara scrunched up her nose.

“We probably do too,” She said.

“Maybe a little better, I mean we did just go for a swim,” Finley put in, although he had never smelt the unpleasantness of the man who lay dead on the ground before us. I smiled and shook my head.

“Come on. The sun will be setting soon, and I don’t want to be here any longer,” I said, turning, and leaving the tent.

We made camp a little ways from the bandits, and I managed to sleep the night through, but my dreams were still as unpleasant as ever.

I woke the next day to Kiara stoking the fire.

“Where’s Finley?” I asked, sitting up.

“Hunting. He thought it time we had some real food,” she replied. I nodded.

“I wonder why he didn’t search for grubs, he seems to enjoy those,” I muttered. Kiara caught it, and laughed. I furrowed my eyebrows. I had heard that laugh, in the dream she had been a part of. It was exactly the same. That, mixed with the aerie similarities I had dreamed of Mitono, was starting to scare me a little. I shook my head, dispelling the thoughts that were racing into it.

“You alright?” Kiara asked. I nodded.

“Of course. I’m doing just fine,” I responded, smiling widely, and sarcastically. Kiara chuckled at my exaggerated expression, and returned to stoking the fire.

Finley returned shortly after I woke. With him he carried a pheasant, and a small rabbit, already cleaned, and skinned, and attached to his belt, three full waterskins. I jumped up, and he held one out to me, as though he could tell what I was thinking. I gulped it down, not realizing until it hit my throat how thirsty I had been.

“Thank you,” I said once I stopped to breathe.

“No problem,” Finley said cheerfully. He quickly roasted the food, and divided it. I gobbled it up, not even pausing to relish the taste. Finley looked a little surprised by my actions. I raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. He shrugged.

“You usually don’t eat so fast,” He said.

“Well I’ve never gone so long without eating either, what’s more is, it probably doesn’t taste that well without seasoning,” I retorted. Finley shrugged again. We finished our meal quickly, and left our small camp, kicking out the fire, and heading back to the village where the blacksmith resided.

A few days had passed, and we were exhausted, we hadn’t stopped for long, we barely even stopped to sleep, we wanted to make it back quickly, as well as put as many steps as we could between ourselves, and Zander. With the rate we were traveling it would take us roughly three more days to get there, that was if we didn’t run into any more trouble, which for the three of us was pretty unlikely. I was starting to feel the lack of food, and sleep, my feet were beginning to drag, and blister.

“Finley. I don’t think I can keep going. I might possibly collapse,” I said.

“Well you seem to be the one leading the adventure, so we can stop if you need.” I looked at Kiara, who looked as though she was about to collapse herself. I took that as a yes.

“Alright, we’ll camp here, and regain our strength,” I said. My friends nodded, and we made camp.

The days before we reached our destination were monotonous, and there not quite worth recounting.

We reached the village in the late evening, and decided we’d wait until morning to return the sword. We went to the inn I had stayed in when I was here last. The barmaid recognized me.

“Hello laddie,” she said. I smiled,

“Hello,”

“It’s nice to see you again,”

“And you,” I responded.

“You need a room?”

“Two please, one with two beds, and a single please, and if you have any hot stew that would be amazing,” I said. The woman smiled.

“That’ll three gold pieces,” she informed me, I nodded,

“I’ll give you an extra if you provide us with porridge in the morning.” the woman nodded, and showed us to our rooms.

“And what about a shirt?” my face grew hot as I remembered I was not in fact wearing one.

“Thank you, I’ll buy one in town,”

“Oh ma’am, do you have baths by any chance?” Kiara asked.

“twentie copper pieces for the three of you, and I can give your clothes a wash.” I sighed, and paid her. After we ate, we separated to bathe, and sleep. I fell asleep quickly, relishing the comfort of the bed, and walls keeping out the chill of the night.