Trojian Horse

They made their way down the winding hillside into the valley and continued onto a path that eventually forked. Turo carried on walking toward the path on her left but Arien stopped, feeling a wave of anxiety suddenly grip him. He couldn’t explain what he was feeling. It was the second time he had this feeling, the first being in the cave with the noka. Turo looked back and saw him rooted to the spot and asked him what was wrong to which he replied nothing. He caught up to her and they carried on walking choosing to ignore the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

“Who are these elders that you constantly speak of?” Arien asked.

“They are the oldest race on the planet, I think.”

“You’re not sure?”

“No, I’m not. It’s not really a question I’ve asked them.”

“Who are they to you?”

“They are the only family I have left.”

“But why are you taking me to go see them?”

“They asked me to bring you. They insisted it had to be me and they wouldn’t give me shortcut. If they want to see you then it is important. I’m just not sure how important.”

“I see.”

“Do you really?” she asked.

“Not really. I don’t understand most of what you say. I feel like you intentionally mean to confuse me.”

“It’s because you are too slow to comprehend what I’m saying to you.”

“I see. I really don’t see how this connects to me though,” he said rather dryly.

“It is a strange thing to say considering that you bear the mark of Yanwe on you.”

“What mark are you talking about?”

“The one on your thigh. You have never wondered what that mark meant?”

“Well, I have but I never received an answer so I stopped asking.”

Turo shrugged her shoulders.

“So these elders will tell me what I’m doing here? Where I came from? What all this means? And this mark?”

“Yes. Their job is answers. Those that haven’t been asked, those yet to asked and those that will never be asked.”

“You said you didn’t know what happened to the other blade and the sword, have you never asked?”

“I did. I got an answer,” she answered.

“Not the answer you were looking for?” he asked.

She simply shrugged and carried on walking. He knew that meant the end of that conversation.

They were walking past a group of trees when something ran out of the trees and hurled itself at them. They both fell over and the creature rolled on the ground behind Turo. Arien got to his feet and found himself staring at a thin creature covered in scales with a row of sharp teeth on its lower jaw. It was dressed in a type of armour hissing loudly and visibly preparing to strike again. The creature lunged at Arien with its sharp claws and narrowly missed slicing his belly open. The creature was surprisingly fast, crouching then springing back at him, knocking Arien onto his back before he could recover. It wrapped its claws around him, trying to suffocate him while raising its other claw for a deathly swing. It thrashed its tail at Turo, who had gotten to her feet and was attempting to dislodge the creature from atop Arien, with its tail eventually sending her flying into the trees. Arien lay gasping for breath as the claw tightened around his neck. The creature had a look of glee on its face. Arien was certain he had met his end so close to receiving answers when something knocked his assailant off him. He felt the air rush violently into him. Another creature covered completely in white fur battled the scaly creature for a few minutes before the scaly creature fled back into the forest. Turo gradually found her way out of the trees, clutching her head. She ran to the white-furred creature and buried her head in its fur. She was obviously delighted to see it.

On the pathway in the direction they had come from lay yet another purple-skinned creature whose hands were tied behind its back. It lay motionless on the path. Arien guessed the white-furred creature was responsible for bringing this package all the way here. His breathing had eased considerably by now. He wondered why the scaly beast had so savagely attacked him. It had not seemed interested at all in Turo, as if he was the sole target of its attack.

The white-furred beast went back to the bound creature on the ground and threw it on its back then walked straight past him with its package in tow. Turo came over to help him up.

“Let’s go. The village is just behind that group of trees visible at the end of the path. It’s time for you to get your answers.”

She helped him stand and they walked on with their new companions.

“You don’t think that was strange?” Arien asked.

“I think the strange is just beginning,” she answered.

Arien did not know what to make of her answer. He rubbed his bruised neck, walking behind them.

“Won’t it follow us?”

“It can’t,” she answered. She noticed the puzzled look on his face. “The more you ask the more you’ll want to know. Your answers are just beyond those trees, come on.”

Arien nodded and followed her, silently.