The Keeper's Codex: Ashen Memories

by A. D. Wills

  “Wait, do you know where Caden is?” Sappo asked.

  Snillrik's face dropped, and explained the situation in detail to both Sappo and Zasha.

  “I see...” Sappo couldn't bring himself to feel happy until they were all healed together here. Even if Caden was stable for now, it wouldn't be a victory without him in the end.

  That idiot. He shouldn't have gone in alone. Zasha thought to herself, looking down at her sheets in concern.

  “I see the two of you are awake, and well,” Ivan said, approaching Snillrik, Zasha, and Sappo.

  “We just checked on your friend Caden, and he's doing better right now—surprisingly so actually,” Hilda said with a befuddled look, laced with nerves. “We're not sure how, but he's recovering at an astonishing rate, but for now, he is still unconscious.”

  Sappo and Snillrik both let out a huge exhale of relief, while Zasha smirked for a fleeting moment, before anyone could catch it.

  “For now, we're here to check up on you two, but before that, I think a few people have something to give you first...” Hilda looked behind her, prompting a handful of children to scuttle to the front with various other odds and ends on hand—anything they could scrounge up really, from the looks of it.

  The children split off and handed the toys, rocks, and whatever else to Sappo, Snillrik, and Zasha. “Thank you for helping us!” Was all the nervous children with innocent ear-to-ear smiles said before sprinting away back to their parents who were healing from the fight themselves.

  Sappo, and even Zasha, couldn't help but catch the infectious smiles of the children, clutching their gifts in hand.

  “Dare I say I saw a smile?” Snillrik continued to test their luck with Zasha.

  Zasha jabbed her fingers into the ribs of Snillrik, sucking the wind right out of them. It hurt her to move just that little bit—her body was stiffening up in place, and simply didn't want to let her budge, but she thought it was more than worth it.

  “Must you be so abrasive...” Snillrik gasped for air, and distanced themself from Zasha.

  Ivan cut in and briefly examined both Sappo and Zasha. “Both of our injuries were grave, but in time, you both should make a full recovery eventually, but not if you choose to push yourself before then.”

  “I suggest staying off your right leg for a good while with this.” Hilda propped a sturdy wooden crutch beside Sappo's bed. “We had to completely reset the bone, and it won't ever be the same as it was, but thankfully, it should heal enough in time so that you can move almost completely normally again.”

  “As for you,” Ivan turned to give Zasha her diagnosis. “The external gashes and cuts were easy enough to mend, but most of your injuries were internal. Your insides were nearly completely ravaged from whatever it was you did. There isn't any easy way to say this, but you very likely shaved some years off your life with that, and that's something we can't heal. So, I don't think I need to tell you that so long as you don't do anything like that anytime soon, then you'll recover quickly as well.”

  Zasha nodded back at Ivan and Hilda. She knew she pushed herself well past her limit. She hadn't ever done anything like that before, and wasn't exactly looking to do it again, remembering every last bit of excruciating detail she felt firsthand—as if her body was slowly being ripped apart at the seams.

  “Now, If there's anything else that changes with Caden, again, you three will be the first to know,” Ivan reaffirmed.

  “Until then, enjoy something to eat to restore some of your strength,” Hilda said with a warm smile, as Chryssa came up with a tray with three bowls of hearty piping hot soup for the three of them to enjoy.

  “Grumli made this for everyone, and made this batch fresh for you,” Chryssa said, and pointed over her shoulder to pick out an anxious Grumli, standing away, but obviously—and eagerly—awaiting their verdict upon tasting.

  Sappo was just happy to have anything right now, and took a slow slurping sip. “This is actually great!”

  Zasha eating it without complaints was compliment enough, while Snillrik gulped theirs down as well.

  “If you didn't see, they liked it!” Chryssa shouted back to an embarrassed Grumli.

  The three of them enjoyed their meal, and did their best to relax. At the same time, they all had Caden's condition in the forefront of their worries, passing concerned glances over at his closed off section hoping for more good news.

  Chapter 32: Caden

  Caden was still in a deep slumber on his bed inside the tiny, lonely curtained off area. His eyes wincing tightly shut, with heavy panting and cold sweats he would break out into for long stretches under soaked sheets. He rolled around, as if possessed by something, fighting for his life, and trapped in his vivid dreams.

  Caden felt like he woke up, his eyes snapping open to look at his surroundings. “What the...where...where am I?”

  Foggy-headed and confused, Caden found himself in someone's grasp, pressing the back of his head into their chest.

  “Caden...it's going to be alright do you hear me?” Caden's mother, Maria, whispered to him in an easing familiar whisper.

  Caden felt as though he was there right now. The familiar warm embrace of his mother, and the smells of their quaint, shoddy cabin home, it all felt so real. Just as real were the howling shrieks, and ear shattering screams heard just outside of their home catching Caden's attention.

  In his mother's tight grasp, Caden looked over her shoulder, noticing a rocking chair that was still swinging. He glanced his eyes over to the window, and saw a bright orange glow from what looked to be wild flames, or torches in bunches, but he couldn't quite make it out. Caden tried to find where his Father might be, but he didn't see him in the room anywhere. There was only one room and area for them all, but his father was nowhere to be seen. The deadened eerie silence remained following the screams, giving rise to an unsettling knot in Caden's stomach, until a violent crash banged at their front door.

  “I'm so sorry Caden. I'm so sorry, for everything. Please forgive us...” Maria pleaded to Caden with a teary eyed smile that she desperately tried to comfort him with. “No matter what happens Caden. No matter what anyone says, you will always be our son. We love you Caden, never forget your father and I always loved you.”

  Maria covered Caden's ears back up, and leaned down to kiss him on his forehead. When his head tilted down though, Caden spotted an odd book on the side table with a golden embroidered spine that looked quite worn. He couldn't see any title on it, but it had an odd looking symbol; stars in the shape of two held out hands cupping a smudged over object Caden couldn't make out.

  Caden looked up, and tried asking his mother what was going on, what that book was—anything at all. But the words didn't leave his mouth. Maria didn't even so much as look down or change positions, as if time itself froze there, the scene having been played out.

  The door finally crashed open, but before Caden saw anything, his eyes shot wide open—panting heavily, and looked around to see himself heavily bandaged. He felt around, making sure everything was real this time, trying to settle his heart down after it felt as though he had been ripped from his consciousness.

  Caden could hear everyone on the other side of the curtains. “Hey...is anyone there?” Caden muttered through his weakened scratchy voice. He tried clearing his throat, but it didn't do much to help, it was dry beyond belief.

  Foolishly, Caden sat up, twitching to the pain pulsing through his body, but he kept going until his feet dangled off the side of his bed, and slid himself off, but crashed down face first—letting out a loud painful groan when his legs wouldn't support him.

  “Did you hear that?” Sappo asked Snillrik, Zasha and Chryssa, who nodded in shared confusion.

  Zasha and Sappo both wiggled around to get back up themselves. Sappo grabbed his sturdy crutch, and managed to slowly hobble over in pain with Zasha trying to keep her arm stiffened in her sling, sneaking their way over to Caden with Ivan and Hilda occupied.

  “You b
oth should really be resting in bed.” Chryssa emphasizing, knowing her parents wouldn't like seeing either of them out of bed, but there was no stopping them.

  Chryssa reached for the curtain upon arriving, whipping it open, and revealing Caden lay flat out on the floor in a heap.

  “There you are, what took you so long?” Caden let out the same infectious beaming ear to ear smile upon his bruised up face.

  “You're awake!” Sappo's face filled with pure joy, his eyes watering and pooling up.

  “I'll go get my parents right away,” Chryssa said while already walking away, in utter shock Caden was awake right now and out of bed.

  “So, uh...this is kinda embarrassing, but could you help me back up?” Caden chuckled off with a guilty grin.

  “...Idiot...” Zasha rolled her eyes.

  Snillrik knelt down and helped Caden back up into his bed, being the only one capable right now.

  “Please, I'm sure you need to get your required rest, now lie down.” Snillrik sternly pushed Caden back to lie down.

  “No worries, Snill, I'm fine.” Caden was helpless to fight back in his weakened state.

  “You are most certainly not fine,” Snillrik sharply cut in. “Chryssa and I weren't sure you would even so much as make it to the tavern alive, let alone be awake here so soon. So please, refrain from exerting yourself, at least for the time being.”

  “Alright alright, but no need to worry so much, honestly, I feel fine...mostly.”

  “As your friend says, you might be awake and healing at an alarming rate, but you are definitely not fine, not yet,” Ivan interrupted the reunion with Hilda beside him.

  “Oh hey, so you're alright too?” Caden recognized them from the caged pit.

  “Yes, thanks to you and your friends,” Hilda replied, in disbelief that Caden could be so vibrant right now.

  Ivan and Hilda both took a moment to look at Caden, astonished not only that he was awake, but how much his body healed in such a short amount of time.

  “Amazing...” Ivan paused. “Your injuries are healing at a rate we've never seen before.”

  “I've always healed pretty quickly, like that one time I broke my arm falling out of a tree. It took me no time at all to get right back to it."

  “We didn't think you would survive, to be honest. Yet somehow, you should be nearly fully healed in a few weeks or so at this rate,” Hilda observed.

  “Awesome!” Caden beamed.

  “But in the future, you should think twice before doing something so reckless again, please.” Hilda said with a somewhat scolding voice. Seeing his injuries, she couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of torture he had to go through. “But thank you for doing what you did. You didn't even know us, and yet...yet you helped us when no one else would, so thank you. Thank you so much.”

  “We owe you everything,” Ivan agreed. “You'll always have a home here if you need it, anything at all, I know everyone would welcome you all.”

  “Don't worry about it, we couldn't have done it without everyone's help either you know. No reason to be sad or anything now, Workal's gone. And if anyone ever tries to come here and do the same thing, we'll run them out of here just like we did with him,” Caden said fired up, mashing his fists together, before he threw himself back in a painful groaning wince.

  “Just sit still.” Zasha held Caden's head down against the pillow.

  “For now, take all the time you four need to rest up here. There's no rush leaving, alright?” Ivan reminded.

  “Sure thing, and thanks for healing me. You two really are amazing.” Caden flashed a glowing smile their way as they took their leave. “So Sappo, how did you get so bandaged up like that? What happened with you and Snill?”

  “Hold it, we have some questions of our own for you first,” Zasha cut him off.

  “You should've asked me before I did then."

  “...Child...” Zasha grumbled, and they all told their own sides to what happened to Caden, leaving him in utter awe and amazement.

  “Wow, so you took all those guards on by yourself, Sappo? I can't believe I actually missed that, that sounds awesome!” Caden's eyes drifted in imagining Sappo's hulking form.

  Sappo bashfully nodded. “I don't really remember it though. Snillrik's the one who told me what happened. I didn't even feel in control...”

  “What? Sounds to me like you were plenty in control. I mean, otherwise you would've just started attacking the villagers too, right? They were right there, you probably could've just eaten them up, but you let them escape.”

  “Maybe not the best way to say it...” Snillrik remarked behind their drooping head.

  Sappo couldn't wipe the smile off his face around Caden, accepting a shy averted gaze.

  “So, now what?” Caden asked his friends.

  “Now you tell us what happened, like we agreed,” Zasha interrupted.

  “Oh right, sorry, I almost forgot about that,” Caden carelessly laughed off. “Well, I chased Workal through the dungeon, and I couldn't believe how big it was inside. I mean, it was huge! It was like one giant maze with traps, and all sorts of stuff to throw you off. To be honest, I probably never would've made it if that one trinket didn't lead me along, you know, the one we couldn't figure out how to activate.”

  “Then it worked for you? The disc?” Snillrik asked.

  “Yea, for some reason, it just started glowing when I got a little deeper into the dungeon, and it pointed me in the right direction until I finally came face to face with Workal,” Caden replied, and handed the trinket to Snillrik.

  Snillrik examined it once again, but it seemed as useless as ever. Not a speck of light emanating from it, but Caden had to be telling the truth.

  “And what happened then with Workal?” Zasha was more interested in hearing about that than anything else.

  “So I finally caught up to him, and there he was. He was just staring at this stone ball, and was going to bring it back to that Judocus guy he said...” Caden wondered where it might have gone.

  “Was this it?” Snillrik held it up.

  “Ya there it is, so you picked it up?”

  “Chryssa and I found you somehow atop the cave in rubble above the quarry, and this slipped out of your pocket.”

  “That's weird, I definitely didn't put it in my pocket or anything.”

  “That's what you find odd about all of this?” Zasha asked. “How did you even defeat Workal on your own? How did he not get out, but you did?”

  “Heh, about that...” Caden awkwardly chuckled. “He beat me pretty good to be honest, but I got the better of him in the end, so that's all that matters, right?”

  “Do you remember anything else? Like how you escaped, or why you have this stone?” Sappo inquired.

  Caden scratched his chin with an aloof pensive look. “Hmm, not really. I just remember Workal being buried under all the rubble I knocked down on us, and then I woke up here.”

  “You what!?” Zasha asked. “I suggest you stop leaving out these sorts of details.”

  “Well, I couldn't move anymore, and he was about to get away, so I tried using my boomerang to knock the pillars down to trap him down there with me. It didn't work at first since it was too small, but then it suddenly grew into a giant boomerang after I threw it, and it took down the pillars. Workal tried to run through, but the rubble crashed onto him to seal us both down there.”

  Everyone just stared at Caden, amazed he didn't think anything of what he was explaining to them, and just how absurd and reckless it sounded. If he wasn't standing there before them, none of them would have believed it.

  “What? We're all here together aren't we? So everything went to plan!” Caden didn't understand the silent, blank-faced concern.

  “You won't be so lucky every time.” Zasha squeezed Caden's tender injured arm.

  “What, were you worried about me?” Caden teased out a goading smirk.

  Zasha again squeezed Caden's arm even harder.

  “Alright,
alright! Zasha, I give!” Caden wailed around.

  “After all this though, we still don't know what that stone relic is. And if they wanted it so bad, don't you think those divines will be coming after it when they find out Workal failed?” Sappo asked with a worried tone, sinking further into pale-faced paranoia the more he realized these dangerous implications.

  “There's no doubt that they'll hunt us down just for having it, whatever it is,” Zasha coldly put, inciting a shiver up Sappo's spine. “Getting rid of Workal won't stop them or worry them, it will only incite them to spare no expense in hunting us until we're dead."

  “Oh...good...” Sappo's face flushed.

  “Hunting us?” Caden leaned in with a sneaky leer.

  “That face you're making just might make me reconsider coming along,” Zasha reviled. “I want to find out what that relic exactly is, and why the Divines are so interested in something like that. Like Sappo said, they should also be hunting us for it, so I'll have every chance to find out more about them. If they're seeking us out, it makes it easier for me to find them.”

  “And I bet there are more of these things in dungeons, and that'll draw them out,” Caden continued to sweeten the deal for Zasha.

  “Don't push it...”

  “But that settles it then,” Caden glowed at Zasha's decision to come along with them, as tepid as she made it out to be. “Now we just gotta find out what this relic is.”

  “Yes, however we still don't have any idea as to where we should start looking,” Snillrik tempered expectations.

  “I guess we can just ask whoever we come across,” Caden began. “Someone's gotta know something.”

  “That's the last thing we should be doing,” Zasha cut in. “We don't know who knows what about this, or their intentions with it.”

  “Do you have any better ideas then?” Caden crossed his arms.

  “I might have an idea, but it's as good as a complete guess, and dangerous,” Zasha mentioned.

  “Please don't tell him it's dangerous,” Sappo sighed.