by K. M. Bonde
“Get out of here!” Eadric yells back. He’s scratched up and bleeding from his head and arms.
The trio, surprised and scared by the sight of Eadric, follow him out of the cave, sprinting to keep up with the older man. The sounds continue following them, even as they run past the graves, through the forest, and back to the outskirts of the village.
Finally, Eadric slows down. They’re on the path near the farmlands, and Eadric motions for them all to sit down.
Remus pants heavily. “What happened? I ran to get help... How did you escape?”
Eadric looks at his son warily. “I was lucky and got away. There was a foul beast in there, but I made it loose interest in me by playing dead. As soon as it got far enough away from me, I started running.”
Remus opens his mouth to speak, but Eadric continues. “I have to consult Alric on this matter later. He believes that one of the ancient beasts have come back.”
Remus frowns, his voice shaking when he speaks. “But… but that's not possible! According to the legend, they would only come back to protect the kingdom if our existence was threatened.”
“True, but the story tells of other beasts, not so nice ones, those that would like to see our world destroyed.”
Elora and Ryan, sitting a few feet away from Remus, watch the scene unfold. They exchange a curious look.
Eadric finally turns to them. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe I introduced myself. My name is Eadric, and you are?”
“I'm Elora,” she says. “And this is Ryan. I'm glad you’re okay. Remus ran into us, and he was worried, so we came along to help.”
Remus quickly adds, “I met them outside the village when I ran back to get help.”
Eadric offers the two a tight smile. “That was nice of you, thank you for helping my son. I don’t mean to be rude, but I don't recognize you. Where are you from?”
Ryan glances at Elora before answering quickly. “We’re travelers and should be on our way home soon before it gets too late.”
“Travelers without weapons? Where is your sword?” asks Eadric.
Ryan swallows hard, then looks around the path. “I, uh, must have dropped it somewhere earlier.”
Eadric raises an eyebrow. “That is very dangerous. One should never leave his sword out of sight. Perhaps I can make your trip back a little safer by giving you one of my spares.”
“Thank you,” Ryan says. “I appreciate that, but we should really be on our way...”
Eadric raises a hand, interrupting Ryan. “I cannot let you leave on an empty stomach. I hope you will stay and have supper with us before leaving.”
Ryan glances at Elora, hesitant. But she smiles and replies, “It would be very nice with supper, thank you.” Ryan shoots her a glare, but she simply smiles at him. “We need to have supper before we travel back home.”
“Excellent,” says Eadric. “Let's go to my home. I need to take care of my wounds, and then we can eat.”
They get up and follow Eadric. While they’re walking, Elora takes in the village around them. “What is the name of this village? Is it old?” she asks.
“This village is called Flaxan,” Eadric says, “and yes, it is old. It has been around for ages.”
“That’s a very unique name,” says Ryan.
Eadric shrugs. “The name goes back far in time. No one really knows how our village got its name.”
As they walk, Elora notices the lack of people out. The few that are out begin gathering outside their homes as the group approaches, and they gawk at Ryan and Elora, whispering to each other as the strangers pass by.
As if sensing Elora’s apprehension, Remus says quickly, “Don’t worry about them, they are not used to visitors. All the people living here are kind. You have nothing to fear.”
“That's a relief,” says Elora.
“You and Ryan have strange clothes... They are not made by skin from animals,” says Remus.
“Well, it’s another kind of material,” says Ryan. “Where we come from, people tend to process the skin longer to get a different look on it.”
“It’s just our fashion sense,” Elora adds, hoping it makes sense.
“What’s fashion?” asks Remus, and Ryan raises his eyebrows at Elora.
“People in our village are a little tired of the standard brown leather,” Ryan explains. “Instead, they want the colors of the sky, sun, and moon in their clothes. It seems a little crazy if you ask me,” he adds, hoping his connection of colors to nature helps Remus understand.
Remus shrugs. “We have a woman here that is a little like that too. She likes to hang her animals up to get a special smell on the skin before making her robes. She says it keeps the wolves away.” Remus makes a little gesture to his head with his finger and whispers, “Crazy.”
Elora smiles and says with a low voice, “I promise I won't tell anyone.”
“We’re here,” Eadric says, interrupting their conversation. He waves the group into the house, then follows them inside.
The house is small, but it’s comfortable and warm. A little fireplace is blazing in the corner, and furniture made of local wood decorate the room. Simple white curtains hang in the small windows, and a staircase leads to the second floor. A woman comes out from a door close to the fireplace, and she’s wearing a brown leather robe and sandals.
“I see you brought guests,” she says, her voice calm and smooth.
Eadric carefully walks up to her and says, “Myrna, I bring guests for supper. They helped me and Remus in the forest earlier.”
Myrna smirks. “You mean the cave I didn’t want you to go to?”
“I needed to find some answers,” Eadric replies cryptically.
Myrna crosses her arms over her chest. “I talked to Alric. I was so worried about you.”
“Can we talk about this later?” He asks, nodding his head toward the guests.
“So nice to see you, it's not often we have guests here,” she says, offering Elora and Ryan a bright smile. “I'm Myrna, Eadric's wife.”
“I’m Elora and this is Ryan,” she says. “Thank you for having us in your home.
“They are travelers and they need to get back home soon, is supper ready?” Remus asks.
Myrna looks at Remus and smiles. “I think you’re hungrier than anyone else here. You will eat us out of the house one day. Show our guests to the table, I'll get supper from the kitchen.” Myrna goes back into the kitchen, while Remus leads Elora and Ryan over to the table.
“Please, sit down,” Eadric says, motioning toward the chairs. “Let me pour some water.”
Soon, Myrna comes out with a big iron pot, and she places it on the table. “I made a nice rabbit stew.”
“Smells good,” says Eadric.
Remus is quick, the first to pour stew into his bowl.
Elora glances between the stew and Ryan, then frowns. “Rabbit?” she whispers. She doesn’t eat much meat, and she especially doesn’t want to eat a bunny.
Ryan grins at her. “Remember, we need to eat supper before traveling home,” he says, using her words from earlier. “Bon appétit.”
Elora scoffs and crosses her arms over her chest, then notices Myrna is looking at them.
”Is everything okay?” asks their hostess as she spoons stew into her own bowl.
Ryan smiles. “Everything is fine. The stew smells amazing,” he says.
“So, where do you come from, Elora and Ryan?” asks Eadric before taking a bite of stew.
Ryan tries to explain, “It is probably a place you haven't heard about,” Ryan says, trying to come up with an explanation. “A small place, called... Garden Park.”
Myrna smiles at him. “I think it sounds nice, much nicer than our old village name.”
“I’ve never heard of it, you’re right, but I would very much like to visit one day,” replies Eadric, curiosity tinging his voice.
“That might be… difficult,” says Elora. She pushes the stew around in her bowl, eventually eating a bit of th
e vegetables in it.
“It can be a tricky road,” Ryan continues. “It's easy to get lost.”
“Perhaps you could guide me,” says Eadric suspiciously.
“Perhaps one day when we have more time,” replies Ryan kindly.
“Enough chatting,” interrupts Myrna. “Start eating before it gets cold!”
“It’s so great, thanks Mom,” says Remus. He flashes a grin at Myrna before digging back in.
Elora looks at Ryan, her lips pressed together, but she takes another bite to avoid raising suspicion. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Ryan’s eating, too.
Myrna smiles at her guests eating. “I'm so glad you like it, but I’m sorry you can't stay longer. I would have liked to show you more of our village and the surroundings.”
“Are the surroundings nice?” asks Elora. “We’ve seen only a little bit of the area. It looks beautiful.”
“There is an amazing waterfall not that far up in the forest,” Myrna replies, her voice calm. “The walk there is quite nice, and you can see across the countryside from there.”
Elora smiles. Waterfalls and spectacular views? It sounded like something out of her travel books. “I would like to come back some other time, if possible.” She glances at Ryan, but he doesn’t say anything.
Myrna smiles widely. “There are several nice places around the neighboring areas that we can go and visit next time you’re here.”
“Tell her the story behind Dragon's Tears,” Remus adds, though with his mouth stuffed full of stew, his words come out a little garbled.
Elora perks up at the mention of the name Dragon’s Tears. “That name sounds familiar, but I don’t know the story,” she says, though she doesn’t know how she knows the name. Maybe it was a coincidence.
“Oh, Remus, quiet! Don’t speak when your mouth is full,” scolds his mother. “It’s a nice story, though. It is said that a long time ago, a dragon lived in a cave beneath the waterfall. At that time, there was no waterfall and no river. When the old dragon died, the water started pouring down over the cliffs. The dragon's life essence became the water.”
“Wow, that's amazing, a dragon?” exclaims Elora.
Eadric raises an eyebrow. “Do you believe in these stories? Surely you must have heard this story or similar stories in your village as well.”
“We do,” Elora begins, “not about dragons, but many other stories that we tell our children. I think that the story about the dragon is lovely.”
“It is,” says Eadric. “It's a pleasant sight to see the waterfall. I hope you both can come back, and we can all go up there.”
“One day when we have more time, we might be able to make another trip,” says Ryan, smiling down at Elora. She grins back at him.
Myrna looks at the empty plates on the table. “Does anyone want more?”
Elora smiles but shakes her head. “Thank you, it was very delicious, but we should get going soon.”
“Well, if you must,” Myrna says. She gets up and carries the pot to the kitchen.
Eadric gets up and walks over to the wooden stand next to the door, where he grabs a sword from the stand. “Here, Ryan,” he says, beckoning the young man over. “I'll give you this sword as a replacement of yours.”
“Thank you. It's a very nice sword.” Ryan takes the sword in his hand. It’s a simple sword with a normal iron hilt and sharp blade. “It feels somewhat nice to hold, it feels right.”
“I’m glad you like it, but I just hope you never have to use it,” Eadric says. “Be careful on your journey home.”
Elora walks over to the door and inspects the sword, noticing some foreign letters etched into the blade. She glances between Ryan and Eadric, but it doesn’t seem they’ve noticed it. Elora decides not to mention it. Instead she says, “It's a lovely sword, thank you.”
With that, they leave the house, and everyone says goodbye. Myrna and Remus head back into the house, but Eadric stays outside, concern shadowing his face.
* * *
As Eadric watches Ryan and Elora walking toward the hills, Alric comes up to him from behind.
When he speaks, his voice is powerful but quiet. “Who are they? Are they the reason for the disturbance in the Sheastream?”
Eadric looks at him. “I believe so.”
Alric speaks again, now with a more distinct worry in his voice. “So, which one is the one we have been waiting for?”
“I think it’s the girl, Elora.”
Alric looks at Eadric. “Elora? I know that name. Was it not the name of that baby girl that left our village six years ago? Together with your daughter and her husband?”
“Yes,” says Eadric, his voice tinged with sadness. “Soon after my daughter found that baby girl near the waterfall, they all left. We never found out what happened to them.”
“Do you think it’s related?” asks Alric as he scratches his neck.
“I don't know,” admits Eadric. “This girl is too old, but there is something special with her. She seems to be familiar with our stories and the way she looked at the sword was... I suspect that she is more than what meets the eye.”
“Time will tell,” Alric says coolly. “Perhaps they will be back. Did you find what you were looking for in the cave?”
Eadric frowns. “I wanted to talk to you about that. I ran in to the ancient beast Sheagrim.”
Alric freezes. “What?” He pauses for a beat, then continues. “That can't be. I have not heard anything from my fellow Elders.”
“Perhaps you should talk to them,” spits Eadric as he glares at Alric.
“I will. But if the legend is true, it means that the Chosen One is here. The Dark Forces might once again march to stop the legend from coming true. I need to leave immediately to speak to the others.”
Eadric looks out over the village, never lowering his shoulders. “We can talk more later.” Alric rushes toward his house, holding on to his hat and cane. Eadric sighs and goes back into his home, slowly closing the door behind him.
* * *
Ryan and Elora hold hands once again, slowly making their way up the hill as the sun sets.
Ryan leans his head toward Elora and whispers, “It's time to go back. We saved the day, and this hero needs to rest soon.”
Elora giggles and nudges his shoulder. “Stop it.” She smiles at him. “It was very nice and interesting to meet these people. I don't know about that stew though. I was a little grossed out.” She scrunches her face up, then turns serious. “So, what’s up with the sword?”
“I don't know,” Ryan says with a shrug. “Everyone carries old weapons here. No guns, just swords and daggers.”
“Yeah, weird.” Elora frowns. “Eadric seemed bothered about whatever he was looking for. I guess he didn't find it.”
“I hope he finds what he was looking for.”
“He is alive, that's what matters,” Elora says and smiles. Soon they come to the magical bush.
Ryan looks at Elora, “Time to leave. Ready?”
Elora puts her hand on Ryan's chest to stop him. “Aren't you forgetting something? What are you going to do with the sword? You can't bring it back; the cops will arrest you.”
“Hadn’t thought of that,” he admits, his forehead wrinkling. “Let’s hide it here somewhere in case we come back.” He glances around, then finds a decent hole under one of the roots near the tree. Carefully, he places the sword down, then covers it with fallen branches, leaves, and a few small stones. “There. Let's go.”
Elora smiles and says, “After you.” However, all she can think about is the sword. She doesn’t know why, but she thinks it read Myriath. The name feels familiar, like the Dragon’s Tears story, but she doesn’t know why.
Ryan enters the bush and Elora follows close behind. They disappear into the bush, only to re-emerge in the park.
Elora frowns. “Back in the gray city again.”
Ryan takes her hand in his and squeezes. “Let's go home.”
Chapter 4: The Truth
Elora lays on her bed, clutching her pillow. The sun’s rays brightening the room. Her mind wanders all over, thinking about all the possible and impossible events she’s experienced the last few days. She never really believed in magic and things she couldn’t explain, but now? Now she wasn’t so sure.
She looks at her feet and sees socks. I must have been so tired last night that I fell asleep before getting ready for bed. Standing, she glances down, seeing the clothes she was wearing yesterday. Gross. She disrobes, then grabs fresh pajamas from her closet. The shower can wait, I need to talk to Mom first.
She leaves her bedroom, walking softly down the hall toward her mother's room. “Mom?”
Catherine smiles when she sees her daughter, “There you are! I was worried. You slept so long and I wasn’t even sure you were home yesterday.”
“Mom,” Elora says, sitting down on her mother’s bed. “I’m sorry. I had the weirdest day yesterday.”
Catherine raises an eyebrow. “Tell me about it. You were gone for a whole day… did Ryan do something to upset you?”
“No, he was nice, we went for a picnic and then... wait, did you say a whole day?” Elora scrunches her face up. No, that was impossible. “A whole day?” she asks again. “No, we were only out for a couple of hours in the morning... wait... it was evening here as well. The night before, we were getting coffee and walking to a movie when we got chased by a car, and we had to go into that park to hide…”
The words rush out of her mouth, but Catherine stops her when she places a hand over Elora’s shoulder. “It’s ok, sweetie,” she says. “What park? Was it the one we talked about?”
Elora purses her lips, not wanting to look her mother in the eye. “Yeah… we ran from the car that chased us down the street, and we hid in a bush in that park, and suddenly, we were somewhere else! It was weird, but at the same time, I was comfortable as well. I know you told me not to go there, but we went back yesterday and… And it was almost as if I had experienced something similar or as if I knew the place.”
Catherine takes her hand away abruptly, and her face turns from a caring one to that of a failed mother. She stares out the window, her face blank, ”You already found the portal.”
