by T. J. Quinn
She shrugged. “I’ve lived long enough.”
He smiled. “I’m sure you would be missed.”
“Probably. My granddaughter seems to enjoy spending time with me, but she knows life can be cruel,” she let out a loud sigh. “I’ll take a shower while the stew finishes. If anyone knocks at the door, ignore it and hide in your room, it’s the second door, down the hall,” she explained.
Kael nodded, though he didn’t like the idea of hiding himself, he understood he needed to go unnoticed, at least, while he got to know the place he was in and its people.
While Gwendolyn was in the bathroom, he picked up his bag and went to look at the room she had offered him. Like she said, the bed wasn’t big enough for a man almost seven feet tall, but he would be comfortable enough.
The room was austere, with the bed, a small closet and a small table by the bed. The furniture was all made of wood, in a very rustic style, but the place was spotless. He could tell the sheets and blankets were clean and that was more than he could ask.
He had no means to repay the woman’s hospitality since all they had brought to trade for Earth’s currency had been lost with the destruction of the ship. He would have to find another way to pay for all he might need.
Taking a seat on the bed, he opened up the backpack to check what was in it. He had never needed one of these before, and he couldn’t recall what they held inside. Unfortunately, the only thing useful he found was a small scanner. It was able to scan living beings and all kinds of objects. There was also one more jumpsuit, like the ones they usually wore, a few rations of dehydrated food and a small weapon. It wasn’t much, but it might be helpful.
He put it all back in and returned to the kitchen. Gwendolyn was already there, stirring the stew.
“Did you like the room? It’s not much…”
“It’s perfect, thank you,” he interrupted her. “I couldn’t ask for more.”
She nodded, pleased and put down the wooden spoon. “I have to lock up the house for the night,” she warned him.
“Can I help you?”
“Well, an extra pair of arms is always useful,” she said, smiling as she walked out of the house.
She walked around the house to one of the windows and started to pull some iron plates from the sides of the window until she had half of it covered. Kael mimicked her drawing the other side, and she secured the plates with some sort of lock.
“We learned the hard way that we needed to protect our windows. This way the demons aren’t able to penetrate our homes,” she explained, as they moved towards the next window.
“What if they set the cabin on fire?” he asked, with a worried frown. People would be trapped inside their own houses.
Gwendolyn shook her head. “They fear the fire. They don’t go near it. No idea why, but it’s a fact. We fight them with burning arrows,” she explained. “But we can’t fight them every time they decide to come by. It’s exhausting, so we protect ourselves and only fight when we don’t have another choice.”
They secured all the windows and returned inside. The night was falling, and soon it would be dark.
Gwendolyn locked the door and invited him to take a seat at the table. “Dinner is ready. Would you like a glass of wine with it? I believe I have some, somewhere,” she offered, with a smile.
“Water is fine, thank you,” he said, not sure what wine was.
The meal was delicious. Kael ate it all, enjoying the new flavors exploding in his mouth. It had been a while since he had had a meal this good.
“You’re an amazing cook, Gwendolyn, thank you,” he said when he finished.
“Thank you, I like cooking, and it’s a pleasure having someone else enjoying my meals.”
He looked at the old woman, puzzled. “Why did you help me? After all, you’ve told me, what made you so sure I wasn’t a demon like the ones raiding the village?” he asked her.
“Those are dreadful creatures, quite ugly and they have wings. But it wasn’t just that,” she told him. “My instincts told me I could trust you, that you would mean no harm to my people or me. I usually trust my instincts.”
Kael was happy his wings hadn't come out after the crash. If she had seen them, she might not have thought that way. He guessed showing her his other skin was out of the question for the moment.
“Well, thank you for helping me.”
“I’m sure you would have been just fine on your own, but it’s good to feel needed again,” she said, smiling as she got up and started to clear the table.
He helped her. “Yes, perhaps, but it would have cost me a lot more, to understand this place and the people in it,” he assured her.
“I guess you’re right,” she chuckled, as she quickly washed the dishes.
“Would you mind answering a few more questions?” he asked, leaning against the stone counter, next to her.
“Of course not, go ahead.”
Chapter Three
He gathered all the information he had on the planet in his mind and started asking questions, trying to make sense of what he knew from what he had seen so far. “So, you tell me there are three nations on this island, right? Have they ever been together under the same government?” he asked.
She frowned. “No, never and I’m not sure I would call them ‘nations.’ They are more like regions. Each village, city or town has its own independent government. Before the demons arrived, there used to be fighting all the time over the control of each settlement. Now, people are more interested in defending themselves from these creatures than fighting each other.”
“Are you sure of this? Not even centuries ago?”
“We have historical records with over five thousand years, and there’s no evidence of what you’re mentioning in any of them,” she assured him.
“How many continents do you know of?” he asked, more and more puzzled.
“We are in Europe, and there’s Africa and Asia. Never heard of any others. People from those parts are very wild and uncivilized, or so they say. We only hear about them from the merchants that bring us the spices and silks they buy in such places,” she explained.
That meant they hadn't discovered America or Australia, which shouldn’t be that surprising, considering they didn’t appear to have that much technology. But that didn’t make any sense with all he knew about the planet. It was as if the black hole had thrown them into a different planet, or more likely, an alternative reality.
He would have to investigate a bit more about “How do these merchants get to those continents?” he asked, looking for a way to get to the coordinates they had been given when they left home.
“They use carriages and boats, as far as I know.”
“How often do they come here?”
“Not as often as they used to, due to the demon attacks, but at least once a month we receive a visit from one of them,” she explained. “The last one was here a few days ago,” she added.
That meant he would have to wait a few weeks if he wanted more information on this place. And he did. He didn’t want to wander around a planet he knew nothing about, especially if it was being attacked by strange creatures he knew nothing about.
“I would like to talk to the next merchant,” he said with a slight frown.
“You’re welcome to stay for as long as you wish,” she offered, smiling. “I’ll appreciate the company, believe me.”
“Thank you, that’s very kind of you, but I can’t repay you for all your help.”
“Don’t worry about that, I’ll find a way for you to pay me. There’s a lot you can do to help around the house if you’re willing,” she suggested, smiling.
“Yes, I would love to be of use.”
“There you have it. Now, let’s get some rest. I’m sure you had quite a rough day, so you need some rest. With luck, we won’t be visited by the demons tonight, but if we do, don’t worry about it. As long as you don’t go outside, you’ll be fine.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
Fortunately, that night was a peaceful one. Kael was able to restore his energies, and when the sun came up in the sky, he was already in the kitchen helping Gwendolyn to bake some bread.
“You bake bread every day?” he asked her, realizing baking bread implied a lot of work.
“No, sometimes I just go to the bakery and buy it, but my bread is a lot better than his, so I don’t go there that often,” she explained, with a naughty grin.
“I can’t wait to have some of it.”
She had left the dough resting during the night, so that morning, she only had to put it in the oven. A few minutes later, the kitchen was filled with the fantastic smell of freshly baking bread.
She prepared some meat she called bacon along with some eggs and a good cup of coffee. He remembered his mother mentioning the beverage and how much she missed it and now that he tasted it for the first time, he understood why.
After they cleared the kitchen from breakfast, he turned to look at her. “If you don’t mind, I would like to go for a walk, to check the surroundings,” he told her.
“Don’t you think it’s too dangerous? If someone sees you, they will think you’re a demon,” she warned him, sounding concerned.
“I promise I’ll stay out of sight at all times. I just need to know what I’m up against.”
“Very well, just don’t take too long.”
“I won’t.”
“Perhaps you should use this.” She handed him a long, brown hood. It didn’t cover him completely, but it covered his head, hiding the features that identified him as a drogon.
“Thank you, it will be of great use,” he assured her before he left the house.
Kael waited until he was far enough from the house and into the forest, to drop the hood and stash it under some bushes. He wanted to fly over the village, and the hood would only be a hindrance.
He would have to fly high if he didn’t want to be seen by the people in the village, but that didn’t worry him. His sight, as well as all his senses, were acutely accurate and he could see perfectly over long distances.
Walking to a small clearing in the woods, he stretched the leathery wings on his back and flew away, as high as possible.
The village was quite small, with one main street and a few secondary roads. Kael was sure there weren’t more than a couple of thousand people in it, which was surprising, considering they had been able to stay independent from other villages.
There were a few houses scattered on the outskirts of the village, like Gwendolyn’s, but most of them were gathered around the biggest house in town, that he figured belonged to the ruler of the place.
His house wasn’t quite a palace or even a castle, but it sure was some sort of fortress, probably able to give cover to all the people in town.
Not willing to be spotted, Kael flew away and explored the area around the village.
They were surrounded by woods, but there was a river not far from it, explaining the local water source. Kael flew over the river until he spotted another village. He then turned around and did the same, in the opposite direction. The communities weren’t that far apart from each other, and they were practically identical, with their main street, and the houses gathered around a small fortress.
People mainly stayed in the village, but he could see a few wondering through the woods, probably gathering firewood or hunting. He had seen some good prey animals on his flight, and he guessed some people hunted them to feed their families.
He would have to ask Gwendolyn about the policies on hunting.
When he was returning to the village he was staying at, he noticed a small stream feeding the river with its clear waters. Curious, Kael decided to fly over the stream and see where it led.
A few minutes later, he was looking at a small waterfall that seemed to be the origin of the stream. It wasn’t very tall, but its water formed an inviting waterfall and apparently, someone else thought the same about it. A woman was bathing in it, and though she wasn’t naked, the wet fabric of her gown didn’t leave much to the imagination.
Too curious to fly away, Kael landed on a small clearing near the natural pool created by the waterfall and silently walked towards it.
The woman was still under the water, allowing the cold water to fall down her magnificent body. Used to the sturdy, muscular women from Zuvrak, watching this woman’s body stirred something inside him he wasn’t quite able to recognize.
She was short, probably only a bit over five feet, but her body was as curvy and voluptuous as they could be. Many would describe her as plump, but for him, her body was perfect, along with her wild, curly, dark mane and her fair skin.
She had her eyes closed so he couldn’t tell what color they were, but it didn’t matter. No matter what color they were, they would only enhance her overwhelming beauty.
All of a sudden, she stood still and opened her eyes, as if she had sensed she was being watched.
Kael considered walking away, but he couldn’t as he was entranced by the beautiful woman standing in front of him. Her eyes were the brightest green he had ever seen.
“Who’s there? I know there’s someone there. Show yourself.” she demanded, looking around, trying to find the intruder.
He wanted to talk to her, but he knew his presence would certainly scare her, so he didn’t dare to take the few steps that separated them.
Looking upset, the woman walked out of the water grumbling, and Kael walked away, not wanting to be confused with a demon. He would find a way to gain her trust before he allowed her to see his true self.
Chapter Four
Rhiannon left the house earlier than usual, eager to have what she called a real bath at the waterfall. Her father hated when she went there, so she made sure he didn’t see her leave or return. That way, they wouldn’t have the same argument as always.
Of course, she was aware of the dangers. She had lost a few friends at the hands of the demons, and she didn’t intend to become one more of their victims, but she refused to stop living in the meantime.
She gathered a couple of fruits and some bread, cheese, and ham and scurried away from the house right after her father left for work. Being the village’s baker, he had to leave the house as soon as the sun came out in the skies and that often served her purposes.
Rhiannon had considered moving out a thousand times ever since her mother passed away a few years ago. After all, she was an adult now, but their society didn’t approve of single women living alone, and though she couldn’t care less about other people’s opinion, she knew that would kill her father. He might be a stubborn, grumpy old man, but he was still her father, and she loved him.
Instead, she tried to bend the rules as much as she could, going around those she couldn’t and so far, she had been able to live a happy life. People were starting to press her to get married and have a family of her own, but she hadn't met the right man for her.
In fact, she was sure she hadn't met him yet. And knowing new people when there was a war going on against the demons had proven to be almost impossible. The only men that dared traveling around the country were the old merchants she had known all her life.
Sighing, she hastened her pace, eager to get to the waterfall. The forest around her was still sleeping, and she just loved to walk through it.
It took her almost an hour to get to the waterfall, but she didn’t mind. The place was worth the walk, and since she didn’t have anything urgent to do, she could enjoy it as much as possible.
By the time she reached the waterfall, the sun was already shining in the sky. After a quick check of her surroundings, she got rid of her dress, and with just a light petticoat on, she walked right into the water, not stopping until the cold water of the stream was running down her body.
Nothing felt more invigorating than that.
She had been under the water stream for a few minutes when she had the strange feeling someone was watching her. She could feel the burn of the person’s gaze on her
skin, and that startled her. She had never felt anything like it.
“Who’s there? I know there’s someone there. Show yourself,” she shouted, as she looked around again, but she wasn’t able to find anyone.
Upset, she decided to leave. There was no use taking chances. After all, she was all alone up there, and she had no way of protecting herself against whoever it was.
By the time she reached her clothes, she had stopped feeling that strange sensation of being watched. She tried to decide whether to stay or not, but this time, common sense prevailed, and she decided to leave.
She would go visit her grandmother instead. She was sure she would welcome her with one of her special treats. Her grandmother was one of the best cooks she had ever known.
In her darkest moments, she had considered moving in with her grandmother, but she knew her father would feel hurt and abandoned. He would only accept her moving out if it meant she was starting a new life with her new husband.
And she doubted she would ever do that.
Picking up her food, she walked back to the village and right to her grandmother’s cabin. She lived right outside the village, and she was a very independent woman, so she might not even find her home, but she hoped she would.
By the time she reached her grandmother’s cabin, it was still mid-morning. Her grandmother was outside, putting some laundry on the clothesline.
“Hello, granny, I’m glad I found you at home,” she greeted the older woman, hugging her waist from behind.
“Rhiannon!” she said, sounding startled. “What are you doing here?” she asked, turning around to face her granddaughter.
Puzzled, Rhiannon took a step back. “Why do you ask? I thought I was welcomed here.”
Gwendolyn flushed slightly. “Of course, you are, you just surprised me, that’s all, you never come in the morning,” she replied, nervously looking around.
Rhiannon looked at her grandmother, with a slight frown. “I know, today, I had this strangest feeling as if I was being watched by someone, so I left the waterfall earlier than usual,” she explained.
