With Blades and Flames: Awakening

by David Csontos

  The room was well equipped with a bed and two cupboards in it. The bed had sheets and a pillow stuffed with dried wheat while the cupboard a candle. Behind the bed was a great window facing out onto the farm. The boy checked the each of the drawers but they were all empty. Then, he looked out back into the main area to see the people returning to their normal talking and laughing while the bartender started cleaning up. He picked up the three swords and the dagger and placed it into a small room next to the bar. Arkain took his courage and walked through the upper corridor like place checking each of the rooms. The problem with that was is that they were all locked and shut tight. As he walked the loud floor revealed each of his steps. Then he rambled up another staircase which lead to the attic. The garret was dark but the boy could pick out quite a few square boxes and a few barrels in the shadows. They were just there, quietly. It wasn’t anything interesting to be honest, not even a mouse could be heard chomping away in its secret hideout so he walked back down into his room. There wasn’t anything to do and he needed sleep. I am tired but don’t want to sleep. Is that normal? He locked the door with a key he have found on one of the shelves and jumped onto the bed staring up at the ceiling. His mind raced and didn’t know what to think of. It felt freakish and impossible that he couldn’t remember anything. Why did this happened to me? I just want to know who I am and why Agaroth helps me. I want to know how he knows my name because so far I didn’t bother asking. I have just realised how peculiar it is to have a stranger know my name. It didn’t feel like that was normal or that I have seen him before. I can feel if I see a familiar face couldn’t I? Or have I lost them as well? I don’t even know if I have a family or friends. Propitiously it feels like the more I am awake and the more I spend in this world the more my memories start to come back, or at least my common sense. I seem to be able to think properly now and also faster. Maybe I just had the world’s longest sleep and now I am awake? Sure I might feel tired but everything I knew before I went to sleep could come back soon? He had many questions but no answers. The more he asked from himself the more mystery he created around his identity and life. He just simply didn’t want to believe that he is a nobody, although he didn’t know what it feels like to be someone. Through the keyhole it could be seen that all the candles were blown out and complete darkness ruled over the Belt N’ Buckle. The handful of travellers that had a room had a knife under their head when they have slept. It provided them with a sense of safety which not many things could have in places like these. It was only the boy that wasn’t scared. But why? As he continued to deliver these questions to himself the rain went on to create monotony with its pounding on the window through the rest of the night.

  It was dark everywhere. Only a few steps away could the wolf see what is ahead.“Arkain!”came the sound from somewhere deep within.“Arkain!” It was becoming louder and the wolf started running forward.“Arkain!”The voice echoed through its head as it ran into the black. There was no light, nothing that could help its vision but it kept going no matter what.“Arkain!”came the voice again and disappeared with a loud scream…

  When he woke up it was still raining and it was still loud like when a bird would pound on a lonely hazel. Tick, tick, tick.It continued on and on and by the time one would think it would have calmed down it didn’t. It actually did the opposite from which Arkain could not sleep. He woke up sweating in the middle of the night. Partly from the dream that he had. He tried to calm himself down by repeating that it is just a nightmare and it took a bit until it have worked, he went back to sleep soon after. When he woke up yet again it was early in the morning and Belt N’ Buckle was already working. Downstairs, people were eating their breakfast which the now calmer bartender gave out to the ones that had the money. The scent of roasted bacon and eggs have filled up everything inside and later did the boy realise that he was hungry too. Some were talking about the things that happened last night to the handful of travellers that came in the morning.“I told you they still exist!” said Relo, a humble man that was explaining things to his companion, a similar man.

  “And what makes you think that? Just because he can fight doesn’t mean anything”

  “With four people at once? Four soldiers?”

  Arkain stood up and looked out through the window, then he walked out of the room leaving the key where he have found it but when he was about to open the door his eyes stopped on a small sack in his room. He picked it up and open it, inside it was ten silver coins and a small note that had ink on it in a form of rough writing. He held it up and started reading it.“I will be back in three days. The money I gave you is enough for food. Don’t go anywhere and cause trouble or be even near it” First of all, how did he get this in here? And where did he go? I hope that he just didn’t left me here after all of this. Each coin had an arrow on them and a face on the other side which he could not recall. It was a bold and big face that could have been anyone’s for all he knew. The boy tied the sack onto his waist and walked out through the door, he stopped on the top of the stairs to look around. Maybe he can see Agaroth. There were five people, two in pairs drinking and talking. One of them gazed towards the boy from his plate but faced back towards it. Then, Arkain made his way down surprised by how little pain he had from walking. The bandages were still on him below the rugs he wore. His scar healed but regrettably did not become invisible. Below the cloth there was still a wound that curved deep into his flesh. He made his way downstairs and stopped in front of the bartender. He sat down onto one of the stalls and asked whether he could have any food. There was a small door at the end of the bar that have led into the kitchen into which the old man hurried into and came out a few minutes later with wooden salver, there was a slice of bread, three fried eggs and a large meat.“Well then that would be three silver coins” he demanded. Three silver coins seemed a lot even for someone with a loss of remembrance. In the end he had to admit that he needs to pay and started eating with a wood fork that was carved out of a small stick. The food was warm and filled his stomach quickly. Arkain just realised how much he was craving for food, before that was finished and the bowl was empty he asked for something to drink and received water in a cup. Apparently it was a lot easier to get water nowadays according to the bartender because a lot of snow had covered the land in the northern regions of this part of Warlden. All that he needed to do is hire someone to bring it back so he could boil it. It was cheap and easy especially beneficial for his business.“ ’vea‘ood apetite”murmured under his breath and walked away back into the kitchen with a cloth in his hand. When he came back he was quite surprised that the boy was already sitting and staring at all the things around him with an empty plate.“How hungry were you?!”

  “Very” replied the boy then looked out through the window. It was still raining.

  “It is really raining doesn’t it?” mentioned the man and sat down near Arkain on the other side.

  “What do you mean‘really’?” asked Arkain because he wasn’t so sure about why would he talk to him after what happened the other night. Agaroth literally wrecked his building which might have taken an hour or two to be clean up. Maybe it is because he is gone now? Or maybe it is because the bartender doesn’t know that I am with him?

  “I mean that it is a weird weather out there! It was snowing a few days before and now most of it has melted and it is raining!”And so it did for the air out there was covered in water. Like a thick curtain of falling rivers that surpassed anything. It was also so loud that the people next to the window had to talk louder than the ones in the middle.“At these kind of times when I am grateful for the house I have built with my two hands”he continued“Oh by the way! How rude am I? My name is Hord”

  “And my name is Arkain” Hord smiled and walked away with big stomps so that he could serve out some of the other people. It looked like everyone else was a lot calmer today and it was nice to finally talk to someone. It did get boring after a time so Arkain stood up and walked back upstairs to have
a look out through the window. Only in this time of the day he noticed that there was another smaller building next to the farm. It had a similar design but it also had a small chimney and only one window per side. It mostly likely had one room and that had a bed and other things in it which a normal house needs. This was Hord’s house. I wondered where he sleeps. Even though he could have slept in one of the rooms above it was understandable that one needs privacy. It is good to know that Hord did build everything that can be seen. He was a carpenter which he explained to the boy when he came down again. He liked to think that he was always polite to the guests and most of the time kept their rooms tidy. It seemed harder than one would think because the men that stayed here were always dirty and carried stacks of mud on their boots which they were too lazy to wipe away before they entered. While the two of them were talking some of the travellers have left even though it was raining. They did not want to stay here for long and it didn’t look like rain is ever going to stop. Every hour a person would come down from upstairs and leave. The pub became quiet and only two people had remained. Arkain and Hord.“See, this is my problem. I do not get that many visitors because I am so far away from a city. My only luck is that I am in a right place for the poor people that want to leave the eastern regions”

  “Why? I mean why someone would leave?” asked the boy.

  “My Murikid! Which world did you live in so far? Because there are wars! Our high pope tried to protect us from people that want to ruin everything but if a mad person wants to do something there is only one way to stop him! Cut his head off of course!”laughed the man“Luckily I am far away from any of that nonsense. We are just lucky to have someone so pure hearted to guide us” The boy thought about this for a moment. Wars. People die in wars. People scream and people always lose. So why would someone have it?

  “Who is the high pope?” thought aloud the boy.

  “I am not even gonna ask anything from you. I can see that you have been living in a dream world so far. That man must have twisted your mind. High Pope is our lord and saviour! After the king has died he took over and made sure that no more foul kings will pillage our land ever again! He is truly magnificent if you get to hear how many things he have achieved. But enough about politics. Would you like to try some of my specially made barley tea? Don’t worry you won’t have to pay anything”They have spent the rest of the day drinking and talking. Sometimes a person would show up demanding a drink but would later leave which seemed a bit odd if you would have looked outside. The ground was soaking wet and became a mud lake. The only good thing about the water was that the air became fresh. All the dust and the unwanted bugs that tried to levitate could no longer practice. This is why all the windows were open downstairs so the bad air would go out and the good would come in. Although they weren’t open as much so that rain could fall in, sure a few drops here and there did fly in but that was to be expected and it didn’t bother anyone. Soon it became dark and the two of them believed that it was time for the both of them to go to sleep.“Well, this was a calm day” said Hordand took a candle upstairs into the room next to Arkain. Not the one that had been used by Agaroth before but the one next to it.“See? This is the good thing in having two houses”murmured the bartender and made his way in chuckling. The boy did the same only quietly and locked the door afterwards. He threw himself down onto the bed and have gone to sleep in an instant. There wasn’t anything to think about, time will tell eventually about who he is.

  It was raining and it was hard to see. It was pitch black and it was hard to hear. The wolf looked around and couldn’t do anything. It was stuck in one place. Then when he looked down there was so much water that it covered it up to its waist. No, it wasn’t water anymore. It was a lot darker and thicker than that. It was blood. Red, dark blood which was falling from the sky. Then, the wolf looked up and as it did a body appeared that was hanging down from somewhere. Its white eyes looked deep into the wolf’s.“Arkain” it whispered and stayed quiet for eternity.

  The boy lifted his upper body and because of that a piercing pain had intruded his body from the scar. He was breathing fast and his heartbeat was rapid.“It is all a dream” whispered it into the darkness. Then walked outside, afraid of going back. There were people already drinking and the bartender hurrying to and away from them. It was already morning but could not be seen because of the dark clouds that were outside. They did only two things, rained and blocked the bright light that would have otherwise signalled the oncoming of another day.“So what would a boy want with a man like that if I am allowed to ask?” wondered Hord once Arkain was downstairs for another serve of breakfast. That is a good question. What do I want? Or am I just expecting something?

  “I met with him not so long ago”twisted the truth the boy“we met before a blizzard from which we both escaped. After that we found out that we were going the same way so I stayed with him. Might have a bit more protection with someone like him”He didn’t really wanted to lie but he also didn’t wanted to tell the truth so he just kept eating the same dish that was given to him the day before. This time the cost was a lot lower, instead of being three silver coins it was two. According to Hord it is because he didn’t needed to clean up anything. He ripped off a piece of meat and put it in his mouth which tasted a bit better than the other one from his banquet but still arguable. Someone called out from the back of the room and the bartender was already gone. Arkain couldn’t do many things, mainly sleeping and talking. It was even boring for Hord even though he was the only one with things to do. It really did look like he was the owner of this place and the workforce in one person. Must be hard to be that. The boy really wondered where Agaroth could be and had the slightest impression that he will never see him again, who was often referred to as a ‘friend’ in front of the innkeeper. It was surprising how the how they started talking to each other. Sometimes he did became annoying. Sometimes he asked too many questions and sometimes many personal. But what can I expect? He is a bartender after all and that is his job. Is it?

  This and the third day was invariable with the same kind of talks, same people and the same weather. The only difference was the food although it was not enough to keep the day interesting. So, when the sun decided to leave this world for the third time he went back into his room expecting something different the next day. Hopefully something a bit more adventurous.

  Chapter 4: Near death and a long walk

  “Arkain! Wake up now”those were the first words he have heard on the fourth day’s morning. If we can call it a morning because it was a lot earlier. He sat up and looked at the person that was talking. It was Agaroth, he finally came back and was now pulling him out of bed.“Here grab this”he said and threw a holstered blade at him which was tied to a belt, then a few clothes. These in fact were from better material and were thicker. Thick brown clothes and a boot.“Why do I need these?” asked Arkain.

  “Don’t ask, just take them. We need to be quick, the sword should be in your hand at all times” whispered the traveller and walked up to the door to slightly open it. How did he get in here? I locked the doors!He took his newly given skin and tied his weapon around his waist. He held up the sword which had a short blade and a handle covered in leather. This increased the grip. Agaroth opened the window allowing the cold night to blow through it and enter the room. It wasn’t raining anymore but that did not mean that the weather was better. The newly given clothes were already in use to their full potential. The traveller climbed out and the boy followed him but not understanding why.“Why do we need to use the window instead of the door?”He didn’t receive an answer so he had to follow Agaroth. It was hard but the wood provided bits of holes in which Arkain could lay his hands in. The traveller was down in no time. Then the boy jumped at the last bit and landed on his feet. He stopped movement and leaned onto the wall to allow his eyes to adjust to the outside darkness, or at least tried because cause in two seconds Agaroth grabbed him and started running towards a road leading away fr
om the inn. There were trees swinging from side to side because of the wind while they ran up to a hill. The boy suddenly have stopped and looked back at Belt N’ Buckle then at Agaroth.“Boy, we need to”he started but couldn’t finish.

  “Why? What are we running away from? Why should I even trust you? You did not tell me how you know my name so tell me now!” exploded the boy.

  “I know your name because I am supposed to take you to the people that can help you. Now, can we just go because…” screams and cries have cut Agaroth’s sentence in half. The two of them looked back only to the building catch fire. Big red flames have danced around and left destruction. In the front a person has been dragged out by big figures that wore thorny armour. The person from the inn was taken out and then a figure with a longsword without hesitation had sliced his neck. Then all of them walked into the burning structure.

  Trees have past and they have still kept running and running under the midnight sun. Both of them were taking their legs as fast as each could, but it was dark and hard to determine where the road has lead for Arkain. Agaroth seemed to know where he is supposed to go and thus the boy followed him. They did not exchange words at all other than sometimes a blink to see if they are still with each other. One false move or a step to the wrong direction and they could have been already lost. Soon the house and the fire disappeared behind them and it was only tall trees that could be seen. Pine, Oak, you name it, it was there in great quantities. Sometimes there were trees even in the middle of the road because no one had taken care of it. A road in the middle of the forest, far away from anything does not worth much and thus no-one is bothered to repair it here and there. The good thing in stone roads is that they block tree saplings from growing and can stand for a thousand year. Many steps have occurred until silence had finally broke.“Who were they?!” asked Arkain.