Fan Fiction ❯ Possession ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2

Bright sunlight streamed in the window through the thin blue curtains and fell on Kylise's serene face. Her nose wrinkled and her eyes squinted at the blazing brilliance until she realized what that sunlight meant.

Sitting up quickly, she mentally cursed herself. It was already well into the morning.

"Luic! Get up!" She threw the sheets off and jumped out of bed, nearly stomping on the halfing in her haste.

"What?! What's wrong?!" Luic sat up on his pallet on the floor and looked around frantically.

"We overslept! Now it's going to take us at least two days to make it to Geridan!"

Luic groaned and fell back on his bed. "Is that all? Calm down, Kylise, we'll get there whether it be in two days or in four."

"I want to get this foolishness over with so I can start on real quests. Come now, get your lazy hind up and go outside so I can get dressed!"

Sighing, Luic got to his feet and walked out into the hallway so Kylise could have some privacy. He closed the door and leaned against it until he heard her shout, "Okay, I'm dressed!"

No sooner did he open the door did she rush out.

"I'm going down to get breakfast for both of us. Bring the packs so we can be ready to leave as soon as we eat." She directed and practically ran down the stairs.

Luic watched her go, then began gathering up his clothes.

Downstairs, Kylise looked around. The common room was nearly empty compared to the night before. Only the innkeeper and a handful of adventurers sat at the tables or at the bar. It was oddly quiet.

Sitting down at the bar, Kylise ordered some toast, eggs, and cheese for breakfast and waited for Luic to come down.

As she looked around, she saw no sign of the rough stranger from the night before. She found herself wondering who he was and why he had taken such an interest in her. The Spirits only know…and I hope I never find out.

Luic joined her a few minutes later, bundles on his back and hat on his head. They ate in relative silence. Kylise couldn't keep her feet from tapping anxiously against the stool leg, making a thump, thump, thump that seemed loud as thunder in the still room.

Once finished with their breakfast, Kylise paid the tab and started outside, Luic in tail.

"Now," Kylise said as they walked, "we've got to get the animals ready quickly. You hitch the wagon while I-" She stopped short when the front door swung open and revealed what was in the street.

Their rickety wagon was already hitched to the donkey and waiting patiently by the road. Kylise's mare was saddled and tied to the back of the wagon, half asleep. But another horse, a large slate gray stallion with a black mane and tail, stood not far away.

"What in the five heavens is going on?!" Kylise exclaimed.

A figure on the other side of the wagon jerked up at the sound of her voice. Kylise gasped when she saw the rugged, ill shaven face of the stranger looking at her calmly.

"I was wondering when you two would be up," He said. "We won't make it to Geridan before nightfall now."

"'We'?" Luic repeated. "You think you're coming with us?"

The stranger nodded matter-of-factly. "Of course." He motioned toward Kylise, "She doesn't have the slightest idea of what she's doing, and you follow her blindly. You're both going to get hurt. I'm not on an assignment at the moment, so I've decided to accompany you."

Kylise stared at him, her mouth hanging open in surprise. "Well…I…of all the nerve! That's the most ridiculous, pompous, absurd thing I've ever heard! You're not accompanying us! I wouldn't take you as far as Fildie Wood, not even if my life depended on it!"

The stranger just watched her as she rambled angrily. "You don't have much choice, m'lady. See, I'm free to go where I will, and no one can stop me. And I intend on joining your company, at least for a while. I doubt if I'll go farther than Trillien, if it makes you feel better."

"No, it doesn't make me feel better! I don't want you following us to the edge of the city, let alone across the country!"

Sighing, the stranger flung a sack onto his horse's saddle. "Argue as much as you want, but it's not going to do you any good." He strode over to her and looked down at her. "My name's Dradin Darese."

Kylise just glared at him and remained silent.

"I suggest learning some manners, considering we're going to be traveling together for at least two days. More if we stand here and argue much longer." Dradin said.

Rolling her eyes, Kylise replied, "Kylise Laville. My companion is Luic Emer."

"Pleasure to meet you." Dradin replied with a dry smile.

Luic only snorted and pushed past him to get to the wagon.

"Well, this is going to be interesting." Dradin muttered to himself as he turned to mount his horse.

Kylise got up on her own horse and waited for Luic to get settled in the wagon before they started off. She kept her distance from Dradin at first, wary of his true intentions. Perhaps Luic knew what he was talking about when he said you can't trust these adventurers. I can't believe I'm letting him come with us.

Luic glanced back and made eye contact with her. She understood what he wanted and rode up beside the wagon, leaving Dradin to ride behind it.

"What is it?" She asked quietly.

"What are you going to do about this scoundrel?" Luic replied. "I don't trust him and I don't want him within twenty feet of me personal baggage. He's a thief and a liar, that's all he is."

"I agree, mostly. I wouldn't turn my back on him for more than a second. But I'm willing to let him follow us to a degree…his fighting skills may prove useful."

"He's half-blind, Kylise. Don't you see the scars around his gray eye? That's a sure sign that he was in a fight and lost his sight. What use would a blind man be in a fight?"

Kylise realized Luic was right…how could a person fight properly if he couldn't see?

A sudden voice close behind startled them. "I may be blind in one eye, but I'm not deaf or stupid. Sight is only one of the capabilities needed to be a good fighter…it's amazing how the other senses make up for a lost one."

Kylise jerked around in her saddle to look at Dradin in surprise. He was now riding almost directly behind her, his horse hardly making a sound.

"How did you do that?" She snapped.

"Do what?"

"Sneak up on us like that! It's impossible to sneak up on someone if you're on horseback!"

Dradin smirked slightly. "Briar is build for stealth. He's an is'ona cafile, a hunting horse. They're very rare."

Ignoring the last comment, Kylise eyed the horse with uncertainty. "You named your horse Briar?"

"Yes. What's wrong with that? I suppose your horse has a better name?"

"Her name is Aurora." Kylise stated simply.

Dradin rolled his eyes and sat back in his saddle without a word.

They rode on silently for a few miles out of Searidon and down the large dirt road toward their destination.

The sun was bright, hot, and high in the clear sky before they stopped for a quick lunch.

Kylise and Luic talked while they ate, purposely leaving Dradin out of their conversation. He didn't seem to care. He finished his meal and cleaned his long sword, ignoring the other two completely.

Their journey continued well into the evening, and the company was tense and cold the entire time. Luic wanted nothing to do with Dradin whatsoever; Dradin acknowledged that fact and kept his distance, more from indifference than anything else; and Kylise, while curious about Dradin in general, considered him a nuisance.

It was dark by the time they stopped to make camp; the nearest town was Geridan, still a good distance away over a small mountain range.

Kylise and Dradin hobbled the horses and let the donkey gaze while Luic built a small fire. Dradin unfurled his bedroll and sat down on it. To Kylise's surprise he pulled a small, worn leather-bound book out of a hidden pocket in his black jerkin.

She watched him lay back on his elbow and read for a while before she sighed out of boredom. Luic was busy making dinner over the fire, so Kylise fetched her staff from Aurora's saddle.

She stood just barely within the fire's ring of dim light, going through the simple fighting forms that she'd learned. She spun the staff in one hand and high kicked with the opposite leg, then flung the staff around as if striking at an invisible opponent. She pretended to block a few times, jump kicked, and brought the end of the staff up in a slashing motion. She spun on the ball of her foot and tried to kick, but ended up tripping over her own staff and falling to the ground.

Luic called her to see if she was hurt, but Dradin just laughed heartily. Waving Luic back to his work, she climbed to her feet and scowled at Dradin.

"Stop laughing at me. I never claimed to be a great fighter."

"I can see that," Dradin replied, standing up. "You've got no balance and your technique is shaky. Let me show you." He unsheathed his long sword and joined her.

"Wait. You're not going to spar with me with a real sword, are you?" Kylise asked nervously.

"Of course I am."

"What if you slip and kill me?"

He smiled crookedly. "I won't. Trust me." He didn't give her time to argue; he lunged for her, sword held out before him.

Jumping back, Kylise managed to bat the blade away with her staff. Dradin continued to push her back step by step with perfectly placed thrusts and slashes.

Kylise finally found her footing and began taking the offensive. She swung for Dradin's head, tried leg sweeping him, thrust for his stomach, and used every other attack she knew how to use, but he evaded or blocked with frustrating ease.

She barely stopped his sword from taking a swipe at her neck and pushed his blade back with a strong shove from her rod. He faltered and Kylise took advantage of it. She jump kicked his chest and brought her staff down on his shoulder making him drop his sword. Dradin seemed surprised at first, but when Kylise thrust the end of her staff at him, he grinned. Grabbing the pole, he pulled it until Kylise was within reach and grabbed her arm. He spun her around, twisted her arm behind her back, and kicked her legs out from under her, making her fall with a cry.

Dradin pressed her elbow into the small of her back and whispered in her ear, "That was pathetic."

"I…managed to hold you off for a while, didn't I?" Kylise grunted.

Dradin laughed. "I was toying with you. I didn't want you to feel too insecure, after all."

Kylise struggled, but he didn't let her go. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable. It wasn't the pressure he was exerting on her arm or back, it was the tickle of his breath on her cheek and the sudden closeness of this complete stranger.

"Are you two going to play around all night or do you want to eat?" Luic asked from the fireside.

Dradin let Kylise go very quickly, as if he just realized what he was doing. Turning his back on her, he sat on his bedroll and began to eat the dried meat and bread provisions Luic had packed.

Kylise got to her feet and dusted the dirt and grass off her dark green tunic. She joined the men in eating, not sparing a glance at Dradin.

"What are you doing here, Kylise?" Dradin asked after a few moments of silence.

She frowned at him. "What?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "You're not a fighter, you're intensely naïve, you're awfully young to be out on your own, and you're…well, you're a girl. Why are you running around the country with only a halfling spellcaster to accompany you?"

Luic curled his lip at that remark and snapped, "What's it any of your business, eh? We've no reason to trust you, so why should we be revealing anything?"

"Easy, pint-size. No need to get angry," Dradin answered, drawing a roughly rolled cigar from his pocket and lighting it in the fire. "I was just curious, that's all."

Luic made a sound of annoyance in his throat, but said no more.

"If you must know," Kylise said in response to Dradin's question, "I was looking for an adventure. Something challenging and exciting. I was raised on a farm outside of Yilcizat, a way west from here. The farthest I'd been from home was the market. It was the most monotonous lifestyle that could ever be lived. I heard stories from the elders during festivals and I read the ancient tales and legends; they made me crave thrills and danger. So when my father gave the farm to my older brother, I left. As for being young…I'm eighteen, which is plenty old enough for a young woman to be on her own."

Dradin took a drag of his cigar and slowly blew out the smoke. "Eighteen? You're older than I was when I left home. But still, what makes you think a girl is capable of surviving out here? The world is a dangerous place."

Kylise's set her jaw in determination. "You don't think I know that? I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself! A girl or a man, what difference does it make?"

"Alright, fine. Forget I spoke at all." Dradin said, holding up his hands.

Kylise curled her legs under her and crossed her arms across her chest. "What about you?"

He gave her a sidelong look. "What about me?"

"Yes. I told you my story, so now I expect you to do the same."

Rolling his good eye, Dradin turned away from her. "I never said I'd tell you anything."

"Oh no, you're not going to shrink away and become a mysterious shadow man. Tell me why you are an adventurer."

"No." Was his simple, firm reply. With that, he tossed his cigar into the fire, lay down, and rolled over so his back was to the others. "Goodnight."

Luic and Kylise's eyes met and the halfling just shook his head.

He barely stifled a yawn and said, "I think it's time to be getting some sleep too. Pleasant dreams, Kylise."

Nodding, Kylise slid onto her bedroll. "To you too, Luic."