Fan Fiction ❯ The Keeper of the Orbs ❯ The Singer's Companion ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter Six

The Singer's Companion

 

Deep blue eyes bore into her very soul as she stared at the young man before her. Sathin smiled slightly. A tall young man crossed the threshold and moved into the flickering candle light. His long brown hair hung down to his shoulders and a tattoo of a black crescent moon covered his neck. Sala gawked at the stranger.

 

"Traevakin." he said in a smooth voice.

 

Sala felt herself become soothed by the very sound alone. "Sala." she said softly. "My name is Sala." she said more firmly.

 

The young man nodded. "Your human name is Sala." he said. "Cute."

 

"Sala, this is Kale." Sathin interjected, puffing on his pipe.

 

Kale smirked at the young wolf woman. Sala growled lowly at him. He closed the distance between them and bent at the waist so his face was only inches from hers. Sala stared back at him. Kale grabbed her face and jerked it to his. His lips met hers and he kissed her passionately. Sala willed her nails to extend and she shoved them into Kale's shoulder blades.

 

Sathin chuckled when the young Draegan male pulled away sharply.

 

"Bitch!" he shouted.

 

"It's a tough job, but someone has to do it." Sala said, licking the blood from her fingers as it ran in tiny, crimson rivulets.

 

Sathin sat back farther in his chair, puffing his pipe and sipping wine. "Play nice, children." he said.

 

Sala glared at Kale. "There's no way in the seven hells of Rakiv that you're coming with me." she growled.

 

Kale smirked once more. "Oh yes there is." he said.

 

From under his tunic, he pulled four tiny, glass orbs. Sala stared blankly at them. What were they suppose to mean to her? Sathin chuckled once more. Sala knew that her grandfather was enjoying this completely.

 

"You need me to keep the Orbs safe." Kale said in his charmingly smooth voice. "You lure them in and force them back in and I keep them safe until you can bind them together once more. Savvy?"

 

Sala growled again. "Fine!" she said.

 

Kale smiled. "I knew you'd see it my way." he said. "We leave at dawn."

 

He turned on his heels and was gone. Sala bristled as she stared at the empty doorway where he had just stood. Sathin snapped his fingers and produced another mug of wine for his granddaughter. Sala took the floating mug into her hand and rose to her feet.

 

"I'll be back tonight." Sala said moving towards the open door.

 

Sathin nodded, choosing to say nothing to her.

 

Sala stepped out into the putrid smelling village. Bile rose back into her throat as she walked through the corpse-covered village. This was what she was working to save. All of these dying people.

No, she thought angrily. I'm working towards revenge.

 

Sala held the mug firmly in her hand and walked out to a large hill with a large rowan growing at the top. The smell of rotting flesh and wasting human life was nonexistent here. That was very good to her. Sala sat on a large, scaly root that had long since moved up out of the ground to form a sort of tangled mass

 

"Escaping the inevitable is pointless." a smooth voice said from above.

 

The young woman looked up into the boughs of the ancient rowan. Kale waved at her and leapt down beside her. He stood with his arms crossed over his muscular chest, staring at the setting sun. Sala took a long pull from her mug. She didn't need his shit right now.

 

"Go away." she grumbled.

 

Kale shook his head. "No." he said flatly. "If you get drunk and fall on the way home then we'll have to delay. I'm staying."

 

Sala growled and took another drink. She closed her eyes and lay her head back on the scaly trunk of the tree. Let him stay wanted. Just because he was right there didn't mean that she had to talk to him about anything.

 

They sat in silence for a while more. Kale continued his vigil even though it really wasn't needed. He watched the stars wink into the darkening sky as night fell. When he heard Sala's mug fall to the ground with a dull thud, he turned to look at her. Tears ran down her face as she stared out into the coming darkness.

 

"What's wrong?" he asked.

 

Sala shot to her feet. "Nothing." she said angrily.

 

She tried to disentangle herself from the roots but fell over. Kale caught her and pulled her close to him. Sala could smell him. Smoke, wine, dirt, and a tiny hint of sweat. The scent wasn't unpleasant. Kale took her into his arms and walked back to the village.

 

When he was in the hut where Sathin lived, he set Sala on a small pallet that the old man had prepared for her. He set her down and knelt down beside her. Sala closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. His scent consumed her senses. She looked up at him and held out her arms to him.

 

Kale moved into her embrace. Sala held him tightly to her and wept into his tunic. He wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed it softly. Sala started kissing his neck. Kale shivered under the touch of her lips. He pulled away from her slowly.

 

"Sleep." he said in his smooth voice.

 

"Stay." Sala whispered. "Please."

 

Kale hesitated before laying down beside her. When he was next to her, the young wolf woman lay her head on his chest. Kale put his are under her neck and stroked her midnight blue hair with the other. As he lay there, Kale felt his heart ache. Sala closed her eyes and fell to sleep.

 

In the darkness, Sathin lay on his bed chuckling at the young man. "Peace, Kale." he said softly to him. "Peace."

 

"I shouldn't be here." Kale whispered to the shadowy outline of him.

"Yes, you are." Sathin said. "It is your destiny and her own. Peace for this night. After tonight you'll see all the trials that Daxiv had when he traveled with a Traevakin."

 

Kale sighed heavily. He held his breath when Sala snuggled into his chest, resuming her liquor induced sleep. What had she lost to make her seek life in a Draegan male she hardly knew anything about? He closed his eyes to be taken to his twisted dream world. “It is your destiny and her own. Peace for this night. After tonight you'll see all the trials that Daxiv had when he traveled with a Traevakin." Sathin's words repeated as he fell to sleep.