Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Priestess of the Moon: Return of the Lunar Dragon ❯ The Journey Begins ( Chapter 6 )

Kiya woke up in the morning to find a cloak covering her and Reiku gone. She sat up and saw him in the river, in his wolf form. He was up to his knees in the water and he was staring down, not moving a muscle. As Kiya watched, he plunged his head into the water and pulled out a wiggling fish. He threw it onto the bank, where three other fish laid.

 

Kiya laughed as Reiku splashed out of the river and changed back. “Having fun?” she asked.

 

“A blast,” Reiku said, grinning at her. He picked up the fish and walked over to the small camp fire he got going. “I got breakfast.”

 

Kiya walked over to him and hugged him. She was glad that he was here, and that he was safe. She knew that if they hadn't escaped last night, Reiku would be being tortured and killed about this time. But he wasn't and Kiya couldn't help but feel grateful. He was alive and she was planning on keeping him that way.

 

Kiya helped him clean out the fish and set them up on spits over the fire. As they cooked, Kiya gathered some water in the water skins they had. Once the fish were done, the two of them sat down to eat.

 

“What do we do now?” Reiku asked.

 

“We go to Mahorwa,” Kiya told him, “and from there, we are to meet Mitt in Anthrowood. And we have to defeat a great evil, and destroy my father.”

 

Reiku choked on the bit of fish. “W-what?” he managed to get out while coughing.

 

Kiya sighed and told him everything the Futuresighter had told her. Once she was finished, Reiku frowned in thought and said, “We have to find three other people to follow this prophecy?”

 

“Yes,” Kiya said, “but I don't know where to find them.”

 

“We'll probably end up running into them sooner or later during our travels,” Reiku said, “but I have a feeling that our travels are going to be a lot harder than I thought.”

 

Kiya nodded in agreement and sighed. “We'll head out towards Anthrowood. At least we'll be safe there for a while. It's a sanctuary.”

 

Reiku nodded. “And from there, we'll decide what to do next.”

 

Kiya nodded and then they finished their meal in silence. When they were done, Reiku went to change out of the clothes he had been wearing in the dungeon and Kiya cleaned up. She kicked dirt over the fire pit and covered it with leaves so it looked like no one had been there. Once they were all packed and Reiku was ready, they started heading down river.

 

They traveled for two days and finally, they got to Mahorwa. The village was small compared to the other ones Kiya had been at. When they got into the village, Reiku had his hair cut short, so identifying him would be harder. It was now a little bit above his shoulders. Kiya thought he looked better without all that hair. She told him that as they walked out of the barber's and Reiku ran a hand through his hair. “It's not as heavy as before,” he said with a grin, “and it won't make a bloody mess.”

 

They rented a room at an inn and Kiya went with Reiku to buy horses. The horse sale they went to was bustling with people. Horses whinnied and sellers yelled prices and the value of the horses they were selling. Kiya got a brown mare that didn't cost much. She didn't want to spend too much on a horse. After buying a used bridle and saddle, she met Reiku who gotten a gray gelding. Smiling at Reiku, the two of them rode back to the inn.

~*~

 

Keilila walked through the village of Mahorwa. People looked at her in wonder. They all saw her as one of the legendary Lupians, wolf like demons that were born warriors. Of course, they were unaware that Keilila was only half demon. Her father had been a Lupian, her mother a human. Keilila ignored the people, walking swiftly. She wore the white clothing of a Warrior-Mage; a shirt that had wide sleeves, with a leather tunic that gave her some armor, and leggings. She had on knee high, white leather boots and a black belt where a sword with a blade that widened the father away it got from the hilt hung from and a white cloak that had blue embroidery along the edges.

 

She stopped at an inn and decided to get something to eat. Walking in, Keilila saw that there weren't a lot of people at this inn, but it didn't bother her. It meant that there would be less people to gawk at her. She took a seat and had a waitress get her a drink. As she waited, she took a look around. That's when she noticed the couple sitting at a nearby table. Scent told her that it was a werewolf and an elf, which was odd, because the two were sworn enemies. Keilila remembered the prophecy saying she would be accompanied by a werewolf and an elf. Could those two be them? Keilila frowned in thought. The prophecy was confusing, but it was all the Wise One had given her. She scratched her ear and sighed. In time, it'll all come together. She couldn't help but chuckle to herself. She was starting to sound like a Wise One.

 

The waitress came back with Keilila's drink and Keilila paid her two gold coins. As she sipped the wine she had been given, she watched the couple. Yes, they were the ones, she could feel it. Now the question was how was she to join them? Keilila shook her head, her ears twitching. When the time came, she would befriend them.

 

~*~

 

Mitt left the city as soon as the Futuresighter let her go. The old woman had been in hiding ever since Kiya and Reiku escaped. Mitt had acted like she knew nothing and the guards stayed off her back. Finally, the Futuresighter let Mitt go and head off to Anthrowood. The woman had Mitt prepare for the upcoming war. She also helped the Futuresighter find a way to get out of the city safely. When Mitt woke this morning, the Futuresighter was gone. So now Mitt was riding out of the city on Cream, her Shetland and down the road towards Anthrowood.

 

“Dratted girl. She's the reason for this bloody mess. If I didn't care for her so much…”

 

Mitt smiled and shook her head. She looked down at the dwarf who walked alongside Cream. He was short, Mitt being just a half foot taller that him, with gray hair and beard. He wore leather armor, a metal helmet and he carried a double-headed axe. Mitt had known Cliff Stonehedge ever since she was little and he was like a grandfather to her. “Don't blame Kiya,” Mitt said, “she did what she did for a reason.”

 

Cliff sighed and said gruffly, “I know, I know. But still… to love a werewolf is like a sin to the eyes of an elf.”

 

“You have a problem with Reiku?” Mitt exclaimed.

 

“Now I never said that,” Cliff said, “from the way you talk about him, he seems like a good lad. And I never had a problem with werewolves. Knew quite a few in my day.”

 

Mitt sighed and shook her head. “I still can't believe that Aubrey started this war. That he is evil, although we don't know how, yet.”

 

“Aye,” Cliff growled, “and it's going to come back and hit him in the face.”

 

Mitt laughed and asked, “You never liked Aubrey, did you Cliff?”

 

“Never had and never will,” Cliff said, “I love Kiya and I loved her mother, Bless her soul, but I never liked the man. There was something about him, I knew, that wasn't right. And I was right. He attacked an innocent village because he didn't like the species living there. Then when they want a little pay back, he sends them over the Spine. That elf is no good, I tell you.”

 

“If people heard you talking like that back in the city, they'd arrest you for sure,” Mitt said.

 

“Aye, and that's why I learned to keep my mouth shut.”

 

Mitt laughed and even Cliff chuckled. They continued down the road that led to Anthrowood.

 

“Do you really think that Kiya is the Priestess of the Moon?” Mitt asked Cliff. That was one thing that the Futuresighter had told Mitt. That Kiya was the Priestess reborn in a new form and that she was the one who was going to bring light back to the world.

 

“I don't know,” Cliff said, “I guess we will find out when we meet them in Anthrowood.”

 

Mitt nodded and said, “I hope they make it there safely,”

 

“Let's pray they do,” Cliff said softly.

 

“Yes,” Mitt said softly, “I have been praying since the night they left and I'll keep doing so until I see them again.”

 

~*~

 

Kiya and Reiku left Mahorwa and set off south, towards Caramor. From there, they would go to Wakka Village, then to Anthrowood. There, they would meet Mitt and be protected until they thought of what to do next.

 

Kiya nudged her mare into a trot as they went down the road. They had picked up supplies in town before they left that were now in packs tied behind the saddles. Reiku pulled his gelding up alongside Kiya's. “You don't think we'll run into any guards along the way, do you?”

 

Kiya shook her head. “I hope not,” she said, “but if we do come across any, I'm sure we'll get by. After all, our appearances changed enough so we're not recognized.”

 

Reiku nodded, and then he started sniffing the air. He halted his gelding, sniffing the air and a frown crossed his face.

 

“What is it?” Kiya asked, halting her own horse.

 

“Something,” Reiku said slowly, “doesn't smell right. I think…”

 

Three figures threw themselves out of the bushes in front of them. Kiya gasped and tried to back her mare away, but four more came out behind them. They were surrounded. Kiya got a closer look at the creatures and recognized them as trolls.

 

A little over five feet tall, they had large hairy ears, beaks of a nose, squinty eyes and a mouth full of half rotted teeth. Their clothing was like dirty rags and they stunk to high heaven.

 

“Give us horse,” one growled, “and no one get hurt.” They all pulled out cruel looking daggers and clubs and walked slowly towards them.

 

“Do it Kiya,” Reiku said. Kiya scrambled off her horse and quickly took off her pack before the troll pulled the horse away. She heard Reiku curse as the troll who took his horse barely waited until he took off his pack and he had to keep up with the horse that was being led off at a run. Kiya put her pack on her back and stood close to Reiku.

 

“Alright, you got our horses,” Kiya said, “now let us go.”

 

The troll shook his head and grinned evilly. “You elf,” it said, “girl elf. We like. You come with us.” The remaining trolls grabbed at her.

 

“No!” Kiya screamed, amazed at their strength. Reiku tried to fight the troll, but one hit him across the head with a club. “Reiku!” Kiya cried as she saw him fall to the ground, blood trickling from a cut on his head. Before she knew it, her hands were bound in front of her with dirty rope with a few feet extra to serve as a leash.

 

“We not have elf girl in long time,” the troll said, “Village be happy.” They started to drag her away, deep into the woods. Kiya then realized that she lost her pack back where they had been surrounded. She tried to pull away, but they were too strong.

 

“Are you going to eat me?” she asked faintly.

 

The troll laughed and said, “No, no. We not eat you. You be entertainment. For men. They be happy. You pretty girl. They will pay much for you.”

 

Kiya knew what he was talking about and she began to scream. She tried to struggle but it was a lost cause. She had heard of the stories of how some hidden villages would capture girls off the roads and rent them out to men for enjoyment. She just never thought she would be one of those girls. Finally, Kiya gave up struggling and cried the rest of the way. And she prayed that Reiku would come after her soon.