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Pulges Rock: a stranger in the darkness
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They were finally at their destination and just in time; the sun was starting to set. Pulges Rock was just that, a heap of giant rocks. No one knew why or how they got there. The randomly placed rocks were spread out over a relatively small area. However, they did prove to be a good place to take cover, and that's precisely what Ean was wanting.
They found a good spot and set up camp. Before they knew it they were all sitting around the fire enjoying a tasty morsel.
Ean wiped off his mouth as he chewed his last bite. "So, to business. Did any of the scrolls from that library survive this past day's events?"
Orckle pulled one out from his robe. "Only one. But it perplexes me. It's not even part of what we were looking at."
"What do you mean?"
"It's not one of Cardin's writings. In fact, I couldn't even tell you what tongue it is written in."
Cecealye put down her food. "Could it by chance be one of the ancient tongues?"
"No, I am well versed in all the ancient tongues. This is something different, much different."
Cecealye leaned toward him. "May I see it?"
"Absolutely." He passed it over to her. Her eyes were intently examining it. Frustration began to fill her face, she tossed it to the ground.
"You're right, Orckle. I don't recognize any of this." She rose in aggravation and stormed off behind some rocks.
Ean started after her. "Cecealye, Cecealye ..." He took in a deep breath. "I'll be back in just a minute," he said, before he disappeared after her.
Blaizen leaned forward and took another bite of food. "So, is she always like that?"
Supreany's eyes drifted over to meet his. "CC has been through much more than you know. El'Laissa was destroyed before her very eyes, and there was nothing she could do about it."
"El'Laissa, I thought she said-"
"El'Laissa is the capital city of Ellizea," Orckle butted in. "The enemy was like that of a fell wind that blew through. No one knows from whence it came or where it is that it shall go next. And who among us men can fight the wind ... They will hunt her, and they will not desist until her life has been spilled from her."
A deafening silence fell over the three of them. What could be said after a statement like that? Orckle began to stand.
"Well, I believe I'm going to call it a night." He went and laid down not too far away. Supreany leaned over, picked up the old tattered scroll Cecealye had thrown down, and glanced over to see Blaizen rising to his feet.
"Now, where are you going?"
"Don't worry. I'll be right back."
Her attention was then drawn back to the scroll in her hand.
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Meanwhile, Cecealye crossed her arms and leaned up against a large stone, looking up at the sky.
Ean came up alongside her, his voice low and gentle. "You really shouldn't be running off on your own."
"I'll be fine; you're always here to chase after me."
He leaned up against the stone rubbing shoulders with her. Something in his head said that now was the time to listen not offer answers. So, he stood there and said nothing.
She huffed. "I am so mad at myself right now. We went through all that trouble to get that stupid scroll, stealing ... stealing! No wonder it didn't work!"
He stood there for a moment longer, thinking, searching of how to answer. He lowered his head. "You're right. This is my fault. I didn't stop to think of whether or not that is what the Nameless One was wanting us to do or not. But the best thing we can do now is to ask for forgiveness."
A slight smile came onto her face. "Dust ourselves off and try again."
He smiled back at her. "That's the great thing about our Theos; he'll always take us back."
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Only a moment had gone by before Blaizen returned. Supreany sat there as still as a stone, staring at the stolen artifact. She was completely unaware of his presence. He couldn't stand it; he wanted to get a look at it for himself. So he walked over behind her and stood there for a moment, examining it from over her shoulder.
"Nope. Doesn't look familiar to me."
She nearly jumped out of her skin. "Holy criminy! You nearly scared me half to death," she said as she turned and slapped him on the leg.
He gave out a laugh and took a seat next to her. "So, Supreany, you got some lucky little man missing you somewhere?"
"Me, have a man ..." she chuckled. "Not what so ever ... why?"
"No reason. I was just asking a question."
"Uh-huh." She caught the sight of Ean approaching the fire. "Is she all right?"
"Yes, she'll be fine. Did Orckle decide to go to bed?"
"Yes."
"Right, well, the way I see it, there's a town not too far from here at the base of the mountains. We'll head there at dawn. All right, I think I'll retire as well. Make sure to get plenty of rest."
"Yes, sir." She looked over at Blaizen. "So, shall we get some shut-eye?"
"Oh, I suppose."
Supreany slipped the scroll into her vest and they each went to their designated spot and went to sleep. They would all sleep with the relative idea that they were safe that night. But off in the distance, there was a dark figure watching them. It would do nothing this night. It would wait patiently, for the right moment to reveal itself. It was good at that.
The dawn came quicker than it felt like it should. Their day's journey hours in the starting, Blaizen looked ahead toward their destination. 'Oh, boy. It looks like I'm going to be doing a whole lot of walking while I'm on this planet. I suppose I'll stay in shape.' He looked up into the sky. 'Well, at least it's not unbearably hot.' And it wouldn't get hot. The cool air rolled off the mountains and down onto the foothills; it would stay nice that day.
Ean came to a halt as the town came into sight. "All right, everybody. I know we're all tired from this day's trek, but we must stay sharp. Remember we're trying to figure out which kingdom is responsible for ..." He glanced over at Cecealye. "For Ellizea."
"Hey, Ean. To what kingdom does this town belong to?" Supreany questioned.
"Haharim, the mountain realm."