The Campfire Stories - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Warm Winter Nights

The darkness that night loomed over everyone.  Dorentone continued to burn, and when we eventually traveled out of sight of the flames, it felt like a part of me died.  The smoke had traveled far.  The wind picked up and began pushing it to the north.  It caused the night to be unusually daunting.  The campfire we set up was small, because we had little to burn out on the grasslands.  At least when we were in the mountains we had dead bushes and branches to burn.  Out to the north of Dorentone, the land just gets more and more barren.  We weren't concerned with giving away our location, the smoke from Dorentone covered our's quite nicely.

The air was dry.  The wind, although it was blowing at a pleasant speed, was warm instead of cold.  It was suppose to be winter.  Even though winter had essentially just began, the effects were supposed to be felt first through the wind.  The air felt completely different from the air in the storm we experienced on the southwestern coastline.  I could feel so much tension in the air, it was almost palpable.  We were all very confused about who that man was.  We all questioned whether or not we were safe out on the grasslands.  We all thought about the future of our lives in Urevagen.

My mind was a glass box of emotion.  Remembering Quelik just made me wonder if he was alive.  We were way to far from any possible place he would have turned up if he was fine.  Quelik seemed like a self-sufficient man anyway.  Although his demeanor was harsh, I was sure that in time, he would become a strong friend of mine.  That is, if he lived.

As everyone sat around the fire that night, I continually glanced at Arden who was lying down across from where I sat, looking up into the smoky sky.  Her brown hair still shined in the dim firelight, the side of her face was lit up.  Her skin was a warm color in the light, and looked so soft to touch.  She wasn't smiling, but I was.  Every few seconds I looked up at her, then to the ground in front of me.  I didn't want her to see me looking at her.  At one time I wondered what she was thinking about, but then I started looking at her beautiful eyes, forgetting anything I had thought up.

Fallon and Kent were sharpening their weapons to the left of me, probably due to sheer boredom.  Kent's hands were rapped in white bandages, to the point where only the skin on his wrists were visible.  When Kent uses his magic, it sometimes can cause his skin to degenerate on his hands.  He said it used to hurt when he first began using his power, but over time, he just got used to the pain.  Fallon was chewing on some dried meat, lost in a deep trance as he drew his whetstone down the edge of his blade.  The blade sparkled in the low light.  I thought about what he could think about, but I lost interest in all the possibilities.

Orgath was sitting a little farther away from the fire on my right, turned slightly to the south.  His face was covered a little by his short hair which draped over his face, casting shadows over his eyes, making it hard to seeing what he was looking at.  He was eating meat slowly, clearly lost in thought.  He had his knees up, and he sat with his arms wrapped around his knees, creating his own personal space.  It worked; I couldn't see most of his face.  It seemed like although he didn't want to completely separate himself from the group, he wanted time to himself.  I understood.  He must have been going through quite a difficult time.  I wondered if he would be a different person after that day.  Before, he was a decisive, quick-witted, brash man, but I worried if he would lose all sense of rationality after what happened.

That night, where we were on the edge between the Resa sands and the northern Dorentone grasslands, we met Leah.  She wandered towards us from the Resa sands.  We didn't even see here.  She surprised us.  We heard her in the distance, calling at us.
"Hey...!"  I rose my head, and looked out over the span of the area towards the sands where the sound came from.  There was a woman waving at us wildly, calling out to us.
"Heeey!"  She was getting closer, and her walking pace changed to a brisk jog.  Fallon stood up with his sword in hand, Kent stood as well.

"It's a woman."  Fallon said.

"Maybe she's a survivor from Dorentone?" Kent pointed out.  Orgath lifted his head and looked.

"You never know, she could be with that other man," Orgath spoke with a low tone, "keep your guard up."

I nodded "I agree with Orgath.  We can't be to sure."

The woman finally reached us.  She was bent over, panting from running the distance.  Her hair looked black, but everything looked blackish in the dark that night.  She had paler skin than any of us, but she didn't look unhealthy.  She was wearing a two piece dress.  Her chest and shoulders were covered by a blue, wavy cloth, just like the color of the sky on a clear day.  The rest of her dress picked up at her waist, and flowed down her legs like a shroud.  She was barefoot, which I thought was strange.  Her facial features were unique.  Her mouth was large, and her lips were small.  Her eyes where the perfect distance apart, and were green.  Her nose was medium sized, but odd for a woman.  She finally composed herself and then looked at us smiling big.

"Hey!  I'm...uh...Leah.  Do you mind if I spend the night with you guys?"  She seemed rather informal about the whole meeting.  Her voice was soothing, and it made me feel at ease even though she was a complete stranger.  I looked at Arden, who was smiling at Leah, then to Orgath, who still had his arms crossed and brow furrowed.

"Sure!  I'm Kent!" Kent's eyes were locked on her.  He was definitely transfixed on her, and he didn't seem like he wanted to hide it.

"I...don't see why not..." Fallon said, "I'm Fallon."

"Hey, Leah.  I'm Arden." Arden continued to smile at Leah, and Leah smiled back at her.

"I just know we are going to be good friends,"  Arden continued.

Orgath still frowned at Leah, doubting her intentions. "How do we know you aren't going to harm us at any time?"

"I guess you don't.  But does it look like I'm armed at all?  I can't even use magic."  Leah was smiling at Orgath now.  It looked a little unnatural, but I shrugged it off.
"That's Orgath," Arden pointed at him, then pointed at me, "and he's Ezell."

Orgath glared spitefully at Arden, who had already turned away walked over to Leah to hug her.  I smiled at Arden, but she couldn't see.  I relaxed, as the situation turned from one of unease, to pleasantry.  We talked to Leah while sitting around the campfire.

"So...Leah...Why, uh, were you out in the Resa sands by yourself?"  Fallon asked.  Leah seemed unperturbed by the question, and quickly responded, "I'm on an adventure to make friends!"  

I looked at Orgath, who in turn looked at me, together we subconsciously agreed on the randomness of the answer.  Who crosses the desert...to meet new people?  There isn't even anything in this desert, nor on the other side.  Postre, another costal fort, was destroyed years ago.  I tried to continue listening to the conversation without thinking about it.

"I'm glad we met then!  Do you think we can be friends, Leah?"  Kent said, leaning forward towards her.

"Sure Kent!  I'd love to be your friend!"  Leah said with a perky attitude.  Now she just seemed spunky.  It was starting to rub me the wrong way.

"L-Love to?..." Kent leaned back again, and his eyes drooped as he blushed and drifted away into an imaginary world only he could know of.  But I could assume it involved Leah.  Leah giggled and then looked at Fallon, who was holding more meat.

"Oh my!  You have food!  Do you mind if I have some?"  Leah then grabbed at the meat and began to tear at it viciously.  She had terrible eating manners, I gathered, due to her unwillingness to take pauses to breath in between bites she took in the meat.
"So Leah, how old are you?" Fallon asked shamelessly.

"Mph--Umphdn--" She took her face away from the food.  She swallowed what she was chewing on, then wiped her face.  She sighed, then answer again, "I don't have an age."
  
"Wha-t?  What do you mean you don't have an age?"  Fallon was flabbergasted with her response.

"We don't have ages where I'm from."  She smiled.  Fallon continued to be astonished with her.

"Where are you from?" Orgath asked with a murmur.

"Oh, a little bit of everywhere.  I guess you could say I've been around."  She looked up into the smoke as she said it, closing her mouth and pondering the question.

After that she began eating through our rations.  Kent continued to stare blindly off into space, Arden gossiped with Leah about the group, Orgath went to sleep, Fallon continued sharpening his blade, and I watched everyone.  In the morning, we packed up and prepared to set off north.  Leah stood and lingered as we prepared our stuff.  We all stood with our packs, and then began to leave.

Leah followed close behind as we traveled across the grasslands.  By mid-day, we reached Cora lake.  At Cora lake, the only way to cross to the other side is by waiting for Wave to come by and take you across.  The lake has jagged coral sticking up from the floor, which are laced with poison.  They all emanate from the island in the center of the lake.  People have their various ideas about what lives on the island, but no one is sure what does.

Wave is a Twirtle.  Twirtles are an extremely old race that live in water all across the planet.  Twirtles are the most wise and knowledgeable race that can be found anywhere.  They live for an exceptionally long time, compared to any other race that I know of.  They are amphibians, which are protected by a large, nearly indestructible shell.  All Twirtles have control over water, as learned over their immense live spans.  Control over water can mean many things, and almost infinite possibilities.  What I wouldn't give for that kind of power.

Twirtles prefer to stay out of any conflict, in their own interest.  As long as nature isn't harmed in the process, they would rather let the other races fight amongst themselves.  They naturally choose to distance themselves from other races due to the difference in worldly experience.  Wave is the only Twirtle I ever met, and it is not easy to meet one unless you spend all your time out in the water.  

The only reason Wave helps people cross the lake, is because she is unusually helpful.  She never refuses to help anyone, and so we use her to cross the lake.

We walked toward the bank of the lake.  The pristine water sparkled in the sunlight.  Yes, sunlight.  The smoke hadn't traveled this far, and when we looked back at where we came from, we could see the smoke cloud still sitting in the sky, looming over the ground.  Leah turned around and looked at the smoke cloud, then looked back at us, smiling.

"Hey guys, I hope you don't mind if I follow you on your journeys!  I hope we are all friends!"

Kent actually never left her side, and Arden walked along with her as well.  Only Orgath and Fallon seemed to care little that she had joined our group.  It felt like we had a civilian to protect at all times.  She didn't have any weapons, or powers, or special talents.  As far as I was concerned, she was just someone to entertain us on our journey.

"So, what are we waiting for?"  Leah looked at the lake impatiently.  She slouched and began tapping her foot.  Fallon looked back at her putting his finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.

He pointed out into the water.  In the distance, I saw a Twirtle, no taller than my stomach, walking toward us.  It was Wave, and she was walking on the water's surface.  I couldn't help but smirk.  "Whoa...is that-" We all turned around and glared at her.  Our combined disdain for her speaking caused her to stop mid sentence.  Kent, who was standing next to her scratched the back of his head, laughing a little bit to show his uncomfortable feelings.

Wave slowly walked over to us.  She looked like a giant scaly worm coming out of a shell with arms and legs, and wrinkles.  Lots of wrinkles.  Her scales were soft, smooth, not very durable like other sea creatures.  They were an aqua color, like the water of the lake, or the color of the sky.  She paused on the water in front of the bank we were on.  The water beneath her seemed to hold her wait effortlessly, even though the waves crashed constantly against the bank.  She looked up at us, then spoke.
"Are you coming down or not?"  I jumped down into the water.  Before breaking the surface tension of the water, I collided with it, like landing on solid ground.  I turned to the others and motioned for them to jump down.  They followed me.

"Now, stay close to me.  It's less work that way.  We will spend quite some time crossing the lake.  One of you may ask a question if you'd like, and I will consider it."

Wave was notorious for not only helping people cross Cora lake, but also providing wisdom to those whom she sees fit and deserving of it.  That's why she asked us if we had a question.

We walked very slowly towards the northeastern bank, since Wave walked without any sense of urgency at all.  At one point when we were crossing, Orgath consulted Wave without asking us.

"Do you know a Half-Breed with black hair and the power to summon strange creatures?"

Wave continued looking forward at the other bank which was now within sight.  She did not answer his question.  When we reached the bank, it was nightfall.  The air was cool around the lake, but when we climbed up the bank to the plains, there was a change in temperature that was clearly felt.  When Kent climbed up the bank last behind Leah, Wave finally spoke:

"The man you speak of is Collen.  He is one of the first Half-Breeds.  He and his brothers were cast away from the Quinta and the Humes long ago.  He tried to kill me recently.  Foolish child, does not understand his strength.  It will be his downfall.  His older brothers are much smarter than he is.  He is merely their puppet, for a plot of which I do not know.  He will meet his end soon, and I believe one of you will be the cause.  This is my knowledge, do with it whatever you please."

Wave turned around and began to walk away.  Kent yelled out quickly before she got to far, "But, he said he had a sister, too!"  Wave never turned around.  Eventually, she turned into a speck on the water, fading in with the light cast by the moon on the water.  Kent, feeling unfulfilled, moped while we set up camp.

We all sat around the campfire, eating our food and listening to stories Fallon told about how he wrestled a teallon to the ground with one arm tied behind his back.  Teallons are felines with as much size as an osh, but as much speed as a haaeti.  It's a common predator in the Long Grass, and they constantly destroy transports going through the area.

Orgath seemed to have warmed up to Leah a little more, but her constant upbeat attitude was still odd to deal with on a regular basis.  Kent never minded her company, and made various attempts to impress her.  When we were crossing the lake in the evening, he took off his shirt and offered it to her to keep her warm.  When we got to the bank, he offered to carry her up it.  When we were making camp, he offered her his bedroll, as well as a free massage.  I laughed at the guy for his love sickness, he was like a little pup!  Fallon didn't mind her either, since she also enjoyed his stories.  Arden and Leah ended up like sisters, and would crack jokes about the other people in our group, as well as surroundings and previous events.

When Fallon finished his story, he started up a discussion about what Wave told us about the mysterious man we saw.  I told them how I saw him near Vrine, and how he must have been behind the whole attack.  

Collen.  

And one of us was to kill him?  I looked around at everyone in our group and pondered who likely candidates would be.  Orgath had all the incentive in the world.  Fallon didn't even see him or what he did, and neither did Arden or Leah.  Kent is a tough guy, but I couldn't imagine him taking Collen's life.  And that left me.

Everyone grew tired and eventually fell asleep.  In the morning, we packed up our gear again, then set out northeast.  As we went over a hill in the plains, we saw the massive wall connecting to a gate that stood in the center of the plains.  It was one of the entrances to the capital city of the Humes, Zaesteon.  When we finally reached the wall on foot, looking up at the tall wall made you lose a sense of awareness and could nearly make you lose your footing due to its sheer height.  We entered in through a much smaller entrance in the side of the gate, which was made for small groups of people entering and leaving the city.  When we entered the gate from the side, there was a long room where the small groups show identification in order to get into the city.  Plastered all over the walls and hanging from the ceiling were banners and posters with large words on them reading: "WELCOME TO ZAESTEON: The people are our priority!"  Security at the gate required our soldier badges, and when Leah was asked for identification, she simply smiled and said she had none.  The security man seemed to look right over her, and she continued following us into the city.