Defenders of Kron - The Black Dragon (10 page)

“How you feeling now?” Aaron asked Flynn shouting on top of the drum beats.

“I am fine now.” Flynn answered but Aaron couldn’t hear his voice

The drum beats stopped abruptly and there were voices of cheering. Aaron wanted to ask Flynn so many things but before he could say anything, Barda walked up to them.

“Here are the guests of honor, come, join us for the feast!” he said.

Both Aaron and Flynn were very hungry and immediately got up on their feet at the mention of food. They followed the chief who led them to a big table. The seating was for six people. Dan and Ony had already taken their places. Aaron sat next to Dan and Flynn sat next to him.

The lady in red who spoke to them in their hut finally introduced herself as the chief’s wife. Her presence was graceful and she talked in a hush tone.

Very soon, the food started to arrive and filled up the table. Aaron saw Flynn’s jaws drop at the variety of dishes kept in front of them. The table was soon full of wonderful aroma from the dishes. There were seven varieties of meats, fishes and many kinds of tubers which were all new to Aaron. Nobody spoke till they had eaten to their hearts content. Aaron ate till he was full to the brim. Finally, when he couldn’t eat anymore, he looked at the others who were also in a similar condition. But Ony was still holding on to his share of mutton chops and showed no intention of leaving anything on the plate.

Barda asked some of the men to clear the table. Some girls brought plateful of deserts. There were all kind of berries and sweet fruits in them. No one could eat much of it, but the fragrance lingering around them made them happy enough. On the longer tables, the other hunters were seated and were enjoying themselves to the fullest. Everyone else had stopped performing and now the feast was the only thing that held their attention.

After the big dinner, they scattered in all directions. The chief and his wife took permission to leave and asked them to enjoy the rest of the night.

Aaron couldn’t spot Dan or Ony. Flynn was sitting next to the bonfire all alone, lost in his thoughts. Aaron joined him and found himself a nice spot to sit on the straws. Flynn did not notice Aaron and he continued to stare at a group of girls giggling at him from a distance.

“How are you feeling now?” Aaron asked turning Flynn’s attention towards him.

“Much better…” Flynn said barely.

Aaron now remembered the last conversation he had with Flynn. He was rude and mean. Aaron assumed that this was why Flynn was not talking to him.

“I am sorry!” Aaron said with regret.

Flynn was a little surprised, but he didn’t show it.

“For what?” He asked flatly.

“For speaking to you like that at the market”

Flynn shook his head and said “Don’t worry about it”

“But I want to tell you something. Things I couldn’t tell you before” Aaron said, looking at Flynn with the hope that he would listen to him.

Flynn turned his attention to Aaron now.

Aaron told Flynn about everything he was holding back. He told him about the wolves, about the strange lady in the book shop, all about Dan and Ony and what they told him about his parents. Flynn sat still not able to believe his own ears. Aaron described everything without a pause. Flynn was excited, but he still did not ask Aaron about anything.

The usually talkative Flynn was very silent today. Aaron knew something was not right.

“Flynn!” Aaron stopped and asked “What were you doing in the forest and how in the God’s name did you get there?“

Flynn didn’t answer.

“We searched for you and your father everywhere. Where is your father? Is he alright?”

Flynn looked at Aaron with water in his eyes at the mention of his father. It was like he wanted to spill his heart out but he didn’t say a single word.

“Flynn!” Aaron shook Flynn gently “Is your father alright?”

Still no answer came from Flynn.

“Why aren’t you saying anything Flynn?!” Aaron was getting impatient now.

“I am tired, I want to sleep now” Flynn was looking weary like before. He got up and left, leaving Aaron wondering what has happened to him and his father.

He sat alone near the bon-fire now. There were many other smaller bon-fires. The men and women sat around them telling stories and drinking into the night. In some circles, they sang songs and in some circles, people were asleep around the fire. Some were too drunk to understand what was going on. Aaron sat near a bunch of people and listened to their stories about how everything in the world was created by God and how Evil came into existence.

He almost drifted off to sleep with the warmth of the fire and the melodious voice of the story teller. He was woken up suddenly by Ony.

“Get some sleep! We are leaving early morning tomorrow” Ony was standing tall over Aaron looking sleepy himself. Aaron followed Ony sleepily to their hut. Dan was already there. He was packing his things.

“Pack up kid! We will get going as soon as the sun comes out” he said.

“But why can’t we stay here for a few more days?” Aaron was hoping to get to know the hunter girl who had danced with him.

“We can’t stop anywhere for long kid. If they find us, they will attack without hesitation. We have to reach the Blue Mountains as soon as we can” Dan said clearly.

“But…” Aaron stared. Dan interrupted him immediately “We will do as I say. You haven’t seen anything yet”

Aaron turned towards Ony irritated, but Ony closed his eyes and pretended to snore on his bed.

Aaron packed his bag and lied on the bed. The bed was cozy but not like his own bed back in the house.

“And one more thing. Your friend cannot come with us to Arktor. But we will leave him in a safe place” said Dan before he put the lamps out. It was dark instantly. Aaron opened his mouth to say something but he couldn’t. He had caused so much trouble to Flynn already. It was better to leave him at a safe place.

He thought of many things as he fell asleep. What was Arktor like? What kind of people lived there? Where will he get to stay? He had never been to a city before. His imagined things that he expected to see in a city.

Sleep overcame him as soon as he pulled the blanket over himself. He slept calmly that night. He felt safe. Dan had told him that the hunter village was the safest place for the night in the whole of Robia. No wolves could come here.

Chapter 8

The Second Attack

The next day, Aaron woke up startled, hearing a big thud. Ony had dropped Aaron’s bag in front of him to wake him up. Even though the sun was out, it was chilly outside. Aaron was not ready to leave the bed, but the expression on Ony’s face didn’t let him go back to sleep.

He pulled himself out of the bed and put on his leather vest and the cloak. Still sleepy, he looked outside. The hunters were leaving with spears and various other tools for the day’s hunt. Their families were bidding goodbyes. There were some hunter women in the group too.

Aaron Suddenly realized that the feast last night was an effort of the hard work of these hunters who put their lives in danger to hunt.  They risked their lives to put food on the table for their families.

Nobody would ever risk their lives for food in Brinsar. He understood that some people’s lives were much harder than his own. He was filled with gratitude towards the good hunters and their hospitality.

Aaron pulled his hood over his head and his bag on his back and came outside the hut. Flynn was waiting outside. Aaron stood there and watched Flynn. Flynn wore warm clothes and looked well rested. A well kept horse was standing beside him that he patted occasionally.

“Chief arranged all that for him” Dan smiled as he patted Aaron on his back.

“I should thank him for all that he has done for us” Aaron looked at Dan for approval.

Dan nodded and said “Chief Barda is a very good man!”

“How do you know these hunters and their language? I have never even heard of them” Aaron finally asked the much awaited question.

“I came here three years ago. I was badly hurt fighting the Lurgs. I almost lost an arm” Dan spoke with sadness. “If these people were not there to take care of me, I would have been dead. I am very grateful to chief Barda and everyone in this village. They kept me here as one of their own even though there was the fear of Lurgs following me” Dan was now emotional.

“I stayed here for six months and during those days I learnt their language as a token of thanks to them”

Dan stopped speaking as Ony walked out of the hut. All of them mounted their horses. Aaron stopped and said words of thanks to the Chief Barda. Barda was very delighted and he invited Aaron to come and stay in the village anytime he wanted.

The speed at which the men travelled made Aaron wonder if Flynn could keep up. Flynn was not a rider; he or his father never owned a horse. But surprisingly, Flynn did very well. He was keeping up with all three of them and seemed to enjoy himself.

What Dan said about Lurgs was bothering Aaron. He had talked about the fight with Lurgs earlier. Lurgs were creatures bigger than humans. Some say that they were brought back from the dead by an Evil Force. They consume human flesh and had no mercy for anybody. But before today, he had dismissed such things as stories made by people of the city. But now he doubted it. Where he was actually going and what awaits him there were the only questions in his mind now.

Dan stopped suddenly and everyone stopped behind him.

“A word of caution to all of you! This is a zone of danger. Anything could be hiding in these forests, ready to attack us. Be as careful as you can and keep your weapons at hand” said Dan.

“Why can’t we take another path if this place is so dangerous?” Aaron asked worrying about Flynn.

“Because, there is only one way to the Blue Mountains” Dan said grimly.

Dan spoke no more and Ony seems to be in agreement with him. Dan led the way to the forest. The forest was denser than the one they had passed before. There was hardly any light coming through the trees. Even the trees looked evil and crooked. They looked like they do not want anybody coming into the forest. The path was clear as the sun seeping through the leaves made it visible somehow. Some roots and branches of the trees were protruding into the path, making it difficult for them to ride at a good pace.

Dan was alert all the way. He was ready for anything. With one hand on the hilt of his sword he looked in every direction. He also kept a watch above as if he was expecting something to come down from the sky at any moment. Flynn followed Ony on his new horse, still silent. But he enjoyed the ride. Aaron was the last one in the row and was lost in thoughts. A little did he know about the Blue Mountains. ‘
Who lives in the Blue Mountains who has all the answers I need
?’ Aaron thought. He felt that his world was becoming complicated by the day.

Aaron was aching to ask Dan many things but the party had picked up speed. There was no stopping for hours not even for a little rest. The forest seemed never ending, the trees were now growing thicker and thicker and much closer to each other. Their branches were tangled with each other. Some of the trees were completely new to Aaron. It seemed to him that the trees were trying to close the path and lock them in the forest.

“We have to take some rest. We can’t go on like this” Ony broke the silence of the forest after many hours of riding.

“We have no time, it’s better to get out of this treacherous place before the sun goes out completely.” Dan said not showing any signs of stopping.

“We have kids with us, they can’t ride like us. They’ve not had any food since morning!” Ony continued his argument. Dan pulled the rein of his horse and slowed down. Aaron remembered about the last meal he had, he was so full that he even forgot about the breakfast. But the mention of food had now made him quite hungry.

They found a clean spot and made a camp there for time being.

“I will help make fire” said Flynn.  He was in a good mood now that he was part of an adventure.

“No! no fire!” Dan held Flynn’s hands tight and Flynn was afraid.

Aaron came forward and pulled Flynn’s hands back from Dan “Why not?”

“If we light a fire, they will know that we are here and they will get here in no time” Dan left after saying this.

“How are we suppose to sit here without any fire? It’s so cold here” Flynn said in whispers to make sure that Dan doesn’t hear it.

Aaron pulled his blanket out of the bag and gave it to Flynn “Here, this should help”

“Thanks!” Flynn sat down and covered himself with the blanket.

Ony handed them some bread and dry meat.

“Can I have some cheese and wine with this? This stuff is so hard to eat” Flynn said looking at what Ony had dropped into his lap.

“Oh yes your majesty. And then, we can all dance through the night and go back to our palaces” Ony mocked him.

Dan was looking intensely at Flynn now “This is all you get. This is food for survival and not a feast. Eat it or leave it.” He paused and said again “You shouldn’t even be here. You have no idea what kind of danger you are putting yourself into.”

Flynn ate without saying a word. Dan stared at him for some time and then went back to his food.

“Eat soon! It’s getting dark, we have to leave.” said Dan.

Aaron finished his meal quickly, it was better than the meal of just bread and cheese they had the day before. In fact, the dry meat tasted much better than he had expected. He sipped some water from his pouch. Suddenly, he saw something moving near the bushes. He sat up alert.

Dan asked immediately “What is it?”

“Something was moving over there” he pointed towards a few bushes.

“It was a big mistake stopping here! Quick, everyone back on your horses at once” Dan commanded.

Aaron grabbed his bag and untied his horse in a second. Flynn was very terrified. Aaron knew that Flynn remembered the encounter with the wolves before. Flynn trembled, Aaron clutched his shoulders to calm him down.

Before they could mount their horses, they heard loud howls and some black shadows jumped out of the trees all around them. One by one seven such shadows encircled them. With loud thuds they took their positions. Flynn gave out a cry like a cat and stood watching as the black figures became prominent.