Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Bren and Rylan slightly lift their heads from cover to see the black hooded man on the ground. They holler for Sais. To see that she is nowhere to be found, as they walk up to the mysterious black hooded stranger.

Rylan snatched the black hooded stranger up off the ground. “Where is Sais? Where is she! What have you done to her!” He asked angrily as he slammed him up against a tree.

The Mysterious man moaned in pain. Rylans Uncle Bren grabbed his shoulder and reassured him she couldn’t have gotten far and they would find her.

He turns to the three villagers who were brawling. “Did you see a young woman nearby?”

All three shook their heads no, “All we saw was an energy blast coming our way.”

“We need to take the stranger back to the village for the Magistrate” Bren said calmly to Rylan. “Rylan go in search for rope in my satchel.”

“No uncle, I am going in search of Sais at her home in the surrounding woods.” He informs his uncle as he hands him the rope from his satchel. “These three can help you take him back to the village.”

“Oh no, we can’t get involved!”  One of the three men says backing away shaking his head.

“It’s alright Rylan, I don’t need their help. They can be gone!” Bren scoffed and waved the men away. “Rylan my boy go look for Sais. I will take care of this man.”

Rylan took one last look back at his uncle before saddling upon his horse in search for Sais.

 

 

 

 

 

Rylan came barreling out of the woods just in front of Sais home. “Sais!” He screams “Sais” as he climbs off of his horse, onto the porch, and into her house to find it empty. His heart drops. Thinking only the worst.  Where are you Sais? He thinks to himself as the disappointment lingers in his mind.

Hearing Arlo barking beyond the house, Rylan bursting out the back door  nearly destroying the door as he exited off the porch.  “Arlo!” he yelled.  Arlo came running up to Rylan barking at him, then running deep into the woods. Rylan quickly followed in pursuit after the white wolf. As he entered the woods the sun was nearly down and the night sky will rush upon him. “Sais, where are you? If you can hear me, call my name” In the distant he spotted Arlo white fur. Making his way to Arlo, he saw that Sais was curled up against a tree. “Sais, are you alright?” kneeling down and cradling her in his arms. “Come I will take you home” He picked her up, one arm under her legs, and the other along her back. She rested her head against his stronger chest.

Sais started to wake when they neared her home. She noticed that she wasn’t walking but being carried, she peered up to see Rylan carrying her in his arms. She spoke softly “Rylan”

Rylan looked down at her and smiled “It’s alright Sais, we are all most to your home. I think you fainted while you were running from the black hooded attacker. Do you want me to put you down?”

Sais felt so warm and safe in his arms, but knew best that it wouldn’t look right if anyone saw them. “ Yes, I think I can walk.” She motioned him over to the barn. Rylan gently put her down along the barn. “Thank you Rylan.” She looked around to see if Bren was waiting for them. “ Where is your Uncle?”

“He is taking the attacker back to Delius for the magistrate. Don’t worry my uncle has him tie and bound. Saia do you remember anything at all from the attack?” Walking over to the well to fetch  water for her.

Sais looked frighten, “What do you mean?” moving along the barn to sit on the hay stack that sat in front of the barn. I can’t tell him the truth, I will be taken to the magistrate, she thought. “I remember is falling off the horse, and that man shooting energy blast. I ran as fast as I could to get away from there. Why do you ask?” knowing full well what is going to tell her.

Rylan return with his pouch filled with water for her, he kneel down in front of her. “I don’t know who or what attack the hooded stranger. Believe it’s not good. I saw scorch mark on his chest, you know what that means. We have fire raiser  in Delius.” He stood up “ You shouldn’t be out here, it’s getting cold.” He softly touched her hand and led her to her back porch.

“What happen to my door?” she looked alarmed at the damaged. “I wonder who did this? Great now my home will have a cold draft tonight.” She shook her head as she entered her home. “ Rylan can you get the fire logs from the back porch. I need to start the fire place. She walked over to the fire place, she raised her hand about to use her fire to start it.

“Sais you have so many logs out there, it doesn’t seem that you use that much” he entered from the kitchen.

“Ah, yes” she stop her fire blast from coming from her hand. “Every time I’m out I gather wood” she spun around to look at him. “Thank you Rylan, But I have to start the fire and then fix my back door, before the cool summer air sets in.”

He placed the logs into the fire place arranging them “Don’t worry about the door. I will fix it. If it wasn’t for me it wouldn’t have been damaged like that.” He stood up in front of her looking into her hazel eyes. “I was worried about you when I didn’t find you here. I sometimes use too much force when I think about someone I care about getting hurt.”

“I didn’t know you cared about me like that?” she backed away so that she couldn’t touch him.

“I don’t , it’s just that my uncle cares a great deal about you.” He blurted out. What’s wrong with me? Why did I say that. “Oh Sais that’s not what I mean completely” he tried to finished.

“Oh don’t worry I get it. You want to make sure I was ok. So that you stay on your uncle good side, because I’m the daughter of his best friend that he sworn to protect. Rylan I don’t need your help, nor want it. I don’t want to burden you. You may leave, I can fix the door myself.”  Her harden hazel eyes looked towards the door.

Rylan made no attempt to change her mind, “Goodnight Sais” he walked out of the room and out of the house. Damn it. I can’t fall for her. I must keep focus. He climb upon his horse  and headed for Delius in search for his uncle.

 

 

Sais set the fire and started to work on the broken back door. It must have been a few hours when she noticed it was very late. “ Arlo, I think I did a good job” she looked at her work on the door. “ I don’t need Rylan’s help. Come Arlo we need to get to bed.” She and arlo made their way half way up the stairs when she heard a creek on the porch. Arlo jump from the stairs and landed in front of the front door growling.

“Who there?” she called out from the stairs.

“It’s me Rylan” he called back.

“What are you doing here?” she hurried down the stairs and flung up the door. “ I don’t want you here. You made it very clear how you feel about me.” Looking at him up and down. He stood there looking unsure what she was going to continue saying to him.

He noticed that she was hurt by what he told her earlier, “ I didn’t mean to upset you. I just don’t know you very well. I can’t care about someone who I don’t know. My uncle is part of the reason I came to make sure you are alright.” He sighed. “I just didn’t want to leave things the way there were. I came back to fix your door. To make sure that no one can get inside here.” He glanced back behind her. “ I see that you don’t need me to fix it. I guess I should be going.”

“Yes I don’t need your help.” She said rudely “Good night” as she closed the door.

 

The next morning, Sais and Arlo made their way back to Delius.  Only a few merchants were open this early, including the blacksmith. Saia and arlo walked into the blacksmith hut not seeing him there. “I guess he’s not in yet.” She spoke out loud to herself. I’m hungry, how about you arlo?” Arlo rubbed his leg against her pant leg. Sais found a little Traven at the end of the road. The light red building had small statues of men and women along the roof. The huge brown door was twice her size as she pulled it open and called out for someone.

“I can wait at a table for someone to come along” she walked in and sat at a table beside the window that looked across the market. Arlo sat at her feet “Be a good boy” she bent down and petted him on top of his head.

She didn’t have to wait long when a young barmaid enter, who stood about 5’5 feet with dark brown hair that was shoulder length. The young barmaid looked about her age when she walked over to Sais “What can I get ya?”

“I’ll take two eggs, chicken leg, and small loaf.” Sais pulled out her coin bag and laid it on the table.

“Chicken leg? You want that this early” the young girl looked confused. “I can work some magic on the cook. He doesn’t like cooking chicken legs this early in the morning. But if you insist.” She smiled.

“Oh the chicken leg is not for me, it’s for my wolf” Sais bent down to pet arlo on his head. “We were in a hurry this morning to get into town that I forget to feed him and myself.”

“Oh, you have a beautiful wolf” she looked down “what’s her name?”

Sais laughed “His name is Arlo. I’ve had him for three winters. He is a very loyal wolf.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll get your order to the cook” she hurried away to the kitchen.

A short while later the barmaid came back with Sais food. She thanked her, and after a while she paid for food. Walking out of the Traven she ran into her cousin Dacia “Dacia” she hurried to catch her.

Dacia turned face her cousin “Sais, are you alright? I heard what happen.” Dacia hugs anymore. The great wars nearly killed all the fire raiser. You didn’t see the fire raiser?”

Sais shook her head “No I was too scared, I ran into the woods to get away from there. I don’t want to know who it was.” She looked toward the blacksmith hut, “I wish I can stay and chat more but I need to get my horse from the blacksmith.

“Alright, I’m going to see you tonight at Bren’s celebration” Dacia reminder her.

Sais stop, Oh know I forget to work on my dress. “I forgot, with everything going on. I didn’t work on my dress at all yesterday. I don’t know if I have time to finish it.” She feared.

“Sais just buy a new dress, here. I know some good merchants with a collection of dresses.” Dacia offered to take her to them.

“I can’t I need to pay for my horse re-shoeing. I can find something at home that I bought in Marcela’s at long time ago. I need to be off” Sais hurried to the blacksmith hut. She called out to him.

“Sais I was wondering when you were going to arrive this morning. Your horse is all right for you.” He walked up to her and smiled. “How are you feeling? I heard the news just this morning. It just a shame, I thought no fire raiser would be here. The magistrate is sending word to the king that there might be a fire raiser here in Delius. The king might send some troops to find this fire raiser.”

“Yeah I know but I didn’t see the fire raiser. I don’t know who it is” she sighed “How much do I owe you?” she pulled open her coin purse and started to pull out a few silver coins.

“Don’t worry” he waved it off. “You went thru some trouble yesterday. It wouldn’t be right for me to accept payment for your horse.”

She thanked him and went into stable and saddled her horse. She made her way out of the stables when she was stop by Sara and her snub group of friends. Sais pulled her reins hard to stop her horse. “Sara what are you doing? I could have run you down.” She annoying looked at her.

“We just heard the news of what happened?” she said a sweetly. “I also heard that Rylan found against a tree scared out of little mind” she laughed. She turned to her group of friends and continued to laugh. “I guess going to that fancy academy didn’t prepare you for these harsh lands that we live in. Enjoy the rest of your morning” she smirked while walking away from Sais.

If you only knew Sara; of what I was preparing for at my academy, if you only knew… Sais rode hard off towards home.

Reviews

[~Lizzy♬]

This was a long chapter, but it had a very good intro and finish. The details make me image all of what's happening. You make the book come alive :)

~Bookers~ (Lizzard)