Chapter IV

Chapter IV

    The morning was still young when Havock was coming down the stairs. The sweet scent of breakfast drifted throughout the halls and was luring him into the kitchen. He walked through the doorway, and Eona turned to greet him with a smile. She was cooking eggs in a skillet over the fire. “Good morning”, she said, “I woke up early this morning and bought a few things at the market. We’re going to need all of the energy we can get. There is something I have to tell everyone. Would you like some tea? I already have some made.” She set down the skillet and scooped some of the eggs onto a plate for him. “Eona, this is great. But, I should be doing this for you. You’re my guest,” Havock said, taking a seat at the table. “Please, it’s the least I can do,” she smiled. She grab a glass and poured him some tea. “Thank you,” he said, taking a sip then digging into his eggs. 

    A few moments later Kaizair came into the kitchen, yawning and stretching out his arms. “Who’s making breakfast?” he said, still half asleep. “Eona is. It’s absolutely delicious,” Havock remarked, giving her a look of approval. Kaizair sat down, pouring himself some tea. Eona gave him a plate with eggs on it. “Is Marrin awake yet, do you know? I have breakfast for her too,” she asked. Kaizair and Havock shrugged their shoulders. Minutes later, Marrin was coming into the kitchen. She looked as though she hadn’t slept at all. “Oh, Marrin, you’re awake. I made you some breakfast,” Eona said, pulling out a chair for her. She sat down, and looked at the eggs in disgust. “Thank you, but I’m not hungry,” she said, pouring herself a cup of tea. Eona looked away in defeat. “Oh, alright. But I just figured that everyone should eat. We’re leaving on our journey today. I have something to share with all of you,” she said, taking her own seat at the table. She pulled out the message that had been delivered to her earlier that morning. “A man gave this to me today. I believe this will answer many of our questions. I think this will give us a start,” she placed the note on the table for everyone to read. They were silent for a few moments. 

    “How do you know we can trust this message? What if someone is trying to lead us into a trap?” Marrin was the first to speak. Kaizair and Havock didn’t respond, but Eona could tell they were sharing the same doubt. “Well, we don’t know. But if we don’t go we may never find out. Besides, I’m sure that if we get into any trouble we can defeat it. We’re four extremely powerful mages. We can handle ourselves,” Eona tried to sound optimistic. She was scared of the truth, of who may be waiting for them at the end of that message. “It’s our only chance right now,” she said. Havock looked up at her, eyes smiling. He could feel her discomfort, but loved how she was trying to make everyone feel better. “I agree with Eona. There’s a chance that whoever wrote this letter actually wants to help us. And if we get into a bad situation, we can always fight our way out,” said Havock, trying to ease the tension. Marrin looked over at Eona, silently despising her. But after a moment, both she and Kaizair agreed. “Great. Now, we need faster transportation. Brevala is approximately twenty miles east of here. Horses would be best. Kaizair and I have our own, but what about you two?” Eona said, looking at Havock and Marrin. “I have one as well,” Marrin said. “Me too. I keep him at the stables outside of town,” Havock got up, putting his plate and empty cup in a wash bucket. “I’ll go get him. Be back in a while,” Havock exited the room. Eona was sad to see him leave, but figured she should do the same. Her stallion was tied to a post in front of the smithy. 

    “Shall we all go retrieve our horses?” she asked the two remaining mages. They nodded, then left in silence. Eona wondered if she had done something wrong. It’s the day our journey truly begins, and everyone is acted as though they just seen a ghost she thought. She got up from the table and went through the front door. Her horse looked up at her and slightly whinnied, happy to see her. She walked over to him, scratching his nose and kissing his forehead. “Good boy, Reveno,” she said gently. She looked out amongst the street where people were walking along the numerous shops. They were such simple people, pacing back and forth, completely unaware of the trouble outside of their city. Eona felt as though these people led perfect lives, no matter how much money they had. They all seemed content with the lack of excitement in their lives.

    Havock returned in a few minutes with a beautiful stallion the color of wheat. He noticed Eona leaning against a wall by her own horse, the sunlight dancing on her hair. She was so beautiful, it made his heart race. It took all of his willpower not to pick her up in his arms and kiss her. She looked up at him and smiled, happy to see him home safely. “Do we have everything we need for the journey?” he asked. She nodded and began strapping bags of supplies to her horse’s saddle. “Kaizair and Marrin are retrieving their horses,” she said. 

    “I actually wanted to ask you something about Kaizair.”

    “What about him?”

    “Well, I noticed that he is very fond of you. How do you feel for him?”

    “He’s just a friend, Havock. I don’t feel for him in that way. Why do you ask?”

    Havock looked off in the distance, a light breeze blowing his hair. He felt embarrassed asking her that. “I was just curious,” he said. Eona wanted to pursue the conversation, but decided to let it be. “Well, everything is ready. We’re just waiting for them,” she said. She lifted her foot into the stirrup and hoisted herself up onto the stallion. Havock did the same. They walked along the sides of the cobblestone street, the sound of hooves clinking against it. Half a mile down the street, they joined Kaizair and Marrin talking with one another by the city gates. Marrin gave Eona a disapproving look as Kaizair was looking away, his face turning slightly read. They had already mounted their horses, and were ready to depart. Each mage had their weapons of choice: Eona’s composite bow, Kaizair’s two handed sword, Marrin’s lance, and a large war axe that Havock had taken from the smithy. “Alright, everyone. The quest begins. Let’s ride,” Eona softly kicked her horse’s sides, forcing him into a canter. The others followed her, inhaling the sweet scent of the morning. The small village of Brevala was waiting for them, somewhere along the horizon. Whether of not it would welcome them was a mystery. They could only hope that they would live to see the next sunrise. 

Author's Note

I welcome criticisms, as long as it's civil. Thank you :)