The Eclipse: Chapter 7

 

    The first thing that hit me was the smell. Waste, sweat, and animal muck, mingling together, was the first scents that hit my nose. Then the noise. People shouting to each other, animals braying, the sound of hooves clattering against stone, the ring of bells in the distance.

    I opened my eyes. I was laying on the edge of a road, outside of a bakery. Houses and shops loomed up high before me. People of every ethnic background jostling each other, trying to get to a shop first, or to make the best deal on the fresh vegetables first, etc.

    I scrambled up, and clutched at my ribs, collapsing back down again. My ribs weren't healed, my ankle was still broken, and I had bruises on every bit of skin avaliable. My lip was fine, though.

    I tried to remember what happened. The last thing I really remembered was laying in Cyrus Glen, and then those terrifying flashes of memory. Now here I was in this town, obviously a big one, and I couldn't smell the sea anywhere.

    A boy my age darted through the crowd. He had long, messy red hair, sparkling green eyes, and the most mischievous face I've ever seen. He dressed in simple clothes, with a gold crest over the heart, a sort of crown. I felt his aura instinctively. It was mischievous, yes, but good.

    I waved him down, and he stopped in front of me. “Where am I?” I gasped.

    He eyed me curiously. “This is Latchnor, of course!”

    “Latchnor,” I whispered under my breath, my mind racing frantically.

    He cocked his head. “Where'd you get all those injuries?”

    “I was in a fight with some bullies from my school. The last thing I remember is sleeping in Cyrus Glen. I'm from Erstelle,” I added.

    He gave me a strange look. “Erstelle? That's a good five days from here, over on the ocean.”

    I shook my head, bewildered. “No. There was these terrifying images, though, like the clash of swords...” I trailed off. “This is a dream, right?” I asked desperately.

    Pity filled his gaze. “No, I'm sorry. What's your name?”

    “Elara,” I whispered, fear grasping ahold of me.

    He offered a hand. “I'm Laedin, Lord Jayron's humble messenger.” He flashed me a grin.

    I grasped it, and tried to work my features into a smile. A commotion happened a little down the street, as people were jostled aside as a figure dashed through, his eyes wild.

    His eyes fell on me, and relief filled them. The next second he was over next to me, crouching down. “Elara! Are you okay?”

    “Fabian?” I asked in disbelief, tears filling my eyes. I threw my arms around him, and started sobbing. “What happened?”

    Fabian gently stood up, and helped me up, though I collapsed instantly, gasping with pain. Frowning, he checked my ribs. “Still broken,” he told me.

    “What happened? The last thing I remember is being in Cyrus Glen.”

    He tensed. “Kaius happened.”

    My jaw dropped, and horror coursed through me. “But-but h-how...” I took a deep breath. “When was this?”

    “Almost a week ago.”

    I shook my head, bewildered. “No. No. I-I...That's not possible!” Suddenly, I remembered the conversation I had had with Fabian after his fight with Kaius.

    “What did Kaius mean, we're going on a quest together?”

    “He was most likely trying to kidnap you, for some dark purpose, I don't really know.”

    Fabian had been lying. I remembered him trying to conceal something from me, something that he knew about. Anger flashed through me. “You have to stop!”

    “Stop what?”

    “Stop lying to me! Back in the room, you said that you didn't know why Kaius wants me, but you had been lying! You know why Kaius needs me! You have to tell me!”

    I was suddenly aware that of Laedin, watching the whole scene silently, a look I couldn't fathom on his face. When he saw me glance at him, he gave me a small smile. “Sounds like you guys are in a spot of trouble. Need someplace to stay?”

    Fabian frowned. “Who are you?”

    Laedin bowed to Fabian. “Laedin, sir. A messenger for Lord Jayron.”

    Fabian hesitated. “Well, I don't know...”

    I felt a hand on my shoulder, and coldness coursed down into my body. I gasped, as Fabian's eyes jerked up to the dark figure standing behind me that hadn't been there before. Instantly, Fabian had his sword out and attacked him with it, and Kaius met the sword with one of his one.

    “Fabian. I told you to stay out of this. This is no concern of yours,” Kaius hissed.

    “Yeah?” Fabian snarled. “Well, too bad.”

    “This is a family matter.” Their swords clashed together, and they grunted from the effort.

    “Is that so? In what way?”

    “I'm her father.”

    Time stopped. The world slowed down. I stared at Kaius in bewilderment and horror, as I realized that maybe that was why my mother had been trying to warn me away from him.

    Fabian roared with laughter. “Don't lie, Kaius. I know her father. I knew her mother. You are not her father.”

    Kaius snarled. “How do you know that?”

    Fabian stared levelly into his eyes. “Because her mother was my mother, and her father is my father.”

    The two men were locked in a vicious duel that moved into the centre of the street, and people scrambled out of their way, screaming.

    I was staring in astonishment at Fabian, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking up, I saw Laedin.

    “Come on, Elara,” he said urgently. “We have to get you out of here.” He motioned to some boys who were also wearing the crests of Lord Jayron. They came and helped me stand up.

    “But Fabian!” I gasped.

    “Don't worry. I'll stay behind and let him know where you're going to be. We have to get you away from that man.” He nodded to Kaius.

    “That's Kaius,” I told him, and understanding lit his eyes.

    “Ah. I see now. That makes sense. Go!”

    With the support of the messengers, we made our way through the crowds to the outskirts of the town, toward a large manor. Once inside, I was sent up to a room. It wasn't a royal room, it was just plain. In fact, it looked like the one that I slept in in Cordelia's house, except for the fact that there was no fresh flowers.

    Healers came in and assesed me, and started to patch me up again. I was asking for Fabian, or Laedin, but was growing more and more distressed when no one could tell me what had happened to him.

Author's Note

I don't know if I'll finish this story, because this is all I got to when I found this. Maybe I'll continue it one day, but for now I'm focusing my energy on other stories, so I'm really sorry if you were looking forward to reading the rest