Chapter 21: Fugitives?

I stagger through the forest for what seems like hours. I had returned to the campsite earlier and put out the fire before leaving. Ever since the attack I've felt so distant from myself. Tiredness seeps into my eyes as I can feel my feet begin to drag against the forest floor. The stinging in my arm feels like nothing compared to the throbbing in my head. The sky begins to shift and lighten into a morning blue as I continue my trek onwards. Where the hell did those two go? I cough, my knees caving as I force myself up a bluff. My ankles twist as I slip on unstable moss. I cry out in pain, crawling forward like a lame creature. Perhaps this was not a terrible morning to die.

I reach the top of the hill, huffing for breath as I flop onto my back. I close my eyes momentarily as the hymn of birdsong floods my tired ears. I take a deep breath. Something smells quite delicious in the morning air. I lick my bloodied lips. I'm in the middle of the woods. I'm hallucinating? I've really gone off the deep end. I shuffle onto my knees and peer down the other side of the bluff. My eyes widen as I'm met with a large wheat field and in the distance a small farmer's house. It's brick chimney emitting giant clouds of smoke. I practically jump to my feet and scamper out of the edge of the woods into the field. I trudge through the blades of wheat, the dense patches nipping my wounds as I pass by. I finally exit and my stomach sinks in a pit of relief as I stand before the farm house. I limp towards the door and knock. Moments later a small boy opens the door wide. His jaw dropping to the floor as he eyes me down.

"Mom! There's a hero at the doorstep!"

"What? I told you not to just open the door for anyone Charlie-" A short haired woman responds. I hear her make her way to the doorway. Upon setting her eyes on me she lets out a gasp.

"Good heavens! What happened to you sir?" She stammers, ushering me inside. The mother sits me at the fireplace on a chair. She inspects my tattered cloak.

"Vermillion blue... You must be from Aelia. What on earth are you doing in Crestia?" She mumbles.

"Woah! Look at his swords mom!" The boy exclaims, pointing at the gallery of weapons dangling on my belt.

"Those are sharp buddy-" I cough. The mother returns with a bucket of warm water and begins wiping the blood from exposed skin.

"Why don't you go feed the chickens, Charlie." The mother says to the boy. He nods and skips off outside.

"Dog bites? Did you perhaps get ambushed by bandits, sir?" She says, inspecting my forearm. I nod.

"Around ten of them. Nasty bastards- Pardon my language."

"They're quite bad around these areas, mainly in the woods. They target travelers." She sighs, wiping her damp hands on her apron. "Ever since Houndstooth took over they've been able to get away with their crime."

"Tell me about it. That group of them is gone anyway so they won't be looting anyone else." I sigh, sinking my aching body into the chair. The woman gives me a worrisome expression.

"Oh dear, killing Houndstooth members is more of a crime than killing just anyone you know." She whispers lightly, wrapping some bandage around my hand.

"A crime? Those trashy scum?" I scoff in disbelief. She nods rapidly.

"Unfortunately, as backwards as it is. That's how things work these days." She sighs. "You don't sound like you're from here at all... Are you really a hero?"

"Apparently, I mean I just woke up here one day and was told to kill some demon king." I laugh at my own remark. The mother's eyes widen as she stands up with her pail.

"Why are you being so nice to some bloody stranger that showed up at your door anyway?" I ask.

"Hospitality is important. Besides, those Houndstooth bastards killed my husband so it's the least I can do." She shakes her head as she wanders back to the kitchen. She returns to me with a plate of meat and rice.

"I'm sorry to hear that miss." I say sorrowfully, eyeballing the plate. She hands it to me in my good hand. I begin taking small fork-fulls. The savory flavor melts on my tongue.

"He refused to let the Houndstooth guild take their proclaimed share of our crops one year. The harvest had been terrible due to a drought and there was so little food." She sighs. "Such a stubborn man he was."

"These Houndstooth guys sound like jerks." I grumble, shoveling the last of the food down.

"Life around here has been difficult."

"Well, why don't you leave?" I say curiously.

"Houndstooth doesn't allow you to simply move away. They'll do anything to keep people here because their little ruling charade can't be self sufficient without us." She mumbles. "I heard a cart full of orphans was burned to the ground and they all were slaughtered because they tried to escape to Aelia."

"Well, one survived." I retort. The mother tilts her head at me.

"What do you mean?"

"I need to find my attendant, she has the last orphan girl that managed to escape and survive the attack. They fled before the bandits arrived." I say.

"I see, so you've seen the site for yourself?"

"It's terrible what they did to those kids." I shiver.

"It sounds like a monstrous act in the news but to see it yourself is a much harsher reality." She sighs, taking my empty plate. "Your attendant? What does she look like? I can ask around the village to try and find her."

"She's a high elf. Blonde hair, somewhat tall. She's got the kid with her... Oh and a big brown horse and a small spaniel dog." I reply.

"Alright, sounds rather easy to spot." She says. "It's quite noble of you to have protected them."

"It's all I can do, really." I yawn, wiping my face. The deep ache of bruising scatters along my skin.

"Well, you can stay hidden here until we can find them. The Houndstooth men might be on your case after massacring those bandits so you'll want to be cautious."

"I appreciate it miss, what is your name?"

"Keilan. What about yourself, hero?"

"Darwin. Darwin Bright."

"Interesting name. What brought you out here to Crestia anyways?"

"We were headed for the Crestia peaks to search for the rumored high elf village."

"Oh, I see. I haven't heard anyone talk about that place in ages." She smiles, patting down her dress. "Place was destroyed and raided just before Houndstooth took over. It was apparently a difficult task to take over Crestia with the elf village being around."

"How do you know this?"

"Just village talk, grandparents tell the wildest stories you know." She laughs. "Good luck on finding it though, it would be so interesting if you could really uncover such a mysterious place."

"Mom! Mom! There are soldiers outside!" Charlie yells in a panic, skidding around the corner as he slams the door shut behind him. He stops to catch his breath, eyes darting between me and his mother who stands up immediately and peeks out the front door window.

"Hurry Darwin, hide in the bedroom and don't come out until Charlie or I comes to get you." She says frantically though her expression remains cool. I nod and lumber myself down their hallway and into the bedroom on the right. I haul myself next to a tall wooden wardrobe. I can peek out the window from here. Outside I can make out the shape of a few men on foot and horseback. I shuffle closer to the window out of curiosity. I watch Keilan and her son walk outside on the mens orders. I press my ear to the wooden walls to listen.

"Citizens of Crestia, we are on the hunt for a man who has killed ten loyal Houndstooth members. Their bodies were discovered off the forest path close to the city this morning. Sightings of a few men were recorded heading this direction over the past few days from our patrols." The knight goes onto list the traits of these men. "A tall man with tanned skin and dark facial hair wearing a blue cloak. He said he was set to visit his mother. He was travelling by horseback. A large chestnut draft horse."

I freeze, the silence following only adds to my nerves.

"If you see any of these suspects, please turn them into us for questioning." The knight finishes announcing. The sparse crowd of village people watch the knights vacantly as they turn to leave the village. I let out a deep breath and slump against the wall. I have to find Cynthia before anything happens to them.