Chapter 8

Black felt his eyes open back to the light that surrounded him. His head felt sunken into something as soft as a pillow. As he lifted his head, he noticed this pillow was attached to two legs. 

He raised and peered over to the human that allowed him to rest. 

"Who are you?" he gently asked as he stretched his arms into the air. 

It was a muscular man that had darker skin and no hair. He crossed his arms across his chest. A strap ran across his shoulder that supported a bow almost as large as Black against him. His head was wrapped with a headband much like a bandage would. 

Black felt his gaze but immediately felt as if he was trying to look tougher than he looked. 

Black gazed around at his surroundings. The walls were large wood logs that were decorated with maps and papers. They spanned across the room with no windows in sight. The room was kept warm by a fireplace. 

Black's eyes followed the candles that rested on surfaces like tables and crates of different tools he hadn't recognized. Black felt a sense of protection around him. It was as if he was home again. 

The man behind him stood up to his feet. Black looked up at the man as if he was a mountain that spanned beyond the sky. He grunted and directed his stare to the door behind them. 

In through the door came Red. Her hood was down and her hair dangled majestically. Black grew excited. He walked up to her, but her gaze seemed distracted. She began to take her robe off to hang away. 

"Garg, did you pack the bag up?" 

Black didn't bother paying any attention to what was being said around him. All he could do was allow his mind to be scrambled with questions. 

"Where have you been all this time?" He felt a pit of anger spill up into his gut. 

Red looked at him with strong eyes. Her gaze wasn't one of a weak woman. It felt as if Black was almost stepping out of line to talk to her. 

"I see that idiot Skip keeps sending his children to die at the shrine." 

Black felt appalled by her words. Red finished hanging the robe, revealing a thin line of chainmail that stretched to her hips. Beneath that was a white shirt that showed the definition of her breasts. Black immediately scanned his eyes away in embarrassment, but it didn't remove his anger. 

"You call the rabbit that took care of us and protected us an idiot? What, just because you are a grown-up now doesn't mean you can talk down about him like that." 

The air felt thick. Garg coughed to fill the silence. He walked past the two and out the door, knowing it wasn't his place. Red wiped her arm down. Her skin past her elbows weren't nearly as beautiful as her face. They were covered in scars and damaged skin. 

She took a deep breath. Black watched as she walked to one of the walls littered with maps and rested her finger on the largest one. 

"This is the shrine. You were still a six-day venture from reaching it." 

Black looked at the map. The area she pointed at had a small red X at the spot. Surrounding it was a massive brown circle that led out in every direction. 

"What is with the circle?" 

Red set her hand to her side. She looked at Black with a calmer stare. It still set off his anxiety. 

"Follow me." Red led Black out the door, which he was hesitant to do at first. 

The white void blared into their eyes. Black took a step into dry dirt. It was more like dust. He was awed as he looked out to the horizon. The ground was dry for miles. Not a single carrot was in sight. 

"This is the dry lands. A place that is drought of carrots." 

Black couldn't help but scan the horizon for anything, but all he saw was dust blowing across the sky. Black walked past Red as he shuffled his feet between the grains of dry dirt. 

"Have you been to the shrine before?" Black asked in interest. 

Red raised her leg and rested it on a crate. 

"No, I haven't. But I have my theories about what might be there." 

Behind her, Garg stood straight like some sort of bodyguard. 

"Fire." 

Black raised his eyebrows beneath his bangs in confusion. 

"Fire? Why fire?" 

Red looked out to the horizon. 

"The Shadows hate fire. I have never seen one try to attack me near fire or even try to put it out." 

Black thought back to his home. The theory explained why a Shadow never attacked a place with a fireplace and candles in every room. It made complete sense. 

"What is stopping you from going to the shrine then? You have the location; you just need to pack for the trip." Black was now invested in the idea, the mystery of the shrine. 

Garg took a step forward toward Black. Black could have sworn he felt the ground shake from his feet. 

"There is something there. Something more powerful than a shadow," Garg explained in his deep and authoritative voice. 

Black looked up and over to Red to confirm if what he was saying was true. She nodded in agreement. 

"I've heard it is called the Blood Vermin. It lurks around the shrine, crying red tears." 

Black could only imagine what a creature stronger than a shadow could look like. 

"But I also heard it is killable," Red continued. 

"But we are in search for more warriors to slay it with us and get to the shrine," Garg followed up. 

Red nodded. Black thought back to the newcomer. Someone who could be older than Red. 

"We have a new person at the house. He has a beard and is tall like this," Black stood on his toes and raised his hand to show measurement. Red's slim eyes lightened up and a short grin lined her blush. 

"You think he would make a good fighter?" 

Black immediately nodded his head in rejection. 

"I don't think he even knows how to pull a carrot right." 

Black's face suddenly turned serious. 

"And why would I help you? Yes, you saved me and to that I thank you. But you have been alive this whole time and never came home! If you cared about me at all, wouldn't you have told me somehow you were, okay?" 

Garg took a threatening step toward Black. Red shot her arm up in front of him, which caused his legs to stop moving as if they turned to stone. Red closed her eyes and thought to herself. She shot her finger to her chin and smiled, which caught Black off guard. 

"You're right. Garg packed you a bag for the journey home. But listen." 

Black kept his serious face on. He simply didn't care to take in any more information. But Red continued. 

"There is a fire pit South of here, toward Skip's house. If you are ever to be in danger, light that fire with carrot stem. And you must keep it lit. I will find you, and I will save you, Black." 

Red took her foot down from the crate and walked inside to retrieve the bag for Black. Garg stood still, watching Black just like a bodyguard. Red came back out and got close to Black to hand the bag over. 

As Black reached in to grab it, Red grabbed him from his back and pulled him close. 

She whispered into his ear. 

"How long will you allow Skip to lie to you? To send you and your siblings to death?" 

Black took a step back with the bag in hand. Red closed her eyes and smiled at him. 

"You helmet is cleaned and in the bag. Make sure to put it back on when you return to his home." 

Red pointed out toward the horizon to guide Black home. Black slung the bag back over his shoulder and stared off. Each step forward was one step away from Red. Black was nervous about the journey home, but the thought of Red being alive shook his spine. 

"The Blood Vermin", Black kept thinking to himself. "Could I ever kill something like that?"