Chapter 10: Rilyn's Visit

        The next morning when Caden woke up, he was feeling better. He didn't feel tired, and his body didn't ache anymore. When Sam came in with breakfast, he had already washed and gotten dressed. She smiled when she saw him up and moving. She set his breakfast down on the dresser and felt his forehead and cheeks.

        "You're fever finally broke," she said.

        "Yeah," Caden said. "I feel great."

        "I'll let people know that you're feeling better. I'm sure you'll have a couple of visitors today." Sam guided Caden back to bed. "But I want you to take it easy for at least one more day."

        Caden ate his food while Sam checked his bandages.

        Caden was feeling restless. He sat in bed and stared out the window. When he got tired of sitting, he stood up and walked circles around his room. He promised Sam that he'd stay in for one more day, but he was finally feeling better, and he was anxious to get out. He wanted to leave again and find some dragons, so he could help save Keilee. 

        He looked out past the buildings, trees, and bluffs. How close were the Dragon Knights to finding the Queen? With the church reporting attacks on temples, they'd know which way she went. Once they find her, how long will it take to kill her? Caden needed to talk to Sir Eric, find out how much time he has to join them.

        It was still before lunch time when Rilyn came to visit. He opened the door and saw Caden standing by the window. He knocked. Caden turned around and saw Rilyn standing in the door frame, holding the door.

        "Hey, Rilyn," Caden said. "Come in, have a seat."

        Rilyn closed the door. "Hi. I came to see how you were feeling."

        "Really good. How long have I been in here?"

        "About two weeks. We got you home, but you had a fever," said Rilyn. "I came by a couple of times, but you were asleep or delusional."

        "I guess that explains the weird dreams."

        "If we see Su again, I need to appologize to her." Rilyn sat down on the foot of Caden's bed. "She saved your life."

        "I know, Sam told me. What happened?"

        "After you fell, I managed to stop the last two before they could attack you further. We tried to stop the bleeding but the cuts were too deep. That's when Su showed up, she just came out of the woods. She knows a lot about healing and was able to bind your wounds. If she wasn't there, you would have bled out."

        "I need to thank her it seems."

        "You'll need to find her. She disappeared again."

        "What do you mean? She was here last night."

        "I haven't seen her since we returned to Erdon."

Chapter 10: First Visitor

        Caden laid in bed. He spent most of his time resting. When he was awake, it was when Sam came in to redress his wounds or help him wash. When he was asleep, he would dream of forging a chain in Tony's smithy. Sam brought him food three times a day. He wasn't always able to eat, but ate what he could.

        While Sam was cleaning his wounds and changing his bandages, she would hum. It was an old nursery rhyme. Caden tried to remember the words to it. But he couldn't. Still, thinking about the nursery rhyme kept him from thinking about Keilee. He was safe in bed, being cared for by family. She was trapped somewhere, cold and alone. He didn't want to think about it.

        His father never came in to check on him. Caden thought it was strange. He wanted to see him again. He wanted to hear his father lecture him about running away from home. But he stayed away. When Sam was there, he could see something in her eyes. She was right there, warm, smiling, and humming. But her violet eyes were distant, sad. Caden could tell that she wanted to tell him something, but didn't.

        Caden lost all sense of time, drifting in and out of sleep. Sometimes he was up and eating in the middle of the day. Other times it was the middle of the night and he just found some cold food set out next to his bed.

        Su walked into the room. Caden was asleep. She closed the door, careful to not make any sound. She kneeled down next to Caden. She held his hand. He stirred and smiled. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Sam..." Caden mumbled.

        "Who's Sam?" Su said.

        Caden woke up. "What?"

        "You just said Sam in your sleep," she said. "Do you dream of men named Sam."

        Caden rolled over, "What? No, she's my sister," he said. He looked up and saw Su. "Su, hey!" Caden sat up. "When did you get here?"

        "I've been around."

        "Do you believe in fate?"

        Su thought about the question. "No," she said. "I think we make our own choices."

        "Of course we do," Caden said. "But if we didn't stay at the Blue Fox, we wouldn't have heard the mob. And if I didn't decide to help you in judgement, you never could have saved my life."

        Su smiled. A tear rolled down her cheek. "You saved my life, Caden. I saved yours. That's not fate. We're connected by something much greater."

        "Fate is a chain that we create with our choices," Caden said. "There's nothing more binding then that."

        Su grabbed a stool and sat down by Caden's side. She held his hand and felt his head. His forehead was burning. She blew on her finger tips and touched Caden's brow. His skin glowed blue. Caden felt a cool sensation run down his body and he fell asleep. Su stayed by his side and continued to hold his hand.

Chapter 10: Home at last

        Caden woke up with the sun shining in his eyes. He felt warm soft hands moving over his stomach, followed by a slight pulling sensation on his side. He blinked and looked around. He was in his own bed, and sam was kneeling by his bed, changing a bandage over the stab on his stomach. He reached up and touched her wrist.

        Sam jumped at the touch. She looked at Caden. Her light blue hair glowed in the sunlight. She smiled at Caden. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were awake."

        Caden groaned. "Am I dead?"

        She shook her head. "No, but you were close."

        "What happened?"

        "The priest brought you home. He said you were attacked by something he called the 'Dread Knights.' You're injuries were serious, but you got lucky."

        "You saved me then?"

        Sam shook her head again. A tear ran down her cheek. "No, it was the woman you were traveling with."

        "Who?"

        "Don't you remember? She said you were traveling together a lot, to the Dragon Knight camp and back."

        "What's her name?"

        "Suzidan. Don't you remember her?"

        "Yeah," -Caden groaned and sat up-- "we've just been separated since the Dragon Knight camp."

        "Don't move too much." Sam grabbed Caden and supported him while she adjusted the pillows to support his back. "She's still in town. I'm sure she'll come by to talk when she hears you're feeling better."

        Caden leaned against the head board. "Thanks for taking care of me."

        "Well, I haven't been able to do much. I'm not a healer like my mother." Sam took a cloth from a steaming bowl next to the bed, and started washing Caden.

        Caden just relaxed and felt her gentle hands caressing his arms and chest. After she finished giving Caden a sponge bath she helped him lay back down. Caden thought it was strange, his bed felt so familiar, yet so different. He rarely slept in his own bed, but something about being in it then just felt better then before. He couldn't understand it, but it did feel nice to be home. He could smell the baking bread coming from the kitchen. The subtle aroma of baking oats mixed with the sharp smell of rye. He looked around, Sam was gone. He didn't notice her leaving.

Chapter 9: The Road Home

        Caden and Rilyn settled their bill with the Blue Fox. True to her word, Cassy didn’t charge them for all the special food she was giving them. Caden wondered about how quickly the rumors had spread.
        Rilyn went back to the table and fetched Father Achilleos, who was finishing all of cold mugs of cinnamon tea. Caden went out the back to the courtyard where he saddled Starlight. He led the old girl out the courtyard gates.
        On the other side of the gate he saw the strange little rodent watching him. Caden stopped. The rodent stood up on it’s hind legs and twitched its nose. Caden tilted his head to the left. The rodent did the same. Caden smiled. He knelt down and stuck out his hand. The rodent ran up to him and scurried up his arm. Caden laughed as it’s little claws tickled his skin.
        Rilyn walked around to see what was taking Caden. He looked at the rodent. “That thing is going to give you a disease.”
        “You worry too much.” Caden took the rodent off of his shoulder and set it on Starlight’s saddle. “Look at it, it’s healthy.”
        Rilyn shook his head and walked away.
        They walked through the Market of Tinate and gathered supplies for the trip home. Caden took some money from Rilyn and bought ingredients to make a thank you gift for the mayor.
        Father Achilleos was an old man. He walked beside Caden and Rilyn for three hours, insisting that he was fine, but Caden saw him slowing down. They took more breaks to let him rest. Yet he refused the assistance of Starlight. Caden offered after every rest, but Father Achilleos always turned him down.
        Caden looked at Rilyn walking with his cane, and Father Achilleos leaning on the sacred staff of the Sages. He considered riding for a while, but felt guilty. Rilyn was still afraid of Starlight after the bite she gave him, but Caden couldn’t understand Father Achilleos’s reasons.
So they continued to walk, leading Starlight be the reigns. Caden thought about his father. He was going to be angry with Caden for taking the money and horse without asking. She didn’t even save them much time since there was always one person walking. At least the Mayor’s generosity kept him from spending any of his father’s money.
        As much as he regretted lying to his father, but would his father understand him leaving again? Would he agree to letting Caden leave Erdon and hunt down five dragons to prove that he was strong enough to join the quest for the Dragon Queen?
        They stopped to eat lunch next to a small brook. Caden watered the horse while Father Achilleos and Rilyn sat and talked under the shade of an old oak. Caden shivered, he felt a cold chill run up his spine. He looked around, but couldn’t see anything. He looked at the stone sword. He untied the straps holding it to the saddle and pulled it away. He lifted it in both hands then held it in one. It felt light. He walked up the bank to Rilyn.
        Rilyn was laughing at a joke Father Achilleos told him. He looked over at Caden coming back. He lifted an apple to give to Caden, then saw the stone sword. Rilyn dropped the fruit. He stood up and drew one of his swords.
        Father Achilleos looked at them. “What’s wrong?”
        “I don’t know,” Rilyn said, “and I can’t explain it. But if Caden can hold that sword, then something is wrong.”
        Caden stopped next to Rilyn. “See anything?”
        “No, you?”
        “Not yet, but I can feel it.”
        Father Achilleos watched them. He took out a small book, ink, and quill. He recorded what he saw in a simple black line sketch.
        Caden turned and pointed into the woods. A group of shadows got darker, turning almost pitchblack. Rilyn nodded. “Yeah, I see it.”

Chapter 8: Rumors Over Breakfast

        Caden woke up early. He got dressed. As he pulled his shirt on, he looked at Rilyn's sleeping form. She had the covers pulled tightly around her, like it was a shield against some unforeseen danger. Caden looked at her swords. The sheaths were made from bone, and split along the top so you lifted the swords out rather then drawing them. The blades etched with a jagged pattern, so that when placed side by side, the curve formed a perfect circle with a sun etched around the rim.

        Caden held the swords up and looked at Rilyn. "Where are you from?" he said. He looked at the blanket covering most of her face. "And even sleeping, you still hide your face from me." He shook his head and put the swords away. He walked out of the room. "You're one strange man."

        In the common room, Cassy came over and served him a bowl with a cinnamon bread soaking in steaming milk. Caden noted how the bread lacked a distinctive cinnamon swirl when he cut it open and it absorbed the milk much too quickly.

        He looked up at Cassy. "Cinnamon?" he asked. "Isn't that a bit extravagant for what we pay?"

        "True," she said. "But I want you to come back again."

        "Why?" Caden took a bite of the meal.

        Cassy set down a mug of tea sweetened with steamed cinnamon spiced milk. "I heard a rumor the other day, and I think you had something to do with it."

        "What was that?" Caden took a drink of tea.

        Cassy sat down across from Caden. "Well, some people were saying that the local guard picked up a couple of Bandits. They were wanted for several muggings on the south highway. The guards found them with major injurys, but two were still alive. When they were brought in, they talked about a man with a holy, green and black, sword. Now everyone in town is talking about some holy knight who's purging the wicked."

        Caden choked on his tea.

        "When I saw you bring that stone sword into your room last night," she said. "I figured it had to be you."

        "Well," Caden said. "I wouldn't put too much faith into rumors."

        Cassy looked up, and said, "Where's your friend?"

        "I think maybe he had too much to drink last night," Caden said. "He's still asleep."

        "He's so mysterious, always covered up like that."

        "You're telling me," Caden said. "At night, he even covers up with his blanket." Caden leaned over the taple and whispered, "I think he's secretly hiding some hideous scar."

        Cassy laughed. Caden joined her. They sat and talked till more patrons came in looking for breakfast and Cassy went back to work.

Chapter 5: Buried in the Sand

        Caden and Rilyn walked for the rest of the night. Caden never rode Starlight. They reached the highway by sunrise. The road to Erdon was marked by an old well next to a log lean-to and trough. Caden drew water from the well and filled the trough. He let Starlight drink while he sat in the lean-to.

        "Planning on taking a break already?"

        "No," Caden said.

        "Just asking," said Rilyn. "Because when I ran away from home, I went more then a couple of hours away."

        "This is the farthest I've ever traveled from my home."

        "So what?" Rilyn dropped the bucket into the well. "Eric told me you wanted to leave that town."

        "Hey! Do you even remember what it was like to leave your home for the first time?"

        "Yeah." Rilyn pulled the rope and hauled the full bucket out. "It was a month ago. And I haven't looked back." He carried the bucket to Caden. "Like you, staying home meant death."

        "I'm not going die if I stay in Erdon."

        "You're not?"

        "No!" Caden yelled.

        "Staying put, delivering bread every morning, getting married and raising a home," said Rilyn. "While every year, the Dragon Knights come, and choose people, but never you? Watching the people you know, leave you behind and live the life you dream of?"

        Caden looked at the bucket in Rilyn's hands.

        "There are ways of dying that don't leave you buried in the sand."

        "I will join the Dragon Knights," Caden said. He looked Rilyn in the eyes.

        "Not like that you won't." Rilyn set the bucket down. "Unless you want to be buried in the sand, get that sword of yours off the horse."

        Caden looked down the road, back to Erdon. Rilyn picked up the bucket and threw the water on Caden. "What?" Caden shook his head.

        "I said, get your sword and..."

        Caden ran at Rilyn. He threw a punch with all of his strength. Rilyn stepped to the side. Caden's punch missed. It passed by Rilyn's ear. Rilyn's elbow hit Caden in the solar plexus while he drew a dirk. He put the tip against Caden's neck.

        "As I said, you'll be buried in the sand." Rilyn put his dagger away. "Your Mayor charged me with making sure that doesn't happen."

        When they started, Caden couldn't lift the stone sword. When they finished, Caden couldn't lift his own arms. He laid on his back in front of the lean-to. He stared at the light filtering through the trees.

        Rilyn looked at his stone sword. "I could break this thing," he said. "Then you'll have a better chance of clubbing someone with it."

        "No. I can use it. I saved the children."

        "From a grumpy, moldy old man," Rilyn said, "in robes. That's hardly proof of your prowess against a trained fighter. This thing is going to get you killed."

        Caden sat up. "Don't doubt me. I was able to lift it in one hand."

        Rilyn looked at Caden's skinny arms. "I doubt that." Rilyn opened Caden's knapsack and took out two loaves. He tossed one to Caden. "Eat, drink, then we need to get moving." Rilyn broke the hard outer crust.

        "Wait." Rilyn looked at Caden. "Switch loaves."

        Rilyn looked at the two loaves. His was darker. He thought it was over cooked and burnt a little. He shrugged and swapped loaves with Caden. He broke the lighter loaf in half and bit into the meaty filling. He cringed and puckered at the taste. It was the most sour thing he ever put into his mouth. And there was a lingering taste of something he never had before. He looked at the bread, it was dotted with green specks.

        Caden laughed. "You're really not from around here," he said. "Don't worry, I don't care for the sour seaweed stew either." He broke open his bread and took a big bite. "Now the sweet honey stew is to die for." Bits of food flew from his mouth as he talked. He picked up his knapsack. "Next time, don't take my food without asking."

        Rilyn smiled. He watched Caden untie the horse and lead it out onto the highway. He looked down at the disgusting bread. He took another bite and forced himself to eat it while following Caden.