CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: THE CAVE AND THE FORT

An eerie silence settled into the cave. The shock of what Tyas had said, and then the sudden rain had utterly subdued everyone in the cave. The questions had dribbled down to nothing.

It was as if no one was brave enough to ask the hard question of what now.

A sigh dropped Calin’s countenance as he silently watched Evany sitting crawled up against Jerry. He sat there gently caressing her shoulder while she sat with her eyes closed. And other than the slight frown that was on her small brow, and her damp cheeks, she looked peaceful to him.

Though it was all but certain to him that she couldn’t or wouldn’t be able to get to terms with what had happened. That she had left her father’s farm to defy the life the man had been forcing on her. To find a new life, a new job, something that was her choice instead of solely her father’s. In the end it was clear to Calin that Evany had every intention to go back to visit when she could get the chance. That was the person she was. She loved her family, even though she wanted to chase her own journey through life.

Only now that dream had become a nightmare, and Calin felt sad for her; feeling intensely responsible for her plight.

Ultimately the frustration with himself and the situation, raged in him. It caused him to throw up his hands as much to take his mind of the matter as to scoot to where Tyas was situated.

And not caring whether or not the others could hear Calin asked, “Why?” The man stopped rummaging through his bag and looked at him.

“Why what?”

“Why couldn’t you have told us before you forced them into a seemingly one-way trip. Why?”

Tyas’ shoulders dropped in a defeated manner before sitting down.

“I didn’t force them; you of all people could see that. But to tell you ... that was a completely different matter. I told you several times before we got here that I wished that I could. I wasn’t lying.”

Dubious of the claim, Calin crossed his arms. But curiosity got the better of him and he lifted an eyebrow while sitting down crossed legged on a mossy area. He waited as patiently as he could for the man to elaborate.

“I tried a hundred times to force the words out of my mouth believe me, but somehow the effects of the barrier even extend to that. It was created to keep this part of the world secret. It was created to stop anybody from ruining that. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

The last was asked with a plea in the man’s bright amber eyes, which contrasted against his pale skin and raven black hair even more in the dim light.

A deep frown knotted in Calin’s forehead as he started to see the picture, even though the whole principles of the how and why was unfathomable, he slowly began to understand what the man meant. The silence between them was tangible as his mind ran to wrap itself around it, but finally he asked, “So, you wanted to tell us, but it wouldn’t let you?”

Tyas nodded sadly and Calin sat back, pondering the new truth. He glanced at Jerry and the boy inclined his head in acknowledgement of what Tyas had said, still holding the distraught Evany.

Then Tyas caught his attention. Calin hoped for more answers as the man asked, “You know that cloak I gave you?”

“Yes?” Calin said uncertainly, wondering what Tyas was leading up to.

“I want you to get yours,” The man was already fishing out his own cloak. “They are quite waterproof and there is something I wish to do while there is cover from the rain.”

Calin looked hard at the man but said, “Okay.”

The crawl to his own bag sent up puffs of dust, though not bothering him in the least as he got the black cloak from his bag. The small blue moon on it mournfully reminded him of how the moon eclipsed the sun. It had so drastically changed their lives. With a slight grimace he donned it. Jerry grabbed his arm.

“Calin what are you doing?”

“I don’t know,” Calin admitted. “But Tyas wants me to go check something while it rains.”

“I wonder what?”

“I really don’t kno—” Calin was interrupted by Tyas shuffling in next to them. The man had a dark green cloak, with its hood still on his shoulders as he said,

“Jerry... Calin and I are quickly going to scout out the house where I lived before I came to your side of Earth. I’m not sure where those other men came from and I want to make sure what lies ahead while the rain gives us some cover.”

With a quick glance around the dimly lit cave, Tyas said, “Jerry, use some of the twigs and wood from the previous inhabitants to get a fire up for you and Evany, but try to make it close to the entrance. No use in smoking yourselves out while we are gone, okay?”

“Don’t you want me to come along?” Jerry asked tentatively, but Tyas quickly said, “No, I want you to watch over our gear and after Evany. We will be back shortly.”

Jerry was about to protest, but Calin laid a hand on his arm and motioned towards Evany hugging her own knees. With a sigh Jerry nodded.

Before Calin could crawl toward the exit, Tyas said, “You know that heavy parcel I gave you? Well unwrap it. We might need it.”

He looked questioningly at Tyas but his curiosity also got the better of him and he unhooked the thing. As he folded the cloth open a gleaming steel sword came into view. Calin marvelled at the short sword, the first real sword he ever held in his own hands.

“Where did you get this?”

He slid his fingers over the smooth edge and couldn’t help but gape at the sensation of holding the weapon. It’s beautiful.

Stolen novel; please report.

A few seconds later Tyas said, “That sword was mine and the one I have was my mom’s.”

The gleaming blade in his hands drew his undivided attention. So much so, that he had to drag his eyes away to look at Tyas as he opened his cloak to unsheathe the sword from its scabbard. It was a bit longer, but just as gracefully smooth. Calin hurriedly un-wrapped the rest of the cloths to extract the scabbard, and found it to be with delicate designs of leaves woven in the hard casing. He smiled like a boy opening a Christmas present and took the sword and let it slide into the scabbard with the sure sound of steel sliding against steel. Calin almost forgot about everything that happened the last few days as he belted the sword under his cloak. Almost.

Quite happy with the weapon at his side he turned to Tyas and the man broke him from his reverie. “Are you ready?”

Calin lost his smile as he looked at Evany. A deep sadness settled on his heart. Her cheeks were wet with tears. Her eyes looked dazed and an uncertain Jerry was trying to sooth her. Exhaling heavily, Calin finally nodded to Tyas and they left the small cave.

Heavy rain drops hit Calin’s cheeks as he got outside. There were black clouds above and he wondered if it reflected the day’s events. With some effort he stood up from his crouching position and flipped the hood of his cloak over his head.

There was an inner lining of the cloak. It was the same midnight blue as the moon on the back. The small patter of raindrops started against the cloth in a soothing pattern, but his heart was heavy, not for himself, but for seeing Evany’s anguish.

It had been his choice to bring her along after she snuck up on them that night on the street. And now?

With a look back at the dark crevice in the rocky overhang, Calin decided he was going to step up for the others. Help them however he could. Especially Evany, she had lost the most.

Finally Tyas came to stand next to him and the thunder striking high above highlighted his green cloak with light.

Without a word, the amber eyed man started forward and ushered Calin to follow him into the storm.

***

The trees and rain became a blur each stride Calin took; his thoughts were jumbled with hundreds of questions, but with far too few answers. Here he was on a different continent. Or so it seemed, but the more he thought of it the more he became sure of it. Much as he didn’t want to admit it.

The swathes of rain cascading past him made everything seem slow. Everything seemed unreal.

Then the sickening thought hit him. There was no way back. He had left Misses Talsen and the other kids to fend for themselves and there was no way he would be able to go back. There was no chance he would be able to send them any of money he would’ve made. The fantasy of working just overseas, gone in an instant as the silver walls of the barrier had closed him off from the modern Earth. Just overseas? An awkward chuckle escaped his mouth.

His heart ached with guilt and his legs became heavy; giving up seemed so much easier at the moment. Tears blurred his eyes, only the form of Tyas in front of him in his sight.

Without warning Tyas stopped and Calin almost ran into the man, jolting out of his dark thoughts.

Their tempo considerably slowed down as he followed Tyas up a small hill. Near the top, Tyas moved towards a tree in a low crouch. Calin moved in next to him before he whispered,

“Why are we stopping?” No answer. He quickly voiced it harder as the heavy rain masked his voice.

Tyas silenced him and he motioned over the edge and he looked.

On the other side there was a small valley, but it was as everything became clear all of a sudden. Huge trees were dotted around them between much smaller normal looking trees. He had been too wrapped up in his guilt to notice. The space where they came out of the forest on the hill was also dotted with those big trees. Their roots were as big as small houses as in some places they arched out of the towering trunks of the trees. The forest seemed intimidating in an instant. Ominous even.

But Tyas slapped Calin’s back and stared intently at him and cocked his head to the valley below. Calin gulped, but looked again, and in the centre away from the worst of the big trees, there was an enclosed area with stone houses with straw roofs, some larger than the others.

A small stream ran on the other side of the place, but what caught his attention were the wooden palisades that surrounded the whole area, with armoured figures scouting along the edges of the three wooden guard towers.

Calin shrunk back down the edge of the hill and snaked closer to Tyas, keenly aware of the mud smearing his cloak at the bottom. When he reached the man’s side he asked, “What are we looking for?”

The man was looking over the edge again and motioned for Calin to look again, he pointed towards a stone cottage which looked big enough to house five people.

“There, you see that house? That’s where I used to live before we had to escape through the World Barrier.”

Calin watched the house closely and suddenly something sparked his memory ... they had stepped towards a small cottage. A man with a great big moustache opened the door...

Wide eyed, he sat there, and with no reason other than the suddenness of the memory, Calin said, “There was a man there with a moustache.”

“Yes...wait...What did you say?” Tyas asked with uncertainty.

Calin turned to the man. “I remember a man with a big moustache opening the door.”

Tyas stiffened and Calin wondered what happened, but still he was caught slightly off guard when Tyas looked at him with intensity in his eyes and asked, “So you remember again?”

With a quick shake of his head Calin said, “No... I don’t know, I just remembered a man with a big moustache.”

Not a second passed before Tyas sighed and drew his cloak tighter. “Last time I saw my dad he had a big moustache.” With a softer voice and a frown, Tyas said, “I miss him...”

It surprised Calin to see the man that had shown nothing but a hard exterior the long hours since they had met, suddenly show cracks. He was about to say that it will be okay, when Tyas straightened up and said, “But that was then. Now we have a problem.”

“What do you mean we have a problem?” Calin asked.

With a quick motion back to the stone cottage, the man said, “There shouldn’t be a fort here, something’s wrong. This village used to be a peaceful place and now there are some of those black armoured and robed men there on the towers. Of all the people of this world to occupy this villa—“

With some confusion to what was the problem, Calin asked,

“So?”

“So? So my house and town where I used to live when I was fifteen, before having to leave, is now over run by the very people that is hunting you.”

It dawned on Calin and he understood the man’s feeling of hurt of losing his hometown, but it still didn’t explain to him why it was a problem, “We can just sneak past the town, can’t we?”

Frustrated Tyas said, “No, that’s not my point. My mom told me that if I ever got back here that there is something buried next to the house that I must get. And not to mention it’s the only lead I’ve got. If we can’t get to that house we might never find our parents.”

The statement unsettled Calin greatly and he said, “So you’re saying we have to sneak into a fort with people, who would assault us on sight patrolling around, to go dig up something your mother told you to find?”

With no hesitation, Tyas nodded and Calin chuckled nervously. “Oh... That’s fine then.”

The man started over the edge and Calin grabbed at him. “Hey what are you doing Tyas?”

“I’m going to sneak in. My house is just there at the edge.”

“Are you insane?!” Calin exclaimed. “We need to warn the others.”

He redoubled his efforts to try and halt the man’s progress.

But then with a move that was too fast for Calin to fathom, the man had shrugged free of his grip and stood more than an arm’s length away.

“How...?” He only had a moment to wonder, before Tyas said,

“No, I’m not. The rain is probably the best cover we are going to get to sneak in and I’m not sure how long we have before it stops.” The man pointed to the trees branches blowing frantically in the wind and rain. “See, the movement will hide ours.”

Tyas started down the slope slowly and said back, “You can go back or you can help me.”

Standing like being caught in headlights Calin looked around. Already panicking as the amber eyed man snuck down the slope, the only cover was some much smaller trees down the hillside.

Man... man, man. Why do I keep getting myself into trouble...I hope I’m not going to regret this.

With that he scrambled after Tyas towards the fort.

To be continued in Arc Two