The Fourfold Key

Chapter Eighteen: Goodbye Again

"Excuse me? ...Ruth?" came a voice from outside.

Ruth sat up in her bed, breathing hard. Another dream. She shuddered, remembering how the Sorceress had killed the dwarf without a second thought. She slipped to the floor, noticing a leaf carpet had appeared at the foot of her bed while she slept. Out the window overlooking the village she could see that it was late afternoon. She hurried to the door and opened it, leaving her staring into the face of a very handsome elf-boy.

He had shoulder-length black hair, every strand forced into a series of rope-like twists, blue eyes, and a large smile.

"H—hi," Ruth stammered, trying very hard not to stare at his face.

"Hi to you, too. Ramere sent me to get you. Come on!" He began to walk off. Ruth stumbled after him. "I'm Drexel," he added.

"Nice to meet you. How - how old are you?" Ruth asked. She wasn't sure why she asked that. I'm  feeling weird, so maybe that has something to do with it. She ordered the strange fluttering down. She had never felt this way before, and she wasn't sure she liked it. 

"I'm fourteen - You're twelve, I know," he added, grinning.

"Yeah, well—What's today's date?" 

"The thirtieth of June. Why?"

"Well, I'm—that's my birthday. I'm thirteen." Ruth's mind unwillingly flashed back to her family, and how devastated they would be. They probably think I'm dead, she thought glumly. She imagined them seated around the table, looking at each other sadly, each thinking about how happy this day should be. And Lila, she would be mourning, too, she was sure. It was nice to think about how much they cared about her, but it hurt to think they were hurting. "So," she said, trying to change the subject, "why does Ramere want me?"

"It's time to eat, I think. Come on, let's go get Shorty."

"Shorty?"

"The dwarf. I met him earlier. He doesn't seem to like his new nickname though." He smirked.

Ruth laughed.

After a while, they came to Tom's little room. Instead of finding Tom in the room though, they discovered him sitting in front of its closed door, as far away from the platform's edge and any plants as possible.

"Still don't like you, huh?" Drexel asked.

"Oh, it's you again." Tom's expression darkened. But it brightened when he noticed Ruth. "Hello, Ruth."

"Hi, Tom! How's it going?"

"Horrible. The room locked me out. And before that it tied me to a chair. It's not amusing!" he added when he saw Drexel, doubled over with laughter. Tom glared at him until he composed himself.

"Alright, Shorty. Come on, it's time to eat." Drexel shooed Tom towards the ladder.

"Absolutely not. There's no way I'm going down there again."

"Yep. You are." Drexel picked Tom up, hoisted him over his shoulder, and proceeded to carry him towards the ladder.

"ALRIGHT! I'M GOING! PUT ME DOWN!" Tom roared.

Drexel laughed and set him on the ground. Tom huffed and stalked down the ladder.

Ruth put a hand over her mouth to smother her grin.

Drexel led them to a large platform, the center of which had three long tables. At the head of each of the three tables was an elf. Ruth assumed they were a type of royalty, because of the finery of their clothes.