Embers: Path of Fire Book One

Chapter 9: Wayward

Keenin rested in the shade of a maple tree beside the road. The tree's wide, pointy leaves painted a nice shadow over the ground and its sheltering branches made him feel relaxed. It had been two days since his escape. He had stayed close to the road eating berries from the bushes, but his stomach was starting to feel hollow and his mouth was dry. He took the cylinder from the bag and the map out of the cylinder. The markings of nearby rivers and ponds had started to appear on its surface. He couldn't tell where the map was leading him since the only thing he knew for sure was that he wanted a magic teacher, preferably one who wasn't going to make him join a cause. Though he did wonder when he would find the next town.

Hearing his thoughts, the ink on the map faded and reformed to show a crossroads further up the road he was on. Keenin stood up, picked up his bag, and started walking. Although the map roughly showed him where he was it didn't provide place names unless he knew them and so the Basalt River and the Stonefield Village had been labeled, while the rest remained unmarked.

This is what drew him towards the crossroads. Keenin rolled up the map and placed it back into the cylinder in his sack as the actual sign marking the crossroads appeared ahead. There was no need to show the map to passing travelers when the directions were in front of him.

Ahead another 170 miles West was Behoden, a place known for its libraries and the formidable wall that surrounded it. To the right lay the Buckwood Forests marked only for its connection to the elves, and to the left was Alder Hamlet. His own village of Stonefield was now 85 miles behind him.

He had walked 85 miles in two days and yet Behoden was still another 170 miles away. His best chance of finding a constant supply of food was the city, but it would be a slow trip as he was trying to keep off the pathway and had to detour further into the forest for food and water.

He would have to be careful to check the map for locations of interest before he went too far from vital resources. Keenin scanned the horizon for travelers before he pulled him map out once more, letting the page fill with snaking rivers. He wandered off into the woods at a rough angle towards Behoden, keeping an eye out for dangerous wildlife.

Keenin found the river and bushes of unknown red berries that were being picked at by sparrows. He stopped to consider the risk and decidedly went for the water instead. He drank first, then ran the cool liquid over the top of his head, brushing back the growth of hair to wash away some of the sweat and dirt. A bath and a new haircut would have been nice, but he had to keep walking if he wanted to reach the town of Behoden within the next week.

Keenin had just turned back towards the road when he heard a loud squealing and rustling in the bushes across the river, which suddenly ceased. He shaded his eyes and peered across. Could it be a wild pig? He had never seen one, but he had heard they were vicious as well as delicious. Keenin considered climbing a tree for a better view, but that would take time and energy he didn't have.

Instead, he chose to cross the river downstream. There were no rocks to jump across, but the river narrowed a few paces to his right so he positioned himself back from the edge and ran headfirst towards the gap. He hit the bank and jumped with all his strength. His feet hit the ground on the other side and propelled him forward into the bushes. He scrambled to pull himself up before he could get attacked by whatever animal he had startled. That's when he saw the creatures.

There were about a dozen child-sized two-legged lizards with wings for arms, beaks uplifted from the corpse of a wild pig lying between them. Their beady black eyes fixed upon him and Keenin knew that he had made a terrible mistake. Keenin slowly lowered the bag from his shoulder and reached into it for the knife. One of the creatures squawked. He dropped the bag and pulled the knife free just as the group swarmed him.