The Island With No Parallel

Revett (Part 1)

“Of course it does. Now, pay him, it’s important.”

She pointed to the prices on the menu accommodated for whatever currency existed here, but also a few european ones. The price for the beer was right up there. Because of the fact that people often paralleled to Earth and sometimes passed amongst humans to sell things for money, most stores accepted Earth currencies as well.

Sighing, Manuel put the money on the table as the bartender gave a grin full of twisted teeth and offered a glass of beer. “How can I help you?”

“We’re looking for a blacksmith,” Yunara asked. “Do you know one that lives here?”

“Of course. You’re looking for Marus. He lives up the hill to the east. You can’t miss it. It’s the house at the end of a long windy path.”

Yunara went over the directions in her head and recited it to memory. “Alright, thank you.”

Then they left the bar, Manuel just following along silently. The two of them followed the bartender’s directions and found the house he described. At the end of the path they followed was a small home, and the sound of metal ringing was heard even from afar. A fire seemed to burn from a small building beside the home. It was definitely the home of a blacksmith.

They walked up to the little hut, the source of the ringing. They entered and found someone garbed in all of the typical blacksmithery wear, covered in protective covering and a mask. They were working with something in the oven. Heat pulsed through the air as they opened it.

They hadn’t noticed Manuel and Yunara enter. Manuel called, “Sir! We want to speak with you!”

The person looked at them, put up what they were placing in the oven, and came towards them. She pulled off her mask. “My father not in. I’m his daughter, Kailu. How can I help you?”

Yunara tried to imagine her age. She couldn’t have been older than herself, maybe 18 or 19 years old. Manuel looked at the girl with shock, probably disgusted. Her Naiad face was dirty with soot, her hands covered in man’s gloves and looking at them with a disgruntled look on her face. She had angled features, and was brown like Yunara. Her thick black hair was in a single braid that went down her back. She had gills along her neck like Yunara did.

Yunara came in. “We’re actually looking for you.”

Kailu’s eyes narrowed. Her hand went to her tool bag, where a mallet was waiting. “Who are you?”

“I’m Yunara, and this is Manuel. We need your help. You see--” just then Yunara stopped as Lorenn came swooping in out of nowhere, landing on Yunara’s shoulder.

“Kailu, it’s time,” she said.

Kailu’s face turned angry. “Oh, this has got to be a joke. So the Ancient Ones sent these two to try to convince me, huh? Well, I’ll tell you the same thing I told the Ancient Ones, alright? I’m not going with you.”

Now Yunara was shocked, “You can see Lorenn?”

“Yes, I can see her. I see the Unseeables all the time. Well, as of late. It happened all of a sudden one day. I saw animals coming out of nowhere, and they took me somewhere. I saw a bear, a eagle, all of these gigantic animals in the air. The horse is the one that chose me. Baio. Listen, they already explained all of this to me. About the Aracs, the Dark Ones, and the Unseeables. And I’m not getting involved in any of it. You can just go on home.”

Lorenn flew away. Manuel looked furious. “Listen, we didn’t come all this way for nothing,” he said angrily and out of character. “Why won’t you come?”

“I said no. There’s nothing else you need to know,” she said indifferently. “Now either you’re going to place an order and pay in cash or leave.”

“For heaven’s sake, is all cooperation in this country paid in cash, or what?” Without another word, he stormed away.

Leaving her alone, Manuel didn’t leave Yunara any other choice but to follow him. There would be no convincing Kailu, it seemed. Manuel and Yunara walked away from the home and began down the hill that took them there.

“Now what?” Manuel asked.

Yunara looked at Manuel and boiled. This was why she generally disliked the rich and wealthy. Here he was a prime example of someone who honestly thought that everything was always supposed to go his way. He looked at everything with a snotty attitude Yunara normally couldn’t tolerate. He probably thought very lowly of Kailu, the bar and the bartender that helped them, and most likely Yunara as well. Because he was man of status. Of course he could lose his temper because a blacksmith’s daughter told him no. He was entitled to what he wanted. Part of Yunara wanted to scream. This was the last type of person she wanted to be stuck with. It was precisely what she missed about working for Cadri; her laid-back attitude, easy to talk to, easy to get along with. A quality that emanated from the King and Queen themselves. But the Ancient Ones had put Manuel in her path, the exact opposite of the only people she could get along with and trust that her sharp tongue wouldn’t get her in trouble. Yunara had to try to keep her opinions to herself. They had more important and urgent matters at hand, and she didn’t want a stupid argument to get in their way.

“We’ll have to come back later,” she said, swallowing her anger. “I just hope she--” Just then, she stopped. A man was coming up the hill riding on a horse. In his side was a gash that was bleeding. He rode with one hand and coddled his side with the other.

Kailu came out of the hut. “What all this-- papa!” she cried.

--
So this chapter is a little on the long side, but trust me, it's because stuff is about to get serious ;)

So, any predictions? This girl doesn't want to come with them! How do you think they'll convince her? And how will they deal with whatever attacked her father?

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