AN: Hey! So I changed some things in the previous chapter that you might want to go back to. I think I clarified a few things about the Pavoxs' political system... or their leaders at least. I also changed one of their words so make sure you read that before, you might be slightly confused now or later if not, who knows. Enjoy and tell me what you think! :D
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Chapter 12
The next couple of days were filled with endless walking, forced conversations and awkward tension between Kenneth and I. He seemed to be trying to make me warm up to him again but I wouldn’t allow it to happen. Although at times I had to bite the inside of my cheeks and look away to keep from laughing, he did have his funny moments.
It was going on the fourth day of our journey, I was lagging behind next to the horse while Kenneth and Alida were up ahead talking in hushed voices. I had tried to draw near to listen in but every time I did, they would cease talking. I walked behind them fuming, and finally, I was unable to hold it in any longer.
“What are you two always talking about? What can’t you tell me?”
Kenneth glanced back at me and sighed, “You have a lot of questions don’t you?” The two of them slowed down and waited for me to catch up.
“Yes, and you never seem to answer them; what are you hiding from me?”
“I promise, I will tell you everything you want to know. Now just isn’t a good time.”
“’Later Kyra, I have my reasons Kyra.’ That’s all you ever say. I’m done playing your little game of ‘keep-Kyra-in-the-dark’. I want answers now!”
Kenneth looked surprised at my outburst, he glanced over to Alida almost in question. I sensed more than saw her responsive shrug, being too focused on Kenneth, intent on not letting him slip through my fingers this time.
Kenneth seemed to deflate a moment later. He met my eyes squarely and gave a big sigh. What he said next shocked me.
“Alright, I’ll tell you. Please, just let us set up a camp before I talk, there is much to say and we should get comfortable before going into it.”
I had expected to argue and yell at him until I got my answers so his sudden relenting caught me off guard. I blinked at him.
“That’s it? You’re going to tell me just like that?”
Kenneth shrugged. “I was going to tell you sometime and I guess now is as good a time as any.”
I fell silent, not that there was anything else to say after that. Instead, I busied myself with perfecting the questions I was going to ask Kenneth.
Later that night, when we had finally set up camp, I kept a close eye on Kenneth. I would make him keep his word even if it was the last thing I did. Kenneth had tried to keep busy once we had settled down, always waving me off for another moment to do something that he said was important. Finally, when he could hold me off no longer, he sat down next to the crackling fire and gestured for me to do the same. I found a rock the size of a chair and brought it over to the fire, settling comfortably into a natural indentation at the top.
“Alright, what do you want to know first?”
“Who are you?” Out of all of the questions I could have asked, I had no idea what made me ask this one first, it had slipped out without much effort or thought on my part.
Kenneth seemed surprised as well, his eyebrows rose quizzically as he stared at me uncomprehendingly.
“What?”
I didn’t reply, I just sat and waited for his answer.
“I’m not sure what that has to do with anything that you’d want to know.”
“Neither do I, but I asked it so I want an answer. Are you trying to hide something?”
Kenneth was silent himself a moment before answering, “I am son of Katherine, who was sister to my uncle whom you have served these past years.”
“And your father?”
“Is dead.”
He said it so curtly that I was taken aback for a moment. “I’m sorry, but who was he?”
“No one of importance, he didn’t stay long after I was born; he was killed actually. But I don’t want to answer any more questions about my past; that matters little now,” he said stiffly.
“Fine, then why did you keep Alida with you in the house?”
“I wanted to keep her safe.”
“From what?”
“My uncle, I’m sure you knew him well enough to understand why.”
“He wouldn’t have done anything to her, she wasn’t his.”
“Even so, I wanted to make sure. I also… wanted to keep her with me so that I could question her.”
“About what?”
“Her past, where she came from, the likes.”
“Why are you so interested in a pair of pavox’s past lives? What can you possibly gain from such knowledge?”
Kenneth seemed to be searching for the right words, for what to say or, more importantly, what not to say. “Do not hold back anything, you promised you would tell me what I wanted to know tonight.” I reminded him.
“I am aware, you just might not believe what I say.”
“Try me.”
“I have been looking into a rumor I’ve learned about these past few years. I have been following every lead I get only to turn away empty handed. I had just about given up when I bumped into something purely by accident. At first I brushed it off as fluke, I had been searching for so long it was probably just my mind making things up for me to make me feel better. I had begun to believe it truly was nothing until the two of you, unknowingly of course, made me think differently.”
“And what is this rumor you have been looking to confirm?”
“This is the part where you think I’m crazy.”
“I already have my opinion of you and it’s not likely to change anytime soon.”
“We’ll see. Believe it or not, I’ve been looking for the lost hatchling of the Royal brood.”
I laughed sharply, what was he talking about? There was no lost hatchling. And even if there were, what would he want with them? I voiced my question to him.
“You mean you’ve never heard of it?”
“Heard of what? That you’re crazy?”
“See, I told you you’d think I was crazy,” Kenneth interjected with a smile which soon faded. “But you seriously haven’t heard of the egg that was stolen from the Royal Eyrie years ago?”
“No, because it never happened. What is with the story? You promised me answers here, not some fanciful tale.”
“It’s not a story it’s true.” Kenneth replied, a thoughtful look now on his face.
He was about to say something else, but I never got the chance to hear what it was he was going to say. For at that moment I felt a sudden panic rise up in myself. I was left confused only for a moment before I realized it was Alida trying to get my attention in the pavoxs’ silent way of communication. Kenneth seemed to perk up as well, probably noticing the change in my behavior.
“Something’s happened to Alida.” I said standing up, Kenneth followed suit.
“Where did she go?”
“I don’t know out that way, I said pointing behind Kenneth. Just as the words left my mouth I froze. There was something moving in the shadows just behind Kenneth. I looked closer and suddenly cried out as an object came flying out of the night right towards Kenneth. He turned around just as it him on the side of the head. He cried out as he fell to the ground, he didn’t get back up. I whirled around and ran into someone who was standing right behind me. They wrapped a gag around my mouth and pinned my arms behind my back in a way that my wings were trapped as well. I struggled to free myself, but suddenly the back of my head exploded in pain and all I knew was darkness.
I woke up disorientated and sore. I opened my eyes to see I was in what seemed to be a small, rectangular hut made out of twigs and dried mud, the only ornamentation was a grass filled mat that served as a cushion between myself and the hard ground. A wooden door off to my left let in a few gentle rays of sunlight through the small cracks allowing me to tell the time of day. Painfully, I struggled into an upright position and looked down at myself. My legs were free but both wings and arms were bound with ropes, my wings behind me and my arms in front. I felt a weird sensation on my neck and went to itch it with my chin when I froze. The metal band that had encircled my neck for the past five years was gone, as were the bands around my wrists. The strange feeling was a light breeze from a small hole in the wall next to me. Cautiously, I turned and peered out the crack to see what I could find.
The small circle only showed a grassy field and the edge of two other huts that looked like the one I was in. I kept watching out until I saw a pair of legs walk by. My heart started beating quicker now as I pulled away from the wall. The legs I had seen belonged to a pavox! Why had they taken us here? Why was I bound? Where were the others?
I was still trying to make sense of it all when I heard a commotion outside my door. A moment later, the door swung open to reveal two figures looking down at me. I eyed them cautiously as they looked me over as well. The younger pavox, a male with brown wings, glanced back and whispered something to the elder pavox who narrowed her dark eyes and stepped around the adolescent towards me. This pavox had glossy black wings that poked out from behind her with long hair to match. We watched each other for a while and finally I spoke up in my own language.
“Where am I? Why did you capture us?”
“You are in the village of the Kraaigh tribe. You and your friends have been brought here for questioning.”
“What for? What have we done?”
“That remains to be seen, we have talked to the human that was with you the other day. He had some interesting stories to tell.”
“The other day? How long have we been here?”
“You have been here for about a day, the human recovered surprisingly fast. Did you teach him our language?
“No, he knew that before I met him.”
“And when was that?”
“A few weeks ago. It’s a complicated story.”
“I see. Those that took you in found the collar around your neck, are you that human’s slave?”
“No.” I said quickly but then I paused. “Well I suppose I technically am, he got me away from my previous master, but I’m not his.”
“I would like to hear your side of the story, the boy told us where you were going and coming from. He has also had some interesting things to say.”
“Well I don’t know everything myself, they wouldn’t tell me much. In fact, I was just getting some answers when your soldiers assaulted us.”
“Will you please tell me what you do know?”
“Am I a prisoner here?”
“Only for now and if you seem to present a threat to us,” she said eyeing me evenly.
“We mean no harm, we didn’t even know there was a village where we were.” I said hotly.
“I still want to know what your take on the story is.”
I looked back at her without speaking for a while before taking a deep breath and launching into my story starting when Kenneth had taken me from his uncle.
The Mevlan, the woman,said nothing when I had finished talking. She regarded me now with a look of curiosity.
“And how did you become a slave to this man? Were you born tamed?”
“I was taken from my village years before I had even begun my fledging, they killed my father and took me as a slave.” I responded through gritted teeth, I didn’t care for her words.
“Where are you from?”
“I was from the Valkze tribe, you probably have heard of it.”
“The Valkze tribe?” She sounded surprised. “Indeed, it is our neighboring village just south of here. How long ago were you taken?”
“Almost ten years ago.” My heart started to flutter, I was close to my old home!
“That must have been the raid that took your Skavlieu as well wasn’t it? We remember that day well because it was after his death that your tribe started to go mad.”
“What do you mean?” what hadn’t Alida told me? I thought startled.
“Once the raid relieved you of both your Skavlieu and Bladvier there was a lot of disagreement and we had to help them dissolve a few fights between them. We did what we could and after a few rough days, we helped them incorporate a new line to take over.”
“Vyra.”
“Yes, how did you know?” She asked sounding surprised.
“My friend told me, she was also from my tribe and I recently ran into her after she had been taken as well.”
“Perhaps we should talk to her once she wakes.” She said almost to herself.
“Where is she?”
“She is in the cell next to yours, she has yet to awaken.”
“Is she hurt?” I demanded, feeling desperate. I would not lose another of my friends to death so quickly.
“Nothing serious, the blow to her head must have been harder than yours.”
I sat quietly, repressing my temper knowing that it would be dangerous to lose it here.
“May I see her?”
“There will not be much to see, she is unconscious.”
“I still want to see her.”
She held my gaze for some time before replying. “Not now, once we have spoken to her I will see if you can talk with her then.”
“Fine, can I at least get some food?”
“Masik, get some food to the young one… what is your name?”
I had to think for a moment before giving my free name “Araceli, what is yours?”
Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully as if she had recognized my name. I didn’t know if telling her I had been the Bladvier of whom she spoke would be a good idea or not so I held my tongue.
“I am Tafari, Skavlieu of the Kraaigh.” I raised my eyebrows slightly as she turned and motioned for Masik to leave for the food. Turning back to me she said,
“Well then Araceli of the Valkze, I hope we can put this all aside if you and your friends truly mean no harm.”
“I’m sure.” I said shortly.
Tafari gave a nod and turned away, leaving me alone but with much to think about.