SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE ! Enjoy reading!
Adar loosened his stance, and threw his dagger on the floor, smirking. The look on his face was one of insanity.
Is he mad? Cade Thought, Is he trying to surprise me with an act of-
"I'm ready," said Adar, with a look of no emotion. He stepped forward, spreading his arms open to an attack at the chest.
Cade launched forward, drawing two jagged knives from his coat, crossing them at Adar's neck.
Adar's eyes showed calmness.
The scent of blood entered Cade's nose.
"You're injured," laughed Cade, stopping a few centimeters of ripping Adar's throat to pieces. "You already have a wound, from Hughes I presume?"
Adar grinned. "Cut open my chest, he did."
Cade took a few steps back, sheathing his knives.
"I thought my vision was wrong, but I shouldn't have doubted it."
"Vision?" questioned Adar, smirking. "Do you seers truly believe that power belongs to each of you?"
"I propose a duel," stated Cade. "We will meet at the edge of town in a month. By then you should be healed. I wish to fight you at your best!"
I believed my self insane, thought Adar, but this man is beyond help.
"This is my best," replied Adar. "What more do you wish to see?"
"Everything!" Exclaimed Cade, eyes full of a hunger. He spread his arms open and walked backwards. "Your power, your skill, and your revenge do I wish to see with my own eyes! The other seers have spoken rumours of you, saying that you even dared to attack Langstrom!"
Adar felt a liquid suddenly come from his mouth, streaming out on the side of his lips.
He wiped at it, feeling a warm substance. Looking down at his hand, Adar's eyes furrowed. Blood? How?
"What did you expect?" Cane asked, folding his arms against his chest. "You forced your body above and beyond your limits. That attack was well played, explosive and surprising. I should have realized it as soon as you shifted your weight. I was surprised when you gave up so quickly. Now it all makes sense. Your injured, badly. After that failed attempt, you knew chance of survival was nearly zero."
Adar remained calm, leaning against a pew. "Why do you wish to fight me? There are others; John, Martin, and a few of the watchmen around here would be sufficient, would they not?"
Cade grinned."You simply wouldn't last in your condition right now. I want to best you at your finest health, when you can show us your true colors, blood colors."
Adar looked at him. Cade was obviously a lot tougher than he had previously calculated.
Now looking at his arms, showing out from his cape and coat, Adar could see the size of his thick, muscled forearms. His biceps looked like miniature cannon balls, his chest like a barrel.
Cade grinned, and hid his arms back inside of his cape.
"Do you accept my challenge?" Cade asked. "Langstrom gave me only a month. If you cannot face me by then, I will have no choice but to retrieve you... ready or not."
"Where is Langstrom?" asked Adar, his voice full of poison, his eyes with fire.
Cade gave a wicked smile, his eyes squinting like those of a psychotic person.
"Look at your self, bitterness and hatred taking over you. You're destroying yourself from the inside. That's where hatred always starts, then it make its way on the outside."
Adar choked, alarmed at seeing blood coming out with spittle.
"If I win the duel-" began Adar.
"WIN!" Cade Exclaimed with incredulity. "There is not true purposes for those words here. You either live or die!"
Adar wiped the remaining blood from his chin, with his wrist."Well, then before I send you to hell where you belong, I'll rip out the whereabouts of Langstrom along with your heart!"
"Why, a Christian shouldn't be talking like that, should he? " Cade joked.
Adar clinched his fists at his side, his anger taking great hold on him. "I'm not a Christian, and I doubt that I will ever be. I merely believe in the existence of God."
"Believe in God, yet not worship him?!" Cade mused." I myself don't believe in a God! This world had been doing fine without one. You yourself make no sense! How can you be a believer in God, and not worship him!"
Adar felt his heart slow. He remembered his mother had always trained him to try to behave like a Christian, but in truth he was sure he was no better than an unbelieving murderer.
"The answer is simple," replied Adar. "Satan believes in God, yet chooses not worship him. Even his fallen angels believe in God. You are more foolish than even them."
Cade let out a crazed laugh." You have bested me! I believe you to be a demon then!"
"You will tell me the location of Langstrom," said Adar.
"Why don't you ask your father?" Cade snickered.
Adar rushed forward to get his dagger, sliding and grabbing it off of the floor.
Cade smiled, moving rapidly towards Adar. "I won't fall for the same thing twice."
Adar pounced upwards, slicing up, feeling his dagger strike both of Cade's knives.
"Sensitive aren't we?" Cade taunted.
"Dead aren't you?" Replied Adar.
Both of their face were inches away, weapons still locked on each other.
Adar slowly felt Cade's knives seemingly begin to over power his upward force.
"We will meet in the great field on the east part of town," whispered Cade as he leaned forward. "We will have our duel on the eve of Christmas. Be prepared. Bring your own sword. If you tell anyone, especially John, of our conversation, then be assured, Melanie will disappear before you can scream for help."
Adar gritted his teeth. He drove his whole body against Cade, flying forward. Cade had sidestepped, moving entirely out of the way.
Adar realized his back was now wide open.
He instinctively gripped his dagger and planted his foot, ready to ensue a rapid counter attack, but stopped dead cold as the front church door opened.
"Mrs. Willis said he went in here," said a voice all to familiar to him.
Melanie, thought Adar.
Melanie walked in, Richard following.
Light filled the church, as the door had opened. Melanie smiled as she saw Adar, but her face turned quizzical as she saw the man standing behind him.
"We were looking for you, Adar," said Melanie. She noticed the discomfort hanging thickly in the atmosphere. "We were hoping you would play blind man's buff with us."
Richard was standing at the door way, clueless as to what was happening.
Cade cracked a grin. "Go play with your friends, boy."
Melanie and Richard failed to notice the sarcasm in Cade's words.
Adar sighed. "It was nice meeting you, Sir. May we see each other another time. It seems my friends are calling me."
Adar looked at the Cade standing in the middle aisle. For some reason, the scene seemed familiar. The white cross was hanging over Cade's head, from Adar's point of view.
He doesn't believe in God, thought Adar, he believes in himself, he's his own god.
He turned around, walking straight for the door, but before he made it out the doorway, Cade spoke.
"You must be Melanie?" asked Cade.
Melanie was a bit surprised, but nodded her head in response."That's correct, I am she."
"Adar has told me a bit about you, and from what I can figure he's a good friend. Take care of him, as he will need it."
Melanie smiled. "I will, thank you. "
Richard saw Adar pause for a second, then resume to walk past him, a look of hate in his eyes.
After closing the door, Melanie caught up to Adar, who was heading towards the back of the church, Richard to the side of Melanie.
"Are you going to play blind man's buff with us?" Melanie asked, walking beside Adar.
Adar kept his eyes forward. "No."
"Please?" Melanie pleaded, then she looked at Richard. "Help me, Richard, tell him how fun it'll be."
Richard smiled nervously. "It'll be fun, Adar. Its not hard to learn-"
"I have to talk to Mr. Martin," interrupted Adar, his voice cold.
Adar rounded the corner of the church and saw Abigail sitting by herself. The rest of the tables contained other people, mostly elders. It seemed most of the young adults had left the scene as soon as they were allowed to.
Melanie sighed. "Why don't you want to play? Are you embarrassed that you don't know the rules? I just now learned them, so it's okay."
Play? Adar Thought, I have a duel coming up and you're asking me if I can play? I almost lost... died back there, and you think of a game?
A quick image, of Adar playing, rushed through his mind. He had been running from Cane, attempting to escape his touch. Tag. Cane caught up to him and pushed him down, violently.
I never did like games, thought Adar.
He approached the table from the side, and stopped.
"Abigail?" Adar spoke.
Abiagil put the book, she had been reading, down. She smiled upon seeing him.
"Hello, Adar." She responded.
Melanie immediately cut in, walking from behind Adar, a baffled look on her face."When did you two meet? "
Abigail grinned. "Hello, Melanie. How are you? "
Melanie chuckled, putting her hand to her cheek. "Where are my manners! Hello, Abigail! Sorry that I did not greet you earlier. But if you don't mind me asking, when did you meet Adar?"
"Only this morning," replied Abigail, "but you never mentioned him to me, why?"
Melanie opened her mouth to respond, but closed it slowly. She was at a loss of words. Her face took the appearance of embarrassment and a bit of shame.
"I'm sure she was just excited to see the town, that's all," Adar said. "I failed to mention that I knew her as well. No harm done."
"Oh," was all Abigail could say.
Melanie turned her head, surprised that Adar had answered. Is he...
Adar's face looked emotionless, then he smiled. "I only met her on a trip. She's a friend of John, as am I."
"You didn't tell me he was the other person John had brought," said Richard. He walked from behind the two.
Abigail smiled. "Evening, Richard. My aren't you looking fancy today?"
Richard blushed, subconsciously grabbing at his cravat for comfort.
"You look great as well, Abigail!" Richard exclaimed, quickly regretting how sudden it sounded.
Abigail giggled, shaking her head. She then looked behind Richard, as though she was searching for something. "Where is Eli? He's normally right beside you."
"Well," began Richard.
As Abigail and Richard talked, Melanie looked sideways at Adar. She felt disappointed at her self.
Maybe I should have mentioned Adar sooner, she thought, but I did take him to see Richard today, so I guess it's not all wrong.
Adar looked at Melanie, seeing her saddened face.
Is she feeling left out? Adar thought, maybe she's jealous that Richard is talking to Abigail.
"You shouldn't just stay quiet," said Adar to Melanie.
Her head bolted up in surprise. She saw Adar still looking forward, his eyes not set particularly on anything.
"Abigail, Richard, I'm heading out now. Please, keep Melanie company," said Adar.
"You're leaving already?" began Melanie.
"Why don't you pay blind man's buff with her?" Adar recommended,"She's been talking all about it, ever since she learned it."
Abigail look disappointed. "You should stay. We could all play it together!"
Adar shook his head. "I have something I need to do. But I will see all of you around the town."
Melanie noticed something different in Adar's eyes as he turned to leave. It was only a glimpse, but his eyes looked dead, almost.
"Are you sure you can't play?" Melanie questioned.
Adar stopped mid-stride. He turned to face her, then smiled. It was a fake one. She didn't know how she could tell, but deep in her heart she knew.
"Not today, but it's okay. Have fun. Play with your friends. Most importantly, make new, wanted memories," said Adar. He then continued to walk forward.
Wanted memories... thought Melanie, What does he mean by that?
***
Adar was soon on the streets. A few people, as he expected, gave him dirty looks.
The dirt seemed to be up in small clouds by the afternoon, kicked up by horses roaming through the streets.
No wonder people don't like to walk through the town in the afternoon, thought Adar, as he looked down at his shoes covered in a thin coat of dirt.
Adar looked at the street up ahead. He remembered Melanie saying to take that one if he ever wanted to get to the entrance of the town.
He was soon walking to it
By the afternoon it should be empty, seeing as no one but the people living there ever bother to occupy that street; Adar remembered Melanie saying that.
Adar put his hands into his coat pockets, stopping at the beginning of the street. The dust there was not nearly as active in the air as the other streets.
The houses were decent looking compared to other homes of the town. The Sun was starting to set. The sky was clear. The wind blew, the breeze moving Adar's hair and coat.
It was truly a beautiful scene. Adar wondered how it would look like in a painting.
He could see it now. The street would be the center, the houses on either side, perfectly drawn, the sky made with great detail. The orange, setting sun would be the adding of life to the painting. For some reason, Adar imagined himself standing in the middle of the painting, his presence accompanied by only his dark shadow in the street.
Alone... Thought Adar.
He clenched his fist.
His mother would have wanted him to be happy, so why wasn't he?
She's gone... thought Adar.
He took the necklace out of his pocket and held it, palm open. The Sun's reflection seemed beautiful as it made contact with the necklace, like a beautiful sparkle.
He felt a warmth within his heart, then felt the cool breeze again.
***
The day was near gone, but that didn't stop Adar.
John dodged, then brought his wooden sword against Adar's chest. Adar met with a diagonal cut of his own. Perfect. He had parried it.
The wooden sword felt cumbersome, compared to a rapier Adar was hoping to use as practice. But anything would suffice, as long as it meant he would learn John's techniques.
Learning those 'techniques' in the Willis' backyard felt a bit comical to Adar.
Mrs. Willis might mistake us for using her broom as combatant training, thought Adar.
As promised, John was teaching Adar his skills as a swordsman. The wooden swords were an uncommon source of practice for swordsmanship, especially for those days. Albeit it no more than a stick, John thought it perfect for learning.
He had taught Adar how to execute a proper, diagonal cut to an opponent's left side, how to parry it, and guard against it. 'Master the move and know it,' John had said.
Adar had learned it quickly, to John's surprise.
Adar had already learned other moves, but he studied mostly on parrying and guarding. It was as though he could memorize any move, the same thing never working twice on him.
"Well done," said John, putting the wooden sword against a nearby tree. "You've learned quickly, for me to say abnormally. "
Adar gripped the handle, and he brought the sword up. "I wish to learn how to use the left, diagonal cut against a dagger."
"Dagger?" John inquired, raising a brow."One would have to be foolish to face a sword with only a dagger."
Unless it was a nimble assassin, thought John, remembering an old hunt he went on as a youngster.
"I suggest we stop," said John."You cannot over exhert yourself, especially with that wound of yours."
Adar shook his head. "Its healed already. There is no need to worry, as I am back to fully functional."
John disagreed."As a Physician, I wouldn't want to take any chances. Well, that is all I will teach you for today. You will have to wait until tomorrow, if I have time."
And with that John walked to the front of the house, dropping his sword in a small, wooden bin along the way.
After John had left, Adar put his sword in the bin. He made his way to the fence, over to the left side of the backyard. Adar looked to the right side, seeing the pigsty and murmured. "I'll clean the pigsty tomorrow. If I can smell it from here, then there's a problem. "
Leaning against the fence, Adar heard a name being called out.
"Adar!" yelled the familiar, sweet voice.
Adar was the name given to me by my uncle...
He ignored the call.
Melanie came up beside him, leaning against the fence also. "Is something wrong, Adar? You didn't want to play blind man's buff. You've been acting strange lately, like a week and a half ago, when you were behind the Willis' house. Is something wrong?"
"This is now I normally act," replied Adar.
Melanie leaned forward trying to see Adar's face. "You weren't like that when I first met you."
"Was I not this way, while in the cells?" Adar said, "You saw me kill, and I know you still remember it. How I mercilessly ended the man, by throwing my dagger into his forehead, must be stuck in your head."
Melanie backed away a bit. Adar's tone was starting to sound scary, his words cold.
"I wasn't like this before. Not until your uncle killed my mother."
"He didn't kill your mother," replied Melanie. She immediately regretted those words. " I-I mean he sent those men to kill her... "
Adar's back straightened, his shoulders relaxed.
"Your uncle was too lazy to do it himself," said Adar. "He took away everything. She was all I had."
He turned around, facing Melanie. "And you stand there trying to defend him?"
Melanie expected to see an enraged face, but was surprised to see no emotion showing.
There was a disturbing silence. Melanie looked down, trying to speak, only a small croak escaping her throat.
Adar walked past Melanie. He felt a warm hand suddenly on his shoulder. It was Melanie's way of showing she cared. She wanted to tell him it was alright.
He continued forward, ripping his shoulder from Melanie's fingers.
Melanie stood there stunned, as she watched Adar walk away. Normally, her emotions would have gotten the best of her, but for some reason she felt empty. Then, she felt tears slide down her face.
***
John noticed the awkward silence between Adar and Melanie, as they both sat in the living room.
"Is there something wrong?" asked John, standing at the doorway of the living room.
"No," replied Adar. " Not with me anyway."
John crossed his arms, trying to study both of them.
Melanie sat near the fire place, facing John and Adar, who sat on the opposite side.
She twisted her hands in her lap, then sighed.
"He's been acting strange lately. I'm worried about him! He-"
"Worried!" Interrupted Adar. " I, too, was worried about how I was going to look for the feast!"
Melanie felt her face heat up. He was mocking her, how she had been excited about thanksgiving.
"What's been bothering you?" John questioned,"you seem to be agitated."
"I'm not," Adar said, monotone.
"You are!" exclaimed Melanie, standing up. She was looking at Adar, her face flushed.
"Lately, you've been in a terrible mood. You're always-"
"Angry?" Adar finished. He stood up, meeting Melanie's gaze. The fire light glowed, showing on the side of Melanie's face.
"I've had my life torn away from me, again and again," spat Adar. "I'm always taking a blow, for others it seems. I must always sacrifice. Would you like me to show you my wound? Had it not been for it, you would not be here enjoying the town life. How am I enjoying it? Your murderous uncle is still breathing. I'm angry, as I should be."
Melanie's lip shivered. She looked away.
Why must I be so emotional? Melanie Thought, Why can't I just stop crying... why must my emotions be so strong, whether it be small or big?
"Is that all you have to say?" John said, "Have your forgotten that she help save your life?"
John walked across the room, stopping a foot away from Adar. "Have you no value for your friendship? Has everything, you both gone through, meant nothing?"
Adar looked down, his face showing signs of anger. He then bolted past John, heading for his room.
That's the last time I show kindness to a person related to the murderer of someone I loved, thought Adar. He stopped at the door of his room, looking down the hallway.
Why am I so angry? Why are these emotions surfacing?
Adar walked into his room, closing the door behind him.
John laid a hand on Melanie's shoulder, giving a reassuring smile. "Its not your fault, nor should you feel that way."
His voice sounded more compassionate, as he said the next line. "Its been hard for Adar. From what I can remember him saying, this is his first time having thanksgiving without his mother."
Melanie's heart hurt at hearing those words.
Why wasn't I there next to him? He needs someone to help him...
"He probably felt alone today," said Melanie, her eyes red. "So is that why I feel this horrible guilt?"
John saw Melanie bite her lower lip, to stop it from shaking.
"Just give him time." John said, "He's hurt, and he needs a friend's; but he just doesn't realize how much he needs one right now."
***
Adar lay there on the bed frustrated.
Why am I so angry... Am I being a pitiful brat? Am I being an arrogant person for feeling this way?
Adar's day had gone bad. He had felt a bit abandoned. People had given him weird looks, prejudice stares it seemed.
They probably thought him to be full or half Indian. From what Adar could figure, that was taboo in the town.
I don't even know my own ethnicity... thought Adar, So why should they care?
He never even knew his 'real' parents' ethnicity. So what did it matter?
How would they have looked upon mother, knowing she was married to an Indian? Adar thought, How would they have looked at my father or Cane? Why must it always it be me looked at like that...
He gave a frustrated sigh.
"I'll always love you Adar..."
That's right... Mother never looked at me like that.
Adar suddenly felt embarrassed. How would his mother have felt after seeing him like this?
Adar gritted his teeth.
She'll never know, thought Adar, She's gone. I couldn't protect her. I ... It wasn't enough. I wasn't there!
Why is it never enough? When I begged on the streets for my uncle, it was never enough! When I tried to protect Melanie, it wasn't enough. When I tried to kill langstrom, it wasn't enough! Why isn't it ever enough!
Adar sat up, looking out the window. His knees were up to his chest, his hands grasping his head.
"It'll be enough this time," he said under his breath. "After I kill Cade, we can play blind man's buff, Melanie."
Lansgtrom comes next... thought Adar, I will stop until you are dead; I swear it!
End Of Chapter
HEY GUYS! ADAR BE GOING CRAZY OR WHAT!? LIKE AUTHOR, LIKE CHARACTER! ANYWAYS, VOTE/ COMMENT, BOTH IF YOU WISH. TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THIS CHAPTER, HONESTLY. I HAVEN'T DONE A DEDCATION IN A WHILE. SO FOR A CHANCE AT THAT, COMMENT YOUR FAVORITE AND LEAST CHARACTER, AND TELL ME WHY.