The Chronicles of Kale: Dawn of Retribution (Book 2) (16 page)

Marg released a shrill cry as she gazed upon the many cloth-covered bodies standing behind the brush.

“What is going on here?!” Marg quickly ducked down, peering cautiously out from around the wagon. “Please spare my life, I have done no wrong to you.”

“Don’t worry yourself. They are with us and we bring you no harm,” Illadar spoke while extending his arm to assist her up.

Marg questioned whether or not they were part of an army, and what their purpose in the forest was.

Illadar began to speak when Thomas bluntly interrupted. He stated they were no more than a group of wanderers. He informed her that they roamed across Ravondore in search of work within different villages, before moving onto the next—it was their way of life, to explore new destinations.

Marg hung onto each word with intrigue. She explained that her life was simple and spent mostly on her father’s farm.

Thomas raised a brow. He found it incredibly hard to believe that someone wearing such scanty attire would be caught milking livestock or harvesting crops.

“Enough idle chatter. We must get moving. Dusk is upon us and soon it will be too dark to travel.” Kale interrupted.

“I regret to say that we cannot all fit within my wagon.” Marg replied with a frown.

“We do not desire to ride. We can maintain pace behind,” Reem spoke while keeping a purposeful distance from Marg so she would not discover their true identities.

Before Marg could respond, Neelan added, “They really will be fine walking—they prefer it. We will ride with you.”

Illadar assisted Marg into the wagon, followed by Kale, who carried Neelan within his arms.

They rode down the winding path, which stretched for miles. Kale couldn’t help but admire Neelan as she gazed down upon their surroundings. He fancied how the simplest things in life could put a smile upon her face.

The lush pines bordering each side of the trail extended their branches. The overgrowth had caused them to intertwine around one another, creating a solid canopy of lush leaves as far as they could see. A final chirp could be heard within the forest, and they knew the birds were nestling down for the night, high above the ground in the safety of the branches. Twilight had approached and steering the wagon proved difficult with nothing more than the light from Marg’s lantern. They pressed on for a brief period longer, until the oil began to run dry.

“I believe it would be best for us to make camp now—that is, if you don’t mind my company.” Marg tilted a cheek toward Illadar and eyed him with a hopeful expression. “The woods ahead are rumored to home vicious beings known as monsloths. We will surely place ourselves in jeopardy should we enter their territory at night.”

Kale’s eyes widened. The memory of his encounter with the creatures was vividly burned into his mind. From their clever ambush, to their prominent lust for blood, they were not a band to be trifled with. He took one look at Neelan before nodding in agreement. He had made a promise to protect the woman he loved, and placing her in obvious danger was not an option to him. Even with the force of the sand-people on their side, the risk was too great for his comfort.

They discovered a small clearing off the trail and settled in. Marg roped her stallions to a nearby tree before seating herself next to Illadar.

“Do you often travel alone?” Illadar finally questioned.

“No, my eldest brother has always accompanied me—rather, I accompany him. . .” Marg sighed. “As of late, he has grown weak with an illness and can no longer fulfill our duties to the farm. My other brother has moved from our village and begun a family of his own with no regard to our well-being.”

“You’re a strong woman,” Illadar replied. “It can’t be easy on you to have such burdens. You walk a dangerous path; there could be monstrous creatures lurking anywhere within this forest, and yet you brave it alone—you’d be an easy target, you know.”

“I might have a pretty face, but I can care for myself,” Marg protested.

Illadar laughed as he prodded the fire with a thick branch.

“Don’t believe me? I suppose I’ll have to show you then!” Marg dove at Illadar, catching him off guard and sending him onto his back.

They playfully rolled around on a bed of pine needles. Kale and Neelan watched in amusement with their hands locked together and a smile upon their faces.

“This reminds me of when
we
first met,” Kale whispered into Neelan’s ear.

“This is true . . . except that I thought you were an annoyance. It was
you
who sought after
me
,” Neelan giggled and winked before gently laying her head upon Kale’s shoulder.

“Sure; because I was the one stalking
you
into The Forest of Forgotten Whispers,” Kale spoke sarcastically and wrapped his arms tightly around her small body.

“I do believe you were both smitten about one another; yet equally hard-headed and unable to admit this from the start. It drove me quite mad, actually.” Thomas laughed as he bit down on a plump, raw tomato. The juices squirted down his chin and into his beard.

Neelan and Kale burst into a fit of laughter as the old sorcerer fumbled quickly to wipe himself clean.

Shortly after enjoying her time with Illadar, Marg excused herself and went to lie upon the bed of her wagon. She once again thanked Illadar before silently yawning and drifting to sleep.

Once certain that Marg was no longer conscience to her surroundings, Illadar cleared his throat and patted his hands anxiously upon his thighs.

“Well, I’m certain it’s obvious that I haven’t been myself since findin’ Marg.” He looked away; avoiding direct eye contact as he spoke. “I honestly can’t tell you what’s goin’ on. But—I like her. I don’t understand it myself, considerin’ we’ve just been acquainted. I haven’t had feelins like this since my time with Kleana. To be quite honest, I feel ashamed; as though I’m betrayin’ my fallen wife.” He hung his head.

“I’m sure Kleana would never want you to live a life of loneliness. You are doing no wrong by opening your heart. You never know . . . you just may find love again,” Neelan spoke in an attempt to comfort him.

“Impossible!” Illadar snapped in a hushed tone. “There is no way I will love another woman.” He glanced over at Marg whose angelic face looked to be in a state of complete peace. “I—I merely said that I liked her; that’s all.” He stood. “I’m headin’ to sleep now. I’ll see you at dawn.” Illadar approached the wagon and lay protectively by its side. He slid his claymore within arm’s reach. With a loud sigh, he rolled onto his side and closed his eyes.

Chapter 15: Parting Ways

K
ale woke to the first hint of light, which speckled through the small openings between the leaves. He softly kissed Neelan’s forehead before gently moving her to the side. At first glance, Kale saw he was the only one awake, aside from the sand-people off somewhere around the perimeter keeping watch. The morning air was crisp and cool beneath the shady canopy above. He stood and reached his arms high above his head, enjoying the temporary solitude as he stretched his sore muscles. Kale heard a rustling noise above and immediately directed his attention up into the branches to investigate. A blue bird hopped down from the foliage, equally inspecting Kale as it made way to the ground. The bird ruffled its feathers and tilted its head to the side.

“It’s a fine morning, isn’t it?” Kale whispered with a laugh. “You sure are inquisitive. You’re lucky I’ve changed my ways. A few years back, had you approached me as such, I’d have eaten you in one bite.” He chuckled. “It’s a shame you cannot understand me. What simple creatures; you don’t know how lucky you have it.”

As if in response to his words, the bird lifted a wing and flapped it in the opposite direction.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to get me to follow you.” Kale raised a dark brow. “Wait a moment . . . are you?” He took a step slowly forward.

The little bird bobbed its head and hopped in the opposite direction of Kale.

I cannot believe I’m doing this—I suppose I’ve seen more bizarre occurrences than this though
. Kale lifted the bag of eggs over a shoulder and followed the bird to a small, square clearing. Sunlight poured down through an opening in the leaves above. Tiny particles fluttered through the golden rays, taking the shape of a perfect cone as it shone down onto the floor in a wide circle.

“Kale . . .” A soft female voice whispered in the passing breeze.

Kale spun around; immediately alert to his surroundings and on guard for any danger. Someone knew who and where he was—the bird, the perfect shining funnel of light, it was all to lure him to this one location.

“Who are you?” Kale swallowed hard and, for a moment, the grim image of his encounter with the monsloths crossed his mind.
Neelan
! He turned in preparation to rush back to camp, when many leaves began to fall around where he stood. The green foliage floated down like winter snow; gentle and serene.

“Kale, I hast gone to great lengths to warn thee.”

Kale wrinkled his forehead and spoke, “Elanya?” He immediately recognized the voice. “But how—why?”

“Thou must take heed, for d—” Elanya’s voice stopped short and the leaves fell to the ground in a sudden, scattered mess.

“Hello?” Marg approached from around the thicket of surrounding bushes. Her feet crunched loudly upon the dried pine needles. “Kale, is that you?” She softly spoke.

“Y—yes it’s me.” Kale sighed in disappointment. He looked around for any hint of Elanya’s presence, but the forest had returned to its former state of silence, aside from the far sounds of wildlife. The little blue bird had gone too, leaving him alone with Marg.

“Thank goodness; I thought I heard something in this direction.” Marg smiled. “I was worried for a moment that someone else might be out here. I was going for a morning walk and got slightly lost. The others were still sleeping and I wanted to clear my mind. I have a lot going on right now . . .” She closed her eyes and inhaled. “The air is so refreshing at dawn. It’s my favorite time of the day; I suppose because to me, it signifies a brand new beginning—a new start. Anything can happen, regardless of your past. We each set our own destiny.”

Kale looked at Marg, and for the first time since they’d met, he felt at ease.

“Wise words.” Kale smiled. “Shall we head back to camp? I’m sure the others will be waking, if not already. Trust me—it’s best we arrive before Neelan notices us both missing. You haven’t seen angry until you’ve experienced her in a jealous fit. She has quite the temper.” He laughed aloud.

As they turned to walk, Marg looked up. “Kale,” she softly spoke while tapping her index fingers together repeatedly, “your friend—Illadar, he is a very noble man. He makes me smile . . . and I haven’t smiled for so long . . .”

Kale felt a sense of déjà vu as she confessed her feelings. His hands grew clammy and he shuffled his feet in discomfort.

“I’m really not very good with this sort of thing. Though I can say that Illadar is a good person; any woman to win his heart had better never hurt him—he’s been through enough.” Kale turned. “Let’s get going before they worry.”

Marg nodded and followed.

They loaded the wagon with their belongings and prepared for another day of travel. Reem and his men appeared from the brush, nearly causing Kale to leap in surprise.

“What in Pan’s name were you doing for so long? We’ve been awake for some time now.” Kale rubbed his jaw as he spoke, trying to analyze the situation.

“We have been standing guard on the northern side of camp at a slight distance. We will not allow the threat of the monsloths to jeopardize our Queen’s life. We wanted to ensure safety before moving forward along the trail.” Reem bowed his head.

“Queen?” Marg questioned.

“It is but a comical gesture.” Thomas replied. “They refer to her as such because of her demanding behavior. You must take it lightly. I can assure you no royalty runs through her blood. She is but a small woman with a big head filled with desires.” Thomas chuckled at his own words.

Neelan gave Thomas a firm stare with her eyes narrowed to slits. She crossed her arms and turned a cheek with a loud grunt. “Let’s move; we wouldn’t want to waste an ancient, old man’s precious time. He might turn to dust.” Neelan shot back with a snicker.

Without further words, Marg snapped the reins and the wagon began to roll forward. Her steeds were surprisingly strong and seemed to pull the weight with ease. As the wagon wound through the woods at a steady pace, Marg continuously snuck a glance in Illadar’s direction.

“Do you fancy flowers?” She suddenly questioned.

“Excuse me?” Illadar replied.

“Flowers—you’ve been holding onto one since we left camp.” Marg’s eyes met the small, yellow blossom which poked from between Illadar’s fingers.

Illadar grunted and shied away. “It . . . well, um, you see . . .” he hung his head. “It’s for you.”

Marg’s eyes lit up with awe. “I absolutely love it!” She nearly dropped the reins while reaching over to embrace Illadar.

“It’s nothin’ really.” Illadar’s hand reached out to hand her the flower. “And not a word from the likes of you three.” He glared over a shoulder to see Kale tucking his lips in an attempt not to laugh.

Neelan gave Kale a quick jab to his bicep as he silently began to chuckle. Kale had never seen this side to Illadar, and though it was refreshing, he couldn’t help but see a comical side to the scenario as well.

Illadar and Marg continued to acquaint themselves with one another while Kale lay in the bed of the wagon. The sky was picturesque; a soothing blue with few fluffy white clouds scattered about.

What was she trying to warn me about?
Kale thought as his mind drifted back to the moment in the forest.
For Elanya to have gone through such lengths to find me, it must be of dire importance
.

Until that moment, there had been no opportunity to discuss the occurrence with his friends in private. He had to rely on the hope that she would make contact again. His curiosity clouded his mind. So many had urged him to take caution of a terrible threat; yet he was no closer now than before to discovering who, or what it was. Knowing he was a target of danger, and yet continuing blindly forward was not something Kale easily accepted. His eyes fought against rolling back and his lids fluttered helplessly until he could no longer counter the soothing patter of hooves while the wagon gently bounced upon the trail. The cheerful blue sky was soon eclipsed by darkness.