CHRONICLES OF AADYA

Episode Seven

ALISDAIR

The huge tall wall stood a distance from us, an entry at the center with a few guards, and different horse carriages in line waiting to be let into the town. "Let the guard know we came for a physician. I overheard my father once say they got the best physicians" Gunnar proposed.

"Good boy," I say.

"How come this is the only entrance to a land?"

"I've no idea. Haven't been here myself"

"Next!" A guard calls and so we moved forward. They were only three guards present at the entry, two at either side of the entrance while one does the questioning.

"State your business"

"Here for a physician," I told him.

He watched me strangely for a while. "You don't look ill"

"No. I'm not the ill person, it's my wife. She had developed an illness, and I was told I'd find a physician here capable of curing her"

"And the boy?" I never imagined I have to be questioned in this manner just to be given a chance to enter a land. I glanced at Gunnar who now rides with Bellamy.

"His father had allowed him to travel with me as he is familiar with the physician we're here for"

The guard watched the boy and in the end "Open!" He instructs and we were allowed in.

"You almost got us thrown out" Gunnar criticized.

"But in the end, I didn't" I replied before we dismounted from the horses, fixing them to wood.

"Ophelia, be careful not to spill the water, you'll turn the floor to mud" A woman instructs a young girl who carried a bucket filled with clean water.

"Excuse me. May I have the water? I would pay" I ask the woman who seems to be the mother of the girl. "Two of them actually"

"Ophelia, pass the young fellow another bucket of water," She told the girl and I immediately gave her some coins.

I was about to leave when I stopped to inquire. "Ma'am, might you have come across a young maiden?" I ask softly "One with red hair?"

"I'd have encountered a lot of young maidens although none of a red-haired," She told me gently before moving to continue with her choice. The little girl returned with the bucket and just as we finished washing our feet a young fellow with his horse following behind threw his leftover bread over our side, we locked eyes for a few moments before he continued on his way without writing an apology.

“He's a turd” Gunnar stated unable to hide his disgust for the young fellow.

“Why do you say that?” I asked not necessarily wanting a response.

“Those who don't clean themselves after eating, what else should I have called him, how he stoned us that crusty bread showed that he indeed lacked manners too” Gunnar grumbled.

“That tongue of yours will be your death, boy. Now get back to work” Bellamy reprimanded

“I have told not a single lie, or did I?” Gunnar defended while looking at me...

We have been going through the town, visiting one health center to the other. I thought that would be a nice idea as I had felt her weak. We also checked some lodges and other places we came across but there was still no trace of her, no one had laid an eye on her. Suddenly there was a sound coming from a place and there was already a small crowd by the time we arrived, all assembled close to a man, clearly the town crier.

"Oyez, oyez! By the order of the Clergyman, for crimes most evil, including i*********e, and the burning of the clergyman servant... in conspiracy with the devil. Capture or death of the witch describe to be a red-haired young maiden who goes by the name Aadya will be rewarded handsomely in silver. Any who offers aid or shelter to the witch are heretics punishable by torture and burning!..."

Pain branched across my back like lightning, my whole body and soul were shattered. I glanced at Bellamy with no word in my mind, then at Gunnar whose expression was clouded by anger.

"Hey, fellow" I hear a man call to me and so I turned, raising a brow. "I overheard you asking about the same maiden," He say wearing a cruel smile. "Perhaps you're also for the silver. I can join the search" He spoke and with no word in return I began walking away from him, clasping back my beast.

"You and I don't need to be enemies, folk. It's just business"

"Friends like you I don't need" I returned.

"How are we supposed to find her now with all these eyes also out for her?" Gunnar muttered behind not really directed to me nor Bellamy.

"We'll-" I was abruptly cut off by a loud mystical sound that echoed painfully through my head and I had no other choice but to let out a low painful roar, I held my head with my hands leaning against a wall though it torturously kept ringing and buzzing so loud I could feel my head trying to shatter. The noise filled my eardrums in a hight-pitch causing them to ache agonizingly.

My vision blurred as I fall to the ground, I could feel the other two hovering around me but nothing-at-all could I pick from what they were saying. Strangely I took in some flashes of images before the sound gradually began to lessen.

"Alisdair? Alisdair what's going on? Are-are you okay?"

"Ali!" Bellamy roared my name and my eyes snapped at him. "Hey... calm down... you were breathing so fast... what happened?" I stare at him then at Gunnar and then I closed my eyes to relax myself.

"It happened again?"

"What happened again? What-what are you talking about?" The young boy panicked.

I try to endure the pain I was still feeling "It's nothing, Gunnar. I think I might be stressed. It's nothing to be worried about, I'm fine" I assured him.

"Would you mind getting some bread by the town center?" Bellamy said to him attempting to distract him. He took the coin and at once left for the bread.

"Should we talk later when you're more relaxed?"

"I'm afraid she's in pain" I let out, relaxing against the wall.

"What do you mean by she's in pain?"

"I just felt her pain. It appears she woke up to a violent vibration in her head, I felt every single one of them like it was ensuing literally to me"

"Since when did you start feeling her pain?"

"Since now, Bellamy," I told him tiredly "She isn't in any community. She's in the woods. Her surroundings had gone up in flames and her garment seem to be a little torn apart. Get Gunnar we need to leave immediately"

"Do you know the exact location she might be?"

"I can't speak for certain, but a part of me believes I can locate it" I moved to stand on my feet though ended up sitting back down as I felt dizzy.

"Your bond to her is becoming more vigorous. She is as much a part of you as you are of her now" He gave me a curious yet confused look. "Your faith is destroying my thoughts about life. I must admit, everything about you makes me wonder what life is truly all about because I don't seem to understand them anymore since we began this journey, and with every passing day it gets more and more confusing that I don't seem to know what I believe in any-more" He let out incoherently.

"When I begin to think about every possible outcome I feel like I'm insane, and that makes me wonder how you are doing, Ali" It was the first time he actually disclosed his mind concerning our journey and I am grateful he did, it just that I don't really have a reply for him as I don't even know how I'm doing anymore.

"Why is Gunnar not yet back" The question came out the moment it came to my thought, and that was when Bellamy also noticed the peculiar situation.

"I will find him"

"No, we both" I insist getting to my feet.

"You need to rest"

"I've rested, Bellamy, now let's find him. I'm the reason he is with us in the first place" I reminded.

"He was with two men, one claimed to have been permitted by his father" I overheard the guard we did meet at the entrance informing a man while Gunnar stood silently next to them.

"It looks like they finally sent for him" Bellamy whispered.

"Who were the men, Gunnar?" The man asks.

"Some travelers I had come across and requested a ride as they were on their way here"

"Lord Hrafen would still punish you for your actions"

"Lord Hrafen had murdered for less"

"That's enough!"

"Time to go," another man said from horseback.

"I am not returning to Dubrovnik with you, Uhtred. Tell my father you didn't find me. Please" He added.

"I had sworn to your father. I can't go against him"

“His father did indeed still have slight compassion in him, I've always wondered that," I said to Bellamy while watching Gunnar struggle to free himself from his father's people.

“Yeah But only to one of his wards, I see nor sense any compassion," Bellamy said while turning away in another direction

“Shouldn't we save him, he has his eyes on us pleading through his mind, how does he do that? Does he perhaps know we can hear him"

“He doesn't, his mind is only calling out for help and we happen to be able to hear him, they say your mind knows you best, he might not be shouting for help but he would very much appreciate one" Bellamy explained nonchalantly unable to hide his exhaustion, but the more I looked the more I wanted to help him.

“We really should get him back, brother”

“I see your point and intention why the young fellow should come with us though am not cut up for making a scene, humans are messy, even if you scare them, they won't leave without a fight and I don't take up unchallenging tasks, I reckon we should continue without him, the lesser the safer" Bellamy elaborated now looking at Gunnar, he wasn't wrong, but my mind has been made up.

“All I ask of you is that you wait for me, I will bring him back myself, something in me believes he will escape these men before they get to his father, so saving him will keep me from worrying about him"

“Fine!" Bellamy breathed out, showing a sign of defeat “I suggest we trail them quietly till midnight, while they are asleep then we can easily take him, that way it's a win-win for us both, you get to save him while I avoid making a scene" his sudden plan brought a smile to my face, from being against it to already have a plan.

“Move!" I heard one of the men say as they already had Gunnar mounted on the horseback, he took a final look at me as their horses began moving.

“Now, let's follow them," I said to Bellamy with my eyes still trailing on the younger.