The Throne of Bones.

4. The Road to Eliós

Minto and Miriá's heads snapped to look at the Elf.  

"Please reconsider."  

"No." She replied again, causing his mood to darken. 

"Lady-Shaél, please just-" 

"What is the purpose of teaching someone so young the ways of war for them to go and give their life away pointlessly, for an impossible dream no less?" Shaél asked, taking her dish to the door. "If you wish to die, I will not aid in it, you are too young to be saying such things, Minto." 

He gritted his teeth and stood upright.  

"Thank you for your consideration, but even if you won't, I will find someone who will." Minto inhaled deeply before walking up the stairs. 

By the time he entered the room he had slept in Shaél was sitting on the bed looking at one of his loosened feathers. 

"I had planned on leaving here at daybreak, at least travel with us, we can part ways when we have reached our destination." Shaél looked up at him sadly. 

Minto kept his place at the door and thought about it for a minute before looking at her again. "If you have no intention of training me, I have no intention of traveling with you, it would be a waste of time considering the speed which I could travel." He replied before turning at the door. "Thank you for taking care of me, Lady-Shaél, but staying here, any longer will only slow me down." 

Seeing the conviction in his eyes, Shaél knew he'd get himself killed before long if he was not properly trained, but also knowing her own time was close, she made a decision against her better judgement. "Wait." She called back, standing and walking to him, they were not of equal height so it was strange how he had to respect this little woman. "I do not want to train you to go kill yourself, but..." 

"But?" Minto instantly perked up. "But what?"  

Shaél tapped her foot on the soft floor several times in thought and looked all around impatiently before she folded her hands behind her back and looked up at him. "Minto, if you can prove to me you are not reckless enough to get killed in the infancy of your journey, I will consider teaching you for a year." She slowly told him. "By then, you will at least be strong enough to take care of yourself. 

Hearing this news, Minto fell on his knees from both shock and delight. "I will not fail." He whispered as she walked pass him and patted his hair, but the way he flinched caused her to draw back her hand. "My hair." He hissed. 

She stood there for a few moments before remembering something. "Ah, I apologise, that must be inherited from your father." Shaél smiled apologetically. "I will remember to refrain from touching your hair and wings from now on." 

"Thank you." He turned his bright grey eyes to her, his lips parted to say something else, but he only stood and entered the room. "Thank you." He said again before jumping out the window. 

That night, Minto slept on the roof. 

The following sunrise Minto sat perched on the edge of the roof and watched Shaél and Miriá pack their luggage and food into a small bag with confusion, it was a backpack but it seemed to swallow up everything they placed into it effortlessly.  

He didn't ask though, for now, he was only focused on proving himself before they made it to the city called Eliós .  

The earth-sized continent was divided into five countries. And each country had five kingdoms ruled by a single King who had four Queens in the other capitals.  

They were in the country; Idgiá and its five kingdoms were Magmus where they were resident, Drofox, Dairoth, Draxin, and Sylth, each of which had their own set of rules and laws. 

Drofox was the most diverse place in all the kingdoms, offering refuge to hundreds of different species, it was a place where a half-breed could make a living, small though it would be, on their way there were several major stops, first the city Eliós, packed with Humans, Elves, Orcs, and Half-breeds. It was a place where warriors from all over would congregate and form organizations called Guilds, to earn a living off killing beasts and doing small jobs. 

The idea itself wasn't bad, but the city was unforgiving, not at all the kind of environment for someone prone to anger the citizens there were quick to judge and even quicker to violence. 

They set out before the sun was high in the sky, wearing nothing but the clothes on their backs and carrying only the one small bag, making the trio seem less than desirable in the eyes of any would-be thief. 

Their journey had seen three days when  Shaél finally looked to the sky at Minto who had been exclusively using the wind as his road. 

"Minto, come!" Shaél called him, gesturing that he walk with them.  

"Lady-Shaél." He landed with a swirl of wind and dust, walking beside her confused.  

"Do not fly during the day anymore, it is dangerous now that we are in the open plains." She pointed to the broad expanse of flatland that stretched beyond the horizon, guiding travelers with only slim dirt roads with split paths and few trees and some small ponds as landmarks. 

"Dangerous how?" Minto asked as his wings retracted into his back.  

"Your appearance is already strange as it is, from your skin, your small horns, to your two coloured hair, to your eyes that glow in the dark, if others saw your wings you would undoubtedly become an expensive target, not to mention you are a fairly beautiful being to look upon without all of those." Shaél casually spoke as if she didn't just tell him he was going to be hunted. 

"Until you are strong enough to properly protect yourself, or at least flee from any foe, keep your wings a secret." 

"I understand, I'll try to remember." He scratched his cheek sheepishly. "I'll have to get boots then, I've never walked long distances before." 

"Lady-Shaél" Miriá spoke for the first time since the discussion at the table four nights before. "I don't want to be a burden, but I must request this."  

"Speak up then." The little woman turned to Miriá with a smile, already sure of what the request was. 

"Can you teach me to fight properly as well?" She stopped and bent forward until her head was parallel to her hip. "I have very little affinity with any kind of magic, but my strength can make up for it, I promise I won't cause trouble, but if I am not able to protect myself I have very few choices left as a half-breed" 

"How are you certain that you will not be a burden?" Shaél asked, to which Miriá looked up with an embarrassed smile.  

"I will try my hardest not to be." Miriá bowed again. 

"Come on now, we have time to discuss this as we travel." Shaél chuckled. "By the way young Miriá." 

"Yes?" 

"Why do you wear boys clothing, and why is your hair cut like a man's when you are clearly a girl? A beautiful one at that." Shaél looked at her again. "Did your parents try to hide you?"  

Aside from her golden eyes, Miriá's hair was cut close to the root, with only the top having length enough to fall in her face, she had tall eyelashes, fair skin, and her lips were like freshly polished pink plums. 

"Y... yes." She looked to the ground. "Since growing up, many men have tried taking me away, my father had to keep me at his side at all times, even binding by chain sometimes." She massaged her wrists when speaking. "The older I became the more people would try to buy or steal me, so my parents had no choice but to come all the way to Wolfberry Forest two years ago." Her face then took on a reddish tint. "It is to my advantage that even though I am sixteen, my body is still somewhat underdeveloped otherwise my life would have been even harder."  

Minto glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, pouting. For someone who had been judged all their life, she turned out alright. Although, their circumstances were magnetic opposites, while everyone wanted her, everyone wanted him dead. It was laughable, so without thinking too much Minto did indeed release a small chuckle.  

"Minto." Shaél called him out on it instantly. 

"I apologize." He pouted, looking the other way. "I would have preferred to be desired instead of hated, I meant no disrespect."  

"Be careful what you wish for." Shaél sighed looking at both of them from side to side.  

It would take them a while to sort their difference. 

They walked until the second sun was high in the middle of the sky before they stopped beneath a tree for lunch.  

Miriá relished in the smoked meat she received, but Minto seemed confused when he was handed a bowl of fresh vegetables, according to his count, this was the eleventh time. "I get no meat?" He looked at Shaél who was surprised at his words. 

"You are able to eat meat?" She asked, to which he looked at his plate.  

"But surely, who can eat a purely vegetable meal?" Minto replied, "If I eat raw meat I might go wild, but properly prepared meat has never caused a problem." 

He received his piece of meat gladly, but before he could take a bite a sudden wind passed by, and with it the scent of blood, feminine body fragrance, and something terrible he had never smelled before.  Minto stood alert and looked down the road they had just travelled.  

"Lady-Shaél."  

"What is it?" Shaél also stood up when she realized that his hair was standing on end. 

"A creature... no, a few creatures, chasing a human woman, she is injured." 

Shaél looked to the horizon seeing only faint silhouettes so far away that even her eyesight couldn't decipher them. "Are you sure?" She asked, but the look on Minto's face robbed her of any doubt.  

"What will you do?" Minto asked. "She is in imminent danger, and might not make it to us."  

"What happens on the road has nothing to do with us, there are instances like this happening on a daily basis." Shaél sighed. "Humans tend to take on more than they can handle at any given time without any thoughts on their capabilities, if she dies it is her own fault." She bit into her meat and looked down the other side of the road, ignoring him. 

Minto looked at her like a species he had never seen, but her gaze held the same certainty his did.  

So, he made a decision himself.