Lost in the Crossroads

Eleven - Kael

The silence was welcome, Kael acknowledge their respect for the fallen with a heavy heart. He has to stomp the rising grudge deep inside him as they silently work their ways around the charred carcasses of his comrades.

They were just lending a hand. He had to keep reminding himself. None of this was their fault. There was no need for him to antagonize them.

A lump made its way on his throat as his shaky hands gathered the charred remains of a friend, the last among the pile and carefully transferred it on the make-shift stretcher that the women made. Most of the bodies were already burned to ashes and those they buried were still hot but they never stop.

What the bandits have done to his comrades was unacceptable. Burning their bodies and leaving it as it was, not even checking if it was properly burned. They just left them as it is. Like they weren’t once living and breathing creature.

Kael gritted his teeth, white-hot hatred coiled in his gut. He just couldn’t understand what had his people done to deserve the attack. In all his Elven life, this is the first time a bandit group set foot in the northern lands. He heard about bandit tribes but they mostly stray in the southern lands, sometimes in the eastern land if they were really that brave and foolish.

What exactly they have done wrong to deserve such treatments?

“Kael.” It was the voice of Lady Fenella – Just Fenella, please – that cut him off his reverie.

Brown eyes was looking at him softly, patient and understanding like how most of them look at him. If he were his twin brother he would lash out seeing those looks, his pride had already taken so much damage but he wasn’t his brother. As much as he wanted to shout at her for being a cruel human and blame her for the fall of his comrades, Kael found that he couldn’t.

Don’t be naïve, Kael. His brother’s voice would whisper in his mind but Kael refused this as naivety.

He’s not naïve. He’s a Sentinel. He cannot be naïve nor was he stupid.

If he so much upset one of women, Lady Abelone’s – Abel is fine— wrath would be on him.

He doesn’t want that. Not again.

He successfully fought off his pursuers with the power of nature behind him. His magic has never let him down before but as soon as her blood-soaked form burst out of the bushes, everything had gone silent. There are no whispers in the wind or the silent guidance of the trees. The whispers of the forest had gone silent, suppressed, under the malevolent killing intent of Lady Abelone. His magic faltered before her presence. A woman with sharp silver eyes glinting like a well-polished blade and wild raven hair.

Kael first thought of her was that she was a Mythos. A rogue one with humans under her protection but still all powerful and wrathful. A feline with her lithe body, stalking before him with lethal grace.

He immediately regretted attacking the humans as his flight instincts assaulted him. Mythos are not something to trifled with. They are magic.

He heard Lady Alexandra, the healer, vouching on his behalf and he couldn’t hide his shocked when the silver-eyed Mythos listened to a mere human. The sense of camaraderie was genuine between the women. Then the silver accessories of the women were presented before his eyes and he remembered the sole reason of why he abandoned his people. To search for aid and the Mother had guide him to them.

“I’m sorry.” He said, face morphing to one of pain and rage as he was reminded of again the treatment of his fallen comrade on the bandits.

Barbarians. His mind raged.

Lady Fenella’s body jolted like his apology sliced through her. His eyes caught a flash of silver, somewhere on their right close and ever watchful.

“Kael, you don’t have to apologize. It should be us that was apologizing. Humans did this.” Her brows furrowed and she worried her lower lip. “It won’t change a thing but…” She bowed her head, her hands folding in front of her. “I’m sorry.”

Kael felt his heart being wrenched inside him with the sincerity of her words. He could only nod his head at her, not trusting himself to speak.

He was not naïve like his brother told him.

Together they carried the last remains of his fallen comrades to the grave that Lady Abelone willingly dig. She was, at first, stunned to see a shovel, staring at it in bewilderment. Kael doesn’t understand why but Lady Alexandra was amused.

“Last?” Lady Alexandra – Alex, please. Just Alex – asked from inside the grave they were digging. He noticed that the two were almost inseparable. Wherever Lady Abelone was, there was Lady Alexandra standing.

“Yes.” Kael answered, eyes looking at Lady Abelone who was frowning at her shovel like she still couldn’t believe it was really there. He too was surprised that some of the farming tools in their village was not stolen by the bandits after they ransacked the houses but her interest on it was disturbing.

Like Elven women un-bothered by dirt and blood, they accepted the body of his fallen comrade and carefully laid it out on the ground. Once done, they climbed out of the grave and Lady Alexandra handed him a shovel.

Monotonously, he covered the remains with soil and dirt. He couldn’t recognize him or her. The body was charred black from being burned, making it impossible to identify. Only that they once were his friends and siblings in arms.

Kael tried not be emotional when they finished, the women respectfully laid out a bunch of flowers on the mound and slowly dispersed without a word. The comforting air was gone as they left him alone to mourn.

He just stood there, staring blankly ahead. For many hours, he doesn’t know.

An empty feeling rest inside his gut with the death of his comrade as indecisiveness fluttered on the back of his mind.

He was aware of what he needs to do but he was unsure of how to do it. He did ask for the women’s help but the questions were, how far are they willing to help him?

Kael clenched his fists. He could not hesitate now that he had gathered help from the Mother. Yet he was dealing with humans, bandits they may be, most of them were still humans. And what the Mother sent for him were also humans albeit they were women. He was disappointed to realized that Lady Abelone was not a Mythos through his observations. She was not of magic though he couldn’t deny the different air she exuded compared to the others.

With a heavy heart, Kael sweep his golden gaze over the grave of his fallen comrades, putting his hand over his heart and bowed. Kael turned his back, rage and sorrow settling deep inside him as he swore vengeance.

He found the women on the training grounds where Night elves practiced their archery skills and swordsmanship. It was a wide grassy field on the northern part of the village surrounded by trees. The casualties from the fighting were minimum on the grassy field for the bandits entered from the west, bearing their weapons and summons on his village.

He stopped on his tracks when he met Lady Hailey’s beady black eyes. He never thought she would notice his presence when he was walking silently on the rock pavement but there she was, staring at his form. On her hand was their black weapon of some sort, held tightly as her arms lay motionless on her side. She smiled softly at him before going back into her task of carrying the meat covered in a thick white piece of cloth.

Her and Lady Tabitha’s tall stature reminded him of a female Elven Warrior only lacking the grace of a fighter and the attitude of one. Her and Lady Tabitha were like a couple of sprites, always smiling and radiating with positivity. Instead of being intimidated with their tall stature—they were close to his own— he sees them as gentle giants and wonder what they found interestingly funny in what they see whenever they smiled. For hours, he had seen them smiled for a lot times.

Lady Fenella’s brown eyes glanced at him for a moment, nodding once before she started walking again with short swords in her petite hands.

Weapons doesn’t suit the lady. He thought.

Perplexed, he approached her. “Where have you acquire these weapons, Lady Fenella?”

“Fenella.” She frowned at him.

Kael blinked back. One thing he remembered from his late mother was to respect women no matter what their races are. Calling them familiarly would be like befriending them.

He liked to think they were just allies.

Lady Fenella sighed. “Keep calling me Lady Fenella and I will call you Lord Kael.”

It was his turn to frown. “I’m not a Lord therefore you don’t have to call me as such.”

“So are we.” She retorted, stern and firm. He thought only Lady Alexandra could sound like that. She was the eldest, they said. It didn’t surprise him. She had the presence of a compassionate and responsible big sister.

Kael stared at her, as inappropriate as that was but the way they carried themselves, said something different. There was an unusual quality to each and every one of them that seemed to be an odd compromise of both high-born refinement and low-born execution.

Their clothing for instance, was well tailored and the fabric finely made. It was admittedly odd to see them wearing pants, a part of his mind known human females loved to dolled up and wear pretty dresses. He was wearing a piece of their clothing, a pants called ‘Yoga’. The fabric was comfortable and elastic to move with and he was fully aware he could kick anyone on the face without the fear of tearing it or the fabric straining. And the tunic that was called ‘shirt’, fitted his body softly.

“But I don’t see you as low-born.” He said, frowning in confusion.

There was also the fact that they own silver wares and other things that look odd and expensive at the same time but the information of them traveling in the wilderness without an escort contradict that fact.

“Low-born.” Lady Fenella repeated, skeptical. “Like a peasant?”

Kael leaned back, he felt like the lady was not able to understand his words again. Just like when he woke up and confronted them. The different language spouting from their mouths pained his ears and head.

“Yes.” He answered, eyeing her strangely. “Can you still understand me, Lady Fenella?” he asked in order to be certain.

She blinked then smiled sheepishly. “Yeah. I can still understand you. Just, let’s talk about this whenever Abel was around, okay? She was knowledgeable about this kind of things. She may not look like it but she’s one hell of a history nerd.” The last words came out as an exasperated rant but it sounds fond for Kael’s ear even though he doesn’t completely understand it.

What is a history nerd? And what does the meaning behind their habits of shortening their names? Do they not like their whole names?

“I understand.” He nodded despite of his confusion.

“Anyway, to answer your question; I found these things lying around the place and picked it up. Just in case, we needed it.” She said, lifting up the two swords she was carrying in both hands. “It doesn’t look good, though.”

The swords blade was chipped and it was obviously worn by time and the lack of care from its owner.

“Must be some old swords thrown away by its owner.” He answered, taking the weapon gingerly from her hands. She looked like she was having trouble of carrying it

Lady Fenella was like the fairy among their group. She has the features of one, with her short hair and understanding brown eyes that sometimes twinkled with mischief along with Lady Drishti. He noticed that she was a shy little thing, preferring to be standing close to her companions and let them sort out some things but she was kind, radiating with a gentle soul that the forest seemed to resonated with.

“Most of the weapons lying around were actually just leftovers.” Lady Geneva said, walking to them and carrying a small open barrel with a bunch of different worn swords in it. “There was this house—Abel said it was a blacksmith house or some sort—and it was completely emptied out. The weapons and armors were all stolen. I found a couple of bows but no arrows.” She informed them with a disappointed frown and continued walking.

She was one of the most intimidating among the women. Her eyes were intense color of the sky that he always felt on his person. It never escaped his noticed how she always keeps an eye on him like a hawk. It wasn’t unfriendly. She was merely watching and waiting for something he was not foolish to do so. A frown was permanently stuck on her face and he was reminded of a strict High Priestess that would slap him upside the head whenever he was not paying attention in his Arcane lessons.

Kael and Lady Fenella followed her, footsteps lightly making a noise on the grassy field. If he looked carefully on the ground, he could see dried patches on it. The women had tried to clean up the place but most of it cannot be fix. There are houses that was completely burned down, along with the tree that it was built in. Some had fallen from the devastating blows of magical spells that was thrown on it. Some had blood splattered on the walls, broken windows, doors and furniture.

No one would have thought a bandit group could do such destruction but they have powerful mages on their side that caught his people off guard. Why on Gaia’s name the mages are siding with such barbarians?

They walked onto Lady Kara whose forehead was still covered with bandage and he felt guilty about it. She was sitting on the grass, hugging her knees brooding. A lot of items were surrounding her but she paid it no mind.

“Is there something wrong with her?” he whispered to Lady Fenella after putting the swords on the barrel Lady Geneva was carrying and laid on the ground.

Lady Geneva catching his question, glanced disinterestedly on Lady Kara before she turned to him, face devoid of all pity. “She’ll live.”

Lady Tabitha dumped a crate on the grass, chuckling. He was more curious of what was funny instead of where she had found that thing. “Alex confiscated our gadgets, you see.”

“Gadgets?” he asked, confused again. There are words they were saying that he couldn’t understand.

“I don’t see why?! What’s the point?” Lady Kara complained.

“There are a lot of reasons why.” Lady Fenella answered, voice sounding exasperated.

Kael was reminded of the times he was dealing with his own twin-brother. Hot-headed and always one to complain. His heart twinge painfully. His twin. He never forgotten about him. The first thing he did when he woke up in the women’s settlement was search for the connection to his twin.

Kael felt him, alive and brimming with rage. He felt as though the weight of a thousand worlds has melted off his shoulders. Knowing that his brother was still alive is enough for him.

“It’s not like it was much of use, anyways.” Lady Blake sighed, kneeling by the crate and opening its lid.

“But my phone is part of my life! I may not use it, so long as it was in my pocket I feel normal—Wait! Are those weeds?” Lady Kara asked, shooting the jars of medicinal herbs an incredulous look.

“No, you i***t!” Lady Drishti said, chortling with mirth as she approached them. She was the smallest in their group, barely passing his midriff. Pretty little thing but her bright red hair and soft-green eyes twinkling with mischievousness suggested trouble.

“Of course, she wouldn’t recognize them.” Lady Dein added, laughing as she knee and inspected one jar of medicinal herbs. Her round and curvy body dwarfing Lady Drishti. Her hair has a streak of red on her fringe. Her smoky gray eyes flicked on his person from time to time with appreciative interest that he found uncomfortable.

They were all attractive in human way and no one would have thought they were living in the wilderness with their odd yet pristine clothing and polite sometimes brash manners but Kael mentally shivered at the thought of what would Lady Abelone do to his person if he so much lay a perverse glance on one of them.

And then there was Lady Alexandra. He’d rather not walk on that dangerous path.

“They’re medicinal herbs, Kara.” Lady Blake explained, grinning. Her charcoal black eyes lighting up in curiosity as she peeked through the medicinal herbs.

“Well, excuse me! I’m in the Communications Department!” Lady Kara said, her nose flaring.

“What is a Communication Depart…men?” He inquired, utterly confused.

The women looked at him, stunned for a moment as if they forgot that he was standing there. They look at each other before Lady Geneva turned to him. “We’ll talk about it later.” She said that broke no argument.

He frowned, internally wondering what they were hiding. The suspicious feeling that was creeping inside of him added to his gut. Their choice of lingo was often rough and poorly chosen, uncouth even.

No matter how he looked at them, they simply were out of place in the land even for human standards.

“By the way, Kael, did you wash your hands?” Lady Fenella asked, eyeing his soiled hands. It had not crossed his mind.