The wind was cold, piercing through the thin walls of the inn. But the night’s chill was not what woke Va’il. His mind was clouded, and his vision still distracted by the dream that had suddenly ended.
“Help!” Ruby said. She didn’t say another word, only muffled sounds as she struggled.
Va’il jumped up, fully awake, his heart racing. He scanned the room in an instant; two men in dark clothes had taken hold of Ruby, and the other two were just a couple feet from Va’il, watching to see if he would wake.
It only seemed like a brief second to the men and Va’il. Before another move was made Va’il felt himself lifted off the ground by a fifth man who entered the room a split-second earlier. Before Va’il knew it, he was being carried on the man’s shoulder as he escaped out the window and ran across the nearby rooftops, leaving the other four men and Ruby in the room.
“No, stop, let me go!” Va’il yelled once his senses returned to him a moment later. He squirmed, trying to figure out how he was being held, how he’d escape his captor, and how he’d get back to the room and save Ruby.
“Not if you want to live,” the man carrying him said.
“Huh, live?” Va’il asked, but immediately prevented himself from getting distracted. “No, regardless, let me go! Ruby, I need to go to Ruby!”
“I’m not gonna hurt you, boy. And that girl won’t be harmed either. But if you go back, you’ll die,” the man said. Va’il heard the words, and then realized the voice was familiar. It finally dawned on him that the man carrying him was the drunkard from earlier. But he still felt he had no choice but to put that realization aside. Ruby’s last word was still bouncing in his head. He couldn’t leave her. He panicked. The drunk was holding him tightly, with much more strength than Va’il expected, and together they were traversing the rooftops, away from the inn.
Va’il calmed himself for a moment, just long enough to rationally plan. Once he had, he dropped his calm again, and placed his hands on the man’s arms. Summoning his strength, he broke the man’s hold on him in a quick movement, and pushed the man’s back. He held out his arms as they made contact with the rooftop, and used them to bounce himself upright. The entire sequence took him only a brief second, and it made him ready to begin running back towards the inn.
The drunk was surprised by the action, but he also moved quickly, turning and managing to get an arm over Va’il’s head before he could start his dash. Va’il felt the arm close around his neck for a moment. He reached up and tried pulling the arm off. It was solid, immovable. He struggled, feeling like he had no choice but to get away, to go after Ruby. It was his duty. A captor was nothing to him. He grabbed the arm with both hands, and took a moment to summon all his strength. His mind briefly reminded him that the drunk said Ruby wouldn’t be harmed. But he couldn’t trust that. What if Va’il had known the truth was that Ruby would be returned to Rising by the captors?
What if she really would be safe? What if he wasn’t needed now? If he had known these to be true, or even considered them for even a moment, he wouldn’t have been able to summon every ounce of strength possible. It could have made him unconsciously hold back slightly. But how could he know the truth? He summoned every bit of strength he had. This time, it felt like the arm didn’t put up any resistance, and a moment later Va’il felt like he could dash off without any further resistance.
“Hey…”
Va’il ran across the rooftops, one after another, making his way back to the inn. He jumped in through the window where the men were still struggling with Ruby.
“Hey…”
Va’il went for the faceless man holding onto Ruby, and pushed him away from her with force, throwing him to the ground. The other three men closed in on him, and Va’il let out a loud, vicious, growl when they did. The action was enough to make them stop in their tracks just long enough for Va’il to grab Ruby and jump out the window with her, just as the drunk had a minute earlier.
“Hey…”
Va’il and Ruby ran quickly, without letup. Va’il felt like they had run until dawn, leaving danger behind them. Never did they look back at the city, and instead continued on their journey. Soon they reached Farrow, then Rising, then the city of Rising, where everyone awaited them with hugs and smiles. Va’il cried as Mai’ou hugged him, as his group of friends welcomed him back, and as his father stood there, ruffling his hair, calling him brave and a good knight, smiling in the way that only the aloof Fidel could.
#
“Hey, boy, wake up already.”
Va’il woke up and rubbed his eyes and face, which were wet from tears. He looked at the shine on his finger, wondering why his face was covered in tears, and then recalled the dream he just had. His thoughts returned to normal, and he stood up in surprise. He was in a small cave, the drunk next to him, and daylight streaming in through the cave’s entrance.
“What? Where? No, Ruby, where?” Va’il asked aloud.
“Gather your bearings, boy. Ain’t nothing for you to worry about this second. Wake up and eat something first, then think,” the drunk said.
“You!” Va’il turned around and bared his teeth. He looked ready to pounce on the drunk as his claws extended. “You took me from her! You, I’ll, I’ll, something. Later though, where is she?”
“Hold on boy, don’t go killing me without knowing nothing,” the drunk said. He chuckled to himself some before continuing. “Your woman is safe. Well, safe is a subjective word. I should say she’ll be fine.”
“I don’t care, or believe. Where is she? I won’t ask again!”
“Well, I know she’s with that squad of Grip people. As for where they are, I’d assume the road,” the drunk said. He then stood up, ignoring Va’il’s growls as he passed. He left the cave and went to a small fire he had started earlier. Va’il followed him, still looking murderous. Though his thoughts strayed slightly when he saw the rabbits cooking over the fire.
“Tell me what you want, capturing her and me. What does Grip want? And give her back to me!” Va’il said.
“Ah, you’re gonna mess up my timing. Gotta be just right to get the right mix of flavor, tenderness, and not overcooking the meat. It’s good stuff. One for you too. Now if only my gourd wasn’t looking half-empty, I’d be happy,” the drunk said, and then started humming.
“I’ll just leave if you’re going to ignore me,” Va’il said. He dropped his expression and retracted his claws, looked around his surroundings, and then started walking.
“Wait boy, wait. All right, if you’re just gonna run off I’ll stop. But just this once. I can’t help you forever,” the drunk said. Va’il turned around and squatted by the fire, and then stared at the drunk.
“So start talking. Where’s Ruby?” Va’il asked.
“I think I need to tell you, boy, I’m not with them. I ain’t your foe. I got nothing to do with them taking your woman,” the drunk said.
“She’s… not going to be… no, I don’t believe you. I don’t trust anything a man of Grip says,” Va’il said.
“Ah boy, no no, I’m not from Grip, boy. Well, I’m just a traveller, really,” the drunk said.
“A solo human traveller? Sure,” Va’il said sarcastically. In a non-human country it seemed that a human traveling alone would be at the height of stupidity.
