I slowly opened my eyes,
and my vision focused on a tall, slender, tanned man standing on
the other side of a campfire.
"Where am I? What
happened?"
"You are in the forest
north of Damon's Spire. As for what happened I do not know. Kirei
and I found you lying on the ground just inside the forest
entrance." He answered quietly yet forcefully. He gracefully
sat down, but his posture remained rigid. He appeared to be much
like a stereotypical dark and silent type, hair darker even than
mine own, eerie light blue eyes sharply building their impression
of me, not very trustworthy. The way he was looking at me made me
very uncomfortable, just as Royce had. He did not strike me as
the type Kirei would be associated with yet I knew next to
nothing about her.
"Where is Kirei?"
I was sure the tense atmosphere would lessen upon her return.
"Right here
Yasuo." I immediately felt my body relax. I was relieved to
see her friendly face. "You really want to get yourself
killed do you not? I changed the bandage on your back, whatever
happened you are lucky it did not make your wound worse."
It all suddenly returned in
a blinding flash. The heels of my hands dug into my eyes trying
to suppress the onslaught of pain in my head. The book, the
mirror... my reflection... The Cursed One.
"Yasuo?"
"No, I am fine."
I held up my hand to stop her advance. "Just some minute
pain. I can not remember what happened, but it must have been
something like a blow to the head." My fingertips gently
rubbed my temples. She needn't know the whole story.
"Well then, if you are
sure." She sat next to me and touched my shoulder. "I
almost forgot to introduce you two. Yasuo, this is Kage, another
brooding man I know. He was born in Reza; I am surprised that you
two have not met already. And Kage, this is Yasuo. He is on his
way to Damon's Spire."
Kage nodded in reply.
"What brings you this
way Kirei?" Had she decided to follow me again?
"Kage just returned
from Meryod. There was a mishap with the bridge there. There is
an old gentleman whom used to do repairs all the time, but his
sight is not what it used to be, so he asked Kage to travel to
Iluk to call on an inventor there named Meika. He stopped in Reza
for supplies and that is when I saw him. Why not travel with us?
You could regain your strength, and we all could then travel with
you."
"I thank you Kirei,
your words are kind. But now that I am so close to the answers, I
want only to get there as soon as possible." The legend came
to mind then. If it was true that someone was going to die, then
I did not want it to be Kirei or her companion. And if it were I,
then I wanted no one to witness it.
"If that is what you
wish than so be it. You will still be welcome to come with us if
you should change your mind. Anyhow, I think it best that we get
a few hours rest. We have quite a bit of traveling ahead of
us."
She would not hear an
argument from I. My eyes were heavy with sleep, and I was already
drifting back into a deep slumber. Kage all the while watching
with his sharp gaze.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I woke slowly; something
was tickling my nose.
Raspberries, such a sweet
scent.
I heard a soft feminine
sigh. My eyes came immediately open.
Kirei!
Somehow in the night we had
moved closer together. Her back was to my chest, my arm around
her small waist.
I tried blowing her soft,
blue, hair away from my nose in an effort not to wake her. Yet
the stray hairs blew directed back to my nose, if things
continued like this I would sneeze.
I heard a muffled giggle
then.
"Just what is it that
you find so amusing my dear Kirei?"
"Shh, I am still
sleeping."
I smiled. "I see...
You are still sleeping yet you can hold normal
conversation?"
"Yes." She
giggled again and turned over onto her back.
"I am sorry for waking
you."
"No need for apologies
Yasuo. We need to get ready soon," She paused for a moment
and her cheeks turned pink. "I grew cold in the night. I
hope you do not mind that I came to lay by you."
"Not at all." I
reassured her. Surprisingly, she replied with a warm hug. I
looked up only to clash gazes with Kage. He looked like he might
rip my limbs off! "Your friend is awake as well," I
whispered to her as I moved away.
"Oh!" She turned
and smiled at Kage who returned the smile although it looked as
though it took him great effort to keep it upon his face. It
disappeared immediately as Kirei turned back to me.
"Well then! We had
best get packed up!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure you will
not continue on with us to Iluk?"
Kirei eyes looked up at me
with some emotion that I could not identify. My stomach muscles
tightened. I wanted to go with her, I realized standing at these
crossroads that I was terrified of what I would find atop Damon's
spire.
We hugged then. "Go on
with your friend to Iluk... We must part now Kirei." My
chest tightened. What was happening to me?
"Yasuo. This is not
goodbye is it?" Kirei's muffled voice replied from my chest.
It was like a kick to the
gut. That was the very thing Portia had asked me the last time I
saw her. I hugged Kirei tighter. I could not lose anyone else.
But I could not stay risking her life.
"We will see each
other sooner than you think, my dear Kirei." I stood back
from her with a smile of encouragement.
Her tearful eyes looked
into mine and I knew not else to say. This was so much harder
than I thought it would be. She had some how stole into my heart
and I hadn't notice till now.
"Yasuo, I..." I
lightly pressed my fingertips to her lips to silence her. Her
tears spilled from her eyes then, and she leapt into my arms
again. "Come with us Yasuo... I do not want to lose
you."
"You will never lose
me my dear Kirei. Go on now. Your friend is waiting." I
smiled again when she finally looked up. "Go on," I
whispered and gently wiped the tears from her wet cheek. "We
will see each other again, I promise."
"Sooner than you
think." She covered my hand and smiled.
"Yes."
She backed away a step or
so and then quickly turned and ran to catch up with Kage. I stood
watching as they began walking and Kage spoke to her. Undoubtedly
asking her what had been said.
I turned down the path
toward Damon's unable to watch them any further. I knew my life
was going to change and there would be no turning back now that I
had chosen this path. I made a promise to Kirei that I knew I
would break. I was not going to see her again.
As I walked this lonely path my own tears spilled. Crimson as the accursed eyes I kept hidden.
§ Chapter 11 § Tear Main § Chapter 13 §
