There was no point in us trying to get any more sleep, it was light already and we were all feeling a little hungry after the battle. The four of us found a sheltered spot and sat down to tuck into those chicken legs Sarah had brought. She took them out and though there wasn’t much meat on them, she was happy to share. We, however, were not. She was clearly exhausted from using so much magic, and from walking so far (besides, she’s only a girl!) and so as true gentlemen, we let her eat the lot. We decided to stop at the nearby town of Yeel to pick up some food for the rest of us later on. For some strange reason, after eating the chicken, Sarah said that she felt like running all the way to Hawel’s, then back again… maybe it was just me, but I could have sworn that she was walking much faster than usual as we continued our journey to find old Sir Hawel.
It didn’t take us long to get to Yeel, and on arrival we found most of the townspeople were still in bed. Bed… wouldn’t it be nice to be back in my warm, comfy bed again? Still, our mission was important and besides, it shouldn’t take too long to fetch the old man for the King. Little did I know how wrong I could be!
We wandered around the town awhile to see if there was anyone around who might be able to give us more precise directions to old Hawel’s house. While looking, we noticed that Jaha wasn’t around. He must’ve gone off to look by himself, so the rest of us had to sit and wait for him. Trust him to keep the rest of us waiting around. Who did he think we were? Schoolteachers?!
“Hello there”, came a voice from behind us. It was not Jaha.
I turned quickly, to see a tall young man, cloaked in brown. Although his face was hidden by his dark robe, his eyes glowed bright green through the shadows: not an eerie green, more of a reassuring green.
“Yes?”, I responded, wondering who this stranger was and what he wanted with us.
“There is no cause for alarm”, the main said serenely, “I am Kazin, a student of Sir Hawel. The man has great powers, and though they fade as the years go by, he assured me you were coming… and here you are! Shall we go?”
Amazed at what I was hearing, and somewhat shocked, my tongue turned to jelly in my mouth, and all I could utter was,
“Uh….um…er…. yes… I mean no! I mean… uh, my friend…”
“The dwarf? Oh, he’ll be here shortly”, the mage assured us.
And so he was, and hot on his has was an angry-looking villager.
“GIVE ME BACK MY SEEDS!!!” yelled the man.
Jaha continued to run.
“You sneaky little thief! Just be glad you weren’t here when those soldiers came through town earlier… I’d’ve reported you right away and your thieving days would be over!”
“Ppppllluughhhhhh!!!”, wobbled Jaha’s tongue, as the man stood in an alley shaking his fist and muttering under his breath.
“Are you quite finished?” said Kazin, almost impatiently.
All attention had been on Jaha, and now, turning to face Kazin we saw that he had pulled the hood of his cloak down. His hair was long and golden (maybe one day I’ll have hair like that), and though his face was young, his bright green eyes held the wisdom and knowledge of many years. It must be an honour to learn from the wise old Hawel, and I was certainly looking forward to meeting him.
Jaha, however, was not impressed at being spoken to like that. His eyes were scrunched up, his hands gripped his axe firmly and his mouth bore a scowl like no other. I could tell that the next leg of our journey was going to be an interesting one. Chester dragged his hooves on the ground impatiently. Sarah was trying not to laugh at Jaha. Kazin just stood there, silent.
“Let’s move!”, I encouraged my friends.
“Hhhmmmph….”, grumbled the irate Jaha, under his breath.
