
Chapter 28
Aknon's POV
I groaned as I rested my back against a large boulder. I was wrapping a cloth around my leg, blood immediately sinking into it and staining the fabric a deep crimson. It had been a day since I left the orc camp and I'd already been ambushed. They didn't take anything from me, probably assuming I had nothing. I didn't quite understand, given the fact I had a pretty impressive sword by my side. They didn't notice it, nor did they seem interested in any of my clothing or other belongings, but that was maybe due to the fact that they were all shrunken and they didn't know magic.
"I know," I grumbled to the horse, who I now referred to as Char, after they tried to eat my charcoal. "I didn't think that it would take me this long. It doesn't hurt that badly."
Char was nudging my wounded leg with their nose, sniffing at it before nudging it again.
"I don't think it's poisoned." I didn't know why I was talking to a horse like it could understand me and have a proper conversation, but it was the best conversation I could get at the moment. I had camped during the night, and I still hadn't arrived at any other villages or towns. "Why on earth would anyone use poison on someone they were trying to rob? That would just be a waste of resources." I didn't know if I was thinking along the logical route, or if I was being somewhat naive.
I tied the knot on the cloth and sat back. I thought that I had been slow before, now I knew I'd be even slower. I glanced around at the road, which had not changed much. There was just grass and dirt, with the occasional flower beating the odds.
I looked up to the sky, wondering if Aero or Abner were laughing at me, those being respective deities of the sky and truth. I then reminded myself I was delightfully insignificant in comparison to the rest of the world. Being a child of Dwi hadn't changed my perception on my self-importance, or lack thereof.
"I wonder how Senka is doing," I mumbled to myself, watching Char eat some grass. "I know that she was going to find Acer, but it's already been so long. I don't know if she's okay, and it's really getting to me." I tried to wrack my brain, trying to remember if Buruh mentioned anything about how she was doing, I had the strange feeling that she didn't.
Char didn't reply.
"I don't even know if we're going the right way," I continued my rambling, feeling tired and bored. "I haven't even looked at my book over the past day. I'm so tempted to just get rid of it."
As I said those words, a horrible feeling washed over me. I knew that I would never and could never get rid of that book. It had been a gift from Dwi, at least at some point. I didn't know how truthful it was, but it was still a tome of knowledge. It would be disrespectful to both Odon and Dwi, and disrespecting the deities was something I'd rather avoid if I could, even if I had negative emotions towards them.
I contemplated staying there for longer before shaking my head and standing. Char gave a confused neigh, following me quickly, getting in front of me.
"I'm fine," I told the horse simply, putting a hand on his side. Whenever I tried to step forward, he got in my way. "Don't be difficult." I sounded more tired than I wanted to. It had been a day; how could I be feeling like this so soon?
I tried to step forward once more, but Char let out a loud noise and began pushing me backwards.
"What is it?" I asked quietly, moving so that I could look into his eyes. I knew that he wasn't stupid, no animal was stupid. It was a very common relief that animals had the same intelligence as humans and the like, the minority believed that they were inferior. It was just very frustrating that we couldn't communicate with them as well as we could with other creatures.
He kept trying to push me backwards, so I got the hint and moved behind the boulder I had been leaning against. I made myself lie down, even though it was extremely uncomfortable. I closed my eyes and listened intently. Char's hooves sounded against the dirt, slowly getting quieter and quieter, yet picking up speed quickly.
I tensed up and held my breath, listening out for anything which could be a danger. I pretended like I didn't exist, like I was blending in with the shadows.
Around five or ten minutes later, I heard voices, hooves, and the rolling of wagon wheels. The pace of the horses was slow and laboured like the wagon and those riding were too heavy for them.
"Where'd you get these horses?" a male voice grumbled, but it sounded rather muffled. "They're as slow as you are after a feast or trying to read."
Another male voice spoke up after giving a loud scoff. "I highly disagree, they're as slow as you trying to come up with witty remarks." I thought that was a rather lame remark. "But, once again, I got them from the fifth. They weren't easy to control."
"Weren't easy? They're about as wild as the deity themself," the first man replied with an irritated grunt. "You're lucky I know magic."
That was worrying.
I rolled over in the grass, trying to get a look at the carriage. There were four horses, each of them had red eyes. It was terrifying to see, but I figured that it was an effect of the magic that the man had used.
The figures on the horses wore dark cloaks, had most of their faces covered in black cloth, and looked relatively weak in stature. I wasn't the strongest person either, so it wasn't much of a comfort.
"We've just got a day's further," the second person said. "We'll be in Kourjit in no time, then they, and the horses will be off our hands."
"Might have some nice hot soup, or stew." The first man was looking down at the horse they were riding, as though imagining what it would taste like.
I was severely alarmed. But what alarmed me more was what I saw in the carriage. There were two people tied up in the back. I couldn't see many of their features. But I could tell that one was short whilst the other was rather tall. The shorter person had dark hair whilst the other was blonde. They weren't moving.
I felt a fire of rage flow through me at the sight. They'd obviously been captured, and after Acer, I had absolutely no tolerance or will to stand by and watch.
I didn't know what I could do with an injured leg in this case. I couldn't think very quickly as I was full of too many emotions, and so I had to rely on instinct.
That was probably the most terrifying thing I could've done at the time.
I jumped out from behind the bolder, racing to catch up with the horses. My leg screamed at me, but I successfully ignored it until I fell in front of the horses. I inhaled sharply and held up both of my hands. I didn't know what I was doing, but I just knew that they would trample me, and my body's natural reaction was to cover my face.
The world went black.
I heard the distressed whinnies of the horses which overtook the yells of the men who were riding them. I felt coldness rush through me, wind pushing me onto my back. I felt power escape from my fingertips and surround me, ultimately leaving me feeling exhausted and weak.
My vision didn't come back until much later. I didn't know how much later, but the sun had set, and it was far too dark for my liking. Char was standing above me, nudging my shoulder, almost rolling me across the ground. My whole body ached and felt heavy. I didn't know what happened whilst I was unconscious, but I felt like a carriage had run me over.
The thought of a carriage made me bolt into a sitting position. Letting out a yelp of pain, I clutched my head and screwed my eyes shut, needing to take deep breaths to stop myself from letting out anymore pained noises.
I was sitting in high grass. I couldn't see the road, but I knew it couldn't have been far. I had been in the middle of the road when I went unconscious, so surely the wind hadn't blown me. The ridiculousness of that thought caused me to laugh aloud.
"I'm losing my bearings," I mumbled to myself. Char let out a huff of air, probably agreeing with me. I checked myself over, my leg had bled heavily through the bandages, which also explained my pounding head. I also had a sizable bump on the back of my head, which could be another explanation. I was covered in dirt and scratches.
I stood, and Char was right by my side, forcing me to lean onto him. "Thank you," I said politely, letting out a sigh. "Where's the carriage?" I didn't know what kind of response I was expecting from him, but I didn't get one.
Yet still, I looked at him expectedly. Then I noticed that his saddle looked slightly strange. It looked like it was made of a darker leather than it seemed yesterday. I told myself that I was just seeing things because of the dark, but it felt important.
I went to put my hand on the top of my bag, before noticing that it wasn't there. I still had my sword, which was also a pleasant surprise. I would've thought that if I had been robbed or beaten up, that my sword would be the only thing that they would take. It only served to add more mystery to the weapon. "Okay, well, I need to find my bag."
And so, I began walking, not knowing if I was going in the right direction, just knowing that I should get back to the road as soon as possible.
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