Hero's Journey

Chapter 11

The ground rumbles beneath Kagon's boots, yet he knows that this is no earthquake. Something's approaching.

The hero steers his steed off the main road and into the foliage where he can peer from the vegetation.

He had been searching for Delia for quite awhile now with no sign of her. And so he had decided to travel the road in hopes of stumbling across the writer. But that was not to be.

From his hidden spot Kagon can see a carriage approaching from down the path, carrying a family of traveling merchants. From inside the carriage Kagon can hear the squabbling of children and the angry voice of a mother trying to calm down her children. Driving the carriage is a man that he assumes is the father, beside the man is who Kagon guesses is his daughter. The girl being about Delia's age or younger.

The hero listens carefully as their voices carry over to him.

"Pappa, pappa!"

"Yes, Olia?" He answers, smiling lightly at his daughter.

"The merchant camp we stayed with yesterday had been all the way to Afflon!"

"They traded with the elves?" Her father asks, sounding awed at this.

Olia shakes her head, cornrows flying. "No, the ship they were traveling in needed repairing and so they had to land there. The elves helped them repair their ship in just a single night! One of the merchant's daughters told me that the elves told the most wonderful tales of a magical sword!"

Sword....

Before Delia was swept away hadn't it been agreed on that their next adventure would be searching for a new sword?

Kagon quietly follows the carriage, listening intently on the two's conversation.

"A sword, eh?" The father says, amused.

"Yeah! The elves told them that it is one of the best swords in all the world. However, it's hidden in the deep forests. No one has yet to find it." Olia beams at her father. "Pappa, maybe I'll find it someday!"

Her father places a dark hand on his daughter's head, looking down fondly at her. "Maybe you will. Don't let anyone spurn your dreams, Olia. I believe anyone can do anything they put their mind to, you especially."

Olia's elated grin is both loving and beautiful. "I love you, Pappa!"

At that Kagon halts his horse and leaves the carriage to travel on alone. He has heard enough. Enough to retrieve that sword and make it his.

But what about Delia?

"Delia, I have found my heading, the one we were looking for and I have no choice but to follow it." Kagon says. "But I'll come back for you, I promise." Kagon swears.

〰〰〰

Delia hums a soft, lilting melody as she adds berries to her woven basket. Iglesias and the others had allowed her and Kipdale to stay because of their bad behavior. However, Delia still wished to help the villagers and so was sent to forage for food. Which is what she and Kipdale are doing currently.

Well, more like Delia considering Kipdale is just a ghost beside her. He hasn't talked or left her side since they had first seen the villagers and were almost robbed by them. Kipdale still seems to be in that frozen state of shock even though he has defrosted a bit since then.

Delia picks another handful of purple berries, tucking then into the basket before moving on to the next bush.

A sudden brush against her side makes her nearly jump from her skin. The writer turns abruptly only to see Kipdale snatch his hand away from the basket and shove a few berries into his mouth.

Delia looks into the basket, eyes wide. She should of had a basket full of them by now but the half of the basket is barely filled with the berries. Kipdale must of been sneaking them as she bent to pick more.

However, instead of yelling at the boy Delia shakes her head, smiling. "Kipdale, have you been taking the berries?"

The boy guiltily bobs his head, similar to how a child would act if his mother caught him stealing the pastries she just baked for dinner.

"Please don't eat anymore. We'll be eating dinner when we get back and we can't just bring this back." She gestures to the scarce amount of fruit left in the basket.

Kipdale bobs his head in what Delia hopes to be agreement.

"Alright." She smiles. "Let's fill this basket and then head back."

Delia leans down to scoop up more berries but is interrupted by the sound of loud yelling. She jerks to a standing position, the basket tumbling from her grasp and falling to the ground. The berries roll from the basket, scattered across the forest floor.

Kipdale covers his ears with his hands, blood-tears spilling down his cheeks.

Delia's eyes widen. "Kipdale! Are you alright?!"

Kipdale nods his head, wiping away the red tears but still looking shaken as the shouting continues.

The same thing had happened to the boy yesterday. It's almost as if it happens he's reminded of something unpleasant.

The berries forgotten, Delia grabs his forearm and the two rush towards the makeshift village, squishing the forgotten berries under their shoes.

They reach the camp and immediately see that all Gehenna had broken loose. The people of the camp all yell and shout, seeming to be centered around something or one.

Surprisingly Kipdale then takes the lead. He holds Delia close to him and elbows through the crowd, even shoving people away with his body weight if needed.

Delia trails behind, surprised of Kipdale's sudden emotion. He's no longer the ghost that haunts her side but a solid mass. She sees a flicker of his old self before all the bad that happened to him occurred. A brave, strong-willed boy.

They make it to the front of the crowd easily. In the center is a young girl shivering in a torn dress. A woman with dark skin stands beside her, arms draped around the girl consolingly and yet her face is devoid of any emotion. Bruises and scabs crawl up one side of her face, nearly covering the left side of her neck and half of her face.

The woman's eyes train on Delia's. Her inky hair in a severe bun that makes her intelligent brown eyes seem bigger. Her eyes then train on Kipdale. Her crimson lips part slightly, the only indication of any emotion.

Kipdale's shoulders stiffen and then his whole body seems to slump.

"Do you know her?" Delia says under her breath, her words for Kipdale only.

Kipdale's voice come out scratchy. "No." He coughs and then swallows. "Not really."

The answer is brisk with many different possible answers inlaid within it. Delia notices this but it is not the thing that shocks her. He talked, that's what grabs at her attention.

Curiosity eats away at her but she doesn't inquire any further, instead speaking to the whole group. "What's going on?"

"Their survivors from Lanthos." The only woman left in their old village says quietly. "She turns her pale blue eyes on Delia. "I'm Moona, by the way." Two children --one male and the other female-- hang on to the woman's skirts, looking up at her with wide, innocent eyes.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Delia of Pik. Are these your children?" Delia smiles kindly at the children.

The woman looks down, unsurprisingly at the children beside her. "No, not by blood. Their mother was taken and their father is dead. Because I'm the only woman I have to take care of them" She pats their heads gently and the children smile up at her.

Nandef suddenly speaks above the loudness of the small crowd. "Maya and Rissa here are survivors from a pillage in another one of the villages. Th-they say that all the captives the people of the Shadowland took are still in Lanthos."

The roar from the crowd seems to swallow up the world.