The Firelands

Chapter 25 - Dead King Valley

6th day of the third Month, Winners Moon

11:00 pm

Dead King Valley

If Kalen had thought getting Zedkiel to eat tavern food was difficult, getting him to camp out doors was a whole different matter. The valley they travelled through was vast. It seemed to be untouched by people, there were no towns, no villages, not even other camp sites, and it was quiet, quiet enough to spook Kalen and Incendio – who always had his wolf ears twitching, trying to find sound, a bird song, the scamper of animals, the voices of other travellers, but nothing. Just the wind and water.

The fact that there was no drama just unnerved Kalen and Zedkiel more; it was Fairyland, the home of drama.

One week after the break out from the goblin tunnels, Kalen and Zedkiel stood opposite each other, glaring over a camp fire.

"You're an elf of the earth, Zedkiel!" Kalen snapped, his hands clenching into fists, "and the Dragon Knight of Earth! What could you possibly have against sleeping on the ground? With blankets between you and said ground!"

"Have you not seen how filthy you get lying on this earth?" Zedkiel said, folding his arms and frowning.

"Agh, out of all of us, you are always the one who's the cleanest," Kalen said, clapping a hand to his face, "You don't get dirty, no matter what you do! Is that an elf thing by the way? Because, I might add, it's not fair. Besides, there are enough streams around that we can have regular baths... apart from Theth, but he's weird."

Theth glared at him.

"Well you are, you only shower at waterfalls, that's weird."

"Those streams are freezing cold this time of year, I do not enjoy those baths!" Zedkiel said.

"Oh come on, this can't be the first time you've had cold baths."

"Yes, it is."

"Well haven't you ever been out in winter rain or snow?"

"No, why would I?"

Kalen just looked at him, then closed his eyes. "Oh, my gods, you had no life," he said, sitting down cross-legged on his blankets and throwing a log onto the fire.

Zedkiel glared at him and remained standing.

"You'll have to sit eventually, you know, you always do," Kalen said.

"We should have gone back up that cliff and found the traders' route again," Zedkiel muttered, pulling a wind of leather from his wrist and tying his hair back.

"No you don't, don't you put that blame on me, you agreed as much as I did that we should go through the valley, not around it."

"Well we both had the assumption there was civilisation here, I had not intended on this."

"We're going to The Firelands, a destroyed realm, how much civilisation do you think is waiting for us?"

"From being one of the most powerful realms in the world? There will be a slight more then there is here."

"You're just fussy."

Zedkiel sighed. "And you are uncouth."

"Wha? I'm uncouth?!" Kalen cried.

"Yes, you are uncouth."

Kalen snarled, baring his fangs and turning away, folding his arms again and sticking his nose in the air, refusing to talk anymore.