Fallen Allegiance

Chapter Eight

I could think of a hundred more pleasant ways to be woken up, but unfortunately, I got the Sayer wake up which consisted of him shouting his lungs out at me and shaking me hard. When this didn't work, I found myself soaked in ice-cold water. Gasping awake, I shook my head trying to shake the droplets of water blinding my sight away.

"Hello there, Morgana, nice of you to show up last night," said Sayer sarcastically, "Oh, and there's my jacket I thought I had lost. Thanks for asking to borrow it as well." Sayer reached down and grabbed his jacket, leaving my arms bare making me shiver. Dwynwen sighed, extending her hand to me to help me up. I took it and she pulled me to my feet.

"Sayer, calm down," said Dwynwen, looking down at the map.

Sayer stared incredulously at her, "Calm down? Did you just tell me to calm down? She could have been killed! The Valithors are out here! What if Thorn had found her? Or worse, Andor? What if Cerdic Valithor had found her?"

"Cerdic isn't here," Dwynwen cut in smoothly, not seeming flustered by the fact I had disappeared, "Morgana can do what she likes, she’s not your pet, Sayer." Sayer seemed to have no retort to this; he just stuck his hands in his pockets and sulked to himself, though I could tell he was abundantly angry with me.

Sighing, I followed behind Dwynwen as she led us through the forest. I knew I should have been focused, watching out incase someone tried to attack me, but I couldn't help but let my mind wonder back to last night. Who was that boy? Why had he saved me? Why had those people called him master? Was he some evil dude with slaves? No, he couldn't be, otherwise why would he have saved me? So many questions clouded my mind, yet I knew if I spoke one aloud Sayer would have a go at me, and if he found out what happened last night he would flip, big time.

It wasn’t such a big deal, was it? Yes, he had saved my life, but it wasn’t as if we were going to meet again, it wasn’t as if he wanted me to help him in return. Like I could help him, I could barely take care of myself in this world. Then there was his rock, his powers, they were different from mine. He wasn’t a pixie, fairy, sprite vampire, werewolf or a wizard. But that only left three things, a Falkar, a Dusarla or a Thariel. Seeing that Falkars and Dusarlas were the same thing, just with separate goals, it seemed he had to be a Thariel, and the thought made me sick. A Thariel had saved me.

“Hey, Dwynwen,” I said hesitantly, staring at the floor.

“Hmm, that’s me,” Dwynwen glanced back at me questioningly then back to the map.

“How did the Thariels begin?” I asked, remembering the boy from the night before. His matted black hair, pale oval face, intense gold eyes. I wouldn’t forget a face like his.

Dwynwen chocked, “You want to know how it started – They started?” I nodded then laughed at her disbelieving expression. She shrugged, “It was expected…” she muttered to herself.

Sayer grumbled something about nosy humans and Ariadne kicked him from behind, making him yelp. He turned and sent Ariadne a death glare which she shrugged off, she seemed to gain her confidence a lot quicker than Evelyn. But then again, everyone here was braver than my friends on Earth, but that was expected when you grew up in a place like this.

Dwynwen sighed, hinting that this was going to be a long explanation, “Well, it’s mostly to do with your mother because-“

“-my mother?” I interjected.

“Lady Hunter, she-“

I cut in again, “Doesn’t she have a first name?”

Dwynwen seemed shocked that I would mention that, “A first name? I have only referred to her as Khadi’s mother or Lady Hunter, never her first name. I could be killed for that.”