~ Power ~

Chapter 4 - Ken-Lee

Freya was panting when they reached the tree line, so she dropped down behind a bush to catch her breath. The man from the cellar followed suit.

‘Wowee!’ he exclaimed, ‘What a magnificent escape!’

Freya half smiled at the man and then turned her head back towards the cabin. She knew that what Lena had been doing to the man was wrong, but she hoped she was alright nonetheless. After all, she had looked after her. Freya turned back to the man, her breathing was more steady now. He was cleaning his glasses and pulling the twigs from his hair.

‘What’s your name?’ she asked.

‘Oh! How rude of me,’ he said, extending his hand. Freya shook it tentatively. ‘I am Ken-Lee.’

‘Nice to meet you Ken-Lee. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions? I’m afraid i’m quite at a loss for answers...’

‘Anything for my rescuer! Go ahead, ask whatever you feel.’

Freya was pleased by this answer. She was afraid he would be too shaken up to answer her questions, but it seemed he had gained a renewed vigour since being set free.

‘Well Mister. The first question I’d like to ask is why you were down there in the first place, in Miss Lena’s cellar?’

The man let loose a wry laugh.

‘Oh, sweet child. That is not Lena’s cellar, or house for that matter.’

‘Then whose is it?’

‘Mine. And my wife’s,’ he said with a sigh. ‘About two months ago we were awakened by a knock at the door. It was very early in the morning and I got up to go and see what it was. I let my wife go back to sleep. I opened the front door and there she was – all smiles and rainbows.’

‘What did she want?’ Freya asked, anxious to hear more.

‘She said she had just bought a cabin in the area and she wanted to come and greet her new neighbours. Well, as the sun was only just now beginning to rise, you can understand why I wasn’t the most gracious of hosts to this strange lady at my door. I told her that my wife was very sick and I had to attend to her. I began to close the door and she smiled at me, it was nothing like the smile she gave me when I first opened the door, her whole demeanour had changed, the smile was wicked. Full of malice.’

Freya shuffled in her seat, fashioned entirely out of twigs and leaves. She again turned back towards the cabin to see if there was any movement. There wasn’t. Ken-Lee continued his story.

‘All of a sudden the gemstone around her neck began to glow. It was beautiful actually, really a sight to behold. It was like staring into the deepest blue ocean, vast and infinitely soothing. The next thing I knew I was laying in the cellar. I cried out for my wife but got no response. And, well, I’ve been down there ever since...’

Freya brought a hand up to cover her mouth, which had opened involuntarily. ‘That’s awful! I can’t believe she would do such a thing. Did you find out anything else about your wife or why she wanted your house?’

‘She was keeping my wife upstairs somewhere. I guess she wanted to separate us. But every day she brought her down into the cellar for a few hours with a couple of pickaxes and make us dig. But of course she never left us alone, so I never got to speak to my wife privately about our situation. And then about two weeks ago, my wife stopped coming down altogether. I asked Lena where she was and she said that she was “running errands”, whatever the hell that means.’

Freya gulped. This Lena really was a piece of work. There was always something about her that didn’t quite sit right. She couldn’t believe that she had once been in her care. It made her sick to think of.

‘Do you know what she was digging for?’ Freya asked.

Ken-Lee shook his head. ‘Your guess is as good as mine.’

Freya nodded.

‘What do we do now?’ she asked. She had reverted to the child she used to be. Follow the leader, she always liked that game.

‘I don’t know,’ Ken-Lee said, ‘I would love to go back there and give Lena a what for, but I’m afraid that she would overpower me yet again.’

‘Are there any towns nearby?’ Freya asked.

The man thought for a minute. ‘There is one about ten miles that way,’ he pointed east, ‘There is a stream over that way and if we follow it, it will eventually lead us there.’

Ten miles, Freya thought, that’s a long way; she looked down at her shoes and sighed. ‘Okay. Let’s do that. But first take this,’ she offered Ken-Lee the Amethyst, ‘For your wounds.’

The man shook his head. ‘Very kind dear, but it won’t work if I use it.’

‘Yes. Of course,’ Freya said and began healing the man’s wounds.

                                                          *            *          *

They found the creek and followed it down stream. They walked for many hours and the sun began to set. Freya’s feet were very sore. She had to ask Ken-Lee’s permission to stop several times. He had no objection to taking these regular breaks, in fact he rather enjoyed them. They stopped just after the sun had set and Freya had a wonderful idea. She healed the blisters on her feet with the piece of Amethyst and flexed her feet freely. She smiled triumphantly and placed the stone back in her bra.

She looked over at Ken-Lee who had fallen asleep against a large tree stump. Freya smiled at him. She decided that they should stay there the night as they were both worn out. She felt cold though and decided to build a fire. She gathered up a bunch of sticks and dry leaves and put them in a pile. Then, with the aid of the piece of Red jade, she created a solid little fire to keep them both warm throughout the night.

                                                          *            *          *

Freya awoke with a start. She heard a loud rustle in the bushes to her right and a faint tapping sound. She glanced over at Ken-Lee; he was awake and signalling at her to keep quite. Freya’s heartbeat quickened. She grabbed a hold of both of her gemstones and waited in anticipation. The moon’s rays shone through the canopy. The fire crackled. And Freya inhaled deeply, waiting for whatever was in the bushes to reveal itself.

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What's in the bush?! (please only choose ONE option):

1. Lena.

2. A wild boar.

3. A group of bandits.

4. A baby dragon.