The Destined Protector (The Chronicles of Mistar - Book 1)

Nine · · · Monta

Road to Mayno, Gazar

MONTA GRABBED OUT A PACKET OF MARON ROOT. He tore off a piece of the food and handed it to Tapalla. She took it with the mumbled word marta, thank you. He watched her take a bite of the root and stare at it intently.

"What's so interesting about maron root?" Monta asked her taking a bite of his.

Tapalla shook her head and said, "Nothing."

Monta frowned when she didn't look at him. He was also trying to be funny, but she didn't get it, so he scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm over her shoulder. He took a glance at Dirken. The man was still sleeping and they would have to leave soon.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Tapalla shrugged her shoulders and grabbed Monta's hand which was stroking her neck. "I don't know. I guess I just wish my parents were here."

She talked about them as if they were still alive. Monta had no clue what to say next.

Instead of talking, Monta kissed her blond hair and put his chin on her head. He could feel her take another bite of maron root and they way her head moved when she chewed.

"Me too," was all Monta said.

"Do you think Dirken will die?" Tapalla asked.

Monta shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I believe he has a fifty-fifty chance of survival. Plus, we are almost to the house where we will drop him off."

Tapalla nodded her head and stood up. "I guess we should better get going."

Taking Tapalla's hand, Monta reluctantly stood up. "I guess we better."

···

The dark brown house, that looked almost exactly like Monta's house, loomed over them. It would only take a few steps they would be able to knock on the log door.

Monta stood just outside the porch on the walkway leading up to the house. He watched Tapalla make her way up the porch stairs and knock on the door as he held all of Dirken's weight in his arms. All by himself, without Tapalla's help, Dirken was a lot heavier and he was tempted to let the half-conscious Dirken drop to the grass. He didn't though since Dirken was after all the leader of his home planet.

Tapalla looked back at him. Monta could see the nervousness and fear written all over he face. She wasn't exactly social. She did only have two friends not counting Monta. He could see Tapalla bite her lip as her face switched from orange to yellow and back to orange.

He nodded his head for reassurance and in return, Tapalla hesitantly knocked on the front door. A few minutes passed by without anyone coming to answer Tapalla's knock, so she knocked again and called, "Hello! Is anyone there? We need help!"

A guttural sound, kinda like a scream, sounded from the house making Monta jump and almost drop Dirken.

A woman opened the door. Her skin was a little paler than the normal Gazaran tan and her dark red hair fell loosely in curls around her shoulders. Her dark blue eyes held something cold and full of power. As she spoke, she made Monta squirm in his boots.

The woman wore a dark robe and on her feet, she wore dark thick elckon wool socks. There were also dark pools under her eyes which suggested to Monta that she had just woken up from a mid-afternoon nap.

Right when she opened the door, the woman immediately said, "What are you kids doing? I moved out here for a reason and it wasn't so stupid kids would stop on my porch asking me to buy-"

She stopped talking when she saw Dirken and stood there in awe as she put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming.

Right then and there, Monta knew who the woman was. Her name was Mateena Farlon and she was one of Dirken's adviser's along with Monta's dad until she quit to get away from city life. Looking closer at her, Monta could see the wrinkles on her face showing off her age though the fire never extinguished from her eyes.