The Tale of Outh'n Durr

Chapter 13: Preparation

Outh'n shook hishead and had stepped up to the small table Kol indicated whenrealization struck. There were others on Yacan. Serafin wassupposedly alone here, as far as anyone knew. But Kol's presenceproved otherwise. What other surprises hid under the cover of Yacan'sblue-green leaves and the shadows of its twisted trunks?

Then again, maybe itwas just the two of them. Just because no one wanted him wasn't areason to assume Serafin was in the same position. Kol could be hermate and, if that was so, who was he to judge her choice, strangethough it was? But if that proved to be true, then why had Bazhbetsent him here?

Pushing thequestions aside, Outh'n hurried to clean up. A flat blade had beenprovided so he took a few more moments to shave off the beard whichwas indeed scraggly. He also didn't like the itchiness of it.Having freed his face from its hairy prison, he trimmed his hair atthe back of his neck and around his ears, shaving the lower edgesclose to the skin but not all the way to his scalp. What was left wasa shaggy mop of wavy brown which just brushed the tips of his earsand eyebrows. He finger-combed it back and to the left.

Satisfied with hisefforts, Outh'n moved to the trunk. Rummaging through the contents,he discovered a pair of new-leaf-green wide-legged breeches, hemmedabove the ankle and sewn at a steep angle. A thin length of goldenfabric, which he took to be a belt, and another thin length of fabricin the same brilliant blue-green as Serafin's eyes were all thatremained in the chest. So he had breeches and his choice of a belt.He chose the gold and set to work.

When he removed histunic this time, he tested the tenderness of his ribs under thehealing patch and was shocked to feel nothing but the normal pressureof poking his skin. He peeled away the patch and found no trace ofhis wound. He ran his hand over it several times in amazement. Surelythere should be a scar for such a deep wound, wouldn't there? Hemoved back to the mirror to check the reflection there.

Sure enough, theplace looked no different than the rest of his skin. He checked hischeek and his shoulders slumped. The brand still shone brightreddish-pink, hard scabs still covering the deeper gouges. He shookhis head. What was the point of hoping for things anyway?

Shaking his head, hestepped into the breeches, finding them a perfect fit, and wrappedthe belt around his waist. Checking over his attire one more time, henodded once and stepped out to meet Kol.

"Ah, I see youfigured it out."

"It's somethingI've worn before, though not often. These are ceremonial garmentsworn only during special festivals in my home. I was very young thelast time I wore such a thing. And there's usually a shirt and vestin bright colors." Nostalgia cracked his voice.

Kol cocked his head,but shrugged when Outh'n didn't continue. Instead, he turned witha command. "Follow me."

They were heading ina new direction entirely and Serafin was nowhere to be seen. Thebroad back in front of him sped away on legs like tree trunks. Outh'npicked up his pace.

"Walk well thepath," Kol grumbled.

"Eiya?" What didhe mean by that?

"Watch your step,"the dark giant enunciated. "It's easy to lose your footing here."

"Ah." Outh'nwasn't sure what to make of that. He was only certain of one thing.He was always watching his step, whether it was here or back inPrichud.

Silence surroundedthem for quite some time. The hallway varied little, making itdifficult to tell how far they'd truly gone.

"How much farther,Kol?"

The answer was solong in coming, Outh'n thought his guide hadn't heard or wasignoring him. His temper flared at the latter thought. He jogged tocatch up as he snapped, "Didn't you hear me?"

"I heard," camethe gruff reply, "but I'm not obliged to answer your impertinentquestions."

"What in the nameof Tugansol is this?" Outh'n sputtered.

"Just follow meand keep quiet," Kol commanded.

"But—,"Outh'n's complaint was cut off as he tripped over a raised rootand almost fell flat on his face. He managed to catch himself just intime.

Kol stopped andturned to face him. When Outh'n's gaze met the dark eyes of hisguide, Kol spoke quiet, clear words rife with the promise of swiftretribution. "All you have to do is follow me, watch your step, andhold your tongue. Can you manage those simple instructions, Outh'nDurr?"

Outh'n searchedthe bigger man's eyes for any hint of contempt or condescension.Finding none, he nodded silently.

"Good. Come on."Kol turned and continued down the hallway.

The temptation tospeak in spite of his nod was certainly a hard one to fight but heneeded to stay here. Needed to live. He didn't know why he wantedit so badly. Life had seldom been good for him.

"This way,"Kol's voice cut into his musings. They turned to the right and metSerafin once again. She stood in the center of an open, airy roomsimilar to the shrine he'd first entered.

Though sweat rolledoff of him in sheets, Kol and Serafin seemed untouched by theoverwhelming heat and humidity.

"You have comefar, Outh'n," Serafin said. "Perhaps not as far in the way ofsome, but certainly farther in others." She spun slowly in thecenter of the room, raising her arms to take in the whole space. "AtYacan, only those whose determination is stronger than their selfishdesire can survive." She stopped, turning that fierce blue-greengaze on his own golden-brown one. She didn't fight to hold his gazelike others did, trying to figure out which eye to look at. She justlooked at him. He immediately relaxed but her next words tensed himup again. "Are you determined? Or is Outh'n Durr selfish?"

He didn't know howto answer such an odd question but he had a sneaky suspicion it wasthe latter and he'd be kicked off the island or worse. He gulpedbut said nothing. He would have turned away but her eyes had capturedhis gaze, unrelenting.

"Well, Outh'n?"She quirked a delicate winged eyebrow at him.

She expected ananswer? Did he speak truth or lie? He had a feeling she would knowimmediately which was which. If he lied, he'd surely die where hestood. "I have a feeling I might be among the latter, GuardianSerafin," he mumbled, finally able to turn his gaze away.

Soft steps paddedcloser. She stood so near, their noses almost touched. He stared downinto her eyes once again. "The sign of a strong heart is one whospeaks truth, no matter what the result might be." She stayed amoment longer, then stepped back. "Let the trials begin. As you gothrough each one Outh'n Durr, be true to yourself and the Creatorwho gave you life. As long as you do this, you will survive thetests."

The tiny womanturned on her heal and walked down a hallway he hadn't seen before.As soon as she stepped over the threshold, a curtain of vinesdescended, shielding her from his view. He turned to face Kol, onlyto discover the giant was also gone. Spinning around slowly, he tookin the room, realizing he was completely alone.

Or maybe they hid,watching him? He could wait, or he could try to find an opening.Before, he'd been told not to touch anything or step anywhere offthe main path. He'd been told to remain silent and watch where heplaced his feet. The floor of the room he'd been left in seemedsolid enough. He stepped forward to cross it and landed on emptyspace. The scream died in his throat. Who would be there to respond,anyway?