On The Run - Chapter III

cHAPTERiii

As the rain began to ease up anxiety to see the outside again filled me with a sense of adventure. Giving little thought to what I would do or where I would go I pulled my hood tight around my head. The rain had stopped for the most part with only a slight drizzling here and there. The ground was muddy and the black dirt was now sticking to my boots. My mind began to wander to what urgency could have prompted Zordith to take off in weather as this. Since they had both taken to not talking with me, I knew I wasn’t going to find out anytime soon. Quickly I packed those thoughts for later when they could be explored. For now the curiosity of seeing my magic’s results encouraged me to go to the back of the cabin. On the left of the rear I planted the cherry tree, which was already at 3 feet tall. Every time it amazed me how quickly things could grow. To the right was the apple tree that was slightly shorter. In between were the rest of the crops already close to full height. In another week the main crops would be ready for harvest. The trees would take another 12 weeks after one more boost.

Standing in satisfaction in the mud, pondering the wonder before me, there was a slamming of the front door and what sounded like Zordith yelling at her father. I stood for a minute deciding on running to see what the matter was, just before I realized they weren’t speaking with me.

Calmly I walked to the front and unsympathetically stood staring for a minute. As Zordith’s hair danced upon her shoulders as she continued to yell at her father for some reason I was as yet unaware of I began to realize that something was strange. The old man didn’t seem bothered to be objurgated. He cast a quick glance at me standing in the door, and simultaneously his accuser turned to see what so rudely interrupted his attention. As she began to turn my mind began to realize that her hair was quite a bit shorter than when she left only a few days earlier.

When her glance was fixed on me two things happened. Realization that this was not Zordith, and a quick exclamation from this new lady, “And who I prey are you!?” The tone was cold and uninviting. The eyes were hazel and piercing. A scar ran from above her left eye diagonally down to just below her lip. For the most part she appeared to be Zordith, but my memory recalled her saying her family was dead. I realized I had yet to respond to her inquiry when an impatient, “Well?” seeped from the corner of her mouth.

Not being accustomed to dealing with people in general and especially indignant people I wasn’t sure I really wanted to respond. As I turned to leave them to finish whatever they felt they needed to deal with she quickly moved over to the doorway and grabbed my shoulder. She quickly spun me around to face her and demanded to know who I was and what I wanted.

Never before having been handled in an abrupt manner I didn’t really know what I was supposed to do. I knew I didn’t want to deal with someone who apparently had no care for others. As I stood there facing someone who I didn’t know or care for, something in me began to stir. Immediately this stranger let go of my arm and the look on her face told me she was surprised. She cocked her head at me and whispered almost to herself, “You are one of them.” She squinted here eyes and took a few paces back. Turning to the old man she asked him, “How long did you say he has been here?”

The old man slightly laughed as he responded, “Trael, I was trying to tell you, but you just wouldn’t stop yelling long enough to listen.”

“Well?,” she again asked as she seemed to be losing patience with him and clearly upset by the information she seemed to be attempting to sort out.

“He came to us a little less than a week ago and was in the cabin helping himself to our food. Zordith seemed to trust him; I didn’t fear anything so just accepted him as she obviously had. He told us he didn’t know his name, which of course I didn’t believe, and then when she decided to have him call himself, what he claims to be his father’s name, he said that he would call himself Jerrod…”

Before he could continue his story Trael once again began her tirade. “I have been telling you all my life that you were going to get yourself killed one of these days father! And now you have brought one of these into your home and for sure I tell you this is going to be the end of you. They will come for him you know that, right?”

“Daughter there is nothing they can do to me. I am an old man; I should have been dead the day they took you those years ago. It isn’t anything to me whether I live or die. You should know that by now. I quit their service when they took you and no one ever quits the Citedale’s service and you know that. I have been living out here peaceably for more than 10 years now and they haven’t found me yet. If they were going to find me they would have already. They won’t be able to find this young lad anymore than they could find me….” With that he trailed off mumbling something about his daughter being just like her mother as he walked off to his room and shut the door.

With him absent from the confrontation she apparently had to turn her rage towards me. “What are you doing here?”

Not wanting to deal with this, especially after everything I had been through I responded nothing more than, “If you would like to discuss something with me you will have to change your attitude.” With that I walked out.

A few seconds later I heard her follow me. I was walking with no destination in mind. From behind me I heard her exclaim, “Look, you are going to have to excuse me. I don’t trust you, as I am sure you are aware. I don’t understand why you have put my father’s life in danger, and you frighten me. All of that aside I know that you have a power I do not think you yet understand, and that more than anything concerns me.”

My mind reeled at what she just proclaimed. I had thought before about why they would send an entire army after one person. How dangerous could I be? All I knew about my power was that it caused things to grow. But, I had yet to discover why the storms always came. Could I have some control over the storm, is that where my danger lay? Casting aside caring if this lady was polite; the need to know the truth overwhelmed my desire for comfort.

I stopped in my tracks, turned towards Trael and promptly asked, “What do you know about my power?”

A small smirk formed at the corner of her scarred lips. “You want knowledge from me as you refuse to share what you have in mind. Doesn’t seem very fair now does it?” Playfulness she hadn’t appeared to possess earlier danced through her words.

“I will tell you what I can. I have no need to hide anything from you.”

“Well tell me boy of secrets, what is your name?”

Pushing past my indignation at being spoken down to, kindly I responded. “My name is Jerrod. What else would you like to know?”

Her face reflected frustration and disbelief, “I do not know how you came to decide on that name. I don’t know maybe it is a coincidence, but I do not care. Why have you shown up at my father’s home, and what do you plan on doing?”

Frustrated at the fact that everyone seems to be bothered at my choice of name, I didn’t answer her question, “What exactly is the problem with this name?”

With squinted eyes once again she asks again, “You said you will answer my questions, I just want to know why you are here before we carry any other discussion.”

Not knowing what else to say or do I just shrugged my shoulders, “I have no idea.”

“You have no idea why you are here or you don’t know what you are doing? People don’t go around just wandering on top of mountains invading people’s homes. It isn’t like it is a leisurely walk to your neighbor’s home. You had to cover some fairly treacherous ground to make it here, so what exactly are you doing here?”

Taken aback by the facts that seemed to escape me until this moment I didn’t know what else to say. I decided the best way to get any knowledge out of this girl was to tell her everything. With nothing to lose, since she obviously had some fear of me. Seeing that she never attempted to grab me a second time. The decision to tell her what she wanted to know suddenly came easily. I confided in her everything from what I could remember from my childhood up to this point that brought me here. Leaving out only the fact that I was brought here by a Rok and replaced it with a tale of taking a harder path to throw off my pursuers. This must have satisfied her for her demeanor to me grew slightly less hostile. Probably warm for a creature whom I surmised has probably killed more than a few men.

Immediately she laughed, “You are too trusting my young lad. As you should have guessed I fear you. I do not want you to know your power; you will find it out on your own in time anyway. I would rather not be around to experience your awakening. But this I will tell you. Those who seek your life, even though they are many, fear you more than you fear them. Though they may have killed many of your kind, they know that the wrong move will reduce their numbers drastically enough to defeat their attempts. The simple sending of the plague destroyed most of your kind. The fact that you survived indicates that you are stronger than most with your gift. Therefore they fear you even more than they did the ones they accomplished in destroying.”

As I soaked in the information I was given the one question that I needed to know surfaced, “And why is the name Jerrod such an anathema to you three?”
Winking playfully, “Why don’t we go inside, get out of the muggy outdoors and we can discuss this? I feel it may take awhile.” She reached out to grab my hand and led me back to the cabin.

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