Plot To Escape

CYRAN

I'm just finished with taking a piss when I notice Caivan leave the hall. Saelyna is awake now, and I hurry to her side, engulfing her in a hug, packing all my relief and joy into that gesture. Her temperature is regulated now, and she even manages a smile. 'How are you feeling?' I ask. 'Like I was attacked by a mage and kept in a storage room', she says dryly, 'You?' 'Same. Except mine was a wolven…two of them in fact'. She chuckles at this and lies back on the bed. 

I busy myself with shaking the jars and watching the fireflies come alive, lighting the room. 'Tell me, how does their food taste? Do wolvens cook? Or do they eat meat raw as they say?' she asks half-joking. 'Oh, uh…I haven't had anything since we arrived. Didn't want to eat without you, you know. It's…not right'. She stares at me wide-eyed, like I've gone crazy. 'Cyran…' she starts, but I don't let her finish. 'Don't start by pointing fingers at yourself. It's exhausting', I tell her and she purses her lips. 

Before she says anything else, I sniff the air and catch a smell that makes my mouth water. Seconds later, two girls walk in, carrying two platters of food. They set it on a nearby table, give me a grin and walk out giggling. 'Odd', I say but I catch Saelyna's smirk. 'What's that?' I say sharply. 'Nothing', she replies and stares at the food by her side. 'Do you think it's poisoned?' she whispers. The serious look on her face makes me double over in laughter. 'They could have killed us ages ago, Saelyn….' Like that brown guy in the sauna. '...but they didn't. Now, I'm severely famished. I don't know about you, but I might go into shock if I don't have a bite and a drink right now'. 

I hurry it to the table as Saelyna shakes her head with a smile. Slices of bread, slices of bacon, cheesecake and a small pot of honey are what greets my sight. I don't wait. I swoop down on the food as I sit on the bed. 'I'll eat it all if you don't join me', I threaten. 'You idiot, it could be poisoned!' she shrills. I widen my eyes in mock horror, clutch at my throat and act like I'm choking. She chuckles again, then she winces, holding her ribs. 'Sorry. Come on. They do make good bacons', I say, handing her a slice of meat. 

We eat in silence for a while. But I'm on edge, thinking about the brown wolven, and wondering if he lies in wait for me out there…Saelyna taps my shoulder, making me jolt a bit. I had forgotten I was in here with her. 'What is it?' she asks. 'What?' 'I can literally feel your anxiety, Cyran. What are you scared of?' I hesitate. She's still coming out of the fever, and I don't want to risk inducing it again. There's only one thing she needs to know. 'We need to get out of here', I tell her. She sighs. 'How? The place is crawling with wolvens, I'm sure. And there's the road to consider'. 'I scouted the woods behind this place after my bath. No one seemed bothered with me, so I found a creek and a rather large stream ahead. Beyond it, there seems to be a valley and if my map sense is right, Tussel right behind it'. 

I'm grasping at straws and I know it, but another second in this place creeps me out. The girls might be nice and the men a tad hospitable, but Foden said that's the nature of wolves and wolvens alike. And there's the one-eyed wolven (thanks to me) to consider. If there's any chance to escape, I'll seize it; unlikely or not. 

Saelyna shifts on the bed and doesn't say anything for a few seconds. 'The nightmares. While the fever had me, I had them again…but they were not as scary as they used to be', she says. I wanted to bring that up too, but I guess it's best coming from her. 'I haven't had those in years. And..and…it's like this place has something to do with it…Hear me out. Why and how does that woman Veesa know us? And why did Caivan save our lives?' 'Technically, he didn't save yours, he just brought you here', I chip. 'Shut up, Cyran. All I'm saying, is don't you think we should hold on a while, at least till they explain why they abducted us? They owe us that much'. She rests a hand on mine. 'Then, we can follow your incredibly precarious plan and escape this place'. Admittedly, it does sound like a good. I wasn't fully into my idea of having to cross another forest on our own. 'Alright. I can do that'. She grins at me, then swipes my bacons. 'Hey!' I snap at her, and try to take hers, but she's finished up her food. 'You snooze, you lose', she sings. 

I wish I could see that mirth on her face everyday. 'What do you think they are up to?' she asks. 'Honestly, I try not to think about it. You should get some sleep', I tell her, standing up for a stretch. 'And you should get off my bed', she shoots back, but she yawns as she speaks. 

It doesn't take long for her to fall asleep, though. I stay up to keep watch, staring at the jars with hundreds of fireflies and listening to the soft music that comes from outside. I'm on edge, though, waiting for the brown wolven to walk in anytime now, claws flashing, and that one eye fixing on me as he advances. 

He doesn't come, but sleep does. This time, we don't dream. 

RONN

If there's anything that could really drag me back, it's sleep, lots of it. The night before, I had taken more than usual fig juice, and I was knocked out till the tenth morning crow. 

Keilen was perched at the foot of my bed, though, and it wasn't exactly pleasant to wake up to her red eyes flashing at me. 'Father wants to see you', she told me. "Father", she said. Not the usual "alpha". I took that as a good sign. 

The huts and hovels are built in wave-like lines that all lead to the largest one in the middle of the hamlet. If it could be called that, the hut was the first in the valley, before the other stray wolvens came into the pack, before Eldad was built. That was ten years ago, two years after the Rebellion.  

He's standing by the wall when I walk in. Sera sits on the stool beside his chair, and my heart does a flip when I see the blank look on her face. I feel my palms turn sweaty. Has he found out?

The alpha turns to face me, and I wonder if he isn't Keilen's true father. They both have the same eyes, and the same set of fangs that don't retract…at most times. His nostrils flare as I walk in. 'Ronn', he grunts. 'The Wolf howls in your name, father', I say and kneel before him, even though I have no idea what that means. One corner of his mouth lifts in a lopsided grin. 'I suppose he does. I wish he would do so more frequently'. He looks at me; actually fixes me with those eyes. Guess he isn't blind after all. Or he's halfway there. 'I have a task for you. Well, less of a task, more of a duty'. 

Right. More work for me, then.