Chapter 2. Bringing Chaos to the Village

A fight almost broke out.

They walked for more than an hour without talking with only the sound of the chain being pulled and their wooden sandals trekking the mountain trail. She was not deaf to his heavy breathing and too many times she called for a rest just for him, like he didn't train at the mountains of Thalisse with her. Looking back, she was thinking why she was able to strike his wrists easily. He didn't seem to fight back earlier, either. Something was wrong with him.

It was at their sixth rest when she realized it.

Aside from the wound on his palm which Carysse gave to him as a welcoming gift for finally showing up after two years, the problem was on his stomach. Dried lips, pale skin, and him touching his stomach from time to time when Carysse had her back on him, pretending that she was't observing him closely.

Carysse handed her wooden flask with its lid open. 

She had no food with her but that will have to wait. Chaos looked like he was about to ignore her so she shoved it in his mouth, her patience running out. Chaos angrily grabbed the flask with his own bound hands but emptied its contents too fast like he was about to die. His glare returned after but Carysse was not falling into it. She immediately grabbed the flask, stood, and pulled the chain. He better endure.

When the rocks were within their view, separated by a cliff, Carysse made him wear his hood so low that he grumbled he couldn't see anything. Carysse ignored him and made him walk first, her knife and his hands on his back.

The big jagged rocks were the entrance. To travelers, it was just a boring and dangerous part of the mountain as there was a deep ravine that needed to be crossed. But to them, it was their last fortress and their last hope. And she was about to show it to a man that had the potential to betray them.

With one hand, she threw a pebble on one significant part of the biggest rock. Instead of a muffled sound, it produced a ringing bell. A sentry looked out and saw them, first with hope because of Carysse and then in confusion with the cloaked and hooded man bound in front of her.

''Carysse, who is that?'' the man shouted as he asked from the other side.

''I have approval from Elder Shimar,'' she lied. 

''That's the sender of the letter, isn't he?'' And there goes her effort to lie. Another man, bulkier, appeared from behind the rocks, a bow and an arrow in his hand. Why did it have to be that big man's shift?

''I believe you had your orders. Why are you bringing an enemy inside?'' At his statement, other sentries joined him with a wild look in their faces, looking to and from Carysse to him. Carysse could feel Chaos stiffening for a bit. Looks like this was not his expected welcome party.

Carysse, then, was ready to bring out her gold. She didn't know where she got the idea and why she was willing to give her fortune just for Chaos to be given entry, she also didn't know. She was about to speak when the hidden bridge suddenly appeared from behind the rocks and its planks placed themselves in front of Carysse and Chaos' feet.

Puzzled looks rippled among the sentries' faces.

''Who dares--'' the big man was cut off when he appeared. Dressed in brown leather and his small ax swinging dangerously at his side, the new young man looked like a hunter king with his scar running from the top of his shaved head down to his chest visible from his slightly opened vest.

''Ashki,'' Carysse whispered in relief but she felt Chaos shudder a bit. A chill?

''Damn it, you young ones are getting cocky doing things your own way,'' the big man scoffed at Ashki and glared at him.

''Didn't you hear her, Bal? She said she has permission from the Elder,'' Ashki pointed out. ''Or would you like to contest my decision?'' Ashki looked down on Bal from where he stood on the top of the rocks and the other sentries suddenly didn't know who to support, Bal the big man or Ashki their boss.

Ashki then looked at Carysse, beckoning her to come and squinted at Chaos, trying to judge if he was dangerous or not.

Carysse pushed Chaos to walk on the wooden plank. Just a little bit further.

She feared that Bal would suddenly order the others to retrieve the bridge but Ashki’s presence helped. It was not questionable on why Bal hated Ashki and Carysse's generation--the younger ones. Bal was one of those who believed that the younger should be beneath the older and not the other way around. The two of them lead two important roles in the village as she was the right hand of the Elder while Ashki was the leader of the armed men. And since Bal was just a village guard, it was enough to infuriate him and his frustrations have only grown stronger through the years though Carysse couldn't understand why position was so important in this survival times. 

Bal could only watch them cross the bridge until they reached the other side.  

Ashki gave the order to bring the bridge back up and the sentries obeyed with Bal as an exception as he just spat and walked away. Carysse mouthed the words 'thank you' and Ashki nodded, still wary of the hooded Chaos, then disappeared behind the rocks.

Carysse led Chaos through a small tunnel formed by the rocks, the hot wind brushing past them. This was it. Sooner or later, Chaos might suddenly break free and bring, well, chaos.

''I will not do anything stupid,'' Chaos suddenly said as they walked in the dark and his voice echoed. Carysse must have tightened her hold for him to feel her unease.

''You said it yourself. I don't have to believe you,'' she coldly replied to which he said nothing.

The tunnel ended and Carysse welcomed the warm light of the afternoon sun and the laughter of the playing children. Their vibrance returned when earlier this morning, they were ill stricken with nervousness because of the letter. They were playing captors. It was a famous game. One group, the captors, would continually try to catch the others while the second group would sneak in and liberate the captives. It would be an endless cycle until either all are held captive or all have been liberated.

The new Thalisse village spread beneath them. Giant rocks circled and towered around that hid the small flatland dotted with a few huts, some gardens, and a small brook running in the middle of it with the fresh water coming from the top of the mountain. Barely fifty of them were left and Carysse ached at the thought, remembering that the other families were left at the old village held captive and working as slaves.

''This way,'' Carysse said and led him towards the trees as she spotted a few adults whispering to each other as they looked at her. She had Chaos still hidden behind the wall of the rocks. As much as Carysse wanted to just march and walk right through the center as it directly leads to Elder Shimar's house, they would have to circle around to not attract unnecessary attention. She waited for the adults to go on their usual business before she grabbed Chaos out of the shadows and pulled him to walk.

Carysse could feel her fatigue. Being in her comfort zone allowed her to recognize her drained body and she knew Chaos must be at his limits as well for he was hungry and thirsty more than her.

They reached the tent of Elder Shimar through the large wild bushes. What happened next was surely fate's doing. 

Carysse was about to part the covers open and shove him inside quickly when the playing children bumped into the cages of the Sacro placed near the tent. It was feeding time for the birds and the cages were open. The adults cursed as the herd of Sacro escaped from the cages and flew right out into their direction, towards Chaos. 

Carysse swatted them away but it was too late.

Chaos' hood fell with the birds' flapping wings and revealed his sweat-drenched face openly for the whole village to see.