Chapter 6 Six.
"Please, don't hurt me! I was j-just walking. I–I don't know what's happening!" I rambled in heated desperation, the feel of the sharp metal so prominent on my neck.
The male stayed silent, doing nothing to quell the fear in me. Instead, he scanned me up and down, almost professionally. A moment or two passed like this, with his eyes scrutinizing me and me quaking in my shoes. Then, after what seemed like centuries, he tentatively moved the sword slightly away from my neck, a cautious look in his warm eyes. I kept note on how he still stood guarded, not moving to sheath his sword.
"Who are you?" He questioned, his voice gentle, but the spite in his tone was enough to tell me that a wrong answer would get me killed.
I placed my hands up in a show of surrender. He tensed slightly at the sudden movement, making my words rush out in a hurried panic. "No, no, I'm not a threat! I'm just a university student! My name's Aeryn Vale and I work in a cafe and I…"
"What did you say?" He interrupted, moving closer, his arm holding the sword falling limp to his side. The heat in his eyes burned through my face and I shook my head, retracing my words.
"I work in a cafe?" I said meekly, hoping I had given him what he wanted, but the frustrated sigh that left his mouth told me otherwise.
"Not that. What you said before," he commanded gruffly, a tanned hand stroking through his brown locks. I stilled, thinking back to my words.
"My name is Aeryn Vale?" I uttered, watching his eyes light up. I listened to the sound of the clink as he swiftly sheathed his sword, edging closer to me. Instinctively, I moved backwards, watching him with fearful and curious eyes.
"And, is that your birth name?" He questioned, but there was a slight tinge of something else to his tone. Almost like hope. His sun-lit eyes looked down at me questioningly. I nodded quickly, despite finding myself confused at the pointless question. Just what did that have to do with anything?
At this, the male in front of me broke out into a smile and I marvelled at the foreign expression on his face. I may have smiled back had it not been for the fact that I was still extremely scared. Suddenly, he reached a hand out to me, the smile not leaving his face.
"Negus would want to see you."
I replayed the words coming out of his mouth, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. He reached his hand out further and I clasped both of mine behind my back in response. "I–I don't know you. I can't just go with you somewhere," I reasoned quietly, hoping he wouldn't resort back to using the large weapon resting at his belt.
He sighed at this, his hand returning to his side and he looked to the sky thoughtfully. I stilled when his brown eyes landed back on me. "Kael Draven," he said simply, to which my confusion grew.
"What?" I asked, to which his smile widened and I began to find myself getting too used to the attractive expression on his face.
"That's my name—Kael Draven. Now, you do know me," he reasoned kindly and I wondered where the aggressive male from two minutes ago had disappeared to.
"Kael Draven..." I tested the name on my lips silently before turning back to him, a small smile on my face. "Strange name."
"Maybe to your people," he answered with a heavy shrug and before I could question what he meant by that, he had turned away from me and began walking. I watched, slightly surprised that he would leave just like that. After a few steps, he turned towards me, a serious look on his face. "Are you going to come or would you rather enjoy the company of the oasis animals?" He quipped and, with that, he turned back to walking.
I gaped at his words, wanting to call him out on his bluff. But, only, I didn't know if he was lying or not. With a final look at the green treacherous surroundings, I jogged slowly to get to his side. "Just for now, okay," I finalised, trying to sound stern, but the truth was, I didn't know how long 'now' would be. Where was I going to go?
"You see that building, right behind the sand dune? That's where we're going," Kael stated, pointing off a few steps to the surroundings. I used my hands to shield the sun from my face, looking in the direction he was pointing.
"The white building?" I confirmed, looking to him. He nodded at this, grabbing my backpack off me. A good thing too as it was getting a bit too heavy in the excruciating heat.
"The building wasn't originally white. It was painted white to help keep the rooms cool from the heat. It was made from a combination of clay and mud," he explained and I nodded, processing his words.
"It's quite large," I stated, eyeing the appearance of the beautiful secluded building as we edged closer. The building, itself, was an off-white and spanned a few yards to each side. It looked to be about 3 or 4 storeys and glassless windows lined the building from left to right.
He nodded at my words as we moved towards a large oak door in the centre of the building. "We tend to only use wood only when necessary. With the climate here, trees come in very little supply," he said, gesturing towards the door before pushing it open with a loud echoing creak.
I followed after him to see a large area of greenery in the middle, with a fountain in the centre. "The climate doesn't seem too restrictive," I commented, gesturing towards the green surroundings. The beauty of the place was magnificent.
Kael raised an eyebrow at my words before also gesturing towards the surroundings. "This is the building's courtyard. It's where we grow our crops. It needs to be tended to twice a day," he said, putting emphasis on 'twice', and I rolled my eyes at the smile on his face. He pointed behind the greenery, making his way in that direction. I watched as his muscles flexed with every step.
"This hallway will lead out of the courtyard and into the living quarters," he stated.
I walked slowly and cautiously behind him. Only now did I seem to regret the decision I had made. The man had a weapon, for god's sake! And, he wasn't planning to cut the weeds in the courtyard with it, that was for sure. For all I know, he could be a serial killer or a trafficker. I gulped heavily; somehow the oasis animals seemed like a better option.
"Who you got there?" An airy voice spoke and I looked up to see a male sat on the fountain side, a large book in his hands. He stood up, placing a string bookmark on the open page before shutting it with a soft thud.
The male was significantly different in appearance to Kael. The first notable difference was the hair. His blonde hair stood at shoulder-length and his skin was pale, despite the climate. His features were sharp and willowy in contrast to Kael's strong yet soft features. The second notable difference was the height; he was only a little taller than me.
Kael smiled slightly at the male before glancing at me.
"Arun, this is Aeryn. I'm taking her to see Negus."
Arun smiled at me sweetly, an awestruck look in his eyes. He waved his fingers gently and I waved back awkwardly before following behind Kael yet again. Finally, we reached yet another oak door and Kael stopped to a halt. He looked towards me, a serious look on his face.
"Aeryn, I won't be going beyond this point," he stated suddenly and, before I could begin panicking, he spoke again. "Look, I know you don't know what's going on, but don't worry. Negus will explain. Just tell him your full name and he will tell you everything." His tone was warm and reassuring and I nodded at his words to which he smiled again.
And, with that, he opened the door for me and I walked in. I looked ahead to an old man sitting behind an oak desk. Kael bowed slightly before backing out of the room and the sound of the door shutting echoed across the big room. The room was rather large and was designed like an office. Bookshelves lined the walls and on the wall behind the desk, a sword rested on a horizontal stand.
Finally, I turned to look at the man behind the desk. His hair was as white as snow and rested on his shoulders; his beard was just as white and stroked down just past his collar bones. He gestured for me to sit down and I did, opening my mouth to speak.
"Hi, I'm Ae…"
"I know who you are, Aeryn Vale," he interrupted, a kind but mysterious smile on his face. His voice was deep yet soothing. He reached over to a teapot at the side, pouring tea into a white-coloured cup. "Herbal tea?" he offered. I shook my head, focusing on his previous words.
"How do you know me?" I questioned.
"Indeed it would be foolish to not know the person that I sent for. How foolish indeed," he muttered. He passed the cup to me, which I numbly took, before speaking. "I am Negus and I had sent for you. The man that gave you the note was a long-time friend of mine."
I shivered at the memory. The old man that came to the cafe. I also remembered how that day had been distinctly horrible in more ways than one. I refocused myself. "But, why? What was I sent for? Why did you bring me here? And, where exactly is here?" I pressed.
Negus shook his head. "All in good time, Aeryn. There's not much I can say to you now. Not, until you have fully rested. We will speak again when you are refreshed."
I sighed deeply at the vague responses he had given.
Suddenly, the door bolted open and a tall, well-built female strode in. "Father, I spoke to some of the villagers and they–who are you?" The red-haired girl questioned.
"I’m Aeryn Vale," I said meekly to which the girl snorted loudly before turning to Negus.
"Really, Father? Really?" She questioned. She snapped her head to me, her flame-ridden locks flying. "You. How old are you?"
"20," I breathed.
"Did you hear that, Father? She's 20. She might as well have been born yesterday and you think that she's The One from the prophecy?!" She exclaimed.
Maya moved closer slowly. "Father, at least give me a chance. I could be The One. I've been training for this since my birth. I deserve this."
I took in a sharp breath when Negus glanced at me, standing up. "Aeryn, you should take rest. Kael is outside. He will show you to the chamber that I had set out for you. Until then, I will have a word with my daughter. I look forward to seeing you again."
I hurriedly walked out. Kael closed the door before walking ahead. "Sorry about Maya. She can tend to be too full on. She just really cares about the cause."
"Where are you from?" he questioned as we walked.
"England," I responded vaguely.
His eyebrows furrowed. "England? Where's that?" He sounded as though he had never heard the word before.
"Earth. I live on Earth?" I let out. Again, a confused expression. He stopped in his tracks, but I spoke up before he could say anything. "So, which way are we headed?"
"Right this way," he said simply.
I felt as though he didn't know anything about the world I came from and it didn't seem right disclosing it. I pinched my arm for confirmation and, when nothing happened, I continued walking on alongside Kael. We came across a large staircase and he came to a halt. "It's just up this way."
"Kael!" a voice came from the distance. Kael looked hesitant.
"Hey, it's okay, I'll find my way. You need to be somewhere right now," I assured.
"You sure?" He questioned. I nodded and before he could fully make an exit, I grabbed his arm. "But, you'll still be close around, right?" I asked. Kael glanced down at my hand with a strange expression before I moved it back.
"Aeryn, trust me. You'll be completely fine here. I won't let anything happen to you. Just call my name, if you need anything."
I smiled as he directed me to my room at the end of the hall. I reached the top and turned to the right. There were 2 doors at the end of the hallway. Deciding on the left door, I turned the doorknob and walked in.
Only when fully in, did I realise that I had most definitely picked the wrong door. Sat on a four-legged stool was a black-haired male, using a dagger to carve a piece of wood. This seemed to get his attention and he stood up abruptly, his tall, wide frame towering over me.
"Inta meen?" His voice was deep and alluring and I coughed awkwardly as he stared at me with icy grey eyes.
"Hi, I–I mean, I speak English. I’m Aeryn. Aeryn Vale."
The blank expression left his face, replaced only by an icy glare. "Get the fuck out of my room," he said, bluntly. He made a small 'shooing' motion with his hand.
I gaped, stumbling backwards out of his room. It was then that Arun came running down the hall. "Rhydian, Negus needs to see you in the office." Rhydian passed me, his body nudging mine, and then was gone.
Arun watched him leave. "That was Rhydian Sol, by the way. Don't mind his behaviour. He's just not into the whole prophecy thing."
Arun tapped on the door on the right hand side. "This is your room, Aeryn." He opened it dramatically to show a large bed, linen bedding, and a panoramic view of the orange sun sinking into the dunes of Aurelion.
"Well, I’ll leave you to rest. Ma'as-salāma, Aeryn and welcome to Aurelion."
The door shut with a bang. I jumped on the bed face-first.
My thoughts were in disarray. I had been transported to an unfamiliar place where people didn't know Earth. I thought about home, Debra, Richard, Sierra, and my dog Zug Zug.
Was time the same there?
Welcome to Aurelion... Where was that? The answers rested with Negus. I closed my eyes and for the first time in years, I didn't dream at all.