Chapter 37: Departure.

Sounds of wheels rolling over dirt and gravel filled the air as a horse-drawn carriage made its way along a winding road as it made its descent from the mountain pass and down into a meadow below. The wind whistled through the air as birds chirped to greet them upon their arrival to the grasslands, and Kalon was awoken with a light slap on the side of his cheek.

"You've been sleeping for long enough now. It's time to wake up." Noah's voice called out as light flooded into Kalon's eyes.

"Where am I?" Kalon asked as he looked around, still dazed from his sleep and realised that the ground beneath him was moving. He looked around to see that he was in a room with wooden walls and two windows on either side, and he was lying down with his body across a long cushioned bench.

Roah was sitting opposite to him with a grin on her face as he finally came to.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you so hard. And I was in a rush, so I didn't want to wait until you woke up before setting off, so I had you put into the carriage and then set off immediately." Roah spoke in a soft tone to avoid being heard by anyone other than Kalon.

"You hit me? I don't remember- Oh, I see. But what do you mean by set off? Where are we?" Kalon asked before recalling that they had previously been sparring, and all of a sudden, his mind went blank before waking up next to her. But then, as soon as he realised that they were on the move, he wondered about where they were heading.

"I told you that I was going to sponsor you to attend school, didn't I? I have duties that I need to perform, and I can't babysit you any more. So since you are all healed, I'm going to take you there and kill two birds with one stone since I need to visit an old friend who is living in the capital." Roah smiled and then looked up before gazing out of the window.

"What!? Do you not think this is too soon!? I don't know anything about the capital or even the laws here. And you are yet to tell me anything about Qi or whatever you called it. How will I survive here without knowing anything!?" Kalon began to panic as he realised he was being thrown in at the deep end. But as soon as he did, Roah looked back over to calm his mind.

"Don't worry. It's a full week's journey to the capital. I will explain everything to you along the way. Do you really think that I would send you out there without knowing anything at all? That would be the same as sentencing you to death. We are going to have a lot of time to talk about all the important details, so make sure that you remember them all, okay?" Roah smiled and then sighed as she looked out of the window.

"What is it?" Kalon asked, concerned about what had made her wear an uncomfortable expression on her face.

"There's no need for you to worry. We're just about to make the first stop of our journey. We need to stock up on some supplies and give the horses time to rest." Roah said as the carriage began to slow down.

"But you still haven't told me anything about Qi," Kalon complained as they came to a complete stop. Suddenly a thumping sound boomed against the wall, signalling it was time to disembark.

"I will tell you once we set off again, now stop worrying and stick close to me. Don't you dare stray from my sight, Okay?" Roah asked in a stern tone as she looked at Kalon and began to open the door to the carriage.

"Okay, But can you tell me where we are going?" Kalon asked as Roah stepped outside and held out her hand to help him down from the steep step on the exterior of the carriage.

"Just keep your mouth shut and follow me," Roah said once again as she took his hand and began to walk.

The carriage had come to a stop at a stable outside of what seemed to be a village guarded by a large wall made from wooden spikes. The ground was sodden, and the stench of excrement was unbearable as they walked closer to the gate of the village.

As they approached the gate, two men stepped out from either side, holding spears in their hands and stared at Roah with distrust, but upon seeing them, she reached to her chest and pulled her jacket open slightly to reveal a golden cross that was pinned to her shirt and the two men immediately bowed their heads with their fist against their palm before stepping aside and allowing them entry.

"What is this place?" Kalon asked but to no reply. Roah simply carried on walking along a straight path as they began to pass many houses. The houses seemed to be abandoned from the outside, but occasionally, the curtains in the windows would move, as though there were people on the inside sneaking a peek at Kalon and Roah as they walked through the town.

A cold chill ran down Kalon's spine as he tried to understand what was going on, but no matter what, he thought he couldn't come up with an explanation as to what the people in their houses were doing. It was almost as if they were eyeing up their prey before moving in for the kill.

It was a feeling that Kalon knew all too well as his time in the Sylton empire was harsh and brutal. But he didn't expect to feel the same way after entering the kingdom of Ysaven because he didn't think there was a beast alive that would eat their own people. But as they continued, his mindset was starting to change.

They eventually stopped at a set of stone stairs that led up to an old wooden door and stopped. Roah turned to face Kalon and then bent down to whisper in his ear.

"Once we enter, don't make eye contact with anyone, okay?" She made sure that they were on the same page before approaching the door, but Kalon saw that piece of advice as her way of protecting him from whatever they were about to encounter, and he knew that she would keep him safe if he followed everything that she said.

As they entered through the door, all of the light from the outside seemed to be sucked away before the door slowly closed, and the feeling he felt outside was now amplified. He kept his eyes focused on the floor, listening to Roah's advice and gently squeezed her hand to make sure that she was still with him.

His fear was made clear by the thumping of his heart and the sweat that had begun to form in his hand. Roah rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb to comfort him before walking once again and then coming to a stop as a loud bang shook the room.