Outcasts Of Velrune Part 8

"Yes, Maxwell, let us join them."

Without any further hesitation, Max gathered their food and ran after Eve. Mr. Penna followed at his own, slow pace. Max caught up to Eve as she arrived at the fire where Melody and the diggers already sat. At their arrival, Melody stood, greeting Eve with a curtsy.

"Good evening, Evangeline."

Eve giggled, returning the curtsy. "Evening, Melody. I'd like you to meet Maxwell Laskaris and," Eve patted her foot impatiently, "when he gets here Mr., um, I mean, Chiron Penna. Max, this is Melody."

"Good evening, Ms. Melody. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Eve turned to Max in surprise. "Wow, Max, you do have manners!"

Max jabbed at Eve with his elbow, which she easily dodged. Melody started to laugh then cleared her throat.

"Good evening, Maxwell. I'm glad to meet you. You as well, Mr. Penna."

Mr. Penna finally arrived, stepping next to Max. "Good evening, Ms...?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell Eve my full name. I am Melody Eliades." She gestured to the diggers Tyco mentioned. "With me are Zeth and Bastiaan."

The two diggers stood and shook hands with Max, Mr. Penna and Eve. When the introductions were over, they all sat down in a circle and Melody began the conversation.

"Maxwell, Eve tells me that you are Peter Laskaris's son."

"Yes, that's right." It was odd to hear a stranger mention his father.

Melody turned toward Mr. Penna. "And you used to accompany Mr. Laskaris, correct?"

"You are correct, Ms. Eliades. If I may, how is it that you know of us?"

"Of course, Mr. Penna. You see, I grew up in the care of the Children of the Immortals in Moenia. When I was twelve I remember a Protector coming to our sanctuary to speak with Metis, the leader of our order. Even then, I knew that the Children did not get along with the Protectors. I was curious as to what the man wanted so I hid behind the table on the second floor. When Metis met the man he spoke quietly to her then slipped her a small box. Metis nodded and the man returned outside. I ran over to a window in time to see him getting back on his horse. On another horse was an older gentleman who held a small child. I saw them leave the church grounds as one of the elders called me for my ch.o.r.es."

"I forgot about the Protector and his box until years later. While cleaning out one of the sanctuary's store rooms, I found the box. Remembering that day, curiosity got the better of me, and I tried to open it. The locks wouldn't budge, making me more determined to find out what it contained. I sought out Metis to see if she would tell me."

"Metis tried to shoo me away until I told her I knew where the box had come from. I thought she would be mad at me. Instead, she sighed heavily, telling me it no longer mattered. She said the man who had left it, Peter Laskaris, had been a captain of the Protectors. The boy was his son and the older man, Chiron Penna, was a friend of them both. She then paused a moment as a few tears rolled down her face. Wiping them away, she said that bandits had killed all three and to put the box back where I had found it."

Melody smiled at Max. "Needless to say, Eve surprised me when she told me about you two. It's not often I run into people who are supposed to be dead."

Mr. Penna nodded slowly. "I have tried not to spread word of our survival. I knew that would end with this trip, I had only hoped we would at least make it to Moenia first."

"But, why?"

"The night the bandits murdered Peter they searched his home. I have always believed they were looking for Maxwell, though I have no reason as to why."

Max's eyes widened. "You mean, if Eve hadn't hid me, you think they would have killed me as well."

Mr. Penna bowed his head and nodded. He raised his head again, speaking to Melody.

"The day you recall, the one in which we left the box with your order, was our last day in Moenia. Peter had instructed me to pack the necessities for a long journey and to do it quickly. When all was ready we left the inner court of Moenia, stopping only at your church before leaving the city."

"Where were you going? What is so important about that box?"

Mr. Penna shook his head. "I do not know what lies inside the box. I had never seen it before that day. As to our destination, Hedgewood, originally. The night after we left the dead lands, bandits jumped us. We managed to escape, but they wounded Peter in the process. We changed our plans, heading for Pike to the southwest. When we were within sight of the town, Peter became reluctant to enter. He said the town was too close, that we had to go farther. I tried to convince him to stop, that he needed the immediate aid of a healer, but he would have none of it. Instead, he swung around the outside of town, heading down a narrow, poorly maintained road that led even farther off to the southwest. My hands already full with Max, I had little choice but to follow. Thankfully, just when I thought I was going to lose Peter, we came within sight of the small village of Swift.w.a.ter. The village's healer, a gifted woman, saved Peter, although he walked with a limp thereafter."

"Peter liked Swift.w.a.ter. He felt safe; we all did. Welcomed by the villagers with open arms, we decided to stay. For two years we enjoyed life to the fullest, then, late one night while I was camping outside of town, bandits attacked the town. By the time I returned, they were gone, and Peter was dead."

"One of the villagers told me the bandits had ransacked Peter's house before leaving, but took nothing with them. I asked of Maxwell and was told they did not find him in the house. The village started searching for him. We had little luck until the owner of the local cafe, Mrs. Ta.s.si, noticed her daughter also missing." Mr. Penna winked at Eve. "She was a mischievous little girl whom Maxwell often played with."

Eve blushed and bowed her head as Mr. Penna continued. "Mrs. Ta.s.si struck out for her daughter's favorite hiding places. She soon found the girl standing guard outside of a cabinet in the cafe's kitchen, Maxwell tucked inside, safe and sound."

"After that, I took on the responsibility of rearing Maxwell. Unsure of what we had run from and fearing another attack by the bandits, I did my best to keep our ident.i.ty a secret from travelers. It appears, though, my time of secrecy has ended."

Melody spoke slowly, deep in thought. "So, that is what happened so many years ago. You have kept the truth hidden well, Mr. Penna, but," Melody nodded in Tyco's direction, "I imagine I'm not the only one from Moenia who knows that Maxwell is alive."

"No, I am sure you are not, my dear. That is why I have come along, even if I am too old to be of much aid anymore."

Eve jumped up. "That's ok Mr. Penna, I'm here. Right, Maxy?"

Max buried his head in his hands, saying nothing. A tiny laugh slipped out of Melody.

"That story does explain the surprise I had at the river earlier tonight."

Mr. Penna gave Melody a questioning look. "Oh, what surprise would that be?"

Max leaned forward with concern. "Yeah, what happened? I knew I should have checked on Eve."

Eve sat down, "I was fine, I don't know what she's talking about."

Melody turned to Max with amus.e.m.e.nt in her eyes. "Most people take comfort in the fact that the lacarna are terrified of the water, Maxwell, and wouldn't dream of helping them learn to swim. The last thing I expected to see in this wasteland was a lacarna willingly wading into a river."

Max filled with pride. "You waded in by yourself, Eve? Wait, Melody, why would people not want the lacarna to swim?"

Melody sighed. "Very few places are like Swift.w.a.ter, Maxwell.

"What do you mean?"

"It's too late to explain centuries of history tonight, besides, you'll see for yourself soon enough. Just do me a favor, Maxwell, make your own decisions on what you feel is right, not what everyone else tries to tell you. You have an invaluable friendship; don't let anyone else change that. Now, how about dinner?"

Max's stomach growled. "Dinner sounds great. Ill help get things ready."

Eve stood up to help Max. "Me too. Out you go, Spook."

Spook peeked her head out of Eves pocket, startling Melody.

"I had forgotten all about Spook. What's her story Eve?"

Eve lifted Spook out, sitting her on the ground. "I found her in the storeroom in the back of our cafe. I was supposed to get rid of her, but I couldn't, not after she helped me scare Max." Eve giggled. "That's why I named her Spook."

Melody laughed. "She scared you with a mouse, Maxwell?"

Max looked indignant. "She didnt scare me. She told me she had eaten it, I...thought it was disgusting. I didn't know she'd held it in her tail the whole time."

Eve doubled with laughter. "I don't know which I found funnier; the look you gave me when you thought I had eaten her or the one you gave me when you found out I hadn't."

Everyone joined Eve in her laughter, eventually even Max.

After dinner, the two groups separated; Max, Eve and Mr. Penna going back to their own spot with Tyco, who had already fallen asleep. Mr. Penna and Max soon fell fast asleep as well. Eve lingered a bit, her thoughts taking her back to the night of Peter's death.

Is there someone out there that wants Max dead? Will I be able to stay with Max to protect him?

Eve lay down knowing, despite her troubled mind, she needed to get her rest. As she closed her eyes she saw that Melody and the diggers were still talking energetically among themselves.

"Maxwell! Wake up!"

Max slowly opened his eyes to find Tyco looming over him.

"Come on Maxwell. We need to leave. Now!"

Max sat up. "What's going on?"

"We need to get moving, that's what is going on. Now get your stuff packed. Don't bother with breakfast, we don't have time."

Grumbling, Max got up to pack. Eve, yawning, came over to help.

"Do you know what's going on, Eve?"

Eve shook her head. "Nope, but Tyco's even got Mr. Penna annoyed."

Max paused to find Mr. Penna. He stood next to his mare stuffing his bedroll into the travel sack. Frowning, he addressed Tyco.

"What is your rush, Tyco? The sun will not rise for another hour. The next camp will not take that long to reach."

Tyco sneered at Mr. Penna. "Your friends from yesterday have already left. We need to catch up to them."

Eve spread her arms wide as she let out a big yawn. "Yeah, they left about three hours ago."

Tyco stepped quickly over to Eve, grabbing her by the elbow. "Why didn't you wake me and tell me they were leaving?"

Eve twisted her elbow from Tyco's grasp. "Because, it was none of our business when they left."

Tyco's gaze bore into Eve. "If you had stayed away from them it would not have been our business. That isn't the case now." Tyco went back to his horse. "Come on, let's get going."

Max haphazardly finished packing and mounted Starlight. Tyco led them out of camp where he spurred Teak to a run. They moved at nothing less than a trot for the next two hours before stopping for a break. Tyco slid off Teak.

"You've got fifteen minutes to water the horses and eat something."

Everyone followed suit, leading the horses to the river. While Starlight drank, Max dug out some jerky, handing it to Eve. She swayed uneasily as she took it. Max grabbed her shoulder to steady her.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Eve nodded. "Yep, I just need to get something in my stomach then get a few stretches in."

"Are you sure? Maybe you should ride with me on Starlight."

"No, I don't want to make it harder for Starlight. I'll be fine, really. Keep some of that jerky out for me though. I'll need extra food if we keep moving at this pace."

With time running short, Max gave up the argument so they could eat. All too soon, Tyco shouted at them to get back on the horses and move out. Five hours later they reached the next camp. Quickly scanning the camp, Tyco spotted Melody and the diggers' horses tied at a railing next to the guardhouse. He made for the door.

Meanwhile, Max and Mr. Penna led their horses to a trough to let them drink, then joined Eve who was quenching her own thirst from a water barrel. They were back with the horses when Tyco returned from the guardhouse. He got their attention before filling them in on what he had learned from the guards.

"The acolyte, along with the diggers, arrived here a little over two hours ago. They paid the guards to trade horses with them before making for the next camp. I have talked the guards into letting us do the same. We need to move our stuff over to the other horses immediately if we hope to catch up to them."

Max stood stunned as Tyco began unfastening his packs from Teak. "Tyco, we need at least a half hour to eat. Eve won't make it much farther without some decent food, and I'm not leaving Starlight in the middle of the dead lands."

Tyco whipped around. "We can come back for the horses later, Max. They'll be fine here." Tyco suddenly smiled oddly. "Better yet, Mr. Penna and Eve can stay here with Starlight and Teak to get their rest, then meet us later in Moenia."

Mr. Penna spoke in a calm voice. "What has you so upset, Tyco? Why are you so intent on catching up with Melody and the others?"

Tyco returned to working on removing the packs. "It is not so much as catching them as it is getting to Moenia before they do."

"Why? What is the danger?"

"I'm not sure exactly, but I know they're up to something. Children of the Immortals, or diggers for that matter, are simply not to be trusted."

Eve crossed her arms in disbelief. "What? That's crazy."

Max nodded. "Yeah, they seemed perfectly nice."

Tyco swung the packs off Teak "You have a lot to learn, Maxwell. It's a good thing I'm getting you to the Protectors when I am."

Mr. Penna let out a grunt. "That is up for debate, but I see you are determined to go. We will do as you suggest and follow tomorrow. Keep in mind; however, that Maxwell must join us at the city gate when we arrive. Evangeline will not be allowed to enter without her owner."

Max's jaw dropped. "What?"

Tyco ignored Max. "I can a.s.sure you when we receive word of your arrival I'll send Maxwell to the gate."

Mr. Penna studied Tyco's face. "I hope so, Tyco."

Eve nodded. "I'm okay with that; if it's for Max's safety."

Max balled his fists up in frustration. He did not like the others deciding what he was to do. "Wait a minute, I can't leave Eve behind! And what is this about her owner?"

Tyco spoke over his shoulder as he moved towards the guards' horses. "Not now, Maxwell. Hurry up and get your stuff off of Starlight and onto one of these other horses."

Max stood firm. "But?"

Mr. Penna crossed his arms and stood with his legs apart, a stance Max had seen often. "Just do it, Maxwell. Do not worry; we will catch up soon enough."

Max hung his head. "Yes, sir."