Dashyl's Quest

Dashyl collapsed next to Fretly into the underbrush in the tree bosque. his heart pounding, his breath escaping him. “You…you…” he panted. “You beat me.”

Fretly didn’t answer, he was still breathing too heavy, wheezing.

“You must be really scared to run faster than me,” Dashyl said. After he had gained some wind back in his lungs, the boy even chuckled.

“Dash, this is no laughing matter,” Fretly insisted. “I was running for my life.” Fretly flipped over onto his belly, parted the underbrush with his hands and peered back at where they had just escaped. “I don’t see anyone coming after us,” he announced after a short while. “Still, that old night watch saw where we ran.”

“Who would they send after us? Kymla? We can outrun her,” Dashyl said.

“We don’t know who all we’re dealing with here,” Fretly warned. “There could be some guards we don’t know about or who knows what. I am going to climb this tree and get the lay of the land. Stay hidden, but keep your eyes open.”

Dashyl nodded his head as Fretly scampered up the nearest tree. The boy didn’t recognize the tree, or the grasses he was nestled into. He had no idea where he was.

Suddenly, Fretly dropped down from the tree with a crash. “Watch it,” Dashyl hissed through his teeth.

“Sorry, I couldn’t figure out to get out of the tree, so I just jumped,” Fretly explained.

“Listen, the land becomes more wooded in every direction but east. That way, the trees thin out and the elevation seems to dip. It also dips to west, but I can see some foothills off in the distance.”

“What do you think we should do,” Dashyl asked.

“When I came to the tournament, I traveled by airship to Trader’s Haunt, then caravanned west to Tyrana. The tournament was held on the plains north of Tyrana. If I am guessing correctly, the plains are to the east now.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means we should be near Anchorwatch. I just don’t know if we are north or south of Anchorwatch. I’m thinking the curics couldn’t have been too far from the tournament grounds, which means we should also be close to Tyrana. I might get recognized in Tyrana. I was feeling brash before the tournament and kind of made some enemies there,” Fretly said, sheepishly.

“So, which way do we go, then? I want to get to Trader’s Haunt so I can get home by airship. And you can go home, too,” Dashyl added. “My father told me about Anchorwatch, I remember quite a bit of what he told me.”

“Anchorwatch is probably our best option. Let’s head north and slightly west to get into the trees more. I’m betting Anchorwatch is that way,” Fretly said, confidently.

This time, the two escapees did not run as fast as they could for cover. Instead, they ran hunched over, trying to hide in the grass as much as possible. They scurried like this for quite awhile when Fretly finally said, “Let’s stop and eat a little.”

After eating, they didn’t feel as compelled to be as stealthy. No one seemed to be coming after them and they were far enough away now that they weren’t afraid of being seen. They didn’t talk, each one was lost in his thoughts, wondering what the future could hold.

Towards the end of the day, they came across a river, a wide river that they couldn’t cross, barring their way north. Fretly finally spoke after standing on the banks in silence. “If I am right, this is the Cerulean River. If we follow this north, it will take us right past Anchorwatch.”

“North? I hate to say this, Fretz, but this river is running east and west,” Dashyl pointed out.

“No kidding, Dash. That fact is throwing me off. Let’s just follow along on this side and see if the river bends back north, then we can make camp.”

The river did turn north not very long after they had made they started following it. Soon, they found a hollow that seemed protected enough to keep them hidden as they slept. Phaeton was bright enough that they could see fairly well without a fire. Fretly went to get more water at the river while Dashyl broke a loaf of bread in half and smeared it with varyl sap. The sap didn’t have much taste, but it was packed with nutrients. The companions ate their meager dinner in weary silence. They both fell asleep immediately with the sound of the Cerulean softly washing over them.