Dashyl's Quest: The Tournament Plains

"Soern, hey, Soern," Fretly repeated as he shook the old kirzan where he sat against the dirt wall of the ditch. "Don't fall asleep now," he pleaded.

Soern opened one eye that didn't really focus on anything and pushed Fretly away by the face.

"Wake up, Soern," Fretly yelled.

"Why," Soern mumbled.

"Because, we can't stay here," Fretly said as if it were obvious.

"What," Soern asked as his head bobbed up to listen.

"Somebody made those explosions happen. Somebody who wanted to hurt us, maybe," Fretly reasoned.

Soern blinked his eyes a few times then stared straight at Fretly. "Hupht," he spat, "you're right. Those explosions could have been deliberate. The chances of someone taking this road with any kind of unstable radia that would just happen to go off just at that point are very slim."

"Right," Fretly confirmed.

"That someone is probably going to follow the swarm after a while to look for our dead bodies." After Soern said this, both he and Fretly looked at Dashyl lying motionless in the moist dirt of the ditch. They then met each other's gaze with a new resolve despite being exhausted.

"We've got to move farther down the ditch to get away from the road. With any luck, our pursuer was not watching from afar and failed to notice our escape," Soern said. "Even if there is no one on our tail, it will be good to rest in this ditch overnight, heal and set out just before first light."

"Right," Fretly agreed.

The two stood up and started getting ready to lead their igwazas away from the road. Fretly readied Dashyl's igwaza as Soern crouched over the boy, asking him questions.

"Are you awake, son," Soern asked.

"Uh humph," was all Dashyl could answer, still unable to move his jaw.

"Did you hear what we just said," Soern continued with his questions.

"Uh humph."

"I'm going to pick you up and drape you over the back of your igwaza. We'll make our way away from the road slowly. Are you good with that plan?"

"Uh humph."

"Fantastic. Up we go." Soern grabbed Dashyl's body and gently rested him on the back of the boy's runner. "Is that fine," he asked, patting Dashyl's head.

"Uh humph."

The tired trio traveled in silence frequently casting furtive glances back toward the road, but they never saw anybody.

"Here is good," Soern announced after some distance. "The ditch has curved away from the road enough that we should be covered from the sight of anyone searching for us. Let's make some shelters out of the grass stalks before we eat and sleep."

"I'll take watch for as long as I can," Fretly volunteered. "Maybe our pursuer will pass us in the night and we will be pursuing him tomorrow."

"I hope so," Soern replied, then spat on the ground and rubbed it into the dirt with his boot.