"I do not drink those alcoholic beverages." His voice was once again formal and unemotional. He would not give himself away to her. Being careful not to touch her he took the towel, pressing it to the back of his head, ignoring the disinfectant. Looking up at her with his cold, unchanging expression he said, "Thank you." Even though she's a human she is trying to help, it wouldn't hurt him to be polite.
Kadey stared at the man, puzzled. He had a certain monotone she couldn't place. "Well you better come out of that hole," Kadey said. "We wouldn't want you disrupting the cows.
A Shetland sheepdog ran up to Kadey and peered down at the hole. He growled at the intruder that lay stilled. "Correction," Kadey said, "we wouldn't want you to disrupt Shep who in turn would disrupt the cows."
She ran her hands down Shep's mane. "It's okay boy, it's okay."
Kadey tucked the disinfectant into the pouch on her apron. "You look exhausted," she pointed. "Come back to my house. We have a spare room if you'd like to jut lay your head." Shep started to growl again.
"Shep, patrol," Kadey commanded and the dog ran off into the field. "Sorry, Shep doesn't like visitors. So come on."
She's offering her home to me. Is this a trap? I shouldn't go but if I don't rest, I won't have the energy to leave...
"Yes, thank you." Tossing the towel out of the hole, he placed his hands on the edge of the hole. With little effort, he pulled himself up and over the lip of the hole. As he stood he brushed off the dirt that had collected onto his clothes.
When he finished fixing himself he looked down at her. Easily taller than her, he also had lean, tight muscles that showed due to his lack of shirt. His clothes were definitely not from around here, they were made from a silk-like cloth that wrapped around only his waist and shoulders. Though, despite his strange appearance, the oddest part about him was his tan skin. Glowing bluish-white, the mana lines covered every inch of his body.
Kadey stilled. There was something wrong with this man. What had she gotten herself into?
"Um, w-where did you say you were from?" She stared at his muscles, twice the size of the movers her mother had hired. He could easily pin her down and she'd be helpless. But his skin, what colour was it? What race is he? she thought. She gulped hard. Kadey silently wished she had let Shel stay beside her. Shep would get her Mama if this man did anything stupid.
She blinked twice and looked up at his face. He was so tall compared to Kadey's 5'2". Still, she couldn't remove her eyes from his skin.
It's the light from the sun, she thought. Still, she didn't believe herself.
"Where am I?" He looked around, his gaze cold and unemotional. I was right, this is a farm. She must be the owner's daughter. The sun hurt his eyes after being in that hole for so long. Covering his eyes with one hand, he picked up the towel he had tossed. "This is yours?" He extended his arm, bringing the bloody towel closer to her.
Kadey gave a crooked smile. "You're on the edge of Treddar Farm," she said, motioning the plain with her hand. "We've been running it for ten years."
She stared down at the towel he was offering. "Um, you can hold on to that for a second." Today was Tuesday; her mother was doing the wash today. Noticing how the man never answered her, she left it alone. "What's your name?"
She stared up at him. Gosh, he was so tall. She wanted to ask him how tall exactly but she decided against it.
"Oh, and let's take you to my room." Kadey smiled until she realised what she had said. "Erm. Let's take you to rest," she rephrased.
She started walking towards her house. Kadey turned around to make sure the man was following.
"One should give their own name before asking for another." The man met her gaze, staring. "Although, since I will be taking up residence in your home for a bit I shall give you my name. Raeralrin."
The name slipped from his lips as if gliding on water. The language of the elves was definitively the most beautiful language in his mind. After mentally debating the pros and cons of the situation he decided to go with her.
Taking a step toward her, he motioned forward with his hand. "I will follow."
"Raeral-what?" Kadey stood puzzled by the strange man's name. "Um, how about Rae? You can call me Kadey."
She walked back to her house before she smelled smoke. Alarmed, she quickly turned around to check her pit. She couldn't see a fire, but that's how fires were; they crept out unexpected. She took another sniff and realised it was her Mama cooking. "Oh," she mumbled, "Mama's burning the food again." Kadey smiled and walked Rae back to her house. "Here, your room is upstairs." She walked up the stairs and led him to a room with beige walls. The floor was wood and in the corner was a twin sized bed. "Make yourself at home." She stared at a picture that hung from the wall. It was a picture of a mysterious element known as Manna. She walked up to it. "Have you heard of Manna?" she asked Rae. "It's been gone so long people are starting to doubt it's existence."
Small. That's the first word that popped into Raeralrin's mind. As she led him through the house filled with the smell of burnt cooking, he almost smiled. I should never have expected more, they are but a poor farming family... But what are they doing on Silas?... Her voice brought him back to focus. "Manna? Gone? Manna has never left, what are you talking about. Silas is made of Manna." He did smile at this. "Where did you think you were, human?"
Kadey's head perked. "I-I'm sorry?" Her head tilted to one side. "What makes you an expert on Manna?"
Kadey looked back at the picture on the wall. The Manna was white tinted blue. So was Rae's skin.
"Are you-" she started but stopped herself. No, it was too crazy. "I think you should lay down," she smiled but on the inside questions were bubbling around. "Shall I make you some tea?"
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks