The Dim Room

         The light in the room was dim. The small fire in the fireplace only outlined his face, but she could tell he was rough around the eyes, with few hairs above and below his mouth. His voice was scratchy as he asked how she had stumbled upon his shack.
         As she leaned over in the askew chair is creaked angrily. She began to speak in the lowest voice possible. “I was looking for the Dragonwood, and the boy,” she paused and turned her head towards her companion, “Said he knew where it was. He led me down a path through a thick wood and landed us off the trail beside a cave of some sort.” The man nodded and looked to the boy. She started back, “We heard something large moving inside so we ran as fast as we could and found ourselves here.”
         “Why are you looking for the Dragonwood?” He grunted.
         Her head fell over her chest, “I wish to keep that in my peace.”
         “Of course.”
         The boy who was lying on the cot on the other side of the room stirred in his sleep. The man looked at them as if he had never seen young adults before. Lielenn stroked the mug, which he had given her with a warm drink. She had hesitantly but gladly taken it from his cold hands. “Could you tell us how to remove ourselves from this wood?” She asked uncomfortably.
         “I could, but the king has his soldiers in ever part of the forest. It would be best if you stayed within my care for the next day or two.”
         She turned and glared at the boy. His brown hair sat restlessly over his brow. He had turned over and again was hanging on the edge of the cot. In his sleep he was talking. “No!” He said and jumped up as quickly as he could.
Lielenn stood from her chair, “Are you okay?”
He put his feet on the wooden floor and pushed himself from his resting place.
“Lasdem, lie back down.” She told him, but he tried to walk and stumbled over his feet. “Let me help you,” she said walking to pull him up.
“I’m fine!” He snorted grumpily. “Go back to your friend and talk of secret things. See if I care.”
“Nothing has been said to him that cannot meet your ears.”
“Why should I trust you, now?” He retorted.
She turned away from him red in the face with anger. She walked to her previous chair and placed herself lightly in it. It resumed its creaking with every small movement. “She speaks the truth, boy,” the man said in that rugged voice.
“And what business do you have with my journey? Why should anyone tell you anything?” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Look sir, I am trying to be a calm as possible here, but with everything resting on my unstable shoulders it is hard to trust anyone. We should leave.”
“I am afraid I cannot let you do that. There are soldiers resting under every tree in this wood. It would be extremely dangerous for a lad such as yourself with so little common sense to wander into a wood of such danger at a time like this. Stay another day, at least. Be in the comfort of my hand’s work.”
“We should stay, Lasdem,” Lielenn was looking down. “We should.”
He looked angrily at the older man. “I will stay under you, but if anything should happen to Lielenn I promise you I will haunt you-alive and dead.”