Walking Away

I glanced up into the sky at the unbreakable clouds that stretched as far as they eye could see. It was like that everywhere. The world, covered in darkness. I can still remember the children laughing and assuming the sun was a legend. A thousand years is a long time to remain in the dark.



I continued to look at the sky, mostly to keep from looking at the man to my right. His green eyes had always made my lips go dry. Set and determined in every aspect of his life, Caiblin was a man of strong will. It's one of the reasons I..... No I couldn't even think it. I couldn't handle being second to a quest that had been passed down from his father, and his father, seventeen generations back. I could never ask him to choose between me and his families honor and duty.



My eyes and mind turned from the road below my feet, I never saw the root sticking out from the ground. By the time I realized the ground was sailing at my head, I was already being held by strong arms.



Caiblin's voice was always so boisterous. "You need to watch where you're stepping Lanaur, I wouldn't want you hurt."



I let my hand trail over his arms as I pulled myself up to my feet, hiding a blush. On occasion I had fallen before, but it still embarrassed me. Twenty years of travel and I still felt like a child at times like this.



Turning to glance at the tree which had helped with my embarrassing situation, I let my thoughts become audible and pushed the blond hair from my face with one hand. "I wonder how they survive. Legends say, they used to need the sun to survive."



Caiblin had already started off again, ignoring me for a moment. When I thought he would simply dismiss it, he spoke again. "Well, either magic or nature refusing to die. I'm not sure."



Nodding, I started moving again. I had no doubt he would leave me, his mission was too important to be disrupted by a single woman. Jogging to catch up, I found myself looking at him again. I wondered if we found the mystic we are seeking, would I have a chance to speak my feelings? Would I have the courage? I might never know.



That day would be the same as all others, another mystic, another test, another disappointment. I glanced occasionally into the woods surrounding us, but kept my eyes mostly on the dirt path. We had never been attacked by any wild beasts, but I always kept an eye out. I knew well Caiblin's mission, but not specifics of how it worked. More than twenty years, more than two hundred mystics tested, and he had never allowed me to witness his administration of the test.



It was actually difficult to even figure out what it could be. The mystic was supposed to be able to sense the artifacts that would allow the sun to shine again. How does one test for such a thing? Well, it wasn't my place to ask. I had willingly come on this quest with Caiblin, and wasn't going to abandon him.



The village we passed two days back had mentioned a mystic that lived in the woods, going by the name Gerard. I hoped this would be the one, but dreaded it as well. I didn't know if Caiblin would go back to his home or move along with the mystic, taking on the new quest of seeking the artifacts.

"Did your parents ever tell you how the world came into darkness? I never heard who did it or how." I was rambling at that point, only to keep from thinking about him.



Caiblin shook a head full of long black hair, and then stopped to look at me. His eyes were always so intense. "No one remembers who, a cult, one of the old under surface races." Looking up into the sky, he still seemed to know where the rocks and roots would reach for him and dodged each expertly. It was impressive, it always had been. "They told me it was some magic that brought forth a cloud to cover the world. Legend says it was an orb of some kind."



I nodded, "Evil magic." I said whispering the words. Then I saw the pile of a building sitting among the overgrown mushrooms. Staring up, I wondered how long they taken to grow so tall. I seriously doubted that they were so big when the sun shone. I heard once they grow best in the dark.

Caiblin stopped just outside of the doorway, looking over at me. "Stay here." Without another word he opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind him.



I sighed heavily and waited until he was inside before speaking. "Like I didn't know that was coming out of your mouth."



Even with the door shut I heard the distinctive sound of his voice. "Then why do I feel that if I didn't say it you would follow me in here?"



A half smile came over my face as I mentally answered, 'Because for some insane reason, I would follow you anywhere.' Then an idea struck me. If I could hear him and him me so easily through the walls, then perhaps there was a hole or crack I could watch through. Dilapidated as the building was, it wasn't a far fetched idea. I had always been curious about what the test pertained.



It took quite some time for me to find a hole large enough for me to see into. I could barely make out anything inside, besides Caiblin's back. The entire time I could hear a long drawn out speech about his family's heritage and mission. As much as I cared for him, it was rather boring to hear aloud. Then he asked if the mystic would take the tests, and my curiosity was peaked once more. A voice came in response to him, sounding rather like a grown man talking with a mouth full of food. Then again I wasn't sure the mystic wasn't doing just that when we came.



Then Caiblin took an onyx gem out of his pouch and held it in his opened fist. Caiblin's ash skin looked brighter against the dark crystal. His voice was deep with a practiced confidence. "The mystic who can sense the artifacts will be able to purge the darkness from the world." With that he threw it onto the ground and it shattered.



I stared dumbfounded. What was the point of smashing the lovely jewel, I wondered. Then my answer came. From the shattered pieces, black tendrils shot upward and enveloped every spec inside the hut inch by inch. In a matter of seconds the entirety of the room I had been watching was encased in a darkness that was no doubt magical.



It was an intense moment that followed. I wasn't sure what to do. Was he going to leave the mystic in this darkness, or was he going to dismiss it once he was sure the mystic wouldn't? I didn't want to get caught watching. I suddenly felt guilty that I was spying like this. It wasn't enough to make me turn away though.



I heard Caiblin's steps as he turned around, so I moved to back away from the peeping hole. Then something caught my eye. Beneath the magical darkness a flickering began, like a candle in the shadows. It grew brighter with each passing instant and after only a minute the darkness was gone, replaced by the glowing coming fromt he opposite side of Caiblin.



I was beginning to wonder what this mystic called Gerard looked like. Caiblin didn't look nearly as impressed as I was over the mystic dispelling the darkness, then I found out why.



"I am impressed, but you are not the first to pass the test." His voice was still strong, confident and practiced.



I looked at the ground and saw the gem shards had disappeared. By the time I looked up, Caiblin was holding a dagger in his left hand and his right palm opened. I knew what he was going to do before he did it. Covering my mouth, I tried not to be heard gasping as the dagger sunk hilt deep into the flesh of his hand. I almost missed his words.



"The mystic I seek will be able to heal wounds of the body and the planet." His voice was still so stiff and rehearsed.



Caiblin shifted to the left, blocking my view for a moment then moving out of the way again. Then I was able to see past him and look at the table in front of him. I still couldn't see the mystic though, just a large pile of dirty clothing at the table.



Then the clothing moved. An arm at least as big around as my thigh was raised into the air, covered in filth, and placed its pudgy fingers around the handle of the dagger in Caiblin's hand. I could barely believe this was the mystic who just dispelled the darkness. I had seen many mystics and they all seemed to resonate power, this man didn't. The blade began to glow as Gerard pulled it from the flesh. The light flared brightly and even as the point exited the wound it was already sealed. The flesh had miraculously sewn itself back together.



I could feel my heart beginning to pump faster in my chest. I desperately tried to remember if Caiblin had ever told me how many trials there were in the test. I never realized how slow thought can be when it feels so important.



I set my eyes to searching the pile of clothing for Gerard, and found him almost immediately. He was the pile, an enormous man with dirty hair that lay in layers which appeared to be cloth at my first glance. I could see he wasn't eating, so I never figured out why he sounded as if he were.

"I don't mind blood or the dark my boy. I am just not fond of having them forced on me." His words were followed by thick laughter that shook his giant frame.



I wanted to laugh myself, even though I didn't think it was funny. It was my mind compensating for the sudden rush of blood to my head. I couldn't slow my heart down though.



Caiblin was just as excited, at least I thought so. His hands were shaking as he brought out three different items from his pouches. One was a twisted dagger, another a small clay orb and lastly a gold medallion. I had no idea what they were for. That didn't keep me from praying that Gerard would do what needed to be done.



Caiblin's voice shook just as much as his hands. "Which of these is an artifact said to help bring back the sun?"



My eyes met Gerard's own black ones for a moment, before he turned to Caiblin. I clasped my hands over my mouth to keep from gasping. I wondered if he would tell Caiblin I was spying. Instead he raised an arm and dramatically waved it over the items without even looking at them.

"And if I choose correctly, what then young man?"



Caiblin's voice came stronger this time, but still rather shakey. "You and I will leave in search of the remaining artifacts and we will bring back the sun."



On hearing his words, I felt my stomach drop. I thought that might be the case, but that didn't mean I was ready for it. I had stopped watching and barely listened to what followed. My chances of a future with the man I loved just got incredibly shorter. I couldn't believe it.



"Caiblin, was it? I believe you should know something is growing within you. I'm not sure what it is, but it is eating away at your insides."



"Don't make up excuses why you can't pass the last test." Caiblin's voice sounded angry and frustrated.



Then Gerard sounded even angrier and his next words brought my attention back to the situation. "Boy, I can see the red bile glowing brightly in your gut just as easily as I can see the ring glowing on your hand. You have a dozen years left on this planet, and I am too old and physically unfit to go on a grand journey. If I were you, I would return home and live as if every day were your last."

Caiblin hadn't moved since Gerard had spoken of the ring. His hand now covered the jewelry. It took me a minute to realize the truth. That must be the artifact. I had never even noticed it before and yet it was so important.



Turning from the mystic Caiblin walked to the door without a word. I caught a glimpse of his eyes before I moved away from the peep hole. An unfamiliar emotion was just behind the green spheres.

Even as he came out of the door, I struggled to find words, any words. I wasn't sure what to say, what could I say? If I told him I had been watching, I had no idea what he would do. If I ignored it...I couldn't ignore it. Gerard had blatantly told Caiblin he would die within twelve years, and even if I wasn't supposed to know, I did.



I made a decision then, I would tell him how I felt. It was all I could do. He would either return them and we would figure out what to do together, or he would reject me and... I didn't know what would happen then. My life had become as much about this mission as his was and now it seemed there was nothing left. The mystic wasn't going to come with him, there was no more quest to undertake. Our lives suddenly became empty.



I watched Caiblin come toward me in silence, then his eyes met mine. I had no clue what the look of realization that came over his face was. But I was determined to say something.



"Caiblin, I..." My words were cut off when his hands grasped my shoulders in a sudden motion and his lips met mine. They were stiff and dry, unfamiliar with the concept of kissing and inexperienced. It was perfect.



After a few moments, both our lips softened, his from relaxation, mine from the surprise fading from my mind. Then again my whole mind was fading all together. The only reason we stopped is because breathing was necessary to repeat the process in the future.



And there would be a future, I could tell from the want and hunger I could feel behind those newly tender lips. I wondered if he could feel the same.



I don't know when my eyes closed, but I kept them that way for a moment after our kiss broke. When I did, my green eyes met his and I recognized the expression I had seen when he exited the building.

"I love you Lanaur." He paused, waiting for my reaction I suppose. Unfortunately I had lost the words I had been about to speak. So I did the only thing my mind could tell my body to do. I kissed him with all my heart.



Breathing heavily, I pulled away, looking at him. I still couldn't find the words that I wanted to say so badly. I think he knew though.



"Let's go home." They were the last words he would speak for hours. He began to walk, and I ran to catch up once my body caught up to my thoughts. Within the mile, we were holding hands.



Caiblin and I never looked back and never spoke of quests, mystics or anything that happened again. I don't know if what the mystic said was true, but we have lived together for twenty years and had a son only a year after returning home. The world as a whole may not have profited, but mine became much happier.