The Forests of Bakazak - Chapter Two

We sat outside as the sun wasn't too hot in the early morning. We ate our eggs, laughing about that time about a year and a half ago when his family came over to my palace and we went to the pond. It was so muddy that when we came back both our mothers litteraly fainted at the sight of us, covered from head to toe with brown sludge.

We finished eating, wrapped everything up, and began walking towards Bakazak.

We walked for the next few hours, and the mid-sky sun made us sweat. We had to stop and sit down or we would get dehydrated, so we found a couple of large stones that we used as chairs and drank from our canteens for a while, fanning ourselves with our hands.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my mouth from behind. I instinctively bit it and heard a yelp from behind me. I couldn't see Dilmon.

Before I turned around to face my attacker, I sent a whip of water in a horizontal arc behind me, using the moisture in the air. I twisted as I heard the 'thwack' indicating I had hit my target.

My assailant was masked, but I could tell by the physique it was a man not over the age of forty. He pulled out a menacing machete. I smirked, expanding the water drops caught inside the poorly-made metal. The blade became almost instantly rusted. The man threw it aside, and before I knew it he was holding my arms in a crooked position behind my back. I groaned in pain as he pulled them higher, almost taking them out of their sockets. With one hand still holding my arms, he turned around, caressed my face and punched my jaw. My mouth was slightly open and I could feel my teeth searing open my lower lip. My eyebrows contorted as I resisted the urge to lick the gushing wound. But I knew what to do.

I relaxed, standing utterly still. I let out my power and the man let out a cry of pain. His whole body had been scratched at the surface. His clothes had tiny rips in them, and the skin below was filled with paper cuts from thin strands of water.

"You're not worth it," he muttered as he turned and ran away.

I hurried back to the place we sat and drank, but I saw no-one. The short yet efforted fight had led me away. I heard a yell, and then silence. The yell was Dilmon's. I picked up my pace and sprinted to where I heard the yell from; unlatching the small throwing-axe I kept in my belt.

"Dilmon!!" I shouted, as I saw the scene about ten feet in front of me. He was laying on the floor, on his back, a sword about to be driven through his chest. Still running, I threw the axe, praying it'll hit the target. With a half-cringful, half-satisfying crunch, it drove it's self into the man's skull. He dropped to the floor, dead.

Dilmon slowly got up and backed away from the body. Blood was dripping on the grass. Dilmon closed his eyes, swallowed, and opened them again, avoiding the man on the ground beside him. He looked at me.

"You're bleeding," he said, taking out a piece of clean cloth as he walked towards me. I let him softly dab it to my lip and chin. The formerly white cloth became almost as red as my hair.

"Are you hurt?" I asked him.

"Bruised my chest, but I'm fine..." his voice trailed off. He looked into my eyes warily. "You killed him." His voice was barely a whisper.

"I had to," I said in the same volume. "He would have killed you. He was going to, and you know it, too."

"Yes, but-"

"No but!" I shouted, making him jump away from me. He was scared. Of me.

Tears of anger built up in my eyes. I saved him. That was it. I had to kill that man. But did I? I knew more than enough ways to knock a person out with water attacks. By the time he'd wake up we would be long gone. The anger turned into a combination of sadness, despair and shame. I had killed someone. And I didn't even have to. It all became too much, and I fell to the ground, unconscious. The tears piled in my eyes dropped with me.

***

"Red," I heard a murmur. "Red, please wake up. Please. I shouldn't have been scared, you were right, you had no choice. I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you. Please, just wake up." His voice broke on the last word. I became aware of the grass touching me, and of a large, rough hand holding both of mine.

"Dilmon?" I breathed. He sighed with relief.

"I'm here, everything's fine," he whispered to me. I opened my eyes. The tall evergreen trees surrounded us. He was sitting on his knees beside me. Everything was blurry.

"I'm sorry, Dilmon. So sorry..."

"You have no reason to be," he said firmly. "I'm the one who should be sorry... If I only concentrated on the Aura Field..."

I tried to stand, and with the hand still holding mine he helped me up and stood on his feet. I couldn't look him in the eyes. I hugged him and he hugged me back.