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The BloodVaine EpicChapter 43: Three At Sea
Walf awoke. What had happened? There was water all around. He was at sea.
“Oh my head. I must have passed out.”
Walf looked around. There was Alex, sitting the other side of the flatboat. As Walf moved Alex turned toward him.
“What...what happened?” the boy asked.
“We were saved…” Alex said. “By this man.”
For the first time Walf saw the other man. He was badly burned and unconscious.
“Who is he?” Walf asked.
“I don’t know.” Alex said.
“Someone from the Drullen Bell Keep. He came along on raft behind us, rammed us free when we were stuck under a falling tree.”
“But how did he get here? How did we get here?”
“I don’t know that either. All I know is that one minute we were underneath this flaming tree and the next we were sweeping down the river. I didn’t even see him when he rammed us out of there. I assume that the tree hit his raft instead. Probably how he got so burned. I…I passed out after that.”
“So if you didn’t see anything and you passed out, how do you know what happened?”
“Well I’ve worked it out and its the only way it could have happened. I knew we were bumped by another raft and when I woke up I found him here on the flatboat. I don’t see how he could have gotten here unless he was the one on the raft. What’s more he had spread his cloak over the two of us. It’s probably what kept us from burning up before we reached the sea. He must have swam to our flatboat and climbed on.”
“And he was out when you woke up?”
Alex nodded. “He hasn’t stirred since…”
Just as Alex said that the man did stir.
“Hey, you awake?”
“Black…knights…” the man mumbled.
Suddenly he jolted awake.
“What? Where am...oh. We escaped.”
He sank down, relieved. “You know you two were almost flattened by that tree...I nearly died myself, saving you.”
“Who are you?” Alex asked.
“Me? Oh... Logon. Logon’s my name.”
The company drifted south along the coast. It was Alex’s idea. There was no point in going north anyway. All was desolate there. So south it was. The trio drifted along easily, doing little rowing and having plenty of time for conversation. Alex was learning plenty about his young companion, who somehow had managed to accompany him, in spite of his wishes.
Walf started out talking about himself, but soon tired of that and went on to relating the tales of the misfits. As Alex listened he was amused to see the differences between Walf’s retelling and the actual happenings. The names were messed up for one thing and the story had a lot more drama then Alexrental cars orlando remembered from when Aros had related the tale to him. Finally he couldn't take it any more.
“...and arrows were flying everywhere, and then Dralkon was almost hit, and then about fifty hundred arrows were heading straight towards him, and then they were about to hit him but just in time, his horse Shadow jumped in front of him and blocked them, and then all the arrows went hitting into the horse…and…and then Dralkon was like, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT MY HORSE WHOSE NAME IS SHADOW! and then…”
“Um, not to interrupt or anything.” Alex was on the verge of laughter. “You’re doing a great job and all, but...are you sure that his name was Dralkon?”
Walf looked confused for a second. He thought about it for another second and then said, “No, I’m sure. Dralkon the Falcon. El'karn the Forester. Bullbaron the Bull King. The two brothers, Renario and Arozes. And Wolfram Graycloak.”
Alex shook his head. That last one sounded like a combination of Willem Blackcloak and Graygon, with a wolf thrown in.
“Walf...do you think that you might have the names a little mixed up. Because, you know, I know some of the Misfits and I don’t remember any of those guys you just mentioned.”
Walf was surprised. The thought had never occurred to him that Alex would be acquainted with his heroes. From there on Alex explained to Walf about his adventures with the Misfits. He related the story of how he had first met Aros and how he had found him again, at the end of the underwater tunnel. He also told Walf about the night when Reno and Aros were taken by BloodVaine.
“Wait a minute!” said Walf, interrupting. “You mean to say that the friends of yours we’re trying to find are really Renario and Arozes?”
“Yes, but their names are Reno and Aros.”
“And that one man that you spoke to at the keep...he was really El'karn? I mean Bjarn?”
“Yep.”
“And you didn’t introduce me?!” Walf was astounded.
“You know Walf.” Alex started. “You have an excessive admiration for those Misfits. Perhaps even an unhealthy admiration. I think you’ll find, if you ever meet them, that they are just people like you and me. Besides…”
Alex was interrupted. The sound of a horn shattered quiet of the sea. Logon, who both Walf and Alex thought was sleeping, sat bolt upright.
“Did you hear that?” he said. “That sounded like the Golden Horn!”
Alex and Walf looked confused. "What Golden Horn?" Alex asked.
“The Golden Horn of the Black Knights. The one used to summon every true Black Knight to the aid of his country. I must go!”
“No! You can’t go now.” said Alex. “You’re in no condition to go traveling.”
“If that is the Golden Horn then I am in perfect condition. Drop me off here.”
“But your burns haven’t hardly healed. I bandages on them but...besides this is Crusader country. If you went I could not accompany you. For your own good I would stay here.”
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