The house was simple. Few furniture was inside, and most of the things were hunting trophies. It was a lot like Joshua's wooden cabin back in the village. The mere thought of it filled his heart with sadness and sorrow.
Joshua and Aurora sat at a dinner table. The strange man and his son were making a stew.
"How did you guys end up in here anyway?" Khali turned around and asked them, "this place is far from a vacation site."
"We didn't have much of a choice," Joshua said.
Khali looked down and said, "It seems we are in the same boat."
They chatted about many things, and Joshua was relieved that they did not seem like bad people.
"This tastes so good," Aurora said while gulping a whole spoon of stew.
Khali nodded happily, "I love when people acknowledge my skills. My son here eats the same things every day, so for him, it's kind of dull."
"Hey, dad. We both know you put some effort because they are our guests," Hanrog said.
Joshua almost threw up his stew. "I like you kid. Wise words, wise words."
They all laughed and the atmosphere got nicer.
"Hey, Khali. How did you kill those beasts anyway?" Joshua said.
Khali was cleaning up the dishes, and to Joshua's surprise, he answered it.
"I used magic from the wooden element," Khali said while putting the dishes away.
"It's not a common element anymore. That's why you did not identify it."
Well, it was true that the wooden element was rare these days. But the truth was that Joshua did not know any of that.
"All right, Hanrog. It's bedtime." Khali went to another room to put his son to sleep. He was a kid after all, and it was getting late.
Joshua and Aurora were also tired, and they had asked previously if Khali would let them sleep for the night, and he agreed.
~~~~
"I'm sorry Aurora," Joshua hugged her more tightly. "I was not there to protect your village."
Aurora cried like a baby in his arms, and she finally felt safe.
"It's not your fault. The enemies were so strong that dad could not stop them," Aurora said.
She was once again thinking about her dad, and she cried even more. Joshua was also sad about losing his friend, his master. Aurora must be suffering a lot.
"We will find who did it. I promise you." Joshua had set up his mind for that. The people who did that would not escape unscratched.
Despite all of their worryings, they slept like two stones. Both of them were tired after all.
Joshua had the fear of waking up in a strange place. That Khali was lying and was a bad person. But none of that happened. Maybe he was still traumatized about what happened back in the village.
They woke up the next morning, and everything looked the same. Hanrog was in the house with them.
"Good morning, Hanrog." Joshua and Aurora said at the same time.
Hanrog smiled and said, "It's almost afternoon. You were sure tired."
"Yes. We were both tired that's why we... wait. Afternoon?"
Perhaps they had slept a little more than usual. Aurora and Joshua got to know that Khali left to gather things for them to eat. He was surely a nice guy.
Khali got back after some time. He brought up a beast for them to eat. Not only that, but he also said something that made Joshua and Aurora scared.
"Hey, you two are finally awake," Khali put the beast down and said, "I'm surprised they are a lot of people around this land. First you two, now some strange people were walking through the canyon."
Joshua and Aurora looked at each other.
"Tell us everything that happened."
~~~~
Khali told them that he was hunting something for them to eat, and that's when he saw some people wearing cloaks walking through the canyon. Joshua and Aurora were sure that these people were the same that attacked the village. Misty Canyons was a desert area. No one came there. Joshua and Aurora had no other choice but to go there.
"So this is what happened. These humans attacked your village. I'm truly sorry to hear that," Khali said.
It was at that moment that Khali noticed something. Aurora's necklace that Joshua gave to her last night.
Khali could barely talk. "This necklace," he pointed at her neck. "Where did you get this?" Khali asked.
"It's a gift from my father. Did you recognize it?"
"Oh," Khali recomposed himself and said, "Sorry. I thought I saw it before. My mistake."
"You guys are heading towards the capital, right?" Khali asked.
"That's right."
Khali looked at Hanrog and said, "My son. It's about damn time we leave this place. Pack up."
In the end, not only does Khali decide to help them escape their pursuers, but he also decided to go with them to the capital. Joshua was starting to think something was amiss. Khali was a good guy that's for sure, but why did he suddenly decide to leave his home?
Hanrog on the other hand was happy as ever. He dreamt of leaving the canyons. He wanted to learn magic like his father, but for some unknown reason, they could not leave that place.
"Everyone's ready?" Khali saw how worried Aurora looked. "Don't worry miss Aurora. I know these canyons like the palm of my hands. No way they will find us."
Just like that four people left. Khali and Hanrog were leaving their home with a huge backpack. Joshua had no idea how they managed to pack up that many things in a few minutes.
They were feeling optimistic. With Khali, there was no way their pursuers would find them that easily, as the man literally lived in those canyons. But Joshua could not stop but think about the reasons behind their departure.
Was it him? Was it Aurora? Was it the necklace? Or maybe Khali simply decided to get a reason to leave Misty Canyons.