The next morning, when I woke, the house was quiet. It was a few hours earlier than usual, no doubt from anticipation. Exactly what I wanted. In the low morning light, I searched for meat to sustain me on my journey. I found some in a barrel, dragging it out. From the well outside in our yard, I extracted water, and poured it into a metal bucket. I dropped the meat in, then began looking for a commodity necessary and useful in most medieval times. Salt.
I found the white grainy substance on a shelf, and poured it onto the mixture of meat and water. In an hour or two, it would mix together into something incredibly well-preserved. I gathered some paper, formerly used for writing, now to be used to stop whatever was inside my pack from getting onto the meat. After I removed my dagger, I stuffed sheets of it into my backpack, lining the bottom for travel. With the very same blade, I cut a loaf of bread from the family's larder into even slices, discarding the crumbs. After hiding any evidence I might have left, I thought the meat looked ready. I stabbed it, raising the mixture of flesh and salt out onto a tough wooden board, cut it into slabs to fit between the bread slices, and stored them, each wrapped in its own paper. I poured the water into a leather bottle that was reinforced with wood, as there would be no sense wasting it. Then I went to get breakfast, acting as if nothing had happened. My mom walked down the stairs just as I was coming through the door, so I knew I had nothing to worry about.
"Wow, you're up early. Eager to make up for lost time yesterday?" my mom asked, though how much was a joke, is a question.
"Yes, I am," I answered, a false answer backed by real determination. With my pack on my back, I left the house, heading in the direction of The Scholar's Crown to keep suspicions low. I found myself walking there without thought, as I accomplished most mornings. I looked up towards the castle, and saw that the drawbridge was down. As a swarm of humans in multicoloured robes slowly came into view, I turned at a sharply angled path, walking through some more noble lands towards the castle.
I saw Bramwell at the drawbridge, no doubt negotiating with a Knight to let him into the castle. At his side, I saw Tenka wielding a mace instead of her usual staff. A plate of leather armor protected her left hand, where a shield would normally be held. "I don't normally allow newcomers, but you've made a fair point," said the Knight. "Your audience with King Elric will begin shortly."
I hurried towards the castle, receiving only a knowing look from Bramwell, passing several commoner houses and going through the main gates. The guards by each side gave me no trouble. They simply bowed their helmeted heads and let me pass. I turned south, in the most literal way possible. Once I knew where the sun was, my legs seemed to set themselves to automatically walk. A few hours passed, with occasional sandwiches eaten and drinks taken.
My thoughts were stopped abruptly by a wide horizontal road, sometimes used by the odd caravan. I knew where I was; this was the road that divided the lands of the realm in half. I walked across, not having any worry of being trampled, but when I reached the other side, I noticed the realm had grown hot, and it felt as if I had walked out from behind a cloud. Raising my water vessel to my lips, I expected a refreshing flow, but all I got was a sense of emptiness, as I had just run out of water. The past few days had toughened me up, though, especially compared to my comfortable life as a noble. I paid it as little mind as I could, walking through the heat. My clothes did me no favour, being the blue-violet long coat and black pants that they were. As I walked, my stance got lower and lower. Finding the shade of a nearby rock, I fell onto the cool sand.
As I relaxed, a memory floated through my head. My physics class, Kamon included, were playing strikeball. The lesson was left behind that day in favour of going to the nearby forest, and throwing around at least one woolen ball covered in leather. Vividly, I remembered Kamon and I behind a rock, the last two left standing on our team. The others, trying to get us out of hiding, threw projectiles towards us, over the rock. With our newly acquired piles of ammunition to use, we walked out from behind the rock and rapid-fired, tagging out the enemy team and levelling the playing field.
Gradually, my hand grew cold. I sustained this memory of Kamon as my other hand reached for my container of water. A single focused thought caused the inside to fill with ice, refreshingly cool to the touch. Placed in the sun, it melted in a minute, allowing me to drink and move on. And drink I did, filling the bottle at least three times more before setting out. After the fourth time, I kept it at my side, right in front of my dagger. Every hour or so, I would stop, drink the ice I made, eat some food, and continue on. Night slowly fell. No doubt my parents would start to wonder where I was, but my determination for the quest at hand was far more important.
My food was running low. I saw lights against the darkening sky, as if something was on fire. I heard sounds of large steps. I ran, trying not to think too hard about what could be making them. Nearing closer to the fire, I slowed down, and heard the footsteps stop. Looking back yielded me nothing, but it seemed safe to approach... wherever this was. Two rough looking beings advanced, the flames reflecting off parts of them as if they had shiny scales. They walked on two legs, though from the shadows I could hardly tell anything else. One pointed a spear, the other beckoning me to come closer. I obliged, hardly wanting to be impaled. Without a single word exchanged, the two led me towards a nearby building, that I could see by the flames in the dark, was made of white rock. The spearman pointed, and I could see what amounted to a prison cell. Unable to resist capture, I walked in and watched a reinforced wood door shut behind me. From inside the cell, I saw what I thought was a mere skeleton. "What are you?" I reached for my rapier. The skeleton didn't move, just sitting there. Slowly, it started to speak in the language of the people outside, forcing some words out, before realizing how I spoke.
"I am Osseous," it brokenly replied. "How are you?" It seemed to be getting an understanding of my language, though speaking at half its speed, as to make fewer mistakes.
"Hungry." I tried keeping my language simple, as to be better understood. "And tired."
Osseous laughed slowly. "Mee too, human. Mee too."
"Why are you here?" I asked, hoping he would understand.
"I did no wrong. I sleep here."
"Is this not a cell to hold those who have done crimes?" I tilted my head.
The one called Osseous shook his. "It is a cell to hold those who fight. The others share rooms. Now, you are here. I have a friend."
"The others?" My tone grew more interested "Are there more armored in bone?"
Osseous nodded. "We are five. But at night, I am one."
I felt sad for this creature. "We'll talk in the morning, right?"
"Right," Osseous responded, head down as if sleeping where he sat. Knowing now what they wanted me for, I sat on a straw bed in the corner of the cell, as it was slightly better than the tough, dirt floor. Leaning my back against the rough stone wall, I somehow fell asleep.