Bound to the Abyss (6 page)

“I’m sure Bran would be fine. After all, if I was able to escape the creature, then I’m sure someone as wonderful as Bran could as well.” Ean had meant the comment to be a backhanded insult towards Bran, but his mouth snapped shut after he realized what he had actually said.

“Ean, stop making up stories,” Jaslen said, giving a little laugh afterwards. “You know you don’t need to act all tough around me.” She looked at him for a moment then her eyes opened wide. “You didn’t really see it, did you?”

Now Ean was stuck. He could lie and say she was right and that he hadn’t seen it. If she believed him, then she would go back to thinking of him as her weak little friend. Or he could tell her the truth, well, most of the truth and possibly impress her. Unless she didn’t believe him and then would just pity him more for feeling, in her opinion, the need to lie. Either way, he could possibly make things worse. After a moment of thought, his heart won out.

“I did, the very same night that Lane was attacked.” Pausing to look around the crowded room, he gently took a hold of her arm. “I don’t want to talk about it here in front of other people. Can we go outside? I promise to tell you what I saw.”
 

She nodded, her wide eyes and slight grin showing her excitement. Ean led her back through the crowds and outside of the inn. They moved across the main street, finally stopping in one of the alleys between a few homes. From their spot, the roar of the crowd in the inn could barely be heard.

“All right, we’re alone.” Jaslen said, pulling her arm away from Ean. “Now tell me everything! And I swear, Ean, if you are just making this up, I am going to be furious at you!” She placed her hands on her hips and was looking at Ean as if she already expected him to lie.

Ean took a quick look around, more for dramatic effect than actually thinking anyone would be close enough to hear. Then he told her what had happened that night, leaving out the parts about Zin and his magic. Jaslen listened until the story was finished then shook her head. “I don’t know, that sounds a little hard to believe. Plus, how you described the creature was different than how Allie described it.”

“She was frightened at the time,” Ean said defensively. “Plus, she was a good distance away from it. I actually got up close to it, well…” Stuttering a bit, he ran a hand through his dark hair. “It got up close to me, but either way, I was still close.”
 

Jaslen shook her head at him. “I don’t know, it’s still hard to believe that this thing could kill a few of the other villagers and swipe up some sheep so easily, but you were able to get away…” She frowned as she trailed off, and Ean’s heart sank. He had to do something to prove to her that he was telling the truth, but what?

“I’ll take you to see it!
 
When the Hero goes to fight it!”
 

Ean immediately regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. What was he saying?! He should have stopped there and just accepted that she wasn’t going to believe him. Accept the increase in pitying looks she sometimes gave him. It’s not like he had a chance with her anyway; she was head over heels for Bran. Ean should just let this go… but he couldn’t.
 

“When the Hero goes, I can sneak the two of us around the edge of the bog so we can get a good view. No one will know that we’re there, and if things go bad, we can easily escape through the bog. Then you could see for yourself that I was telling the truth.” The last few words left his mouth in a rush. When it was done, he just watched her, hoping for any kind of positive reaction.

She continued to frown, then turned and started pacing in front of him. “We could get in a lot of trouble, Ean. Whether or not you’re telling the truth, if we get caught out there, we’ll be in a cart full of trouble.” She continued pacing, seeming to be talking more to herself than to him. “Plus, if you haven’t been telling the truth, then who knows if we would be able to safely get away if the Hero were to fall to the beast.”

“I am telling the truth, Jaslen!” Ean blurted out. “Please let me prove it to…”
 

His plea was interrupted by a laugh he quickly recognized. It filled him both with a mixture of anger and dread all at the same time. Turning around, he found Krane leaning against the corner of one of the buildings, laughing at him.
 

“You, Ean? Tell the truth? What a fantastic joke.” Krane continued to laugh, although the humor was not reflected in his squinting eyes. “You never tell the truth. You’re just trying to impress my brother’s girl, but even she sees right through your lies.” Pushing himself off the wall, Krane approached them.

“Knock it off, Krane,” Jaslen growled, stepping between Ean and the other boy. “I won’t let you go around bullying whoever you wish. Especially someone much weaker than you.” That caused Ean’s shoulders to slump in disappointment. Did Jaslen really think he was weak? Ean had to do something to prove he wasn’t a weakling, even if it ended in another beating. Stepping around Jaslen, he glared at Krane while clenching both of his hands into fists.

“I’m not scared of Krane, Jaslen.” Ean said, slightly turning his head to see her, but keeping one eye on Krane. “He’s not so tough without his friends to back him up and without a weapon. He’s just a giant windbag.”

“I’d watch what you say, rodent,” Krane said between clenched teeth. “I wouldn’t mind spending a few more days in the stocks if it meant I got to break some more of your bones.”

“You can go ahead and try, you fat piece of…” he stopped as Jaslen placed a hand on his arm and yanked him backwards.
 

“Enough of this!” she yelled, looking back and forth between the two boys. “I expected this kind of tough-guy attitude from Krane, but don’t you start as well, Ean.” She turned completely now to face Ean, looking him straight in the eyes. Oh, how Ean could get lost in those eyes. “Don’t sink to his level; you’re better than that.”

Ean looked at her for a time then looked away and nodded. “I guess you’re right, I…”
 

A sudden blow to his stomach doubled Ean over and forced him to his knees.

Jaslen, who still had a hold of his arm, sank with him as Krane pulled his back from Ean’s gut. Once Jaslen regained her balance, she turned on Krane from her kneeling position. “You’re nothing but an animal. I’m going to let Bran know what you did then we’ll see how tough you are.”

Krane grunted then gave the girl a smirk. “You’re not going to tell him anything. I promise if he hears one word of this, I’ll make sure that little Ean is recovering in bed for an entire season next time I get a hold of him. So you just keep your little mouth shut.”

“Hear one word of what?” a new voice said, one that made Ean cringe. Just perfect, this is all I need. Turning his head slowly, his stomach still burning and his breath struggling to return, he saw the town’s golden boy.

Bran was what you would expect a real Hero to look like. Tall, lean and muscular, Bran was considered handsome by most, with every feature of his face, from his short and shaggy brown hair to his chiseled chin, considered perfect by all of the girls in the village. A few years older than Ean, Bran had been training to be an expert with a blade since he was a young boy. He spent hours every day practicing with the sword he had received before his age was in double digits, making him more than proficient as well as keeping him in great shape. A few years ago, he had even been appointed as one of the protectors of the village. Unlike his brother, he wore a simple white shirt, opened in the front, and gray pants. His sword swung in its scabbard from its usual place on his belt.

To say that Ean was jealous of the older boy would be an understatement. An excellent fighter, beloved by the village and adored by Jaslen, Bran had everything that Ean wanted and more. The worst part about it was that Ean couldn’t even despise him. Bran was a model of virtue, always doing what was right and standing up for the weak. Of course, that mostly meant standing up for Ean. Other than the last time, Bran often was there in time to keep Krane and his underlings from doing Ean much harm. Bran had even gone so far as to try and befriend Ean, but that simply couldn’t happen. As much as Ean wanted to have people he could trust and talk to, he just couldn’t see himself in the constant presence of someone that reminded him of all of the things he was not. Also, it was difficult to watch how close he and Jaslen were growing every day.

Bran walked with a casual stride into the alley, his eyes moving between Jaslen and Krane, completely overlooking Ean for the moment. Stopping at Jaslen’s side, he gently placed a hand on her back, and then leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek. Ean knelt there, feeling like he had been punched again. Standing back up, Bran regarded his younger brother.
 

“I’ve had it with you bullying the weaker boys of this village.” Ean cringed. If one more person called him weak, he would explode. Staring down his brother, Bran continued on. “From now on, every time I hear about you hurting someone else, I’m going to give you an even worse beating.”

Sneering, Krane laughed in response. “You wouldn’t dare. Father wouldn’t allow...” Faster than Ean would have expected, Bran moved right up in Krane’s face, grabbing his shirt roughly with his left hand and holding his right fist in front of the now terrified boy’s face.
 

“Father won’t do a thing, and you know it.” Bran’s face was red now with anger, a sight that Ean had never witnessed before. Apparently, Jaslen hadn’t either as she was looking at Bran with a look of both awe and adoration. Ean’s heart sunk even further.

“Now,” Bran continued. “Have I made myself clear?”
 

Krane glanced at Ean with hate-filled eyes, but then turned back to his brother. “Yes, fine, fine, I understand. Now let me go.” Seemingly satisfied, Bran gave his brother a not-so-gentle shove away from himself. The two brothers stared each other for a moment longer then Krane took off down another alley. Turning back around, Bran faced Ean and gave him a half-hearted smile.
 

“Hopefully that will settle things between you and my brother now, Ean. If he gives you any more trouble, you just let me know. Here, let me help you both up.” Extending both of his hands in their direction, Bran moved over to their side.

Jaslen took his hand immediately, while Ean moved a bit more reluctantly. “I could have handled that myself, you know,” Ean said as Bran pulled him to his feet, “I’m not as weak as everyone seems to think I am.”
 

Bran frowned a bit at the response, but Jaslen simply laughed. “Oh, it’s true Bran. Ean is quite strong. Apparently, he fought with the beast and survived!” On her feet now, she wrapped an arm around Bran’s waist.
 

At her comment, one of Bran’s eyebrows raised, and he regarded Ean skeptically. “That sounds a little hard to believe. Have you been telling my girl stories, Ean?”

Brushing himself off, Ean shook his head. “I never said I fought the beast. All I said was that I had seen it up close and had been able to get away. Jaslen is the one that is over-exaggerating what really happened.”
 

“Perhaps,” Jaslen responded, a faint smile still on her lips. “But Ean did say he could get us close enough to watch the Hero fight the beast. Isn’t that right, Ean?”
 

Ean simply looked at her and scowled. He had said that the TWO of them could get close enough to watch. Ean hadn’t meant for it to be an opportunity for Bran and Jaslen to spend even more time together while he became the odd man out. They both were staring at Ean now, which made him realize he had no way out of it now.
 

With a sigh, he finally nodded. “Yes, I can get us close if we cut around the bog. Like I told Jaslen, if anything goes wrong, we can escape into the bog. I know the more solid areas, and a creature as large as the beast would have a hard time following.”

“Excellent! The Hero is set to go after the monster right after my father serves him dinner, so we can sneak down there now and find a good spot.” Bran was grinning as he spoke, his left hand moving involuntarily to the pommel of his sword. “Maybe I could even go and help if the Hero needs it!”

“NO!” Ean and Jaslen yelled out in unison. They both looked at each other for a moment, and then Ean took the lead. “If we’re going to do this, you can only watch, I don’t want you running in and bringing the beast down on all of us.” Shooting another glance at Jaslen, he continued on. “Plus, you really wouldn’t want to put her in any extra danger, would you?”

Bran’s frown and downturned eyes made it clear that Ean had hit a nerve. “You’re right, of course,” Bran said, running a hand through his hair, “I wasn’t really thinking. Best to just watch, and see what happens. At the very least, I’ll get to see how a Hero from outside the village handles a blade and how dangerous the creature really is.”

Both Ean and Jaslen nodded, this time Jaslen being the first to speak. “That is a very wise decision, I think. If the creature is strong enough to kill this Hero, then I don’t feel that you would be able to aid him anyway.” She nodded matter-of-factly, then pulled him closer and placed a kiss on his cheek. Ean cringed. “Someday though, you could be one of these Heroes, and creatures like the one terrorizing our village will all run in fear.”

The two stood there, staring longingly into each other’s eyes, while Ean stood forgotten next to them. Ean stomached the situation as long as he could, then let out a loud cough. “We should probably get going if we want to see the fight. If we get caught up in the crowd as the Hero leaves, we’ll never be able to sneak past everyone and get to the bog.” The other two nodded, but made no sign of moving. With a grunt, Ean turned around and started walking without them.
 

“I’m not waiting for you!” he yelled over his shoulder as he marched back out onto the main street. Eventually the two caught up to him, and they walked back towards Ean’s house and the bog in silence.

Chapter 4

UNWANTED ATTENTION

By the time Jaslen, Bran and Ean had made it to the edge of the bog, the sun touched the tips of the mountains to the west. They continued on in silence until they reached an area within view of the stone mine. Ean raised his hand to signal them to stop and then crouched down behind a large patch of reeds. The other two followed suit, and they all huddled together.