The Blood King's Bride
Chapter Twenty Seven

More days passed as Calhoun, and his crew trod across the dark forest. They were

already losing hope of ever finding their way out when they were blessed with the sight of sunlight at a far-off distance. Immediately they started galloping to the light, happy that finally, after a long time, they would be able to come out of the dark forest. They have never missed the sun as much as they did during that period. It didn't take much time before they reached the end of the forest, finding themselves in a somewhat deserted village. There were run-down houses, and the roads were dirty, though not enough that showed there was no civilization. There wasn't a soul in sight, though. Calhoun looked back at where he had come from, and the forest stood tall and proud, emitting danger.

He trotted into the village, his guards and Firoza right behind him as he tried looking for

signs of life. The clouds were finally an everyday shade of blue, typical for most people, as the sky back in the blood kingdom was always grey. The sun shone not too harsh, and the winds danced softly around them, making it perfect weather for resting.

The more he walked farther into the village, the more he was certain that there were still people who lived there. Most houses looked old and were barely standing, while some were just patched up manageable tents.

Calhoun jumped down, deciding that it would be easy to find life on foot. Holding his

horse by the reins, he gently dragged it along as he continued his search. The road was rough and narrow, and it was somewhat difficult trying to navigate the horse through it. As they walked farther, they saw slightly better houses than the earlier ones they had seen, but not any special or different. They were made of wood and covered with thatched roofs. Some of them had a barn- like field, but no animals were seen. He could recognize some local herbs on the land though every other plant was just weeds. Walking further, he could view a windmill that wasn't that far off the distance. If one looked higher and farther above the village, one would be able to see the mountains that surrounded it. He began to wonder just where the people in the town were. A bad thought passed through his head as he suddenly thought of the Outlaw city. He shook his head, not willing to believe it. If blood had been spilled, he would have been able to feel it. But he understood, albeit reluctantly, that the possibility of the whole village being killed wasn't that far from true.

As he was about to conclude, he paused suddenly as he noticed something. A small boy

of barely ten years walked out from one of the old run-down barns. He was skipping down the weed-infested field, humming a childish song to himself. He stopped in the middle of the field, almost at the entrance, and stopped to pick what was probably an insect. That action caused him to notice that he wasn't the only one in the area, and he looked up so suddenly, shock, curiousness, and fear written all over his face. His curiosity was, in the end, overshadowed by his fear as he took in the strangers he had probably never encountered since he was born. He opened his mouth-

"I probably wouldn't do that if I were you," Calhoun said immediately, seeing through the boy's action. The boy paused as if a flip on him had been switched, and he stood there with his mouth still open, totally confused about the move to take that would benefit him the most; to either scream or listen to the huge stranger.

"Now, I'm going to ask you some questions, and you're going to answer me," Calhoun

said, not caring if he was scaring the poor soul to death. The boy slowly nodded his head, smartly recognizing that he was the one at a disadvantage.

"Where is everyone?" Calhoun asked first.

"They all went to town to celebrate the Filaux."

Calhoun raised his brow. "What is that?"

"I-It's the week of compassion." The small boy answered, gulping. "It is an old tradition that we practice here, every month."

"Where is this place?"

"You are in one of the villages of the northern part of the Kingdom of Tush." The boy

answered, not trembling as much as before, though still wary. Calhoun released a huge sigh. He didn't know if he should be happy that they had reached a kingdom he knew of or that he had managed to even come across human civilization.

"How long is the walk to town?"

"It won't probably take more than a day. If you continue straight down this path, you can reach there before nightfall." Calhoun nodded his head, then reached over his horse. He went through his sack before bringing out an object he threw at the boy. Scared, the boy dodged it, thinking it was something dangerous. The object fell on the grassy area where the boy stood, and the boy sucked in a gasp when he recognized what it was. The thing shone very brightly, illuminating more than expected because of its perfect shine and the help of the sun. Calhoun had given the boy a solid lump of gold. It was not much, but it was enough to help his family for years.

Calhoun arranged himself before jumping back on his horse, then he nodded toward the boy.

"That is for your help." He said before nudging his horse to a gallop.

"Thank you! Thank you so much, sir!" The boy called after him, watching him and his

men ride proudly off the distance. He looked back at the gift he had received and smiled before hiding it in his pocket, running off to look for his mother.

*****

Calhoun followed the boy's advice and galloped straight, following the path he was in.

The ride was long and rough, and they had stopped at several intervals to rest. As Calhoun rode down, he noticed that the outlook of the houses changed. They became more suitable for living in. There were normal-sized and slightly big houses, but they were better than the earlier ones he had seen. The roofs of these houses were also made of tar and not straw.

It was almost evening when he started catching sight of more people. They all looked at them, curiousness and surprise on their faces. Calhoun wondered why they reacted like that. He could understand the look of curiosity, but the surprise that they had never seen or expected anyone to cross their town was weird. Finally, after a long and tiring ride, he reached the town. It was recognizable at first sight because of the large gathering of people on the road. There were sellers and buyers at every turn, and people walked briskly across the street, passing them strange glances but not focusing too much on them. Calhoun jumped down from his horse, and his guards followed suit. He rolled his horse's reins by his hand and gently dragged it towards the closest stall next to him.

The stall owner was an old man who looked raggedy and worse for wear. His stall was almost empty except for old scroll-like materials, which he had placed atop a worn-out viewing table. He was currently asleep as Calhoun walked over to him, dozing off on a chair that seemed like it would fall.

"Excuse me," Calhoun called out. The man jumped at the sound of his voice, landing in

an embarrassing heap on the floor. Before he stood up, he stayed there for a while, offering

Calhoun a professional smile. Calhoun raised his brow at how quickly he had arranged himself and taken control of the situation.

"How may I help you? Are you interested in any combat scroll?" He said, dragging his

hands above the scrolls he had laid out to display something of worth.

"I have so many types, skills and methods of different clans, both new and ancient." He

said the last part as a whisper, and Calhoun couldn't help but look at him strangely.

"I am in search of an inn. I need a place to stay for the time being with my men." Calhoun

declared. The old man looked at him strangely, wondering if Calhoun was an idiot, and Calhoun almost took offense.

"Well, as you can see I am not an innkeeper." The old man replied, gesturing towards his shop with both hands. "Why ask me?"

Calhoun was one second away from strangling the man's incompetence and imbecility. Taking in a deep breath, he faced the man with a blanker look, if that was even possible. "That is why I ask you. In case you know of any."

"Oh, of course, I know." Turning towards the further end of the town, the old man pointed. "You see that ship with the fat man there? The one whose pouch hangs almost to his knees?" Calhoun stared at the old man for his strange descriptive ability.

"He is an innkeeper. One of the best in town. But he would charge you a lot of money, and I doubt you would be able to get a peaceful rest at night."

Calhoun scrunched his face. "Why is that?"

"Because, you know..." The man said, wiggling his brows suggestively. Calhoun didn't know what the man was talking about, and the look the old human was giving him was beginning to get on his nerves. Noticing that Calhoun didn't understand what he was saying, the old man sighed and looked at him drily.

"A drab, a courtesan, a harlot, a streetwalker, a prostitute-"

"I understand." Calhoun harshly cut in. He didn't want to expose his identity, but the man

was getting on his nerves. He wondered how the old man would react if he knew he was talking

with the Blood King. He released another long sigh and faced than seriously again.

"Do you know where else I can stay?"

"Yes, but that one is almost a day away. I doubt you would want to go on another long journey by this time just looking for an inn."

Calhoun, of course, understood the man this time. It wasn't as if he was tired, though a little sleep would help him. He easily adapted to fatigue due to the power running in his blood. His guards, however... Calhoun turned back to look at them. One was standing in a crooked manner, looking almost as if he would soon topple off, and the other stood strangely still, his eyes drowsily opening and closing. Firoza was sleeping atop one of their horses. He sighed. He definitely couldn't go on another journey.

"I guess I would just have to manage the inn then and get used to the noise." Calhoun turned back, nudging his horse with him, and he started down towards the road. "You know," the old man suddenly called out. Calhoun paused, turning to face him. "You could always stay at my house." He said, a strange glint in his eyes. Calhoun scrunched his eyes, looking at him strangely.

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, apart from the fact that I live alone and so relative peace is guaranteed, you would also be free from the probing of the people in town. You do stand out a lot if you don't know."

Oh, he knew he stood out a lot. His passed-down blood was that powerful.

"What's is the catch?" Calhoun asked him, straight to the point.

"Nothing. You just have to pay me rent, is all. And I collect a cheaper price than that of

the inn." The man said, winking at him. Calhoun was suspicious, and he studied the man carefully.

"Well? What's your answer?"

Calhoun thought about all possible scenarios, and he couldn't come up with anything off- putting. If the man was dangerous-which he doubted seriously-he was capable of taking him down. Nothing was stopping him from going there, and so he agreed.

"Okay then. We would come with you."