The Lost Boy | ONC 2024

14 - A night to remember

As the darkness of the night was all around us I decided to tell Frank to leave. I wanted to go with him, but the guards were awake and they would probably try to stop me—and succeed.

As I was lying on my side on the hardened mud, I pulled Frank close and I whispered low words for only him to hear. "You need to fly to the Lady of the woods, and you need to stay there and hide until I come for you." The tiny dragon peered at me, tilted his head to the side and seemed to wonder why. "We can't trust Canan," I told him with a single tear falling down my cheek. "He might try to hurt you, and I can't protect you right now." I patted his head with the tip of my finger, "so please Frank, leave, and go to her. She will care for you until I make it there."

He seemed hesitant, but when I urged him to fly off once more, he did so without question.

"That was a bad idea," Tom sighed behind me.

"No it was not," I hissed. "I can't trust Canan, who knows, he might trade Frank to the witch for his men."

Tom sighed, "I know he hurt ya Illon, but he's not a bad guy. He's just desperate."

Annoyed, I turned to face him, "how do you know that? How can you be so sure?"

His expression turned to a somewhat embarrassed look, "I know some orcish," he said, and I didn't have to ask how. It was common knowledge that dwarves used them as labour in the mines, and by the look on his face they had not been paid for their work.

"Tom! That's terrible!" I hissed.

"I know," he huffed, "but that's the reason they don't trust us, it's not that hard to understand ya know."

I sighed again and buried my face in my hands, "what are we going to do?"

I could hear Tom moving around and eventually I smelled burning tobacco in the air. "Go to him and talk it out," he said between puffs, "and don't get too emotional, just say it as it is. Clear the air."

I sat up and thought it through, knowing that Tom had a point. So a few moments later I was walking over to the spot where Canan was sleeping, feeling watchful eyes on me. His friends were quite overprotective and like so many times before this, I wondered who they really were. I needed answers and I was hoping to get some as I gently sat down beside my green giant and carefully moved my thumb over his cheek to get his attention.

He was already awake, and as he opened one of his eyes to look at me I noticed a smile forming on his lips. "Can't sleep?" he mumbled.

"No, not really," I answered lowly, "can we talk?" He gave me a nod and moved to sit, but I didn't feel comfortable with all of those ears around us so I motioned him to follow me. Which he did without question.

"What's up Illon," he asked after a long yawn and rubbing the sleep off his face.

I could feel my heart racing as I looked at him, for some reason I did not want to hurt him, but at the same time I was annoyed at myself for caring so much about what he thought of me. "I told Frank to leave," I said, peering at the ground and bracing myself for his reaction. A reaction that never came, the air around us was quiet and the only thing I heard was my own heartbeat.

"Why?" he asked eventually, and the word made me look up and face him.

"Because I worry for him C, he's only a baby," I told him and surprisingly he started to chuckle.

"Illon, you are too sweet for this world," he said and shook his head. "What on earth am I to do with you?"

I pushed my brows together as I took a step forward, "Canan, this is not a joke, I can't have a baby fighting a witch!"

He sighed deeply and placed his hand under my chin, and I noticed there was a sadness in his eyes when he spoke, "Love, Frank is too important to me, I would never risk his life."

Suddenly I felt terrible, but there was so much about this man that I didn't understand, and there were so many details left out of the story and it made me feel crazy. "I'm sorry I doubted that," I whispered, "but it is hard to trust someone who's been lying to me."

He nodded and let go of my face, taking a step back and shoving his hands in the pockets of his worn pants. "I understand that, and the only reason I lied is because I have a hard time letting people in to see the true me."

Without hesitation I took a few quick steps towards him and threw my arms around his upper body and hugged him tight. I don't know why this man affected me so much but I needed him to know that I somehow understood what he was going through. "I hope you'll let me meet him one day," I mumbled against his chest, "I really do, because I think he's wonderful, and sweet and caring."

"I'm quite the opposite," he chuckled and placed his arms around me, hugging me back just as I tensed up from his words. It didn't take long before he let me go, and he took a step back. "There's a lot you don't know about me," he said, "and there's clearly a lot I don't know about you."

"What are you talking about?" I asked with a frown on my face.

He sighed and pulled his fingers through his hair, "when I first met you I thought you were gullible and naive, and I decided to use that for my benefit," he paused and met my eyes, "and I have."

I could feel my heart pounding in my ribcage and all I wanted to do was stick my sword through his chest so that he could feel the same amount of pain. But the worst part was, I felt ashamed. I was ashamed that I had actually believed him, and the worst part was, I had fallen for him.

"Great," I mumbled, the word full of bitterness.

"You asked me if it was all a game to me," he continued and I already knew what he was going to say, "it was, you were a means to an end."

"But everything changed when Frank left," I whispered, struggling not to cry in front of him.

He sighed and took a step towards me, but I quickly avoided the hand that reached out to me. "No Illon, it changed when I fully realised what a wonderful person you are, I can't do this to you."

"Do what exactly?" I spat.

"If I tell you I can't let you go," he said with a sad smile on his lips.

It felt as if the world was about to crumble around me but I needed to know the truth, "tell me!" I demanded.

He sighed and licked his bottom lip, "did you ever wonder why your sturdy companion likes me so much?"

"I don't know!" I sighed, "because you are likeable?"

He chuckled, "no, Illon, it is all part of my revenge."

After that everything happened so fast. Before I knew it my hands and feet were tied with ropes and I was struggling to hold my ground. All I could do now was listen to him talk and try to convince him to let me go, "so you are friends with the witch, are you helping her?" I whispered, fighting this urge to stand still and trying to force my body to move, but I couldn't.

"There is no witch," he muttered. "All it takes is a big smile, a few drops of a decoction in their drink and they follow me like puppies." He chuckled, "for the ladies I usually place a few drops on my lips." I felt like fainting, and when my body started to wobble I felt his arms around my waist and his body supporting mine. "It never worked on you though, that's why you're so intriguing."

"What are you going to do to us?" I whispered.

"To them," he corrected. "They will work for us. As we have worked for them for centuries."

In the midst of the craziness I felt a huge sadness for him and his people, and rage towards what they've been forced to endure. "But doing this to us makes you as bad as those who enslaved you," I almost screamed. "How is this revenge?"

He sighed and removed himself from me, "I'm just following orders," he said, his expression turning serious. "I want to let you go Illon, but I can't risk you mentioning this to anyone."

"I won't!" I whispered quickly, but I could tell he didn't believe me.

"As if you'd let me take Tom," he chuckled. "No Illon, I'll have to bring you with me by force."

"Or what?" I whispered.

"Or I'll have to kill you."