43

Kaleb

I had never felt so embarrassed in my entire life because this made me want to cry in pains. I gritted my teeth with bended knees because I was on the floor trying so much to hold in my urge to let into the plant's desire.

I held my neck trying to not scratch it. 

"Speaking in accordiance to knowledge I possess," the completely short of knowledge idiot uttered, "you suppose to be rolling on the ground by now, screaming fire and scratching your entire body because the poison mentally sets you on fire." he stroked his invincible beard hair.

I could feel a lump push down my throat as I continuously gulped down in my moan each time it got worse. "It is because I am holding in my sanity!" my masculine voice boomed out with rage.

The only thought I had at the moment was to throttle him because it hurt..it hurt so bad. 

"I apologize, master." Jeremy bowed in apology.  "You wouldn't be failed again I-I…swear"

What was with him and master? I urged myself to be calm at all times. "Please leave." I broke out with a glare having my palms clenched together.

"There is a treatment for this."

Now having  eyes gleam with curiousity and desperation, I inquired, "What may that be?"

"The wisdom leaf." My hopes dropped dead immediately that was said and I shot him glares of daggers being disappointed.

There wasn't any hope of getting that anytime soon.

"I thought Gideons were said to be smart," I disregarded any sort of feelings he may have had, "you aren't."

"I will make it up to you, sir." With that he left in search.

One..two…three. I counted the days I had been away from home, ambling into the nearby market place to get an apple. I thought to eat since I hadn't eaten anything rather than the old lady's porriage.

I made haste to get out of this town as I didn't want to stay for long because of I thought I had bad fortune. I didn't want to shower bad luck down the streets of this unknown town in East-Garden.

Every one seemed different here, unlike where I had come from that possesd a particular behaviour. It was either good or evil but these people  weren't one type.

Women were clad in their own [Olden days clothes name] and also men in manly attires.

Everyone gave each other stares  and I felt quite unwelcomed.

I met a small boy about 5 or 7 years old, walking up to me. I hunkered down to his height a bit as he hadn't taken his eyes off me. Instead of ambling by, he decided to go nowhere and remained staring at me. 

"What do you want?" The lad's eyes traced around my neck after I had asked. "You seem to want my necklace, isn't it? You can't have it."

"I do." He spoke with an unfamiliar accent, then whispered, "But they do more. You shouldn't flaunt that around here. The thieves are around."

My eyes widened in alarm but I waited for some seconds before finally glimpsing around to confirm. He did reffer to the thieves.

"Thank you." I uttered, shoving in my priceless possession into my clothes, noticing a mob of weird looking town occupants.

I continued walking, trying to mind my own business and be low keyed. I was still passing by when...

"Hey you!" A raggedly dressed  stranger called out, and I couldn't help but notice it was me whom he refferd.

"What are you doing here looking like a outcast? [He noticed I was different] Hope you ain't here to spy?" the stranger pronounced, opting for a fight.

"Or worse," another voice that sounded  strident, added, "Kill."

With no fear in me or whatsoever, I swayed my gaze away from the men  with a sigh out my mouth, then spoke after thinking to socialize.

"Just for an apple." My clearly humourless tone announced, trying to avoid attention.

Tutting, the grotty looking pompous fellow brought out a crossbow, directly pointing it at me. I was alerted at that instant because that was very fast even quicker than my sword, if thrown.

I remained unfazed because I need not fear and it wouldn't help me get through this.

Though I would've felt a heavy need to slice them into half, I needed not to feel rage. As my humility leveled me to speak, the men didn't fail to grant me their wicked leer.

"What is this?" I inquired. "What do you want?"

"Surely you know you need to drop something before going." They finally confessed their intention of collecting.

"I bring forth nothing to you."

"Lord Tibith would be pleased for that necklace." One of them suggested out.

What was with them and my necklace?

I dug the skin of my neck suddenly, as the itching from the poison had just suddenly started once more. There wasn't a timing worse than this in my entire life, I'd tell you. My shoulder-arm grew red and began to swell. No..no…

I marched the attacker that had advanced first towards me, still feeling giddy. Then, in a flash, saw an arrow shoot towards me and my eyes slowly witnessed the weapon pass my face. I suffered from the stinging venom.

That was so close. I breathed.

The more I fought the urge to scratch my neck, the worse it grew. I abruptly felt my eye lids shut in darkness as I was loosing consciousness. The poison was too much.

"Tie him up!" One of them commanded. I presumed that was the harshed-toned fellow, ordering authoritatively.

I found myself blacking out and heard less words after the clearly sounding gasps of the villagers that spectated had be given.

An abrupt thumping could be heared after the men smashed me.

..

I gradually felt my lashes rise as I obviously was awakening. My vision was blurred. Getting up, I observed I was surrounded by walls…walls of enclosed bricks and some steps forward, one would view the position of a firmly locked gate.

"Master?" a strange but farmilar voice called out to me.

"Oh…" It was Jeremy, surprisenly I had discovered. "You? How did you get in here?"

We were in what I recognized to be a dungeon.

Jeremy's face seemed brutally beat yet he gave a grateful look for seeing me. 

"Thank the spirits you're alive." he lauded.

I slurred continuously, "What happened and where's.. where's my medallion?" I noticed it had gone missing.

"Master, Kaleb, relax. We shall find it. I was caught snooping around the castle and then it got me here. The good news is that I have found the wisdom leaf."

I would've gotten angry because of my medallion, but the news made a joyous grin plaster.

"What? Where?" I couldn't help give out my excitementh.

"Well...sir, it's a long story. You seem tensed, you should rest-"

"Jeremy?" I interjected, almost angry.

"You see…it's...not with me at the moment." he let down his head a bit. Then he rose to speak again. "According to what I found out, the flower the bride will be using is the wisdom leaf, so that's our only hope. We can't get it anywhere else. It's almost into extinction. This brides's flower just happens to be the last."

That was suddenly unexpected. It just happened to be so.

"Then when will this bride come?" I asked, almost crying because Pa needed this leaf badly. "We don't even know the bride."

"Tommorow, early in the morning."

I wanted to act out my fustration. I couldn't help feel worried and of course I was exasperated. We needed a plan, one that would both get my medallion and the flower.

We needed to retrieve my medallion and the leaves by tomorrow at dawn.  Utill the next day… Pa could be dying for all I knew.

..

We waited for the guard to leave- something that was almost impossible. We waited for a long while and I couldn't even see myself getting out of the dungeon soon. 

The guard came closer. "You're in here for fighting and also trespassing. His lordship would be getting married to his second wife and you do not need to stay here much longer. His grace has pronounced you free but you shall not trespass."

I and Jeremy still were chained, but were gloriously released for they said his highness was in a good mood.

We paced outside the cell still uncertain of a plan.

"Think Jeremy. Think." I murmured to myself, praying this Gideon's sense would awaken.

We were being taken outside the castle and I heard the people announce that the soon-to-be bride would be coming. My eyes kept alert because I needed to know what this so-called lady was going to appear like inorder to enable me achieve my goals.

We were forced to take another route so as to avoid being seen by her highness.

"Where did you dispose my weapon?" I refferd to my sword, talking to the guard who seemed to not be listening. I instantly hit him, throwing him a backward kick. I then used my chains on my hands to throttle him till he fell and fainted.

"C'mon! We need to!" I instructed Jeremy, using the key that was attached to a bunch of other metal keys to free us.

Jeremy monitored the environment, being on the lookout for more guards. We had followed an isolated route because of the guests and so we thought we were disconnected from the rest of the people in the castle. We didn't see any one ahead until...

"Uh.. master?" Jeremy's voice gave out thst he was shaky and produced silence afterwards, for we had heard click-clacking noises of high heels coming our way in the castle.