Chapter 6 Secrets
"Don't touch it!"
Rowena's voice broke through the silence,
sharp,
terrified.
Gareth's hand recoiled from the scabbard as if bitten by a snake.
He jolted. Pulse racing.
He spun, just in time to see Rowena leap from the bed, hair wild, eyes blazing.
She closed the distance in a heartbeat and tore the scabbard from his grasp.
"Where did you get that?" His voice was low, almost a growl.
"That's none of your concern," Rowena shot back, clutching the weapon to her chest. She snapped the clasp shut.
"You're hiding something. Are you—Etherian sympathizers?"
The Dissolver lurched upright, roused by their voices. His eyes were wide, fearful, darting between Rowena and Gareth.
"What if we are?" Rowena asked, voice defiant. Her eyes darted to the barrel of weapons nearby. "Are you going to kill us?"
"No," he answered, the word heavy on his tongue. "But there are others who might."
"Why does it matter to you? By morning, we'll be gone. You'll never see us again."
Gareth's frustration boiled over.
"Why is this weapon so important to you? Is it gold you're after? Is gold really worth the risk of treason?"
Rowena was taken aback. "Treason? Since when is carrying an Etherian weapon treason?"
He stared at her, stunned.
"You don't know?"
He glanced between Rowena and the boy as realization hit him.
"You're not just travelers, are you? Who are you really? I want the truth—now."
Rowena and the Dissolver exchanged nervous glances. She looked back at Gareth, studying his body language, weighing his character. If he meant them harm, he would have done it already.
She decided to take the risk and tell him the truth.
"We are survivors of the war in Etheria. We come from a hidden settlement in the forest just west of here. We lived there for many years, but... it's gone now. The enemy—" Rowena couldn't finish; the grief was still too raw. Her eyes glinted with unshed tears.
"We're all that's left."
The words hit Gareth like a physical blow.
"You're Etherian," he whispered, color draining from his face.
Revelation dawned, and guilt racked him.
When he looked in their eyes, all he saw was devastation and fear. Knowing he had a hand in their tragedy was almost more than he could bear.
The pain and guilt he'd run from for years now stood before him—innocent victims of a game played by the powerful.
He might have saved them from the wolves, but he was also the one who'd helped put them in danger.
He drew a shaky breath. He could not run from this any longer.
"Your father... Are you searching for him? Is he in Goldhaven?"
Rowena shook her head sadly.
"In truth, I do not know where he is. We were just going to Goldhaven to get supplies."
"Let me take you there," he offered suddenly.
His gesture took Rowena off guard. She stared at him in disbelief.
"Why would you help us? We hardly know each other."
He met her gaze, voice steady but soft.
"We know each other better than you think. I am Etherian too."
"You—You're Etherian?" Rowena stammered, voice barely above a whisper as shock rippled across her face. For a moment, she seemed to forget the sword entirely, all her attention fixed on Gareth.
"Are you in hiding too?"
Gareth offered a wry half-smile, a shadow flickering across his face.
"I suppose that's one way of putting it," he replied, glancing away, weighed down by memories he dared not share.
"Then you can help us on our mission!" the Dissolver finally spoke, jumping up from his makeshift bed. "We have to deliver the sword to—"
Rowena cut him off, grabbing his shoulder firmly.
"Dissolver!" she said sharply.
The boy stubbornly batted her hand away.
"Rowena, we need help. We can't do this by ourselves. You even said it yourself. Everyone is counting on us."
Rowena's jaw went slack, horrified. She couldn't believe the boy would blurt out something so sensitive. She had no way of knowing whether Gareth's words could be trusted.
"What are you talking about?" Gareth raised his brow, confused.
"The sword." The boy pointed to the scabbard in Rowena's hand.
"Stop—" Rowena urged, but the boy spoke over her.
"We found a magic sword. The one King Osias made. We're taking it to Prince Ladomir so he can call his champions," the boy said.
A rush of old memories flooded Gareth
stories whispered in lantern light,
legends traded like secrets among children darting through moonlit alleys.
Tales of enchanted blades and lost kings,
half-believed and half-feared.
"What are you going on about?" He laughed, but as he looked between Rowena and the boy, he realized they weren't laughing.
They stood before him, solemn and anxious.
"Wait—you're serious?" He trailed off in disbelief.
The boy urged him eagerly.
"It's true. Just look at it."
"He has seen it. He doesn't believe in the legend, Dissolver," Rowena explained gently.
"Of course I don't," Gareth said incredulously. "It's a children's story.""But you said you would help us!" the boy exclaimed.
"No, I said I would take you to Goldhaven," Gareth corrected.
"So... you won't help us..." The boy trailed off, disappointed.
"I'm going to help you. In fact, we should all get some rest. We'll need it. It's a seven-day journey to Goldhaven," he said abruptly.
Rowena and the Dissolver exchanged uneasy glances as Gareth brushed off their conversation, stretching out in front of the fire. The flames cast flickering shadows as the boy and Rowena reluctantly retreated to their beds.
Gareth closed his eyes, but exhaustion couldn't stop his mind from racing.
The legends from his childhood haunted him.
He remembered stories about coal-black weapons, said to be powerful enough to topple empires. The tales were woven into every Etherian lullaby.
He could still hear Rowena's voice echoing in his mind—sharp, desperate with fear—warning him not to touch the sword.
Despite his skepticism, he lay there thinking about the unnatural feeling when he held the scabbard in his hands.
He wondered, for the briefest moment, how close he'd come to death.
An involuntary shiver crawled up his arms and neck, but he forced the thoughts away, muttering it was only a story meant to scare children.
He rolled over, determined to get some sleep.