The War Begins

            Jess sat at the bank of the river.  The cool, blue waters swirled southwestward from the city – from Huskus, from Shelvin, and from his two friends.  He didn’t want to go; he wanted to wish it all away so that he could sit at home and read the stories his great-great grandfather wrote.  Only, he had come to realize, they were not stories but a history of the world beyond the manor.

            He glanced into the canvas bag:  two squapears and the dagger.  He wondered if he would have to use it to kill Huskus.  With the dagger, he sliced off a piece of a squapear and, though it was slightly dried out, he chewed it until it gave him a renewal of energy.  He decided then and there he could not, would not run out on the world that had meant so much to him and to his great-great grandfather.

            He didn’t know how many miles he had to go exactly to make it to Effeldwart or how he would go into the city once he got there.  He only knew the water flowed from the city so there had to be an opening somewhere.  He thought about stealing a raft or boat and navigating the river but he chose not to because he didn’t believe in stealing and he knew he would be going against the current anyway.

            He stood and began walking along the banks of the Boogly River.  Vines and bushes tripped him up as he walked along.  Adding to his distress was the hot sun.  Before long, sweat drenched Jess, and his body suffered from exhaustion.  Not knowing how much longer he would be walking, Jess fought the urge to eat some more of the fruit he carried, but he decided he would wade into the river and at least cool down even if it meant exposing him in the open air for a few minutes for anyone to see.

            The water chilled him slightly as he stepped into it.  At that moment, he wished he had thought to ask someone if the water was fit to drink or not.  He wished he had paid more attention to his grandfather’s stories.  He suddenly felt a shiver of fear as he remembered something Dainler had said, “I’ve heard many ancient creatures live here.”  He wondered if here included the river.