A Man, A Plan, A Canal: Trouble

[near the Black Pig Inn, somewhere in Keska]

As each torturous moment passed, it became increasingly apparent that choosing to rescue Neesa had not been the greatest idea of Daerinnid's life. She whined, she cried, she pounded on his chest. Any of those things alone were enough to try Daerinnid's patience, but together they were simply unbearable. Maybe the whining and the crying were bearable, but the pounding would have to stop if they were to accomplish anything.

The easiest solution was to sit up, which Daerinnid did. This knocked Neesa off his chest and allowed him time to get a clearer picture of the area. In the darkness of the previous night, he had failed to notice the tiny trickle of a creek running not far from the inn. It made sense, at least. Inns tended to be at areas where the road met water. This particular creek said something about what had been the Black Pig: it was a tiny creek, barely more than a trickle of water. The Black Pig was a tiny inn, barely more than a house with two extra rooms.

"Mista Daerinnid, wha' am I gonna do?" wailed Neesa, wiping her face with her delicate hands. It took a moment for Daerinnid to decide his course of action.

"Neesa," he said seriously, "we must go to the next village or town and warn them of this great threat to our society. The Te'nakh'nor shall pay for what they have done to our families!"

Bleakly, Neesa nodded in agreement. She accepted every word of the stranger before her as law. No matter how annoying she was, Neesa would now serve an important purpose for Daerinnid. She gazed at him with wide eyes, completely in awe of this brave adventuring hero who had come to rescue her.

"Oh, mista Daerinnid, 'ow c'n I eva repay ya?"

"Please, my dear, if you would just help me warn the next village of this threat, and tell them what happened to you. I have spent my life trying to stop the Te'nakh'nor, and if I can just save some more lives to help heal the pain those vile beings have caused, it will have been worth it! Perhaps, some day, we will be able to find Drascull and force him to undo what he has done."

"Oh, mista Daerinnid, you're so brave! I'll 'elp ya in any way I can!"

"You will?" he replied, seeming to be on the brink of tears. "Neesa, I'm sure that together, there's nothing we can't do!"

Eager to agree, Neesa nodded her head. "You're my 'ero, mista Daerinnid."

"Well, the Te'nakh'nor aren't going to wait for us. Which way to the next town?"

--

They followed the stream. What Daerinnid had seen as a mere trickle or water quickly turned into a true river, broad and quick. Daerinnid took this as a good sign, hoping to encounter a gullible town of some sort before the sun began its descent.

For the entire trip, Neesa had done nothing but talk. First about her family, describing all of her happy memories, and then about her life, and what she planned on doing with it. She was in the middle of describing her ideal children when Daerinnid finally stopped her.

"Neesa, I hate to interrupt--your children sound just perfect--but how far is it to the next town?"

She stopped the think a moment, studying the position of the sun and the river. "An 'alf an 'ours brisk walk more, I think."

"Splendid!"

"Ya c'n see th' bridge from 'ere, look." The dark shadow she indicated did indeed resemble a bridge, and Daerinnid's hopes rose.

"Well, then, no time to waste."

"Ay me, ya set a fast pace, ya do!" she complained, foreshadowing the conversation topic that was to come next.

"Yes, yes, but when traveling, you have to. You haven't been out much?"

She shook her head. "No, th' last time was when I was bu' a li'l girl. We went t' th' city. Beyond that, I've not been past Brewbury."

"Broobry?" repeated Daerinnid, trying to form the town's name from the girl's misshapen vowels.

"Ya ne'er been?"

"No, first time in this part of the country."

"It's a wonderful li'l town, lotsa diff'rent foods an' import things. In fact, when I was last there, I 'ad th' most delightful pastry! It was 'oney, with a flaky crust, an' it was wrapped in the cutest…"

Daerinnid let the girl's droning roll over his head for a few minutes more as they crested the next hill. Daerinnid immediately stopped at the sight beyond, but Neesa continued walking and talking, until she realized her audience had fallen behind.

"Is anythin' th' matta?" she inquired.

Coughing nervously, Daerinnid replied, "There are other bridges, aren't there?"

"No, jus' th' one."

"What luck."

"What da ya mean, what luh--" she remarked as she turned. "Th' bridge! It's not there any more!" Stricken, she rushed forward to the collection of boards and stone that had once been a modest bridge. There was a cart half-submerged in the water and an ox carcass for good measure. "How are we s'posed ta get across!?" she exclaimed.

Trying to maintain his assumed role, Daerinnid very solemnly brushed past Neesa to examine the ruins. The exposed boards were still fresh, showing that the break had been recent. Fishes swarmed around the ox carcass, tiny rows of teeth tearing at the rotting flesh.

"Don't worry," Daerinnid assured Neesa, "I have a plan."

"Ay, th' poor li'l ox!" she said, not listening. Daerinnid was rather annoyed to see his dramatics ignored in such a manner.

Sighing, Daerinnid was forced to conclude there were some situations that could not be won. He studied the swift-moving river waters, looking for a sign of weakness.

"It’s a river," he mumbled to himself dejectedly, "a force of nature. It doesn't have weaknesses." Neesa was still too preoccupied with the dead ox to notice Daerinnid's grumbling. It was probably better that way.

Without pausing for more thought, Daerinnid headed straight for the broken bridge. It looked like the river could be crossed, albeit carefully. Daerinnid fully intended to be careful. "Neesa!" he barked, "Come along, let's go." Momentarily distracted, Neesa finally realized what was going on and rushed over.

Taking hold of Daerinnid's belt, Neesa clutched him recklessly in an attempt to prevent herself from falling into the river. Daerinnid's tall form was already poorly suited for balancing acts, yet he managed to stay on the slippery boards. He turned to chastise her, but she lost her balance and fell onto him, throwing them both into the river.

The first thing Daerinnid realized about the river was that it was deep. No matter how he tried to reach the bottom to repel himself skyward, it was simply too far. Struggling under the weight of both his pack and robes, Daerinnid fought his way back up to the surface.

With a gasp, he broke free of the water's constricting grip. Much to Daerinnid's chagrin, Neesa seemed to be perfectly fine. Her half-burnt dress was nothing compared to the weight of the pack.

"Help me!" Daerinnid choked out amidst gulps of water. He thrashed about, unwilling to lose his pack so easily to the river, not matter how strong the current.

"I'm comin', mista Daerinnid!"

A valiant effort, but Neesa's attempts at moving through the water proved to be of little use to the drowning Daerinnid. Against his will, Daerinnid was drawn underwater again.

This time, his feet touched solid ground. Daerinnid let himself drop a moment before pushing himself up to the surface for more air. By now, he was much further from Neesa, but closer to the shore. Daerinnid decided it would be better if he survived this ordeal and began to try to reach the shore.

"Mista Daerinnid! Where're ya goin'? I'm ova 'ere!" protested Neesa, golden hair plastered to her face. She waved her arms for emphasis, but Daerinnid ignored her pleas and scrambled up onto the riverbank.

"Don’t worry, Neesa, I'll get you," he yelled, more to quiet her than reassure. Daerinnid dropped his pack onto the damp earth and ran off, following the floating girl as she sped along in the river. He stooped to retrieve a stick from the ground, never missing a stride.

It seemed like retrieving the prize he had risked so much for was proving harder than first anticipated for Daerinnid. He was determined not to let his efforts at the Black Pig go to waste. By now, Daerinnid had put too much time and energy into Neesa to let something like a river take her away. Besides, it was the principle.

Daerinnid ran and ran, his footsteps pounding along the soggy riverbank. The road was nowhere in sight, but Daerinnid was beyond caring. He was tired, hungry, wet, and smelled faintly of smoke. To make matters worse, he was now also lost, without his pack, and chasing a girl in a river. It seemed impossible for things to get any worse.

Nothing was impossible at this point.

There was a sudden shift in the current, and Neesa floated over to Daerinnid's side of the river. "Grab on!" Daerinnid yelled, holding his stick at arm's length. Neesa did as she was told, her fingers grasping the stick firmly. Her tears mixing with the murky river water, she pulled herself to land and promptly fainted.

Now, Daerinnid was tired, hungry, wet, lost, pack-less, smelled faintly of smoke, and had an equally tired, hungry, wet, and lost girl at his feet, who also happened to be unconscious.