Continued from last week . . .
We headed out of the village at a swift pace, the man was obviously in a hurry to get to the capital. The morning sun scurried across the sky as we followed or own, quick path below it. Two hours had passed when, quite abruptly, the man slowed our horses to a walk and pulled mine up beside his! Angry, confused, and seeking a way to escape I didn’t even look at him. Instead, I was eyeing the scenery when a sudden sound caught my attention. The dark haired official had let out a laugh and clapped his hands!
I whipped around to face him and was met with two bright, cheery eyes. It was right then I realized he was younger than I’d thought. He looked to be twenty or twenty one and without a fierce, killing gaze, his eyes were suddenly bright and almost sparkly. That is, sparkly for a guy.
“Well,” He cauhgt my eye a second as he turned his head in a carefree way. “We sure tricked them.” He giggled a mischievous, boyish manner and I stared at him in utter uncomprehension. The stern, relaxed, in control man was replaced with a care free, adventurous boy.
“Tricked them?”
“Yeah!! Oh right. You have no idea who I am!” He laughed again and held out his hand, despite the fact we were on horses. “I’m Kyo.” It was that moment he remembered my chains. “We should probably get those off you.” He exclaimed as soon as he noticed them. Reigning in the horses, he pulled them to the side of the road an jumped nimbly of his beast. Coming over to me he reached up and carefully grabbed my waist, lifting me up and off the panting creature I’d been seated on.
“There.” He pronounced, firmly planting me on the ground. “Would you like to be freed?” He questioned, holding out the key.
“Um . . . “ I just gazed at him blinking. “You have completely changed.”
“Yes, I suppose I have.” He let out another laugh. “I still can’t believe I did that!”
“Did what?”
He chuckled before growing completely serious. “I acted like a government official and freed you. You are a spy right?”
“Yes . . . ?” I cautiously nodded.
“Perfect.” He smiled as he grabbed my arm and turned me around. I could feel him unlocking me chains as he announced. “You are exactly who I was looking for.
*
The woods stood peaceful guards around us as Kyo rolled out the two blankets Moncay had packed. I watched him with my eyebrows raised. In the last ten minutes I had become completely confused. Despite all the questions burning inside me, the only sound in the clearing for an entire five minutes was a happily cackling fire that Kyo had started.
“So?” I finally stated. “You um . . . why did you need me again?”
“I need a spy.” Kyo’s answer was as simple and calm as if he’d said he liked to eat bread.
“Why?”
“Warriors rarely work alone.”
“You are a warrior?”
Kyo beamed like the words delighted him greatly. “Yes.” He nodded. “I am.”
“But I am not a warrior so how can I help you?”
“I just told you. I need a spy. Is that not what you are?”
“I suppose.” Not! I would never spy on anyone! No way! I’m not a spy! I’m a thief. “But why do you need a spy?”
The boy unexpectedly let out a laugh that reverberated cheerfully through the air. “You ask as many questions as I do!” He informed me.“That’s a good thing. Most of the time.” Seriousness overtook the laughter in his expression and he leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Our government is in trouble. I think. I’ve heard outsiders are in our land, well, now I’ve seen it too.” He noted, referring to me I guessed. “And I fear it means more than what meets the eye.”
“So . . . “
“I need to find out what’s going on before war breaks out.”
“War?”
“Yes. War.”
War? Over a panda? I was getting more confused.
“I think they’re hiding something. And your people must suspect that too if they sent you.”
Yes, they’re hiding something. My thoughts hadn’t made their way into words because I was unsure of what to tell him. In the back of my mind I kept think he was trying to trick me into trusting him and telling all my secrets.
“I need your to help get into the government capital and spy. We need to find all the information we can and see what we can do about it.”
What we can do? Two people! One who is a total stranger to this land and another who may just be trying to trick the other! Even if we do find something what will that prove?
“Okay?” I rolled out the word like a cloud of confusion seeping over the sky. What were we even looking for?
“Is that a dumb plan?” His shoulders slumped all of a sudden and he sighed, tiredly. “I mean what could we do anyway?”
“I don’t know.” I decided to stick with the original plan of letting him think I was a spy. “I’m here to spy so it would be what I was going to do anyway.” Minus, of course, kidnapping a black and white baby bear. But he doesn’t need to know about the bear in case he is just trying to get my secrets.
“So . . .are you with me? You obviously need some help fitting in.”
“If I’m not what will you do?”
“Let you go, go my own way, and hope you don’t get thrown in jail. Because,” he let out a long breath as he added a last log to the waling flames. “you probably will.”
“Ughgg.” I ejected a groan and plopped down on the log I’d been standing near. “Your right. I have NO idea what I’m doing.”
“Don’t worry.” Kyo’s expression was mostly hidden across the flame. “I don’t either.”
A laugh suddenly clutched my heart and bounced out my lips, filling my mind with joy. “Well then, we outta work together really well!”
But what, I ask, is going to happen next? They’ll find out next week!
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