Trojian Horse
Chapter 56

“What are you doing here?” Arien asked her.

“I should be asking you that? How is that possible?” Turo asked. She looked up at Arien with wonder in her eyes.

“It’s complicated. I’ll tell you with everyone else when we get back there. Why are you here though?”

“I don’t know what comes next. All I know is that I’ve been left alone and I thought I was meant to help you but I don’t know what comes next.”

“Well, the fight isn’t over,” Arien said.

“What do you mean? I saw you and Reeger, it seems over to me.”

“Like I said it’s complicated. Trust me when I say this though, the fight is far from over.”

“So, what do you suggest?”

“I need your help.”

“With what?”

“I wouldn’t have made it this far without you Turo. I need you out there with me.”

“Where is ‘out there’?” she asked.

“I’m not sure yet. All I know right now is that I’d like you to be fighting right next to me. I do understand what it’s like to be different.”

Turo sat silently splashing her feet in the water.

“Why did you come here though? Why did you have to replace me?”

“I suppose I just needed to know you were fine.”

Turo nodded and remained silent.

“Reeger is just the beginning. There is a source for that kind of evil and it certainly won’t stop here. There is something else going on and I just don’t know what it is.”

“Even if I believed you, how will I help? I couldn’t do anything about Reeger until you came to save us.”

“You were afraid, I understand,” Arien said placing a hand on her shoulder and seating beside her and putting his feet in the water. “You saved my life and I came back to save yours.”

“Sure.”

“I think you should have this,” Arien said. He handed the Kata over to her and she reluctantly accepted it.

“Reinon didn’t want it anymore after what happened,” Turo said.

“I can understand that. I think it belongs to you though. I can see you have a lot of secrets and I won’t push you to tell me but I would appreciate your help.”

“Are you going to give this speech to the others?” Turo asked smiling.

“No, they’ve already made their choices. They are going with me.”

“Did you even ask them?” Turo asked.

“No, not really but I know they will go. I think I am capable of judging what kind of beings they are and I know they will go.”

“But this is not my fight anymore. My home is safe,” Turo said looking into the clear water.

“This fight is about more than just you. It’s about all of us, and we need to fight so that evil cannot prevail. If we do nothing, then we will be overwhelmed by the monsters that the darkness sends our way. It wasn’t Reinon’s fight either but she has paid for our freedom with her life.”

“But what can I do? This is all I’ve known. How can I fight some mythical evil that only you seem to know about?”

“It’s real, believe me. You will soon see. There are many more homes that are in danger unless we do something about it. Just look at that blade in your hand. Doesn’t it feel like it belongs there? You can feel the power coursing through you, can’t you? There’s a reason for that.”

“And what reason would that be?” Tur asked.

“Don’t you want to replace out?” Arien asked.

She could only look into his eyes. Something was different about him, she could sense it. Perhaps this was the Thalios at work. For some insane reason, she felt inclined to follow him on his strange quest. There really was nothing else left for her here. It was the place she was born but it no longer felt like home.

“I’ll go. But where are we going?”

“That’s great!” Arien replied a gleeful smile on his face. “We’re going backwards.”

“Huh?”

“To move forward we need to go back to the beginning. I haven’t quite figured out how we are going to do that but maybe with your help I will.”

“You’re asking me to leave me home?”

“You wouldn’t even be talking about it unless you knew a part of you no longer called Trojian home.”

He could see right through her.

“I’ll go,” she said again.