The new daylight brought a new movement to the village residents. Savannah and Mr. Isidore weren’t standing near the busy crossroads frequently used by the villagers, but their position wasn’t far from the curious eyes. Pretending to be on the friendly term was a need felt by the two of them since they didn’t want to cause unwelcome attention. It just will be perfect that the unexpected individuals that will catch a glimpse of the two of them will have the impression of an old resident showing a way for a newcomer.
That will savor Savannah and her new acquaintance, the pain of silencing them in an unpleasant, horrible way, then she will avoid her secret presence from being bared to whoever inhabits the main house.
She walked a few steps passing the Kerit standing place by a few cubiti and asked again while watching the distance grow: “How so? If he didn’t look completely like him, how have you recognized him?”
The kerit looked back at her and confirmed what he has said before: “I do not know what answer you want me to give you, but he is completely different from what I have remembered him. It was only the remnants of nostalgia.”
Savanah interlaced her fingers behind her back and walked a few more steps while jerking her head to the right, then to the left in slow moves, before she drew back, returning the big man’s stares. She never imagined that she would meet another Metamorph inside this barrier, a Metamorph who actually recognized the true identity of her new puppet. And she was torn between believing his story and her curiosity about finding more about Rokah’s exact identity or questioning the facts and convictions behind what he had told her.
“I hope you didn’t harm him? ¨ She inquired, “I want him in perfect condition.”
“I could have lied to you and said no, but I want to be true. There are several misunderstandings between us. And I can never look at him without feeling certain urges to penalize him, even if I know that he is completely a different being. And if you were talking about the physical harm, you must have met him before coming after me…”
Savannah fiercely hammered him with a glare. “Then you have taken your time enjoying torturing him in nonphysical ways?” She said while her sister’s words echoed in her mind that she should never expose him to an intense psychological overload or their work will be lost in vain.
The Kerit blinked, her instant change of feeling indicated to him that mongrel is someone very important to her, but he couldn’t establish to whom this concern was directed, was it for this cheap fake copy that plays a doctor or the real one whom he had known.
He expressed after a few moments of silence: I want to deny that, yet I do not wish to fight with the Crocottas. It’s not like it was unbearable. After all, I merely wished to get out of this suffocating place.”
Before he could finish his sentence, he got alarmed by her shifting her head in the direction of the tavern. This was a grave mistake a warrior could make, turning her attention away from a possible enemy. Did she not consider him a threat?
“Then let’s make a deal. I will secure your exit not just from this farm, but from all the Crocotta territory. In exchange, you will need to follow my instructions as long as you are here.”
Savannah proposed while sighting him from the corner of her eyes, and while the orientation of her head was still fixated on the direction of the tavern, she didn’t wait for him to answer as she sprinted at full speed toward the tavern.
The big man observed as her outline disappeared into the blur of the distance in a few seconds. He narrowed his eyes, then spat in the air before he followed her trails. He could barely keep up with that crazy speed. And when he arrived, he only got a glimpse of the flying triangle choke she had performed near the entrance of the tavern.
The opponent whom she was facing was on the land unconscious in a blink of an eye. He took his time approaching the scene with cautiousness to find out what was going on.
At these early hours, most of the villagers were preparing for the new day’s work routine, thus the place around wasn’t crowded like the sundown hours.
He watched her drag the unconscious body inside, using the small back door of the kitchen. He was yet to understand what was happening till he got closer to the location and spotted the trail of blood that formed a jagged path that emerged from the entrance of the tavern to reach the outside space.
Isidore thought if his sense of smell was intact, he will quickly figure out that the scent of these red splatters belonged to one of the several mongrels who work in the tavern.
He looked back and forth between the entrance of the tavern and the door of the kitchen, attempting to decide which direction he will choose to follow. His curiosity and annoyance made him pursue the Crocotta’s lady to uncover the owner of the poured blood.
The kitchen still has some warm steam, since the food was above the cooking fire. He heard a small noise coming from one of the corners, so he looked to see Savannah fastening the body that she had knocked unconscious a few minutes ago. She was groaning while doing it: “Aah, this bad dog. It wasn’t a mere few hours since I arrived and here, he was making trouble for me. Can’t he just stay unconscious? Like forever?”
He advanced to confirm the thought about the identity of the unconscious person, and when he got a clear view. He retreated in silence. However, the piercing gaze of Savannah’s eyes stopped his soundless movements and felt as a spear passed through his uncertain heart.
She stood after she had fixed the ropes and said: “We must clean the place before anybody comes here and started a wave of panic on the whole farm.”
The chaos that built inside the tavern showed that it was a one-sided battle between two unequal parties. A battle between a predator and prey, and there was no doubt about who was the winner.
The big man walked around the dead bodies, recognizing each one of them until he stumbled to a severely misshapen one that he could only identify from a piercing of the mutilated pig-shaped nose.
He turned to Savannah whom she was securing and locking the main entrance of the tavern after she finished with the kitchen door, then said to her: “My lady you can go, I am certain that you have more pressing matters to attend to, I can do the cleaning by myself…”
This was the first time Savannah paid attention to his way of speaking, and at that moment she thought, certainly there was a serious lack of harmony between what this Metamorph wanted to look like and his perfect elaborate way of speaking. Kerits were known for their solitary preference, which made them ignorant of the ways of polite speaking and other manners of conduct in a complex society, it seems that there is always an exception to any rule.
She approached him from behind and asked: “Can I confirm that this is your answer to the deal I have proposed?”
He faced her and said: “As long as you will secure my safety until I get out of your territory.”
“Wait, not that fast, it’s not all. There is another condition.”
“What is it?”
“You should tell me everything you know about the real identity of Mr. healer.”
He raised his hand and said while they were handshaking: “Deal sealed.”
