Chapter 7

 

Jack stood up. Fast. Who put that thorn bush there?

After stifling a few loud Ouches and disentangling the briars from his pants Nunk looked around.

The man he was following had disappeared.

Stopping next to a small pool, Nonunc looked at himself in the water.

There were leaves in his straight black hair, his favorite blue jacket was covered in mud, his pants had holes in them and his shirt was ripped.

“Stupid thorn bush”

“Yes, those briars are a pain in wherever you sat on them”

“Aaaahh!” Jack yelled. “Who are you?”

“My name is Malushomo. Nordic Malushomo at your service.”

“Nonunc Nonumquam Gemini. Call me Jack”

“I’m sorry.”

“I said you can call me Jack”

“And I said I was sorry you have such a mouthful of a name”

Jack swung a piece of thorn bush he found in his hair “I will use this”

Nordic sniffed “I have a sword”

“Can you do anything besides pick your nose with it?”

Nordic and Jack both looked around. There didn’t seem to be anybody about.

“Show yourself you repugnant coward” Nordic shouted.

“And get stabbed? No fear. Besides, you’re too fun to insult.”

Nordic threw a fit “You get out here right now you. You. You little creep!”

“Creep?” Aalen landed on Nordics back. “Try creepy little know it all”

He jumped, hit the ground, rolled between Nordics legs and disappeared.

“Cause I am”

Nordic Malushomo and Nonunc Nonumquam Gemini looked at each other.

“Cool” Jack said.

Aalen appeared just in time to pull Nunk out of the way of Malushomo’s sword.

“Careful who you compliment Jack”

 

 

Aalen and Jack were walking through the woods.

Aalen was trying to explain to Jack why you don’t insult a stuck-up person with a sword.

It’s also dangerous to compliment the insulter.

“Who was that guy?” asked Nunk.

“That was Nordic Malushomo, the biggest bad-guy this story will see. Later”

“How do you know he is bad?”

“Um, hello. He nearly whacked you in half. And besides, his name means “bad man”.”

“Really?”

“Yes”

“I wonder what my name means.” Jack said.

“Your name means, “not now, not ever twin” Aalen replied.

“Cool”

“Yes, it is cool”

“What does Alegis Etus Ordinius mean?” Nunk asked.

Aalen laughed. “Law and order. It’s funny, Alegis is basically a rock, and he’s got the brain of one.”

Jack giggled, “That is funny.”

Aalen stopped, “Duck, Jack.”

“What?” Jack was confused.

“Duck, get down. Hit the deck!”

“Why?”

Aalen shoved Nunk to the ground, narrowly avoiding the tail of Alegis Etus Ordinius.

 

Chapter 8

 

Kalen blinked. He seemed to be lying on the ground with a blanket draped over him.

He looked around. Nomen was walking over.

"You fell down" Nomen said.

“I hit my head on the ground that hard?” Kalen wondered.

“No, you fell, landed on the piece of wood your art bag was on, which catapulted it into the air, hitting you square in the face”

“Wait” Kalen sat up “you said Aalen ‘Wrote the book’. What do you mean?”

“Right now, as we speak, Aalen is misspelling his own name, fixing it and continuing with what I was about to say. Which is: Aalen is out there somewhere, writing everything down. Everything that you or I do was planned by Aalen.”

 

 

Kyle paused. Writing himself into the story was getting really confusing.

Even a name like Aalen Fideli wasn’t helping much.

He sits silently in a dark room facing his computer, listening to music and thinking.

He re-reads what he had written so far.

Suddenly he has an idea.

Back to the Story; back to Aahrenwold.

 

 

Alegis growled “What do you think this rock felt like when he heard two young hooligans insulting his intelligence?”

Aalen swallowed “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you. it was meant to be a joke. Will you forgive me?”

Alegis glared from one boy to the other; from Aalen, who looked as if he were going to cry, to Jack who was investigating the ground.

The rock softened.

“Well, I suppose if it truly were a joke then I cannot be too angry. You are forgiven.”

Aalen laughed, cried and the laughed again “thank you Alegis, although it just occurred to me that I made you forgive me. Oops.”