CHAPTER VII #3
A stable boy comes out to greet us when we ride into the courtyard.
He runs to the Princes first and takes their reins, the brothers shouldering their travel packs as everyone else starts to dismount.
I take my time with Millie at the back of the group and wait for the boy to situate everyone else’s horses first, then walk my girl to the side of the stables to take a look at the Black Forest beyond.
It’s deserted and quiet, pitch black. There really isn’t much to the village if you venture off the main road.
“Miss?”
I turn and smile at the young boy who looks exhausted.
“I have your stall ready.”
His hand reaches out in a command for Millie’s reins, the gesture too mature for his age.
“Thank you, young one,” I smile again, handing them over.
The boy nods and leads the way into the stables.
“Where is everyone?” I ask.
“Everyone?”
“The townspeople. Or is the village always this quiet at night?”
The boy’s lips tip into a small grin, “it’s always quiet day and night, miss, and we’re okay with that around here.”
I chuckle at the proud tone in his voice.
“What about things to do? Is there anything notable here to see?”
“Do and see?” he looks back in confusion.
“Any attractions or places in this village that stand out or are worth a visit?”
The boy quickly shakes his head and stares straight ahead, “not here, miss. We’re a small town. Nothing special or attractive here.”
His reply makes me frown.
“This stall, miss,” he leads us to an empty space for Millie.
I hand him a cinerin in farewell and take my time getting Millie settled in for the night.
“Rest up, girl,” I pat her neck with a yawn.
Millie snorts at my back when I leave the stables. I yawn again and walk towards the inn, uncorking Golem’s jar in the process. The magical creature meets me at the front door and stares at the building, both of us looking it over in quiet assessment.
“It’s older,” I ponder, “built of standard stone and wood like the rest of the village. In fact, I haven’t seen any black granite since we’ve arrived…”
Golem’s eyes flick to the main road and the small town beyond, nodding in agreement.
“An old and defenseless Warrior village,” I look at him quietly, “does that seem right to you, Golem?”
My magical companion shakes his head and moves toward the door.
We walk inside to a cozy gathering room, the full of lit by red and orange flames that are roaring from a firepit in the middle of the inn.
The ceiling above has a large hole in it that cuts through the wood and moss, the smoke billowing into the night sky and creating a perfect chimney.
Long tables are scattered around the fire but their seats remain empty, the inn looking like it hasn’t seen a proper traveler all day.
There’s two halls that disappear to the left and right in symmetry, and at the back of the room stands a human woman behind a small counter who is cleaning a few mugs with a cloth.
“Hello,” I walk her way, “I rode in with the Prince’s group…”
The woman nods, “he told me you were hanging back. Your room’s going to be down the hall on the right, last door on the right.”
“Appreciate it,” I smile and take the key she’s holding, “and do you happen to know about the big man’s room, the stalky human with auburn hair and beard?”
She eyes me quietly, “same hall, first door on the right.”
“Thank you.”
Golem meets me in the darkened hall, the two of us stopping before Cal’s door.
“You getting settled in then?” he greets.
“Last door on the right,” I tilt my chin, “is everyone already turning in for the night?”
“Seems like it,” he nods, “it’s been a long ride. Everyone went straight to their rooms.”
“Not a problem,” I yawn and shift the packs on my shoulder, “dawn tomorrow? Do you want to meet by the stables or just walk around?”
“Dawn,” he smiles, “let’s take a walk without the horses and figure it out then. The forest is so thick here I don’t think we’ll have a problem finding some privacy.”
“Sounds good. Goodnight, Cal.”
Golem and I walk down the remainder of the hall to the last door on the right.
The room is quaint, just like everything else, and has a bed nestled on the left side against the wall while a small fireplace illuminates the space from the right.
There’s a few extra logs sitting next to those flames as well as a single, cozy armchair that is turned in the fire’s direction.
I have half a mind to just fall asleep on those cushions for the night, but my gaze keeps taking me back to the rather large window that rests above the bed.
It’s wooden slacks are open and allowing the night air to sift into the room, bringing with it a cool breeze that is all too peaceful.
Ancients.
I’ve just walked into a charming little room that is surrounded by a quiet little inn and sits within a quiet little town.
Am I sure I’m still in Warrior?
“Do you know much about Fumagalli, Golem?” I ask and shrug off my velvet cloak, hanging it behind the door.
“It’s a quaint little village at the edge of the Black Forest, not as lively as anywhere else we’ve been. I’ve seen two villagers so far, and that’s not counting the innkeeper and stable boy.”
I sit on the bed and work on my boots, “Cal and I will train tomorrow at dawn. You’ll get to see more then.”
Golem nods from the foot of my bed, his eyes peering at the large wooden window before darting away when he notices me changing into my night slip. I hide my laugh and walk towards the small bathing chamber in the back of the room, yawning again as I splash some cool water over my face.
“A few more days and then we’ll be in Pyre, Golem,” I announce off-handedly.
I make my way back to the bed and pull the covers over my body, then reach up to adjust the shutters and let the night’s breeze flow even more steadily inside.
The last thing I remember before falling asleep is thinking that the outside air is a nice contrast to the warm coziness of the fireplace not too far away…
I wake later in the night to Golem standing above my bed, his clay hand peeking out of his brown robe and pressing against my shoulder. I scowl at him groggily and try to go back to sleep but his hand pushes against my shoulder again.
“What’s wrong?” I sit up.
He points to the window above me.
I frown and turn around, peering out of the shutters as I spot what looks to be two dark figures standing in the courtyard in silence.
I rub my eyes and try to get a better look at them, but a new and third figure catches my focus as he comes strolling out of the inn.
There’s no mistaking whose powerful form that is, nor the commanding steps that he takes as he nods to his companions.
The three Discerni don’t say a word, only turn around towards the main road and disappear into the night.
“The Prince, his brother and Lord Daniel took off in the middle of the night last night, after we all went to bed,” I tell Cal.
We’re stretching under a thick canopy of trees with Golem not too far off.
My friend shrugs, “just as you and I can if we decide to go for a walk at night.”
True.
I hadn’t given it much thought last night. The heavy call of sleep found me quickly after I watched them walk away, but I woke up this morning with ample curiosity, my mind unable to shed the feeling that there was some sort of secrecy taking place.
“I had one of the best sleeps I’ve had in a while,” Cal stretches wide with a relaxed grin on his face.
He does look well rested and ready for the day ahead, even has a slight bounce in his movements.
And now that I think about it…
“As did I,” I nod, “apart from waking up to see the three of them leave, I slept soundly the whole night.”
“It’s this village,” Cal looks around the forest in appreciation, “so damn content in its calm coziness.”
“It does have an aura of relaxation about it, doesn’t it?”
“I want to find a nice little tobacco shop and hole myself in it for the day.”
“Considering the past three days we’ve had in Gaumond, I’d say you deserve that quiet break,” I smile at my friend, “though I doubt they’ll have a shop here. Did you see how small the village was last night?”
“Yes,” he sighs, pulling his hair back, “ale it is then. Every time I swear I’ll lay off the drink…”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Cal,” I laugh.
He chuckles and catches my gaze, “let’s begin.”
We train on hand to hand combat throughout the rising sun, never seeing its rays but noticing the woods around us growing lighter with every moment.
We then move on to dagger work, with Cal having me practice with my smaller blade first so as not to lose muscle memory after all the training we’ve been doing with the larger blade.
“Can you pierce the branch above Golem’s head?” he asks, watching me change my stance.
My eyes flick to Golem standing below a tree, the branch hanging well above his hood.
“Should be easy enough.”
“Let’s see it then,” he chuckles.
I grip the blade in my fingers and cock my arm back, the blade thudding over Golem’s head and burying itself deep into the bark. The magical creature startles and glares back at me with narrowed eyes, his hands folding over his chest in obvious anger.
“Remind me to never get on your bad side, Alex,” Cal shakes his head and reaches for his beard.
“Well if you do, just remember that I have you to thank for my aim,” I walk to Golem and pat the side of his arm before retrieving my blade.
“I don’t even know if I could hit that mark,” Cal replies, “that talent is all yours and all natural.”
I smile in agreement with my friend. For some reason I have a knack with the small knife, and I’m just as determined to have the same accuracy and skill with the other.
“Then help me reach that talent with this larger blade.”
Cal grins, “you know I will. Let’s work on it for a bit and then go find some breakfast. I’m starving.”