CHAPTER VII #8
That’s all I can think about during my morning workout with Cal.
It’s why Golem has been closing my window whenever he’s in the room, understanding the fact before I did.
I asked him about it this morning and he confirmed with a nod, suspecting the same thing.
And watching Cal right now, after all of the ale he had last night…
He looks so well rested and ready for the day. He should be licking his wounds with an aching head but instead he’s moving with gusto, coming at me relentlessly.
“Your mind is elsewhere, Alex,” he comments, tucking his foot around my ankle and pulling quickly.
I fall hard on my ass.
“It is,” I nod from the ground, not even bothering to get up.
“Could this have anything to do with the Prince looking at you all night like he wanted to eat you?”
“Eat me!” I sit up with a scowl.
Cal chuckles, “and you looking like you enjoyed the thought of him doing just that.”
“Fuck me,” I grumble.
Were we that obvious?
“It wasn’t obvious,” Cal reads my face, reaching out a hand to help me up, “but I’ve been around you and other lads long enough to know when the two of you are talking without saying words.”
I groan in embarrassment and take his offered hand to stand, then tuck my own foot around the back of his leg and pull. The maneuver catches him off-guard and sends my big friend tumbling to the ground.
“Okay, okay,” Cal laughs, “I won’t say anything next time.”
I smile down at him and offer my own hand, hoisting him up.
“Just be careful, Alex,” he looks at me with concern.
I reach for my canteen and try to act casual as possible.
“It’s fun.”
But I know it’s more than that. I know that my conversation with Keane under the Shadow Oak was the start of something more than fun. I’m only lying to myself when I say it, and apparently, Cal knows it too.
We take breakfast at Margaret’s with Holis and Mana joining us for a second time, both of them looking well rested and ready for the day as well.
The food and ambiance is just as good as yesterday, and I feel a trickle of sadness knowing that we won’t be here tomorrow.
I make sure to ask Margaret to bottle me up a large canteen of her coffee before we leave, using the excuse that I wish to take it on the road with us to Pyre.
She happily obliges, and when we say our goodbyes, I sneakily hand the canteen to Golem and let him stash the liquid caffeine in his robes for tonight.
Cal, Holis and Mana all talk of going back to the small training fields in the village after breakfast. I tell them to carry on without me and not wait up at lunch, letting them know that I plan on visiting the shops and library all day.
The men don’t question it, just wave in goodbye, and once they’re out of view, Golem and I hastily head down the road towards some of the sellers in the village, determined to pry out the location of these fabled mills.
Our quest comes up short.
Most of the shop owners look at me in downright suspicion, asking why a map would be needed for such a small village. I have no answer to give them and quickly buy something from their shop, getting out as fast as I can so as not to appear too pushy.
I’m about to give up on the map quest when I spot a small Discerni boy throwing marbles into the road.
“Golem, I need a pen and paper. Might you have any?”
In a typical fashion that I’ve learned not to question, Golem reaches into his robes and produces a piece of parchment and pen. I nod in thanks and walk towards the boy, feeling guilty for what I’m about to do.
“Hello, little one,” I smile at the kid and squat down to his height.
“Hello,” is his only reply.
He looks at me in curiosity, watching as I rummage through my bag.
“I’m having the hardest time locating the mills in the forest,” I continue with a smile, pulling out a two cinerin, “and was hoping you could point me in the right direction?”
“What for?” the little boy stands up quickly in accusation.
“Well, it’s my first day of work!” I laugh, “silly me! I would hate to be late on my first day.”
The boy crosses his arms in front of chest and looks down at me.
“You dress funny. Not in the same colors as we do.”
“That’s because I’m not from around here and why I need your help in getting to the mills. I don’t know my way around.”
“Mommy and daddy tell me I’m not supposed to talk to anyone about the mills,” he shakes his head, sitting back down to play with his marbles.
“Ah, yes,” I nod with a smile, “we aren’t supposed to talk about the mills. But Prince Keane has specifically asked that I find my way there, and I would hate to disappoint him.”
Another chuckle, his chuckle, makes its way deep into my bones. I quickly glance around the road and look for him, seeing nothing but the shops around us.
What is going on with me?
“I’ve been staying at the inn with him for the past few days,” I continue and hold out the cinerin, “if you could just point me in the right direction, I would be in your debt.”
The boy eyes me suspiciously but ends up slowly taking the coins from my hand. I already know that asking him to draw a map will be too pushy, so I hope to settle with a general direction at this point.
“Go down the road towards Gaumond, past the village to the black pine on the left. Behind the pine you’ll find the path to the mills.”
“Thank you, little one,” I smile back at him, “I am indeed in your favor.”
“I’ll remember your face, Lady who dresses in funny colors,” he replies with narrowed eyes, “don’t think I won’t.”
I laugh and watch as he leans back down to reach for his marbles, continuing with his game.
“Did you get that?” I ask Golem as we walk down the road.
He nods in response.
“Then let’s play house for a bit at the library, just in case word makes it to the Prince that I’ve been asking around. We can sneak out after and try to find these mills.”
Golem nods again and walks next to me as we make our way to the village’s library. The Discerni working there is an elderly man, just like Margaret and the older innkeeper. He takes one look at me and the Knowledge of my shirt and nods, leading Golem and I past the doors and into the building.
This library is small, only two stories high with an open reading area in the middle. I let the man know that we’re not looking for anything in particular and just browsing, and watch as he remains determinedly quiet before walking away.
“Alright then,” I shrug to Golem.
We start on the first floor and slowly walk amongst the books, my heart settling in contentment at the smell of old parchment and leather bound spines. There’s nothing ominous about this library like there is with the others, and instead it’s just as calm and serene as the village around it.
Once we canvas the bottom level, Golem and I make our way up the steps to the second and start again.
We take our time, making idle stops in front of some of the books whenever the Discerni walks by.
He says nothing to us, doesn’t even acknowledge our presence, just continues walking on as if he wasn’t spying just moments before.
By the time we make it to the stairs we quietly walk back down, the two of us out of the entry doors in a blink and back on the road towards Gaumond with determination.
“Black pine on the left,” I remind him as the village disappears behind us, “keep your eyes peeled.”
Golem nods and keeps his gaze steady to the left of us. We walk for what seems like ages, the forest looming tall around us in every direction. We stop once for a quick drink of water and press on, the gloomy trees all melding together and looking as insignificant as the next.
After almost a full turn of the sun into our walk, something flashes from the side of the road that catches our eyes.
It’s a small reflection sparkling a ways away, the flash catching the right angle of the missing sun above and beckoning us towards it.
I look at Golem and point in the direction of the glint, my heart picking up in speed as the two of us run down the road to investigate.
The trunk of the reflecting pine is definitely black, though it’s hidden behind a few larger pines that stand in their normal brown and green.
This one looks polished, as if the bark is painted with a near-black glaze that reflects in the daylight.
It isn’t anything extraordinary, but it is the most unique looking thing in the woods that we’ve seen all morning.
I move around the pine and look for any sort of path that will lead to the mills.
“Here, Golem,” I spot a flat inlet in the grass, the lush green trampled on from heavy boots. It’s wide enough for a single person to follow along but doesn’t look well used, surely not used enough for the number of feet that should be traveling to work every day.
“You ready?” I ask without hesitation.
Golem nods, his features just as determined as mine. I grin at the look on his face and walk down the path of trampled grass straight into the gloomy woods beyond.
The path continues for a while, leading us deep into the forest as the trees become so thick that I nearly consider asking Golem for his lantern.
It takes some time for my eyes to adjust to the moody grey but we push on, every now and then relying on a small opening in the pines that allows for a beam of sunlight to push through.
It’s curious that this is supposedly a standard walk for the patrons of Fumagalli who go to work every day, yet they haven’t thought to set up torches or crates of fire to lead them down the path? What are they trying to hide? Why not just-
“-Do you hear that, Golem?”
My eyes widen in surprise as the sound of running water flows from the path ahead. Golem nods and looks over my shoulder, his eyes narrowing in surprised suspicion as well.
“Maybe there really is something out here,” I whisper, “let’s take this slow and quietly.”