CHAPTER XIV #8
Where are the brothers? Are they with the blonde Discerni?
If so, I’m not sure I want to envision the type of things that are taking place right now.
The Master Informer of Disce is not known to be friendly- His official title holds too many rumors to his name, whispers of what he does in the dark.
Is Desmond questioning the man now? How is he questioning the man now?
And if Keane is indeed with him, is he also participating in said questioning?
The thought makes me shift in my seat. I’m not a fool to think that Keane has never hurt someone, but to willingly torture them?
I glance at Golem with unease and see his own gaze matching my own. Do we stay here as Keane demanded? Head to the Hidden City? Perhaps we could find Lord Daniel and let him know what is going on, ask him if it is normal for the brothers to be gone without any communication?
I’m truly at a loss for what to do, and I’m hating Keane’s command that I stay here. Every fiber of my being is telling me to investigate, but I wouldn’t even know where to start.
Cal breaks my anxiety for a moment and passes his tobacco pipe from across the table, smiling when I let the smoke fill my lungs in a calming effect. He laughs at something Holis says and then eyes his ale with a yawn while everyone else does the same.
“I’m sure they’ll want to leave early tomorrow,” Cal shrugs, downing the rest of his ale.
There’s no doubt who they are. The twins nod in agreement as Alanna hides another yawn behind her hand, my brows rising in surprise.
Hmm. Is she not aware of the Hidden City?
“We’re all still recovering from the travel,” Alanna stands from the table with a nod, “I vote we head in early tonight. We’ll be in Gaumond tomorrow and we all know what kind of night awaits us there.”
Her eyes land on Cal in a flirty invite that doesn’t go unnoticed. I say my goodnights to the four and watch them walk to their respective halls, then move towards Golem in his shadowy corner with a whisper.
“What do you think? Do we alert someone? I was thinking of finding Lord Daniel.”
Golem shakes his head and shrugs, as if to say he doesn’t know the answer.
“Is that man dangerous? The one following me?”
No. Then a slight yes.
“Not dangerous enough to hurt the Princes?”
No.
I breathe out a sigh of relief, “I guess we’ll go back to the room and wait, then. But if they’re not back come tomorrow morning, I will alert Lord Daniel.”
Golem agrees with the plan.
We head down the hall with Storm on my shoulder, the two of us pushing through the door and into my room. Stormfall immediately glides to the bedpost and walks across it, his beak clasping on the window slats above as he pulls.
“You can hunt, Storm,” I walk to the window and open it fully, “but I need you to check in every now and then. I can’t be worrying about you, too.”
Stormfall jumps onto the ledge and stands within the opening, turning his gaze to me before he lets out a caw.
“It’s okay, Storm. I trust you’ll be safe.”
I turn around to get the fire going and place a few logs over the small embers.
I hear Stormfall caw again from the window, probably in goodbye, but it takes Golem walking over to the fire and pointing me to the Bird of Ash to realize he hasn’t yet flown away.
Storm’s beady yellow eyes meet mine before he looks out to the inn’s courtyard, turning back around to look at me again.
“Oh…”
Stormfall caws in agreement.
“Okay! Shit, yeah. Let’s do it.”
I hastily grab my cloak from behind the door and make sure Golem’s jar is hidden in a good spot in the room before checking my daggers. I walk to the window and give Stormfall a steady nod, ready to close the slats behind his long tail.
“We’ll meet you outside,” I grin, watching as he jumps off the ledge and into the night. I turn around and pull my hood over my head, grinning like a fool.
“Another adventure, Golem!”
We walk down the hall as quiet as possible, careful not to wake anyone from our group.
Cal’s deep chuckle greets us when we pass by his door, the sound making me pause before Alanna’s cool laugh joins in as well.
Golem and I slowly turn towards eachother with smirks and continue to the common room, the two of us meeting Stormfall in the courtyard.
“Alright Storm, we’ll follow you,” I whisper to the baby beast.
He pushes off a tree limb and glides down the road towards Gaumond, his black body and tail feathers melding perfectly with the gloomy forest surrounding Fumagalli.
We follow behind him for a while and let the village fade far behind us, the cool air of the forest reaching temperatures far too cold for my liking.
I tighten my cloak around my front and press into Golem’s side for warmth, but my magical friend just looks at me and shakes his head sadly, reminding me that his body is a cool product of summoning, not of blood and heat.
We walk for another long while until Stormfall finally glides around the tall glittering black pine to the side of the road, the marker for the path to the mills.
“The mills,” I glance at Golem who nods in agreement.
We follow Stormfall down the thin path that cuts through the trees before Golem pulls out his lantern of moonslight. We tread carefully through the thick forest until the sound of rushing water greets us from ahead, the two of us quietly stepping out from the trees as he extinguishes the light.
“Golem,” I whisper, “the first night in Agnor when we spied on the Princes and Alanna from their room…”
He looks at me like he knows what I’m about to ask.
“Were you hiding us then? Keeping us quiet and undetected in case they spotted us?”
He nods.
“Can you do that now? I’m not the most adept in stealth but my gut is telling me they’re in mills. I don’t want to be caught sneaking up on them.”
Golem nods again.
“Alright then,” I turn in determination, reaching my hand up to Storm. He lands on my fingers before I bring him under my hood.
“Let’s find out what’s going on.”
We follow the water as silently as possible, our already quiet footsteps shielded by the sound of the rushing stream.
The first mill, the one with the water wheel, is smaller than the other building, and if I remember correctly from Keane’s tour it is primarily used for water tapping and storage.
We walk around that building, hearing no sounds or spotting any lights or movements in the windows.
The small unit is seemingly unoccupied, so we continue against the west facing wall and head towards the second building, spotting a dim flicker of a candle on a second-floor window.
I point to the light and look at Golem, watching him nod.
We both walk along the wall until we reach the entry doors of the second mill. I silently take the handle and push inwards, but the wooden door doesn’t budge.
“You wouldn’t by chance know how to pick a lock, would you, Golem?”
My magical friend shakes his head, hand coming down to the handle to try for himself. He flicks his fingers in the same way he did to my door at the inn, but the lock stays firmly in place. I scowl and peer up to the lighted window on the second floor, knowing we need to get in.
Stormfall gently moves against my shoulder, his talons sinking into my skin.
I turn my head and watch him walk out from under my hood, taking a path towards my shoulder before he starts trailing down my arm.
I extend my hand to the door handle and watch him move down to my wrist, his black wings extending towards the handle before they fold inwards.
He removes his wings from the metal and takes a step back, his yellow eyes fixated on the entry as Golem and I watch on in wonder.
What used to be a metal lock is now slowly beginning to turn to ash, the debris falling down to the ground and leaving nothing more than a small hole in the door where the lock used to be.
I gratefully lift my finger to Storm’s chest and stroke him in amazement, watching as Golem steps forward and pushes the wooden door into the dark building.
Barrels upon barrels of toddy and ale line the walls of the storeroom.
It’s a simple holding room, but past the casks and in a dark corner is a staircase leading upstairs.
If I remember correctly, the stairs lead to a few small production rooms and other storerooms, some of the spaces used while others were bare.
I nod to Golem and lead him up the staircase, hoping that whatever magic he’s using to shield us still holds true.
We reach the top hall in silence and spot the glowing candlelight in the room at the farthest end, the door half-way open and illuminating the floor for us.
I take a deep breath and turn to Golem one last time, watching as he nods and then narrows his eyes on the door over my shoulder.
The two of us walk side by side with quiet determination until we reach it, both of our eyes going wide when we peer inside.
I gasp at the sight.
The blonde Discerni sits in the middle of the room wearing only his riding pants.
Everything else is stripped from his body.
His head is bowed into his chest with his arms wrapped behind the chair he’s sitting in, strands of his pale blonde hair falling in front of his face while the rest of it sits in a messy tie down his back.
His chest is chiseled and tight for a supposed merchant, his muscles bulging out of his arms as beads of sweat drip down his temples.
I stare at his chest and watch as blood runs down in different directions.
Some of it is dried and scabbing while other cuts are still fresh, those ones no doubt from recent slashes.
There’s blood dripping out of the corner of his mouth and onto his chin as well, the red hue falling down into his lap.