Chapter 9 Canyons and Chaos #2
Freyah rubbed her hand on her chin. “What the hell is Golheim?”
“How would I know?”
Eldric froze, looking over his shoulders. He was already sitting on the carriage with the reins in his hands, ready to depart. He knew he would regret this decision but couldn’t stop himself from speaking anyway. “Did you say Golheim?”
Their heads turned to look at him, surprised he hadn’t left the moment he was set free from their “evil” grasp. “Yes, do you know what that is?”
“Of course! How could you not? It’s the capital of our kingdom.”
Alissa’s brows furrowed. “What does she mean by ‘the key is in Golheim’?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged but then remembered one thing. “It’s probably referring to the Library of All Things. People from all over the kingdom travel to Golheim to visit our library.”
Alissa’s lips parted in awe. She had assumed by now that monsters weren’t something she needed to worry about—at least, not in this particular area.
But Eldric’s words indicated that beyond the walls of Bryniard, people lived ordinary lives.
A whole civilization seemed to thrive in a world where people had the luxury of traveling to other places, simply to read books.
The realization shook her. She glanced at her friend and saw that Freyah hadn’t yet reached the same conclusion, so she didn’t say anything.
“What is there in this library?” Freyah asked.
“Thousands of volumes of books on all existing subjects. If you wish to learn about our history, diseases, healing practices for all possible conditions, geography, politics, biology… anything, really, you’ll find it there. That place is a masterpiece.”
Letting her concerns aside, Alissa focused on her goal.
The idea of this library did sound promising.
If it contained an endless collection of books on healing, Alissa could find the answer to save her daughter; that must have been what the canyons were trying to tell her. Her eyes lit up with hope.
“Great! Let’s go to Golheim, Freyah.”
Eldric chuckled. “Good luck with that! The capital is all the way across the country. It would take you several months to get there on foot.”
When Alissa’s eyes widened, he quickly realized his mistake.
He loosened the reins and gave the horse a sharp nudge with his heels, urging the horse to move before he could regret letting his mouth run loose again.
If he wanted to escape them and enjoy the peace of solitude, that was the moment to leave and never look back.
The horse broke into a gallop, still finding its rhythm. But before it could reach a pace too fast for human legs to keep up with, Alissa shouted, “Waaaait!”
She jumped onto the back of the carriage, her arms barely reaching the edge. In the end, she found herself hanging from the wooden structure, fingers gripping tightly to hold her weight as Eldric drove the carriage away.
“What are you doing, woman, damn it!” he yelled back at her.
“Take us to the capital!” Her voice was muffled under the heavy wind that brushed past her as the horse gained speed.
“That was not our deal. I already brought you to the canyons! Let me go!”
Alissa could not afford to waste months traveling to the capital on foot. Her time out of Bryniard was limited; in less than six months, her daughter would start presenting the first symptoms of her illness.
Driven by desperation, she shouted, “I can pay you!”
Only then did Eldric stop the carriage. “You have my attention.” His eyes, once filled with panic at seeing the woman dangle from the moving carriage, now sparkled with intrigue.
“I come from a very wealthy family, you see? I can pay you fifty silver coins if you take Freyah and me to Golheim.” Still seeing the reluctance on his face, she added, “Don’t see it as a deal, see it as a favor, if you will.” Her smile widened.
The last words of the older twin echoed in his mind: “Think well on what your answer will be on the next favor you are asked. It might change your world as you know it.” The man must have been referring to the money Alissa was offering, a life-changing sum that could support Eldric’s mother for years.
That would require a slight detour from his final destination, and the shipment’s delivery could be delayed.
If he was about to endure the unpleasant company of this annoying, stubborn woman, he might as well earn something from it. It was only sensible.
He sighed, nodding in agreement. Alissa hopped on the front of the horse-drawn cart by his side. She stood up to wave at her friend, who was still standing far back in front of the cave, hands on her hips. When Alissa signaled her to join them, Freyah rushed forward, leaping with excitement.
Eldric did not know it then, but he would never see this sum of money in his life.
Alissa could barely afford to feed her child, let alone gather a sum enough to transform all of Bryniard’s constructions into luxurious palaces.
She was not proud of lying, but if she wanted this to work, she would need to tackle her problems one step at a time.
As long as she kept her purpose in mind and had the means to pursue it, she could deal with the rest later.