by K Dezendorf
“Whoa…” she murmured.
“That should keep you from standing out too much,” he said, then repeated the process to his own clothes, stitching them back together in a dance of thread until they were clean and whole again.
By this point Rose was certain he was showing off, if only a little. Maybe it was a mage thing.
He guided them to a small river where they stopped to drink. They followed it -going upstream, Rose noted- until it was nearing dusk and Edward advised they stop and make camp for the night.
While Edward built the fire pit, Rose gathered wood and kindling. He didn’t have the magic to get the fire started, instead using a couple of ‘spark rocks’. Rose helped him prepare the rabbit and he seemed impressed she knew how. They skewered the meat on a couple of sharp sticks and set them over the fire to cook.
Once they were done, he took one off and handed it to her. “Eat up.”
Rose graciously accepted it. "Thank you." She took a bite. It was bland compared to the jerky they had earlier, but she wasn't about to complain. It was sustenance after all, and she had a bottle of water to wash it down, which she shared with Edward. By that point, it had gotten dark.
“Do you think we’ll be attacked by those monsters again?” Rose asked softly.
“It’s possible,” Edward answered. He took a bite of his food. “Gorgers have been cropping up a lot lately.”
"Gorgers?" She shivered a bit at the name.
"Yeah,” he said slowly. “No one really knows where they came from. But their sole purpose seems to be to eat and reproduce. They’re mindless. They only feel hunger, the desire to devour any living thing in their path. In a way they're more like weapons than living creatures.”
“I see…” Rose thought of Kyan, caught in their vicious claws with their teeth biting into him. The town with smears of blood but not a trace of a corpse. She wondered if the same would happen to the campsite, with the fallen just getting eaten away, leaving no body for their loved ones to put to rest. A painful lump was building in her throat and she found it difficult to swallow.
"Get some rest," Edward told her after a length of silence. "I'll take the first watch.”
“All right, wake me when it’s my turn.” She passed the remainder of her rabbit to Edward, unable to finish it.
Rose dug out her blanket from her bag and unfolded it, wrapping it around herself. It wasn’t too cold compared to the wintery night they weathered through back on Earth. For a while, she lay awake listening to the sounds of the fire crackling. She felt restless as she continued to think about Kyan and what became of him. Already, she missed him terribly and hoped he was all right. It took a while, but eventually she drifted off to sleep.
************
Rose didn't have any dreams that night about being trapped in a cage. The most she remembered was staring up at the sky to see two moons, but that was it. Other than that, her sleep was pretty sound. She found herself waking up as the sun was just starting to rise, and there was an interesting aroma in the air. Something was cooking. Rose blinked a few times in confusion before remembering where she was. She disentangled herself from her blanket and looked around to see Edward still sitting by the fire cooking what looked like fish. Even though his eyes were focused, he looked barely awake.
"Morning," she greeted.
"Mm, morning,” he replied, though it sounded more like ‘mernin’. He straightened up and looked at her. “I hope you slept well."
"Yeah, I did." Other than being sore from sleeping on the hard ground, she felt well rested. She paused, then asked, "So, what happened to waking me for the second watch?"
Edward didn’t answer. Instead, he took the fish off the fire and sprinkled a mixture of herbs over it before handing it to her. "Go on. Eat."
Rose tentatively took the fish, looking at it for a moment before taking a bite. The taste was invigorating, rich and flavorful with a good aroma. Much better than the rabbit they had last night. “It’s delicious.”
Edward nodded, looking satisfied, taking a bite of his own fish. “I find a good meal and a full stomach is the best cure for most bad days.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. Had he done this because he noticed how upset she was? She couldn’t help but feel both flattered and immensely touched. Aside from Macklass, she couldn’t remember anyone going out of their way to do something nice for her.
“Thank you,” she mumbled, doing her best not to get worked up.
Once they were finished with the meal, they broke camp. Rose gathered up her blanket and poured water on the fire, tossing dirt on the embers to ensure it was fully put out. She was longing for a bath or a shower, but that was a luxury she was willing to learn to live without.
After she was finished, she realized Edward was taking a power nap against one of the trees. Rose decided to leave him be. She used the water from the river to wash herself. Then she settled nearby Edward with her sketch book.
As Rose sketched, her body relaxed, her mind becoming focused, pushing out the anxiety and heaviness. She let herself ride the motions of the ink. Broad, thick strokes depicted a large, intimidating figure contrasted by a polite, gentle smile. Then a much smaller figure, the lines curving to create a portly profile. Glasses perched on a stern yet kind face.
Once she was finished, things felt a little more bearable. She looked over the image of Lawrence holding up Billy with one of his large hands, and she wondered if they managed to get away safely. She really hoped so.
Rose continued to distract herself, sketching the scenery while keeping an eye out. The sun had fully risen by the time Edward came to, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and standing up.
"I hope the second watch wasn't too much for you," he commented as he yawned and stretched. "Let's get going."
Rose smiled, finding his sleepy face to be endearing. "Right."
They gathered their things and began walking again. It was pretty uneventful, so she and Edward filled the time with general banter back and forth. It was about midday when Edward brought them to a stop.
“We should be close enough.” He motioned to her, still looking groggy. “C’mere.”
Rose stepped towards him, letting him take her by the hand while he opened up one of his portals. When they stepped through, Rose found herself in the conference room she’d been in before. Looking behind her, she saw they’d come through a painted door on the wall. Dimitri was in the room, his back to them as he talked with someone on the other side of the table. It was the wolf-man, Lymore, who had snarled at her on her way inside the tent.
Lymore took notice of them. “You little bogscum,” he growled, glaring at Edward. “We’ve told you to use the outside portal to get in here!”
"What?" Dimitri turned to look at them. "Oh, Edward..." His eyes fell on Rose. "And Rose! I'm very glad to see you made it safe from the... regrettable assault we had the other day."
"Dimitri!" Lymore barked. "Focus!"
"Right, right. We’ll speak later, Rose. We still have much to discuss." He turned back to the table and they resumed their discussion.
Edward turned to the wooden door and walked out. Rose hurriedly followed him. Much to discuss… Right. They hadn’t gotten very far in discussing what she was going to do while she was here.
“Now that you’re safe here, I’m gonna go,” Edward said abruptly.
“Oh…” Rose was disappointed, but then, he probably had better things to do than escort her everywhere. “Well, thank you for getting me here.”
He nodded then, very slowly he raised his hand towards her. For a moment, he hesitated, looking into her eyes questioningly. Rose thought she understood what he was wanting to do, and she nodded to let him know it was fine.
His hand came down, on her head. Okay, not quite what she was expecting. Then he began gently rubbing her head, and she was surprised to find she didn’t mind it. It felt nice, actually.
“I’m sorry about your Guardian,” he said.
Rose closed h
er eyes, finding the contact to be comforting. “I’ll figure it out.” She opened her eyes just in time to see Edward lean in and she stiffened as his lips pressed softly against her forehead.
“That’s a sacred tradition of my kind,” he said seriously, in answer to her perplexed look. “It means ‘be well until we meet again’.”
Rose nodded slowly, unable to say anything except, “Okay.”
With that, he left. Rose watched him go, telling herself that the kiss was just a formality, and not something to get worked up over. Plus, she still had Macklass to think about. Maybe… Did he still want her in his life? She wasn’t sure anymore.
Chapter 10
With Edward gone, Rose decided to familiarize herself with the castle, having missed out the last time she was there years ago. Plus, a lot had probably changed in five years. As she walked down the corridor, she found one of the doors standing open and peeked her head in. It appeared to be a miniature library, the walls packed floor to ceiling with shelves of books. There were only a couple of desks, and at one of them was Vindo, the dwarf who served as one of Dimitri’s attendants. He was writing whilst softly humming to himself.
“Excuse me,” Rose called out.
Vindo’s head perked up and he squinted beady eyes at her. “Y-yes?”
“Is there any place I can get a good view of the castle?”
“C-certainly,” he answered, pointing the feather of his quill up. “T-take the stairs all the way up.”
Giving her thanks, Rose hurried further down the corridor where it curved into a spiral staircase leading up and down. Rose took the stairs up two at a time, until she reached an open doorway leading outside. She blinked against the brightness of daylight until her vision cleared. What she saw took her breath away.
She was at the top of a tower overlooking the castle. The castle was nestled in the mountains, with towering peaks guarding one side, while on the other Rose could see a vibrant swath of green valley far below. They were high enough where mist surrounded the castle, and she wondered if they were floating atop the clouds. Despite being so high up, Rose wasn’t having any problems breathing. The air was cool and smelled fresh, clean, and inviting.
There were four bridges leading into the castle, each different in design. One went through a large waterfall flowing from the mountain, the water running along the slate colored bridge like its very own river in the sky, before draining just short of where the castle stood. As lovely as it was, Rose wasn’t sure how anyone could cross it without getting washed away. The second was lined with statues of rust colored, gargoyle-like figures on either side of the walkway, their eyes glinting like jewels in the sunlight. Rose imagined it would be intimidating being under their gaze as they silently judged her. The third bridge was black like onyx, dappled with glowing light that looked like burning embers. The veins of bright red and orange made Rose wonder if it was hot, like walking through recently cooled lava. The forth Rose at first thought was a bridge made entirely of mist, but after some squinting she realized the bridge was transparent, easily blending in with the mist surrounding it, disappearing when she didn’t view it from the right angle. Each bridge was made from different material that conjoined into striations as they met at the castle, until the colors and patterns all blended together.
As Rose drank in the sights, she let out a shuddering breath, feeling a powerful echo of the joy and wonder she’d felt when she was twelve. This, this was the feeling she had missed. The feeling of pure freedom. That anything was possible, even for someone like her.
Looking down below, Rose saw a courtyard where several people were bustling about. She certainly didn’t remember the castle having so many occupants. There were a few open areas, a stretch of a garden, and what looked like a training area. There were also a few buildings, and stables where she saw a handful of horse and goat-like animals. The smaller buildings appeared out of place with the castle’s central structure, not a part of the original design.
Rose stayed up there for a while, lost in the beauty of her surroundings, letting it all sink in. She would definitely be visiting this tower a lot, if she could help it. Knowing there was still more to see, she pulled herself away from the landscape and began her leisurely descent down the stairs. She was roughly half way down when she nearly got bowled over by none other than Lymore.
“Move!” he snapped, causing her to stumble back into the wall as he stalked past, paying her no mind.
“Don’t take it personally,” a curt voice told her from above. “He’s like that with everyone.”
Glancing up, she saw a pair of red irises, like fresh blood from a finger prick. He was taller than her, like most people she’d met. Light brown hair cut short in the back and longer in the front, combed off to the side, and tanned skin. His cheekbones were pronounced, and he had deep furrow lines in his brow, giving age to his otherwise youthful visage.
“Hey, I may be good looking, but it’s rude to stare, ya know?”
There was a sardonic smirk on his face, but Rose noticed there was a tension in his eyes. She glanced away, still braced against the wall, her heart beating fast from the near tumble she took.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
“You don’t look familiar,” he noted, leaning over to peek under her hood. “You new here?”
“Yeah, um….” Rose took a deep breath. She couldn’t afford to be hiding right now. If she wanted to earn a place here, she needed to be seen, to be known. Reaching up, she pulled back her hood, exposing her freckled face and unruly ginger hair. She knew the Sign of Greeting, but that was a part of elven culture, and this man didn’t look elven. So, she extended her hand towards him.
The man visibly tensed, staring down at her hand looking perplexed.
“Rose,” she said. “Nice to meet you.”
Rather than clear up his confusion, her words only seemed to add onto it, his brow furrowing as he continued to watch her hand, like he expected it to turn into a snake and bite him. Rose’s face grew warm as she wondered if she did something wrong.
“Sorry,” she blurted out. “I didn’t mean to offend…”
“Were you wanting something?” he asked her.
“I… it’s how we greet someone, where I’m from,” she explained feeling more and more abashed.
His eyes lit up with understanding. “Oh, so that’s what it was. Around here, holding your hand low like that usually means you’re asking for something.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, withdrawing her hand. “So, how does one exchange greetings here?”
The man raised his hand up to eye level. She mimicked him and he clapped his hand with hers, giving it a firm grasp before letting go.
“My name is Rose,” she repeated.
“Granger,” he returned in kind. “Sorry to say, I’m too busy to be showing a greenhorn around. There’s a lot that still needs to be done.”
“Because of the attack on the encampment?” Rose guessed.
He frowned. “You know about that?”
“I was there,” Rose explained “If there’s anything I can do, I’d like to help.”
Granger scrutinized her for a moment, then he got this odd smile. “You know, I think there is something you can do. Follow me.”
He led her down the stairs and outside where Rose spotted a few other people moving about, most with tense expressions on their faces. No one was relaxed.
She and Granger went off to the side towards a small hut with smoke pluming from a smokestack on the roof. As they approached, she could hear the faint clanging of metal. Granger pushed open the heavy door without knocking, and Rose followed him inside.
Stepping in, she was met with a rush of hot air. She’d never smelled anything like it. A distinct odor that burned her nostrils with the stench of fiery coals, molten hot iron, and, strangely, burning leaves and mulch. There was a small counter space not far from the entrance, and the rest of the interior was back behind it. After a few seconds of scanning t
he room, she realized she was in a blacksmithing hut, based on the tools and the large furnace and the finished weapons scattered about the room. Peeking around, she didn't see anybody, but the clanging of metal was much louder and she heard a bass voice chanting.
Hammer on metal
And hammer on steel
Poundin’ out metal
‘til it has the right feel
Metal that’s perfect
Not brittle or frail
Made a thousand blades
Not a one has failed
It was a catchy rhyme, and Rose was disappointed she didn’t get to hear more when Granger stepped towards the counter and yelled out, “Oi, Kenyen! You have a moment?”
The chanting and clanging stopped and a thunderous roar answered, causing Rose to jump. "NO!" A pause. Then... "Maybe!"
From towards the center of the room, a very large creature rose up. He turned around and Rose was confused by the sight. He was about the size of Lawrence, but something was off. He had no legs. Instead he used his hands to walk himself over to the counter.
"What do you want?" he asked, pulling himself up so that his elbows rested on the countertop.
"I got you a pair of extra hands," Granger said, pointing to Rose. “She wants to help out, and of all the things that need doing around here, you work the hardest. So, I thought you could put her to it."
"Mm..." Kenyen looked Rose over, chuckling. "So, you think you can work for me?"
"Um... " Rose took a moment to swallow her nervousness. "I’d like to help in any way I can."
There was a large snorting sound as he took a few big whiffs of the air. "Oh, you would, eh?” he asked, leaning down to her level. His face was huge and he looked like he could gobble her up in one bite.
"Yes, very much so," she said, the words spilling quickly out of her mouth. "I don’t really know much about blacksmithing but any hard labor you need done, I can do it."
Granger was standing off to the side, watching the exchange with an amused expression. Kenyen continued to sniff the air as he squinted at her. He bared his teeth, grunting loudly as a large hand poised to strike at her. Impulsively, Rose jumped backwards, her back slamming into the door.