Three days passed as usual, save for the fact Aldous was spending most of his time preparing the supply cart for his journey into the deepest parts of the woods. He estimated that it would take around a day's worth of travel to reach the area where he would begin his search, if the conditions were agreeable enough.
Kate was mostly passive in expressing her frustration. She had always known her mentor as man who honored his promises-especially a promise that was made to a dead man. But this research... Her whole life had more or less revolved around it!
Aldous returned her coldness with solemn and unspoken understanding. He loathed how cruel the idea seemed, even if it was only so due to poor timing.
The day of his departure was just as bitter as Kate had imagined it. The embrace she gave him goodbye was tinged with the betrayal she felt, and it lingered as she watched the cart and horse vanish down the dirt path.
There was nothing she could do at this point. There was no sense in trying to follow him, and there was equally no sense in attempting to make a journey of her own without any supplies. Nothing to do but wait.
And sometimes she thought about him, being all alone. Aldous had been a warrior-one of the finest in fact. He had aided her father as hired muscle and saw his fair share of fights. But Kate had lived with him since she was very young, and as she came into adulthood watched as their roles slowly began to reverse. His back and joints were beginning to trouble him. The strength in his sword arm had faded from two decades of disuse. And wolves and bears didn't discriminate between the old and the young. They didn't take pity on an old man with little money who only sought to discover the lost history of an ancient people.
As much as Kate loathed to think of it, perhaps that was why he had arranged her marriage like this. Because perhaps Aldous was just as aware of his own mortality as she was.
Four days and four nights had passed when Kate heard the sound of a horse coming down the road. Whoever was coming in this direction was going terribly fast. What she discovered upon emerging from the house and investigating perplexed her.
The short, stout pack horse somehow ran the entire way back. His eyes were wide as he stamped about, obviously both frightened and exhausted from the long and very sudden trip.
Most ominous of all was the lack of Aldous.
All of the supplies were still in place, which seemed to rule out bandits. Most importantly, the map was still there, which provided at least some means to search for him.
Without taking much time for consideration, Kate did what needed to be done.
The journey was as normal as could be expected most of the way. The horse wasn't too exceptionally skittish-that is until they reached a point it seemed that the beast wouldn't move past. Climbing down from the cart, Kate found a story written into the mud. Hoof prints, human footprints, and the tracks of a wolf told her everything she needed to know about what had gone wrong.
With enough coaxing, she managed to set the cart on a course where the footprints branched off in a different direction, and was relieved to see the point at which they continued but the wolf tracks stopped.
Her trail lead her away from the path and onto a more obscure road, eventually arriving at a most unusual place. They went past a half-opened iron gate.
Kate continued (albeit with heightened caution and curiosity alike), and the gate leading to what appeared to be a large courtyard. Though it appeared to be overgrown and disorderly now, she speculated that it must have been quite neat and orderly at one time. Despite the unchallenged growth of many shrubs, vines, and flowering bushes over the stone pathways, the place held the eerie beauty of a place that had been abandoned for a long time.
The cobblestone path led past gate, around a stone fountain covered in a fine, green moss, and up to a set of cracked granite steps leading to a huge double door with large brass knockers. The building itself was huge-a manor befitting some kind of nobleman. Just as abandoned looking as the courtyard, the shingles faded in color, the white stone tinged brown, and many of the window-boxes full of the crusty brown remains of flowers that had long since died.
Kate tied the horse up near the gate and crossed the courtyard. She stood before the large door, suddenly at a lost as for what to do. Does one knock on the doors of abandoned mansions? The answer was likely no.
However, if this was the place Aldous had fled to, perhaps he would be around to hear it? Whatever reservations she had about whoever might still be living here, they vanished the moment the weight of the knocker came down against the door.
A minute passed, then five, then ten. Kate considered just entering. She also considered turning and leaving-though that seemed to be a much more cowardly option. Not to mention, very hypocritical of someone who always sought to comprehend the unknown.
Heavy footsteps. Muffled and distant, but grew closer every second. Someone was going to answer the door. Someone large. It opened with a low creaking noise and the mansion's occupant appeared before her.
It was nearly identical to the rough drawing of the creature Aldous had shown her, with but a few physical differences. For one, the beast-the "Spikan"- was wearing a man's clothes, a loose white shirt normally worn underneath a vest, and a pair of brown trousers. The mane was surprisingly orderly looking and tied at the nape of the neck with a black ribbon, but seemingly couldn't escape it's wild nature, sticking up here and there. It was also unlike other depictions of the beast in that it's hair was very much a chestnut color. The eyes were the change she was a bit thankful for. It seemed most Spikans sported purplish red irises that stood apart starkly from solid black scleras, but this beast had brown eyes, though their human-ness was somewhat unnerving. Whatever this creature was and what had become of the master of this estate, it seemed to display at least some degree of awareness of it's own appearance. An astounding discovery, as the beasts of light were believed to be just that-creatures composed of somewhat sentient light with little neurological capability beyond fighting evil. This was quite an astounding discovery.
Although-that was the scientist in Kate speaking. The more rational and human part was begining to take over, and throw her into a panic. The beast seemed to notice this and reacted accordingly.
"Wait! Please don't-" the Spikan exclaimed as the heel of Kate's boot went over the edge of the step, throwing her off balance. The beast rushed forward with a speed and dexterity Kate hadn't seen before, and gripped her with a surprizing gentleness by her shoulders and carefully righted her. In that moment of brief, and uncomfortable physical contact, Kate felt herself pressed up against the beast's chest to find that he smelled much more of a man than of an animal.
Once the Spikan released her from his grasp and backed away, she stood awestruck. The only coherent sentence she could form was:
"What are you?"
The beast gave a large sigh and Kate could see a mixture of sadness, worry, and a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "If you would come with me, I could offer a proper explanation over tea and a fire."
A late-autumn chill had seeped into the air, and Kate found herself shivering and the offer of warmth was very inviting. Without a word, she nodded and entered with him.
