I fed my mare the carrot I held, patting her neck lovingly. With a final stroke, I left her tied to the tree in search of firewood. And plenty I found, being in the midst of forest. The forest floor was scattered with all the essential needs, which I brought back an armload of. The birds chattered final chirps before laying themselves to rest. Owls hooted menacingly when the bushes would rustle with movement of rodents or small animals.
"Erk, the fire," I said, looking to him as he pitched two tents with Serra's help. He muttered an incantation, setting ablaze a cheerful fire that cast shadows on everything. "So…who knows to cook?"
Erk looked at me, frightened. Serra stood up, thinking. "I could cook soup!"
Serra may be a healer, but anything she cooks will be a killer.
"I…can't say I know anything about it," I said, deciding the knowledge of the uses of microwaves would be useless here in Elibe.
"I can…but…I'm not good at it," said Erk.
"I know what we'll do! When we stop at Ostia, perhaps Serra can show us to cooks and ask if they would kindly teach us to cook. Maybe we'll even pay them. Whatever the case, I'm not ready to eat raw meat!" I said, my mood rather dark from having left Caelin. But it wasn't renting out too much.
"Yes! I can help you do that! But until then, who's cooking?" asked Serra. She looked between Erk and me.
"I told you, I don't know the first thing to cooking!" I said.
"How did you manage to survive while you traveled then?" asked Erk.
Now I can't say the truth.
"I didn't have to." It was a piece of the truth. Does that make it a lie?
"Then I will have to cook. I never imagined we would come down to this," sighed Erk.
"Oh come on, it couldn't seriously be that bad! As long as I get food, I'm fine."
We had a soup littered with all sorts of herbs and spices, with what I thought were mushrooms floating around. My mouth watered upon the smell. "You were telling me you weren't good at this?" I asked after devouring my share quickly. "This is excellent!"
"Yes, Erky. You shouldn't hide such talent when it could really brighten our journey!" said Serra. She was rather quiet now, having given up on talking to Erk. Once, she tried shunning him completely, but failed miserably. Often times, I was lagging behind on the mare or minding myself. Seems like Serra only bugged the ones that refused to listen and left alone the ones with ears open and ready to catch conversation.
The darkness seeped in the sky, stained by bright clouds that pushed out the light of the moon and stars jealously. After dinner, we all scurried into our bedrolls. The clouds did shunned the promise of any rain, so I unrolled my bedroll beside my mare, who was now comfortable with me and excitedly whinnied to see me so close to her. I named her Cassy, which was short for Cassiele. Upon hearing me mutter her name, she would eagerly prick her ears and struggle against the tethers to get closer to me. Only until I stroked her and ran my hand through her mane did she calm. I grew very fond of her. Here was one who didn't rely on me for my strategic plans. Just as long as I cared for her, she would return to me all the love I treat her with.
Serra let me share her tent. But now, I let her alone and traced the hooves of the mare, glad to have her company. I wondered if Serra felt lonely nowadays, like I did without the cheery voice of Wil or Florina's frightened whimpers when she fled Sain's flirts. It was odd not to have Kent behind me as I rode through the glossy fields of grass or had my mare picket through the forest floor, more surefooted than I could be. I had nobody to lean back to, no one to whisper assurances in my ear when I cowered into myself away from the shadows, and welcomed only Erk, Serra, their horses Elradir and Emminnar, and the excited whinnies of Cassy to my presence.
I quickly slipped into my bedroll and watched my mare watch me. Shadows cast over her, but they made no difference. Other than the soft glow from the fire, the shadows coated her, easily blending her with the night. She would be useful for nightly escapades, if ever I needed that. I drifted to thoughts of home again before I obliged my eyes to close and sleep.
Dawn came with a rattle of birds. I was a light sleeper, easily disturbed by their chatter. I wondered what they were saying. Not at all moody today, I decided to let the past be the past and not let my mind dwindle back to that. There was so much to be done! There were strategy skills to be honed, a continent to be traversed, people to meet, places to see, and work to be found. Who would have need of a tactician, even if it were to be an apprentice?
Wondering this, I wandered to a stream I found last night and splashed the cool water into my face. Refilling the flask I had tucked away at my belt next to my wallet and staff (which was mini-sized when unneeded), I breathed in the smell of the forest. The fresh air is always sharp, with the spicy scent of pine and sweet smell of mushrooms filling my lungs. I stood up from my crouching position again, taking off a travel-worn boot to stick my foot into the cool water.
It stung with cold, but tingled with the liquid flowing feeling. I decided to head back soon, having done enough thinking for the rest of the day. I liked to clear my head out in the morning by thinking as much as I can at that time. I could mourn for losses and laugh quietly to myself without disturbances. Then I would come back to my senses and be ready for travel.
I returned seeing Erk packing the tents away again. We were all quiet, doing our own work, packing by ourselves, but I believe we all appreciated the other's company, even if we didn't share words. Eventually, we were moving in line through the forestry, Erk was first, Serra was second, and I was last. While Erk rushed ahead, Serra held back slightly, perhaps seeking a chance to avoid getting home. I took my time, however, soaking in everything I could about the trees and the leaves, examining the mushrooms and listening to the different chirps and eventually, I could identify almost eleven different species of birds by chirp alone. I learned from Serra about herbs that healed and from Erk to cook.
What I needed to learn, I decided, was to hunt. I started to check for tracks around the forest, and from lots of patience and sitting still, I learned which footprints belonged to what, and how to tell how long ago a footprint was made. I had tracking down on my list of things I've learned, but still I couldn't figure out how I would actually hunt without a bow.
On the seventh day of traveling, we came upon Ostia's territory. Continuing to travel to the heart of it, I watched Serra become more and more silent. It was beyond the weirdest things that I'd ever known, but she only became quieter unless she complained of her rear end being raw or that she was hungry. I was happy to hear her voice, no matter what it said.
"We are one day from House Ostia," said Erk.
"One day…Serra, who cares for you back at Ostia?" I asked.
"Hm? I stay with the church there, with all the other Sisters. Sometimes I get to travel with Lord Hector, brother to the marquess of Ostia himself," she said.
"Really? Where do you travel to?"
"I've been to so many places, I cannot name half of them, for they've fled my mind! Often, we visit Pherae or the marquess or his son would visit us. Hector and Marquess Pherae's son are close friends. And I've been to Eutruria! That's how come I met Erk and all of the rest of you. Aren't you all blessed that fate was so kind in putting me with you?"
I chuckled. "I guess…"
We arrived at the heart of Ostia the next day, around mid-afternoon. We were in a bustling city where activity ceased to end. There were several armories and vendors, and to the north was the Castle Ostia. Castle Ostia was probably three times as big as Castle Caelin, and I watched as men at the gates to the castle drew it up. For a moment, I thought I saw a person with a red tattered cloak dart in just as a merchant's cart drove up to through the gates. Maybe it was just the red banner the cart flew. I couldn't help but think of Matthew.
"This place is real loud," I said to Serra.
"Come on! We have to get through the gates! To Castle Ostia we go." she said.
"You live in Castle Ostia?"
"Of course! Or else I wouldn't be with –– Lord Hector!" she cried in delight as she scurried in between people and finally stopped at a man with blue hair. At his waist, he hung a malicious looking axe. The man had blue hair and lots of armor, and was rather well built from training, I suppose.
"Aren't you lucky to see me so soon!" said Serra.
I had my hood placed over my head the entire time I visited villages or cities. Perhaps it caused suspicion to this Lord Hector, but he didn't say so.
"Serra! It took you this long to get back!" he said, almost yelling.
"Yes, well, a group of people needed my aid. You cannot expect me to ignore that! Did I not do what any priestess would?"
"Matthew returned more than a week ago! You ––
"Matthew?" I asked, taken aback. "You can't mean the one with sandy hair and hazel eyes and a red tattered cloak?"
"Who are you?"
"Pardon me, milord," I said. "I am Amelia, a traveling apprentice tactician. I traveled with Serra and Erk to Ostia."
"I am Erk, milord, Serra's escort. You seem to know her, so I believe my work here is done," said Erk.
"Don't go away so soon!" cried Serra.
"I must, Serra. My Master is awaiting me, and already I have taken too much time," said Erk. "I take my leave, milord."
"Nice place you've got here," I said. "I must leave too, however, so I have to pass up the chance to sightsee. I take my leave, milord." After giving Serra a hug, I said to her, "I'll miss you. Thank you for saving my life back there. I'll remember to visit you too. Goodbye, Serra!"
"Goodbye! And may Elimine be with you! Hope to see you again!" said Serra, a bewildered Lord Hector at her side. I left with a final wave and hurried after Erk.
"So eager to be getting home? Well then, let's go!" I said to him. "You really don't mind that I'm coming along?"
"No, milady. I don't."
"Good. Thanks for letting me," I said for perhaps the millionth time.
A final glance back at the roaring city and we were back to the forest where our horses were tethered. Serra didn't need Emminnar, so she let us keep her. We placed our packs on her and hitched up into our own saddles. Erk's horse was tied to Emminnar to Elradir. He slowly drove Elradir into a trot, headed north. We went on without talk until evening.
"Erk, who is your master?" I asked as we unpacked the tents.
"Lord Pent, Mage General of Eutruria. He is also known as Count Reglay."
"Really? Wow…"
"I think you would like to meet him? I believe he can further your training in becoming a master tactician."
"Can I? –– I mean, if it's no trouble, perhaps…"
"Of course. Why would it be trouble?"
"Thank you, Erk."
I was excited at the thought of meeting a Mage General. I wondered as I fell asleep if he would be like Wallace. That would be…sort of scary.
We began to ride with the mountains to the west and east. Each day, I would wake before dawn to see the sun rise from the mountains, making them black and mysterious, and waited to see the sunset. When the sun was high, it would reveal the craggy cliffs and juts of rocks and boulders on the face of a mountain, capped with snow. But at their foot lay sprawling fields and forestry clung to it, groping to reach higher up. Eventually, Erk wanted to see the sunrises and sunsets too, so I had to wake him before dawn.
It was the sixth day from Ostia. I called to him from outside the tent, "Erk! Come on, man, the sun is about to rise."
He crawled out and we stood together watching the sun peek from the side of a rather large peak. He was utterly silent for some reason these days.
"Erk, are you okay?" I asked. He didn't say anything for a while.
"I…don't know," he said finally.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I feel like I lost something…but I don't know what."
"Are you sure you don't know?" I grinned. He looked to me, puzzled. "Been thinking about Serra lately?"
He stood silently as the sun shoved itself off the mountain. Then, "We should be riding by now."
I nodded, quickly packing up my tent and binding it to Emminnar. I got into Cassy's saddle as the mare impatiently cast eyes about the trail, ready to travel. Cassy loved to be moving around, and was always impatient and touchy when we stopped to camp, unless I brought her carrots or apples. Then she would be very patient.
"Ready?" I asked as Erk hitched onto his horse.
"Mmm," he said, checking the rope that held Emminnar to Elradir. "Let's go."
"Wait! How about we have a race?" I asked.
"To where?"
"Well, you said there was a village that we could get to by mid-afternoon, so let's race there."
"That would be a long race. And I don't want to take the chance to be separated."
"You have a point. How about when we are able to see the village?"
"Alright. Then we will race."
We followed the road, meeting merchants and other travelers along the way. It was a while before we finally found the village. We raced across the road when we saw no one else on it, occasionally trash-talking the other when we passed each other. I watched the dot of a village grow bigger and more definite. I was so close; I could see the people inside. The village gates were open, and I flew past it, bringing Cassy to a sudden stop. She reared with surprise, but thankfully, I held a tight grip on the reins and squeezed my legs against her body to keep from falling off. Erk slowed at the gates and had Elradir come to a slow trot as he entered the village.
"I would not be in the least surprised to find you frightened at least half the village," he said calmly, but his eyes shone with the thrill of the race.
"Sorry!" I said to a group of children who had fled to a hut and were peering out cautiously. Deciding it was safe, they resumed to play their game of ball. I dismounted and stroked the mare, who was still shifty with the energy.
"We will rest at the inn tonight. Can you stock up on our supplies? We are running low. I have to send a messenger to Lord Pent about our arrival."
"Okay."
With a nod, he departed, taking the horses with him to the inn. I visited the vendor and bought an extra vulnerary, a Fire Tome, an antitoxin, and a torch. Then, at the market, I bought some veggies and fruits, and lots of herbs and spices. I bought several strips of meat too, and returned to the inn.
"Do you know where my purple-haired friend went?" I asked the innkeeper.
"Ah, you must be the one he was speaking of. Word of you got around a while before. He is visiting the village magistrate," said the innkeeper, curling the bushy tips of his mustache.
"Did he reserve a rooms for us?"
"Yes. Here is the key to your room. It's the third one on the right side of the hall."
"Thank you, sir."
Taking the key, I took everything I bought into my room. I saw my pack lying on the ground. He must have left it here first and returned the key again to the innkeeper. I began to place the vulnerary, antitoxin, vegetables and fruits into my pack.
"Ah, already finished. And you remembered to buy a tome," said Erk as he entered through the open door. "Of course, I must remember you are not like Serra. She would take hours fancying robes or hairpins. Here, I'll place the rest of it into my pack." He came back with his pack and quickly arranged the herbs and spices, strips of meat, the tome and the torch into his pack in a very organized fashion. "Hmm, we're set to leave. You can do as you please for now, but return soon after dusk."
"Where will you be?"
"I plan to learn the latest news of Eutruria."
I shrugged. "Okay. I'll just be roaming around then."
I left, tucking the key into my pocket and closing the door shut as Erk replaced his pack into his room. Then, I wandered the village in search of something to do. I came upon a water fountain shining with coins at the bottom. Beside the fountain, a sign was posted.
"Fountain of Prayers: Offer your prayers with a coin at this fountain. Chances are, it will be granted." the sign said. Chances. I remembered back at home of how I'd just drop in coins for the fun of it. Cassiele did too. I slipped open my wallet, hiding it in my robes, and took out a gold coin. Closing my wallet, I dropped the coin, this time with a wish.
I want to do the right thing between these: Return home and be with my family; or stay here and begin to break connections Earth has with other worlds. If I must stay here, please let me see my family again once…
I don't know whom I prayed to. Would St. Elimine receive my prayers with open arms?
I watched a school of children. They were of all ages, with no organized grades or such. The teacher didn't seem to mind as I watched her students answer (just my luck) math questions.
"There are fourteen men who are to fight fifty soldiers. By how much are they outnumbered?" asked the teacher to a boy who was twelve, perhaps. The boy thought. He stood there with his brows crinkled in concentration. "Joseph?"
"Thirty-four," answered the boy.
I shook my head. "Thirty-six," I said.
"Who are you two say that!" said the boy, frustrated when the teacher nodded to me.
"I don't know."
"I bet you don't know what six by twelve is! Answer that, won't you?"
"That's basic. Seventy-two," I scoffed.
I heard a girl whisper to another, "How high is seventy-two?"
"Joseph! Mind your manners! You will get a lashing for that!" said the teacher sternly.
"No, no! He doesn't need to be whipped!" I said, alarmed that they would do such a thing.
The teacher stood with her eyes narrowed as she observed me, her bottom lip quivering with anger in her round pouting face. "Now, then Ashley, fifteen children are playing ball. If they each catch the ball three times, how many times was the ball caught?"
"F-Forty-five, ma'am," stuttered a small girl.
"Forty-five!" cried the teacher. The girl shrunk back. "Wait…that's right…" The girl sighed with relief. "Angela, six sevens are?"
"Fourty…Fourty…Fourty-two!" said Angela.
"Is that so?" asked the teacher.
"Yes. This stuff is so easy!" I muttered. The teacher heard me.
"Easy, is it, girl? Then how about I give you a little quiz?" said the teacher, obviously angry as her face took on a shade of red. I shrugged, undaunted by her challenge. The students whispered excitedly among themselves.
"Tell me. What is nine by nine?" asked the teacher.
"Eighty-one," I said instantly.
The teacher thought for a moment. "Why, it is." Her face got even redder than it was. "Fourteen by fifty?"
I thought for a moment. Fourteen times five equals seventy. Add a zero and I've got seven hundred.
"Hah! You think you know everything?" said the teacher.
"Seven hundred."
The teacher stood flustered. "Prove it."
I gave her with a look of surprise. She held out a slate and chalk to me. I took it and wrote out everything. When she looked at it again, she turned crimson.
"Get away! Now! I don't need anyone telling me what I already know! Now scram!" she roared, pointing towards the fountain I prayed to.
Several months ago, I would have been rather scared at this outburst. I turned to the students with a triumphant grin. They looked back at me with surprise or awe. I won. Then I strode away from them, very pleased with myself.
"There was a commotion by the school today. Do you know of it?" asked Erk, frowning.
"Well…I…" I don't know what he wants me to say.
"You can't tell me you started it," said Erk.
"I didn't start it. I simply beat the teacher at her own game and left when she told me to."
"Well, the children are whispering about the commotion. I overheard one of them. They certainly enjoyed school today. But…I think it would have been better not to have spoken with the teacher and taken her challenge. You humiliated her."
I looked apologetically at him when he mentioned that. I didn't mean to humiliate her…or did I? I did feel happy when I beat her… "I should probably apologize to her…"
"She might not want to see you. Just let it go now. What's done is done."
"Hmm…How long until we reach Castle Wrigley?"
"Next week sometime," he said.
"Do you have family there?" He didn't answer. Perhaps that was the wrong question. "Who else lives with you and Count Reglay? Doesn't Countess Reglay live there too?" I asked.
"Yes."
"What are they like?"
"You have only a week more until you find out. You can wait."
I frowned. "Okay, then. Erk, can you teach me about magic?"
"Of course. But I hardly know anything in comparison to Lord Pent ––
"That doesn't matter! I hardly know anything in comparison to you!"
"Yes…"
"Oh, why are you standing in the middle of the room? Come, sit here and tell me about magic," I said, patting the spot on the bed next to me. Erk hesitated, then took his place beside me and thought.
"I only know of anima magic, or magic based on the elements of nature…" he said.
"Then tell me about anima magic."
"Anima magic…in order to do well with it, you must be able to communicate with spirits of nature," he began. And he told me a lot. I sat for a while, listening to Erk talk about magic, the only thing that Earth lacked. It was interesting too. There was a basic understanding about nature. Erk told me how to contact the spirits, recited some of the incantations, and told me of how you can talk to birds and animals using anima. He talked more than I ever heard him say before.
Eventually he stopped, hesitant. "I'm sure I have bored you by now," he said.
"No, no. Go on," I urged.
He shook his head. "I think it is time to sleep," he said, glancing out the window. It was dark already. "Have a good night's rest. Next week we will reach Castle Wrigley."
I nodded, mind still buzzing with his words. "Good night."
"Good night." He left the room to his own, closing the door.
I looked out the window, which was still open. A light breeze drifted at me as I rested my head on my hands. I turned around after closing the window and pulling the curtains closed. Then I parted the curtains slightly and peered out again. It was gone. Perhaps it was a trick of light. Or maybe I was seeing things.
But I swear I saw the shadow move. It was a figure cloaked in black, and I thought I saw golden eyes shining at me.
Then it hit me. The shadow I saw at the altar in Sacae, the figure that shot a ray of dark energy at me…someone was following me. But what did he want with me?
