Chapter 11
"Wake up, sleepyhead," Roy murmured as sleep left Edward's eyes. Edward groaned, sitting upright. A full ruck sat at the end of his cot and diesel engine rumbled outside.
"What time is it?" Edward mumbled, pulling the sheets tightly.
"Before reveille, the sun isn't even up yet," Roy murmured, his weight pulling away from the bed.
"C'mon, get dressed, the car is ready to go." In play, Roy threw Ed's red coat on top of him.
"Fine, I'm up."
The breaking twins were loud as gunshots to Roy's already frazzled mind. Edward led the way and he watched his back with patience. The red clad shoulders in front of him had definitely grown broader in the past few months even and the golden braid now snaked down past his shoulder blades. He was silent, occasionally stopping to consult a map and compass. Roy would watch the trees while Edward walked. He didn't like the woods, it made him trapped and watched.
He walked more slowly this time, unable to shake the prickling sensation that crawled over his skin. Every now and the ten it would transform itself into stomach churning anxiety and he had to resist the urge to dark into the bushes and vomit.
Then the trees came into focus and he knew where he was. He forced his way through the wall of brush and the gate loomed before them again, heavy and ominous. Roy stood silent behind him, thin eyes narrowed. Slowly they moved again, taking in the complexity of the woodwork and the sprawl of the property.
"Can you feel that?" Ed murmured, lying his hands on the gate. Roy felt the tingle crawl up his neck and the circle each follicle of hair on his head.
"It's like alchemy," he murmured feeling the same familiar intrusion.
"But it's not. It's different," Ed whispered, running his hands over the metal. There was a click as his metal hand caught in the hollow eye of an infant. Cautiously his hands tugged at the handles and it opened soundlessly swinging open like magic. The energy stirred again, feeling like something restless, tossing and turning.
"You didn't mention this," Roy felt the need to whisper as if something would wake. His almond eyes slid over the trees, expecting shadows to slip from trunk to trunk. The last time he had felt this shaken by a place he'd been miles below Amestris.
Edward seemed blithe and cocky in comparison. He had no qualms about lifting himself to look into windows or cracking open doors that obviously hadn't moved in years. Roy watched as Ed murmured to himself, running fingers over boxes and buckets.
"Anything interesting?" He asked, taking stock of the room they were in. Dust had settled in for a permanent stay and was reluctant to move as he pulled a finger across a dark brown jar. The text was in Drachman and he fumbled with the syllables.
"Just lime and fertilizer, useful but ordinary. We should bring these back later."
"Later? You mean we have to come here again?" Roy frowned. Edward looked over at him. His eyes watered in the dim light of the small shed, dust swirling around him in a tunnel of light.
"You really think we're gonna be thorough going through his place once? You're so fucking lazy," Edward grinned. His eyes glanced around Roy to the label. "Nn, more peroxide," The colonel sulked silently as Edward continued his inventory. It was not often that Roy resented Ed's talent in everything did, but now was one of times.
He couldn't say why they saved the house for last, but they did, and once again Edward began searching the house with his hands. They roamed the door for traps while Roy checked the lower level windows for signs of alchemic protection. The thing that they had come to believe was paranoia stirred again. Roy felt it coil into a small ball in the pit of his stomach and settle there happily. Edward was the one who finally opened the door, hand clasping on the small brass knob and pushing aside the faded red wood.
The house opened itself with a sigh, old stale air rushing outwards. Ahead of them was a dark, narrow stairwell with the house spreading out to the left and right of them. It took several moments before either of them entered. Roy took the first hesitant step, his hand cupping the small of Edward's back and pushing him forwards into the dim room. The boy stumbled, metal foot falling heavily and causing the dust to jump.
Inside it smelt dry and soft, reminding Roy of his Grandmother's house, especially the way the sunlight took it's time coming down the stairway and spilling into the side rooms. Again, Edward went ahead, his fingernails pulling along the trim.
"Hey, Bastard, aren't these oil lamps?" He called, his voice cut through the heavy air. The Colonel eyed the sconces on the walls and reached up to gingerly pinch the wicks before smelling the oil on his fingers. He swiftly snapped his fingers on his other hand, in some attempt to regain his dignity. Edward sniffed haughtily. "I have matches you know, you smug bastard." Roy laughed and began lighting the other lamps.