Turning around thinking that she might be lost, she headed back the way she had come only to be greeted not a minute later by a knife at her throat.
"I really wish people would stop doing this," she thought to herself, "I'm getting ever so tired of a knife at my throat."
Amber stood still not even breathing; she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there would be no conning this man, the best she could hope for would be that he would give her enough room to make her case to him. She knew that this must be Cath and the fact that he had lived here and there was no sight of his home bothered her it didn't seem right, she could only guess that there must be some magic around it. All of this she was running through her head when he finely spoke, "I don't know who you are or what you want but if you want to live you'll go back to where you came from and not bother me again."
Though she didn't really have the room around the knife she spoke anyways feeling the blade bite into her skin, "As much as I might love to do just that, I can't, I was asked to see you and ask for your help."
"Well see now that's not a very smart thing to say seeing as I have this knife to your throat. Perhaps I should just kill you now and save myself the trouble."
He didn't lighten the pressure of the knife to her throat instead she could feel it biting into her sink ever so lightly even though she wasn't moving. Wincing at the pain and having no other choice she continued choosing her words with care she asked, "Do you think that I would have chosen to come here? I was sent to ask for your help, I'm sure you have an idea as to who might send me?" She left the last part open like that letting him decided on who that someone might be, after all she may have a name but that didn't really mean much.
She felt the pressure lighten as the man sighed, "I guess I'll at least hear you out, if for no other reason than you're not panicking."
When he'd let her go she spun around to face him, he was an average looking man with brown hair and eyes, the kind of man who would you would never pick out of a crowd. "You know that's not very nice, you know," she said as she grabbed the cloth off the top of the basket and pressed it to her neck. All she got for that was a raised eyebrow so she continued, "If you really don't like people this much you should put up a sign or something, I've always thought it best to warn someone before you try to kill them."
He laughed, "You're odd."
"Well I'm ever so glad you find that amusing , now as I said before I was sent here to ask for your help, my friends and I are looking for someone to help us get to Corus," as she said this she watched him carefully, she could tell that he didn't like the thought of going to Corus. "I'm sure that you would love nothing more than to stay here, but I'm afraid that I really can't take no for an answer," as she said this she put the cloth down and pulled out a piece of bread and waved it under his nose.
He glared at her but took the bread, "Well then seem you have a bit of a problem, I'm not leaving."
Amber smiled, "Really, and what exactly is it that is keeping you here?"
"What's that ta mean?"
"Well from the way I see it if you haven't got something keeping you here than you really have no reason not to help."
"You ever thought maybe I just don't like people?"
"Now that's not really much of a reason not to come, now is it?"
His eyebrows shot towards his hair line, "Um, yeah, it is."
"No, no it's not, well now that that is decided we shall see you first thing tomorrow, we would like to head out nice and early."
"We've decided nothing and I'm not going with you."
"Sure you are after all you'd really hate it if I had to sick the sweet and innocent, five year old Caitlin on you," she started walking away but turned back and added, "Oh and that bread is for you, just remember to bring the basket by tomorrow Sara would really like it back."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
"What happened to you?" asked Marisa when she saw Amber throat.
"He thought it best to stick a knife to it before hearing me out, so I decided that that left him no choice but to come, if he doesn't show up tomorrow morning we're going to sick Caitlin on him."
"Um, I thought that you were going to convince him, not force him."
"I tried."
"Not very hard I'm guessing," Marisa muttered.
"Well he's the one who put a knife to my throat; anyways it's easier this way. Any ways I'm sure after a day or two he'll come around, I understand that men love adventure." Both Caitlin and Marisa raised their eyebrows, "Alright I may know that it's not always true, but I'm sure he'll come around to the idea."
"So we're staying another day?" Caitlin asked hugging a doll which she must have just bought while Amber was gone.
"That's the idea, this way we can be well rested before we head out."
Caitlin smiled, "Good cause I met a girl named Brea who wanted to play dolls if we were still here later."
"No problem sweetie," Amber said to her then turned to Marisa, "did you guys get supplies for Caitlin?"
"Yup, we should be good to go, barring anything unforeseen, with our luck something is going to pop up so perhaps we should never really consider ourselves truly prepared only less unprepared."
"That does seem it, doesn't it?" Amber sighed, "Well hopefully Cath will come with us, I really should have handled it better."
"Don't worry; I'm sure this will all work out, so as we have the rest of the day to relax how do you think we should do this?"
Amber and Marisa stared at each other both thinking the same thing, I have no clue, we may just end up going mad. "Well maybe we should talk to Sara, see if maybe there is anything that we should know."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Marisa said.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Later that Night
Marisa and Amber had listened to Sara for about an hour before the found themselves helping her in the kitchen; they weren't really sure how it happened but they found that they really didn't mind and they even had fun. They hadn't really learned anything that might be useful but Sara had told them that since they helped her they were to talk some of the pastries with them and that she would hear nothing by way of a no. They had also met the woman who had chased after her son when they were arriving, her name was Bethany and she was the local healer; she even gave them a few charms that might help later down the road.
All in all it hadn't been a bad day; now it seemed as if the whole village was crammed into the tiny dinning space with them, not that it was really that many people. From what they had learned there were only ten families living here and there likely wouldn't even be that many if it were for the fact that there seemed to be whenever someone traveled this road that they always seem to stop here.
"So what brings the three of you out here all by yourselves?" asked one of the local men.
Marisa smiled, "Oh, you know how it is, we here all this talk of what women can do and we just have to see for ourselves if it's really real. Seems as if now days ya never can tell the truths from the lies."
"Isn't that true, seems to me that I remember a time when you could take people at their word," added someone else.
Amber raised an eyebrow, "really I've always said, even the truth is colored by the mind of the one giving it. That's why it's possible to fool even the best mages if you're good enough at it."
"Well that's a different way to look at it," Sara said.
Marisa turned to the person sitting next to her, "So what's this Cath's story?"
The room fell silent before someone murmured, "Not really our place to tell."
Amber and Marisa looked at each other having remembered what little Sara had told them something about his wife having died; well this is going to be interesting Amber thought to herself. The rest of the evening passed with little conversation and a lot of tension and everyone seem thankful when it ended.