Page 62 of Down from the Tower

“He said you didn’t know much about the lands,” Dahlia goes on, and her head pokes out again from the piles on the desk. “Says Midas locked you away all on your own.”

My eyes open wide, and I glance back. No one is immediately behind me, but someone down the hall might hear. “You know about-”

“Love, I know everything.” She shifts back out from behind the desk, holding a thick book. “Zarev’s been an orphan for quite a long time. We’re like family. And family takes care of each other, no matter what. He wanted to talk about you and be sure we were all okay housing the princess of Tressa.”

It’s unsettling how much she knows about me, but some of her words stick in my head stronger than the others. “Zarev is an orphan?”

“Was. I suppose none of that matters now that they’ve died.” Something like pain flickers across her face, but it’s gone quickly and she shoves the book into my arms. “Here. Some light reading to tide you over until they return. Should be before nightfall.”

The book is heavy in my arms. “Light?”

“Oh, these are wanderer’s stories,” she explains, and the blank cover makes a little more sense. “Everyone stops by The Missing Shoe at some point. We’re the central-most tavern in Sherwood. You want news, ya can find it here. See for yourself, love.”

I blink, waiting for there to be a catch, but she shoos me off with a grin. “Go on now. Take one of the corner tables, do some reading, finish your ale. Maybe your Reaper will be able to fill in the gaps when he’s back.”

My Reaper. It makes me hug the book tighter, and I nod slowly. “Right. I’ll just…” I gesture to the mug in one hand, the book in the other, and Dahlia chuckles. “I’ll go do some reading.”

I don’t see Zarev until the sun is gone. I’ve guzzled down some ale; it’s so much better than the dry wines my parents prefer in Tressa, and at some point one of the three little boys I saw earlier brings me some fresh bread. Gods, fresh bread at the tavern is so much better than the bread our chefs ever made in the castle.

I don’t actually see him walk in. One moment I’m enjoying how fluffy the bread is, flipping to another page, and the next there’s a man beside me, ripping a piece off for himself. “Learning about Mystica I see?”

I jump, managing to swallow the scream and avoid knocking the mug over on the book at the same time. I’m actually pretty proud of myself for that one. Dusting a cloth over my face, I grin at him. “Dahlia gave me this to read. Look! There’s a map.”

Zarev’s eyes are more orange than red right now, and when I focus on him he’s swapped the black clothing I’ve become familiar with for browns of different shades, the only black being gloves that cover his hands. That’s new. “I’m surprised you aren’t just studying the map.”

I look him over, realizing he appears better than okay. He doesn’t touch his chest, and I hope the gold is finally gone. My fingers itch to reach out and check for myself, but now that we’re in a tavern and not sitting in the woods it feels wrong. “Where have you been?”

He shrugs, reaching up to brush something from his face, and I realize he’s tugging something from his teeth. “Ray needed a little help out in the forest. I haven’t gone on a hunt in a long time.”

Blinking, I follow his finger when he points. There’s a man across the tavern, and half the people here rise from their seats to greet him. He has a friendly smile and sparkling green eyes, the exact opposite of Zarev. His hair is like Dahlia’s and his many siblings; the family resemblance is hard to ignore. “That’s Ray?”

“Mmm-hmm. Ogres came out of hiding in Ravens Wood and needed to be dealt with. Most ran towards Icicle Pass, so they will be Ban’s problem soon. He’ll enjoy the chase.”

“Icicle Pass…”

I’ve spent hours sitting here. The accounts of people’s travels are just as fascinating as the map, and I keep flipping through the worn book to try and follow along. A lot of people who pass through the tavern travel from the Frostlands, small little villages in Sherwood, up through Camelot, and down to Swanling, a kingdom that’s west of Tressa.

My eyes scan until I find what I’m looking for. “Ban is… another Reaper?”

“Yes. He travels more than the rest of us. Loves the Frostlands, which is absolutely insane for me. He’ll deal with anything that happens that far north. His frozen heart makes it easy for him to enjoy the cold.”

If anyone else said that, I wouldn’t take it literally. But Zarev says this with a straight face, and I get the feeling it’s exactly as he means.

I stare at the map. Icicle Pass is pretty far off, and there’s the sign for a castle with no name on every map I’ve seen.

I want to ask about that, but there are other things on my mind first. “You weren’t here when I woke up.”

Zarev raises a brow. “You rested for two straight days. I did check on you frequently, as did Dahlia, but I needed to help Ray before the ogres became an issue. It took most of the day but it’s settled now. I had to repay him somehow for helping us after the gingerbread house.”

Frowning, I try to remember what happened. Dahlia claimed to be the person who watched me the most since I arrived, and with Zarev missing until now there was no one to confirm that. “I remember those flower people-”

“Flowerborne.”

I blink. “Yeah. The… Flowerborne, and the house was so hot. I - I killed the blue one, and then you picked me up. It’s blank after that.”

Zarev nods, and one of the many red-brown haired kids walks by and slides a mug onto the table beside him. He pulls a coin from his new cloak - a gold coin - and flips it to the kid who catches it with ease. It reminds me of the coins I see in Tressa, but I don’t question him.

After all, Midas shot him with gold weapons. I think some coins are the least he could swipe from the kingdom.

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