Page 19 of Reine's Salvation

“Were you here when the fires happened?”

“No.”

“I’m glad. Let’s get out of here. I don’t like this place,” he said.

They hurried through the street in silence, their pace brisk, as if they were being followed. Suddenly, the silence ended. Sunlight reappeared from amid the buildings and the cheerful chirping of birds rang throughout.

“The brewery is that building over there.” Mystique pointed to the brick building in the distance. “It was built in the mid-1800s by the Lance family. They created the town in the late 1700s when they settled a ranch here. The ranch business was a success and people started migrating toward the area. That prompted Francis Lance to open the brewery.”

“Debauchery.”

“Perhaps,” Mystique agreed. “Nonetheless, the town grew and became what it is now.”

“It’s not very great now, if you ask me.”

She smiled. “This way.” The paved road ended giving way to a wide dirt path. “Carriages carrying tankards of beer drove through here once.”

Reine nodded. Their boots crunched on the ground as they walked up the hill. Finally, they stopped in front of the building. Even though the windows had been boarded, the building didn’t seem to be in disrepair. Above the door, a sign with bold letters read,Lance Brewery, the taste of home.

“Eventually, with the rise of industry, people began to leave. The town didn’t die out completely, but it became something different, a last resort to those who were escaping the city. The hiking trails became popular as did the rest of the minor attractions.”

“And the house at the top of the hill?”

“That came before people started to leave. I think it was the last of the Lance family’s fortune.”

“You think?”

“To be honest I’m not entirely sure. I think no one in town is. It’s a bit of a mystery, that house. They say it was built with the last of the Lance fortune as a memorial to their kin, but others say it was built before and the family simply lost its fortune and abandoned it.”

“It’s abandoned?”

“Yes. I’ve never seen a soul in it. I heard a while back some people were interested in buying it and turning it into some sort of hotel, but so far nothing has happened. Shall we move on?”

They walked in silence, slowly leaving behind the hub-bub of the town and immersing themselves deeper into the woodlands. Trees on both sides of the path created a canopy of dancing sunlight that warmed and cooled them alternately. Mystique took in a deep breath. Everything was different up here. From the sounds, to the air, to the peacefulness she felt.

“Have you ever been in the house?” Reine asked.

“Never inside, only the outside. That’s where we’re going now.”

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