Page 57 of Somewhere down the Ley Line
She said a prayer to the Reaper. Not out loud, but in her mind. Even if these men came after them to hurt or kill, they were still people. Maybe they had families, lives they left behind. A silent prayer was the least she could do, for taking that from them.
They moved the camp some way upwind. A pale-faced Leif returned and helped without complaint. But he didn’t so much as glance at her. It stung a lot more than she thought it would.
The next morning as they were packing up, Luella stood staring into the distance where the sun had risen, her arms crossed and face pensive.
“We need to know more,” she stated. “Gather information somehow. Who else is following us?”
“How do you propose we do that?” Felix asked. “Ask a bird?”
“Birdscan’ttalk, Felix,” Luella deadpanned. “But Marsan is only a few days’ travel to the east from here.”
Garren shook his head. “I don’t like it. It would mean we need to split up.”
“No,” Isolde cut in. “We have to keep moving toward the Nexus.”
But Felix, damn him, agreed with Luella.
“Isa,” he began, in that tone he used when he was trying to be convincing and nice. For an instant, she wondered how many women he had swayed with that tone before. “I don’t like to admit it, but I think Luella is right.”
Luella glanced at him in surprise.
“We have already encountered two different groups out to kill you – or capture you – whatever they wanted. Who knows what others are out there? And what awaits at the Nexus? We’re in the dark out here. That mage sent us on our way with next to no information, but clearly there is a lot going on we don’t know about.”
Isolde pressed her lips together in a tight line. She didn’t want to admit they were right. She didn’t want to delay. But she also didn’t want anyone to get hurt because they walked blindly into another ambush.
Garren nodded. “In our urgency to leave Azuill, many questions were left unanswered. It would increase our chances, perhaps, to know more…”
Everyone was quiet for a while.
“Fine,” Isolde sighed finally. It was the right thing to do. Knowledge was, after all, its own kind of power. “I suppose it would help if we knew more. How do you want to do this?”
Luella chewed her cheek, then nodded toward the east. “It will take a day or so to reach the edge of the lowlands. If we camp somewhere hidden, two of us could head into Marsan. Pick up supplies. Ask around. Hear the news, the rumours.”
“Can I go?” Leif, who had thus far been silent, piped up. “I’ve never been to a city.”
Luella raised her eyebrows at him. “That doesn’t exactly qualify you as the best candidate.”
“I’ll take him,” Felix said. “I’ve spent some time in Marsan. It’s a small enough place to navigate. I know where to ask around.”
Isolde absently clutched at the hem of her cloak, worrying the fabric between her fingers. Felix did not look at her as he offered to go, did not ask her opinion. And why would he? She had no claim over him, and he was the best candidate. It made sense.
“I was going to suggest you go,” Luella said, “but I’m not sure Leif should.”
Felix exchanged a grin with Leif. “It’s fine. I’ll keep him in check.”
***
Leif returned to his normal, talkative self with the others as they headed eastwards, but there was a forced edge to his chatter. Isolde tried to catch his eye a few times, but he always looked away. Isolde told herself he didn’t hate her, that it was likely fear, but that did not make the hurt any less.
Luella and Garren also acted differently. Since the start of their journey, they had been protective of her, in their own way. She had accepted that, even if she had pushed particularly Garren’s boundaries in experimenting with her magic. But now, they seemed almost embarrassed of ever treating her like that in the first place. Like they didn’t know how to interact with her anymore after what happened.
It wasn’t like she wanted hero treatment. She didn’t feel heroic; she had been terrified and acted on instinct. Still, she’d expected… She didn’t know what she’d expected. Not this awkwardness, at any rate.
Felix at least did not distance himself. He kept his horse alongside hers in companionable silence, without questions or expectations. The memory of his arms around her the night before flashed through her mind at irregular intervals throughout the day, leaving her both flustered and comforted, despite everything.
When they stopped for a brief break, Felix jumped off his horse first so he could hold Shadow for her as she dismounted, then took both horses to the stream to water them without a word. Isolde found a place to sit and opened her notebook. There were only a few blank pages left, she realised. She sat and stared at the empty paper, wondering how she could ever put into words what she had donethe previous night. A handful of pebbles rose into the air and circled lazily. The feat barely required any effort now.
As she watched the floating rocks, she became distantly aware of Felix climbing a low hill toward Leif, who was standing at the top and looking around.
