Page 75 of Somewhere down the Ley Line
The group began their descent, picking their way down the steep, uneven slope. Felix lost his footing twice, sliding several paces before catching himself, and Leif had to grab Isolde’s arm when she stumbled and twisted her ankle. It was a slow, miserable process, but they made it down with no broken bones.
As they approached and could see the building more clearly, Felix guessed it must have been some kind of keep or watchtower. A crumbling wall extended out and around what looked like a bulky main hall, with a tower attached to the side that rose a story or two above the rest of the structure. Felix and Garren advanced side by side, weapons drawn. There had most likely been a gate once, but it had collapsed long ago. A strange ivy covered the ruined walls.
They crossed the rubble, halting in the middle of the former courtyard and gazing up at the keep. It was a simple, squat building, built for practicality rather than elegance. There was a hole in the roof, but structurally, it all looked sound enough.
A large arch opened into the main hall. Whatever door had once been there was gone, leaving only some rusted hinges behind. Felix peered inside, his hand tight on the handle of his axe. He exchanged a glance and a nod with Garren, then they both stepped across the threshold. A spacious, gloomy room greeted them. One corner had collapsed, the sky visible above, but on the other side the walls and ceiling were mostly intact. A doorway on the right led away into what Felix assumed would be the base of the tower.
“We can camp in here!” Isolde said happily from behind them. “We can dry all our things!”
Isolde’s face was like a balm on Felix’s soul, smiling for the first time in days, making him feel a little lighter. When had his mood started being so bloody dependent on hers? When she noticed him looking, though, the smile faded, and she quietly brushed past him into the room. He sighed, trying to ignore the way his heart twisted in his chest. Luella and Garren left to investigate the side door; Leif and Mia followed into the keep behind.
“Well, it’s nothing fancy, but it will be nice to sleep in a dry place,” Leif said.
Felix raised an eyebrow at him. “Nothing fancy? This is a palace compared to the last few days.”
“Fair,” Leif replied. Inside the room, Isolde was getting a blazing fire started. Mia fiddled with the strings of her lute. Once she had taken care of her instrument, she started stripping off her wet garments.
Next to Felix, Leif froze.
“Um. Is she going to…”
Felix shrugged. “Probably. Let’s see if we can find anything to hang our clothes on.”
They scoured the place and found some kind of odd metal framework in a corner that looked like it may have been a table once, as well as the cladding of a large wooden chest. By the time they had dragged it over, Mia was sitting as close to the fire as she could without burning alive, dressed in nothing but an undershirt that clung to her in ways that made Leif blush down to his toes. Isolde had – mercifully, or maybe tragically? It was unclear – kept more clothes on. The two women were talking in quiet voices.
Garren returned from inspecting the tower, reporting that the stairs were blocked with rubble, but otherwise the building seemed safe enough.
“Looks like we’ve lucked out,” Felix said, leaning against the wall. He glanced at Leif, who was still determinedly avoiding looking at Mia, and laughed. “She’s doing that on purpose to mess with you, you know.”
Leif shook his head helplessly.
“Right, well, I’m going to see if I can get some of this to dry,” Felix said, heading over to the fire. With his back to the others, he peeled off his sodden cloak, boots and shirt.
Mia wolf whistled behind him. “I didn’t realise we’d be getting a show; this night is looking up.”
Felix turned his head to glare at her. “Shut up, Mia.”
“So eloquent, Felix, as always.”
Next to Mia, Isolde had gone very still, and was nearly as red as Leif had been.
Luella returned to distract them with the news that there was a collapsed postern gate that was no longer passable, a functioning well, and some smaller ruins just outside the wall on that side.
Once cloaks, boots, blankets, and whatever other clothes everyone was willing to take off were hanging or laying out to dry, Felix retreated to the back of the room. It was not as warm as right by the fire, but it was quiet and allowed him to be alone with his thoughts. The firelight flickered across the walls, casting long shadows. He leaned against the stone and closed his eyes.
Light footsteps approached him a little while later. He cracked one eye open to find Luella standing in front of him, holding out a bowl. He took it gingerly, peering down into the steaming contents.
“Soup? How in the hells did you make soup?”
Luella grimaced. “Don’t get excited. You can hardly call it soup, but Leif did his best. We just thought hot food would be nice, even if it’s shit.”
“Hot food is very nice. Thanks.”
She sat down next to him, leaning her back against the wall, and they devoured the not-soup in companionable silence.
“Best shit food I’ve ever had,” Felix said wryly as he set his empty bowl on the floor.
“So,” Luella said as she placed her own dish beside it.
