Seekers of the Stone Maker

Ana worked with Myla through the early morning, and after they had written the letter, they grabbed their coats and boots and made their way out into the empty tavern. Myla wasn’t sure whether it was easier to find a messenger service, if there was one, or to take it straight to the castle, but she was convinced that they would figure that out while they walked around.

Lyla?

Yes?

Ana and I are heading out for a bit.

Where are you going?

We’re going to find a messenger service. Ana needs to let them know she’s here.

Be careful.

Of course.

Do you need me to come with you?

No… I think we’ll be okay. If anything happens, though, I’ll let you know.

Good.

Myla and Ana walked over to Mr. Muffins’ door and knocked. After a second, she heard someone muffle something, then opened the door. Mr. Muffins wasn’t there, but Leaf was leaning over his bed, working on something.

“Leaf?”

Leaf turned around, pulling the fabric from the bed where he worked, and wrapped the cloak around him. He pulled his hand up to his face, grabbing a piece of cloth he had sewn, covering everything under his eyes.

“What do you think?”

“It’s not the same color, but it should keep you warm,” Ana replied.

“It’s not for fashion, Ana. It’s for disguise. It hides my face, right?”

“Yes. It does that well.”

“Good. What’s going on?”

“Ana and I are going out for a bit. We’re sending a letter to the Valdimars, then checking out a shop or two. Where’s Mr. Muffins?”

“He went for a walk a little while ago. Thankfully, he’s covered in fur, or he’d be frozen by now.”

“We’ll watch for him as well and let him know what’s happening when we see him.”

“Do you want to come with us?” Ana asked.

“No. I’d like to get out of this room, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Well, we’ll be back soon, and we’ll try to find something for lunch,” Ana replied.

Myla and Ana walked past the tables and chairs and made their way out into the street. The first thing that hit her was the cold. It pushed through Myla’s clothes instantly, and her vision was shortened by the snow that fell ceaselessly. She threw her cloak over her head and moved forward.

The town felt deserted except for the few people who moved from place to place, running errands like them. It would have looked like a ghost town if it wasn’t for the light coming through the windows. When she moved by the windows, though, she could feel the warmth from inside and see the people of Aramore moving throughout the day, attending to their businesses.

One of her first stops was at a window outside a larger building. It was a simple building of stone, only one floor in height. Inside, she could see that it was a school. Ten children sat in their chairs around shared tables while a triton went on and on about something. She let her mind wander into the teacher’s thoughts as they read aloud from a book.

Myla found at a young age that reading pages after pages would bore her, but listening to something read to her worked out well. It let her focus on whatever she wanted to work on while still being involved in the story being told. When a person would read, their thoughts filled with only the story, so she could listen in on others reading, even if they were in another room. As long as there weren’t too many people around, she could retain and recite the information quickly.

Today, she found it easy, even with the amount of people around. Her mind dove into the teacher’s, and the children’s thoughts stayed out of hers. She listened as the woman talked about star charts and naval navigation. While it wasn’t the most exciting topic, she could feel the excitement in the teacher’s mind as memories floated by of their travels on ships when they were younger.

They were delightful memories. Myla felt it intrusive, so she pulled away before going too deeply and turned to walk further down the street with Ana. She hadn’t realized that she rolled her sleeves up, the warmth of the school room filling her, and she felt the snow lightly touching down on her skin.

It was another new feeling. She had seen and felt snow before, but there was something unique about it. It tickled her skin, and with the absence of migraines and thoughts, it became sharper than she had felt before. She realized that even this morning, the food had tasted better than she expected.

Maybe the lack of control over my abilities dulled my other senses?

Regardless of the reason, she sent a small mental thank you to Odin, then kept walking. While they didn’t find a store that sold gems or stones, they did manage to find a messenger service. It was a small building, not much bigger than a bedroom, and contained only a younger human, who sat in a chair with his feet up on the desk before him. Behind him, a small bookcase sat with various boxes. Each box had paint on the front, alphabetized with the different towns and cities of Cecela, and a box for Broken Sword, Migandi, Tamvir Skypeak, and Nothon, the various continents of Migandi.

He was a stockier man, with a shirt that did little to hide his gut and looked like he hadn’t bathed in at least a week. He smiled, missing teeth showing the rot and lack of hygiene further, but looked friendly.

“Hello!” Ana smiled and waved as she spoke.

“Hello. Where do you need your package or mail sent to?”

“Here in Aramore, actually.”

Myla could sense that that answer wasn’t what he was hoping for. He brought his feet down to the floor and brought out a hand to take Ana’s letter.

“Who to?”

“The Count and Countess of Karthmere Keep, please.”

He turned and placed the letter on top of the small bookcase, then pulled a bag out from behind his desk and set it in front of him.

“I’m on lunch right now, but as soon as I’m done, I’ll send it over.”

Myla watched from the entrance as Ana nodded, then set down a silver piece and turned to leave. She opened the door for her, and they both walked back out into the cold. As the door closed, Myla saw him pull out a large piece of bread, sliced into two pieces, with various fillings between them. He took a bite, and the door shut.

“I think that’s everything we planned,” Ana stated as soon as they were far enough away from the building.

“Yeah. It was an easy errand run. Let’s return to everyone else and see their plans for the day.”

Ana nodded, and they started their trek back to The Scattered Crow. As they turned onto the pathway to the tavern and inn, she could see Mr. Muffins making his way back. He waved quickly, tucked his hand back into his coat, and walked closer. Behind them, she could hear some horses and stepped out of the way to let a cart pass by.

At the front of the cart were two people, cloaks up high and hiding their features, with two dark brown horses carrying five large crates behind them. One of the people turned to look at Myla, but when they noticed she was looking back, they quickly averted their gaze.

She let her mind wander over, feeling suspicious for some reason. The man seemed nervous. Something else felt off, though. She could feel the horses and the two men at the front. Two creatures were in the crates behind them, and they felt scared.

She wasn’t used to feeling emotions from animals, but she pushed a little further and could feel their fear and frantic panic. As she watched, two of the crates shook. Myla grabbed Ana’s sleeve and pulled her against the wall, watching as one of the crates moved enough to lose balance and fall off the cart and onto the ground, smashing it open. She could see something gray and blue inside, and it wasn’t until it turned to look at her that she realized that she had seen those yellow eyes before. She turned and yelled out to Ana and Mr. Muffins.

“Basilisk!”