by Eric Vall
She tilted her head and hummed. “I couldn’t tell what was happening, but I saw him talking to the man who does road repair.”
I thanked her for her time and met up with my team as they finished their own rounds.
“We’ve gotta go see this street repair guy,” Layla declared.
“And maybe pitch in to help while we’re at it,” Cyra offered with a smile.
“We should absolutely help out,” I agreed. “So, back to the inn and the apothecary?”
They murmured in happy assent, and we headed back with some difficulty, since the streets were beginning to clog up with late morning crowds.
As we neared the inn, I noticed a hemp rope had been stretched between the buildings to block off the damaged pavement where we had fought Gawain. The crowd swelled around it like a stream of fish around a rock.
The street wasn’t in terrible condition, but there were a few blackened potholes here and there. I examined the area for signs of Mr. Lannmire, but I didn’t see anybody who looked as if they were doing street repair.
“Onward to the apothecary,” I announced.
As soon as we neared the damaged apothecary, I could tell we’d have more luck here. A man in a bright blue helmet swept the glass from the road from within another roped-off area. His exposed arms were covered in thick pale hair, and he sported a nicely trimmed beard of the same color.
“Mr. Lannmire,” I called. “How about you let us give you a hand?”
The repairman looked up in surprise. “Who are you all?”
“We’re the mages who chased off the shooter last night,” I explained as we neared. “Unfortunately, we’re also responsible for some of the road damage.” I smiled sheepishly and threw out the crystal for my cementroll. “This monster should help out.”
“Oh, I’ve worked with one of you summoners before!” Mr. Lannmire exclaimed with his bright eyes fixed on my cementroll. “I’d love to have your help.”
Together, we worked to fill in the street and repair the curb over the next half an hour. The work went very quickly with the aid of my cementroll, and soon the road looked as if nothing had happened.
“Ah,” Mr. Lannmire sighed as he leaned back and brushed the dried cement from his hands, “you’ve given me some tremendous help. Is there anything I can do to repay you?”
“If you don’t mind, can I ask you a question?” I inquired.
“Go ahead,” Mr. Lannmire said with a wave of his hand.
I pitched my voice low. “We heard you talked with the shooter before things went down. Can you tell us what happened?”
“That’s the honest truth,” he said with a solemn nod. “The fellow approached me looking like he’d gotten in a fight with a thorn bush. I thought he wanted money, but he just asked for directions instead.”
Cyra, Layla, and I exchanged glances.
“Can you tell us where he wanted directions to?” I asked eagerly.
“Of course,” Mr. Lannmire said. “He wanted to know how to get to a place called Bathi Highlands.”
My mouth fell open. “You’re kidding.”
“Dead serious,” he replied. “My mother always said I was an awful liar.”
“So, how did the fight start?” Layla asked.
Mr. Lannmire hummed thoughtfully. “He asked me about potions, and I told him I didn’t know. He must’ve gone on to the next fellow to ask the same question, but that man assumed he was a beggar and told him to get lost.”
“He must have taken offense or threatened him for an answer,” Cyra mused.
Funnily, the thought of the scratched-up mage getting royally offended wasn’t too out of character for Gawain.
I gave Mr. Lannmire a pat on the shoulder. “You don’t know how helpful you’ve been.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Wasn’t a hard favor.”
We were interrupted by the apothecary door as it swung open hard.
“Toodle-oo!” chorused a pair of female voices as Gracia and Ilda emerged.
“Oh!” Cyra piped up. “We were just about to step in to help you all with your shop repair.”
This was news to me, but I supposed it wasn’t out of the question.
“Oh no,” Gracia tutted as she bounced up to us, “we couldn’t possibly delay you in Millervale any longer. Besides, we had this nice mage named Varleth help us rebuild while you were gone.”
Just as she spoke the words, the apothecary door opened again to let out Varleth. The banisher’s eyes were alarmingly wide, and he looked like a man who’d seen horrors and barely escaped with his life. He walked over to stand behind Layla and Cyra with a forlorn expression.
“A little birdy told us you were headed off to follow that thief,” Ilda continued with a wink.
“So we’ve packed up your secret gift nice and tight especially for airship travel!” Gracia interjected seamlessly.
Ilda handed over a neat, medium-sized, pink box with a red bow tied on top. It was square-shaped and about a foot wide in each direction, but I couldn’t begin to guess what it contained.
“U-um,” I stammered out as I accepted it hesitantly, “thank you?”
“Thank-yous should be saved for weddings,” Gracia said.
“And funerals!” Ilda added with morbid cheer.
“Those are some wise words,” Cyra said seriously.
Layla let out a strangled noise that sounded suspiciously like smothered laughter.
“Oh, you mages better get going,” Gracia chirped as she wrung her plump hands. “There’s an airship heading out at noon that takes custom travel requests for a price.”
It was certainly a price we were willing to pay, so we said our goodbyes to Gracia and Ilda and headed back to the inn for our things.
“Wow,” Layla said wonderingly as she examined the pink box. “They’re like fairy godmothers.”
“Should we open it?” Cyra asked.
“Better not,” Varleth said darkly.
“What happened to you in there?” Layla teased.
The banisher shivered. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
“No time to open the gift now,” I explained. “We’ll have to rush to get to our airship in time. You three do your packing while I leave a note for Erin with the innkeeper.”
I didn’t want Erin to come back and find us vanished, so I gave the innkeeper strict instructions to tell the orange-haired girl we’d gone to Bathi Highlands, and that she should follow.
He took down my note dutifully, and I went upstairs to gather my things. By the time I finished, Layla, Varleth, and Cyra were raring to go, so we all rushed down and out to the airship docks.
There was only a smaller airship docked, but the fee must’ve been high, since a lanky westerner was yelling out advertising for vacancies onboard as we arrived.
“Hi,” I said breathlessly as we ran up to the westerner. “Got space for four people to the outpost in Bathi Highlands?”
The westerner rocked back on his heels thoughtfully. “Bathi Highlands is pretty far out of my way, so it’ll count as a custom request. You got cash for the trip?”
I nodded, and he listed a price that made me nearly drop my wallet. Still, we could afford it, and it was important to stop Gawain before he did anything terrible with the ciphers.
I agreed to the cost, and within the hour, we were on the airship as it took off. My seat rattled uncomfortably, but soon we were high enough that the wind turbulence leveled out.
“Do you think we’ll make it to Bathi Highlands before Gawain?” Layla asked.
I tilted my hand back and forth to show my uncertainty. “I sure hope so. I can’t imagine he can run faster through the forest than we can fly, but I don’t know much about Gawain these days.”
As we heard that thought voiced aloud, the four of us sighed in tandem.
“Asking for information from the clinic patients earlier was rough,” Layla mused. “I just don’t like to think about Gawain injuring innocent people.”
“Me neither,” I said,
“but I don’t really know if it’s Gawain’s fault.”
“You think he’s innocent?” Varleth asked.
I hummed as I considered everything I heard. “I want more information before I’m certain, but I’m leaning that way. When Cyra and I confronted him at the apothecary, I was able to talk to him.”
“It was a very one-sided conversation,” Cyra clarified with some doubt in her voice.
“It was,” I allowed, “but you saw his face. When I started telling him about our past together, he stopped attacking and listened. He looked like he was in pain.”
The dark-eyed summoner pressed her lips together. “That’s true, but it didn’t last long. You only got a few sentences in before he went insane and attacked.”
“Right,” I said, “but to me, it looked like something I said was a trigger to his bad reaction.”
“Do you remember what you told him?” Varleth questioned.
I nodded slowly. “The only thing I can pin down is that I brought up Phi. He didn’t mind hearing about fighting or about Nia or the Shadowscape, but the second I said Phi’s name, he completely went off.”
The two girls leaned back in their seats as they considered my words.
“You’re sure he was actually listening to your words?” Layla wondered. “It wasn’t just random?”
“I’m almost completely certain,” I confirmed.
Varleth tapped his fingers on the arm of his seat. “If Phi’s name set him off … you think she has something to do with his condition?”
“I think it’s the best idea I have so far,” I said ruefully. “The last time I saw Phi, I captured her vindehund and took back Nia. Even after all that, she told me she’d gotten what she wanted.”
“Maybe she just likes to fight,” Cyra suggested.
“Or maybe Gawain was what she wanted,” Layla said darkly. “He had all those nightmares, and he kept scratching at his back. Could she have hurt him there?”
I startled as she brought up the last note. “His back? I thought I saw some odd marks on it, but I figured I was just imagining things.”
“Marks?” Layla asked with concern. “Like wounds?”
I scrunched up my brow as I tried to recall. “Maybe, but I can’t say for certain. I didn’t get a good look, so it could’ve been anything.”
“How could Phi control him through a wound?” Cyra questioned.
“Maybe she inflicted it during his nightmares,” I said, “like some kind of weird sleep magic.”
“Maybe it was poison,” Varleth said ominously. “That’s how I would have gotten him.”
We turned to stare accusingly at the gypsy, but he rolled his eyes with a sigh and looked out the airship window.
“If this is Phi’s doing,” Layla asked, “do you think we can reverse it?”
“I sure hope so,” I murmured, “but we should focus on catching him safely. Cures can wait until later. For now, let’s stop worrying about what we don’t know and get some rest.”
The others agreed, and I took my own advice as I slumped down in my seat and propped my head on my arm. It wasn’t comfortable, but I was exhausted, and I fell asleep almost instantly.
Then I was awoken by Layla’s hand on my shoulder as she shook me gently.
“Gryff, we’re there,” the petite mage told me with a beautiful smile.
What a lovely way to wake up.
“Thanks,” I said as I stretched and popped a few joints in my spine.
I clambered to my feet and stumbled off the airship into the bright, outside world. The westerner from earlier thanked me for my patronage, and I gratefully shook his hand before he climbed back up the ramp to his airship.
“He must make a fortune,” I hummed as I watched the ramp raise back up to seal off the ship’s cabin.
“As well he should,” Varleth sighed happily. “That was the smoothest ride I’ve ever been on. I didn’t wake up even once.”
It must’ve been, since I knew I’d certainly slept through it.
I gathered my three companions. “Alright, team, time for us to … ” I trailed off as a figure emerged from the nearby outpost and approached us with some urgency.
“Who’s that?” Layla asked.
We waited for a moment as the person drew nearer, and my mouth fell open as I realized who it was.
“The mayor!” I exclaimed. “I recognize him from the last time I was here.”
Cyra tilted her head as she peered at the approaching figure. “The only question is, what does he want with us?”
Chapter 10
I hadn’t spoken much with the mayor of the outpost at the time, but I vaguely remembered him thanking Varleth, me, and the rest of the team. Layla hadn’t been present, but Cyra was there with Maelor, and I turned to her for confirmation.
“It really is him,” Cyra exclaimed. “Though, I think he’s put on a few pounds.”
“Harsh, but true,” Varleth added.
I was fairly certain Cyra was right, since we watched the mayor huff and puff his way toward us with a speed that could only be described as a labored jog.
“I’m so glad you mages are here!” the mayor bellowed as he approached.
The four of us had donned our student cloaks for the cold airship ride, and I was sure we looked the part of a team of full-fledged mages.
“What’s wrong?” I asked the man as he finished his sprint.
He gasped for air and panted as he bent over at the waist. He put up one finger to indicate for us to wait, but his brows shot up as he looked at me.
“Oh, you’re that summoner from all those months ago,” he finally managed to wheeze out. “Gryff, was it? And the one with the black cloak, I recognize you, too. You helped stop the monsters and the er, the angel?”
“We did,” I said. “I’m surprised you recognized us.”
“I’ve got a good memory for faces,” the mayor explained with a pained chortle, “especially the ones who help save the entire town.”
“What’s wrong now?” Varleth cut in. The gypsy wasn’t one for small talk, and he also wasn’t afraid of offending people if he needed to get to the bottom of a problem.
The mayor straightened up with an uncomfortable hiss as his back cracked. “I’m afraid I’ll need your monster-destroying assistance once again. Our caves have been acting strangely for weeks, and now things have gotten even worse.”
“Strangely?” Layla asked.
He nodded. “At first it was just people coming back from the mountains with stories about seeing things or hearing voices. Recently, though, monsters started to come out.”
“There’s a rift in the caves?” I frowned.
“Well,” the mayor hedged, “I’m really not an expert on these things, so I can’t say for certain, but it doesn’t seem normal at all. Even worse, people have begun to disappear, and I need you to get them back.”
“I see.” I considered this new problem for a moment, but the answer seemed clear. I just didn’t know how to phrase it.
“I’m afraid the vanishing people have likely been attacked and killed by monsters,” Varleth beat me to the punch as he replied with his monotone voice.
The mayor’s face crumpled as the news hit him. “Oh, dear. That’s not good, not good at all.”
It really wasn’t, but the mayor seemed to have a knack for understatement.
“Have you contacted the Academy?” I asked.
The mayor nodded, and his thick chin waggled as he said, “Of course, it was one of the first things I did. I haven’t gotten any reply, but I thought you were the response team?”
“We’re the backup plan,” Layla quipped.
The mayor looked more than a little confused, but he stepped forward and seized our hands one by one to shake them. “Thank you all so much. Who knows how many more miners would disappear without your help? Ah, I’m so happy you’re here.”
“Well,” I pondered, “if we help out, where should we go to get started on your monster problem?”
Unfortunately, we weren’t actually here to visit the caves, even if it was to stop monsters. If we took the mayor up on his offer, we might be hurting our real mission to stop Gawain.
But, on the other hand, we couldn’t focus our undivided attention on Gawain if there were monsters coming through an active rift.
I turned to the rest of my team to see what they thought. Cyra and Layla gave minute nods while Varleth twisted his mouth up in a doubtful expression.
“I’m afraid we’re not here just to take care of the monsters,” I explained as I reluctantly turned back to the mayor. “We actually came looking for a rogue mage, but he may not have arrived to the outpost yet. Has anybody suspicious come into town recently?”
The mayor blinked and squinted at us. “No, I don’t think so. We don’t get too many newcomers through here, but I definitely would’ve heard about some mage.”
“He’s blond and smells like a dying rose garden,” Cyra added.
“No, I certainly haven’t seen anybody like that,” the mayor chortled.
“That’s to be expected,” I reassured him. “We came by airship, but he may be on foot. Keep an eye out for the next two days, but be careful, he’s dangerous.”
The mayor’s mouth fell open. “Oh, dangerous? Sure, I’ll watch out. I’ll tell the innkeepers, too.”
“Thanks,” I said gratefully, though I didn’t feel entirely comfortable leaving the outpost behind in the mayor’s hands.
Still, I was determined to help the people of the Bathi Highlands’ outpost. I always made a point to save anybody who crossed my path, so I couldn’t stand by and let them get hurt or killed.
“Can you give us some descriptions of the missing people?” Varleth intoned. “It will help us confirm their deaths if we stumble on any bodies.”
“Yes, of course,” the mayor croaked, and he blanched as the blood rushed from his face. “I’ll write a list for you all, but I must go back to my office. I’ll meet you at the far end of the outpost, by the statue.”
I had no idea what statue he meant, but it wasn’t like the outpost would take long to search. I doubted more than three-hundred people actually lived here, though there were likely some visitors and tourists as well. I’d heard the crystal caves were spectacular, but I’d never seen them for myself when I was last here.
