We were making our way towards Scorro, traveling in the close quarters of a swaying carriage. Its gentle rocking motion lulled me into a state of calm, while the clattering of hooves on the weathered stones of the road made this peaceful, rhythmic sound that was almost hypnotic.
It was a bit tight in there, but I could still move around and lean out the window. I sat next to Florencia, our sides pressed together, but I did not mind the closeness and neither did she. The thin wooden wall was to my left, but I had some room to move and turn. Beneath us, the seats were plush and comfortable enough, covered with worn, velvet-like material that was soft. The open windows offered a view of the passing scenery, but thick, black curtains hung nearby, ready to be pulled over to shield us from the cold.
Florencia shifted closer to me, took off her coat, and put it on the seat next to Jace. She handed him the leather-bound folder.
“Let’s go over the dossier,” she told Jace.
“Vranik… first name unknown,” Jace said as he read through the few papers. “A person of interest to the Acrisius Order in the Szell Counties. Tied to the Odel incident many years back, the last known location was heading toward the Lienor border, but that was years ago. There’s no description of the person. I read here… only rumors of this person being in Scorro, but no actionable information. Probably just a check-up mission.”
“Chasing rumors again,” Florencia said. “What about Scorro?”
“Simple village,” Jace replied without looking at the documents. “Population of about twenty thousand, two major trade routes going through it.” He then looked down and read, “The Lord Mayor of Scorro is Baron Umberto Tocci… young and from an irrelevant family. The Fiesi family has an office in Scorro, as you said, so maybe there’s some friction there with the Lord Mayor.”
“Most definitely,” Florencia agreed. “I’ve never heard of the Tocci family, and the Fiesis would push their will on the mayor’s family.”
“The Toccis are barely worth mentioning, indeed,” Jace agreed. “Even the dossier has little information on them. Should be an insignificant family, wait… it reads here that they increased their wealth considerably a few years back. Record yields of crops and even found a copper vein close to the village. Could that be a lead?”
“How many years ago was that?” she asked.
“No specific details,” Jace said. “Only a passing comment, I’m afraid.”
“We cannot ignore coincidences.”
Jace agreed and said: “This is it for the dossier.”
Florencia breathed out and smoothed her hair. “Should be a simple assignment. We’ll visit the baron tomorrow morning, and see what he has to say.”
“Can you do that?” I asked. “Simply demand to see the mayor, and they’ll comply?”
“It’s complicated,” Florencia said. “Nobody has to do what we tell them. We’re not an authority, but generally, they comply and do what we ask. And showing them the medallion of the Lodge usually persuades them to not stand in our way. Most don’t want to involve themselves with the Academy’s work. And if they refuse to cooperate, a gentle emotional push is all it takes.”
“Not if they’re sensitive to magic,” Jace specified. “Then we have to ask or convince.”
“Or sometimes forcefully demand,” Florencia said with a smile.
Florencia and Jace talked some more about their ideas, but there was little to go off of, and my mind wandered. I looked out the window and admired the countryside which we passed through. It was breathtaking, ablaze with colors of yellow, orange, and many shades of brown as the fields had been harvested and were now naked to the elements of winter.
Autumn had truly come, as the many trees had turned golden and red. Everywhere where we saw households was the ever-present smell of woodsmoke, and I felt a deep comfort in it. Countless farmsteads we passed, workshops, and sawmills, where people all worked tirelessly to support the behemoth that was Bessou. Such a city needed much work and labor to survive and thrive.
Time passed, and the Sun was past its high point of the day. Florencia gradually dozed off, resting more and more against my shoulder.
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We sat in silence for a bit, but I felt Jace’s increasing excitement. His eyes darted left and right, never resting in the same place for too long. His mind was overflowing with questions that he managed to hold back until now.
“So you truly don’t remember where you were for thirty-six years, or how you got these scars or tattoos? That is fascinating,” Jace said rather suddenly. He did not bother with an introductory question but started from a middle point in the conversation as if we had been talking for some time.
“Not a damned thing,” I replied, feeling at ease talking with him for some odd reason. “I have feelings of familiarity with Bessou, for example, or with Florencia. I had a connection with her immediately. Even though I fought back against that feeling for a bit. She managed to convince me—”
“She can be persuasive,” Jace interjected.
“In many ways,” I said, without really meaning anything sexual, but Jace looked away and blushed. “But it is true that I woke up in Veneiea without memories. It was almost like waking from a long, dreamless sleep.”
“So, how did that go?”
“Well,” I began. “As you might guess, it wasn’t the nicest place to wake up in. I woke up in deep mud, and I was cold and confused. There were bodies all around me, and the only sounds I could hear were this… strange shouting in the distance. I knew I had to find a safe place, so I stumbled up and limped where I saw more light and fewer destroyed houses. I found the Russo twins in that crumbled building—”
“Did you see the beast?” Jace asked, eyes wide with excitement.
“Not really,” I lied. I had already agreed with Florencia to not mention to anyone about what I did to the creature. I said nothing to Ardovar or Philemon during the interrogation, and I would not say a thing to Jace either. “There was something tall and dark in the distance, but I lost consciousness soon after that. When captain Dion found me, it was gone.”
“Most fascinating,” Jace said again. “And then you spent two weeks muted in the prison.”
“I did. It was… unpleasant.”
“Intriguing. I have little experience with the circlet of Aegisthies,” Jace said. “But I know that no one has withstood it for more than a few days before losing their minds, and then they have been a drooling dimwit for months afterward. And you even withstood the interrogation of both the Lord Commander and Mr. Petridies!”
“Florencia told me this, as well. There’s much I can’t explain…” I said and trailed off, but Jace kept looking at me with great interest.
What he said was correct. There were many questions about my situation, but I did not want them answered. I felt deep down that I had to move forward. And as the carriage kept rolling along, I felt a sense of urgency grow in my heart.
Jace saw I would say nothing else, and he continued: “Do you know that all the files on your disappearance case were locked away? I had access to them, and they classify your disappearance as magic-caused temporal dislocation.”
“That’s quite a term for it,” I said, but did not press the matter. What could I say? I knew nothing, remembered nothing, and truthfully, cared little about it.
Jace looked at me, then at Florencia, who slept peacefully, head resting against my shoulder, and changed topics.
“You two are close,” he said. “I’ve worked with her for five years now but never seen her this… content. She always had this frown about her, but now she’s peaceful. How did that happen?”
“I don’t think it’s my place to answer that,” I said. “But she does seem peaceful.”
Jace nodded and continued: “My apologies for being this nosy. I know how I must come across, but your situation is fascinating. I could not imagine what it’s like for you.”
I could only shrug and agree with him, and I did not mind his nosiness. It came from a good place, but I had to make sure my instinct was correct.
Time passed in comfortable silence as Jace regathered his thoughts and energy. We had now left behind the farms and workshops that supported Bessou, and the surrounding landscape had transformed into a sparse forest of towering trees with golden leaves. The rustling of leaves and distant calls of birds were the only sounds to be heard, aside from the creaking of the wheels and the sound of hooves on stone.
“I must admit, I’m feeling quite confused,” Jace spoke up again after what seemed like an appropriate amount of time had passed. “Why did you decide to come along on this mission? What we do is not a trivial matter. I don’t know if Warden… Florencia told you about what happened at the Rasker assignment. What we do is nasty business.”
“She did,” I said and turned my head to her. “I know what the Lodge does. I came because of her. She’s the only person I know, and it felt strange staying behind. When she asked me to come, I couldn’t refuse.”
As I said this, the sleeping Florencia snuggled closer against me, and let out a gentle sigh, breathing softly into my neck. Jace scratched his bearded chin and nodded silently.
As the carriage drove on, Jace and I spoke some more.
We talked about a wide range of topics, and he shared his wealth of knowledge with me. He spent his early childhood in the premier school in Bessou before attending Cappesand, and he was well-versed in the history and culture of Lienor. He spoke in great detail about the latest politics and news, how there seemed to be additional troubles arising every month, and in casual simplicity brought me up to speed about the many provinces of the country. His enthusiasm was contagious, and I found myself rather liking the man.
Slowly, the first day passed into evening.
The endless farmed fields turned into a great forest of tall trees, with wide crowns and trunks almost as thick as the carriage itself. By nightfall, we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere, alone. The carriage moved at a slow pace to give the horses a chance to rest, but we did not stop to make camp, and instead slept in the carriage itself, our backs and necks bent and sore by morning.