As the two left the tavern, the city around them was just starting to wake up in the early dawn light. Jo looked around and nodded before walking purposefully toward the center of the city. Perry followed behind, keeping pace without much apparent difficulty. They eventually reached a road leading to the gated lord’s manor, but Jo turned off a side path leading around the edge of the gate. The alley became narrower and narrower as they walked, until finally Jo stopped in front of a fairly normal door. The only indication this was something else was a purple handprint pressed against the bottom left corner.
Jo looked at Perry and put a finger to her mouth, and Perry simply nodded. Jo turned back to the door and knocked twice before opening the door without hesitation. As she pushed, purple magic pulled from the frame for a moment before disappearing. If Jo had noticed, she said nothing. Instead, she continued to walk into the small house, and Perry followed a moment later.
In front of them both was an extremely old woman who was kneading dough with surprising ease. The woman didn’t react to their presence until the door closed behind Perry. As soon as it clicked, the woman started giggling and pointed a floury finger at Jo. “I see you made it back.”
“I don’t know why you are laughing. I got attacked.”
“Yes, but you survived, and you seem to have grown an attachment.” Both women turned to look at Perry who was standing by the door and watching them. “What can I do for you girly?”
“I need information.”
“You always need information.” Jo frowned but didn’t respond to that. “How did my last information do for you?”
Jo frowned even heavier. “I didn’t find what I was looking for. I found something else. And problems.”
The woman returned to kneading. “We all have problems. They never stop coming. However, it’s how we manage them.”
“I don’t need your advice.” The old woman seemed to become menacing as she looked up and the shadows grew from her feet. “I’m sorry. I meant I am not here for your advice, but it is appreciated.”
The woman giggled again, this time with a bit of a manic tone. “Here’s a bit more. Not all problems are problems. Sometimes they are opportunities. Sometimes they are traps.”
Jo crossed her arms. “Regardless, I have them. But, I am not here for this. Yor information didn’t get me any closer to the truth. I made it to the little village, but the only source of magic there was an artifact of healing.”
The woman frowned for the first time. “Well. That’s peculiar. I was sure...” She grabbed the dough and put it into a nearby bowl, brushed her floured hands on her skirt, and walked over to a book. The woman muttered a bit and opened her eyes and started flipping through the book. The book itself appeared to be blank, but the woman’s eyes seemed to glow slightly green. She appeared to be reading something that neither Jo or Perry could see. After a few moments, the woman sighed and closed the book.
The glow fading from her eyes, she turned back to them. “Well, I don’t know what happens, but the source of magic isn’t there any longer. In fact, it seems to have disappeared entirely. What happened there. Tell me everything.” The woman flicked her hand and the ground seemed to warp and twist on itself until three seats were created. The woman sat with a small groan. Jo turned to Perry and after a moment Perry shook his head. With a shrug, Jo sat in the other seat and looked at the woman.
“I went to the village. I got chased in, more like. Three perverse were near it. I outran them and eventually lost them in the trees. Afterwards, I went to the center of town and searched with my magic. It led me to an old blacksmith’s shop. But the only thing there was a little box with the healing bracelet. I did a search again and couldn’t find anything.”
The old woman huffed and frowned at Jo. “I said to tell me everything.”
“I did.”
“Don’t lie to me child. When you were in this very house before, you were not magically bound to an undead.”
Jo shot to her feet, but the chair grew branches and pulled her down to sitting. Perry didn’t hesitate. He reached the old woman in a few steps and grabbed at the branches that had grown to protect her. It was obviously a losing battle, but the skeleton continued to try. A quick glance at the old woman, and Jo shouted in warning as the woman finished muttering her charm. Red magic slipped from her shadows like wine and crawled up both Jo’s and Perry’s skeletons. “Don’t!” Jo shouted in panic, before her eyes turned to Perry. The red magic pressed up against him for a moment, before being absorbed into him. A light burst of energy came from him.
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“What was that?” The old woman growled, standing and pointing her old shaking finger at Perry.
“I don’t know.” Jo said, feeling the magic of the spell grabbing her throat. “I only know that all magic I’ve cast at him has gone wrong somehow. I don’t know what effect a truth spell will have on him.”
Perry stood still, the broken branches in his skeletal grasp. His mask stared down at it for a moment. Then he looked up and straight at the old woman. He pointed at her and then at Jo.
“It’s just a truth spell.” The old woman said dismissively. “Now, the truth. What happened?”
Jo was obviously trying to keep her mouth shut, but still her voice came out calm and smooth. “The perverse chased me all the way to the graveyard. I called for protection and then I deanim...” Jo continued to move her mouth as though talking, but a shadow seemed to hang in the air around her mouth. The grandmother growled and lifted her hand to cast another spell.
“Don’t.” The single word was a mere whisper in the back of the woman’s mind but she ignored it. But it was repeated and louder. The old woman turned her eyes to Perry who stood next to Jo. He had taken off the mask and his skull was clearly visible, a faint glow of red coming from his nasal passages leading into where his brain had once been.
“Did you... just talk?” Perry shook his head in negativity. Both of them turned to Jo who was watching them both with concern, even as her mouth continued to speak. The skeleton lifted his hand and touched his skull, the hollow sound echoing in the room. “Mentally?” Perry nodded.
Before anything else could happen, the shadow around Jo dissipated and her final words were, “and then we arrived here.” Before she heaved a sigh of relief. But then turned to the old woman. “As you can see, I CAN’T answer your question truthfully. Can you please release me from this chair and spell.”
The woman nodded but didn’t tear her eyes from the skeleton, her hand swept in the air with a mumble under her breath. Experimentally Jo said, “I was born Herald, the son of a petty beggar.” Jo stretched her jaw and nodded, before standing from the chair.
“Why?” The voice echoed in both women's minds.
Jo let out a frustrated sign. “I mean, I am grateful to be able to communicate with you even a bit, but I really worry about what this means for you Perry. I was telling a lie to make sure that the spell was released. You should do the same.” The grandmother let out a little sound of protest and Jo turned her eyes to her. “I know you released it, but I tried releasing him myself and look where we are. Magic is... not right with him.”
“Alive.” The word whispered and Perry nodded at Jo. And Jo sighed again.
“Look, I came here for answers, you didn’t answer them. And now you’ve given me ANOTHER problem. And no, I don’t want to hear what you said about problems again.”
The old woman tapped her foot a few times before going back to her dough. “I don’t know what to tell you girlie. There were signs of a source of magic there, but it’s gone now. I’d say your skeleton friend ate it up like he did my spell, but I’d still be able to sense it.” Jo frowned but didn't say anything. “I think it’s time for you to go. You are welcome to ask the Purple Hand for more information, but you are no longer allowed to darken my doorstep.
Jo didn’t respond, just turned and left the house, Perry following behind her. As soon as the door closed, the old woman slumped against her table and started giggling madly. The sound echoed out to Jo and she shivered her face twisting in disgust and then she purposefully walked away once more.
Perry had slipped his mask back on, and they walked. Jo’s face was twisted with thoughts, but she didn't say any of them. And if Perry tried to speak mentally again, it hadn’t worked.
Rather than heading back toward the inn from the night before, they walked to the other side of the city. By the time they had arrived, the sun was already low in the sky. They seemed to be walking aimlessly on the roads, until Jo started toward a building that was marked as an inn. As they walked in, it was immediately apparent that the inn was much more expensive than the last. Despite this, Jo walked over to the man standing behind a counter.
At the sound of her approach he looked up. “Welcome to the Golden Swan. What kind of room are you looking for tonight?”
“Nothing too complicated. But it must have a bath and hot water available.”
“How many beds?” Jo raised an eye and the man looked at Perry and seemed to actually recognize what he was wearing. “I apologize. A two bed room with a bath. Would you like meals in the tavern or in your room?”
“In the room please.”
“Very well.” The man looked down at his stack of papers and pulled out. “Here we are. The Flying Spoon room is available. It will be 10 silvers a night, at a discount to honor death’s walk.”
Unlike at the previous inn, Jo took the coins out of her bag and handed them politely to the man. After counting them, he slipped them into a pouch at his side. “Follow me.”
He led them to the second floor. The walls were of a clear reddish brown, and windows with glass and oil bowls lit the way. They reached a wooden door decorated with metallic wings. “Please press your hand against the center to open it.” Jo did as he said, and a previously invisible blue barrier broke. The door slid open soundlessly. “Have a pleasant stay.” And the man wandered off.
Jo looked at Perry for a moment, but then turned and walked into the room. Perry followed behind her and the door shut, a blue barrier building itself again.