Chapter Twenty-Four

As in the previous day, what little people were out in the wee hours of the morning parted before them as if Nia and Mister Greeny were lepers. Their terrified gazes actually didn’t bother Nia as much as before now that she knew the reason behind their fear. It wasn’t really her that they were afraid of, only what they thought she was. When she thought about it, it didn’t really make sense, even to her. But the fact that the people didn’t look at her in disgust solely because of who she actually was buoyed her heart just a little.

Still, Nia kept her mind busy with all the new sights and sounds around her, doing her best to ignore everything else. Soon, she and her companion found themselves in a large, open square. Booths were set up in no particular order, all constructed semi-permanently with thick planks of wood and canvas tarps held up by thin poles to blot out the sun. How these people conducted business was somewhat similar to how the villagers did, but it was still different enough that Nia found the novelty of it interesting.

Strange and beautiful things were set up in the small space on the booths’ slim countertops, showcasing what each separate one offered to sell. The first one that caught her eye was a stand offering various ceramic and clay pots. They were of all different sizes and shapes, some plain and some painted with eye-catching colors and designs. The craftsmanship of the designs was not the best, and they were nothing compared to what some of the villagers could accomplish, but they would still look nice on a shelf or as the centerpiece at the dining table.

Another stand sold various things: wicker baskets, small leather pouches, and larger shoulder bags studded with colorful gems. Although Nia couldn’t recognize the gems used to decorate the bags, she knew they would be worth quite a bit back in the other villages. She couldn’t understand why they were embedded in such low-quality bags. The leather used to make them was cracked near the poorly sewn seams, and the straps looked much too thin, meaning they would surely snap after a short amount of time. It was a waste, in her opinion.

“My Lady!” A wiry-looking man shouted out to her as he was in the midst of setting goods out around his stall. “Could I interest you in some of the finest silks available this side of the Mordstern?”

Interested more in the fact that he openly spoke to her without a hint of fear than what he actually had to sell, Nia walked over to the man. A cursory glance confirmed that he was indeed selling silk, but she knew her fabrics, and if this was the best available this side of whatever he was talking about, then these people knew nothing of quality.

“Good morning,” She started with a disarming smile, noticing the small twitch in the man’s eyes as he finally noticed the green wolf trotting along next to her. “Can I trouble you with a few questions?”

“Of course, of course, not a problem whatsoever.” He replied quickly, a strained smile plastered across his face. “What is it that you ask of me?”

“The captured elves. Do you know where they took them?” Nia got straight to the point. Her hazel eyes locked onto his pale blue ones with an intensity that seemed to cause the merchant to grow uneasy.

“I—I’m sorry. I only arrived here in Bolin a few days ago. Although I do know of them, I do not know anything more than that.”

Nia tried to school her face but failed to keep the disappointment from showing. “Do you know of anyone who would know? Anyone who was here when they were?”

The reedy merchant thought for a moment, his eyes scanning across the open square and the other merchants doing their best to look like they weren’t trying to listen in on their conversation. “I don’t know of anyone personally, but there is one man who is preparing to leave Bolin today. His name is Vincent, and he’s the head of a mercantile company that comes just before winter to offload food goods. Likely, he was here when the nobles’ men came through with the long ears.”

“Where is he?” Nia asked, ignoring the derogatory word used by the merchant.

“He was supposed to leave Bolin today. It’s early enough. You very well might catch him before he leaves…” The merchant’s words trailed off as he watched Nia turn around and start moving back the way she came. She stopped after only a few steps, returning to his stall with a slight blush on her face that highlighted the light dusting of freckles on her cheeks.

“Do—do you happen to know where they are leaving from?” Nia asked in a timid timbre.

“The eastern gate.” He said with a poorly concealed chuckle. His nervousness eased due to her innocent nature. “Toward the rising sun and over the river. You won’t be able to miss it, Lady Mage.”

Nia nodded once and started to move away again before she caught herself. “Thank you… very much.”

She reached out to his half-prepared stall and pushed her magic into the palm of her hand. She didn’t know the proper way to show her appreciation to the man but figured a sweet treat was something most everyone enjoyed. Out of nothing, a large, shiny red apple appeared in her hand. It was a deep red, almost the color of blood, and the weight of it was enough to cause her arm to dip slightly when it appeared.

She placed it gently on the countertop, not wanting to bruise her gift before the man even had a chance to enjoy it. She didn’t know why she felt the need to offer a gift to the man; if anyone deserved one, it was Mister Carmickle. Maybe that was why she had done it; she felt guilty for leaving the innkeeper with a mess instead of giving her thanks. It was too late to return now; she could only do better in the future. With a thankful smile, Nia turned on her heel and left the square, Mister Greeny in tow.

The merchant watched her leave the square, a little taken aback by the suddenness of her arrival and departure. When he had spotted her, he had only hoped to make some gold. He had noticed her dress and its fine craftsmanship -even through its wrinkled state- and figured she might appreciate his ‘fine’ wares. He had failed to notice the creature walking next to her.

It was too late by the time he did , and he could only hope she was a mage who actually paid for what they took. He had never dealt with mages personally but had heard plenty of horror stories from his fellow traders. Luckily, the girl seemed quite friendly, although a little airy in the head… and in a hurry.

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He looked down at the magical apple in fascination. He had hoped to sell some of the silk he managed to bring to town, but this was an unexpected consolation that he was happy with. He picked it up from the countertop and inspected it briefly. He had only heard tales of mages destroying things or using their powers over the world to get what they wanted. However, they could.

This was unique, and he debated selling it instead of eating it, but only for a moment. He was hungry and had spent all his gold buying items to sell here in Bolin. It was something he should have known better than to do, but he had to take risks if he wanted to get ahead of the competition. There were plenty of wives here, after all, who would appreciate affordable silks.

He bit into the apple and was nearly knocked off his feet by the explosion of flavor. It was the best thing he had ever eaten. Before he knew it, the entire apple, core and all, was gone. He needed to, no, had to, find that girl. They could make so much gold with just a few of these apples, and that’s not to say whatever else she could conjure from nothing. It was pure profit!

He got to work packing everything he had just taken out of his wagon, not caring about the ‘fine’ silks he was chucking into the back as he built a colorful, crumpled heap.

The eastern gate was open, but no one was there. The sun was only two finger-widths over the horizon, so it was only an hour or so after dawn, and that meant the man the merchant spoke of couldn’t have gone far.

“C’mon, let’s hurry.” Nia huffed as she ran out of the open gate, drawing the eyes of the few guards keeping their distance.

She had run through town without stopping and sweat already ran down her brow and into other places that made her extremely uncomfortable. Still, she didn’t want to stop, and the temptation of progress drove her faster. After some distance, Nia staggered off to the side of the dirt road, huffing and puffing with the grinding noise of Mister Greeny’s laughter overlapping her ragged breathing.

She tilted her head toward the now stag, her hands the only things supporting her upper body as they rested on her knees. He looked back at her. His inhuman face showed no emotion, but Nia could still see the mirth burning in Mister Greeny’s emerald eyes. “Shut up…” She huffed as she stood and took a deep breath once her heart had slowed enough. “Can I get a ride?”

Of course, little one. He said to her with a final rasping chortle as he moved his body closer to the ground and used his vines to help Nia sit atop his back. Hold on tightly. I will be moving as quickly as possible.

Without further warning, the large stag took off at a full gallop. Nia couldn’t stop her squeal of surprise as Mister Greeny bounded down the road, her eyes burning from the frigid air as it whipped her face angrily. They ran like this for several long minutes, and only when she thought her hands were frozen solid did they drop down into a more manageable cantor.

Did you forget about your magic, little one? Mister Greeny asked with a chuckle as they turned a slight bend in the road. Ahead of them was a long train of carriages and wagons, pulled by trundling oxen and flanked by a few dozen men on horseback. It could have helped with the cold.

Nia was still busy rubbing her bleary eyes with her numb fingers and hadn’t noticed the caravan some distance from them. “And you could have warned me before taking off like that… Look! There they are! Go faster!”

Look closely, little one. Many of them are armed. He waited as Nia squinted and leaned forward atop him, straining to see what he had pointed out. It would be better to approach them slowly.

“Yeah…” she agreed quietly. “Why do so many of them have swords? Do you think it's just as dangerous outside the forest? Where would all the monsters hide?”

Small copses of trees still dotted the landscape, but they were few and far between. Long grasses and untamed brambles were the dominant vegetation blanketing the rolling hills. However, this was only the beginning of spring, so even that was pressed into the ground due to the previous season’s heavy snowfall. She could see for miles.

Perhaps it is not beasts they are wary of?

“Right,” She whispered into the cold breeze. Monsters weren’t what took her mother from her. “Let’s catch up to them. Nice and slow, okay?”

They only managed to move a few hundred yards before Nia noticed that two men on horseback broke off from the long train and doubled back toward them. Without prompting, Mister Greeny stopped and waited for them in the middle of the poorly maintained road.

Remember, you are a mage. The hoofbeats of the approaching stallions almost drowned out his groaning voice. Demand the respect you are owed, even if it is misgiven.

She hadn’t forgotten. Fear can be respect, and respect is safety. At least, it can be. Nia straightened her posture and smoothed out her dress as best she could as she sat side-saddled on Mister Greeny’s back. She couldn’t help much of her disheveled appearance but didn’t want herself to look like a beggar.

The two men cantered to a stop well away from her, just close enough so they wouldn’t have to shout to be heard. They wore leather armor over much of their body, mostly concealed by long, woolen overcoats that offered protection of a different sort. Nia could see hilts peeking up from the thick fabric of their overcoats, but thankfully, the swords remained within their sheaths.

The two men bowed their heads slightly, showing some amount of respect toward her but still nowhere near the amount she had seen in the town behind her. “My Lady,” One of the men started. “Can we help you?”

Nia made the best impression of the village chieftain she could, a wizened elf named Ellesnish. He was the most self-important individual she knew, and she figured if anyone thought of themselves as the spirits’ gift to the world, it was him. “I will speak to Vincent.”

Nia was proud of herself. Her voice only cracked slightly when she spoke, and she also managed to keep the embarrassment from showing on her face. She didn’t know if she could keep acting this way if it was already this difficult. She could only hope it would get easier.

“Sir Bucholz… was not expecting you.” The same man spoke. He was clean-shaven and had a thick, cleft chin that jutted underneath a small mouth with thin lips. Although Nia couldn’t see the color of his eyes from this distance, she could still see that they were furrowed deep in thought.

“He isn’t.” She quickly added, wanting to keep the momentum of the conversation going so that she wouldn’t get cold feet. “I only have a few questions for him and perhaps a proposition.”

“A proposition, you say?” the man clarified as he looked to the other man beside him atop a nervous-looking horse who only shrugged his shoulders. “I… well. Hm.” He hemmed and hawed for a moment before making a decision. “Very well, I suppose. If you would follow us, we will take you to him.”

A flash of relief crossed her face as the men pivoted their horses to face the way they had come. She had been so far out of her depth lately and could recognize how well everything had been going, but she knew that luck wouldn’t last forever. She had to be ready for anything.