Chapter 29

It only took us ten minutes of walking to get to the stream. There, we rested. Nyle and I washed our weapons in the stream, removing the final dirt and grime and blood from them. Lyn knocked and arrow and tried shooting a fish, but missed. After two more tries, she finally accomplished hitting one of the trout. Luckily, the soft sand like bottom of the stream did little damage to her arrows, and she was able to salvage them. The fish, and arrows, returned to her inventory. Then, after watching the stream for a few more moments, we all took turns drinking the fresh water. It was a simple moment, and yet, after what we’d been through, was more than needed.

“By the Tower,” Nyle said with a sigh as he leaned back away from the water, his hands resting in the soft, slightly damp grass. “That really was magical.”

“I told you,” I said with a grin as I leaned in for another sip. Just like before, the water tasted divine. And the crisp drink, combined with the ambient gurgling of the stream, and the occasional chirps of birds in the trees, helped center me. The last bit of stress, of worry, of lingering pain from the encounter with Hans, washed away.

“Do any of you know how to cook fish?” Lyn asked as she pulled the fish back out of her inventory. Its body hung limply in her hands.

“Didn’t they say you could eat it raw in training?” Nyle offered. Lyn looked at it and brought it to her nose, sniffing for a moment. She scrunched up her face and shook her head.

“No way am I eating it raw.”

“Should just be like regular meat right?” I offered. “Just shove a stick through it and cook it over a fire.”

“Yeah, but how do I know when it’s done?” She asked. She flopped the fish at me, the dead eyes staring at me as its mouth gaped open. The trout, I noticed, had little teeth in its mouth. “And is it even safe to eat like that? What if the skin is poisonous? Or the meat?”

“You probably should have thought of that before you killed it.” Nyle said. He laid down on the grass, running his hands through the soft terrain as he looked up at the glowing sky. Light filtered here and there through the sparse tree coverage, as the leaves rustled in the faint breeze. It was peaceful, and much more comfortable than the jungle on the second floor.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“I can still trade it in when we leave.” She replied matter of fact. The fish disappeared back into her inventory. “I was just curious to see how fresh caught fish tasted.”

“Maybe we can ask someone back at Climber’s Rest?” I offered. “I’m sure the members from the Chef’s Guild there can teach you.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Lyn said as she offered me a smile. She looked back at the water, “do you guys want me to catch some for you too? So we can all try it together?”

I looked at Nyle, who seemed, for the first time since before the Reaping, to be completely at peace. Then at Lyn, whose smile was carefree and honest. Then I found myself grinning, thinking back on my attempts yesterday to try and catch fish. Her method with the bow and arrows were definitely superior to my attempts at stabbing the quick trout.

“I think that’d be nice.” I said. Nyle made a sound that Lyn and I both took for agreement.

“Alright.” She stood, bow back in hand. She looked at the water, concentration on her face, as she knocked and arrow. “I think I’ve gotten the hang of it too. The water makes aiming a bit difficult, they’re not exactly where you’d think they are.” She bit her lip as she narrowed her focus. Her breathing slowed, and then, the arrow flew.

“Got him.” She said cheerfully, drawing another arrow from her quiver. She took aim once more, and fired another arrow. Just like that, she’d killed another two trout.

“Do you guys want them for your inventory?” She asked as she made her way to the water. Her boots disappeared, and she stepped into the shallow stream. Lyn lifted the first arrow up, showing a large trout speared through. She held it out towards me, and I waved a lazy hand.

“You can hold onto it if you want,” I said with a shrug. “What about you Nyle?”

Nyle didn’t respond. I glanced at him, and noticed his eyes were closed, his chest rising in a slow, steady rhythm. He’d fallen asleep.

“Nyle?” Lyn called back as she grabbed the second arrow and fish. I made a shushing noise and held a finger up to my lips.

“He fell asleep.” I said, feeling giddy.

“Here?” Lyn asked, shaking her head. “Now?” She made her way out of the water, arrows and fish disappearing. She wiped her feet off on the grass a few times, and then her boots reappeared. “Doesn’t he know the forest is dangerous?”

I grinned as I looked around. Nyle wasn’t usually this carefree. The encounter with Hans must have really taken its toll on him. Though I didn’t blame him for it. That whole situation had been exhausting and stressful. I felt drained as well. Combined with the moment of peace here, and with how soft the ground was, I could see how easy it would be to fall asleep.

Still….

“I think we’ll have to remind him to not let his guard down in the Tower,” I said in a whisper as I crept toward Lyn. She crouched down as I neared her, ear turning towards me, smile already growing on her face.

“Same,” she said softly. “So, what do you have in mind?”

I looked at her, my own smile plastered across my face. This was only fair. Especially since Nyle had decided to bring up my cow debacle earlier.

“He said you could eat fish raw,” I offered, pointing towards his partially open mouth. “Might as well let him give it a try, huh?”