Calm Before The Storm

Reagan tensed, expecting confrontation. He reached for his sword.

But nothing happened.

Nobody milling around before him so much as glanced in Reagan’s direction. It took several seconds for him to relax and remember to release the door. He forced a breath of slightly humid air into his lungs and exchanged a look with Liam.

The hum continued, crescendoing, but it sounded farther away than the last time he’d heard it, and it appeared to be coming from the opposite direction, too. Swallowing around the lump in his throat, Reagan walked up to the nearest townsperson, a woman carrying a basket of freshly baked bread and ripe vegetables, and asked, “Excuse me, miss, what’s that odd sound?”

“Oh, that’s Ronan escorting the next caravan to Omstadt. He’s the guard stationed at the west exit of town, while Alan’s in the east. One of them will turn it off right about… Now.”

For the second time in as many days, the hum stopped at the exact moment the woman indicated.

She smiled, saying, “You’ll grow accustomed to it in no time, I assure you. It’s a little jarring at first, especially if you’ve visited other towns that use that spell for detecting monsters, but here it’s quite commonplace.”

“Thank you,” Reagan said, stepping back and trying to hide the relief on his face. So it wasn’t in regards to me…

He caught a similar look of relief on Liam’s face as he turned away to head back toward Aislinn’s home.

The path from the library to Aislinn’s was easy to navigate, with wide streets and ample space between each building. He noted that hiding in an alleyway, should the need arise, would prove difficult.

You can see everything, he thought, peeking between a carpenter’s workshop and a flower shop. Nothing obstructed his view of the next street over and the people milling about, and with streetlamps positioned between each shop, he could guess that they would cast enough light to make even the alleyways accessible in the dark. There’d be no use trying to evade anyone in this part of town… The thought weighed heavily on his stomach, and he cast around for other options.

“From what Aislinn said this morning,” Liam said, walking beside him. “I don’t think Dietfried would visit here. He was with the capital mages, so if they never visit…”

“It seems likely he wouldn’t, either,” Reagan finished, speaking low and hardly moving his lips. “You’re right,” he said and tried to let himself relax.

A moment of companionable silence passed between the two as Reagan continued, perusing the windows of the general store and pausing to let a group of giggling children rush past him. Liam watched them disappear through the open door of a small brick house.

“What’s the town like?” he asked.

Reagan stopped, looking around. “There’s a saltiness to the air, but I don’t know where it’s coming from, and it’s cold but also heavy.” He looked up at the sky, noting the dark line of clouds edging across the horizon. “I think there’s a thunderstorm coming.”

“That’s what the merchants were saying at the marketplace.”

Reagan startled and turned to see Elisa standing close behind him, carrying a small basket filled with potatoes and a few turnips. A cloth bundle sat nestled on one side of the basket, and he could just make out the golden brown color of a freshly baked loaf of bread peeking out from beneath the linen.

“Did you have to scare me like that?” Reagan asked with a scowl. When Elisa grinned, he decided he didn’t want to hear her answer, and instead asked, “Were you hankering for a stew or something?”

“I ran into Aislinn and Braiden by the lake, so I offered to help with the shopping so she could take Braiden to the toymaker’s workshop instead. He was talking about the shield he couldn’t find this morning.” She took Reagan’s hand and pulled him forward. “I was coming to find you so you could see the lake too. It’s beautiful, and the sun is about to set so it’ll be even prettier right now!”

Before he could protest, she dragged him down the large street and through several smaller residential neighborhoods with the ease of someone who knew the town well. She never faltered, never slowed, and within minutes, the three of them had reached the center of town.

The orange and red hues of the sunset shimmered on the deep blue water. A salty spray filled the air, refreshing and chilling at the same time. Elisa stopped at the edge of the embankment, shielding her eyes to look across the expansive lake.

Reagan could just make out the faint outlines of buildings on the other side of the lake, marking the other half of Vierdorth. One end of the lake curved to his left, and a bustling marketplace trickled away from the embankment. Voices overlapped with the slight gurgle of rippling waves down below.

To his right, a group of eight men surveyed the dam that sectioned off the rest of the lake where a river fed in and out of it. They stood beside stacks of rounded logs and blocks of crudely cut stone, but he couldn’t make out what any of them were saying. The part of the dam that touched the shore had been hastily reinforced with bricks and cloth bags filled with sand. Cracked had formed in the stone he could still see.

Noting his eyeline, Elisa said, “I heard some of the townspeople worrying about whether the dam would hold up during the next storm.” She lightly jabbed Reagan’s side with her elbow. “But that’s not the focus right now.”

He raised his hands in mock surrender, and said, “The sunset is nice, but standing by a lake at the edge of winter is a recipe for a cold.” Wrapping his coat tighter around himself, he shivered.

Liam dropped down to sit on the edge of the embankment, pretending to lean back on his hands. “See, I don’t have that problem,” he said, looking up at Reagan and Elisa with a grin.

Reagan scoffed. “Just you wait. I’ll make you sit here in that light little vest of yours, and we’ll see who’s laughing then.”

“Hey, at least buy me a coat,” he said, looking up at Reagan with a pleading pout. “Mom and Dad would not be happy if you brought me home on the brink of death.”

Hmph, I suppose it would be a waste of magic if you died a second time, Reagan thought. He kept the remark to himself, too afraid to speak aloud for fear of being overheard.

“You’re thinking something mean again,” Liam said, still looking up at him.

“Focus on the sunset, or Elisa will kick you into the lake.”

Liam laughed but did as he was told, and the three of them watched until the sun had disappeared behind the other end of town, leaving only a light dusting of pink in the sky.

This time it was Elisa’s turn to shiver and say, “We should head back. Aislinn wanted these for dinner, so I don’t want to be too late.”

As the trio walked, she asked, “Did you find anything of interest at the library?”

Reagan opened his mouth to answer, but Liam jumped in first, hastily replying, “We found a book with a few basic spells, but nothing else. Anything more advanced will be in the royal archives, it seems.”

Behind Elisa’s back, he shot a look at Reagan and Reagan nodded in silent understanding: Don’t tell her about what else we found. He made a mental note to broach the subject with Liam later.

“Is that our next stop?” she asked, turning into a side street.

“You don’t have to stay wi-”

“I know,” she said, cutting Reagan off. She stopped mid-step, cast a look around for anyone within earshot, then said, “But I want to see this through. I want to see Liam alive, too.” A light dusting of pink colored her cheeks. “I’ve grown fond of you both, even after that terrible first encounter.”

Reagan groaned. “You’re never going to let that go, are you?” Beside him, Liam laughed.

“So can I stay with you? At least until…” She trailed off as she looked at Liam.

Liam smiled. “I’m all for it if it stops Reagan from behaving too recklessly.”

“I do not be-”

“Yes, you do,” Elisa and Liam said in unison.

Reagan grumbled and shoved his hands in his pockets, nestling his face into the collar of his coat partly to take cover from the cold, partly to hide his embarrassment. “Let’s just get back before that bread goes stale,” he said, pulling ahead.

“Aislinn’s home is this way,” Elisa said, pointing to the left.

Reagan followed amid more teasing laughter.