Book Two - Chapter Three

At first, it was almost easy to miss that they had entered the village of Mirewood. Here, at the outskirts, the houses were so far apart, each seemed a lone cabin rather than part of any kind of settlement. It was the fields nearby, more than anything, that signaled the presence of civilization. Even moving farther in, there was ample space between every squat, thatch-roofed home and humble wooden shop. The closest were a couple dozen feet apart, and most were several.

A few villagers were out and about, but they did not seem welcoming. They regarded Lusya and the other with wide-eyed, fearful expressions, and averted their gazes, all but cowering, at the slightest sign of them being returned. There was a distinct air of Malice about the village as well. It was subtle enough that, on its own, it was difficult to know if it meant anything after having just arrived, but, combined with their behavior, it seemed worth noting.

Of course, with just a handful of people on the streets, Ander had no problem guiding his carriage on through the road. There was no need to maneuver around pedestrians or slow to a crawl, as carriages did in more crowded areas, though Ander did decrease his speed. She would have used the word wagon rather than carriage to describe the vehicle, but Ander insisted on the latter, and she had no interest in arguing the matter.

It was a simple vehicle, pulled by two horses. A seat at the front was broad enough for perhaps four non-tiransa adults to sit if they squeezed in. For two adults and a child, it was plenty big. Behind that was the wagon proper, a long box packed with all manner of traveling supplies, from spare clothes to medicine.

It was much like what a traveling merchant might use. For traveling long distances, it was an effective choice. Lusya had been considering buying something similar for some time, but it was difficult to save up enough to do so while also keeping Ariya happy. The need to learn how to command and care for the animals was another barrier. And even if all that was overcome, she was not sure she would be able to acquire enough supplies to make it worthwhile. Using all that time and money to acquire so much storage would be wasteful if she did not begin carrying much more than she did now.

Their pace hadn’t improved terribly. The carriage’s default speed on the open road was faster than walking, but only by the slimmest of margins. In isolation, the speed increase was not significant. The vehicle had, however, made them a bit more consistent. No longer at the whims of Ariya’s variable stamina and energy, they were able to advance at a more-or-less constant speed, save for breaks for meals, which also served to let the horses rest.

Ariya herself had been excited to ride, but her feelings on the matter now seemed less positive. Her eyes were wide and fixed on her lap, her lips drawn to a thin line, as she gripped the seat beneath her with white knuckles.

“Are you well, Ariya?” Lusya asked.

Ariya gave a series of rapid nods. “Yeah. I think I’m getting used to it.”

Ander looked at her and blinked. “You look awful.” He blushed. “I mean, you look scared. You can always ask me to stop if you need me to.” He directed his eyes back toward the road. “Unfortunately, I can’t really check on you most of the time.”

“No, really, I’m fine,” she replied with an uneasy smile. “Just a little nervous still.”

She did seem to have improved over when she had first boarded two days ago. She was not trembling anymore—though her unnatural stillness seemed to be a similar expression of unease—and there was no noticeable reaction in her Malice. Lusya had actually had to put a stop to the first ride herself to avoid the child being tainted. Fortunately, Ariya had made a quick recovery and had not had a response of similar magnitude since.

“What frightens you so?” Lusya asked, blinking twice as she tilted her head.

“I’m not scared,” Ariya said, almost before Lusya had finished speaking. “Just nervous.”

Every effort Lusya had made to understand Ariya’s fear had met with a similar response. It was perplexing. Ariya had been fine with the covered wagons in the caravan, and with similar heights when Lusya carried her. The only thing Lusya could think of was that it was a combination of the height and instability. The carriage did rock and jump quite a bit.

“I’m thinking we stop here for the night,” Ander said. “I could stand to top off a few supplies. And, frankly, I want a bed to sleep in.” He patted the backs of his horses, who snorted in response. “These two deserve a stable too.”

“Oh, a bed!” Ariya said, all signs of fear evaporating as she beamed. “That sounds great, let’s do that, Lusya.”

Lusya nodded. “I have no objections.”

“Yay!”

They were making good progress, and staying in the town did not seem like a significant setback, even if Lusya’s original plan had called for them to pass right through. It was about time to give Ariya a small treat, anyway. After discovering how Ariya responded to both prolonged travel and breaks, Lusya had made a point of being more flexible with her travel schedule. They stopped in towns she had not originally planned to overnight for small rewards, and they took a day off about once a month to refresh the child’s energy.

It was still unclear what made these longer breaks “real,” as the woman who had introduced the concept had called them, but they seemed to be effective in keeping Ariya content and motivated. Lusya had added the shorter stops in between to prevent Ariya’s fatigue building to concerning levels before longer ones. All the pauses were going to add up and delay their journey’s completion, but they also increased its chance of success and bolstered Lusya’s vow to Ariya’s mother.

“Great,” Ander said. “Let’s find ourselves the inn, then.”

Despite the spread-out nature of the town, finding the inn took little time. Ultimately, despite how spread out it was, the village still wasn’t that large as a whole, and the inn was one of three buildings, excepting barns, that was more than a tiny, one-story home. Not by much, granted. It was two floors and not very large across.

There was a small wooden landing outside, with a table set to the side of the door. Three men were seated there, drinking and talking. As Lusya and the others walked past, the men glared at them, then clustered closer together and lowered their voices to mere whispers.

The innkeeper gave them a similar look when Lusya and the others walked in, but quickly switched to a smile instead.

“Welcome!” he said, with excessive volume and cheer. “Travelers?”

Ander nodded. “We sure are.” He looked over his shoulder at Lusya, holding up three fingers. “Three rooms?”

“Lusya and I share,” Ariya said. She grinned and puffed out her chest, though it was unclear what she thought laudable about that statement.

Lusya nodded. “Two is sufficient. We may even be able to fit in one.”

Ander blushed and gave a vigorous shake of his head. “No way, that’s not happening. Besides, it’s not like we need to save money.” He cleared his throat and turned back to the innkeeper. “Two rooms it is, please. And whatever’s hot for dinner later.”

“Right, that’ll be one silver,” the innkeeper said. “You can have the first two rooms, right across the hall from each other. Stairs are over there.”

“Great, thanks,” Ander said, handing over a single silver coin.

The innkeeper inspected the coin, then nodded and waved Ander off.

The three went upstairs and found their rooms. They were the small rooms one would expect. Ander had made the right call on two rooms. There was no way all three of them would have fit in the bed.

Lusya set down her pack, having brought it inside rather than leave it in Ander’s carriage. She still did not fully trust him.

Ariya flopped down onto the bed, limbs sprawled about, and let out a sigh. Her hair spread out beneath her like a puddle. It was getting rather long. Perhaps a cut was in order.

“I love when we get to sleep at an inn,” she said.

Lusya blinked twice, cocking her head. “I do not understand why you make that sound like an infrequent occurrence.”

It had only been a few days since the last time. They did have to camp out more often than not, but they stopped in town quite often. They could have stood for more frequent access to food, medicine, and bathing facilities—things that were scarce to nonexistent in tiny villages like this one—but warm beds were not in short supply.

Ariya shrugged. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Before Lusya could reply, there was a series of knocks at the door. They were slow and quiet, as though hesitant.

“Can I come in?” Ander asked, with obvious apprehension. “You’re not naked again, are you?”

By way of response, Lusya walked over and opened the door.

Ander looked her over and surveyed the room as if he might have failed to notice some nudity at first glance, then smiled. “I was wondering if you two might want to come shopping with me. There’s still a while before dinner, and I doubt you want to stay couped up here until then.”

“That sounds fun,” Ariya said as she sprang up off the bed. “Are we gonna go, Lusya?”

Lusya nodded. “I suppose we will.”

She would have had no objection to staying in the room for the rest of the day. However, she had no particular aversion to going elsewhere or accompanying Ander either. As such, the choice that made Ariya happier seemed the wiser one. And, while there was nothing urgent she needed to buy, there were a few things she could stand to pick up.

“Great, then let’s go,” he said. “I think I saw the general store on the way over. Follow me.”

He led the way through the streets toward the shop. The roads were clear, for the most part. The few people they passed gave them a wide berth, often casting a harsh look before averting their gazes and speaking in hushed tones to any companions. Their eyes were not always angry. Sometimes they instead seemed frightened or dismayed. At other times, they displayed sentiments Lusya could not quite identify. None of them, however, seemed positive.

Despite the thin crowd, Ariya clutched at Lusya’s hand. Lusya had taken to allowing that even in less dense areas. The disadvantages were minimal, and Ariya seemed to derive some sort of enjoyment out of it. Keeping her happy was part of both Lusya’s mission and the spirit of her promise.

The general store manager greeted them much as the innkeeper had: a deep scowl followed by a broad smile. Ander went about the store picking out food and other traveling supplies. He had plenty, but she supposed keeping a steady supply was wise.

She usually waited until she was running low to restock, but that was due to funds and logistics. She could only carry so much, and she preferred to use major cities to acquire money. In a smaller settlement, she would be the obvious culprit, and, while there was nothing they could do to harm her, there were a number of ways their suspicion could become a hindrance. If she had been able to, she would have replaced what she had used every time the opportunity presented itself.

The manager’s smile never faltered. His tone was friendly, and he was prompt and attentive, but any response he gave to Ander’s questions was curt and to the point.

“What kind of nut is this?”

“Walnut.”

“And this fruit?”

“Raspberry.”

That exchange seemed odd. Raspberries had a very distinct appearance. Lusya did not know if they grew in the north, but a wealthy noble would likely have seen them at some point.

“Do you have bandages?”

“There.”

Lusya didn’t have any problem with the brisk approach to conversation, but it did strike her as unusual. In her experience, most mortals—and most demons, for that matter—were needlessly verbose. Few were content to answer a question and leave it at that, and some even seemed repulsed or offended when given such a response to their own questions.

Lusya took the opportunity to look around as well. She grabbed some supplies of her own. Relying on Ander’s generosity in sharing his resources did not strike her as a sound plan. She also took a look at a bookshelf toward the back of the store. They were almost done with their current set of books. In fact, it would probably be a good idea to come back and sell the two she had finished. Her pack didn’t have room for more than four at a time with everything else in it, and one slot was occupied by her cookbook.

“Do you have any preference?” Lusya asked.

Ariya mimed a series of punches and made a series of wet, guttural noises with her mouth. Apparently, they were meant to sound like the impact of a blow. Lusya supposed there was a vague resemblance.

“Something with lots of action,” Ariya said.

“I see.”

“Do you guys like to read?” Ander asked as he walked up behind them. He held a bag in one hand, suggesting he had at least finished gathering what he needed.

“I enjoy it,” Lusya said. “It also seems to keep Ariya entertained.”

“Lusya reads to me,” Ariya said with an almost smug grin. “And sometimes, I read to her.”

Ander smiled back. “That sounds like a lot of fun. Like some kind of reading party.”

“Yeah!”

He chuckled and leaned closer to the shelf. “Let’s see, what do they have? Not a bad selection for a town like this. What did you guys read last?”

“We are nearing the end of The Cobbler’s Wife,” Lusya replied. “Before that, it was A Place for Roses.”

Ander suddenly coughed as if choking on something. “Okay, Cobbler fine, but that last one is not appropriate for kids!”

“I skipped over certain scenes for her benefit,” Lusya said.

Ariya scowled. “You did?”

“I thought they would be distressing for you,” Lusya replied.

Ander sighed in relief. “That could do it. Which ones?”

“Violent scenes,” Lusya said. “I read chapter twenty while she was asleep.”

Ariya gasped. “You read a whole chapter without me?”

“It was not critical to the plot.”

“That still leaves a lot for a kid like her,” Ander said, sounding somehow defeated.

“I am aware of the usual standards for such things,” Lusya said. “However, neither the erotic scenes nor the cursing seemed to distress her.”

“It was kind of funny how much they swore,” Ariya added with laughter in her voice.

With a great groan, Ander buried his face in his hands and shook his head. “I guess we’ll leave it at that.” He raised an eyebrow at Lusya. “Even though it doesn’t seem much like your kind of book either.”

“I chose it at random,” Lusya said. “Although, I am unsure what you are making that judgment based on.”

Ander opened his mouth to answer but shut it before a sound could escape.

“You said you wanted action, right?” he said to Ariya. At her nod, he plucked a book off the shelf and handed it to Lusya. “That should do, if you haven’t read it already.”

She checked the title. “I have not. Ariya, have you ever read The Tale of Dancing Tigers?”

Ariya shook her head. “Nope. Never heard of it.”

“Then it will do,” Lusya said.

“Don’t worry about splitting costs or anything either,” he said. “I can pay for everything, no problem.”

She nodded and plucked another book at random. That tended to be her procedure. She would choose one book based on some criteria Ariya identified, one she wanted to read, and one randomly. The Cobbler’s Wife had been Lusya’s preference, so it was the other two categories that needed replacement. The random one was often a novel, as both she and Ariya favored them, and they tended to be grouped together. They did, however, sometimes end up with a history, an atlas, and one time even a book of jokes. Lusya had not understood most of them, but Ariya had found them amusing.

“I am done,” Lusya said.

“Can we get something sweet?” Ariya asked.

“Only if you do not want the book,” Lusya said.

It would be some time before the next city where she could top off her funds, and even small sweets could be quite expensive. It would probably have been fine, but she liked to leave herself a buffer. Besides, it was important to balance keeping Ariya happy and managing her diet. She was not going to do the latter herself and having her become sick or fat would only hinder them both.

Ariya pursed her lips and sighed. “Fine, I’ll take the book.”

“Hey, no need to hold back,” Ander said. He grinned at Ariya, stood tall, and pointed a thumb at himself. “Uncle Ander’s paying, remember?”

Ariya tilted her head and blinked. “Why are you my uncle?”

Ander gave a strangled chuckle, scratching his head. “I have no idea. Forget I said that. Uh, I am paying, though. I literally have more money than I know what to do with, so…”

Ariya looked at Lusya with a wide-eyed pout. “Please?”

“Very well,” Lusya said. “You may select one sweet item, if one is available. But that means no more for several days.”

Undaunted, Ariya jumped in the air with an excited shout and dashed over to a nearby table with some kind of small cakes on it. It seemed she had already had her eye on one, and she snatched it as if someone else was going to.

They went to the front counter and purchased their goods. Lusya had no problem allowing Ander to pay, so long as there was a clear separation between his purchase and hers. She wanted their resources apart if she had to leave, or if he chose to do so, but using his money posed no problem that she could see.

“Thank you,” Ander said to the store manager as he paid for her things. “Have a good day.”

The manager clicked his tongue, then widened his eyes as if surprised and assumed a brighter, toothier smile. “Yeah, you too.”

With that done, they returned to the inn. By then, it was about time to eat. Lusya chose to prioritize that, planning to sell off her books tomorrow before departing. Their meal was uneventful and the food itself an unremarkable meat stew accompanied by bread that, though fresh, was also not of exceptional quality. Some of the villagers came in to eat, with their customary glares and distance. There were few of them and they were rather quiet. Any conversation was kept to little more than whispers, and many did not speak at all. It was impossible to say if that was abnormal for this town, but it was atypical in a broader sense. An inn was not always rowdy per se, but patrons did not often make a point of being quiet.

“I’m gonna be over to your room shortly,” Ander said as they finished. “So don’t, you know, undress or anything.”

“I am unsure why you seem to believe we undress so frequently,” Lusya replied. The way he spoke of it, one would think she threw her clothes off the instant no eyes were on her.

He blushed. He did that a lot. “Just paranoid after how we met, I guess. Anyway, I’ll be there.”

Sure enough, he knocked on the door in his halting, hesitant manner moments after they had returned to their respective rooms. Lusya opened the door to allow him inside. Ariya lay on the bed, eyes half-lidded, though focused on Ander. He remained by the door, while Lusya backed up and stood a few feet away. There was a chair opposite the door, but she saw little reason to use it, and Ander looked at it before seemingly deciding to stand as well.

He frowned and was silent for a moment, looking at her, then Ariya, then back, as if expecting them to say something. Or perhaps he was simply organizing his thoughts.

“Have you noticed how the villagers are acting?” he asked at last. He crossed his arms over his chest, but, as expected of a nobleman, his back remained straight as a rod.

Lusya nodded. “Hostile and frightened.”

After spending the day here, she was also confident in concluding the villagers’ Malice levels were elevated for humans in peacetime. It was still difficult to conclude anything based on that alone with strangers, but their attitudes made it obvious there was some cause.

He nodded. “Exactly.”

“The innkeeper and store manager did seem friendly, however,” she said.

Ander blinked and knit his brow in confusion. “Really? Their smiles couldn’t have been faker.”

“Lusya can’t tell the difference,” Ariya said, her tone as sleepy as her expression.

“Really?” Ander asked, keeping his attention on Lusya.

“So it would seem,” Lusya said.

She was aware of many different kinds of smiles. They typically conveyed happiness, but they could be tinged with other emotions. Some could be hostile or aggressive, others nervous or frightened. The concept of entirely fake smiles was not foreign to her either. She had tried to use them herself in the past. Her natural countenance had its advantages, but it was not always convenient. A smile was a simple muscle movement she was perfectly capable of replicating, so learning to do so had seemed prudent. However, hers had never looked or felt right.

She could not recall ever having noticed a fake smile, so she could only assume others were more successful than her at faking them. There had been times in the past when something she could not quite place had seemed off about a smile. Perhaps those had been fake as well.

“Is it true those smiles were not genuine?” Lusya asked.

“Yeah,” Ariya said, yawning as she spoke. “They were fake for sure.”

“Why have you never informed me of this shortcoming?”

Ariya shrugged. “It’s never been a problem.”

“What is the purpose of faking a smile?” she asked. She had done it to blend in, but that seemed moot for most. Knowing why people did it seemed rather important.

“Lots of things,” Ariya said.

Ander nodded in agreement. “It’s usually either to be polite or cover up some feeling you don’t want people to know about. You know, like anger or fear.”

“And this is done to deceive others?” Lusya asked.

“Well, yes, but it’s not necessarily malicious. It can be to keep people from worrying or because you just don’t want to talk about whatever’s bothering you. Or because it’s not actually that important and you don’t want to sidetrack a conversation.”

“I see,” she said, nodding. “How is one to tell the difference between these varieties? And why are they employed if seeing through them is a common skill?”

Ander scratched his head. “I’m not really sure how to explain it, or if I should…” His eyes widened and he shook his head. “We’re getting off track. The point is that something’s obviously wrong here. I haven’t seen many children either. I don’t know if they’re just being kept inside or…something worse.”

“And?” Lusya asked.

He frowned and hesitated, as if he had not expected to be questioned. “And I want to investigate. Maybe help, if we can.”

“I see no reason to get involved,” she replied. “We do not know the scope of the problem. I neither wish to waste time on something trivial, nor get involved in something complicated.”

Ander sighed. “You have a point, but it can’t hurt to ask around. On the off chance it’s something we can solve in an afternoon, I don’t want to turn my back on them.”

“You may do as you wish,” Lusya said. “But I will have no part of it. If you insist, this will be where we part ways.”

He hesitated, scratching his head. She did not understand why this was cause for such agonizing. If he wanted to involve himself, he could. Had he gotten so attached in just a few days? How strange people could be.

“Well, when you put it that way…” he said, trailing off and looking away. She had no idea what he had been about to say.

“That’s no good, Lusya,” Ariya said before he could regain his wits. She sat up, all traces of fatigue gone, and fixed Lusya with a resolute scowl. “If you can help, you should.”

Lusya looked at her. “I have told you that I do not share that philosophy. We do not know anything about what we are getting involved in. It could be a problem that takes years to solve. That is an unacceptable delay.”

“I guess,” Ariya said. “But it can’t hurt to ask them about it, right? If it’s too hard, we can just leave afterward.”

“Exactly,” Ander said, nodding. “I only want us to get more involved if it’s something simple. Otherwise, we can just let the authorities know next time we have a chance.”

Lusya had no issue with the latter proposal. Informing the local authorities was unlikely to take them out of their way. On her own, she would not have seen any need to do so, but it would not prove an inconvenience and she could appreciate his willingness to yield to practical concerns. Even so, it was not satisfactory.

“I have no desire to get involved regardless,” she said. “Even a day spent is a day wasted.”

“But you’ve gotta,” Ariya said. She huffed and crossed her arms when Lusya’s gaze turned back to her. “Especially after before. You don’t get to pick and choose when you’re good. Mama says that too.”

This was the exact precedent Lusya had feared setting. How troublesome. Ariya’s mother had held some rather inconvenient ideals. Still, she wasn’t sure she had much choice but to accept it. The last thing she wanted was a repeat of the incident that had set the precedent to begin with. If further involvement looked to become time-consuming, she would have to do another analysis of the costs and benefits, but for now, she would cooperate.

“Very well,” she said. She turned back to Ander. “We will aid you in your investigations tomorrow.”

He grinned and pumped a fist in the air. “Yes, fantastic! We can come up with more of a plan over breakfast tomorrow. I’m sure you two want to get some sleep. Good night.”

“Night-night!” Ariya replied, waving at him.

He smiled, waved back at her, and left the room with a noticeable spring in his step.

“I like him,” Ariya said.

“He is more trouble than I expected,” Lusya said. “It is time to rest, child.”

Ariya huffed and pouted. “Can we read a little first?”

“You have already gotten two concessions out of me today. Do not defy me a third time.”

Ariya groaned and flopped back onto her back. “Yes, Lusya.”