Book Two - Chapter Ten

Since they couldn’t stay in the village, they had continued on their way and set up camp on the side of the road later that night. Ariya wasn’t sure exactly why they hadn’t been able to stay there. She had seen the broken buildings, of course, but it didn’t seem that bad. There must have been something worse she didn’t see when her eyes were closed. Or maybe buildings being damaged was worse than she gave it credit for. Or both.

If there had been something more, it had probably been scary, so she was happy Lusya had had her close her eyes. Ariya was a big girl who could have handled it, of course, but it was better not to see scary things. Still, she couldn’t help but be curious about what she had missed. She hadn’t even seen the people they had talked to. She had had to imagine what they looked like. She liked to think the main guy they had talked to was bald with a bushy mustache.

Camping also meant they couldn’t eat at an inn. Instead, Lusya cooked. When they had first met Ander, Ariya had hoped their camp food would improve. She had thought maybe he had something good in that carriage. Lusya always said the reason they didn’t have anything more was because it would be harder for her to carry.

Well, Ariya hadn’t been wrong, but she hadn’t been as right as she would have liked, either. Ander did have some pickled fruits and vegetables. The former had sounded gross until Ariya had learned they were pickled in honey. She remembered the caravan from a few months ago had had something similar, and it had been tasty. Ander’s had not disappointed her, and the veggies weren’t bad either. She hadn’t had it much before, but Ariya had decided she liked sour.

Unfortunately, he only had so much, and he couldn’t buy them everywhere, so he was a little stingy with them. She had only been able to eat some twice so far. He didn’t have any fresh meat or milk or anything either. He said he didn’t want to deal with the ice he would need melting. There were a couple other things he had, like coffee, but she wasn’t interested in them. Papa had given her coffee to try once, and it had been so disgusting she’d felt like her tongue was gonna come off. And she’d almost wished it had so she wouldn’t have to taste it anymore.

On the bright side, Lusya had gotten better at cooking over the past couple months. She didn’t drown things in salt or spices anymore, nor did she use too little seasoning, and it had been a while since she had burned anything. Her food wasn’t bad by any means. But, even with that Elberto guy’s cookbook, there was only so much she could do with what she had. Even the best recipes tasted pretty similar. Ariya could have gone for some variety.

“You know,” Ander said as Lusya stirred her pot, “we could always try hunting or foraging, if you two ever want something a little fresher.”

Ariya grinned and sprang to her feet. “That sounds great!”

“It would be a waste of time and energy,” Lusya said.

Ariya groaned. “But it would taste good!”

“I am not disputing that,” Lusya replied. “But this is sufficient and does not require extra labor.”

Ariya took a moment to repeat the statements in her head. “Disputing,” meant something like disagreeing, right?

“Well, I guess,” Ariya said.

“It’s probably for the best,” Ander said. He chuckled and scratched his head. “I know I’m the one who brought it up, but I actually don’t know how to hunt at all.”

“It is not difficult,” Lusya said.

“I didn’t know you could hunt,” Ariya said. “Why haven’t we been doing that?”

“It would require me to leave you unsupervised,” Lusya said.

Ariya huffed, putting her hands on her hips. “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

“No matter how much you repeat yourself, neither of those things will become true,” Lusya said.

Ander chuckled. “Well, the first one will, kind of.”

“Yeah!” Ariya said, pumping a fist in the air.

Lusya didn’t reply to Ariya, instead turning toward Ander. “Is hunting not a common pastime among nobility in Nordhem, as it is elsewhere?”

Ander hesitated, humming in thought. “It technically is, yeah.” He half-snorted, half-laughed. “But most noblemen just get an actual hunter to herd some prey toward them for an easy kill, and my father isn’t any different. I’ve gone on some ‘hunts’ with him, but I can’t say I’ve learned much.”

“I see,” Lusya said. She refocused on her cooking.

“Now that I think about it, I have no idea how to forage edible food either,” he said as she worked. “I’d probably end up picking out poison…”

Another minute or so later, she portioned out the food and they started eating. It was good. Simple, but good. Ariya was used to simple anyway, it was what she had at home. That didn’t mean she didn’t miss when they got to eat somewhere good, like that inn in Wildbloom. That seemed so long ago already, but she could still taste those sweet, delicious pancakes.

“I just can’t stop thinking about the bandits,” Ander said a few minutes into the meal, letting out a heavy breath.

“I believe the matter has been resolved,” Lusya said.

Ariya nodded. “You said you weren’t gonna go.”

“I’m not,” he said. “But I can’t help but think about it. How could they destroy a whole village? As soon as word gets out, the kingdom’s going to come down as hard as they can. The Sacred Knights might even get involved.”

Ariya didn’t really get it. Bandits were bad people, and bad people did bad things, it wasn’t that complicated. Maybe there was something she was missing.

“Either they are too desperate to think that far ahead,” Lusya said, “or they are confident they can weather such opposition. Or, they are simply foolish, and do not anticipate such a response.”

“Maybe,” Ander said. “There are a lot of people convinced that kings and nobles couldn’t care less about the small folk. And they might be right a lot of the time, but most are still smart enough to know they need commoners. You can’t do much if all your farmers and craftsmen are dead.”

“That is an accurate assessment,” Lusya said.

So, if Ariya was understanding right, the bandits were being stupid. The king was going to get mad at what they were doing, but they didn’t realize that and were doing it anyway. It was like when Jak stood on the furniture even though Mama always got mad about it. Ariya still didn’t get why that was so confusing. So, they were bad and stupid. What was there not to get?

Ander sighed and stared into his food. “People say stuff like this always happens at the start of a tranquil age. Makes it seem like maybe we shouldn’t be calling it that just yet.”

“Perhaps,” Lusya said. “But people find the diametric classification convenient and easy to understand.”

“You’re right there.”

“What should we call it, then?” Ariya asked.

Ander’s eyes widened in surprise at the question, like he’d forgotten she was there, then he frowned. “Maybe a transition age? According to history, this usually doesn’t last long enough to be an ‘age,’ but…”

“That may be another reason it is grouped as part of the tranquil age,” Lusya said.

Her eyes were open a little wider than usual. Ariya wasn’t sure what she was happy about. They weren’t talking about anything good, and—while talking about Malice and stuff did tend to draw her into a conversation—bad things didn’t usually make Lusya happy. She was a good demon, after all.

“Probably,” Ander said. “Plus, we’d probably need a fourth name for the beginning of a turbulent age, since it takes a little bit between the Demon King forming and trouble starting. Plus the time immediately before the Demon King forms…It could get complicated quickly.” He sighed again, but then smiled and clapped his hands together. “Let’s stop the serious talk right before bed. I’m actually getting curious about you two again. We’ve been together for a couple weeks, and I feel like I barely know you.”

“That is because you do,” Lusya said.

He laughed. “Exactly. And I’d like to fix that.”

“I am uncertain it calls for ‘fixing,’” Lusya said.

“Well, I think it does,” Ander replied. “I know you two have your secrets, but there has to be something you can tell me.”

“There may be.”

It was kind of a shame so much had to be a secret. Ariya would have loved to tell people more about how cool Lusya was. And, of course, about how cool Ariya herself was. She might not have done much yet, but she was going to be a second Hero of Balance. Well, twenty-second or something like that, but close enough. All the buildup was going to make her moment all the sweeter. Not that the buildup itself wasn’t awesome. Traveling, seeing all these people and places, and, of course, spending time with Lusya were already enough to make this journey worth it. That didn’t mean she wasn’t looking forward to her time to shine, though. She was pretty sure her adventures even had something to do with all that tranquil age stuff they had just been talking about, mostly based on the fact that Lusya seemed interested in that stuff.

“Do you mind if I ask some questions, then?” Ander asked.

“I don’t,” Ariya said, waving a hand in the air.

“As long as you do not mind having answers withheld, when necessary, I will allow it,” Lusya said. She glanced at Ariya. “Be careful with your answers, child.”

Ariya knew that. She knew they had secrets. Sure, she had almost said some things she shouldn’t have before, but that didn’t mean Lusya had to remind her all the time. And “child,” was uncalled for.

Ander nodded. “That’s fine.”

“Then ask,” Lusya said.

“You two aren’t related, right?” Ander asked.

“We are not.”

“I wish we were,” Ariya said. Lusya was strong, and smart, and pretty. She was mean sometimes, but she could be really nice too. Ariya thought she was already smart and nice, but she could have gone for being strong and pretty too. Then again, maybe they wouldn’t have gone on this adventure if they were family. This was complicated.

Ander put a finger to his lips and hummed in thought. “I’m not sure how to go about asking this, but are Ariya’s parents…okay?”

“Papa and Mama are fine,” Ariya said. “Oh, and Jak. He’s my brother. Papa and Mama said it was okay for me to come with Lusya.”

“Huh,” Ander said. He seemed surprised. She didn’t know why everyone seemed to be worried about Papa and Mama. “I don’t suppose you’d tell me why, or where you’re going?”

“We will not,” Lusya said.

Ariya thought it would have been fine to drop some hints or something. Just enough to get him thinking, like those cool and mysterious heroes did in stories sometimes. But Lusya was going to get mad if Ariya said that, so she kept quiet. Ariya didn’t know all the specifics either. Maybe Lusya really didn’t trust her to keep them secret. Which, when she went back over everything she had just been thinking, did seem kind of fair.

“How long had you two been traveling together when I found you?” Ander asked.

“A few months,” Ariya said. She would have liked to take credit for knowing that, but Lusya had mentioned it before. Ariya was getting better at telling time, and days were actually easier than minutes or hours, but she still started to lose count after three or four.

“Approximately three,” Lusya said.

Ander pursed his lips. “You might not want to answer this one either, but do you have something against Sacred Knights?” He kept his eyes focused on Lusya as he spoke. “I remember Ariya looked pretty freaked out when I first mentioned I was in training to be one, and you mentioned something about ‘the last time.’”

“We had a rather unpleasant experience with one two months ago,” Lusya said.

That was an understatement. Captain Kadel had been a disaster. Ariya had never wanted to see that white uniform again after getting done with him.

He scowled. “What happened?”

“He was super mean,” Ariya said. “He hurt me and Lusya and—”

“That is enough, child,” Lusya said. She looked to Ander. “You need know nothing more.”

Ander nodded. He had a big frown, but after a few seconds it changed back into a smile. “Well, I hope you’ll give Sacred Knights a second chance. I’m sure there are some bad people in an organization that big, but most of them are just trying to do what’s right.”

“I know,” Ariya said nodding. “For a while I was thinking they were just mean, but you’re nice, so all Sacred Knights can’t be bad.”

“He is not a Sacred Knight,” Lusya said. She had always hated Sacred Knights. Ariya had kind of been hoping Ander would change her mind too, but that didn’t seem like it was working.

“He’s close enough.”

Ander chuckled. “Don’t let my teacher hear you say that. That answers all my questions for now.”

“Well, now you have to answer our questions,” Ariya said. “It’s only fair.”

“I guess it is,” he said. “Ask away.”

“What’s Nordhem like?”

“It’s cold and snowy,” Ander said with a shrug. “Well, it’s probably stopped snowing in the last month or so.”

Wow. It was almost summer, and it would have just stopped snowing? Ariya liked winter—snow was pretty and fun to play with—but that might have been a little too much.

“Oh, how old are you?” Ariya asked.

“Eighteen, as of last month,” he said.

“Oh, you’re only one year younger than Lusya.”

“Closer to two,” Lusya said. “My birth was toward the end of the year.”

“What a coincidence,” he said. “How old are you, Ariya?”

“Seven,” she said, showing him the number on her hands. “Ooh, do you have a Sacred Blade? Can you make invisible walls and stuff?”

He shook his head, laughing. “A Sacred Blade is a little above my level. I can make constructs, but not enough to do anything useful with.”

“Did you not say your instructor refused to teach you constructs?” Lusya asked, blinking and cocking her head.

Ariya didn’t remember that. It must have been when they’d left her alone to deal with the bad guys in the city. Meanies.

Ander blinked, then chuckled and scratched his head. “Did I? What I meant was he didn’t want to. He was super stubborn about it. But he caved after I nagged him enough. Just a tiny bit, though.”

Lusya was quiet for what felt like a long time. “I see. You should be prouder of that. Many new Sacred Knights cannot do it at all.”

“People tell me that, but I don’t think it’s that big a deal,” he said, scratching his head again. “Like I said, I can’t actually do anything with it, so what does it matter?”

“You are closer to being able to do something with it than them,” Lusya said.

Ander pursed his lips and shrugged. “I guess that’s true.” He grinned. “You’re right, thanks.”

“Ooh, how tall are you?” Ariya asked.

“Six feet and three inches,” Ander said.

“About what I suspected,” Lusya said. “Tall, for a human.”

“Back home, they say we have to grow big and strong to deal with the cold,” he replied. “Not sure I actually believe that, but it is true we trend taller.” He paused and counted something silently on his fingers. “Well, I asked you five questions, so, if we’re being fair, I think we’re done.”

“You asked seven,” Ariya said. “I counted.”

“One of those was just a follow-up, and the other was reversing yours. I don’t think those really count. And I’m already counting two of yours as one...” He looked to Lusya, like he wasn’t sure what else to say.

“It does not matter to me,” she said.

“Nuh-uh,” Ariya said, hands on her hips. “Seven isn’t five.”

Ander sighed, but he didn’t seem upset. He was smiling. “Fine, you get one more question and we’ll call it even, okay?”

“Aw, but I had a bunch more,” Ariya said. It did sound pretty fair, though. Counting the follow-up and echo as one made sense, especially when he was already counting her rapid questions about his powers the same way. Him counting Lusya’s earlier question was a little mean, but Ariya guessed it was fine. She did want to give Lusya a chance to ask real a question, though. “Lusya, do you have one?”

“Why are you so insistent on traveling with us?” Lusya asked. “You wanted to confront the bandits but did not when I made it clear that would be the end of our partnership.”

Ander frowned and crossed his arms. “It’s kind of complicated, but part of it is just that I’m enjoying it. I guess I’m not ready to go back to being alone yet.” He chuckled. “But also, if one of them can use motomancy, I probably can’t win on my own. Even if I’m better at it, I don’t like my chances with numbers on their side. And if more of them can do it, I’d be screwed. I do want to be the kind of person who does the right thing even when it’s not very smart, but when it’s suicidal is a little too much for me. Maybe that means my resolve is a bit too weak.”

“Perhaps,” Lusya said. “However, I do not think you should consider that a negative. You cannot accomplish anything after death, not even pointless symbolic posturing.”

Ander laughed. Not just chuckled, but really laughed, until he was out of breath. Ariya didn’t think it had been that funny.

“Thanks,” he said once he was done. “I appreciate that.”

Lusya tilted her head and blinked twice. It looked like she didn’t get it either. “I see.”

He took one more bite, put down his bowl, and stood. “Well, I’m turning in…” Blushing, he stopped and scratched the back of his head. “Um, whose turn was it to keep first watch again?”

“Mine,” Lusya replied.

“Great. In that case, I’m turning in for now,” he said. “See you in a few hours. And see you tomorrow, Ariya.”