They walked through the corridors of the castle, nodding to some of their acquaintances who were only now emerging from the battle. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOK8Z2iCzE
“Is everything alright?” a short woman asked nervously. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnp1i3U6D9
“Yes, everything is fine,” Aldene said with a beaming smile. “We’re safe from the rogues for now. We just need to speak with Lord Albin for just a moment. We need a favour.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡBB0rccxtXf
The woman exhaled. “Very well. He should be in his room, resting. He is still quite weak from the sickness.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡGL4rU3ucG3
“Thank you,” Aldene said and brushed a hand to the woman’s arm. She continued on with Marcus right next to her. Some of his braids have come undone, but there were still two at the nape of his neck that were still intact. He noticed her looking at him and he gave her a smile. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXqgYJkTPY
“Is something wrong?”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qA3SMfpgd
“No. Some of your braids are loose.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWYJnSNR5u
“Would you help me tie them back if I help you with yours?”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWrlcq4wkU
“Of course,” Aldene said with a grin. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnl5rdRHD7
They stood side by side in front of Lord Albin’s room, which was guarded by two women who nodded, having recognised them from their frequent visits to the chambers. The doors opened and they saw that Lord Albin was sitting on a chair next to a window overlooking the courtyard which was now a battle field.copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡUi4T2sMQkR
“My lord,” Marcus said with a slight nod. Aldene followed his lead and they waited for Lord Albin to turn to them. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfNMB0dGxx
“Marcus. Aldene.” His parch voice was calm and welcoming, as was the smile on his face middle aged face. “It is so good to see the two of you unharmed.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2VW7maZ3N
“Thank you, my lord.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Y6bR8EDYY
Aldene approached the table in front of Lord Albin and poured him a cup of water. “From the sound of your voice, you need some more fluids in you, Lord Albin.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡujdi5OijuP
“Quite right. I got carried away praying for my fallen men. I hope their ancestors will guide their essence easily to the other realm.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5RM1Z8cZc
Aldene nodded her head mutely, agreeing with the lord. It was important to all Enzlans that their essence left their bodies and moved on. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6a6i1eWFd
Lord Albin accepted the cup from her and took a large gulp. “Marcus, I believe you will be glad to know that while everyone was busy fighting, the healer you had placed unconscious woke up. Seeing himself in chains and behind bars in the dungeon, he quickly confessed to the crime.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡUax8sCWKVr
Aldene shot Marcus a questioning look. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMwsyysHKr
Later, his eyes told her. Aldene raised a brow and poured more water for Lord Albin.copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKy4QQ65NL
“I’m relieved to hear that. Did he give the name to the one who gave the orders?”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIVQQotN9p
Lord Albin scowled into the water before downing it. “He didn’t know the person, only that the money arrived when they said it would.” He pushed the cup away. “You have refilled my cup a dozen times by now, Aldene. Surely that is enough?”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJcMcLlEs5
Aldene hid a smile. “Yes, my lord.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mQErHvyNi
Lord Albin sighed. “Now, is there anything in particular you came to visit me for?”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡk61gXSEqGN
“If we are not asking too much, would you permit us to use your magic mirror?” Marcus asked. “We would like to contact home.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVx2HJN3nf
“You have a daughter, I seem to recall,” Lord Albin said. “I understand your worry and love, as I would wish to do the same for my own children.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9tCZ84HDDu
Aldene’s heart was in her throat at those words. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXBYdyQSZw
“Unfortunately, my mirror was being used to survey the grounds during the battle. The great shock that came with the Ician rogue caused it to fall.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPscRaWEdk
Marcus’s face became grim as he heard the news. Aldene went back to his side and stood close enough to touch. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmOxmWC3Af
“Lord Albin,” Aldene said. “We have been delayed by the battle and we are glad that we were able to help. But we are anxious to go home.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwd9uqHliG
Lord Albin nodded. “I thank you again for all that you’ve done. Your belongings were being packed before the rogues invaded, so you should be ready to go immediately. I will have your horses prepared for you.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYwkbnv72I
The two murmured their gratitude and farewells to the lord. When the doors closed, they made their way down a flight of stairs to the wing where the visiting healers had their rooms. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡsW5gurc6uN
Sure enough, Marcus’ bag was packed and he noted that his bag was also sitting by the bed. He quickly went through both bags and was satisfied with the contents. After changing his shirt for another green one, he slipped the blue bag over his shoulders and turned to see that Aldene was removing her light plate armour.copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡm2jzbOZTai
They dropped off the borrowed armour at the armoury, said their goodbyes, and saddled their horses with fingers that long since memorised the movements, as did the rest of their body when they mounted up and started to ride toward the gate. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2g6nrtSzw
The snow had started to fall, giving the landscape a soft and cold blanket that covered all the imperfections in the world. Sounds were muted by the snow as they set their horses on a steady pace. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1tGiX7u4C
“What was that you were talking about with Lord Albin?” Aldene asked after a few miles. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqECZQqZJB
“One of the healers was poisoning Lord Albin even as we tried to find the cure to his illness,” Marcus replied. “Whenever we came close to a cure, the symptoms always changed.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡijEzp11TUA
Aldene nodded. “It was as though the illness started afresh after every time we created a cure.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvCScUQkpU
“It was Konnoly, the healer from the Southern Islands. He was bought by someone with a large sum of money to poison Lord Albin.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHlBjlrKka
“How did you find out it was him?”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDuZcU1dNV
Marcus ducked under a tree branch. “I was in the infirmary treating the soldiers coming in with wounds. I had run out of supplies and was getting more when I accidentally knocked down a few books from Konnoly’s worktable. Some papers fell out, and I saw that they were lists of ways to counter our cures to make sure that they didn’t work.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdrq6DkWXK
“That bastard!”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUrcvLxWvS
“After I hit him with a scale—”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RvBQIwSVj
“A what? A scale?”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJxf9DTuAR
“He pushed me into a stack of them,” Marcus said defensively. “Stop laughing!”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrLGEgscdX
“S-Sorry!” Aldene leaned into her mare’s mane and tried to control her giggles. “But—scales—oh, Marcus!”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kPAWGisye
“The weights that were on the same shelf fell, too,” Marcus said with a light glower but he couldn’t stop his own lips from twitching upward. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmXjB7XuCy
“I’m sorry, carry on,” Aldene said, pressing two fingers to her lips to keep them from becoming an uncontrollable smile. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡlR07yEn0RA
“I brought him to Lord Albin, who had Konnoly tossed into the dungeons until we had time to deal with him.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWVNwRtPk2
“At least he’s caught now,” Aldene said. They passed on in silence for only another heartbeat before Aldene burst out laughing. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36o1q08ovK
“What?” Marcus demanded. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRBXY9Cmat
“You could have easily stopped him with your magic but you hit him with a scale!”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8pSWWJqM4
“It’s not as funny as you make it sound.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPaRQBSYZn
“I’m definitely telling Gerald and Maya about this.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWelTdvvzF
“Don’t you dare!”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwOooKl8b7
Aldene stuck her tongue out and increased her mount’s speed. Marcus shook his head and patted his own mare. “Come on, girl. we can’t let them beat us.” His mare tossed her head and raced after Aldene, whose laugh pierced through the quiet, peaceful world.copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEXnvNYnMY
They passed the village entirely, opting to continue on to reach the town. Their horses, bred for speed and stamina, would make it there just fine. Besides, with the snow falling throughout the night, it would be harder to start their journey in the morning. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwU0ROdmkM
Aldene slowed her horse to a walk as they approached the gates, which were closed shut. The torches lining the wall made shadows dance on the snow a few metres away from the wall. They stepped into the light and she shouted, “Hello!” copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jjQIHB3QM
A figure peered down at them. “Who goes?”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2q8pWWokI
“A Healer and a scout!”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6eg664jso
“What happened to the Ician rogues?”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6uIqlq7WuX
“Captured or killed at Lord Albin’s castle,” Marcus said. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡJF0aOp7KNr
There was a short cheer from the other soldiers manning the gate. There was a shout and one of the large gates opened enough for a horse to slip through one at a time. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡsayHqENvYg
“The rogues didn’t even try to get through our gates,” the soldier on the ground said. “Just charged right past us and to the castle. We didn’t even have time to warn my lord.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5KCv53D2y
“They didn’t try to hide their attack from us,” Marcus said. “We saw them coming hours away and were able to prepare.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡALdAW203MO
“Really?” the soldier scratched his chin. “That’s damn odd of them. What were they thinking? That is suicide.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡufY3WpHKVG
“Apparently, someone told them we would be weak and few in numbers,” Aldene said coldly.copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PLLsgRwTT
“Do you have a hot meal and a bed for us?” Marcus asked, wanting to drop the subject in case there were eavesdroppers. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uFi5Bk6E6
“Of course, just go straight down that road and you’ll see the Pumpkin Inn.”copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9lTcijU2e
Many houses along the road had their windows and doors covered until only a sliver of candlelight peered through. Not a single house was asleep. Not on this night, so close to the end of the battle. News wouldn’t have reached them so soon about the outcome but they’d know soon enough. Marcus planned to be out of the town by dawn, knowing that they would want to know everything that happened up in the castle. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡA34mOxCF3w
“It certainly looks like a pumpkin,” Aldene remarked. Marcus looked up and chuckled. The inn they were to stay at was build with light coloured wood that, in the torchlight, looked slightly orange. The walls to the inn was also rounded, most likely helped to be that way by magic. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡz81fq6QLcv
“Do you think they have pumpkin soup?” Marcus wondered. copyright protection292ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7Fd0SvjMy
“Let’s find out.”296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGlUVL0Mwd
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