24 Nim

Nim stretched her feet out in front of her, old joints cracking. She was faring better in the back of the wagon due to her size than Gareth was. The sandy-haired lad didn't complain, but Nim could tell by the dark circles under his eyes the journey was wearing on him.

They had been traveling in the back of the farm wagon for nearly two days, sitting among bags of potatoes and carrots on the way to Lord Astrophel's castle. The farmer, Dalen, had let them tag along when their paths crossed in the small town north of the wood. Nim had appealed to Daler's sensitive nature, the farmer took pity on the older woman hobbling down the road with her grandson. At least, that was the story she had told him.

Gareth was able to find a suitable pair of brown pants and white tunic common for the townsfolk drying on a clothesline before they had entered the town while Nim had used swift magic to bury his Ibudali uniform. The boy kept his sword with him, despite Nim's insisting the weapon be left behind.

"How much farther do you think lad?" she asked him, his weary eyes focusing on her. The pair had talked quite a bit throughout their journey. Nim learned that he had grown up in these parts of Ibudal and only joined the army because every man in his family had done so before him. She had an inkling he preferred craftsmanship, working with his hands, first making tools, and then weapons. Gareth brought up his interest so much she was sure he was only in the army due to familial obligation.

Nim had tried to explain more about where she was from and how not everyone lived as he did in Ibudal. She wanted him to know that she, nor any of her people, were a threat to him or his way of life. Nim wasn't sure if her words were getting through to him, but she had since ceased having to coerce him with magic as they had traveled.

"Not much farther, Nim, maybe another day or two. Once we pass through the next town, Astrophel's castle shouldn't be too far. We'll need to continue on foot though, it's a secluded place, and I can't promise we'll be guaranteed entry." he said in a low voice. The wagon ride itself provided enough noise to keep them from being overheard, but the boy had a habit of acting in an abundance of caution.

The journey itself so far had been uneventful, they had only seen one sullen witch in a small town passing through with a vampire who didn't look much more cheerful than she. She had heard nothing of General Talmot and his witch companion, nor had they seen any other soldiers from the Ibudali army. She thanked the old gods and the new for the bit of luck.

Nim was careful not to use any magic of her own, unsure of who might take notice. The task took much concentration for her. It was second nature for her to use magic back in Ovandale, usually for small jobs and the like. To stop herself from using it entirely, for the most part, felt almost as distant and disconcerting as when Lorna had severed her back on the farm.

Nim nodded to Gareth, who then rested his head back on a bag of turnips, closing his eyes. Best, the boy try to get some rest before they had to trek to the keep of the northern vampire lord. Nim watched the landscape pass by for a time. The land here was much more hilly. Rocks and trees jutted out from every direction making the horizon difficult to judge. Ovandale was flat, made up of many plains, and mostly shorter trees. The sky back home stretched out so long it felt almost as if they lived on the edge of the world.

The cart rolled along, and Nim exhaled a sigh of relief when she saw a streak of blue pass through the trees. The faerie she had met a few days before had been silently following her and Gareth. Her instincts told her the creature meant no harm, but she found herself often pondering throughout the ride about what the faerie's intentions were. The bones were of no use since the last day she consulted them back on the farm. Each day when she threw them out before her, they said the same thing, war.

"Lousy bones," she grumbled to herself. Nim looked to Gareth, who was soundly snoring despite the bumps in the road jostling his head from side to side. She decided the boy might be onto something. The old woman rested her head as well, letting the cool spring breeze wash over her wrinkled face, and drifted into a natural slumber.

***

Nim awoke with a start, she quickly noted the cart had stopped moving. She rubbed her hands over her aching legs and stretched. Before she could ask Daler where they were, a calloused hand reached over and pressed over her mouth tightly.

"Shh..." a shaky voice whispered. "We need to hide now." Gareth released his hand from her mouth, she could barely see the lad's face in growing darkness. Nim wasn't sure if she should trust the boy or not, he could very well be leading her to their pursuers and his general. The old woman silently weighed her options. Follow the young soldier, or fight her way out with magic.

Nim decided on the former. If Talmot and Lorna were waiting for her, she would unleash a torrent of magic upon them all. Until then, though, she chose to trust Gareth. Nim hoped her faith was not misplaced. Her aging body could only handle so much spell casting these days, and the witch wasn't sure if she could hold her own against the red-haired witch.

Gareth offered her his hand, and she took it gratefully as he helped her down from the back of the cast. They had stopped outside a small dingy inn, only a single lantern hung outside, the rest of the windows dark. The farmer Daler's absence was conspicuous under the current circumstances.Nim didn't saw only a few rickety homes nearby in the rapidly fading daylight near the shoddy inn. For a moment, she thought Gareth was going to lead her down a narrow dirt path leading away from the road, but the lad appeared to change his mind, and instead, they scurried to the horse barn adjacent to the building. The pair stumbled into the musty structure, seeing no sign of a stable hand. Their only company was two horses dozing in their stalls close to the entrance.

Gareth and Nim nestled themselves into an empty stall in the back of the stable where the faint glow from a single oil lamp barely reached. Nim rested her tiny frame on a small pile of hay while Gareth crouched in the corner. She had no inkling how long they would be there and decided she might as well get comfortable.

"What happened back there, boy?" she whispered.

Gareth held a finger to his lips, indicating the woman be silent. He listened intently to their surrounding for a few moments and only spoke when he determined they were safe and alone for the moment.

"I woke when the cart stopped but didn't really feel like getting up right away, so I was just lying with my eyes closed for a moment. I overheard the farmer speak to the innkeeper. The general has been here and is looking for us. Daler was going to turn us in." the soldier whispered quickly.Nim nodded, "Good work, lad. We can't stay in this stall forever though. Especially of those horses belong to Talmot and his fiery-haired friend." she whispered back.

"You are right, we should-" Gareth halted his words abruptly. Voices could be heard outside the barn. Nim couldn't decide if Gareth lead them here on purpose so she would be caught or if he was just plain stupid. Either way, she would need to brace herself for the inevitable. Nim would level the entire inn, and everyone within it before Talmot took her against her will again. If the Gareth had to go down with them, then so be it.

"I'll look in the barn!" a woman's voice called out as Nim heard the door creak open. She couldn't see the woman but knew without a doubt it was Lorna who had entered. The red-haired witch's footsteps crunched on loose gravel. Nim could hear Lorna open up each stall one after another. Soon they would be found out.

The old woman cleared her mind, she began to focus her energy and formulate a spell in her mind before Lorna discovered them. The stall door opened slowly, the younger witch's white dress standing out starkly in the dim light. Her red hair flowed freely. Nim was ready to unleash the full extent of her power on the woman, her hands shaking slightly in front of her. Lorna's facial expression quickly changed from a look of cool disinterest to surprise. She then did something that shocked Nim to her core.

Lorna put her index finger to her lips the way Gareth had moments earlier and then motioned for the two to follow her. The younger witch stepped to the side as she opened the back door to the barn and signaled for her and Gareth to pass.

Nim was frozen, she didn't understand what the woman wanted her to do. Was Lorna toying with them? A flash of blue peeked into the open doorway, and Nim understood. She grabbed Gareth by the hand and practically dragged the astonished lad through the open barn door. Lorna gave them a slight nod as the pair departed into the keeping night.

"Lorna? Have you seen them?" Nim heard Talmot bellow from a ways behind her.

"I thought I saw something," the woman replied, "but now there's nothing there. Perhaps you should look in the inn again." Lorna called back.

Nim breathed a sigh of relief and ran as fast as her tired legs would carry her.