Chapter 9

-----------------------------

Under my stupefied gaze, the man drew closer, revealing his face in the firelight. He was handsome, in a rugged sort-of way, a dense, red beard covering his jaw.

"Say, who's in charge around these parts? Honest folk, we are—not the type to expect something for nothing."

I just looked at him, thoughts churning in my head like a messy electrical signal. I felt something nagging at the back of my mind, but emotionally I produced no sense of worry, alertness or discomfort.

However, hearing the man speak for a second time, I finally registered he wasn't alone. Looking over his shoulder, I saw a similarly cloaked figure, a bit taller and thinner than himself.

I pointed a thumb over my shoulder.

"Mister Westley's the caravan master. If you need something, he's your guy."

The man's green eyes stared into mine before he nodded amicably, heading for the bonfire.

"Well, thanks for your help, kid. I'll go speak to him."

I watched him leave with furrowed brows. Rather than feeling uneasy because of the pair of travelers, I felt uneasy because of my unease. Nothing was wrong, so what exactly was my problem?

I abruptly stood, toppling my stool into the gravelly mud. Maybe I'd best call Erik. Yes, that's right—a second opinion was always a good idea. Besides, he might be able to figure out what was bothering me.

"Erik…!"

As soon as the shout exited my throat, my expression turned confused. Surely there was no need to scream, right? What was I doing? Wouldn't these people think I'd suddenly turned crazy?

The man turned around, looking surprised. Then, his eyes narrowed, scrutinizing me.

"…huh, so fast? What's up with this brat?"

He muttered the words under his breath, seemingly involuntarily.

Feeling my cheeks turn red, I glanced from him to his companion.

"Oh, uh… I'm sorry-…"

Stuttering, I was about to continue my apology when my eyes fell on the tall, slender figure trailing behind the red-haired man.

Their, or should I say her, cowl was pulled low, hiding her face except for her lips and the tip of her nose. I could also see a few strands of hair sticking out, glinting silver in the firelight.

Just from looking at the lines of her face, her smooth, ivory skin and pale-pink, rose-petal like lips, I knew she was outrageously beautiful. I actually felt my heartbeat speeding up, my mouth turning dry as I stared dumbly at her.

In retrospect, it's embarrassing to admit her appearance was far more enchanting than the red-haired mage's spell.

"You're…?"

The words died in my throat as she drew closer, her hood shifting to reveal the upper half of her face, still cast in shadow. However, I didn't miss her icy-blue eyes, shining in the firelight.

'Silver hair, blue eyes… Is she an elf? No, her eyes don't glow and I don't see any big, pointy ears…'

Though my sight remained glued to the woman's face like some kind of creep, she hardly spared me a glance. She just stood there behind the bearded man like a marble sculpture.

There was a ruckus from the bonfire's direction, as well as the campfires around me. Understandably, my yell attracted attention.

The red-haired man looked at me for a moment longer before sighing, scratching his beard.

"Damn, it's inconvenient, really inconvenient. Why'd I have to run into such a weird kid?"

He seemed to hesitate, glancing at the approaching figures before walking in my direction, reaching out and grabbing my hand. Immediately, I smelled a strange scent, almost like fireworks.

At this point, the cloud over my thoughts was starting to dissipate, but it was only to the extent of finally feeling like something weird was going on.

The stranger palmed my hand, pushing and prodding like trying to feel the bones, ligaments and veins under my skin. My flesh immediately turned numb, like a low-voltage current was running through me.

The man didn't seem to find what he was looking for, his expression growing complicated.

"What, just a normal child…?"

My eyes met his, his confusion reflecting my own.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice, shouting from behind the red-haired man.

"Hey, what are you doing? Let go of Arne!"

Erik's appearance was abrupt, stomping toward us like an angry bull. Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed the stranger by the shoulders, shoving him away from me.

The man stumbled backward, his gaze lingering on me. I got the impression he allowed himself to be manhandled.

Seeing something was going on, a crowd quickly formed around the four of us, the caravanners immediately noticing the pair of strangers.

"What's going on? Who're those two?"

"They don't look like bandits."

"How did they get past the night watch?"

"Damn, where's Geoff? Is he sleeping on the job again?"

A flurry of whispers sounded as people started gossiping. Seeing the pair had nowhere to escape, Erik glared at the red-haired man before releasing him, coming to my side.

"Are you alright? What was that guy doing to you?"

He looked at me with concern, a golden light shining faintly in his eyes.

I shook my head absentmindedly, feeling more and more shocked as the haze continued to dissipate. At this point, the idea, which had somehow been blocked until now, surfaced in my mind—the red-haired man had to be a mage!

A sense of excitement and joy bubbled in my chest. Until now, I'd lived a perfectly mundane life. Never mind encountering a wizard or magical artifact, I hadn't even seen Erik using his powers!

My eyes sparkling, I stared at the hooded stranger, embarrassedly scratching his red beard. For me, this encounter was a dream-come-true.

"Nothing, nothing…"

Seeing my brother's growing concern, I mindlessly mumbled some words of assurance. However, instead of being placated, my starstruck tone and expression only increased his unease.

"What's the matter with you?"

Taking me by the shoulders, Erik shook me lightly.

My eyes finally left the red-haired man, glancing at him.

"Oh, uh… I'll tell you later-…"

This didn't help much either, judging by my brother's deepening frown, but fortunately I was saved by mister Westley's arrival.

"What's all this, then?"

The rotund man emerged from between a small group of people, his bald head gleaming in the firelight and his face rosy from alcohol.

Erik and I unconsciously made way for the big fellow, watching him approach the pair of travelers. The red-haired mage, probably guessing his identity as the caravan master, stepped forward.

"Evening, the name's Willem. I was caught out in the open when night fell, but thinking Marley was nearby, I decided to keep going. I just so happened to stumble across you fine folks."

Smiling and rubbing his hands together, his appearance seemed a bit shady.

Mister Westley must've thought so as well, his expression not exactly welcoming.

"Is that so…?"

Drawling the sentence, he glared fixedly at the stranger, somehow managing to appear intimidating despite his inebriation.

The red-haired mage chuckled awkwardly.

"We were hoping to stay the night, share a bit of your fire and maybe buy some rations. Could we talk somewhere…"

His eyes flicked from mister Westley's face to the spectators.

"…more private."

Off to the side, I listened half-heartedly to their conversation. Truthfully, my attention was focused on the athletic, slender figure by 'Willem's' side. It was extremely odd—despite her extraordinary appearance and demeanor, on top of being more than six feet tall, she didn't draw much attention.

'It has to be some kind of magic. No way this group of unwashed barbarians would ignore a woman like her.'

The icy beauty's influence on me, being a ten-year-old who hadn't gone through puberty, spoke volumes. Having grown up in the information age, I'd seen my fair share of pretty girls.

Next to me, Erik followed my gaze, but apparently not seeing anything interesting, he looked askingly at me.

"Why are you staring at that person?"

I glanced at him suspiciously, all but confirming there really was something fishy going on.

"Why wouldn't I stare at her? She's drop dead gorgeous. I know you like Grace, but let's be honest—that woman is way prettier than my sister-in-law."

There was a period of stunned silence as Erik processed my words, probably not expecting his little kid brother to make such a remark.

Suddenly, he punched my shoulder, his knuckles solidly hammering a nerve. A gust of air exited my nose, huffing in pain while sending my brother a scathing look.

"What are you saying? No way she's…"

Grabbing a fistful of my hair, Erik jerked my head back and forth while staring at the mysterious lady. Faintly, I saw his irises flashing golden, then his upset expression suddenly transformed into one of shock.

Seeing this, my eyes flicked from him back to the woman.

"See, I told you-…"

However, the words promptly died in my throat. For a second, Erik and I stared dumbly ahead, unable to form words. Suddenly, I felt a feverish heat rush upwards from my chest, blushing furiously from my neck to my ears.

The woman was looking in our direction! Not only had she overheard us, but from this angle, I'd finally gotten a good look at her face.

I could only thank my lucky stars for my previous life, else I'd never have been able to distinguish my sudden infatuation from love-at-first-sight.

-------------------------------------

Advance chapter available for $1.

pa tre on.com/user?u=59309466