I’m wiggling my feet idly in front of a low fire, my new shoes drying near me with their tassels being shifted every now and then to dry evenly. Plus, I get to play with tassels; if I knew how much I liked ‘em I would’ve collected them or learned to make them, something to do later I guess. I lay on the ground and close my eyes in relaxation until I hear the floorboards near my head creak, causing one of my eyes to peek open. Oh hey Brun, I’d wave hello but my hands are now my pillows forever goodbye.
“Sybil, I have something we need to talk about.” She says with a surprising amount of seriousness, so I sit back up, turning so I face her fully.
“What’s up?” I ask, curious. Rather than answering me, Brun decides the best way to start this conversation is by lifting me from my underarms and setting me on a nearby chair. I look longingly at the tassels left behind but needs must; so let’s start this conversation and finish it faster.
“Sybil, that was pretty clever, what happened earlier; Good job throwing the trail away from you but that won’t hold him off for very long, especially if you’re unlucky enough to be in the same room with that slug,” Huh? What is she talking about? “The baronet arrives in less than six days, which is tight but Raun agreed to help us out- we just have to be speedy."
I want to tell Brun that I've not a clue what the fantastic hell she's talking about, however, it might be funnier to stay quiet while she rambles. I can always clear up the confusion later and we'll all have a nice laugh about it.
Raun decides to join Brun, and, after laying a tentative hand on her shoulder, looks at me and nods, “Aye, I’ll do what I can with my connections but I can’t make too big a move now, considering that bas- baronet, pardon my language, has his fingers in any pie baked the past ten years- even recruited some of the volunteers, maybe even has eyes inside the orphanage.”
Brun sucked a breath in through her teeth then I think I saw her mouth ‘Chad?’ which, was weird, even for her. Raun nodded briefly then continued,
“As I said, I know some people but considering the timing, options are limited if we want to avoid a repeat of what happened to Ali-” A hand streaked out and covered his mouth.
“Don’t.” Brun hissed; oh wow, she seems mad. Should I distract them to get out of this moment or just leave while they’re distracted? I’m shuffling backward but Raun catches sight of my movement and takes that as his cue to continue.
“So the best option is towards one of the frontier towns, where Sybil can blend in with the refugees, but the bridge being…well, as it is, relatively unusable- lest you can balance better than a wood elf. That adds a month- at the least- to the traveling, and winter approaches in the north. Not viable to go south either, I heard the sirens are very active.”
“Because of the bridge collapse?” Brun asked. Raun nodded, then mentioned how the waves stirred them up something fierce, even all the way downstream. The two were silent for a bit; well, not silent but not noisy. Brun was muttering under her breath, which was apparently overheard by Raun, based on the way his thick eyebrows wriggled in response. At long last Raun heaved a gusty sigh and slumped forward, eyebrows creased in the middle.
“I have another way,” He began slowly, “but it isn’t a consistent path. If we do it in increments, swapping hands often, then we would be able to avoid the bloodhound.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out what looks to be a terrible drawing; he must’ve learned to draw from Brun. He points at a dot nearby a line, “We go from here to branching river, which is southward, but too narrow for a siren; trickier to traverse, but I know some local fisherman willing to have a stowaway and from there it’s a straight shot to Cornsborough, near Westville. Then not even the bloodhound could follow from there thanks to Cardoza’s efforts”
Neither of them look happy about it but something stood out from the near-monologue, Westville? I’ve heard that before, haven’t I? I’m not sure where, but I have to go there. My fingers clench at having to leave where I’ve been staying but something is urging me forward. I open my mouth to tell the bickering adults.
“Alright. I’ll go.” I state firmly.
Hmm those 2 know something about her ...
Hmmm, looks like somethings afoot.