Of Caverns and Casters ✓ [TLRQ #1]

Chapter 27 - Leavi

"You know, she actually told us once that when she was a kid, water would magically appear in the bathroom and kitchen when you needed it. Wish they'd share that kind of magic with the rest of the world, right?" He laughs. Pouring his latest haul into the receptacle, he wipes his brow and leaves the bucket hanging. "Come on. This should fill the tub about halfway. That'll be enough for you, right?"

I nod but set a hand on his shoulder as he moves to grab the receptacle. He stops.

"You say 'the rest of the world'?"

Confusion seeps across his face. "Yeah?"

I pull my hand back. I'm still worried he's going to think I'm crazy, but I have to know. "How—how many people are..." I search for the right word, ending with an uncertain, "Here?"

"In the village?"

"In the world."

He whistles. "I think you'd have to ask one of those Morineause scholars for that. And even then, I doubt they'd actually know."

My mind whirs, translating and trying to sift meaning from his words. "There is... many, then?" How could a 'mythical' Outerlands hold so many people that they can't even be counted?

"Well, Leavi," he chuckles, "there's five countries. I'm no mathematician, but I'd say that's 'many.'"

"Countries?" My tongue tests the Common word, unfamiliar with it.

"A group of lots and lots of villages." His face screws up. "That was a terrible explanation. What language do you speak? Maybe I know enough to translate."

"Errelian?"

He shakes his head, and my heart falls. Of course he doesn't know, the reasonable part of me reminds. If we've never heard of his people, he can't have heard of ours.

"What part of Draó are you from, exactly, Leavi?"

"Draó?"

He laughs. "Surely they haven't renamed it in your language. Avadelian might not be your native tongue, but usually the country names translate."

"This... language. You call it 'Avadelian'?" I pronounce the word carefully.

He nods. "Your Errelian have a different name for it?"

"Common."

He shrugs. "Suppose that's as good a name as any considering the Morineause are about the only ones who might turn up their nose at learning it. You can get just about anywhere in Draó with a good grasp on Avadelian, and I figure most places in the rest of Avadel too. But I get the feeling you haven't traveled much, have you?"

I shake my head.

"That's alright. I hadn't left my village until a couple of years ago myself. Been traveling ever since. You'll catch on." He winks. "Now, let's get this upstairs for you." He grabs one end of the receptacle, and we carry the container to empty it into the tub. Jacin dries his hands on his pants. "There you go. Now to go fill up another for Marcí's kitchen."

"Oh. I did not mean to bother—"

He waves it away. "Don't worry about it. Gotta earn my keep somehow, right?" He smiles. "See you around, Leavi." He picks up the container and leaves, closing the door for me.

I drag Marcí's clothes off me, dropping them into a pile on the floor. As I sink into the tub, the cold makes my skin prickle, but I refuse to flinch. For the first time in months, I'm in clean, pure water, and I'm going to savor every second of it. I dunk my head below the surface, scrubbing at my hair, running my fingers through the wet tangles. The freezing water is refreshing, and I welcome its bite as it rolls over my skin.