Chapter 7
“Let’s get out of this shite-hole before it’s stench permeates my bones.” Angeline keeps her features concealed by the half-veil of her dipped hat as she accepts her aide’s hand, and moves up into the topless black carriage before stepping over the crammed space to take a seat with her back to the driver’s bench.
“There’s a woollen blanket beside you, Mistress… in case you get chilled.” Samuel easily hops up to the raised frontal platform, and eases himself down onto the spring-cushioned seat before gathering the reigns for the smelly old nag at the front.
“Oh… this is new, isn’t it?” The blue-eyed mage raises her brows as she glides her fingertips over the thick covering. It was dyed a uniform ochre, which wasn’t very pretty in and of itself… but the softness of the fabric was glorious. “Wow… hey, let’s stop by the market again. If they make this here, then I want to send some back to the kids at the Blue Fortress...”
The long-haired confidant displays a soft smile as he snaps the leather straps to spur the biddy into motion… and takes another two tries before the damned deaf horse actually starts to move. “Hmph. The vendor said that he only had the one left, and that he wouldn’t have more until the fall, when the next shearing takes place.”
“Tch. Figures. Probably the only good thing about this dung-heap, and we’d have to wait for another three months to purchase more.” With a heavy sigh signalling her dejection, the young caster leans over, and better-positions the suitcases and traveling goods to put her legs up on. “Did anything in the stalls spark a memory?”
Clearing his throat at the mention, the wiry companion decides to deflect that part of the conversation onto another area. “No… though I did find a few items that piqued my interest. Notably a carving of a midget making love to a schnauzer.”
Angeline sits stalk-still for a few moments, then twists around to try and get a peek of her driver’s features. “Was that… a joke?”
“Well… partially. I did actually see that carving.” Samuel’s lips spread into a grin as he glances down to his Master’s features behind the mesh half-veil of her chapeau. “Would you like to hear about one of the books I found? I believe I could still recite a rather raunchy stanza about the High Cleric from memory.”
The blue-eyed caster snorts out a breath of amusement as she moves to sit properly on her seat. “Perhaps later.” Grabbing hold of the blanket, she whisks it overtop of her legs, then slouches down enough that the rear of her head lays on top of the backrest. “Were the townsfolk as lively as they seemed? Composing prose and song in your name? Samuel the Serial-Killer Catcher?”
“Not… that I heard.” Displaying a frown as the nag tries to head towards a fruit-vendor’s stand, the wiry companion is forced to give a hard yank on the reigns to make the beast stay on the hard-packed dirt road. His Master had purchased the open-topped carriage and this old biddy shortly after they had agreed to travel together… and if the fourteen year-old mare hadn’t been so cheap, he might have suggested that they supplement their diet with her meat. “I did learn quite a bit about Arthur Johnson, however… would you care to hear about that?”
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Aegis and Order: First Light
Fantasy"It’s shoulders were wide and powerful. At four metres in height, it was almost as large across as it was tall. The arms of the hulking beast hung nearly all the way to the ground, and were thick with rope-like muscles that bulged with even the sl...
