Never Go Home

Chapter 5 - Answers

The cabin was bare of any furniture, and a jagged hole marred the wooden floorboards near the door where someone or something had fallen through.

I won't lie. I wondered if the whole building would collapse on us at any minute. At least the roof seemed void of any holes. Perhaps someone had found refuge in this cabin at some point and cared enough to make crucial repairs. With the rains, it wouldn't matter if you were in a shelter if the roof wasn't solid. The vast amount of water would soak everything, anyway.

A scattering of leaves and a layer of dirt coated the floor though I could see where Tobin had been moving about. His bedroll lay in front of the fireplace which was now glowing with a warm light.

"Won't the smoke alert someone?" I stepped towards the center of the room, avoiding the gaping hole in the floor, the opening devoid of light. I tamped down a childlike urge to scurry away from it as if a monster under the floorboards would reach out and grab my ankles.

"I keep it small. Dry wood." He motioned towards the corner of the room where there was a pile of wood broken into thin pieces.

I nodded at his remarks, glad he hadn't noticed my momentary, juvenile fear. I had never had a reason to build a fire while also evading detection, so his reasoning seemed solid. From the amount of undisturbed dust on the floor, he hadn't been here long which meant he made sure he had dry wood wherever he went. He thought ahead, a point in his favor.

He motioned towards my bag in the corner of the room furthest from the monster hole, as if saying "there you go." Now unsure of myself in this small space with a man I didn't know, I gripped my satchel, assuring myself it was there. Even in sleep, I'd keep it on me. I considered my bow. Hanging on to it would be unwieldy, not to mention I'd look like a head-case hanging onto my bulky weapon all night. He wanted me to trust him, but trust isn't only one-way. So far, everything he had done had aided me. I offered up a concession to him and placed my bow by my pack. My satchel held my knife in any case.

My nerves frayed and coiled. I needed to busy myself, hide my awkwardness, so I rummaged through my bag though I wasn't sure what I was looking for. I watched Tobin from the corner of my eye. He unwrapped some of his gauzy clothes as the fire took the chill from the cabin. Now I could take the time to look at his clothes, I realized it was a cloak-cowl-shirt combination. How strange. I'd never seen the likes of it at home, even on the peddlers. He threw the outer layer of clothing onto his bedroll and moved over to the rest of his gear, running a hand through his longer curls.

"Do you even know what you are looking for?" His voice held an amused tone as he filled a pot with water before placing it on the fire. Squatting, he poked at the coals, pushing them around the fireplace, back and forth.

"No." A sheepish grin formed on my lips, but it didn't seem as if I was the only one who didn't know what to do with themselves as he pushed the coals again. Tension in my muscles eased a bit at the thought.

My chagrin was immediately replaced with shame. Here I was, safe in a warm cabin with food, and who in the world knew where Eluena was? What was happening to her?

I voiced my concerns to Tobin. "What is happening to my friend? Where did they take her? Who were those other men?" Questions multiplied in my head. "And who are you? Where are you from?" I gestured at him, waving my arm about trying to convey that his presence and peculiarity was inexplicable.

Tobin let out a sigh as he pressed his lips together. He held my gaze, his eyes hooded yet kind, but the sag in his shoulders told me more. "That's a lot of questions."

"I need answers."

He nodded, now stabbing at the red-hot coals.

After a moment of awkward silence, "I'll get us something to eat, and we can talk. All night if needed."