Eban

5 - Elaine

Mindful of the girl watching, Elaine pulled a tea towel from the wash basin and wrapped it around the pot. Lifting it from its stand over the fire, she turned around and placed it carefully on the cooling rack waiting on the kitchen table.

"Alright, Rosa, can you do me a favour?"

The girl's eyes narrowed. "What favour?"

"This needs to be stirred until it's cool enough to touch. Will you stir it for me until I get back?"

Rosa's head tilted. Frowning, she asked, "Can I have one of Eban's carvings?"

Elaine smiled. "Eban will make you one of your own, if you like."

"Really? Can I choose what he makes?"

Elaine nodded. Rosa lurched forward, grabbing the spoon from Elaine's hands. Elaine watched her stir for a moment, making sure of the girl's speed and position. Once satisfied that she would have a working potion when she returned, Elaine left Rosa to it.

The cool night air was a welcome change after the heat of the fire. Elaine stopped on her doorstep, letting the breeze play against her skin, lift her hair, and freshen her mind. She had always loved this moment; the first few seconds of being outside, of remembering the world beyond the walls of her home, always stirred the wildness in her soul. For a moment, she felt the ever-present urge to leave the stifling confinements of human life behind her grow. As always, in these moments, she let that feeling take hold and allowed herself to consider what possibilities might lie along such a road.

And, as always, she remembered all the reasons why she stayed.

She sighed, creating a cloud of steam in front of her as her hot breath hit the cool air. It would rain soon, she knew. The air trembled with the weight of the clouds, and the wind embraced her with the scent of water and wet earth.

Her eyes opening, Elaine stepped onto the path from her house and made her way to the road. It would be a good ten minutes' walk through the town before she reached the inn that Rosa called home.

The road she followed was in excellent condition. Broad and flat, it ran through the town and then straight on for several miles. As one of the most direct routes from Tir Brenin, the capital of Ferann, to the Agaithian border, the road was well maintained through the hard work of the townspeople, who all owed two days of work to the King as part of their taxes.

The straightness of the road, coupled with Whiting's hilltop position, meant that on a clear day you could see a long way down the road. As she walked, Elaine's eyes followed the path for as long as the intermittent light would allow.

Just beyond the edge of the town, a shadow moved.

Elaine's breathing stopped. She halted, eyes straining against the darkness. As a wild mage, her eyes were better than most in dim light, but there was only so much they could do when fighting against both darkness and distance.

The shadow moved again, coming to a stop just below the first of the torch sconces that marked the town's entrance.

Elaine breathed again. Just a fox.

She relaxed the muscles that had tightened from the unknown threat. Shaking her head, she laughed softly. Some wild mage you are, scared of a fox.

Ahead, a shutter rattled closed. The fox raised its head, listening. An ear twitch and tail flick later, and it darted out from its spotlight and out into the night.

Watching the fox go, Elaine felt the tenseness within her increase. The hollow pit in her stomach was growing with every day that passed, and she knew she was getting jumpy. She was being ridiculous, she knew, but it always went this way.