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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃. Evylyn knew that. And still, she felt her heart stutter a beat as she clenched her teeth and sharply inhaled. Eki'na's eyes crinkled, the vibrant yellow dimming as he stared at Evylyn with an emotion she couldn't place. Fear? Anger?
After what felt like an eternity of tense silence, she forced her shoulders to relax. Though her posture was less rigid, her emotions were a whirlwind of negativity: fear, anticipation, defensiveness... but she would need to look as passive and docile as possible if she wanted to try and appear like she wasn't a wanted fugitive. Yet, she did not completely meet Eki'na's gaze. "Yes. My name is Evylyn, as you obviously know."
The floorboards beneath Eki'na's heavy boots shifted slightly as he took a step back. Placing a hand on his hip, he rubbed the nape of his neck with his other hand, lowering his gaze. "You know, I was starting you think you were some myth."
"What?" Evylyn said, snapping her head up. "A myth?"
A sliver of a warm smile grew on Eki'na's face. "Well, of course. I've lived in this city for hundreds of years, bending ore and minerals to my will, and I've never seen you. How long has that bounty been out?"
"Two hundred years, give or take," Evylyn replied, rubbing a hand against her sleeve. She sighed. "I guess it's good that someone doesn't believe I did... this. Even if it's because you didn't think I existed."
"The town is obsessed with you. It's a little impressive, honestly." Eki'na crossed his arms, muscles rippling. "Everywhere I go, there's a wanted poster with your face on it. How long has it been since you visited Ensceas?"
"Well, I was forced here a few weeks ago by bounty hunters, and barely escaped with my life..." Evylyn trailed off as Eki'na raised an eyebrow. Had she said something wrong?
"I know about that. Well, at least, I heard about it. I just thought they made it up so they could trick more people into fearing you."
"Then... I don't know, a couple years? I mostly stick to taverns outside cities now. Less of a chance of being recognized."
Worked out great last time I visited a tavern.
"And you're not as bad as the townspeople say?" Eki'na's gruff voice cut in through her thoughts. Unlike with Vareia, he was... unsettlingly solemn speaking with Evylyn. It unnerved her, particularly because she knew that this man could squish her between his hands if he so pleased.
"No. No," Evylyn said. "I'm not like the rest of my kind. I don't want to hurt others."
Eki'na's hard gaze softened slightly, though he did not move. "If you're with Vareia, you can't be all that bad. I trust her."
"And I trust Evylyn," Vareia said, melancholic notes interwoven into the melodic song of her voice. It seemed as though the short Cimibil wanted to say something else, but she bit her lip before adding, "We're here to help. I promise."
At Vareia's gentle prod at her side, Evylyn lowered her hood, and could feel her face burn hot as Vareia smiled up at her and Eki'na's eyes widened before he tilted his head.
"A friend of Vareia's is a friend of mine," Eki'na said, stepping forward and extending his hand. Evylyn stared at it for a moment before he retracted it, and a sheepish grin crossed his face. "How can I help you?"
"Well, from what I've figured out so far, I need some plants outside the city. I'm... not entirely sure what to do after that. We're not very experienced with the whole 'cure a deadly disease that you have no idea how it works' thing," Evylyn said. "A lot of it will be potion making. Liquids are going to be the easiest to distribute to the sick, but I suspect there will be magic involved. Either healing or necromancy. Or both. And that's where Vareia comes in."
"M-Me?" Vareia said, and her honey-brown eyes widened as she blushed. "You... you didn't say anything about me being that involved."
"It wouldn't make sense for you not to be," Evylyn said, and she felt the corners of her lips curve up as Vareia smiled, averting her gaze and tucking one of her wild curls behind her ear. "I wasn't going to have you just run around and pick berries for me. I'd be a fool to not accept more help from you."
"Well, I-I mean... if that's what you want," Vareia breathed, eyes wide. A dark blush still adorned her cheeks, and Evylyn could feel butterflies in her stomach euphorically flutter. She swallowed, crossing her arms as Vareia's smile didn't falter.
"Can you take us to the outside of the city?" Evylyn turned to Eki'na, who met her gaze with stalwart eyes. The yellow within his eyes shifted as he looked to Vareia, then back to Evylyn, before dipping his head in a nod.
Given how long it had taken Vareia to find Eki'na's house, Evylyn had believed getting back outside the city would have taken just as long. But Vareia's strange sense of direction was quickly proven to be confined to the Cimibil alone; it took five minutes of walking for Eki'na to lead them outside the city.
The dark confines of Fospyae lurked in the distance, the shadow-stained trees seeming to grow in size the longer Evylyn stared at them. Hushed whispers crept into her subconscious, and she shook them away with an indignant huff. The creatures of Fospyae would need to try harder than that to scare her.
"By the Evergrowth!" Vareia squealed, and Evylyn glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. She'd bent down, back to Evylyn as she outstretched her arms. "Aw, who's a good boy? Who's a good boy?"
Evylyn knew she wasn't talking to Eki'na–probably–so what was she talking to?
And Evylyn quickly got her answer as Vareia shifted slightly; she was holding a baby sungriffin, and it chittered as it placed its front paws on Vareia's collarbone. The Cimibil hugged the baby close, and the sungriffin rubbed its beak against her cheek affectionately.
"Uh, Vareia?" Evylyn said, stepping to the side to try to get a better glimpse of Vareia's face, to no avail. "If there's a baby sungriffin here, don't you think the mother will be close by?"
"She sent him out here. Isn't that right, Soluria?" Vareia's words were muffled as the sungriffin's radiant gold feathers blocked her voice. The sungriffin chirped in response before leaping out of Vareia's arms, landing next to the Cimibil as its furry tail waved back and forth.
"Okay, well... we have things we need to be doing. You can bring the sungriffin along," I guess, "but please try not to let it get in the way."
"Thanks, Ev!" Vareia said, standing and allowing the sungriffin to position itself alongside her. Its bright yellow eyes blinked rapidly as it looked up at Vareia.
"How could you... you know?"
"Talk to it?" Vareia grinned slightly, brown gaze dipping to the creature, who was pawing at the grass. "All Cimibil can talk to animals. I thought you'd know that."
Evylyn's face burned hot, though this time she knew it wasn't from admiration. A sour retort leapt to the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it in favor of a calmer, "I didn't. That's not exactly common knowledge, or I would have known it."
"Maybe," was all Vareia replied with, along with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. "What exactly did you need?"
"Elderberries, echodust, and flame powder," Evylyn said, her hand straying to the bag looped around her shoulder. "I have echodust with me, from a few weeks ago. Elderberries are easy to find. Flame powder is what will be tricky
"Actually, I have some flame powder back at my house. Or, if you're feeling impatient, I can make some. It's just draining, so..." Eki'na cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck. "I'd prefer if you're willing to wait. It'll be safer doing it in my house as well."
"I have the patience of a saint," Evylyn grumbled, pinching her eyes shut as she resisted the urge to groan. They'd be on the outskirts of Ensceas for five minutes, and she was already feeling overwhelmed. The air was too warm, the chirping of forest critters was too loud, and with this new sungriffin bouncing about, the grass was rustling in unnatural ways. Evylyn had a feeling she'd be holding back her thoughts a lot more than normal, for a variety of reasons.
"Patience of a necromancer, you mean?" Eki'na grinned, though Evylyn frowned. Was he joking, or was it an insult under the guise of humor?
"I meant a saint," she replied, and Eki'na mirrored her expression as he raised an eyebrow.
"Alright," he said. "There should be some elderberries deeper into the woods. Border of Fospyae."
Evylyn didn't feel comfortable in the slightest trusting Eki'na's word, and it seemed as though she made the fact obvious as Eki'na briskly walked forward, turning a blind eye to her as he gestured for Vareia to follow. It wasn't that she was trying to be unfriendly; she just... naturally looked and sounded unapproachable, she supposed.
She opted to remain silent as they walked through a row of bushes, breaking into a clearing sparsely filled with towering trees. The green hues of the foliage created a cascading trail of broken pieces of lime light, leading from the tops of the trees to the dirt-strewn ground. Evylyn remembered this section of Astania relatively well. There was a stream to the north, and a temple of a god to the west.
And this area was notorious for its deadly plants and poisons, leaving many dead creatures lying around. The smell was masked by the sweet aroma of the berries, but Evylyn knew that even if she didn't see anything, something dead was lurking in the shadows.
"How many berries do you need, Evylyn?" Vareia's chipper voice piped up, her short form hidden by a bush. The sungriffin scampered around her feet, sticking its beak into the bush before falling back on its rear.
"A few handfuls. We're only testing for now, so I'm only going to be making a few batches. I think." The moonlight dimmed as she approached a bush ripe with colorful berries, forcing her to draw a fire rune. If she wanted, she could attempt to make flame powder right now. But she frankly didn't trust her own abilities, and Eki'na was a forgeman. He'd have a better idea.
Quiet humming filled the clearing, nearly masking all the chirps from creatures around them. Something Evylyn would've been thankful for. But she wasn't, because she could hear leaves crunching from behind her. And a quick glance around the clearing told her it was not either of her companions.
She stepped towards Vareia, leaning down next to her and nudging her gently. "There's someone around. We need to be quiet."
"What?" Vareia's eyes grew wide, though it didn't seem to be from fear. "I doubt they're here to hurt us. We're in the middle of nowhere." She was quiet for a moment before scooting over to the side. "Would it make you feel better to help me pick the berries?"
Evylyn's mind jumped to saying yes, but she didn't verbalize that. Instead, she tightened her lips. "It could be Judge. Or one of his goons. Or another bounty hunter. I don't... I don't want to take that chance, okay?"
"Well, sure, but it could not be them." Vareia dropped a handful of berries into her bag before looking up at Evylyn. "I think you're just on the edge. We can go back in a bit, but we need these berries first."
"Come on, Var..." she trailed off as the snapping of a twig behind her made her jump. "We need to leave. Now."
"Hold on. There are a few more berries..."
"Please," Evylyn said, her voice pitifully breaking. Between her newfound fears and her other brewing emotions, she was very done with what was outside of Ensceas. She just wanted to leave.
"Okay!" Vareia said, jumping to her feet. "Sorry that took so long. I'm a slower berry picker than I remembered." She looked up at Evylyn, and her eyebrows knitted together. "Is something wrong?"
"I just... you didn't listen," Evylyn snapped. She turned to leave, crossing her arms as she resisted the urge to fidget. "I don't..."
Want to talk to you right now. But she couldn't say that.
She could hear Vareia move to respond, but before she could, the crunching of leaves grew louder. Evylyn quickly realized they were footsteps–and approaching fast.
"What if it's the sungriffin's mother?" Vareia asked. Hadn't she said the sungriffin wouldn't see its mother? Why would she be coming to find her child?
"It's not," Evylyn retorted. Though she had no weapon besides her dagger, her fingers were practically itching to properly cast a spell. So she waited.
And after what felt like an eternity, she saw a flash within the woods. It was quick, it was blurry, and she could barely see it. But what she could see of it was that it was very clearly the shape of a mortal, not a forest creature.
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Word Count: 17,647/20,000
A random bolded word in a chapter indicates where I've passed a milestone!
QOTC: Why do you think Evylyn and Vareia are having a tough time communicating to each other? What do you think the thing in the woods is?
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