Canes came upon a little cobblestone hut. His men were leagues behind him, hidden beneath the trees. He walked next to Nimbi, the scout.
"You say this is where we might find a witness?" Canes asked. "It looks like where people store extra wood."
"Somebody lives here," Nimbi said. "And their mana was here. I was thinking you wanted to ask questions." He took the time to spit on the ground. "We can go ahead to Ariolus if it pleases you."
"No, no," Canes said. "This will do just fine."
He knocked on the door. A boy of maybe ten opened it.
"Whaddya want?!" He said.
Unfazed by the two men twice his height and the amount of mana weeping from them, the boy glared up at them.
"We want your father, boy," Canes said.
"Don't have one," the boy replied.
"Your master then," Canes said.
"You think I'm a slave?!" The boy yelled.
Well, no, Canes thought, but now I'm reconsidering.
He smiled.
"No, but we think you're not the owner of the house," Canes said. "So take me to him."
"My teacher," the boy said. "Is out. I'm here doing the chores for him."
He crossed his arms as well.
His story was true on sight. There were small pieces of meat over the fireplace in the back. Nothing of great number had been given to the boy, but a task of little importance had been given to entertain him.
Canes chuckled.
"I think this little guard dog is taking things too seriously," he said to Nimbi. "He's acting like we're here to steal the jerky he's preparing, but it's not like that at all."
"Don't care wot you're here for," the kid muttered.
Canes patted him on the head, but the boy winced away. Canes withdrew his hands.
"I'm just here because I'm looking for a few people," Canes said. "I don't want anything else. A man, a woman, and a kid? Have you ever seen anyone like that? Has your teacher ever mentioned anything like that?"
Canes took a step upon the threshold. The kid, almost a young man really, took a step forward as well.
Canes smiled and backed off.
The kid shrugged.
"Dunno," he said. "You can come back later to ask about the little family you're hunting when my teacher is back."
Then he shut the door in their faces. They heard a bolt clink. Canes lifted his hands and shook his head as he walked away. Nimbi slid behind him.
They could have forced the door, but they were also on Ariolus' doorstep… Nix already had one war on its hands. It wouldn't do to be starting another now.
"Well, that was pointless," Canes said. "I suppose we should head back and tell our men we're camping for the night."
There was a surprise waiting for them when they returned, however.
"Sir! A hunter in the woods spotted us."
A soldier approached as soon as they came near.
"Where is he?" Canes asked.
There was too long a pause for silence.
"Don't tell me he got away," Canes said, his voice lowering.
"We have him, sir," the soldier said. "It's just…"
Canes entered the makeshift camp his men had made. He saw his men circled around an old man. Now, there was the cause for concern. At least some of his men wore the insignias of Nix, a red field beneath a mountain.
The old man had seen too much.
"This won't be any problem, will it?" Canes said. "Men, untie this man!"
He pulled himself before the old hunter.
"Let's have a pleasant conversation, shall we?"
———————————————————
Aureum woke up late that day. Very late.
By the time she opened her eyes, the sun was already falling.
This surprised her. It had been months since she slept in, at least when she had something to do.
Gemmo hadn't woken her up, which was part of it. She'd left him with Hiems last night. The little boy had already been asleep. Moving him a whole room had seemed pointless when it might wake him up.
Now, her whole day was gone by the blink of an eye.
Aureum dashed towards the door only to halt with her hand on it.
What's the point? She thought.
Even if she left now, she wouldn't have the chance to find one beast before the sun set. There was disappointment, but a tiny corner of her heart held relief.
I needed to do more today! She thought, chiding herself.
But there was nothing to be done. Putting aside everything, Aureum went back towards her bed.
A knocking came at the door.
"Are you up?"
Aureum recognized Hiems' voice.
"No!" Aureum said, crawling back into bed anyways.
Hiems opened the door.
"Well," Hiems said, as he entered, "if you can speak like that, at least you're not sick."
"Gemmo?" Aureum asked.
"In the next room. He'll be fine for a few minutes…"
Hiems allowed his words to drift off. He came closer until he was at the edge of the bed. His green eyes were shining.
"You don't look sick," he said. "Are you truly all right?"
"I'm not sick," Aureum said. "I guess I was just tired, and nobody woke me up."
"I tried to knock a few hours ago," he said.
His hand drifted out, just around her head. He was trying to tidy her hair almost without touching her.
"I didn't even hear," Aureum said, groaning as she pulled herself deeper into the blankets.
Hiems let her pull herself away. He looked at the wall for a moment.
"…If you're up, do you want to do something?" He said.
"It's too late to work," she said, pulling herself deeper.
"It seems you've had enough of that," he said. "I wasn't suggesting work. I want a break too. We really didn't have time for any rest after running all that way. We should have had a day like this earlier."
Aureum felt his hand brush her head again. She perked up.
"So what you're suggesting isn't work?" She asked.
"Hmm," he agreed. "Unless you want to?"
Aureum fully sat up as she scowled.
"Don't mess with me," she said. "What do you have planned?"
"Something fun," he said, as he turned away from the bed.
A couple of steps, and Hiems turned back to look at Aureum. She yawned as she climbed out of the bed.
"What does fun mean to you?" She said, smiling up at him.
His eyes narrowed, with a flash of a real grin.
"I guess I let certain matters get away from me," he said.
He approached her, a certain gleam in his eye. Aureum paused, but all he did was peck her on the forehead.
Then he was going for the door.
"We have to bring Gemmo too," Aureum said.
"Without a doubt," Hiems said as he shut the door behind him.
Aureum touched her forehead.
He was already gone.
He's a little energetic now, isn't he? She thought.
She was blushing, but that was besides the point. She had to clean herself up first.
The slow morning gave way to an exciting afternoon. Aureum dressed as best as she could, but she hadn't ever actually bought the dress she joked about. Still, she did her hair, and Hiems wore clothes that were whole. For the pair, that was enough to be excited about. Besides, at least they were comfortable.
There wasn't any festival or holiday, but it wasn't like the streets or Ariolus City was devoid of entertainment or spectacles. Nothing like Triviis, which felt almost more lively during the night, but Ariolus had its own little marvels.
For this outing, they were lucky. A play was scheduled at the outdoor theater nearby. They were far too early for it, but that just gave them time to explore.
Gemmo was very quiet at everything at first. This made Aureum a little worried. They took him to the sweets stall and to the little shadow play outside the theater.
But he mostly just eyed the proceedings with wide eyes as he held his little sack doll with him.
Gemmo had never been very nervous, and he wasn't now, wandering away from Hiems and Aureum as he liked. But he didn't linger at any of the obvious entertainments for long.
"Lookie!" He said, pointing.
Aureum looked and didn't see much of anything at first.
"Ook!" He said.
He was pointing down, but Aureum saw nothing of note.
"It's the puddle he wants you to look at," Hiems murmured.
"Ohh," Aureum said. "It's the reflection of Mr. Sackdoll. Hello, Mr. Sackdoll's twin."
This minor thing seemed to interest him more than anything else. He circled around the puddle a little bit. Aureum touched the calm surface with a finger.
"See? It ripples. Isn't that fun—
"No," Gemmo said, his face scrunching. "No! No! Sacky!"
"All right, Gemmo," Aureum said. "I'll leave it alone! See, he's fine."
After all that, it was time for the play. Hiems' and Aureum's little outing was already quite different from what they had imagined, despite the cuteness of the whole affair. The play was also something else.
It was not some prim and proper love story, no. Bawdry and trashy humor, a loud audience who would boo and cheer as they pleased, and an end so dramatic nearly every character dies.
The audience loved it, and Aureum enjoyed it for that alone. Plus, Gemmo's voice here and there as he fussed and fidgeted was hardly noticed in a crowd like this.
It was grand. By the end, Aureum had tears in her eyes. Nothing serious, but she had felt something. Hiems clapped enthusiastically at the end, but he gave no impression of great emotion either way.
The way back was much quieter. Hiems carried Gemmo, really more to keep him from wandering off more than anything else.
"Maybe not the most romantic outing, but I hope you enjoyed it," Hiems said.
"Oh, I loved it!" Aureum said. "When the evil cousin got stabbed theatrically in the back, it was amazing!"
Hiems wondered at her joy over it when she had seemed much more delicate to him.
"I guess it's not the same as… reality," Hiems said.
He barely caught himself from saying "someone dying in front of you" outright. Aureum stilled a little.
"Yes, it's not the same," she said. "That jerk deserved it! Who asked him to murder and steal what wasn't his?"
"Eh, he was definitely a piece of work," Hiems said dismissively. "But what's inherently wrong with stealing from someone who stole first?"
"What are you talking about?" Aureum said. "The lordling didn't steal from anyone…"
"But the lord did, or his father or grandfather before him did," Hiems said. "It's not like lords are rich without a reason."
He stopped himself when he saw her face.
"I guess that is true…" Aureum admitted with a little disappointment. "Most of the first lords were little warlords and tyrants all on their own. Dressing up their ownership of the common people as 'protection' does little to hide that fact… but that doesn't mean all lords are included in that list. Many Bloodlines are new as well, without the bloody history."
What does she mean, "the first" and "were?" but Hiems managed to keep this thought to himself.
Aureum perked up by the end of her own words.
"So you'd rather believe that this lordling was the inheritor of a fortune that came from no ill gain?" Hiems asked, teasingly.
"There has to be at least one," she said, but she couldn't help mocking the sentiment in the next breath. "Why wouldn't it be in fiction?"
"I think you're right," he agreed. "I'll go further and say there has to be at least one that's outside of fiction too."
"I haven't seen any," Aureum said.
A lord that didn't cheat, steal, or kill to maintain power was there really one to be found?
It was a position everyone wanted, so even if it was come by honestly, to keep it and maintain peace, weren't there certain concessions to be made?
Even Lord Maledic, with such a legendary status, wasn't above using such tricks as bullying those lesser in power.
"We'll have to keep an eye out," Hiems said. "Maybe we'll see all sorts of marvels… We've already seen a few already. Maybe a kind Lord isn't so much harder to expect. I didn't mean to ruin your fun."
Aureum paused at "all sorts of marvels," but it wasn't enough to make anyone else think of little Gemmo unless they already knew. She waved the apology off.
"I noticed you weren't that taken with the play," she said. "Did it seem unrealistic to you?"
He shrugged.
"It was very… dramatic," he said.
Aureum chuckled. That was an understatement. How else were the actors able to hold the attention of such a big and rowdy crowd but by being dramatic? Every pose and expression was over-accentuated so it could be seen by the drunken idiot in the back.
"Has anyone seen…!"
There was a commotion up ahead. Some young kid was yelling. "Kid" was stretching it a bit, but so was calling him a young man. He was a gangly thing, stuck in between both terms. Aureum and Hiems watched it as they approached, but without any expectations.
"Has anyone seen a young lady and a young man with a little baby? I'm looking for them!"
Aureum paled as she grabbed Hiems' arm.
"Kid, that describes a third of the families that live on this street!"
An annoyed passerby interjected his opinion. The kid looked for the man who spoke like grasping at straws.
"Please, my teacher needs help! This couple helped him before! His name is Umoris! He needs help!"
The crowd backed off at his desperate hands.