The Dmond family woke up early the next morning, even before the sun had fully risen.
The inn room was dark, illuminated only by the cold gray light filtering through the cracks in the window, that light which precedes dawn, when the sky has not yet decided whether it will be clear or cloudy.
The wooden furniture looked like shadows, and the silence was so deep that Lukas could hear his own breathing.
Clavor was the first to get up.
He moved with the precision of soone accustod to early mornings, years of morning training, night patrols, and long journeys. His feet touched the cold floor, and he dressed in silence, first the leather pants, then the dark blue tunic, then the belt with his sword. The tal buckle clinked softly, but no one woke up.
Aurora woke shortly afterward. She yawned delicately, covering her mouth with one hand while fixing her white hair, which was disheveled from sleep. Her fingers ran through the strands, undoing knots and smoothing them out.
"Ti to head back." she murmured, more to herself than to anyone else.
Judite grumbled a little, a low, drawn-out groan, when Aurora touched her shoulder.
"Five more minutes..." the girl pleaded, burying her face in the pillow.
"Judite. Co on."
"Fiiiiive moooore minutes..."
"Judite."
"Okay..."
She sat up in bed with her eyes still closed, her brown hair forming a bird’s nest on top of her head. Aurora chuckled softly and began helping her into a light travel outfit, a pale blue tunic and soft cotton pants.
"We’re going ho today." Aurora said as she guided her daughter’s arms through the sleeves of the tunic.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yes." Lukas replied.
He was already sitting on the bed, fully awake. Tilbo rested on his shoulder, her antennae still, her tallic body glinting under the faint light.
The spider was still inside the cage on the bedside table. Its multiple eyes reflected the light in tiny white dots.
’She’s quiet today. Quieter than usual.’
They went downstairs to the inn’s main hall.
The hall was already bustling, even though the sun was still low on the horizon.
Early-rising travelers occupied several tables, drinking black coffee from clay mugs, eating bread with jam, and boiled eggs. The sll of hot food filled the air. Fresh bread, frying bacon, herbs being ground.
Breakfast was already being served buffet-style. Warm bread, mild cheeses, fresh fruit, and scrambled eggs with herbs.
Lukas ate with enthusiasm.
The eggs were soft and creamy, with a faint smoky flavor that reminded him of bacon from Earth, though it wasn’t bacon, it was so other kind of smoked at Lukas couldn’t identify. The herbs were fresh, finely chopped, and mixed into the eggs before cooking.
He ate two full plates.
He also drank two glasses of Lirium juice, the citrusy, sour drink that had already beco his favorite. The juice burned slightly in his throat, but it was refreshing, and Lukas felt himself truly waking up with every sip.
"You really like that juice, don’t you?" Aurora comnted, watching him drink the second glass.
"It’s good." Lukas replied, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"Very good."
"We’ll bring so fruit ho. Helga can make fresh juice every day."
Lukas’s eyes lit up.
While they ate, the coachman prepared the carriage outside. Lukas could hear the muffled sounds of horses neighing, wheels being checked, ropes being tightened. Clavor stepped outside to give final instructions, his deep voice echoing through the courtyard.
"The road back should be peaceful." he comnted when he returned, sitting down to finish breakfast.
"There have been no reports of beasts in the area in the past few days. Even so, stay alert."
"We always are." Aurora replied.
"I know."
After breakfast, they left.
The sun had fully risen, painting the sky in shades of pale blue and gold. The city was awake, rchants opening their doors, children heading to the academy, guards changing shifts.
Lukas, Judite, and Aurora climbed into the carriage. Lukas sat beside the window, with the spider’s cage on the seat next to him. He refused to let anyone place it on top with the luggage. Tilbo rested quietly on his shoulder.
Clavor mounted Thunder and positioned himself at the front of the carriage, protecting the group. His sword was visible, but his posture was relaxed. The route ho was familiar, and there was no imdiate reason for alarm.
The carriage creaked softly as it began to move.
Lukas looked out the window as the City of the Great Rock faded behind them.
The white towers of Count Hark’s castle shrank on the horizon. The tall, pale stone walls disappeared behind a hill. The great rock, the symbol of the city, glead one last ti beneath the sun before vanishing from sight.
’When I’m older and can travel on my own, I’ll co here more often.’ Lukas thought.
’I’ll explore every street. Every shop. Every alley.’
’I’ll buy lots of books from the bookstore.’
’I’ll...’
He turned his gaze toward the cage beside him.
The spider sat inside, motionless, its multiple eyes fixed on him. Its long, jointed legs were folded beneath it, and its thick, rounded abdon rose and fell slowly with each breath.
’I’m eager to get ho and study you properly.’
He smiled.
The return trip passed without incident.
No beastly roars echoed through the trees. No threatening shadows moved at the edges of sight. There was only the rhythmic sound of wooden wheels rolling over packed earth, the occasional snap of branches beneath the horses’ hooves, and the lodic songs of unfamiliar birds.
Judite slept through part of the journey.
Her head swayed with the movent of the carriage, her brown hair falling across her face. Aurora draped a blanket over her and continued reading a small book, a romance novel, from what Lukas could tell by the cover, which depicted knights and maidens. She turned the pages slowly, her violet eyes carefully scanning each line.
Lukas watched the scenery.
Fields of golden wheat swayed in the wind. Groves of tall trees ford green tunnels above the road. Small farming villages appeared here and there, wooden cottages with thatched roofs, chickens scratching at the dirt, and barefoot children running around.
’This world is beautiful.’ He thought.
’Dangerous, but beautiful.’
’I want to explore every inch of it.’
Within a few hours, with the sun already high in the sky and approaching noon, they caught sight of the Dmond Manor.
The wrought-iron gate stood open, and servants hurried to greet them as soon as the carriage approached. The coachman cracked the whip, and the horses quickened their pace for the final stretch.
Lukas was the first to jump out of the carriage.
He skipped down the steps with the agility of soone already accustod to moving independently, the spider’s cage firmly held in his hands. Tilbo clung to the fabric of his tunic on his shoulder to avoid falling.
"Young Master Lukas!" exclaid Helga, the cook, appearing in the manor doorway with a flour-stained apron.
"You’re back! That’s wonderful!"
"Helga!" Lukas waved with his free hand.
"I brought a new friend!"
He lifted the cage so she could see.
Helga looked at the spider inside. Several expressions crossed her face in rapid succession. Surprise, confusion, concern, resignation.
"It’s a spider." she finally said.
"It is. A Silver-Thread Venomous Spider."
"...venomous?"
"But she’s ta. She doesn’t bite."
Helga looked at Aurora, who had stepped out of the carriage behind Lukas. Aurora raised her hands in a gesture that clearly said, "Don’t look at , it was his idea."
Lukas headed straight into the house, ran up the stairs, and closed the bedroom door behind him.
"Finally alone."
User Comments
0 comments from readers