Dema returned for the day. It was getting dark and they would be starting their training from the next day anyway.
Ning watched Shara train for a while, and when it began getting dark, he made sure the horses were well-fed before preparing his own al.
Unlike the previous journey, he wasn't going to eat so dried at and fat. This ti, he had bought proper ingredients and utensils to cook their own al.
He had also bought salt and a few other spices to make the taste of the food better. He started a campfire with the wood he had brought from the nearby woods, lighting it up and staying in its warmth.
The cart was placed to his back, blocking the wind that blew from that side of the mountain. All of the other carriages and carts did the sa, making a barrier against the evening wind.
Ning brought out a small pot and placed it on top of so big rocks he placed in the camp and began boiling water in the pot.
The rest was to be done by Shara who had more experience than him in cooking stews. It had been her job sotis to cook it back when she worked in the tavern, so she was well aware of how much spices one needed, how much to salt, and all the other little things that mattered when making a tasty al.
Ning sat by the side, watching the tongues of fla dance within the campfire. He heard the howling winds that blew around the carts, one that would have blown away the fire had they not put the blockade on.
After waiting for a while, the al was ready.
Ning pulled the bowls out from the cart and handed them to Shara, who poured their share of the stew. The piping hot stew was surprisingly delightful when eating in the cold at the top of the mountain with the wind rushing all around them.
It was a delightful experience that he didn't think he ever had in his life. Most of that was because he never actually needed food at all.
"Ning, I've been thinking about sothing," Shara suddenly said from the side.
"Hmm? Thinking about what? The spear?"
"No, not the spear," Shara said. "About my grandma."
"Oh... what about your grandma?" Ning asked.
"How do you think she got 5 gold coins?" Shara asked.
Ning had no answer. The old woman had told him nothing except for the fact that there were gold coins in the ladder at her house. That was all she wanted to pass along to her granddaughter after all.
"I don't know," Ning said.
"My powers- we assu they are hereditary, don't we?" Shara asked. "My father must've had them before , which was why the director said it had to do with my father."
Ning nodded. "What about it?"
"Who did my father get his powers from?" Shara asked.
Ning thought for a mont. "You don't believe it was your grandmother, do you?" he asked. Shara shook her head. "It had to be my grandfather, right? If my grandmother had powers, we wouldn't have been in such a poor state. If she had powers, she would have taught how to use them from childhood. She knew nothing about the powers. So I think it ca from my grandfather."
Ning thought for a bit, nodding his head along. "And you believe the coins ca from him too?" he asked.
"Yes, it has to be, right?" Shara asked. "That is the only thing that makes sense."
"I don't know if that's the only thing that makes sense, but I can say that it does make sense," Ning said. He thought for a bit about the matter. "Do you know anything about your grandfather at all? About his grave or anything?"
"Nothing. He didn't exist at all. Grandma never talked about him even when questioned. She just told that he died a long ti ago, but I'm not sure if that is true or not anymore. Could he have been hunted as well?"
"Perhaps," Ning said, thinking for a bit. "What if he is the sa person that t Granny Usha?"
Shara's eyes widened. "Do you think so?" she asked.
"I don't know, but how many people have the sa powers as you have? And if it is hereditary, then... it is very possible."
"Woah! I never considered that," Shara said. "What do we do now? We can't go back."
"No, we can't," Ning said. "We'll just have to hope we get the answers going forward." Shara chewed on her stew, thinking about all the possibilities. She wanted to know more about her powers. About her powers. She wanted to know more about everything.
After finishing her stew, she washed the pots and bowls and placed them back on the cart.
Far away, a large campfire rose and people gathered around it. So sang, so danced. Everyone entertained each other.
Ning and Shara made their way over to the place, sitting beside a few people as they began chatting with them. They joined in on the songs and dances, doing sothing to make themselves busy while they still had so ti to sleep.
The entertainnt lasted for a few hours, and the entire ti, Ning did not see Umad. He never ca out of his carriage.
He did hear a few gossips about how the man's wife had gone back to her father's house, leaving him for a while. The news about his adultery seed to have spread, despite only the guards and the maids learning about it.
He could understand why the man would be in a foul mood. If not for being required to be on this journey, he probably wouldn't have even co.
After so ti, people began leaving back to their carriages, so Ning and Shara returned back to their cart as well.
Ning prepared a place for them to sleep atop the many barrels and once they got on it, the fatigue of the day took over, letting them easily fall asleep.
User Comments
0 comments from readers