Support my main contracted novel and winner of Writing Prompts #26 - The Legendary Mage!
Desolate Mage: A Legend Reborn!
https://www.webnovel.com/book/12013957905760805/Desolate-Mage%3A-A-Legend-Reborn!
* * * * *
Caitlyn was thinking as she held the sheet of paper tightly.
It was late afternoon; and they had been traveling for roughly 7 hours, including a break for lunch. She held a report of uncertainties regarding the expedition to the tomb of the NDLDG. The 1,000 year anniversary trip had gone viral, catching the imagination of countless young people across Uro, Rome, Britannia and Catalunia.
Normally an academic field trip would not concern the nobility - not even one which involved the cooperation of the entire academia of the middle continent. However this one was of great interest; because the only heir of Turin's Lord, Duke Greybeard, was involved.
The missive reported that the portal on Manacor island had collapsed once the last group entered 3 days ago; and the entrance to the tomb was in ruins; said to be the result of instability in the void-space. As the island was sparsely populated; news of this would reach the rest of the world only slowly.
The Baron waited for his advisor's decision. They were riding in a procession of 3 carriages headed to Lyon, each pulled by 2 steeds. From Lyon they would catch a steam train to Turin. He was with Caitlyn in the middle carriage; in order to ensure their discussions were kept private.
Caitlyn furrowed her eyebrows and rubbed her nose. (I'm confident that the others will need at least 8 more days to get the same news... If we return now to Turin while the information has not yet been made known; we could secure our position and be ready to capitalise on the struggle for succession...) She weighed the pros and cons of various actions in her mind.
She blinked long and hard, looking at the green country roads passing by at nearly 60 miles an hour - their carriage enchanted for stability and speed; and pulled by rune-covered roman stallions. Their guards were riding in the more austere carriage at the front; while Rosa, the Baron's 2 maids, Reeve and Lily rode in the larger luggage car at the back.
The last of their party, Roland, rode tirelessly on horseback along with 4 soldiers dispersed around the carriage. The level 18 guard captain was vigilant of any potential obstructions or threats ahead.
She sighed internally. (...Eventually the court will know that we had prior knowledge of the possible disaster... We'll need to make a show of action, and a strong one at that...)
She looked at the Baron, and spoke about the next steps. "I alone shall return, and organise a rescue mission. That should be enough to silence all but our most extreme critics... At least the neutrals. Novius, I'll leave you some guidance." She extracted a piece of paper from her leather pouch and began writing. "If all goes well, we should progress our plans by..." She calculated mentally, "...By at least 2 years."
The Baron nodded, receiving the letter and the written instructions. He looked more like a child receiving his homework instead of the most promising young bachelor of Turin. Some said that if the handsome, powerful and ambitious young man were compared merely based on his personal capabilities; he could even give the three sons of the emperor a run for their money.
"...Auntie...?" Novius smiled in concern, worried for his nanny and relative's well-being. "...Stay safe?"
Caitlyn patted him on the head, though she had to stretch a little to reach from where she was seated to reach the tall young man's head. Then she disappeared from the carriage.
As her figure blurred and she inexplicably appeared on the side of the tracks the carriages had left behind them, she couldn't suppress the niggling feeling about the news she'd received.
She darted off back towards the town - many times faster than the carriage they had been riding. She glanced back, seeing through the window of the 3rd carriage; where Reeve and Rosa played dolls with Lily, along with the two male servants.
Somehow, as she began the 2 hours journey back, she had a feeling things were not so simple as just a failed teleportation portal.
* * * * *
Sam was holding a sealed letter, itching to rip it open and nosy herself into the contents. When her right hand started to move to rip open the sealing envelope, the old man frowned and coughed politely - which she ignored as she tore open the letter.
She turned the paper inside around, upwards, sideways - but couldn't make sense of the symbols and signs written on the paper within.
Chuckling, he said, "If you could break that code, you wouldn't be Sam..." He grabbed the letter back from her, earning her ire. "Girl, here's my side of our bargain. Bring the letter to the Rome school of arts, and pass it to the principal. He'll get you enrolled according to the rules. No favouritism, all right?"
"The academy in Rome has a good teacher there for numerous martial arts - including your Baguazhang. I heard Paulus has a caravan heading to Lyon. If you can hitch a ride, you can from there catch a train to Rome, passing through Turin." He smiled gently. "You can probably visit Reeve on the way."
He walked with her out of his room, ignoring Lena's glares, resentful at having to work over the school break to clear admin work and the accounts. He accompanied Sam to the entrance of the academy, then placed his hand on his left breast and bowed; she returned his gesture and bowed in return.
"Oh yes! I almost forgot... The principal should give you a package - one that you won't be able to open." He smiled smugly. "Bring it back during your semester break which should be..." He checked the calendar, "...In 3 months, before the last week of autumn."
Before parting, he asked once more if she knew how she regenerated with no special herbs were used, and no talent unlocked. Clueless, she just shrugged and shook her head.
She turned and walked south to her now empty home, walking through the crowds. She had just checked out from the infirmary the morning before, and had (over)stayed there one last night.
She passed by the tanner's place, beside the coffee house. She could hear their daily argument about who had opened their store there first; and the coffee house owner's complaints about how the bad smells drove away customers.
Further along, Sam browsed through the things at Blacksmith Colin's. 80-90% of his wares were household or farming equipment, with the remainder short knives or axes that could double up as forestry equipment and also self defence.
Then she saw something she'd never seen before - a pair of old, beaten up leather gauntlets. They had round pieces of metal sown into the place where one's knuckles would make contact when punching. Despite it being quite old, Sam felt an inexplicable sense of longing to possess the well-worn gloves.
She looked at the price tag below the gloves. It was very cheap compared to even the kitchenware, at only 8 silvers. Sam looked through her pockets and bag, but could only fish out 5 coppers and 2 silvers.
Disappointed, she could only walk away dejected, eyes on the ground. She had already extorted too many items from the various vendors, mostly food and the occasional garment. For an item as expensive as the gauntlets... Even she would feel bad if she robbed too much from them...
"Myuu~?"
A cat...? No, a kitten? Sam's eyes widened, and her frown faded. She (gender assumed) was pretty cute, with glossy white fur. Some parts of her fur like her ears, nose and even paws were a gray-black, giving Sam the feeling like she was wearing cute little socks. Just a little dusty and dirty.
"Myuu!" The kitten walked up to her leg, circling it while brushing its small body against her.
(Awww...) Sam's heart melted, and she wiped away the saliva dripping down her chin, deciding to keep the adorable little thing instead of eating it. It was all bones anyway...
She picked up the kitten and let it stand on her hand. It was only as long as her palm, but the fur ball was quite a lot heavier than she looked. Sam used both hands and carefully turned the kitty around, checking for any visible wounds, infections or worms (not that she could actually tell).
Strangely, the kitten was pristinely well conditioned; as if she come from a palace... But without a tag, so she should be a stray, right?
The kitten hopped up onto her head, sitting on her brown-blond hair. She reached up to pat her and stroke her silky fur.
"What shall I name you...? Hmm..." She thought about it as she continued her walk home to pack; as she might be leaving tomorrow morning with the caravan. It was nearing evening, the streets slightly busy with people closing shop and heading home.
Some of the vendors smiled and said hello, with sounds of "Ooh..." and "Aww!" at the sight of the kitten on top of her head; clearly not realising her identity as the queen of eat-and-run. She smiled and waved back, mentally taking note of who didn't smile and deciding to "visit" them when she was free.
Reaching home, she entered and looked for her lantern and placed it on the kitchen table. She snapped her fingers beside the oil-wick, the high friction between her thumb and forefinger enough to draw sparks and light the lantern.
Then she dug around for vegetables and water in a small clay bowl for the little kitty. For a moment, she felt as if the kitten frowned at the food with a look of disgust, but it must have been just her imagination as the kitty then lapped at the water, and reluctantly began chewing on the raw bok choy.
Sam laughed happily, a beautiful tinkling giggle like silver bells, a delicate sound not quite suited to her powerful 190cm frame. She stroked the kitten, then said, "Hmm... I think, since you're so white with just a little bit of black..." She perked up and sat straight, a look of delight on her face, "...I'll call you Snowie!"
Sam hummed to herself, quite pleased with her own creativity, convinced that the kittens look of resentment was just her imagination.
Snowie turned around and pounced on her hand, chomping down at full strength and sinking her claws into the flesh.
Sam was shocked; and gasped as Snowie's teeth and claws shredded her new-old gauntlets which she in the end could not resist "borrowing".
"Guess it wasn't that useful after all..." She felt disappointed that the gauntlets were in such bad shape that even a cats scratch could break them.
"Aren't you a cutie..." Sam's face formed a "^_^" shape as she pulled Snowie to her chest to hug her tightly.
She sat down in Lucius' study, in the chair he would usually sit in. In the rickety wooden hut, the candle flame and the distant moons and stars were the only source of light illuminating the contours of her face. She smiled, a wistful smile; enchantingly beautiful in the moonlight.
As she looked over across the forests, mountains, rivers and seas, she wondered how grandpa was doing. She was lonely without him; her eyes misting over. She was glad she stayed far from the rest of town. This way she didn't have to see the sights and hear the sounds of bustling homes with brothers and sisters - and loving parents.
Seeing the girl cry, Snowie stopped struggling and tilted her head to the side, curious as a kitten is.
Sam then felt a soft touch on her chin, and looking down saw Snowie looking up at her; one soft paw gently caressing her face as if to say "It's alright...", the other paw on Sam's collarbone for balance.
Unable to stop her tears, her vision soon blurred. She was comforted by the tiny rough tongue licking her face, comforted by her little friend who loved her just as she was.
As she cried herself to sleep that night, she hugged Snowie snugly against her chest, careful not to squash the little feline. She drifted off to sleep soon, and Snowie slept too; pillow and Snowie both damp with tears.
Maybe tomorrow would be a new day, a day full of hopes and dreams - but for tonight she was just a young girl; dreaming of rainbows and butterflies; and happiness in a great big world.
And as she dreamed, she didn't know why, but she dreamed of Reeve, tall, strong and handsome, his firm and big hands holding hers as they sat beneath a tree.