Left to their road, Keith saw a water pond. It was about a hundred times wider than Seoni's river. It had nothing in common with it. First it was closed, like a titanic puddle. Second, it was very dark, because of its depth. To Show it wasn't much, but to Keith it was new and he was amazed.
"That's beautiful."
Moore turned around and said.
"Of course it is. The fact we see the lake means we're getting near the first village."
An hour later, they arrived by the village. They saw a few other travellers with carts, big bags or wheelbarrows full of goods. The path directly lead them to the local market. It was mainly fishing stands. The lake was a great source for food and no people around was underweight.
Many people from other villages were attracted by its fructuous business. Local speciality would often make Moore drooling.
"Here, you can buy fish for two times cheaper than next village, just because the people who delivers it to the next village demand a fee. That's a business over a business!"
"I know how to fish, can't we make money?"
"Do you have a sail, or just some tools to fish? You got the strength to pull out one of those monsters here?"
Moore pointed a stand where the fish were bigger than a cow's head. While Keith was sure of his skills, Moore only saw a little guy wishing for some rest, playing around for a bit. The balance between their thoughts was Reis' teachings. The man had only taught Keith how to catch small things, the place they exercised was more or less a meter deep.
'Tell him you should buy provisions. You already have some pocket money with the few coins we took before leaving Kodra.'
"Say Moore, how far is the city now?"
"Still four moons farther toward north."
"...Right. What will we eat on our way?"
"Oh! Snoot! I completely forgot! Hang in there I'll be right back."
'Oh he was quite reactive.' They thought in unison.
Moore approached a stand and began talking with the merchant, while Keith touched the buffalo's horns. He could only think of eating. The pain in his stomach increased with each hour passing. He put a finger in his mouth, just to chew on his nail to pass time.
Show spoke.
'If he buys enough for both of you, to his own expense, it means he really want the shirt. If he does not take enough, we eat him. Else he may negotiate for it against sharing food.'
Keith looked around. He saw a wide house with a lot of colourful decorations. Flowers, honey, engraved stones and carved wood.
"What's this?"
He asked. A passer-by heard and crotched next to him to answer.
"The temple, don't you pray the gods? That's the best place for them to hear you. Are you a traveller?"
"I go north with my uncle. Can I go in?"
"Everyone can."
Keith entered the place and saw many burning candles inside. On the middle of the room stood a meter high blue statue. It represented a blue woman with tight hair, the woman had a hundred arms spreading on her back, it looked like wings. It puzzled the kid for a few seconds.
He compared her to Mister Show. Though she looked more 'healthy'. Her arms were full of flesh, her nails were polished of a thousand colours, and her face was a little round like a chubby person. He thought.
'She somehow looks like you. If they worship this woman, then is she a shadow, or are you a god?'
'I am but an old shaman.'
'How old?'
'Far too old to have counted all these years ... How many fruits have you eaten in your life?'
Keith shrugged and exited the temple.
When Moore came back, they headed toward a hostel where they spent their night. It was an occasion to go in the Explanation.
Deep in his mind, Keith saw himself in the same cosy room he fell asleep, except it was at least ten times bigger. He needed a few steps to walk the width of a plank. Moore wasn't here, there was a leather bag on his pillow. In the middle of the room floated a huge decapitated head, slowly rotating. Its features were a little blurry. But its hair could allow its identification, Jutile.
Show appeared and lifted the minuscule Keith, to put him on the floating head. Under his new irregular platform, blood fell and soon formed a puddle. It grew to cover the whole floor, letting Moore's shoes float around.
"Where's my father in all this mess?"
"Who knows!"
A low rumbling could be heard in the room, it wasn't Show's laugh for once, it was Keith's stomach. He stared at the dark puddle that kept growing, thinking.
"Why is it not stopping to flow? If it floods the room, I won't be able to swim."
"I'll get you out of trouble, it is."
Show's form was the same as usual, very crooked with arms exiting the main mass time to time, making it walk around, stirring the blood under his passage.
Keith waited for the head rotation to open its eyes. He pulled hard on the eyelids that opened slowly. The instant the eyed moved to stare at Keith, he woke up with a gasp.
Moore was sitting on his bed, about to wake Keith, instead he was surprised too.
"Having a nightmare?"
"Nothing I can remember."
Show spoke.
'I got this on the marketplace yesterday, that's something to keep him around. Make up a story if needed.'
A pouch filled with a few coins fell from Keith's shirt. The boy was as much surprised of its sudden appearance, not as much as Moore. The boy hadn't moved an inch, yet something fell off his clothes. Keith saw the man wide eyed and spoke.
"Magic!"
He said, spreading his hands from his forehead to mid air in front to him.
"Who did you stole that from?"
"Found it, just like Jutile's head, any other question?"
The man snarled. It sure was mystic. Moore's greed only grew bigger with this. What could be hidden in here? A shirt that could make him the best thief of the universe! Being good or bad with it, how could it matter! Soon, a conflict was born in Moore's mind. Keep it of sell it?
No, no, no. It doesn't belong to him, he can't dream of it yet. What if the boy runs away once they reach the city? Loosing someone was far easier than finding another in here. If the boy could behave normally hiding a cadaver, well he could not. What's wrong with this kid! What an idiot am I to think such kid survived by cheer luck until now!
Moore bought a metal bowl to cook over fire. They departed an hour after they woke up.
Three hours later they couldn't see the lake any more. They crossed two mountains before the buffalo had to rest. The journey felt longer for Keith who just wanted to eat.
They had their midday meal the same moment and departed once finished.
The boy had to endure his stomach ache for the whole day. After the sun went down, he asked many question to Moore about the temple he visited. a lot of questions. Until Moore felt very tired. Show asked him to be as talkative as possible to be sure he wouldn't wake up at night.
And so he walked two hundred steps to eat peacefully. Show gave him Jutile's head. It wasn't as moist as when they took it, quite dry to be fair. Her cheeks had hardened a lot and the skin that held her hair had begun to loosen.
Without the help of the flies, everything was still intact and a little less gross than the fish rests Keith ate in Reis' trashes.
He opened her eyes just to pierce them unintentionally. It was dead for long. It wouldn't be like in the Explanation. He took a deep breath and began with the ears. It was the softest part. When he pulled with his teeth, the skin ripped toward the neck, where it had been severed. His mouth followed the skin like a long noodle.
His tummy brimming with joy, he did not chew much. Show stood next to him and with several hands, tried to 'limit collateral damages'. Keith had a savage way to stuff himself, disregarding any look.
---
In Seoni, the pair was looking for Ned, while Randi was courting death, touching his shoulder to have the pain keeping him awake. Their first day of search didn't work much, but the second, the man came seeking for his first associate.
Picco was a few meters away and spoke clearly.
"I do not seek for problems, we want your experience, and as a plus, your help. Can we have a talk? We detain your friend, Randi, he's in a pitiful state, dying. We want the boy."
Ned shove his hand in his mouth, moving while he spoke, to fill were once stood his teeth.
"Then we have a common goal. If you want my help, release Randi!"
"The man is not restrained by any object but his own wound. He can't get out of bed by himself. I would like to hear your side of the story, I've heard you are a mercenary and good at hunting. May you follow us, Ned?"
Ned neared them and spat on their face with all the saliva he could.
"Sure."
He said. Rotting in a hole for days wasn't as pleasant as his spit.