Faustus' deep brown cloak was draped over the fallen tree next to him, revealing the simple but obviously high-quality brown tunic and pants Faustus had changed into. A simple sword rested at his side, one that even to me looked like it had seen better days. Altogether, he looked like the sword-for-hire he intended to masquerade as.
The horses, tied up at the edge of the small clearing we'd claimed as our camping grounds, appeared well taken care of. With utmost sincerity, I sat down next to Faustus. "Thank you."
He gave me a boyish grin. He replied, "Happy to help, sir Hayden!" and turned to his tasks with even more enthusiasm.
I looked away, letting my gaze fall onto the unique flowering fall plants in the forest. "What is the plan?"
Without turning his attention from his cooking, whose delicious smell was starting to grab my attention, he answered, "Although we aren't moving as fast as I'd hoped," he didn't pause, but I got his meaning and cringed "If Sir Hayden agrees, I figured it would still be best to attempt to move through Lutetia today. We won't be able to avoid going through the city, and we will be far less noticeable if we arrive and leave with the masses." He turned to look at me, evaluating me. "If necessary, we can rest again outside the city, then push ourselves under cover of night."
I flushed. Refusing to rest would save my male pride, but I was already tired and aching. The rest would probably be necessary. He tactfully avoided looking at my embarrassed face but only succeeded in making me aware he'd seen the flush. Voice quiet, I said, "Sounds good."
Ah, where did my confidence from yesterday go?
Faustus finished cooking, and I shoveled the strange eggs into my mouth. Changing the topic, I asked curiously, "How did you become one of Sera's personal knights? You look pretty young." Going by face alone, he couldn't be much older than me.
Faustus, who had already polished off his entire plate and was beginning to take the tent down, answered proudly, "Just after my 21st birthday, the captain of her guard recommended me personally. At his recommendation, the princess herself interviewed me and offered me the position before the interview ended!" His brown eyes shone with stars, his face radiating happiness. "I was the youngest guard in over 50 years!"
Was he bragging? It was hard to tell with his face.
Proudly, he continued, "Since then, whenever the princess is around, I've protected her with my heart and soul!" His smile stayed plastered on his face as he mumbled, "though I wish she'd consider us more before running off on her own again." The tent pole he was taking down nearly broke under his hands, sending chills down my spine.
He took down the next one with equal force. "She escapes and spends much of her time outside the castle, and we're left to roam the inner palace halls for threats. So when she asked for a volunteer for a protection mission, I jumped at the chance. She explained everything before I met you." Though his irritation was evident, there was an equally evident respect for Sera and determination to succeed in his mission which underlined his words.
Sera was a willful one; it was unsurprising that it caused trouble for her guards. Despite my fear, some part of me felt sorry for the guy.
I finished the rest of my food as he quickly and efficiently finished packing, and we prepared the grazing horses.
"MRROW!" An angry meow came from my feet. I leapt away in surprise, almost knocking myself over. A little in front of me, Faustus whirled around with his sword drawn to point it at–was that Ani?!
I scrambled forward to grab the wayward cat. "A-Ani? How on earth did you get here?!"
He gave me a glare and an irritated meow from my arms, turning away from me to show his displeasure. Despite this, a purr vibrated from his chest. I clutched him tighter, irritated back.
Metal slid against wood as Faustus sheathed his sword. "Sir Hayden?" He asked, worried.
I pat Ani on the head. "This is my familiar, Ani."
Faustus stepped closer and bent down to stare Ani in the eye. Ani stopped purring, and his fur bristled. I took a step back, but Faustus followed, still bent over.
"I think you might want to–" I tried to suggest he move his face away, but it was too late. With an angry swipe of his paw, Ani scratched Faustus' face.
A sigh hissed through my teeth. Disappointed, I scolded "Ani," and dropped said creature. Small droplets of bright red blood ran down Faustus' face from the thin cuts he'd received. Well, it was his fault in the first place. Still, I really didn't want to be on his bad side. "Are you okay?"
His face was unreadable for a second; his eyes focused on Ani. He then brightened like a Christmas tree and swiped the blood off his face. "That's your familiar! He's so cute!" Once again, I was reminded of an excited puppy dog. Angry about being dropped, Ani pawed at my pant leg. "Oh, kitty wants to be picked up?" Faustus cooed and reached his arms out "c'mere, uncle Faust will hold you."
Uncle Faust?! I took another step back, scooping Ani up into my arms. Ani burrowed into my chest, and I had to lightly smack Faustus' hands away from him. His expression reminded me of a kicked puppy. "He's anxious. I'd left him behind at the palace."
Faustus finally gave up on his attempts to kidnap my cat. "Poor kitty," he cooed again. He titled his head. "Wait, how'd he get here?"
That was a good question. I pulled Ani away from my chest, holding him up so I could stare him in the face. "How did you get here?"Ani blinked and tilted his head. He struggled to get down, but I held him tightly.
One second he was there, in my hands; the next, he was gone, and my hands grasped at empty air. I instinctively looked at my feet, figuring I'd dropped him.
No cat.
Faust and I looked up at each other simultaneously, our eyes meeting over the empty ground. Faustus' expression was nearly comedic, eyes bulging and cheeks sucked into an owl-ish expression.
Curious. "Ani?!" I called, looking around.
"Mrrow!" Ani called back, directly above me.
In unison, Faustus and I looked overhead to see Ani sitting high up in a tree branch. "How did you–?!" We glanced back at each other, trying to make sense of what we'd seen. Our mouths were agape.
I moved my arms back to the position they'd been in when Ani had disappeared, but I couldn't imagine how he'd lept over 12 feet without recoil. Unless he didn't? Ani and I had somehow shifted dimensions to get here in the first place. Was it that improbable this could be done on a smaller, world-sized scale?
"I think he teleported," I told Faustus, stunned and slightly envious.
Awe shone on Faustus' face. "I didn't know that was possible!" His excited puppy demeanor came back, and he grabbed my hands. "Since familiars share magic, does this mean you can teleport too?!"
Eyes on Ani and my heart pounding, I answered with a very unscientific "I guess?"
Could I use this to go home? I needed to get my hands on those books as soon as possible. Tilting my head to look back up at Ani, I took the fastest route available and imitated my sister scolding her wayward cats. "Ani, we have to go. Get back down here!"
Ani meowed in protest, but at my glare, he did as instructed. He strode confidently towards the tree trunk then, jabbing his claws into it, slowly climbing down, crawling like a giant black spider. Once he was a few feet from the ground, he lept off, then trotted over to me, tail flicking and ears perked up. He sat down at my feet, chirping and tilting his head expectantly.
Obligingly, I gave him a few pats on the head, his body arching underneath my hands. "Good boy, Ani."
So he wouldn't stray, I picked him up and settled him in my arms. "Let's get going."