5.1 KiB
| title | teaser | summary | access |
|---|---|---|---|
| WIP | WIP | WIP | private |
WIP --- WIP
Twenty minutes later, she came out with the information she needed and flushed with excitement. She hurried across the road. Her eyes scanned the road in both directions before she got inside.
"Head south," she said.
"Problems?"
Linsan shook her head. "No, but we probably don't want to hang around too long. The older folks in there were fond of Gabaw and his friends. Apparently they spend a fair amount of money drinking every night. He also brings in a lot of outside money and spreads it around."
Brook started the engine. She regarded the public house. "Doesn't look like it to me. Place must be falling apart inside."
With a scoff, she gestured to the road. "Where to?"
"Head south for about a mile until we get to the 'bird' tree. They said it would be obvious. Then the first right. We're looking for a pair of blue barns."
Brook didn't say anything before pulling into the road. She drove sedately until they were clear of the village and then accelerated sharply.
Linsan leaned into the forces that shoved her back. They were about to find the men who had murdered Duncan. She was terrified and scared but also excited. Her fingers stroked the edge of her violin case.
As the people in the public house said, the bird tree was impossible to miss. Hundreds of birds fluttered on the leafless branches. It looked as if the entire tree would launch into the sky for all the fluttering of wings.
"Blessed Couple," whispered Brook as she careened to look at it. "That's creepy."
Linsan frowned. "Why aren't they making any noise?"
Brook released the accelerator and the car grew quieter but no sounds of the birds rose up. They rolled past and tried not to think about the eerily silent birds.
As soon as the vehicle passed, Brook revved the engine and shot out down bumping road.
Linsan braced herself and watched for the turn-off. She spotted it after only a few minutes. "There!"
Brook barely slowed down as she spun the buggy. The back end fish-tailed violently for a moment and the wheels kicked up a cloud of dirt. Linsan barely had enough time to brace herself for the new pressure before it shot foward.
The vehicle bounced on the road, jumping back and forth. Linsan wanted to ask Brook to slow down, but she knew it would be pointless. They had to get to Tilbin and Mayforn at Gabaw's barn.
In the back of her mind, she knew they were taking an incredible risk.
For the countless time, her imagine
She pulled into the road and accelerated rapidly. "Where are we go?"
""
"
She thought about one of her mother's earlier roles in an obscure play called Keeper of the Towers Twinned. Tisin's character was the niece of a mage who died and given her his tower. She was a mage on her own right, but no one would believe her unless she pretended to not know anything about the tower she had inherited. That was the attitude she needed, to be naive
Inspired, Linsan looked inside the open door. Three men and a woman were arranged around a square table. They had cards laid out and mostly empty glasses on the corners. They all looked at her with looks ranging from annoyance to curiosity.
She put on a worried look on her face before she knocked on the door frame. "Excuse me, sirs and lady? Can you help me?"
One of the men turned around, scraping his chair against the floor. "Is there a problem, Girl?"
Linsan gestured back. She took a deep breath before pitching her voice up. "Me and my friend were borrowing her daddy's car and then it started rattling around and there were clouds of smoke and then we started bouncing around the road..." It was getting hard to breath, but she could see two of their expressions soften. "... and I'm worried we can't get home," she finished with a gasp.
Inching into the room, she held out her hands. "Do you know where the closest stable is... wait, blacksmith?" She held her breath, straining not to let her nervousness show.
The woman scoffed. "Just send them to Gab's and get back to the game."
Another of the men snickered and looked at his cards.
The first speaker shrugged and turned around. "Hope you have a lot of money. Head down the road to the south, then take the second right at the bird tree. Drive until you see the blue barn. Gab will take care of you."
The snickering man muttered in a low voice. "You mean, take care of your money."
She ducked her head. "Thank you so much!"
Linsan headed out. There was more snickering and chuckled. The sound left her
Linsan cringed
Linsan gestured wildly. "We were just playing around with me brother's car and it started making a terrible noise! Something in the front with all the pipes and g---" She caught herself. If she was going to pretend to be innocent, she couldn't use the right name. "---the spinning things with all the teeth."
The speaker grunted. "What makes you think we could do anything about that?"
Linsan
Reaching up, she knocked on the door. "Excuse me?"
her face relaxed. She waved one gloved hand and said haughtily, "I've heard that his service record is poor---"
Surprised, Linsan couldn't help but to smile.
"---and I would only consider his business over his dead body."