The Trees Up North

Chapter IX

The first sign that we were reaching a village was that the path slowly became stone. Through the tree line, the tiny voices of people going about their daily lives could be heard. We had made it to Saxum Nivis.

Pine walked behind me slowly; he had put back on his scarves and jacket. He was covered once again from head to toe, and Mylo hid in his hair. I pushed us forward, leading us into the town.

The trees opened up to reveal a bustling market. The smell of fresh bread was strong. People were running from stall to stall, getting everything they could before the market closed for the night. Women carried their babies, and little kids chased each other around the stalls.

It had been awhile since I was in a village, and it was nice hearing all the busy noises of people. Pine stood close behind me, hiding his face in his scarf, even though it was fairly nice out. We walked past stall after stall. I stopped and admired some of the flowers sitting in one. All the colours of the flowers made me dizzy. I picked up a bright yellow daffodil and handed it to Pine. He stared at it with wide eyes. I tossed a coin over to the shop owner and continued walking.

We were looking for an inn that I knew of. The people who hired me for the hunt would have one ready for me.

The sun was setting and casting huge shadows over the market. The alleyways were dark between the houses. Street lamps turned on one by one, casting an orange hue across the streets. The sound of people's voices was growing quiet, and the only ones left talking were those going back home. There could only be ten people with me and Pine on the road when a quiet voice could be heard in an alley.

"Rivus?" The tiny voice called out from the alley. It was dark, and I couldn't tell if I was hearing things or not, so I kept walking. Once I was a few feet away from the alley, I looked back and saw Pine waiting by the mouth of the alleyway.

"Pine?" I called to him. I turned around and began walking over to him. "Come on, let's find the inn."

Pine stood in his place. Looking down into the alleyway Once I got closer, I could hear that tiny voice once again. "Rivus? Is that you?" The voice called out. I stood beside Pine, looking down the dark alleyway with him. Pine started to walk into the alleyway, focused on what was calling out. I followed close behind him, reaching for my sword. Pine removed his scarf, leaving it folded in his hand.

"Rivus! It is you!" Out of the darkness, an old woman appeared. She jumped into Pine's arms, bringing him into a tight hug. The woman's hair was a light grey, almost pure white. It sat in a bun on the top of her head. She was Pine's shorter by one foot. She was obviously all muscle as well. Her biceps flexed around Pine, showing that she was strong.

"Oh, Rivus, sweetheart!" She let go of Pine slowly. She cupped Pine's cheek with her hand, lining the patches with her thumb. I stood there awkwardly. My stomach fell with the movement of her thumb.

"It's been so long." Her voice croaked. "I thought the townspeople got you."

Pine shook his head. A small smile grew on his face. He brought his hand to his chest, pointing at himself. Then he made an "O" and what looked to be a "K". The old woman smiled harder. Her attention turned to me, who was still standing awkwardly behind Pine.

"And who might that be, Rivus?" The woman pointed her bony finger at me. Pine smiled and spelled out my name in sign language, which I knew letter for letter. He then pointed to himself before bringing his arms in a cross across his chest.

"Ah, I see." The old woman smirked. "My name is Rosemary. It's nice to meet you, Cedar."

"It's nice to meet you too, Rosemary!" My voice cracked slightly. Pine giggled a little before talking to Rosemary in sign. I zoned out, watching as she stared at his hands, wondering how she knew what he was saying.

"Yes, I can help you find the inn!" Her voice startled me out of my daydreaming. She pointed down the road the alleyway branched into. She told us to keep following the road, and we would find the inn.

"One more thing!" Rosemary exclaimed. "Please be careful, Rivus; the townspeople still want you dead." Pine nodded before turning around and walking out of the alleyway. He pushed his scarf up to his nose.

Pine pushed his way down the road, looking at me from time to time.

"Rivus?" I whispered. I had been wondering about it since the first time Rosemary said it. What did it mean? Wasn't Pine's name Pine? What did she mean when she said the townspeople still wanted him? Pine looked down the road, then grabbed my hand.

"My last name." He wrote. Oh. Rivus was his last name.

"And the woman, who was she?" I was asking too many questions at this point.

"My swordmaster." Pine then let go of my hand. That explained why Pine was so good with a sword. He had been trained by a master, likely since he was very young.

A big wooden building sat at the end of the street. Light yellow lights gleaned from the roof. The frontage read "Inn." We must have found our temperate home. I pushed open the doors.

In the lobby, a young girl sat at a desk. Her dark, curly hair was in buns, and she wore a yellow dress and was drinking out of a mug. A few candles glowed around her, and a staircase led up above her head.

I walked up to her desk, letting out a quiet cough to get her attention. Her dark eyes flicked over to mine.

"How can I help?" She inquired, taking another sip of her beverage.

"I was called here on business; I'm a hunter." I spoke with confidence. Her ears perked up a little.

"Oh!" She flipped through some papers on her desk. "You are in room 28." She passed some keys over the desk before she pointed up the stairs.

The stairs creaked under me. Pine followed up behind me. A long hallway stood at the end of the stairs. There was a door on each side and a royal red carpet on the ground. Lanterns hung on the walls.

"One... two..." I began counting out loud, looking for room 28. Room 28 was at the end of the corridor, with a lantern over the door. I unlocked the door and pushed it open. I held the door for Pine. He walked in, taking off his scarf.

"Home sweet home, I guess." I shut the door behind me, locking it once more. Taking off my jacket, I scanned the room.

Shit.

In the middle of the room was a single queen sized bed with a bedside table on each side. A door was by the left side of the bed, which I guessed led to the bathroom.

I dropped my jacket in the closet. My backpack sat messily by the front door, and Marlow sat on my shoulder. "I'll sleep on the floor." My voice broke the silence.

Pine was arranging his belongings on a bedside table. He looked up at me, quickly shaking his head.

I sighed, "Pine, you are not sleeping on the floor." Pine shook his head again.

Pine pointed to the bed, then pointed his pinkie in the air, followed by him making a fist. He then separated his two index fingers from each other.

"Let me guess," I asked, "the bed is big."

Pine nodded, clapping his hands. So, I guess the bet was quite large, and it had been awhile since both of us had slept on one.

"Ok, fine, you win." I whispered.

We both got ready for bed. I was so tired from the trip. Pine laid silently in bed, watching Mylo fly around the room. I walked around the room, blowing out all the lanterns one by one. As the room got darker and darker, I heard Pine sigh in contentment.

I carefully walked to the bed after giving my eyes time to adjust to the darkness. I covered myself with the cosy blankets that lay on the bed. The bed was soft compared to the ground in a tent. It felt nice. I turned so I was facing Pine.

"Goodnight." I hummed.