Alone in the Dark

Cold Trails

The sun was going down as Nerini covered the final couple miles down the stretch of road her brother had last travelled on. Her body was tense as her eyes roamed the trees around her, fighting the urge to relax into the beauty of the forest, smelling the clear air and sweet spice of the pines. The path curved and flowed and was thick with trees crowding the sides of the road, darkening the journey even in the middle of the day. In the winter, shadows lasted long into the morning and returned early in the afternoon until dark, allowing very little light to penetrate.

The silence of the surrounding woods was near oppressive, though she attributed that to her mood and the nature of her mission more than the land itself. She had combed the woods that her brother had gone through, looking for any trace of a camp of mercenaries or fighters.

She had skirted the town in question and rode down a side road to the larger city of Sytheville, where he had failed to report all those weeks ago. After spending several days listening in the depths of the city's underside for word of his attack, she had given up. There had been no trace of what she was looking for. The lack of any information was frustrating, but it also indicated that those involved knew what they were doing and that led her to a short list of swords for hire or even scouts that could have been involved, if they were from Aupana itself.

There were several troops of hired criminals and assassins that she would burn to the ground for answers if she did not find Kanny. Or if she only found his grave. Though she refused to consider such dark thoughts for very long, forcing herself to believe that she would find her brother.

After turning from Sytheville, she had finally taken that fateful road back up to the town of Sythe noticing the odd stillness of the woods. Expecting some sort of attack at any moment, Nerini took her time and allowed herself to be as visible as she could be. As visible as a lone, unadorned and hooded rider on an obviously well blooded horse could be. She was trying to draw someone, anyone, out in a last attempt to find any clue.

Kanny's trail had run cold, as if he didn't exist at all.

Nerini shivered as the woods broke into open ground and farms, then finally a decent sized village far sooner than she had wanted it to.Logically she had hoped for a confrontation in the forest, though a primal part of her mind shuddered with relief upon leaving those woods. There was something wrong there, though Nerini couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was. Her mind, perhaps? Knowing that her brother had gone missing within them and jumping at shadows? Surely Cocoa was spooked more than he normally was because he sensed her tension. There were no such things as monsters lurking in the woods. She had been trying to tempt the very human, very real, spies or mercenaries she hoped still hung around, out into the open so she could identify them. And hunt them, at last.

Feeling the mixed emotions, Nerini dismounted and led Cocoa through the streets towards the inn she knew her brother would have stayed at. It was one of the larger ones, close to the road and with a large stable, known as a way station for the Royal guards when they were patrolling through the area outside of the city. Her brother was predictable at the best of times, leaving her to sigh as she handed her reins to a stable boy and followed him into the barn.

Nerini had already run through the list of facts that they knew, including what Kanny had done the night before he had disappeared. Same thing as always. Arrive, eat, socialize tamely with his guard, then go to bed, probably to read some book of his.

"So, I hear you're the last one to see Lord Kannein alive?" She asked bluntly and the boy blinked at her hooded form, as if trying to assess what he should say.

"Yes, m'lady" he stuttered, still looking unsure as she helped him untack her mount, before he shrugged and nodded to a large corner stable. "His horse showed up two days ago, laid down, won't barely eat and won't go outside. It's not hurt, just spooked, spooked bad. I've never seen a war horse act like that. Like all the fire has been drained out of him and he's waiting to die."

Her gaze snapped towards the stall and she patted Cocoa's neck before starting away from him. "Once you have him done, bring him, Cassidy here knows my mount, might help him to see a friend."

"Yes, m'lady"

She shook her head as she opened the stall door, frowning as she saw the normally tall proud black charger laying in the corner, ears back and nostrils flared as she stepped in. "My name is Lina, I'm no lady."

She wasn't sure if the boy heard her, or cared, but Cassidy flicked her ears forward, reaching out ever so slightly with her muzzle and making a pathetic, quiet neigh, snorting as she sniffed the air heavily.

"It's okay, there Cass... you know me... where have you been?" She murmured softly, moving closer offering her hand to smell, smiling as the large horse whinnied happily and stood, albeit in a scared, prancing sort of jump that showed her continued discomfort. "There you go, that's good." She rubbed the horses neck and side, allowing herself to be nuzzled and leaned into, continuing to murmur to the large animal as if it were a child. She gave Kanny's mare comfort as best she could.

Cassidy further calmed down as Cocoa was led into the stall, moving to nuzzle the frightened horse and shimmying up beside her, so the two of them were standing shoulder to shoulder, with Cocoa blocking the door with his body, both facing Nerini as she smiled softly."Good boy... you get her feeling better, ok..."

She helped the stable boy coax Cassidy into eating, before backing out of the stall and closing the gate behind her, watching the two horses nuzzling and nickering to each other. "I think she'll be fine, now."

"You're here to find the Lord, then?" The stable boy asked curiously, watching her, biting his lip. "There's been some people coming and looking, but they just ride around and ask us if we saw them disappear, then ride off when we says no."

Nerini shrugged, pulling her hood back and retightening the tie in her brown hair, letting out a slow breath. "How about the other kind of people, anyone been around that doesn't fit in?"

The boy offered a shrug , kicking at the hay idly. "All sorts of people don't fit in, but some people have been asked to tell if people are coming around looking for this Lord, there's money in it, they says. They aren't the good type, I don't think."

Nerini watched him for a long moment, and nodded slowly. "Alright. Thanks. I'm Lina, like I said." She offered her hand to the boy.

He blushed and looked at his feet again before offering his hand."Tom."

"Well, Tom, thanks very much for taking care of Cassidy here, and helping me out." She shook his hand, smiling earnestly at him. "You gonna be around to look after them tonight?"

"Y-yes, Liiina" He said, still blushing, but smiling at her. "I sleep here and work in the day."

"Great, keep them safe, and if Cassidy is up to it, feed her again later. She shakes the water bucket empty when she's hungry for more."

"What about." He paused, looking at the stall, then back to her, his expression was earnest, but torn. "What about them other people looking for the people who are looking?"

She smiled wide, nodding to him. "Well, they can know I'm looking if they really want to. I'd welcome a chance to talk to such concerned citizens. But... if you come across any gold coins, with just a shape on them, don't take them. Don't even touch them. Okay?"

He frowned and nodded slowly."I don't think anyone would give me gold."

"This stuff is bad luck, and used by some pretty nasty people, is all." She shrugged and flipped him a gold coin, if only to prove him wrong. "You're a good kid, Tom. Thank you. I'll see you in the morning."

He grinned wide at her, flipping the coin in his hand with a whistle. "It even has the Queen herself on it! She's beautiful!"

Nerini just offered him a smile and walked out the door, murmuring to herself. "Yeah, and she remembers her friends."

She would wander around and talk to a few more people, ask some questions about Kanny. If there were informants and runners here, on the lookout for her, she would follow them back to their nest and root out who was behind her brother's disappearance, and where he was.