Death's Successor Completed.

Chapter Six Reunion

Matthew stared in bewilderment at the girl laying on the moss before him. He glanced at Willowmina, who shrugged, unsure herself, her wooden shoulders creaking with the effort. 'Whoever she is, Lord Drake, she appeared out of the sliver archway. Please, she needs healing herbs, otherwise her wounds will become infected. Please head into and collect these herbs.' She handed him a piece of bark with a list of the herbs she needed.
'What? Am I your errand boy?' Matt asked.
'You wish to know who she is, yes? Then I need those herbs.'
Matthew sighed, heading towards the village.

The dryad forest remained unchanged for thousands of years, home to many mythical creatures and magic seen with the naked eye. He entered a field of plants which released flammable gases, home to the flaming salamanders, friendly lizards who guided travellers. They created mystical coloured flames generated by the heat of their bodies. Feasting on the insects, who came to rest on the sweet, intoxicating plants. Orange and violet flames lit the darkening forest.
A golden flame glowed brightly in the distance, luring Matthew into the middle of the field. The sleek black scales of a charcoal salamander scurried up Matt's arm, resting his body on his shoulder, his golden flame signing to the others as Matthew continued onward, the gates of Estonia appearing in the distance. The salamanders crouched in the nearby trees; the charcoal lizard remained on his shoulder. As the enforcers guarding the gates inspected Matthew.

'Another tourist visiting the village for the festival just remember to mind your manners, sir.'
'Of course.'
Matthew smirked. When he entered the village, not all the enforcers knew him as the lord of the underworld. With his well-worn travelling clothes, he blended in with the common people.
Matthew avoided Estonia for one hundred years in time. The once tiny village expanded and grew with the growing population. He walked the cobblestone streets, hearing music and laughter in the distance.
The village decorated for their annual festival honouring , the fallen water sorceress, who gave them hope during times of darkness. The festival held in celebration for her feats in magic and her deeds and services to the people of Estonia, decreed by the king three months after her passing.

The salamander licked him as he stroked its head with a finger; the girl resembled Elizabeth greatly, but she wasn't from this world. She belonged to the one beyond the sliver archway, so why had she been injured? The reapers never attacked their own, ever. Matthew passed by the market. The scents of food made his stomach churn.
Crossing the road, he dogged the horse-drawn carriages of the noblemen bumping into a man dressed in elegant and expensive adorned with sapphire jewelled robes making his way to the sights and sounds of the festival, Matt swiped his coin purse, smattering an apology for bumping into the nobleman who grunted in response, thinking Matthew was beneath him.

Matthew entered the alleyways, freeing himself from the crowded streets into the intense aroma of healing herbs. Burnt his nose, he entered the herbiest store, greeted with the overwhelming scent of plants he couldn't identify.

Matthew handed over the list Willowmina gave him. Dryads never carried money with them and because of his forced imprisonment, his business suffered, so stealing became his vice, the one thing he punished others for. The smell of plants made him lightheaded and dizzy, but he waited while the young women sent him glances, intimidated by his presence.
While she gathered the herbs in silence, she wrapped them carefully in a bundle.
'Is there anything else sir, that will be forty coins.'
'No, that's all I need today.' Matt said. Counting out forty coins, he handed them over to the women.
'You, would be capable of highway robbery.' Matthew thought.
She handed over the herbs. A fanfare sounded, coming closer and louder. Matt and the saleswomen saw royal palace guards passing by the window. They walked passed in formation, protecting a young woman wearing an emerald green cloak concealing her face. The young women looked towards them briefly before being escorted away by the guards surrounding her.
'Who is she?'
'Are you kidding? She is the lady seer, famous in the kingdom of Andreal. She arrived four months ago. Unlike those frauds in the marketplace, her visions predict actual events. She is doing a public reading in the town square.'
'Thank you for the information.' Matt said, leaving with the herbs.