Korova Avenue || ONC 2022

Chapter 9

Klaern led Dominique and Crow through an underground maze. It started to gradually slope, and eventually they popped out on a dirt road. The elf escorted them behind a row of makeshift stands, until they reached a small graveled area that was littered with wagons. Each one was full of different produce.

Crow turned around and noticed that Dominique was no longer behind him.

"Klaern? Where'd she go?"

"I don't know, but what I do know is that Dominique could find her way in an unfamiliar town, with her eyes blinded and her hands tied behind her back."

"Sounds about right."

Klaern guided Crow to a wagon that was full of burlap sacks.

"Here. You can squeeze in there, and I'll cover you up once Dominique returns."

Crow climbed into the wagon, but didn't settle down yet.

"What's in the bags?"

The elf pressed his hand to one and gave it a sniff.

"Apples, I think."

"Cool!"

Crow reached for a sack and began to untie it. Klaern put his hand over Crow's to stop him.

"Wait until you're on the road. It will be less obvious."

"Fine."

Crow sat back and tried to make his mouth stop watering. He couldn't wait to eat the delicious fruit. Klaern began pretending to inspect the wagon. He said that if he told the driver that inspection was complete, no one would search the carriage before they departed.

Several minutes passed before Crow spotted Dominique. She was creeping toward them with her cloak pulled closely around her.

"It's hard to blend in with all the little elves."

Crow thought Dominique looked a little defeated. It was as if she'd finally found a place where sneaking around didn't come naturally.

"Oh well. We better get going."

Crow huddled down in the cart between two bags of apples and Dominique joined him. Klaern removed a sack and dumped its contents into Dominique's hands. Then, he spread out the bag to cover the two stowaways.

"I'll go over to the tent and inform the driver that this wagon is ready to go. Once it's on the road, you should be good to do whatever, but you'll need to be covered when you reach the next town."

The elf headed off and Dominique called a quiet goodbye. Shortly after, another elf showed up, leading a horse. Crow didn't have a good view of what was happening, but he assumed that the horse was being attached to the buggy. He caught a glimpse of the elf's feet lifting off the ground, and then they were off.

–

The journey was quite bumpy and uncomfortable, but Dominique was glad to be off her feet. Once they had cleared the little village, Crow helped Dominique construct a little wall of bags. They stacked two on top of each other so that they wouldn't be seen in the rare instance that the driver would turn back. To the unknowing eye, their blockade just looked like a large order of apples. Dominique removed the burlap from their heads and sat up.

She gestured for Crow to be quiet and handed him the herbs that Klaern had given her. He studied them as Dominique removed her bandage. Her arm looked no worse, but it was no better either. She whispered instructions to Crow, and he began placing the plants on top of her arm.

"We'll tie it back up, and remove the herbs at the next stop."

"Ok."

They sat in silence for a moment before Crow turned back to Dominique.

"So, where did you go when Klaern and I went to the wagon?"

"I just wandered around the town, pilfering some essentials."

Crow raised an eyebrow. "Essentials?"

Dominique reached into her boot and pulled out three knives and a small container of berries.

"What are those?" Crow pointed at the jar.

"Juniper seeds. They're highly poisonous and will cause severe kidney failure if you eat them."

"Okay." Crow then focused on the rest of her loot. "Why do you need three knives?"

Dominique picked up two of them and held them out for Crow. "Put one in each of your sleeves."

Then she took the third and placed it back in her boot.

"Oh! I got something else too."

She grabbed the pack that she'd been carrying with her since they had left the shop on Korova Avenue and pulled out a slightly squashed loaf of bread. Crow reached for it but Dominique pulled it out of his reach.

She giggled quietly. "We need to save some for later!"

She pulled off a small piece and handed it to Crow. He took it in his hands and pouted for a moment before shoving the entire thing in his mouth. Dominique allowed herself a miniscule bite, and then began untying a bag of apples. She bit into one and put three more in her pack.

"Take as many as you can, this may be the last time we see fresh produce until we reach the castle."

Crow didn't hesitate to remove his cloak and fill it with the delicious fruit. Dominique showed him how to tie it up so he could sling his makeshift bag over his shoulder.

"The next time we pass through a town, we'll have to get out and walk. There are too many people around to not notice the odd shape of these bags. Once we've made it past, we'll try to hop back on."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Yes, but so is riding under a burlap sack through a crowd of people."

Crow nodded and peered over the side of the wagon, looking for the next sign of civilization.

"How much longer?"

"I'm not sure."

Dominique lifted her body into a seal position to sneak a look out the front. She rolled to the floor and removed her map from her pouch.

"I'd say at least three hours."

They hunkered down in the wagon, and Crow forced Dominique to get some rest.

"Don't forget to wake me up when it's my turn to keep watch."

Crow assured her that he would, but of course he had no intention of doing so. He feared that Dominique would have his head when she woke, but he didn't care. In his mind, she was the best shot at keeping them alive, so she had better be fully rested.