Audace was waiting outside the inn, as the moon moved across the sky, mysterious crescent of light encircled by stars. He had negotiated with Great Shepherd and, miraculously, the old man had given in to the young man. The boy then gave him access to his pastures and hay store until he returned. In exchange, the man would have to look after his animals and treat them well. The young man breathed deeply, annoyed at having to wait in the cold. Grey yawned beside him; the boy had decided to take the animal with him. He yawned in turn: dogs do this out of anguish or to calm their own kind. He smiled at the memory of Grey coming between him and the ram he was kicking to take it back to the yard: the animal had put itself between its master and the sheep and opened its mouth wide to yawn, as it was doing now.
He rubbed his hands together vigorously and leaned against the front of the tavern. Should I say goodbye to them at the inn? he asked himself, scanning the end of the sinuous street, plunged into darkness. At that moment, Selene stepped out and gave a final bow to the assembly. As the door closed behind her, a snatch of life and familiar smells reached Audace. He couldn't suppress a worried pout at the thought of not
He couldn't suppress a worried pout at the idea of not having warned his friend Thaos and his Chaudiere, even though he no longer loved her. Pretending not to notice, the young musician turned to her new companion, her chin held high, unyielding.
- Let's go," she said, determined.
Her eyes fell on the dog, but if she was disturbed by his presence, she said nothing. Audace took up position behind her, Grey following close behind.They walked quickly along the worn path of the valley. A light snow fell in fine flakes, sinking into Selene's curls and melting as it came into contact with the warmth of her body. When the young man had asked her why she was leaving at night, she had laughed, looking very far away. "It's a tradition", she replied. Then a wave of silence spread between them.The landscape changed as the sun pushed the moon to the other side of the world. Now they could clearly make out the stream of water, still frozen, which, as silent and curvilinear as a sleeping silver snake, spread out to their left. To their right, a sharp-edged cliff raised them above the Valley and beyond; the houses of the town had disappeared, blurred by the snow and erased by the distance they had put between themselves and the inn. The group had left the Valley altogether for breakfast. Selene had brought out two raisin rolls, which Audace accompanied with a piece of hardened honey. They lit a fire and spread a skin on the stony ground to keep warm.
- It should be warmer where we're going," Selene said distractedly.
She had made friends with the dog, who had put his head on her thigh so that she could stroke him.
- Where are you from?" the boy asked.
The woman looked at him pensively, then replied cheerfully:
- From a country where it doesn't snow. At least that's what it seemed to me. You were born in these parts, weren't you? You're not very hairy yet: I'd say you've got seventeen or eighteen winters. she said.
- Only seventeen?" he repeated, looking sheepish.
- Then it was eighteen." She made an absent expression, then continued. I have twenty-three summers.
He looked at her, bewildered.
- I thought I was the same age as you.
- Ah, that's one of our well-kept secrets, us women," said the minstrel.
YOU ARE READING
The Red Fool
Фэнтези[ENGLISH VERSION][ONGOING] Under the snow and between the winds, the Wolf kills men. Audace, a young shepherd from the northern lands, ventures off on the predator's trail. He will be accompanied by friends and rivals, family and strangers. In a wo...
