Arizium

Chapter 32

Madelina made her way upstairs in search of food to quell her relentless stomach. It was early in the morning, yet somehow the inn was full of people talking and drinking, most of them men.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust and found herself face to face with the innkeeper.

"Morning miss, sleep well?" The man chimed cheerily as he wiped down the counter.

"Not particularly," Madelina responded politely and took a seat.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I do not recall seeing you around here before, are you just passing through or...?"

"Travelling merchant," Madelina lied with a smile, the innkeeper eyed her suspiciously, probably wondering how such a young person got in the business "I'm actually looking for someone, one of my mercenaries. He ran off not too long ago, and us merchants don't take kindly to run-aways. He's young, got sloppy brown hair, blue eyes, kind of... impulsive. Ringing any bells?"

The innkeeper tilted his head and rubbed his beard thoughtfully, "Hmm... I don't reckon him ever coming into here, but I have heard gossip of a trouble-making runt that sounds exactly like him. I'm sure old Merta can help you out, things rarely get past that wizened gaze of hers, she works the bakery down the street."

Madelina nodded and flipped him a copper, "Thank you sir," before heading out into the cool morning air. She spotted Cutie snoring on the porch and Lynx talking to some old woman as soon as she closed the door behind her. Lynx seemed troubled as the woman made one last remark and hobbled away. With narrowed eyes, Madelina went up and asked Lynx what the woman had said.

Lynx didn't answer at first and fixed her gaze on the ground, her breaths were shallow and short.

"Lynx? What did she say?" Madelina repeated and grabbed her staff from her back, "Did she threaten you? I'm not afraid to beat down an old woman. Just tell me what she did and I'll splatter her brains across this shabby town."

Lynx took a final gulp of air and met Madelina's eyes, "She told me that I was born here. I used to live here. Somehow her words triggered a memory in my head...." Her eyes glazed over before she suddenly bolted away.

"Wait! Lynx!" Madelina called after her but she showed no sign of returning. What could possibly get Lynx so worked up? she wondered and furrowed her brow. With a sigh, she returned her staff to her back and wandered around the town in search for that bakery.

It didn't take long to find, as all she had to do was follow the smell of freshly baked bread. Once she pushed the light door open, the aroma washed over her pleasantly and made her mouth water.

At the sound of the door, an old woman looked up from her work of kneading bread. Madelina quickly recognized her as the same person that had talked to Lynx just then.

"Hello, I don't believe ever seen you around here. New to town?" The woman asked with a smile that crinkled around her eyes.

"Travelling merchant," Madelina corrected "I was hoping I could buy some bread? I haven't eaten in days."

"Certainly, with the famine going around bread is the only thing we can rely on these days." Merta replied sadly and passed her a loaf in exchange for a couple coppers "Ah well, it just means that I make more of a profit. You're a little young to be a merchant, aren't ya?"

Madelina nodded and put the loaf in a pouch on her belt before responding, "Family business. Actually, I didn't come here just for bread. I was hoping you could help me find one of my old mercenaries. He's quite young, blue eyed, brown haired, likes to wreak havoc, heard of him?"

Merta kneaded her bread while she thought, "Now that you mention it, I believe I remember seeing a boy like that not too long ago. He didn't talk much, but once he left town, one of our cows went missing, might be it was him. He might've went down to Nuxvar, just east of here. I hope you catch him, he seemed like a mighty lot of trouble, that one."

Madelina smirked and thanked her for the information and the bread before taking her leave to find Phoenix. She didn't get very far before she spotted the tell-tale sign of short white hair.

"Lucius!" She called and ran over to him, "Have you seen Phoenix?"

He shook his head and fell silent for a second before saying, "No, but Amaria claims that she saw her around the fields."

Madelina nodded her thanks and went to leave, but remembered the bread she had and decided to toss the Vlivian a piece. He seemed surprised at the gesture, but Madelina turned away before he had the chance to respond.

She used her staff as support for walking as she made her way through the winding roads in search of the tall blonde girl. Just as she was about to give up, she found her in the back alleyways.

"Hey!" Madelina shouted and ran to catch up with her.

Phoenix immediately pivoted around with a ball of fire in her hand, ready to throw, but extinguished it when she saw who it was. "Oh, Madelina. Sorry, I'm just a bit jumpy. I don't trust this town."

"That's understandable, anyway, the bakery lady was able to tell me some information Knox. She said he passed through here not too long ago and that he might have made his way to another town east of here. He also apparently stole a cow." Madelina explained and tossed the blonde a piece of bread before breaking off a chunk for herself and chewing hungrily.

Phoenix ate as she thought, "That sounds like Knox all right. How can we trust this woman, though?"

Madelina shrugged, "I suppose we can't. Before I got a chance to speak with her, she was talking to Lynx. I guess she told her that she had lived here in the past. Lynx told me that it triggered a memory, but she ran off before she could tell me."

"That's... odd, none of us have had memory triggers before."

"Aye, I think you just have to be at the right place at the right time."

Phoenix frowned and finished her bread, "Alright, I suppose we can head east tomorrow. I want to get as many rations as we can carry."

Madelina nodded and left Phoenix to look for a house to loot and people to control.

(A/N: Aw Knox. Why must you make things so difficult. Now I have to write another chapter >-<)