Moonhunter

Chapter 34 .: Dasrye's House :.

.: Chapter 34 :.

Dasrye’s House   

      The next morning, Luna shook Aldric awake, whispering, “It’s noon.” His eyes shot open, alarmed. When he saw that the sun was just rising, he fell back onto his bedroll, rubbing his eyes, disgruntled.

      “Why so early?” he moaned, putting his pillow over his head.

      “There’s no point in helping out with chores if they’re already done when you get there,” she replied. “Now, get up.”

      Aldric helped Leya roll up her bedroll after he had done his. Luna covered the smoldering pile of ashes that had once been their fire with sand, extinguishing it. When they were all ready, they set out in the direction of a small village. She knew Dasrye lived on the outskirts of it, like she had for the past forty years.

      Slowly, the memory of the place came back to her. It had been something of a second home to her, and she knew a shortcut to the house. The smells of freshly baked bread and woodwork touched on her senses, bringing her back to when she was a teenager, apprenticed to Dasrye. None of the villagers seemed to recognize her, though. Then again, it had been nearly a decade since she had been here.

      Luna had deliberately walked through the village, knowing that it was likely Dasrye would be here. She planned to let Aldric woo her. The kid got along with everyone. She wasn’t sure if she was welcome there anymore. She would let him handle Dasrye, while she and Leya went to the house and began the chores.

      She nudged Aldric, pointing to a short, disgruntled looking old woman with grey hair. “That’s her.”

     He gave her a wink and a thumbs up. They had talked the plan through back at their camp. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

      Luna and Leya lingered long enough to see Aldric swipe a red apple off one fruitseller’s table when they weren’t looking, clean it on his shirt, and offer it to the woman before they turned to leave.

      The path to Dasrye’s house was narrow but a relatively short distance. It was covered in weeds and long grasses, tickling their legs as they passed through. Luna considered for a moment clearing the area but thought better of it. Dasrye was better at spells than her. There must’ve been another reason for leaving it wild.

      “Is this woman worth the trouble?” Leya asked her, leaning down to scratch one calf.

      Luna allowed herself a brief grin. “Very.”

      She thought she heard Leya mutter, “She’d better be.”

      “No matter what the battle, it’s useful to have people who are adept at spells. Dasrye—and all the friends she’s connected to—are people who only learned and practiced spells all their lives. Spells that would tire us or drain us of our energy normally are as easy as lighting a fire for them.” She looked straight ahead. “Trust me.”

      There was no more discussion. Leya seemed to grasp the importance of their mission, and picked up the pace. Seeing this, Luna smiled.

      “Wanna have a competition?” she asked slyly.

      Leya stopped and blinked. “Is this really the time?”

      “C’mon,” she teased. “You aren’t scared, are you?”

      She glared at the younger girl. “What is it?”

      Luna pointed at the house, a distance of about two hundred feet out or so. “We lightfoot there. If you want to flash there,”—using bursts of lightfoot rather than continuously—“That’s fine with me. If you want to full out sprint...”