Alana's Trail

Chapter 7

Alana rode into Oaks Knoll as night fell, tremors much weaker than the ones she'd been wrestling on the road keeping her awake in her saddle. Between three days of hard riding and little sleeping, she was barely coherent as she tried to find a place to stay. The innkeeper was patient, kind even, and before long Lady Alana Moorhawk had secured a fine stable for her horse, a nice room for herself and Senna, and a meal to be delivered to her room.

She peeled off her road clothes and threw them in the middle of the floor before sinking into the warm bath she managed to pull. Every muscle in her body hurt; it had been some time since she'd ridden quite like that. She closed her eyes and let the water relax her muscles, hoping it would aid the exhaustion to help her find sleep that night.

Had it not been for Senna's soft growling, she'd have fallen asleep in the tub. With a sigh of regret, she pulled herself out of the tub and changed to the lightweight clothes stuffed in the bottom of her bag. She tossed a couple of chunks of meat to the wolfhound, and then picked at the meal while she prepared for bed. When she finally crawled into bed, she was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

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The next morning, Alana ran her travel clothes under the tub's faucet and laid them along the edge to dry. She then got dressed, pulling on a slightly-wrinkled outfit from her bag, and headed out in search of food. The inn's tavern boasted a full breakfast, and Alana shared some of hers with Senna, who curled up under her chair.

After breakfast, Alana approached the town hall. The town administrator's assistant, an obnoxious little man named Donnell, knew Lord Moorhawk had been brought into the town discretely weeks earlier, but wasn't sure if he was still in town. It was more than Alana had been able to come up with anywhere else, and she thanked the woman for her help.

Outside, she looked out over what was visible of Oaks Knoll from the town hall. If Aidan was still in town, then he'd most likely be at the local chapel. She grabbed the first townperson she found and asked directions.

The chapel was in a small, fenced-in property not too far off the center of town. Alana stepped through the gate. To her left was a graveyard, set off by a simple fence in a style different from the one that surrounded the grounds. To her right was a chapel much smaller than the one in Thornwood. At the back of the property was a decently sized two-story house.

She followed the short path toward the chapel. While there was likely no service going on, she hoped to find clerics hard at work, one of whom might be able to point her toward her brother. She was not disappointed. A pair of monks were tidying the chapel. One, older than her father, was straightening the pews. The other, younger than her, was sweeping with an earnestness one only found in a dedicated young monk.

Alana cleared her throat; both monks looked up. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for my brother and was hoping you might have seen him."

The older monk appraised her for a moment. "Lady Moorhawk?" Alana nodded. "Your brother is staying with us, but I'm afraid he's not well."

"Where is he?" Alana's tone darkened. It was one thing for Aidan to go off on sabbatical without a word. It was quite another for him to be recuperating far away from home without a single letter home.

"I...I'm not sure, my lady. Sometimes, he is in our residence. Sometimes, he and his nurse go walking around town."

"I see. Where would he most likely be at the moment?"

"I really don't know, my lady. He mostly keeps to himself."

Her eyes narrowed. Aidan was a devoted cleric who enjoyed being among people, be they family, fellow clerics, or town residents. He considered it part of his duties as the Moorhawk heir and Thornwood's future head cleric to know the people under his care. She couldn't imagine her brother isolating himself.

Without a word, Alana spun and strode out of the chapel, her cloak swishing around her dramatically. Outside the door, she drew in a deep breath, all the smells of the town filling her as she considered where to go next. There wasn't much to the churchyard, and Alana could only hope the Oaks Knoll clerics weren't as prudish as the Thornwood clerics, who had banned her from their residence because she had a bad habit of coming to look for her brother unannounced.

The path back to the residence was well worn, the growth well beaten back. It felt kind of nice after walking through the town's cobblestone streets, drowned in rains and mired by muck. But she reached the building and after some deliberation knocked on the door. After all, these clerics didn't know her like the ones back in Thornwood and might not be as forgiving if she just charged in.

After several moments, she raised her hand to knock again, but the door opened and she was greeted by a shorter man. He squinted at her in confusion, "The chapel is over there, my dear, but no one will be there until noonday prayers."

Alana rolled her eyes. "I'm looking for my brother, and I understand he may be staying with you."

"We don't take in travelers."

"I'm Alana Moorhawk." The cleric's eyes slowly began to brighten in recognition. "Let's try this again. I'm looking for Brother Aidan. I understand he's in this town, he's not well, and the last anyone knew he was staying here."

"Lady Moorhawk. Of course. How could I not see the resemblance? I am Brother Gerey" The cleric stepped out onto the porch, turning to close the door. Alana folded her arms across herself to keep from throttling the cleric. She and Aidan were half-siblings, each taking more after their own mother than their shared father. Most strangers challenged her lineage when she told them her name, simply because Aidan at least looked like he might be Sir Tristan's son where Alana looked like she was no more related than an adopted daughter. "He's not here at the moment. He's probably out for his walk."

"Does he walk often? I've been told he's been sick."

"Sick isn't quite the right word. He's been through a lot, though. He was in the hospital for roughly a month before he was released to us."

"And when was this?" If he was in a hospital, that would explain why he hadn't contacted her or their father. But then, why didn't the hospital message her father?

"Aidan hasn't been with us long." The dropped honorific made Alana wonder where this Brother Gerey came from. "He has an orderly who helps him when he's awake."

Alana nodded. "Thank you for your help. Where can I find this hospital?"

"It's just up the road a bit. You can't miss it."

She thanked him again and headed out of the churchyard. If Aidan wasn't available, she could at least talk to the hospital to see what she could learn there.