Ollie MacQuoid and the Journey To Rubius

Chapter Eight

Evanui was right. Over the next couple hours, the sky darkened to the shade of pewter, scattering the odd raindrop every so often. The breeze didn't help much, either. They'd put on the clothes provided by Evanui —which turned out to be floral blouses, loose pants, and woolly shawls — but it made little difference to the bitter cold that cut through the material like a knife. Their boat was large enough for the four of them, but offered little shelter from the elements. Elora had taken to curling up and sleeping beneath one of the long wooden seats, wrapped in Calladin's shawl and a tarp they'd found crushed underneath. Alaudidae had offered to let Ollie sleep on his shoulder, but he felt too nervous to even close his eyes. He sat beside Alaudidae, Clementine curled up in his lap, now back in her smaller form. The little dog was the only one out of all of them who seemed content and without worry. She talked in her sleep, which was disturbing, to say the least.

Calladin stood at the front of the boat, holding an oar to the water. This was mostly for his own entertainment, as the boat seemed to be whizzing through the water on its own. It wasn't as fast as Ollie would have liked it, as he was all too anxious to get back on land, but it was enough to ease the knot in his stomach, especially as the minutes passed with no trace of an attack.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Alaudidae said.

"The Coastal Market Square," Calladin said, laying the oar across his lap as he sat down, "It's not actually a market, though —it's an ancient wizard's town along the coast. "

Ollie raised an eyebrow. "Exactly how ancient?"

"They just celebrated their three-hundred-and-thirty-seventh anniversary," said Calladin. "I read about it in the papers."

"Have you been there?" Ollie asked.

Calladin shook his head. "No, not myself. I have read about it, though. It's not exactly modernized, if you know what I mean. "

"Not exactly modernized?" Ollie repeated.

"Imagine stepping back in time. You'll manage."

Left in complete confusion but unwilling to ask more questions, Ollie was left to wonder for the next few hours. He wondered if Elora knew anything about the elusive town, but curled up beneath him she looked more peaceful than she had in days. He didn't think waking her simply to get information would make Calladin too happy, either. Left to himself and the cacophony of questions in his head, Ollie leaned back in his seat and stared at the sky. He became so engrossed in watching the clouds drift by that when the boat lurched forward and came to a stop, he was quite startled. The force of the halt was strong enough to send Elora rolling out from under the seat with an alarmed shriek.

Calladin stood at the front of the boat, one leg placed firmly on a rickety dock to keep them in place. He cocked his head towards the shore. "C'mon," he said, "We'll find an inn to stay the night. Everybody off, now."

Elora, still disoriented from sleep, had to grab Ollie's shoulders as they made their way off the teetering boat for fear she'd fall in. Despite his best attempts to avoid the large waves, the hem of Elora's long skirt was soaked by the time they'd reached the end of the dock, which then opened into a large town square, bustling with life.

Calladin hadn't been kidding when he'd said that it would be like travelling back in time. The town, though small, looked like something pulled straight out of Elora's books. Men and women of all ages weaved through the cobblestone streets, carrying baskets of vegetables or carts of small animals. A massive windmill whirred quietly in the distance, surrounded by a misty swamp. Beyond that, a forest loomed behind them like a mountain, the trees stretching so far into the sky the branchy tips became lost in the mist. It took a while for them to find their way to the inn —mostly because every building looked identical to the one beside it. They entered a butcher's shop, a smelly library, and accidentally barged in on a coven performing spells before finding the right building. Alaudidae swore he'd felt one of the witches take some of his feathers.

The inn, unlike the rest of the town, was quiet. The lobby was completely empty, save for the lone man sat at the desk. Calladin handed him a pocketful of coins he'd found in Evanui's bag and the man gave them their key in silence, glaring suspiciously at Alaudidae's wings the whole time. Even when Calladin asked him where the nearest shop was, his answer was curt and cold. Ollie felt his eyes on them as they ascended the stairs to the rooms. It made him shiver.

"What do we do now?" Alaudidae asked, lying back on one of the beds.

"First of all, we find some actual clothes," Calladin fingered the collar of his blouse with disdain. "Then we head on out. I don't plan on staying here any longer than we have to."

"Why not?" Said Ollie, bouncing a sleeping Clementine like a baby, "It seems safe enough here."

"I didn't bring us here to live in an inn for the rest of our lives," Calladin said sharply, "We're getting what we need, and that's it."

While he ordered Alaudidae and Elora to stay in their room for their safety, he was oddly insistent that Ollie come out with him. Unsure of whether to feel flattered or insulted, he wrapped himself in one of their shawls and followed Calladin out of the inn, where they were greeted with several wary glances from the people passing by. The two of them stuck out like sore thumbs against the garb of the townspeople, which covered every inch of their skin save for the face. The town itself appeared to be cloaked under a constant layer of thick mist, and although it was summer, the breeze that drifted through the air was bitter and sharp. Ollie noticed a little boy being carried by his mother across the street from them, and the child wore a coat so long and thick that he looked like a bundle of cloth with a head.

"Clothing store... Clothing store..." Calladin murmured under his breath, striding forward so quickly Ollie had to jog to keep from getting lost. People watched them as they passed - with interest, apprehension, or in some cases, downright judgement. One woman even covered her daughter's eyes as the two of them came darting past her. Finally, they caught sight of a large tent and dashed towards it. They managed to regain their composure long enough to slip away inside without making too much of a scene.

The owner of the tent was a plump man, clad in a hefty woollen suit. He smiled at them as they caught their breath, though they undoubtedly looked ridiculous. The kindness was pleasantly refreshing.

Calladin managed a short greeting through his erratic breathing before he began nervously shuffling through the rows of garment-filled tables, stopping every so often to hold up a sweater or skirt and tuck it under his arm. Ollie did his own little bit of browsing, but everything he found looked either too big, too small, or too downright atrocious to bother taking. Though he wouldn't admit it, he missed his maroon coat. If he was going to keep himself from freezing to death, he at least wanted to look nice. Fashion was not a priority in this town by a long shot.

Calladin placed an armful of clothing in front of the man with a huff.

"That'll be 80 gold coins, sir." The man said politely.

"How much do we have?" Calladin threw a silver drawstring bag from his pocket and threw it to Ollie. He pulled the strings and let the little coins spill out onto the table. Once the bag was empty, they counted the coins and were surprised to find that they had exactly 80 gold coins, though Calladin could have sworn the bag had been nearly empty when they'd paid for the key. Though they were a little puzzled, they left the shop without looking too suspicious and started on their way back. There was only one problem — neither of them remembered the way they'd come. Within minutes they were hopelessly lost down the identical roads, finding dead end after dead end, before finally finding themselves at the edge of a sickly, barren forest. Despite the humid air and constant, fishy rain, the ground before them was bleached and dry; the thin, eerie trees looked no better. Calladin set their bag of clothes on the dusty ground with a sigh of exasperation.

"Just our luck," he said. "We'll be lucky if we make it back before dark."

He wrapped his arms around himself and shuddered as a gust of chilly wind blew in through the desolate trees, devoid of any sort of animal life, and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Ollie shivered as well, then paused to wipe a bead of sweat from his forehead. A tingle of concern crept up his spine. "Can we leave?" he asked, the words painful in his throat, "I feel sick. I want to go."

"Yeah, sure." Calladin bent down to pick their bag up but froze and dropped to his knees with a moan of discomfort.

"Are you alright?" More sweat formed on Ollie's forehead and palms, along with a cloud of feverish nausea that left him swaying on his feet. Calladin managed a small 'mm-hmm' before standing upright again, clutching the bag to his chest as if it were too heavy to hold. He'd all but turned green.

"It's the forest," he said, stopping to cough before continuing, "Let's go. Now."

Fighting the sudden ache in their muscles, they began to make their way back down the cobblestone street, only to have Ollie drop to his knees and be left behind a couple feet before Calladin's fuzzy brain could realize. Ollie struggled not to vomit, but his stomach was in roils. "I'm fine!" he managed weakly.

"Are you sure?" Calladin twisted his neck back to check and his expression turned to one of terror. He yelped in surprise, causing Ollie to turn as well and shriek in terror. A creature loomed behind him; tall, taller than any living person he'd ever seen, made of swirls of white smoke that dissipated into nothing an inch or two above the ground. The creature's eyes, two shiny black spheres floating in its translucent head, watched them emotionlessly, its mouth drooped in a frown. One of its long arms reached out to touch Ollie's shoulder.

"Get away from it!" Calladin screamed, dropping their bag to the ground.

Ollie vomited on the ground beside him, the nausea in his body so dizzying and unbearable he thought he might pass out. The creature's touch was icy cold, draining any last bit of strength he had in him. He collapsed onto his back, helpless to watch as the wispy face got closer to his, filling his senses with breath that smelt of death and bitter cold.

A branch came whizzing over him and struck the creature straight on the top of the head. It didn't damage it, for it had passed right through, but it caused enough of a distraction for the creature to straighten itself and give Ollie enough oxygen to scramble back on his elbows. The creature moaned in offence.

"Leave him alone!" Calladin swung a sizable rock with a grunt. It hit the creature in the stomach and left a hole in its smokey abdomen. Roaring in anger, the creature waved its arms and narrowed its eyes, but made no move to breach the line of the forest. It glared at them and spat out what Ollie could only assume to be a curse, then fixed its eyes on something behind them. It gasped.

A young bird, no bigger than the palm of Ollie's hand, came shooting by in a feathery panic, closely followed by a murky-coloured cat. Twittering nervously, it shot over Ollie's head and found solace on a high branch in one of the dead trees. As the creature turned ever so slowly towards the bird, too distracted by relief to realize its surroundings, the murky-coloured cat purred and settled behind Ollie's shoulder as he lay on the cobblestone path, resting its head in the crook of his neck in anticipation.

One of the creature's arms reached out in a cloud of smoke, engulfing the little animal in mist. The bird chirped in surprise and tried to take off as it noticed, but the creature sucked it into its mouth with a breathy inhale before it had the chance to open its wings. Ollie's heart stopped, and Calladin let out an audible gasp of horror, but the cat only purred and nuzzled against Ollie's ear. The creature disappeared in a puff, leaving only the still, dusty corpse of the bird in its wake. The cat pounced on it immediately and left, stopping to brush itself along Ollie's side before bounding away with the bird's body in its jaws.

Ollie felt too exhausted to do more than mumble out a little thanks to Calladin. Though nervous and shaken by what they'd seen, they managed to stumble their way through the streets and eventually make it back to their room in one piece. They presented their findings to Elora and Alaudidae; neither of them looked too impressed.

"It'll keep you warm, Dee," Calladin argued, pushing a bland, forest-green sweater into Alaudidae's arms, " I don't care if it's itchy!"

"I'd rather freeze to death than wear this thing." Alaudidae rubbed the rough material with scrutiny.

Calladin exhaled sharply from his nose. "Fine, then. Keep the blouse on if you wish."

Alaudidae tore off the silky blouse and threw it aside, casting a nasty glare at Calladin as he did so. His wings curled in instinctively as he slipped the shirt over his head, but the material on his back unfurled at the seams and then re-sewed itself around each wing in the form of a neat slit. Alaudidae glanced at Calladin in confusion, but he could only shrug.

The magical wing-holes weren't the only unusual element to their new clothes. Ollie's pants, which had been much too wide for his scrawny legs, shrank to his perfect size the moment he'd put them on. Elora had the same experiences with her sleeves. At one point, Calladin had thrown a plaid vest over his shoulder while digging around for some socks, only to see Clementine bound past him a second later, adorning a dog-sized chemise. Nobody bothered to try and take it off her.

Ollie had to admit — the clothes were comfy, even if they were the drabbest things he'd ever worn in his life. He felt warm for the first time all day, and they weren't even as itchy as they looked. Even Alaudidae, who'd been the least inclined to wear anything Calladin had bought in the beginning, looked begrudgingly comfortable as he pulled on a pair of maroon socks.

"I think we look hideous," he said to Ollie as the two of them watched Calladin unsuccessfully try to convince Elora to wear a hooded cloak, "But hey, if it keeps us from dying of cold, I'll wear it."

Ollie hadn't thought of the journey ahead of them. Even with Calladin's explanations, he still barely had a clue what Rubius was, or how it was going to keep him safe from his father. He'd barely been out of his house before running away, let alone to the mysterious mountain at the northern pole. Could they even survive until then? He couldn't decide which was worse —getting captured by his father or facing a grisly end by some nightmarish creature that lurked in the Nordenbound Forests. He'd heard horror stories about those places. As a child, Bax took much pleasure in scaring the daylights out of him by recounting stories about massive wolves devouring entire cities and snakes made of ice that swallowed people whole. Looking back, he'd been sure that they'd been nothing but fiction, concocted from the childish need to scare, but with the prospect of travelling through the very place he'd feared as a child looming before him, the stories felt more real than ever.

"Where are we going after here?" He asked.

"Dunno," Calladin said. "I'm going to look for a map tomorrow. Until then, I think it would be safer to stay indoors. We don't want to be remembered."

~

"I'll trade you my cheese for your bread. I don't like this type."

Ollie pushed the chunk of barley bread off the bed, chuckling as Elora squeaked in surprise when it landed on her plate and rattled the cheese onto the floor. She tossed it up to him. "Fine," She said sternly, though he could hear the humour in her voice, "You get the floor cheese. Have fun getting sick."

The cheese rolled to the other end of the bed, where it was snatched up by Clementine, who'd decided to transform out of nowhere and terrify a group of teenage girls that had been trying to peep into their window for a glance at Alaudidae's wings. Ollie didn't totally understand why the townsfolk were so interested in them — probably because he was so blastedly annoyed with them himself. Of course, he knew that Alaudidae couldn't do anything about them, but that didn't stop Ollie from wanting to rip them straight off the man's shoulders every time he found a stray feather on the ground.

They'd been in that room for three days — no leaving, like Calladin had requested. He'd been the only one to go in and out, bringing in food, a couple books to keep them entertained, as well as a couple of miscellaneous items such as a beaten-up map of the coast and four gleaming, silver knives, all of which he kept strapped to him at all times.

Being cramped in that room was enough to make Ollie go insane. It was small, smelt of musty carpet, and the constant sound of wind and rain kept him up at night. He'd never been so sleep-deprived in his life — Elora became plagued by nightmares and would often scream and toss about in her sleep. Ollie, asleep beside her, would be woken by her fits and have to soothe her until she'd calmed down. To make it worse, Alaudidae had a habit of beating his wings in his sleep — and he slept a lot — and it wasn't too fun to be smacked in the back of the head while trying to take a nap.

On the morning of the fourth day, a torrential rainstorm engulfed the town, making it almost impossible to see out the window, let alone go outside. Needless to say, Ollie and Elora weren't too happy with the fact that they'd be stuck there for a couple more days, but Calladin seemed oddly fervent in his need to leave.

"We need to leave today," He said, glancing out a slit in the curtains. "It's not safe here. I can feel it."

"We've been here for three days, Cal," Said Alaudidae. "It's been totally fine. We don't need to worry. A couple more days won't hurt."

"No!" Calladin huffed in frustration as he paced between the two beds. "Please, let's just pack up. I think it's better if we go. Now."

"We've got time. Nobody knows we're here except Evanui."

"That's not what I'm worried about!" Calladin snapped his fingers in a fit of frustrated anxiety. "We need to get on that train now."