The Five [EDITING]

Chapter Twelve: Ice

A/N: WARNING, THIS CHAPTER HAS MORE MATURE CONTENT THEN USUAL. 



GEACOB

   It had been two weeks since Loryn went missing. We'd split up again, this time spending several hours in towns, asking questions and sometimes demanding them. Alie and I had taken the northern towns this time while Ritch and Venny went south. Hark stayed in the inn with our remaining coin in case she managed to find her way back to Leafinton.
   But there was no sign of her anywhere. Not a single person had seen a girl of Loryn's description, alone or otherwise. I had even asked a small group of Rangers we'd come across and they assured us that the only females they'd seen on the road in Averton were much too old to be called girls, and none had the richly tanned skin of Florn that did not seem to leave her face anyway. They did assure us, however, that if they came across the girl, they would leave her be and send word back to myself of her whereabouts.
   I was beginning to believe, however, that she was either dead or long out of our reach. Secretly, I had been hoping for a vision, but I should have known better than to hope for such a miracle. The gods had remained silent in this matter and the depressing meeting in the shelter once we all had returned was not a meeting at all but a joining of silent peoples.
   We fell asleep quietly after sup and a winter storm raged outside, moaning desperately though the trees.

ALIE

   "I suppose we'll just have to hope we find her on our travels." Ritch said, breaking the silence we'd all had hanging over us since we'd met at the fire.
   "What's it? We're givin' up?" Hark asked and winced at the pain in his stomach. It seemed to be a bad one and I hoped he had been drinking the tea while I had been out searching.
   "Not givin' up." Venny said. "We'll head t'ward Florn. Maybe we'll find her along the road somewhere." He sounded desperate and I knew it was guilt driving him now and nothing more.
   "We need to travel somewhere." Ritch agreed with a shrug. "And seeing as we don't know where we're supposed to go, Florn sounds as good as any place."
   "Leaving Leafinton seems wrong." Geac said. "Like we are giving up."
   I agreed. "What if she comes back?"
   "We cannae juss stay here forever." Venny reminded us all. "We have lives we need to return to at some point. We should head toward Florn."
   Hark nodded. "There's no other direction I can think of t'go. And I thinks you need Loryn."
   I still felt like leaving was wrong, but decided to look to Geac. Even in the two weeks of travelling, I'd come to notice that though I knew more about surviving, he was better at it. Anything from hunting to finding north, he could do faster or better than I. Though I told him new ways he hadn't known before, he learned those new ways immediately and became better at them than I could. Except using a bow and crossbow. I seemed to have slightly better aim than he, though he had more practice over the years.
   Still, I'd come to turn to him for advice after I'd stated my share, giving him the final decision when I was unsure. So I turned to him now.
   But he was looking at me as if waiting for the very same thing I was. It seemed we were both undecided.
   "Leaving makes sense." I said slowly. "But feels wrong."
   He nodded slightly and sighed, rubbing his hands through his hair --- as greasy as my own from two weeks on the road. "Let's have a day to bathe and resupply ourselves and get a hearty meal. We'll leave on the morrow."
   It was done then. That was our new plan. I stood to go and check on the horses and be sure they would be ready for the next day and Geac came with me to be the first to bathe. We walked through the trees toward the town silently but I knew he was thinking the same as I was --- this was wrong. If we left town, we'd never see Loryn again.
   "Did he hurt you, Miss?"
   I had been so lost in my own thoughts, I had not even been aware of my surroundings. I now saw that I was at the inn and Geacob had left to bathe already. I was, in fact, brushing down my horse with curry though I could not remember beginning such a task.
   At the sound of the sudden voice, my eyes shot up and my hand reached for the throwing knife I'd acquired from Ranger Darci. Luckily, I stopped myself from pulling it from my belt in time as I noticed the owner of the voice was a fairly familiar face --- a large man I had often seen around town with his equally large and cheerful wife.
   I smiled at him but was confused by the question. "Whom do you ask of, sir?"
   "The Ranger boy, Miss." He said. "I saw you was walking with him, but didn't look much happy. If he hurt you, there be a good many happy to run him out of town for you."
   Now my smile was genuine. "Thank you, but he's never hurt me even in the slightest, I assure you. My lack of joy is due to the worry of my friend."
   "The florian girl that came with the Ranger." He understood, his frown deepening. "I thought it t'was the Ranger searching for the girl?"
   "He is as well." I agreed. "But she is my friend, too. I am very concerned for her. You haven't heard anything as of late have you?"
   "I was at home with my wife when your friends says she went missing, but Trick and Archrit was out and about." He scratched his belly and looked around, his eyes catching on a man which he pointed to. "If you're sure it isn't the Ranger looking for the girl, I can speak to them for you."
   "My friends have already spoken to them."
   "But they figured you were workin' for the Ranger boy. We're not too fond of him around here."
   My heart sped up a bit. "You think they may have lied before?"
   "I don't be knowing, Miss, but I wouldn't blame them if they did." He scratched at his belly again. "You just wait right here and I'll talk to them, see if they says anything to me."
   I reached out and took his thick hand in mine and squeezed his fingers. "Thank you." I said with sincerity. "Even if you hear nothing, thank you so much."
   "Ach." He said, his face blushing with pride and embarrassment. "It be nothing, Miss. Really." He patted my hand. "You just wait right here." He tightened his hood around his head and went out into the street. I heard him call out to Archrit as he went on across the street. I hung up the curry brush and by the time I looked again, the two men were speaking close together to hide from the wind. They chatted, motioning toward me. Archrit looked over at me and I was able to see his face.
   And able to clearly see the bright red marks across his cheek. As if someone scratched him.
   That alone would not have made the chill crawl up my spine --- he could have received it from branches, a bar fight, another woman --- but the sudden alarm on his face that flashed there before it was covered up quickly by anger as he turned from me to face the fat man, plus his swift escape afterwards...
   "Alie?" Geacob came over, hugging the fur against his wet hair. "What are you doing out here still?"
   "I'm sure that you're better than I at keeping yourself hidden." I said and pointed at the man retreating from the larger mans confused figure. "Follow him and find out where he lives."
   "Archrit?" He questioned, apparently recognizing him. "Why?"
   "Because he knows something." I said and glanced at him, feeling my own eyes were wide and slightly fearful. "I think he may have Loryn."