Take Note : It's All Different

27. Unsteady Path

When the time came for someone to exchange positions with me Avonde aroused. He was half asleep and in the easiest mood to persuade him in.

"I was thinking." I began.

"Mmh." He replied half heartedly.

"You should control the fleur to get us to Pendelum to save time."

He wiped his eyes before replying plainly.

"Sadly I cannot open the fleur I can get us around in there but without Tanner I can't open it maybe you can or know how?"

"Nope. Suppose we keep walking." I got up and moved away from the watch spot.

"Rest up before we do."

"Yeah, yeah. You're not mum remembered." I sat down and rested against a tree.

"Closest thing you will get in a while." He murmured.

As I closed my eyelids and relaxed my body my mind reeled. What did he mean? What did any of this mean? What is happening? How? I just want someone to explain it all to me. Everything I have ever questioned I want answered. At the least I want the past few days to be explained. But at the very least I want Tanner's out switched to be explained.

I want him to be awake.

I want him to remember.

I need him.

I need him to help us.

After just a few hours I was reliving the death of one at my hands. In my head I saw the images. I pulled the dagger from its place and scratched at the dried blood. When the blood found its way to underneath my fingernails I cleaned them just as Tanner had. The edge of the blade scrapping beneath the nail.

When I was satisfied they were clean I dragged the dagger in the melting snow which created mud. Lines, curves, straight. Meaning nothing until the final line is drawn. Slowly drawing it cautiously the lines came together to form something. A word. Two words. A name. A place.

"Drutchery Cottage"

I didn't know what it meant to me until it was done. We had to go there. No matter whether it added more days or time to our trip we would have to go there. No it was on the outside of Pendelum. Behind the village. A days walk from one end to the other of the village. We needed to arrive in Pendelum in three days. That would give us a day to get too and visit the cottage for whatever reason we needed.

With the melting snow I cleaned off the dagger again ensuring all the blood and stains were gone without a trace. When satisfied I readjusted my position to ensure I wasn't sitting on snow and let my head find the bark of the tree. Slowly drifting I let my eyes close and sleep take over.

Slowly. Soundly. Finally.

Waking up to not the prettiest of sights is one way to start you're morning. The morning was upon us and the sun was beating down onto River's bare backside. With no idea to why it was out I closed my eyes squeezing them tight. When I reopened them he was gone.

With a frozen backside and melting snow all around me I walked to Avonde who must have only recently woken himself.

"How clean is your dagger?"

"Crystal." I smiled with cheek.

"And your mind?"

"Empty."

"Liar." He caught me out immediately. I was thinking about the fact we have to get to Drutchery Cottage. And how to tell and convince them.

"We have to make a stop before we meet Tanner."