The Charlatan

29. The Passing-Bell

I am travelling with both halves of Velt's Charlatan, it seems – the real and the scapegoated –, along with an adept burglar and her Ghost-catching guardian. Gods, you are surely testing me, Priyanka thought as she adjusted her grip on her backpack. Her leg 'muscles' might have no longer ached, but her shoulders were beginning to feel the strain of the non-stop travel. She was surprised that her sister was not complaining about her arm, as she had been almost daily back in Mor.

Safiya had been keeping an eerie silence about her pain ever since Clara and the rest of the group set out from Mor on their mission. Priyanka was glad for her sister's improved mood, but they had not had the chance to speak about their group's makeup or whether they should be doing more and reaching out to their business contacts for news and support. Priyanka was hesitant about ruining Safiya's mood with such details at the moment, however, so she kept her silence for the time being. Priyanka's nagging sense of impending doom did not diminish, nevertheless. The gods are surely trying to tell me something. Priyanka kept a worried grimace as she marched on with her companions, Safiya and Charlie's prattling on about the nuances of Passeri supplying her pleasant distraction.

"What are you thinking of?" Priyanka suddenly heard Honey's calm voice. The Dehic woman struggled to form a coherent sentence in Genesese.

"Many things," she replied, immediately sighing about her lack of real answer. I need to learn Genesese. "The Spirits. Our... job," she ameliorated. Our mission, how worried I am about Safiya, how suspicious I am of Air and the details of the Charlatan, how fearful I am of being slaughtered by Velt's notorious military force just as my brothers and sisters were, what the gods are trying to tell me about these 'Spirits' of yours and our fate should we choose to pursue a particular path. Priyanka did not say much, but Honey seemed to understand as she nodded and matched Priyanka's pace.

The women did not continue their conversation, but Priyanka felt more relaxed in Honey's company. The Genesese woman was smaller than Priyanka physically, but Priyanka nevertheless felt protected. Honey also had a strangely calming presence. She did not demand anyone's time if she did not need to. She had no overbearing expectations of the people around her. Priyanka was grateful for the quiet.

The open fields of Velt's vast farmlands slowly began to turn into sparse woods, which then grew more dense as the group of travellers continued along the path Clara lead them along. The trees that grew in this area of the continent were not the type of vibrant green that populated much of Priyanka's home. Their colour was subdued, and hinted at the blues of the skies and oceans. The needles they shed painted the footpath this same mild colour.

"We should be passing into Passerine soon. Beyond this forest is the border and Passerine's easternmost town," Clara announced to the group in Velte. "It should have an inn and a grocer, should anyone need to stock up on supplies."

Priyanka heard Air mutter something in Genesese, only catching the words "judge" and "better people." Clara did not deign him an answer, and Priyanka took an educated guess why. The more she travelled with the Veltie, the more she picked up on her habits of dissociation from people. She guessed that it was a safety precaution, because Clara did not seem to lack in self-confidence and assuredness. How sad it must be to keep the heart in such stone, she thought. She briefly wondered whether that was the reason for her own quick recovery from the horrors she had seen not long ago.

The group passed through a large clearing a couple of hours later, and Clara abruptly stopped before the woods continued. Surprised, the group stopped their progress as well. Clara wore a deep frown, lines of worry aging her face several years, and Charlie stood beside her with a look of complete defeat. Something is wrong.