The Weaver's Source

Chapter 43

Grigore woke me at dawn, as promised. He shook me lightly, his song swelling to coax me awake, but I curled deeper into the bed, warm and wanting to stay asleep after being awake for half the night. He didn't allow me more sleep however. He ripped the blanket back, making me flinch from the cold and scowl up at him lightly, only to blush softly when I saw his dark eyes locked with mine, swallowing my attention instantly. That stormy shade that pooled endlessly, shifting strangely like a night's sky.

"Up." He said firmly. "We need to leave soon."

The moment he trusted I wasn't going return to sleep, he stepped away, allowing me to sit up and flick my attention over him, instantly turning pink at the sight of him standing with his back to me, his torn skin bare. My heart thumped and pulse quickened at the sight of him half naked, my attention locked to his back, watching the muscles play as my mind dulled, thinking of how warm his skin had been beneath my fingers not long ago, so hot to the touch and so taut with strength. But my thoughts stopped when he snatched up a shirt and pulled it over himself deftly. I tugged my attention to my hands, scolding myself quietly and telling myself I had seen him without his shirt before. He didn't seem to be too shy about his body with me and would begin to strip down whenever we found a clean lake to clean ourselves in. I would swiftly take myself away, giving him privacy even if he didn't ask for it, but I swore I was getting more nervous about him. I thought by now I'd be growing more comfortable.

"Bathe, but don't be too long." Grigore warned as he turned to me, roughly tugging on his jack as he re-dressed himself.

I nodded shyly and quietly stole myself away, bathing swiftly and rubbing away the grime and sweat that had built up over the days. Thankfully being away from him made me think less of the crooked house and was calm when I returned to him, finding him fully clothed and armed with food. The moment I had my fill of the bread and cheese he'd filched for me, he was tugging me out of our room and warning me he wasn't going to stop until nightfall with this place far behind us.

I didn't like going through the long dining hall of the inn. Even if it was dawn and only the truly drunk remained there, unconscious, I still remembered the hostility and the lengths Grigore went to getting them to back off. It made me wary of the room and Grigore didn't seem any more relaxed than I did. He glanced about, glaring at every corner, before he handed the key over to the inn keeper and dragged me out.

The cold air smothered my face, chilling my cold skin and making my nose tingle horribly. The sky was dark with only a few spattering of pale orange and yellow light in the east and mist was thick on the wet earth, making the air damp. By the fat puddles covering the road, I assumed it had rained during the night.

Grigore readjusted Ursus before he set off down the road. It trailed from the centre of the village and went slithering off into the far hills and trees in the west. I followed him closely, ignoring the pain in my worn out legs to keep up with his pace. People were already up and working and the further down the road we went, the more people I saw. Farmers and shepherds were in the fields, tending to what little crops were left and to the animals that were now let loose from the barns. The sound of dogs barking echoed across the farmland and sometimes the cry of a sheep, goat or cow, but that was all. The birds remained quiet even when they should be singing with the coming dawn and the villagers themselves talked in hushed voices or not at all. The feeling of fear was thick still and the coming of day didn't seem to lift their spirits at all.

I shuffled closer to Grigore as I watched a woman walk brusquely towards the town, holding a basket of eggs and moving in such a guarded way that it made me wonder if she felt something was following her.

"Do you know what's haunting the people here?" I asked him quietly.

Grigore simply shrugged and continued on his way. I frowned. I didn't like to leave the people here when they were obviously scared, especially as Grigore was trained to help them, but, as he had said, they wouldn't accept his help, not after last night.