Passenger

Chapter 26

For a long moment, all I could do was stare in shock. The Riverman's eyes were staring at me. Directly at me. Not moving, unwavering.

A surge of panic overtook me for several moments, before rationality returned. The old man was blind. There was no way he could see me! Relaxing, I laughed and shook my head. "stop freaking out, Rachel." I chided myself, floating away. "he's just a blind old man. Just happened to be looking your way."

"well, perhaps. But my ears still work, you know." Once again, I whirled around. The old man's face had followed me across the room. "you youngsters – always saying whatever you're thinking, no regard to who might be listening."

No. there was no way. "you...you can see me?" I whispered, shocked. Then I realized my mistake. "er – you can hear me? Sense me?"

The Riverman chuckled. "indeed I can, my dear. You don't get to be my age without picking up a few tricks! Hah!" still chuckling, he held out the handful of cranberries again. "now, could I interest you in a cranberry?"

"uh..." this guy did know I was a ghost, right? Maybe not. "sorry, I can't really...eat. Or anything. Appreciate the offer, though."

"hm...incorporeal, are we? A shame. These are truly a wonderful food." The Riverman popped one in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "so, my dear, what are you doing following around these fine folks?"

I sighed. At least I finally got to talk to someone other than Krys – not that he was bad or anything, but after a while it just got...lonely. Even so, my other option being this loon? It didn't make me feel much better. But, hey, what's the worst that could happen if I told him the basics? "I'm kinda...attached to Krys. I can't really go very far from him. he's the only one that could see or hear me up until now."

The Riverman nodded, finishing chewing his fruit. "I see, I see. And how long has it been like this for, hm?"

"a couple weeks or so, ever since Krys...um, ever since he ended up here. I died about four years ago, though."

At that, the Riverman tapped his chin. "hm...that settles it. You must be the princess, Rachel Walker!" I gaped at him, shocked at the sudden leap, and he cackled. "yes, I thought your voice sounded familiar. You may not know me, dear, but I know you. An attitude and voice like yours I would recognize anywhere!"

Right. Okay. This was getting even weirder now. "so...thanks for saying hi, then." I replied, feeling awkward. "but, I don't really know what to say...haven't exactly had to carry a conversation with anyone other than Krys in a while."

"oh, that's alright. You might be a bit of a captive audience, but anyone willing to listen to this old man for a time is good enough for me." The Riverman shuffled over to a chair and sat down, grabbing another handful of cranberries and munching on them. "besides, I think you'll find that by listening to me, you might learn a few things of importance."

I raised an eyebrow questioningly, then forgot he couldn't see. "such as?" I prompted instead.

The Riverman gave a wicked sort of smile. "well, the young man that you are bound to – Krys, was it not? I heard the rustle of feathers following him. I can tell he's an Avian."

At this point, I was beyond questioning how he figured it out. "yeah, he's an Avian. But his wings are still growing back."

"no matter. The point is, he wants to get back to the isles above, doesn't he? Or, at the very least, find a way to cross the barrier." The Riverman lifted his cane, tapping it on the ground a few times, then pointed to the east. "so let this old man share a secret with you. There is a room, deep within the palace of the capital, where a magical runestone was constructed by the Avians. It draws from the ley lines on the surface and provides power to the sky barrier."