Fate

Seventeen

They hadn't gone too much farther into the woods, so getting out was the easy part. Tonius couldn't smell or hear any people, but they still stayed just inside the tree line to be safe. Following the fading scent, he pulled his companions along, keeping a sharp ear out for any trouble. Namely, those other bounty hunters he had heard stumbling through the woods in search of their friends Elyssa had disposed of.

He had been right about there being a town nearby. They'd been walking for nearly a half an hour before they came across it. It was large, like Farns, but not nearly as nice. This town had a worn-down feeling to it, and Tonius made sure to stress the need to stick together.

"There's a bounty out on our heads. We can't afford to be separated, or noticed. We just need to figure out what town this is and how far until we reach High Creek."

"We need to write Matthew," Elyssa added. "Let him know everything that's happened."

"If we can manage it. Alright, let's keep our heads down."

Cautiously, he started leading them in, one hand wrapped around Elyssa's and the other on Ruby's shoulder. To any onlooker, they would appear as a normal family, if they didn't look too closely at Elyssa's bare feet and bloodstained dress, Tonius' wild eyes—an indication that he wasn't all there—or the fact that Ruby didn't look like either of them with her cocoa colored skin. No one seemed to be paying them any mind as it was, but he still worried. All it would take is that one person who recognized them from the posters that hung all over town.

Elyssa tugged on his hand for attention, directing her head at a general store. "Stationary."

"Lyss, we haven't any money."

"But we have you."

He raised an eyebrow. "You actually want me to nick something? That's a first. Usually I get a lecture." She pursed her lips at him. No choice then, not when she pulled that determined face. He sighed. "Fine. Wait here. I'll be right back. Ruby, with me."

They slipped in and he greeted the shop owner, asking to see some of the stationary while Ruby pretended to be interested in the sweets near the counter. "This here is some good stuff," the shopkeeper said, handing Tonius a few sheets. "It's a bit sturdier than your average parchment."

"It's alright," he said, setting the paper down on the counter. "What else have you got?" As soon as the man turned his back, he slipped a few pieces back to Ruby, who slid it up her shirt.

"Well, I have this," the man said, turning back around. Tonius accepted the new stuff, pretending to test its weight and stock.

"Not bad. What have you in the ways of quills and ink? I'm running a tad low."

"Just your basic stuff. Though I might have more in the back. Wait here a tick and I'll look."

"Take your time," Tonius waved him off, and making sure that no one else was looking, he passed Ruby a quill and ink bottle the moment the owner left through the curtain in the back of the room. "Get back to Elyssa and wait for me at the baker's across the street," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for the girl to hear. She saluted him and slipped out, while he waited patiently for the man to come back.

"I'm sorry, but that's all we have here."

"That's quite alright. But I'm afraid that my coin is a little low for your prices, so I'll just have to make do with what I have. Sorry to waste your time, sir. Have yourself a good day now." He nodded his head at the keeper and left, making his way across the street. "Keep walking," he said, not stopping. "Someone's about to notice a missing ink bottle." As if on cue, the shopkeeper came out, calling out for the guard. "A little faster, yeah?"