Chapter 2
1515 Words
CHAPTER TWO
I blinked at the old man before I lifted my gaze to the bemused Ros. “Do you two need to be alone? Because if this is going to get weird…”
Ros stepped forward and smiled at the angry old man. “I don’t have a spare goat on me, but I do have some spare coins.”
He reached for his pocket, but the old man jerked his arms forward with more speed than I would have given him credit. The end of the cane smacked Ros’ hand, and the dragon yanked his hand back and frowned. “I’m just getting out a bag of coins!”
The old man shook his head. “I don’t want your coins! I want my Agatha back!”
I raised an eyebrow at Ros. “What’s going on here?”
He ran a hand through his disheveled but still handsome hair and sighed. “I accidentally left the gate open to his goat pen, and his favorite goat got out and disappeared.”
“Disappeared up there!” the old man snapped as he swung his cane around to point up the winding road. “And that was two months ago! I haven’t seen her since and you-” The door to the cabin opened and a girl of sixteen stepped out.
The girl was of average height with long, luxurious brown hair that flowed down her back. She was not beautiful, but there was a simple elegance to her that one couldn’t help but admire. The woman wore a plain tan dress that stopped at the ankles, and brown leather shoes covered her feet.
She also wore a soulless expression on her face.
There was nothing in those empty, unblinking eyes as she wandered out of the cabin, neglecting even to close the door. Her feet shuffled along the ground, scraping the earth and dirtying her shoes as her arms hung lifeless against her sides.
“Catarina…”
The whisper came from the old man who dropped his cane and hurried over to her. He grasped her arms, and she stared down at him, but there was no semblance of recognition in those eyes.
“This way, Catarina,” he pleaded as he guided her back to the cabin.
He gave her a small push into the building, and she shuffled forward without complaint. Hell, without any sound. He shut the door behind her and pressed his palms against the front. The man hunched forward and closed his eyes as a heavy sigh escaped his lips.
Ros took a step forward, and his face was marked by pity. “She has the shade.”
The old man lifted his head and looked forlornly at the door. “She wandered off the road too far the other day looking for Agatha and hasn’t recovered yet.”
My heart felt strangely heavy as I watched the woman wander off. “What’s wrong with her?”
The old man turned to us and frowned at Ros. “Doesn’t she know?” His eyes widened slightly, and he limped down the short path to where he had dropped his cane. He snatched the stick from the ground and pointed the bottom at Ros. “You’re taking her up there without warning her about the shades, aren’t you?”
Ros held up his hands in front of himself and sheepishly smiled at him. “I was going to tell her after we passed your cabin.”
The old man scoffed. “Likely as not you’d be stupid enough to lose a beautiful woman to the Shade.” He turned to me and set his cane on the ground, which he leaned heavily against on both hands. “The Shade, my dear, is the darkness that lingers here on Baringgate Mountain.” He nodded at the slope with its meandering trail. “Anyone who goes off the trail sees… something, and when they come back, if they ever do, they’re not the same for a while.”
“For three days they act like all the life has left them,” Ros spoke up as he folded his arms over his chest. “And then they’re back to their normal selves after that.”
The old man glared at Ros. “Not if they go eating drim.”
I lifted an eyebrow at Ros, who pursed his lips. “It’s an herb found only on this mountain. Many people who live on the slopes collect the herb and sell it for its unique flavor. Normally it’s bitter, but after it’s cooked it has a smooth texture to it.”
“And eating that stuff makes whatever’s wrong with them last longer,” the old man chimed in as he closed his eyes. “I’ve seen it last months at a time when a strapping lad couldn’t be stopped from eating the herb. They finally had to lock him in a cellar for a week, feeding him through a hole in the door.” He gave a great shudder. “Gods forbid I would have to do that to Catarina…”
My heart fell as I returned my attention to the suffering man. “I’m sorry about Catarina.”
The old man shook his head. “No need for you to apologize for that, miss.” He shot Ros a harsh look and wagged his cane at him. “Him, on the other hand, needs to do more than just apologize.”
Ros raised an eyebrow. “You want me to go off the path in search of your goat?”
“If that’s what it takes, then yes!” the old man snapped as he clapped the cane against the ground. “Catarina’s a kind soul and won’t stop looking until Agatha’s found! That means you have to find her first!”
Ros cast a furtive glance at me and pursed his lips. “Now may not be the best time-”
“Now is just the time!” the old man insisted.
Ros nodded at me. “Then you’d have me leave her on the path, or take her with me? You can see for yourself she doesn’t know her way around.”
The old man whipped his head to me, and his fury withered. His shoulders drooped a little and his hands shook before he grasped the crook of his cane tighter. “I guess I can, but you still owe me a look around for Agatha.”
“We’ll keep our eyes open as we head up to the village,” Ros promised as his posture relaxed. “Now about those supplies you offered us earlier.”
The old man wrinkled his nose. “I won’t be giving it out for free if that’s what you’re wondering.”
Ros patted his pocket and the bag of coins jingled. “We can pay.”
The shopkeeper eyed him with suspicion one last time before he jerked his head over his shoulder. “Then come into the shop.”
He guided us up the hill to the rear of the cabin where a small shed was attached to the back wall. The old man led us inside and revealed a plain garden shed with some weathered shovels, a wheelbarrow, and a large collection of worn boots.
Ros eyed the two dozen pairs of shoes with amusement. “You’ve added to your collection.”
“Keeps the vermin from looking in here too long, if you know what I mean,” the man replied as he shuffled over to the far corner of the shed. He tossed aside a mess of rotten leather and revealed a trap door with a ring handle. The old man grasped the handle and tried to pull, but the door only lifted a few inches before it dropped down with a loud thump. “What a time not to have Catarina…”
“Let me,” Ros offered as he stepped up to the old man.
Before the proprietor could argue, he had opened the door and revealed a narrow set of steep stone steps that led into darkness. Ros snatched an oil lantern from the nearby wall and the old man drew out a match which he struck against one of the pieces of leather. A flame burst into life and soon the lantern burned brightly.
The old man snatched the lantern from Ros and held it over the hole. “Mind your steps. I’ve had more than a few customers stay as boarders.”
He eased himself down the stairs and disappeared out of sight. Ros offered me his hand and I snorted at him. “Thanks for the thought, but I’ll be okay.”
“Oh, right,” he returned as he dropped his hand. “Sorry about that. Habit.”
I smiled. “It’s a good habit.”
“We’ll get you some gloves down here,” Ros assured me as he stared down the hole with a bemused smile. “He usually has quite a stock of oddities.”
- Writer
