Six

Thankfully, they traveled the next several days in peace, with nothing more troublesome than a couple of thunderstorms. The horses did not like those, but they only stayed close to Ninos and trusted him to keep them safe. Probably wanted a nice, warm, safe stable, and Ninos couldn't blame them. He wouldn't mind warm, safe, and dry himself, but he couldn't say the journey was awful.

The moment with the bandits had been terrible, but he wouldn't let one day ruin the entire trip. Every other day had been wonderful, riding along while Sinn kept watch and occasionally teased other birds or caught the odd snack. He enjoyed the scenery, the freedom to simply be, without having to worry about class or homework or socializing. Strange that he would never again have to sit up studying anxiously for an exam.

Really, the only thing he missed, other than Brandor obviously, was his Mourning Rose. He'd worked so hard on it but taking it with him all over the country would have been impossible. It would have to survive or not on its own now, until he passed through Teth again and could take it with him to his final destination.

All the plants and trees and flowers they passed by were the best part of the journey. Despite himself he'd collected several cuttings and seeds, carefully stored to be brought back to life later, probably several months from now. He would have his own magnificent garden someday, with his Mourning Rose as the centerpiece.

For now, though, he was content to simply be.

"Something amiss?" he asked as Sinn landed on his shoulder.

Campsite ahead, five people that I could see. I do not think they will be a problem but proceed with caution.

"Notice anything about them?"

They're together, so possibly a family or near enough. A couple that seemed older than the rest, the others maybe around your age. Hard to tell for certain. Nothing alarming stood out, so hopefully they're just ordinary travelers and will be no trouble. I would offer to get closer, but if they see a raven watching them, they will assume the worst about you, and I don't want anyone to think a dark mage is coming toward them.

"Yeah, better not to do that." Though the time alone had been exactly what he'd needed, and he was more than happy to continue on with just Sinn, a night of company didn't sound like a terrible idea. If they were coming from the opposite direction, maybe they could tell him what he was in for.

Maybe they cook better than you .

"Shut up, mouse eater."

Sinn cawed in amusement and then launched into the sky again, vigilant as ever, keeping his promise even though Ninos had never once faulted him for not seeing the bandits. His arm still ached now and then, though it had healed up perfectly fine, and he suspected it always would now. A small price to pay, considering how wrong everything went and how badly it could have ended—would have ended, if not for Sinn.

They reached the camp about an hour or so later, and two of the travelers immediately stood up, weapons in hand. There were five people in total, exactly as Sinn had said. Two women, three men. The woman and one of the armed men were older than the rest, and he'd hazard to say they were married and at least one of the others was their child.

"Hello," he said tentatively. "I don't suppose I could share the fire for the night? It's just me, my familiar, and my horses."

"You have a raven?"

"A long story, but yes, though I'm a sylvan mage."

The older man with the sword didn't relent. "Prove it. Don't need any dark workings here, mage."

Dismounting, Ninos walked slowly over to a small sapling that was not doing well. Kneeling, he sank his fingers into the earth around its base, closed his eyes, and reached out. Found the roots, which struggled to get around some rocks, guided them where they needed to go, helped them get there, fed it some of his own energy to give a boost until its roots were fully functioning again.

Satisfied, he withdrew, and was pleased to see the sapling was already looking better.

"Impressive," came a quiet voice. The older man with the sword, who sheathed it as he stepped closer. "I've never seen anyone do that so easily. Usually it takes them much longer to get half the results." His eyes went to Sinn. "Must be quite the familiar."

Sinn cawed and preened, which made the others in the group laugh.

"Sit, sit," said the older woman. "You look dead on your feet, lad."

"I'll get your horses," said one of the other men, around Ninos's age if he had to guess, the other one and the girl a few years younger. "What are their names?"

"Strider, and that's Serenade. And this is Sinn," he said as Sinn landed on his shoulder.

The girl giggled. "Lots of S's."

"That does seem to be the theme, though I didn't pick any of the names. Sinn came with his, and the horses were named by the man who sold them to me. Maybe I should switch up my name so I fit, hmm? Sonin, perhaps?"

That made the girl laugh again.

Pleased with himself a little, Ninos sat down at an empty space, thanking the boy who brought over his saddlebags. "I'm a terrible cook, as Sinn will happily attest, but I'm happy to share what I have for someone else to use effectively."

The youngest boy grinned. "That's me. Nobody else in this family can cook either."

"Don't go bragging," the woman said. "I'm Tella. This is my husband Kal, and our sons Larn, Toll at the horses there, and our daughter Mika."

"Ninos, a pleasure to meet you. Where are you traveling to?"

"Kork."

Ninos whistled. "That's a fair distance, and I'll wager you've already come pretty far."

"All the way from Eder," Kal said. "Getting too dangerous there, and my parents are getting on in years, so we're moving south where we can support them and be safer."

"I'm originally from Goldfell, so visited Kork many a time. Haven't seen it in some years, but I haven't heard anything negative about it. Hope you settle in well."

"Thank you," Tella said. "Where are you headed?"

"Shadowfell, actually. As you noticed, Sinn here is not typical of sylvan mages, so I'm going to speak with them about the mismatch and getting him to where he belongs."

"How peculiar," Mika said. "Never heard of that happening."

"It's left even the Headmaster puzzled."

You're leaving out the murdery bits .

Because that's such delightful conversation.

Sinn cawed and launched into the air, vanishing rapidly into the woods.

"Where is he going?"

"To find a mouse or two."

"Blech."

"I agree, but he seems to think they're quite tasty."

"Well this soup is going to be much better," Larn said. "An hour or so and it will be ready. You really did have great supplies."

"Thank you, Sinn and I went to a great deal of effort picking everything out. We wanted this journey to be as comfortable as possible, even with my terrible cooking."

Larn grinned. "I can show you some tips."

"That would be appreciated."

He happily listened as Larn rambled enthusiastically about cooking. It was clear he loved it, even as young as he was, and if they were moving to Kork there'd be no shortage of people eager to employ him.

As he wound down to focus on finishing their food for the evening, Toll sat down next to Ninos and smiled. "So a sylvan mage, huh? I always wished I could do magic, work with animals instead of plants, but I didn't have the acumen."

"I had too much acumen," Ninos said dryly. "I was put into school at five, and only finished this year. I keep feeling like I'm going to get in trouble for missing class, that's how entrenched I was."

Tella made disapproving noises. "That's no way to live, locked up in some private world, never seeing the rest of it."

"They let us into town sometimes," Ninos said gravely. "Even bought ice cream every now and then."

"Smart mouth on you, hmm?" Tella replied with a chuckle.

"Only a little bit."

"Unlike me, who has a lot of bit." Toll grinned. "So nobody to travel with you?"

"Just me, I'm afraid. I had a friend, but he…he had something else to do, and nobody else was coming this way. I like it. After years of living on top of other people, because nobody thinks students need their own space until their last few years, being on my own is nice."

"Sounds overwhelming. Still, traveling so far all on your own…"

"I have Sinn."

"That's not the same as a person ," Toll said, scoffing. He moved a bit closer, though why Ninos couldn't say, he was already too close as it was.

A sharp, loud caw made them all jump, and then Sinn landed on his left shoulder instead of his right like usual, making Toll rear back. He cawed again, flapping his wings, ruffling his feathers.

"What in the world has gotten into you? Knock that off!"

I'll stop when he stops .

He's not doing anything!

Except trying to get you to go roll with him in the bushes once mommy and daddy are asleep. Crass bastard.

He is not. "Are you all right? I'm sorry, Sinn likes to be mischievous. He'll behave. Won't you, mouse eater?"

Only if he keeps his distance.

What in the world does it matter to you if he did want to sleep with me?

Do you want to fuck him?

Not particularly, no. As you say, it's crass when his whole family is right here, and I'm not really interested in such things right now anyway. But I didn't need you to woosh in and be an ass.

"Is he always like that?" Toll asked. "What's his problem?"

"He's been overprotective since we were attacked by bandits not long after leaving the university. Don't get too close and you'll be fine."

Toll seemed to pout at that, so maybe Sinn was right after all, but thankfully the desire to stay away from a bird the size of his head won out over ambitions of—

Getting his dick wet.

Now who is being crass?

Not in front of my parents, though.

You are ridiculous.

"So we should look for bandits soon?"

"Other than usual precautions? No. I took care of them, at least enough they'll probably relocate. I would have warned you already if I thought they were a concern."

Mika stared at him wide-eyed. "What did you do?"

"Ensnared them in snakevine. They were still trapped when I left, but they would have gotten out of it eventually. Everyone learned lessons that night. Especially me about being more alert. Got hit by an arrow, my poor shoulder will never be the same. Thanks to Sinn, though, I'm alive to complain about it."

"Fascinating. I'm glad you're all right," Toll said.

Still trying to flirt, the absolute nerve of him.

Ninos had never struggled so hard not to roll his eyes.

Digging into his saddlebags, he pulled out the map that Wintry had given him and unrolled it. "Here, this is about where I saw the bandits."

Tella gasped. "You have a map? Mercy alive, that's incredible. We considered buying one but the price on these things is beyond reason."

"It was a gift from the Headmaster, otherwise I wouldn't have it."

Kal tapped a spot on the map, a wide ravine that was an informal border between the lower lands and the northern mountains less than half a day away from them. "This bridge is out, we had to go all the way west to this one, so you might want to adjust your journey ahead of time, save a few hours."

"Thank you, that is supremely helpful."

"Our pleasure. I can mark out a few campsites too, if you like."

"That would be wonderful. I used some here, here, and here, and this spot was useful when it stormed."

By the time they were done exchanging notes, Larn announced that dinner was ready. Ninos was more than happy to abandon conversation for a short time to enjoy food that actually tasted good, instead of being dried, or burned, or soggy.

It was truly delicious food. Jerky that had been simmered until it was soft again, with vegetables and something starchy enough to thicken the broth, making a simple, hearty stew that was ladled over potato mash. Meat, vegetables, and potatoes all cooked from dried, a thousand times better than anything he'd managed with the exact same ingredients.

He really should have lingered long enough to get some basic cooking lessons, but too late now. Maybe he could find someone to tutor him at Shadowfell before he made the long trek home. Years and years of schooling, and I go right back to it for something everyone else learns by just living.

You'd be surprised, actually, by how many people can't cook or do other basic skills. Many households find one person who can do it, or learn it, and leave it to them. Instead of doing the more logical thing of everyone learning the skill so that everything continues smoothly if someone falls sick or has to leave or whatnot.

Why do you always speak like you're five hundred years old?

Sinn flapped his wings in a way that Ninos had quickly marked as his bragging flutter. I'm not some doll poofed into existence. What use am I if I am not full of might and wisdom ? I am young in body but ancient in spirit.

Ancient in ego, maybe .

Sinn nipped his earlobe for that. Ninos laughed and pushed him away, and Sinn hopped down from his shoulder, stole a piece of bread from his plate, and then hopped out of reach sideways on the log. "Brat!"

Unbothered by the declaration like always, Sinn cheerfully pecked away at his bread while everyone else finished their meals.

"This is delicious, thank you so much."

Larn beamed, cheeks flushing. "It's not anything fancy, but I'm glad you like it."

Ninos was yawning into his tea by the time he finished it all and offered to wash the dishes. Gathering them up, he carried them to a nearby stream and knelt to get everything clean. Sinn settled nearby, pecking away at the grass in a way that said he was harassing bugs. "This was a nice little break, but I'm already looking forward to being just us again. I didn't realize just how much I liked absolute solitude until I was in it. There was so rarely ever real space in school. Even when I got my own suite, there was always people knocking, shouting, whatever. Going to be strange being back in the village."

He still didn't know if he'd stay in Goldfell or move to Corlock. It had always been his goal to return home, but with a house and land of his own so many more options opened up…. But his parents and villagers were expecting him…

They didn't even come to see you graduate, not a single one. Do they know your mentor died? Would they understand your devastation? Would they care?

They're my parents…

Yes, and yet there you were alone to deal with all your pain and strife.

I had you, I had Wintry.

You don't want to keep me, and Wintry was mitigating how much the school would suffer from the tragedy.

"He still cares, if he didn't care he wouldn't have given me gifts."

That he still hadn't opened, because he'd packed them away, somehow reluctant to see what Wintry had given him. Or maybe holding on to them like a prize once his little quest was finished. It's not about wanting to keep you, it's about you being meant for someone and something else.

Maybe I should be allowed to choose who I want to be with.

"I'm a sylvan mage, I am hardly suited to your abilities."

We've done just fine so far.

"And think how much happier you'll be when you flourish instead of just making do!"

He angrily finished the dishes, stacking them up with more force than necessary before returning to camp.

It wasn't about what he wanted. It was never about what he wanted. What mattered was doing the right thing, and the right thing was to sort out whatever had happened with Sinn and his own unknown, mysterious familiar somewhere at Shadowfell. Or maybe he didn't have one yet, maybe the conjuring had gone awry and stolen someone else's familiar, but his own had never manifested.

"Thank you," Tella said as she took the dishes to put away in their bags. "You've been wonderful company. If you or we are gone before the other wakes up, I wish you the best on the rest of your journey, and that you find what you're after when you reach Shadowfell."

"I wish you well on your journey, and I hope you settle without trouble in Kork."

Platitudes addressed, and with a hug from Tella that was appreciated more than he could express, Ninos got his bed made up, removed his boots and outer layers, and finally crawled into the soft, warm blankets. He'd paid well for a good bedroll and blankets, even a proper pillow, and he did not regret a single falla.

He settled on his back, slowly unwinding from the day, enjoying the cool air and the warmth of the fire, the crackling and popping that he'd gotten so used to so quickly as background to fall asleep to. The sky was filled with glittering stars, swirls and streaks of colors, an ever-changing painting only visible in the dead of night.

Sinn settled on his chest as he did every night, though Ninos suspected that he ventured off to get into some of his precious mischief once Ninos was asleep. Probably teased foxes or taunted wolves.

I find other crows and ravens, actually. More crows than ravens around here, but I think further north that will change. I always keep an eye out for danger though, never fear. The animals are good resources for that kind of intel, part of the reason I play with them. He preened his feathers idly. You said you weren't interested in fucking that crass boy.

What of it? Ninos closed his eyes, let the exhaustion of the day settle over him and draw him under.

Have you been with other people?

Surely you know the answer to that, given how often you help yourself to my thoughts.

It's not that simple. I glean what's freely available, surface level stuff you're practically shouting.

I've messed around a bit with other students, but I've never slept with anyone in the whole 'clothes off, together in bed all night' sort of way. Never interested me. I'd rather be invested in the person first if that makes sense. No one I've met has ever interested me enough to make that investment. Anyway, I was busy with school. Royal funds paid for it, and I was expected to succeed or I'd go home in disgrace. No time for nonsense. Why?

Simply getting to know my lord and master. Can't a good minion do that? How else shall I serve thee?

Oh, be quiet, mouse eater.

They really are quite tasty.

Ninos didn't reply, too deep into sleep to formulate one, and then he was lost in dreams. Oblivious to the pensive eyes watching him, and the sad caw that echoed across the night.