The sun was barely rising when Errol and Francis left. The gate of Arkose had just opened for the day, but there was no one else on the road across the plains for now. The two walked through the day. At first, Francis talked excitedly about the lake and other things he had read, but by the end of the day, even he was subdued. Errol’s feet had never ached so much, a throbbing mass in his boots. The sun had set when the two stopped for the night, though they had rested briefly around midday. Errol barely had the energy to eat before he lay back on the grass and slipped into sleep.
He was even more sore in the morning, as well as stiff from sleeping on the ground. Francis looked a little worse for wear as well, even though he had done much more walking over the years than Errol had. Even with his travels, this was Francis’s first time sleeping outside. When sunset came again, Errol wasn’t sure he could drag himself any further. The only thing that kept him going was the idea of sleeping at the inn that night. And a bath.
They reached one of the gates of Shale at sunset, going straight to the cheaper inn in the lower district. They sleepily ate in the common room before going up to their one room, where they took turns in the washroom. Errol slept even deeper than the night before, despite the straw poking through the mattress. Francis woke him at dawn, looking somehow chipper and full of energy. Errol groaned and tried to roll over to go back to sleep.
“We have to get going,” Francis said with a big smile. “Scoria is only a day’s walk from here.”
An entire day? Errol felt even worse now, but he dragged himself out of bed, knowing Francis wouldn’t relent until he did. After breakfast, they stopped by the crescent shaped market in the middle district to restock their supplies. A few traveling merchants were setting up their stalls, but none were open yet. The permanent shops were open. Errol glanced at the building at the end of the crescent. The door was shut, but there was a small wooden sign over it that read Phoenix. That was the original office, where Cory used to live with his family.
Francis was efficient as ever in buying and packing up the fresh supplies. He and Errol were out the other gate in no time, but they left the main road behind for a narrow path. Francis consulted a map once, which reassured Errol a little. The sun was setting yet again when they reached the village of Scoria at the forest’s edge. Farms sprawled across the plains side of the village. Errol and Francis went straight to the tiny inn, sharing one of the two rooms. They were the only two people staying at the inn.
In the morning, they set out to ask around about the lake. At midday, Errol and Francis met back at the inn. Errol was worn out, both from the journey and from asking people about the lake, but Francis was somehow even more full of energy.
“What did you find?” Francis asked, almost grinning.
“Some people were wary of the questions,” Errol said. “Some don’t believe the lake is real. No one admitted to having looked for the lake or having seen it.”
Francis nodded, still smiling even though they had found nothing. “Next we will search for it ourselves.”
Errol tried not to slump down further in his chair at the prospect of more walking. “Right now?”
“Tonight. The stories all say you must seek the lake at night,” Francis said. “There’s time for you to sleep if you need it.”
Errol slept like the dead.
Francis woke him at dusk, and after a quick dinner in the common room, the two set out into the forest. They brought their bags with them, in case they ended up wandering the forest for a while.
“Focus on your desire to find the lake,” Francis said as they walked among the trees.
The forest was denser than it had seemed from the outside. A warm breeze blew past, bringing with it the smell of rain, even though it hadn’t rained recently. Just like the stories had said. Francis walked faster, likely having noticed this as well. Errol focused on wanting to find the lake, though his tired mind was reluctant to focus on anything. Was the lake even real? He closed his eyes for a moment, almost walking into a tree, not that it would have made much difference with how sore his entire body was.
He lost track of how long they had been walking, but was beginning to hope Francis would suggest they head back to Scoria, when suddenly they reached a clearing. A clearing occupied by a lake. Errol and Francis stopped at the edge of the trees and stared. The water was stiller and clearer than anything Errol had seen before, reflecting the moonlight like a mirror. The sounds of the forest had gone quiet.
“Are you sure there’s not another lake out here?” Errol asked quietly, almost not daring to disturb the quiet of the clearing.
“There’s no lake on this side of the country,” Francis said. “Except the Wishing Lake.” He moved closer to the shore, with Errol close behind. “Maybe it’s an illusion of some sort?” He knelt and touched the water.
Errol did the same, the water surprisingly cold on his hand. “It feels real.”
Francis grinned. “We actually found it.”
The two stood at the shore of the lake for a while, enjoying the silence and the cooler breeze, then they turned and walked back into the forest. When Errol looked back, he didn’t see a clearing, only the forest stretching on behind them. So it really did just appear and disappear.
“Are you glad you came?” Francis asked.
Errol nodded, surprising himself. “I am. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“Our very first investigation and it was something real,” Francis said, walking faster.
The walk back to the village was a little easier with the excitement of what he’d seen, but Errol was still beyond exhausted. The two went straight to bed. When Errol awoke in the morning, he felt strange. It was a feeling he couldn’t quite put into words, and he passed it off as what he’d seen the night before. After breakfast, he and Francis wrote their entry about the Wishing Lake together before setting off for Shale.
At the inn in Shale, Errol’s left leg was furiously itchy, but it wasn’t red, and he saw nothing that should make it itchy. The feeling was gone in the morning when they set off for Arkose. On the way back across the plains, Errol and Francis talked about the possibilities of where they would go next.
It was late when they reached Arkose, just before the gate would close for the night. Errol and Francis went straight home. Errol took a bath, then slept better than he had the entire time they’d been away. He woke up sore, ready to sleep even more, but he forced himself to get out of bed. He had enjoyed the destination, but the actual travel… Errol pushed that out of his mind as he got dressed. He still felt strange, but maybe it was from walking so far.
Francis went straight to the library after a quick breakfast. Errol went to the office of Phoenix and had breakfast with his father and his uncle. Surprisingly, Tabitha was there, even though Cory was still away. She was the one who had cooked that morning, a thick porridge with fresh berries.
“How did it go?” Lindell asked.
Errol could tell by the stillness of his father’s tail that he was worried.
“We found the lake,” Errol said.
Hector blinked. “The Wishing Lake?”
Errol nodded. “I’ve never seen water so still or clear.”
Tabitha smiled briefly. “I knew it existed, but I’m surprised you found it. The two of you must have been very determined.” Her brows furrowed as she stared hard at Errol where he sat across from her. “Some legends are not so harmless as the Wishing Lake. Some legends should be left alone.”
“Like the cursed desert,” Errol said.
“That’s less a legend and more a well known danger,” Hector said. “If Francis suggests going there, I will have lost all faith in his intelligence.”
Lindell started to say something, then he didn’t. Errol could tell he was worried, but he held back, as usual. It felt like the two of them hadn’t really talked in years, but Errol didn’t know what to do about it. They couldn’t very well have an honest conversation about things if neither of them was willing.
Tabitha sighed, glancing at Lindell. She cleared her throat. “There was trouble while the two of you were away.”
Errol had suspected there was some sort of case if Tabitha was there this early. Maybe she was helping since Cory was away, or maybe the case had something to do with plants.
“An invisible attacker has been causing trouble all over Arkose,” Lindell said. “So far, it only strikes at dusk and at night.” He looked at Errol.
“I won’t be out alone after dark,” Errol said.
Lindell’s shoulders relaxed a little. “The only thing we’re sure of is that the attacker is using a lost artifact that belonged to Nox, the God of Night.”
Tabitha poked at her porridge with her spoon. “I felt the magic. I’m certain it’s the artifact, but I don’t know who took it or the full of what it can do.” She looked at Errol again. “You and Francis be careful.”
“We will,” Errol said, but now he was nervous all over again.
Where would Francis want to go next? Errol helped clean up after breakfast while Hector went to the front room to open the office. He would be at the desk for the day. Errol, Lindell, and Tabitha left the office together. Since the sun was out, Tabitha opened her black parasol. Sunlight affected her badly, since she was a priest of the God of Night. Errol split up from the two as they headed for the harbor. When he reached the library, Francis and Ernest were standing outside. Errol stopped at a distance.
“Magic is unnatural and dangerous!” Ernest Welch said. The man was seventy-one, thirty years older than Pearl. His short dark gray hair was neatly combed as usual. “You’re messing with this just to spite me, aren’t you?”
Francis’s lips were pressed into a thin line. He said nothing.
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Ernest sighed loudly, then caught sight of Errol. He looked at Francis again sharply. “Why can’t you be normal like Errol?” He stormed off down the alleyway.
Francis scowled after him. “Usually he calls me to the house for such conversations. I know he doesn’t want anyone to overhear him raging about magic. He doesn’t want anyone to think he’s like the previous duke, notorious magic and witch hater.”
Errol hesitated. “He seemed worried.”
Francis’s expression softened, but only a little. “He seems to think he’s going to lose me to magic, like magic is somehow going to consume me. Mother just fears a scandal.” He turned away, facing the stone steps up to the library doors. “Let’s figure out where we’re going next.” He sounded cheerful, but Errol could tell it was forced.
Errol followed his cousin into the library.
“There’s an invisible attacker on the loose,” Errol said. “It’s only come out at dusk and night so far, but we shouldn’t be out too late.”
Francis looked back at him, eyes alight with familiar curiosity. “Invisible?” He lowered his voice as they headed further into the library. “Could a rune witch make a spell to go invisible?”
“I’m not sure,” Errol said. “I don’t imagine it would last long if they did, unless the witch had very strong magic. An illusion witch might manage it, but it probably wouldn’t last long either.”
Francis smiled briefly. “Your father could probably make an illusion like that for much longer than a witch. Obviously he’s not the attacker, but he could probably go invisible.”
“He could make an object appear to be invisible,” Errol said. “Maybe even a person. But he can’t make illusions on himself.”
Francis stared at him curiously. “I suppose spirit magic really is different from a witch’s magic.” He looked sharply at something past Errol, groaning quietly.
Errol turned to face Leila Clement. She was their age, the daughter of the town healer and the Knight Captain. Her long dark brown hair was braided messily. Her dark brown eyes narrowed.
“I heard the two of you decided to write a guide to legends,” Leila said.
“And naturally you came to tell us it’s too dangerous,” Francis said.
Leila sighed. “What if more than just the Wishing Lake is real?”
“I hope more legends will be real,” Francis said, “or it would be a boring guide.”
Was there another reason he wanted to do this? It wasn’t just so there would be a book with all these legends in one place, was it? Was he doing this to spite his parents? Errol thought there was more to it, but he didn’t dare ask, since Francis was clearly annoyed enough by Leila, and the two usually got along.
“I just don’t want you to get into some sort of magical trouble that you can’t get out of,” Leila said.
Francis turned away. “We’ll be fine.”
Leila bit her lip.
“Did you just get back from Chert?” Errol asked, not liking that hurt look in her eyes.
Leila nodded. “I got back yesterday. It was a long trip. Much as I wanted to see my friend, it’s not something I’ll be doing often. The plains were so hot.” She shook her head. “Maybe I could go by sea instead, since Chert is also a harbor.” She glanced at Francis again and sighed, then turned and walked away.
When Errol turned to face Francis again, his cousin handed him a thick book without a word. The two went to the same table by the window where they’d sat before and read in silence. Errol couldn’t stop thinking about what Tabitha had said. Some legends should be left alone. Leila’s worry had made him worry even more, as well as how quickly Francis had dismissed it. Errol would try to find a good time to talk to his cousin. Clearly there was more to his decision to write this guide than just curiosity.
Errol glanced up from his book and caught sight of the librarian watching from among the shelves. Remy turned and walked away without a word, but his expression had made it clear he didn’t approve. He had probably heard about what they were doing as well. That made Errol even more uneasy. Was this a bad idea after all? He still felt strange, and it was getting harder to pass it off as being tired from the journey.
Francis set his book down suddenly, bringing Errol back from his thoughts. “Blackridge village.”
Errol couldn’t help but flinch. “The one in Luna that was wiped out by wolves?”
“That’s the one,” Francis said with a big smile. “Near the end of the crescent, abandoned since the beginning of the Age of Reason. The only thing that’s certain is that the village was attacked in the season of Snow and wiped out by feral wolves that had to be killed by knights from Ipomoea, the main city. Some said the wolves were starving, but others said it might have been a curse.” He had that glint in his eyes that was always there when he talked about magic. “There’s said to be a bad feeling in the village, which led to the rumors that what caused the village’s demise is still there, or that something bad settled there after the village was abandoned.”
“Are you sure you want to go there?” Errol asked.
Francis closed the book. “We’re going to have to leave the country eventually if we’re to investigate legends, Errol.”
“It’s not that…” Errol said. “Maybe we should choose a less dark legend.”
Francis sighed. “Now you sound like Leila. Luna isn’t that far, and Blackridge isn’t far from the main city. It’s just an abandoned village. If we’re going to investigate legends, we can’t shy away from such places.” He smiled a little, staring at Errol. “Will you come with me, or not? I could always go alone—”
“I’ll go with you,” Errol said.
The only thing that scared him more than going to Blackridge village, was the idea of Francis going there alone.
Francis stood, picking up both their books. “Then we’ll leave early tomorrow morning. I’ll restock our supplies.” He hurried away among the shelves.
Errol slumped at the table. Hopefully Francis was right and all they would find was an abandoned village. He took a deep breath, trying to feel less full of doom. He went back to the house to do some packing. Francis wasn’t back when Errol left just as the sun began to set. Hopefully Francis wouldn’t stay out after dark and encounter the invisible attacker.
At the office of Phoenix, Hector was just about to close the front door for the day. Lindell was cooking that night, and Tabitha wasn’t there. Hector and Lindell both looked weary, and Errol had seen the box outside the office. The office had been closed that day, likely so both of them could work on the case. They had enough to worry about, but Errol couldn’t just not tell them where he and Francis were going. And he definitely wanted them to know where the two were going if they were going to Blackridge.
“Francis and I are leaving in the morning,” Errol said.
Lindell’s tail had been slowly sweeping from side to side, barely moving, but now it stopped entirely and his ears drooped. “Where are you going this time?”
“Blackridge village,” Errol said, the words coming out quiet.
Lindell and Hector stiffened. They looked at each other.
“Francis will just go alone if I don’t go with him,” Errol said. “I don’t want him to go there alone.”
Hector sighed. “Francis should know better.” The words were almost a growl.
“He should,” Lindell said, “but you know he would go alone. No matter what we’ve told him, he doesn’t see how dangerous magic can be.” He looked at Errol. “If anything happens, find Cory in Ipomoea.”
Errol nodded. “The village isn’t far from Ipomoea.”
“I’ve been there before,” Lindell said, staring at his food.
Errol hadn’t expected that. “What was it like? Was it for a case?”
“I wasn’t with Phoenix back then.” His father seemed reluctant to continue. “There was a bad feeling in the village. When I felt it, I just kept walking. I didn’t stop until I was back in Ipomoea.”
Errol shivered.
His father looked at him, his expression unreadable. “If you feel like you’re in danger, don’t stay. Even if you have to drag Francis back to the city.”
Errol had a sudden rush of questions. Why had his father gone to Blackridge? But it didn’t seem to be a subject his father wanted to talk about, so he didn’t ask. They finished eating in silence. Lindell insisted on cleaning up alone, since Errol would be leaving early, and Hector was going to walk Errol home.
“Are you going to the forest?” Lindell asked his brother quietly.
“I’ll be fine,” Hector said. “I can outrun just about anything in my other form, and I’m the only one who can smell the attacker’s scent.”
“There’s a scent?” Errol asked.
Hector frowned. “It smells like burned wood. I tried following the trail earlier today, but it vanished in the middle of an alleyway, like the attacker just disappeared. We’re no closer to figuring out who, possibly what, it is. It’s attacked both nobles and commoners at night, so it doesn’t seem to be targeting anyone specific. I may not be able to follow its trail, but I will smell it if it’s near.”
The two of them left the office, stepping out into the warm, muggy air. The smell of rain was thick, but there were no clouds in the sky, the stars and the moon shining brightly. Errol and his uncle walked in silence, toward the part of town where the nobles lived. Errol and Francis’s house was past that, at the edge of the forest, but it wasn’t any faster to pass through the harbor than through where the nobles lived, and where Hector lived.
There were more lampposts in the streets outside the big houses, the cobblestone ground in slightly better repair than elsewhere in town. Someone hurried toward them from the other end of the alleyway. Pearl Welch scowled when she saw the two of them. Errol hoped she would just keep walking, but she stopped, blocking their path.
“I heard Francis was buying supplies for another journey.” Pearl said the word ‘journey’ as if it were a terrible disease. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at Errol. “I told Ernest you’re a bad influence on our son, but he still believes you’re normal.” She finally breezed past them, muttering, “My husband has an unfortunate family tree.”
As soon as Pearl was out of sight, Hector growled. Behind his glasses, his eyes turned light brown, the pupil a feline slit. It lasted for only a moment. He and Errol continued along the alleyway.
“You don’t have to go with Francis,” Hector said. “Lindell and I don’t want to tell you not to go, since you’re nineteen, but Blackridge could be dangerous.”
“That’s why I don’t want Francis to go alone,” Errol said.
Hector sighed, but he smiled. “I’m glad you value your family more than Pearl does.”
That made Errol feel even worse. He wasn’t honest with his family, or with himself.
