Chapter 13.249Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPZSDBn1oI
Obran often dreamt of his first days in the gremlin forest. The dream was always the same: he would wake after it started to get hot in his tent; afterwards he crawled out and felt the morning dew on the ground. The sun had just risen over the gremlin forest and Obran had pitched his tent in the middle of his plot of land whose boundaries were marked out by volcanic rock. Obran was excited by it all—the brook, the trees, the grass and leaves; the forest looked better than he expected.
Obran started a fire for his coffee pot. While it was heating up he filled a jar of water from the nearby brook. There, a large grasshopper jumped in front of him but Obran left it alone.
Back in his plot, after preparing his coffee Obran mixed some flour and water in a caldron and placed it over the fire. When the mix was bubbling he added some weeds. Then he took out an onion and some garlic from his sack. He sliced it all up and added it to the stew along with some butter. He drank the coffee and ate some stew, leaving some for later. It was a good camp, he thought.
After breakfast Obran laid out his hand plow, hoe, measuring stick, and trowel. They were heavy, made from iron, and were all fairly new and sharp. Reaching into his bag he pulled out several bags of seeds. He tied some rope to each one and placed them over his neck. He walked back and forth in his plot, pacing every square meter, then shoved the trowel into the ground. Obran was looking for good soil, testing to see if it was loose, level, and well drained.
When Obran was satisfied with the garden site he planned the arrangements of the crops. He took a piece of parchment from his sack and sketched a map of his garden showing the location of each crop, the spacing between rows, and when he would plant each one.
Obran dug the hoe into the ground. Grass and soil sprung up and a few worms scrambled. He wondered if the brook had good fish, later, perhaps, he thought. He grabbed the soil with his hands. It was dark, rich and smelled like life. He spent the rest of the morning plowing his garden.
Obran prepared the soil next. He grabbed fertilizer, compost, and lime from his tent. He spread the fertilizer over the garden area and raked into the soil. Then he took out several seeds from their pouches. They looked clean and viable. The human who sold him the seed recommended he plant by the moon but Obran ignored such superstitious advice. He placed several seeds into each spot, covered them, and firmed the soil. Afterwards he took out several varieties of weeds from his pouch; he was careful not to disturb the roots before he transplanted them into the garden—they were weed varieties from the north of Italia. When Obran was done he sat on a log at the edge of his garden. There would be plenty of days to work in the garden, and soon he’d start to dig out his gremlin burrow.
***
It was a long night. Obran had dragged the two elves to a secluded spot in the forest and buried the two elves in a shallow grave along with their weapons—too risky to try to sell or use them. He decided it was better not to raise the alarm or tell the remaining gremlins there what had happened exactly since word of such an attack would spread quickly. Obran knew dark elves were extremely xenophobic and would surely want to get revenge on any gremlins that killed their kind—better the two elves just disappeared, perhaps attacked by any other creatures in the forest or dispatched by bandits. Still, he left a mark on a tree in case he needed to find the bodies.
He returned to the gremlin hole and climbed down quietly; everyone was asleep since it was still a few hours before dawn: Tomas slept on a mat in the living room, Erkin was in their bunk bed, and Zico slept on the couch, his wife laying on his chest; they all looked happy and carefree. Obran didn’t wake them—instead he grabbed his own crossbow, went back outside, and climbed up a nearby tree. He’d keep guard all night since any attack would probably be at night or dawn. Obran had even prepared this spot in the tree when he first arrived for this very reason, since it gave him a good look at the main trail and the entrance to his burrow.
But nothing happened. So at dawn he went back into the gremlin hole, grabbing some weeds on the way back; he figured he could make them all breakfast before they headed back to Roma. They were all already up, looking well rested, but a bit hungover.
“Hey, where were you? I was worried.” Erkin said.
Erkin sat at his living room desk, going over some drafts with Tomas.
“It’s a long story,” Obran said. “Let me get breakfast finished and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Erkin wanted to go out looking for you,” Tomas said. “But I told him it was better to leave you and Tori alone.”
“Thanks, Tomas. It was a good call,” Obran said.
In the kitchen Zico and Mara were already making breakfast.
“Hey, everything's okay...we missed you last night,” Zico said.
“I’m okay now. You already got breakfast ready?”
“Yeah, just something quick using the leftovers. Mara and I have to get back to the stand,” Zico said.
“Did the princess get home okay?” Mara said.
“She’s fine now, let’s all eat and talk,” Obran said.
Obran helped them serve the food, mostly cakes and batta bread, along with some coffee and fairy dust, which gave him the perk he needed. While they ate, he asked about their night and they talked about singing songs and finishing the wine while also playing games.
“It was fun, but I can’t wait to go to the ball,” Mara said.
“How I wish we could,” Obran said.
“What is it?” Erkin said.
“Did something happen to Tori?” Mara said.
“Before I tell you everything just remember I think we are all safe now,” Obran said.
“If it has to do with the Romans I’m not sure that’s ever true,” Tomas said.
“We were attacked last night,” Obran said.
He told them all exactly what happened, about being ambushed and how they’d killed two dark elves. His tone was grim and they all sat silently, never interrupting him. Zico was the first to speak. “We should go now, Mara, back to the city as quickly as possible.”
Zico began collecting his things but Mara remained seated.
“I agree with you Zico but we need to discuss a few things before you go,” Obran said.
“Do you think it was safe for Tori to go back to the castle? They are the only ones who know she comes here right?” Tomas said.
“I thought about that, Tomas but she could have been followed too,” Obran said. “Either way she insisted on going to see the King and she has a point. He can help and protect her better than anyone.”
Mara began to fly, gliding by her seat.
“Dark elves, a despicable race,” Mara said.
“I’m no fan of them either, Mara. I am not sure why they would be interested in Tori,” Obran said.
“I thought they all left Italia after the war,” Zico said.
“I’ve seen a couple at the university this month, from their delegations, no doubt spying to learn new secrets,” Tomas said.
“I saw many going into the inner keep but I figured they were there were just more delegations and emissaries for the King's birthday, “ Obran said.
“They give me the creeps. How they look at everyone with contempt,” Erkin said.
“Never trust any race that gives up the forest,” Mara said.
“Dear, we live in the city,” Zico said.
“Not forever,” Mara said.
“Listen, others may come look for their comrades,” Obran said. “ So Zico, I want you and Mara to stay in the market as late as you can every day this week. There’s always guards nearby and an elf would stand out there.”
“No elf would visit a commoners market,” Zico said.
“I know but stay vigilant,” Obran said. “Erkin, you should stay at the university for a few days and stay close to Tomas. Use whatever excuse you need: that you're meeting a deadline or have a lot of work. The university is closed off and also has guards. Stay in the dorms if you can or in a guest house if you have to.”
“What about you?” Erkin said.
“I’ll come to the city with you, spend my days there in case Tori comes out, but I’ll come here at night, try to see if any elf comes back so I know what I’m up against. I’ll close the burrow off, set up some traps I’ve made just in case something like this ever happened. I’ll warn the remaining gremlins here, but I won’t tell them about Tori; the less they know the better. I’ll just say I thought I saw someone scouting our lands and to be prepared for anything.”
“Obran, I can help you scout here in your forest,” Mara said.
“Samara, I don’t want you to do that,” Zico said.
“We have to help Tori if we can. She’s alone here and she’s our friend now,” Mara said.
“Dear we’ve only just met her,” Zico said.
“I’m a fae and I can tell she has a good heart so we are not just going to turn our backs on her,” Mara said.
“It’s not necessary Mara but thank you,” Obran said. “I know this forest like the back of my hand. When I think it’s safe I’ll contact all of you but for now stay vigilant, okay. We’ll leave now and separate before the main gate.”
“Damn,” Mara said.
“What is it?” Zico said.
“I hope we can still go to the ball?” Mara said.249Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIqVJWAbHv
