Two Weeks Earlier
When the world reformed around me, I was breathing heavily, but thankfully my instinct had still placed me outside of the town of Hedgely instead of popping into existence in the middle of the crowd like I wanted attention. A single notification lingered in my vision.
[Spell Cost Note: 6,437 Polishing Cacti have been removed from your inventory to cast Translocate.]
I hadn’t meant to cast the spell… I’d still wanted to collect my things, and to… to… I ground my teeth together as I realized how quickly I’d just let my impulses nearly ruin my escape. I also cursed the system and how it just decided which of my reagents to take instead of letting me be the one to select them, but that was an annoyance I’d had with the system for centuries now.
The painting Willow had been hanging was annoyingly burned into my mind, my cabin lingering there like the hill had been meant for it.
I shook the thought away and pushed it down as hard as I could, then retrieved a cloak from my bag. I equipped it and pulled the hood up and over my head before I started walking out of the trees and onto the street toward Hedgely. At least in my panic, I’d still taken myself exactly where I’d told Daniel I was going, so if he fed that information to the investigators things should still work out. They’d have a place to check… I’d just have to make sure people knew I was here.
I kept my head low, first deciding to head into the market. I’d emptied the vast majority of my reagents at this point and I wanted to purchase enough to make sure I could Translocate again if push came to shove.
The Herbalist gave me an odd look, but I was surprised to find she had a rather large amount of Trumpet Vine Root. I quickly cleared out the entire stock of the rare reagent before buying out the majority of her lesser herbs as well. She definitely overcharged me, but I loudly mentioned having the crown’s backing and didn’t mind paying for it. I was leaving trails everywhere when I was trying to go under the radar, it shouldn’t be too hard to get people’s attention when I wasn’t.
Once I had the reagents, openly shoving them into my dimensional bag in front of the Herbalist, I found my way to the inn and purchased a room for a few nights. It wouldn’t do if I didn’t stick around long enough for rumor to spread, and I really wasn’t quite sure where to go from here anyway.
I wasn’t exactly sure where the herbalist had found over three hundred Trumpet Vine Root, but I wasn’t about to complain.
For a moment… the briefest of moments… I considered casting Eavesdrop. I’d trained it enough that distance mattered less than familiarity, but I only just left… why would I need to hear them react to that? Was Willow—
I clenched my jaw, looked out the window… then climbed into the bed. I’d sleep. Things had been tense and I just needed to relax.
Three days later, I was still in the room. I stood staring out the window before a laugh escaped me.
“Uhhh… why? I’ve never farmed a day in my life,” I heard Garth say.
“Your guess is as good as mine. He left Bram a powerful magical… thing… honestly he really didn’t explain that much to me,” Daniel replied with an awkward laugh.
“A magical… thing? Is that why he’s suddenly talking about a bathhouse?”
“Yes… but as I told you and as I’ve reminded Bram, this is only temporary. I’m not transferring ownership, just asking you to take care of things while Corbin is away.”
My jaw clenched and I canceled the spell, turning away from the window with a scowl. I needed to get out of this room… that’s what I needed to do.
“Can I get your best ale?” I asked, taking a seat at the bar in the inn’s tavern. The woman standing behind the counter nodded, grabbed a tankard of a mug, and filled it from a cask built into the wall.
“You look like Dusk. Something wrong with the beds?” she asked, grabbing a cloth and wiping the counter.
“They could be softer,” I admitted, sniffing the ale and finding the drink was almost lacking any scent at all.
“I’ll make a note of it,” she said in a way that made me positive she definitely wouldn’t then eyed me curiously. “Where yah headed anyway? Don’t think I’ve seen you around these parts.”
“I’ve been riding for the Southern Highlands. The Prince seems to believe I’m his missing companion and that sort of adventure seems rather dangerous. So I figure I should put some distance between him and myself.”
The bartender looked at me for just a few seconds and I waited for the shock to come to her. If people had been talking about the search for me in Gold’s Lodge, I had no doubt it’d be just as big of a topic in Hedgely. Instead of shock, however, the woman laughed.
“Sure you are. I know that line impresses some of the younger ladies when those foolish kids pretend, but if you’re trying to bed me, I’d suggest a more believable lie.”
“Huh?” I said, my bravado breaking just a bit as I looked at her a bit incredulously. “No, I’m not lying. He really does think I’m—“
“Kid, you’re cute and all but you’re young enough to be my son, you don’t gotta keep trying,” she laughed again, then winked. “Though, a cute fella like you? I guess that is a nice compliment.”
I groaned, then nearly smacked my forehead as I buried my face in my hands.
A week had passed since I left Danwood, and I was still lingering in Hedgely. I looked at the stock of Trumpet Vine Root I’d left on the dresser in my room. The holding bag that I had stuffed full just to keep it out of my inventory to reduce the temptation was nearly half empty. Even still, I found myself reaching for a few clippings of it before I stopped myself.
I had to stop… they didn’t know I could hear them… they didn’t know…
“—no, move it over there. We can fit at least two more tables in here,” Willow said.
“You’re not gonna have room for people to walk through if you try to shove them in,” Yurick shot back.
“I measured, Yuri. Can you just trust me already?” Willow demanded and I resisted the urge to smile. I walked over to the window and looked out at the market. There were a few wagons that hadn’t been there before, but they all looked to be rather plain-looking. If someone official would just come through, maybe I could finally plant a lead.
For some reason none of the locals seemed to take my truthful claim seriously. It was some sort of cruel joke… it really had to be.
“Fine, but when you see I’m right, I expect an apology. My back’s already killing me and these fancy tables you bought are heavy,” Yurick sighed.
“Thanks, Yuri… I’m sorry I can’t pay you like… well, just… thank you. I know there’s plenty of work with all the new homes to build, so I appreciate the help,” Willow said. The way she’d avoided saying my name hurt more than it should have… as did knowing she wasn’t using the funds I’d left for her.
“Oh don’t you worry about it. You gave me a real reason to get out of those mines, not to mention you remind me of my sister back when we were kids. For you, I’d do a thousand favors.”
I cut the spell off and headed for the door. Yurick was a good man… it was a good thing he didn’t mind helping.
I weaved my way through the crowd just outside the inn, not even bothering to keep the hood of my cloak up. No one seemed to care what I said, in the last twelve days I’d tried everything short of yelling “I’m the Lord of Dusk” in the middle of the crowd and yet I was just simply dismissed as if there was no possible way I could actually be telling the truth.
Maybe I should have chosen Hedgely from the start… With how little they seemed to care, I might have never been found.
Frustratingly, Frederick hadn’t arrived in Danwood yet. I’d checked more than enough times by now to know and I wondered if Gwendoline may have gotten her estimations wrong. I could always go back… but if I did… Well, I wasn’t sure how I’d be received. But no one would take me seriously if I said I was going to leave again once Frederick did get close and besides… they weren’t taking my departure too terribly.
This was fine… maybe rumor had already spread and Danwood was going to be left alone.
“Corbin? Is that you?”
I froze up, my head turning so I could scan the area. I hadn’t actually given anyone my name here, and I knew that voice far too well for my liking. Somehow it didn’t actually annoy me as much as it normally might have.
Dartigan was carrying a crate filled with misshapen orange melons, loading them into the back of his wagon and looking at me with genuine surprise.
“Well I’ll be, it is,” he said, stepping closer with a friendly smile. “I didn’t see your wagon in the stables, what are you doing all the way out here? You know I woulda been happy to deliver anything else you needed. I’m supposed to be heading back that way with a delivery for Daniel in a week or so.”
I walked over to him sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head.
“Oh that’s… I’m uh… actually heading down south… Kinda decided to leave Danwood,” I explained and Dartigan stopped in his tracks. Another man looked at him, waiting only a second before Dartigan handed the crate off and turned to appraise me.
“Well go on… what happened?” he asked without probing. Great, the one time I actually wanted him to lead the conversation. What was with Hedgely that everyone acted so strange.
“Not sure what you mean. Kinda figured out farming was a lot more work than I was cut out for. And the folks out there were just way too pushy for the kind of life I want,” I said, shrugging. Dartigan raised a brow skeptically.
“Boarshit, Corbin,” he said, reaching up and rubbing his chin in thought despite the doubt in his tone. After a moment, he lowered his voice and leaned forward. “Wait, does it have to do with that nonsense with Gryphon? I’ve been paying attention to the official notices ever since he sent out that first wanted poster. Corbin… did you actually nearly beat that man to death?”
“Ummm….” I said, trailing off, looking around at the crowd pointedly ignoring us. Dartigan watched me almost incredulously before he shook his head.
“Then you really are the Prince’s missing companion, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “I am…”
“Wow, not even trying to deny it. Sister Gwendoline figured you out too then?”
“I hate how much you pay attention…”
“Sure you do,” he laughed, shaking his head. “What’s the plan, Corbin. Gonna keep running?”
I stared at the man, his response taking me by more surprise than I should have let it.
“Yeah… it’s the only way,” I said, looking over my shoulder.
“That’s not what the Tale says… though, I never heard the part of the songs where the Stranger takes a sabbatical to farm either, so maybe it’s not so cut-and-dried,” Dartigan said, turning back to his wagon and grabbing another crate then turning and handing it to his colleague just as he returned. “For what it’s worth, the Merchant channels I have access to tell me Prince Frederick is in Gold’s Lodge and nearly to Danwood. You really haven’t put as much distance between you and the place as you should have. Shouldn’t you be trying to head south faster?”
“Merchant channels?” I asked, choosing to focus on that instead of how close Frederick was to Danwood. “Can you… maybe spread a rumor that I’m here and heading for the Southern Highlands? It might keep Frederick and Lord Drake’s investigators from bothering Danwood.”
“You want them to know where you’re going? Is this some sort of diversion? Cause if you’re trying to run, I feel like you’re smart enough to know it’s a bad idea to let the guy looking for you know where you’re going,” Dartigan said, watching me closely. He worked for the crown. I shouldn’t have just been letting him ask these questions… but he hadn’t reacted at all as I’d expected so far, and I oddly felt like I could trust him, as absolutely stupid as that was.
“Dartigan… I don’t want to be involved in any of what Prince Frederick is trying to do and I promise it’s for the best if it stays that way,” I said, clenching my fists. “He’s going to see everything I’ve done as a sign of corruption… and if he goes to Danwood, unless someone can officially confirm the rumor I told Daniel to spread about me being here, Frederick will think Dusk is acting to hide me. So please, do this for me. I’ll pay yah if that’s what it takes.”
Dartigan kept his eyes on me for a moment, looking over just as he colleague started to walk back his way. He stopped only to unload another crate before nodding.
“Nah, don’t worry about paying me, I can do that for you, Corbin. You’ve already made me a much wealthier man with how Danwood’s grown, so it’s the least I can do. But the question you should ask yourself is what happens if Prince Frederick, born under Dawn, decides that Dusk has invaded Danwood even without you there?”
I stared at him, and then swallowed hard. Because I wasn’t quite sure of the answer.
Another few days passed after Dartigan had left town, and my stash of Trumpet Vine Root was nearly gone. I’d heard Lord Drake’s investigators arrive in Daniel’s office and I heard him tell them, over and over again, that he had no idea where I’d gone. How could he do that?! I told him I was going to leave a false trail in Hedgely, if he wasn’t going to tell them even that… What was the point?!
I sat on the edge of the inn’s bed, staring out the window with my attention leagues away. I’d been randomly casting Eavesdrop, checking around the town periodically as I searched for Frederick. He still hadn’t arrived and–
“Could you tell me where he’s gone? I have a few questions I’d like to ask.”
He was on my porch. I tried not to grimace at the thought but I couldn’t help myself. I listened, first as Willow argued with him, unable to stop myself from smiling at her lack of deference for him; then as she insisted I wasn’t just ‘the man from the prophecy.’ Frederick didn’t listen to her… because of course he didn’t.
It didn’t take long before they were out of my spell’s range and I had to decide where to cast the spell next. I only had enough of the reagent for a few more casts, so if I did get it wrong, I could adjust my anchor… but that didn’t mean I wanted to grasp at straws now that I knew Frederick was on the loose.
I thought about it only briefly, almost deciding to target Daniel’s office again when I decided instead to target the street right outside of the consortium. I didn’t have a good reason for it… but my gut told me it was the right choice. I nearly started to second guess myself when I finally heard Gwendoline call out to Frederick.
As Frederick slowly tried to shape the world to his beliefs, I went from sitting on the edge of my seat… to pacing nervously in the room. He wasn’t listening to them… and they weren’t giving him a reason to either. And then, he said it… Cleanse.
I knew exactly what he meant by that and I barely even considered turning off the spell and ignoring it like it wasn’t my problem. No… instead I burned through every last bit of the lower quality reagents I’d bought when I’d first arrived… and cast Translocate.
I might not have known what I’d do when Dartigan had asked me about this exact scenario… but in the moment… I knew… Truthfully, I’d probably known longer than I cared to admit.
I wasn’t about to leave Danwood to Frederick. Not even if it meant stepping right back into the prophecy.
Dusk take me, I just couldn’t help myself.