Part 8 (2/2)
”No.”
”Cedrik, I need to get out. I can't stand a minute longer in this forsaken room.”
”I said, please yourself. If you want to go, then go! What, you want me to hold your hand?”
”Couldn't hurt.”
Cedrik's eyes flicked up. ”Go!”
Derek was half-way down the road when he heard his brother call from behind. ”See if you can't find some entertainment that doesn't involve me getting hurt.” Derek stopped and turned back.
”Eh?”
”I said-”
”I heard what you said. What do you mean by it?”
”I'm tired of taking your thras.h.i.+ngs,” said Cedrik, half-serious, half-playful. ”You get the women. I get the beatings.”
Derek groaned and turning from Cedrik, continued toward the city. ”The husband incident?” he said as if bored.
”To name one.”
”One! You've taken the brunt of my error, once! Is there nothing new?”
”Once!” Cedrik echoed recklessly. ”Don't make me list the times I've stepped in and prevented a beating from ruining your life. You're pain enough in my a.s.s that I could beat you myself.” Derek gave a snort that was almost a laugh. ”I still can't return to that tavern,” Cedrik said. ”He said he would hunt me to the ends of the earth if ever I showed my face again!”
Derek slapped his brother encouragingly on the back. ”Luckily for you, the idiot thinks the ends of the earth is just past Borg's tavern.”
Talking in this way, they entered a tavern. Its only patrons were rough men, interested only in their own company. They had mean-looking expressions, and Cedrik's shoulders slumped in defeat. ”How about I just deck myself now, and we can call it an evening?” he said to Derek, who was scanning the room with disappointment. He thought it looked poor company. There was no gambling, no laughter, and the women looked a little too much like their male counterparts.
”Let's move on,” he said.
”Why?” asked Cedrik, relieved but surprised.
”The women here frighten me.”
Cedrik was about to laugh aloud; then he looked and saw that his brother was serious, which made him laugh harder, only inwardly. They went into several places and suffered the same disappointment. After a meal at one of the more respectable taverns, they ventured back out into the evening. The lamps didn't throw much light, and there were no city guards to be seen. So there they were, astray in the streets of a strange city without thought of what to do, where to go, or where their cousin was. It was deserted and lonesome.
”What kind of a city is this?” Derek said, frustrated when it began to drizzle again. He was thoroughly missing the Imperial, where the sky was always blue and there was always something interesting to amuse him.
They had just about given up on any chance of entertainment for the evening, when they round a corner and glimpsed, a little way off, a night-wanderer. He had such a quick, sure-footed step and eagerness about him, Derek thought for certain he would lead them to some excitement. Cedrik only agreed to follow because he was afraid he might be required to put the youth back in his place.
The stranger went out of the south gates and down toward the black lake, where the wooden cottages were. Situated in the middle of the black, unstirring water was a small isle. On it was a dark, impressive structure, amid perpetual mists, and deadened trees that never put forth green leaves. It was a lonely, cathedral-like building. Cedrik and Derek were curious about it, lurking there across the way, but did not pause long. Their guide was fast disappearing down among the obscure shapes of the houses.
Unwittingly, he led them to an alehouse, which was bursting with mirthful laughter. He accompanied a group of young men who stumbled out from the place, laughing and shoving one another. Derek at once felt responsive excitement, and seeing Cade in amongst them, pointed him out to Cedrik.
”There's Cade! Let's go talk to him!”
”Let's not,” said Cedrik drily. ”They look a sorry lot of trouble-makers.”
”Don't be such an old lady, Cedrik,” Derek said, forcing Cedrik to follow and keep pace with him. At their unexpected approach, Cade looked up in surprise; then a smile broke across his half-dazed face.
”Hey, it's the Imperial boys!” he said, vague with drink. ”I see you've still got your clothes on.”
Derek glanced down to see that he did and blinked, not understanding the comment.
”I thought you city boys would have been taken for all you were worth and left naked for dead by now,” said Cade, his tone unintentionally condescending. Derek laughed uneasily, while Cedrik's brow was furrowed deep by the insult. Among them all he was the most skilled fighter and probably could have given them each a bruised head and ego to take home, but he let the comment roll off his back.
The rest of the trouble-makers were bored by the place and were already off, heading down the length of the lake, falling over one another in drunken foolery. Cade didn't follow directly but said to Cedrik, ”Your cousin, he's into magic-using isn't he?”
”Why?”
”I think I know where he is.”
Cedrik knitted his brow. ”Where?”
”I'll show you.”
”Where are we going?” asked Derek, running to keep up.
”The woods,” said Cade.
”The woods? I can hardly wait.” Derek didn't bother to disguise his lack of interest.
Nevertheless, he went along. Cedrik followed with an easy stride behind. Not far ahead the youths were tumbling and tripping over each other in their mad excitement, till they came to a sudden stop at the edge of the dark wood. Within was a gloom, deep and sombre, that bespoke of evil things. The trees impending over them, none dared venture past the border. Only one among them seemed unperturbed. He watched the others for sport, waiting to see what they would do. The youths unconsciously drew nearer together. The pervading quiet was far more frightening than anything they had ever heard.
”Some say these woods take people,” one of them said.
”Shut up, Jerret,” said Cade.
”Well, why don't you go in!”
”Ladies first,” Cade said smugly, then turned. ”That's you, Derek.”
Derek shot him a narrow look.
”We are not venturing in there,” said Cedrik in his most stern tone. He felt they were in bad company and thoroughly mistrusted what they were up to.
”I'm telling you,” said Jerret, nervously, ”something is wrong with this place. People go missing.”
”Tales to scare boys into behaving,” said another.
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