We rode on for a few more hours, eventually stopping for lunch beneath the shade of a few pine trees that lined the path. After washing down the dried meats and bread with a bit of ale, Fulco gracefully sent us off with.
When we were a few kilometers away from the main fortress, I felt something I'd never felt before, like a pebble scratching at my core. Shortly after, I spotted a silhouette against the nearly setting sun.
What's a raven doing out here? I wondered, calculating its trajectory, trying and failing to properly shield my eyes.
It wasn't that ravens were rare, by any means, but since they were normally used as rapid forms of written communication, they often required special permissions to leave their homes. Those, however, were usually easily identifiable with the leather pouches they carried.
I can't see if it was a messenger raven with the sun making my eyes water. It did come from the direction of the fortress, but it might just be nothing, I thought, shrugging it off as I rubbed my stinging eyes after staring almost straight into the sun.
About a kilometer outside of Codrean, Bernar and I both spotted a second raven flying overhead in the same direction as the last.
"Brother," I whispered, leaning forward in hopes that he could hear me. "I saw it. Was there one before it?" he asked, turning in his saddle to face me. "There was, but I had assumed it to be nothing more than a lone raven since I couldn't see it well enough with the sun beaming into my eyes," I replied.
"Shit," my brother muttered.
I didn't quite understand why he was so worried, bu I knew it had to be something serious if he was freaking out that much. I leaned in to see if I could hear what Bernar was telling the Master. The Master quickly snapped his head towards him and then back towards me with a glare.
What the fuck is happening right now? I thought, confused at the odd exchange.
The intensity of the glare surprised me. I also had no idea what was going on, making everything that much worse, thinking I had done something wrong. An unsettling feeling began to brew in my stomach as I watched the Master whisper back to Bernar, who nodded in agreement and slowed his horse, which shook its head from the pull on the reins.
"Little brother, I need to tell you a few things once we arrive. Do not let anyone else know where you are going after I do so, do you understand?" he asked with a seriousness that was not like him at all. "I do," I replied, still uncertain of the reason behind the request. "Good," he nodded and rode back up to the Master's side, continuing an inaudible discussion.
"I'm not entirely sure what just happened, but I'm going to assume it was nothing good," Edryd said, having kept an eye on the whole exchange. He had been riding next to me the whole way, after all.
During our return to Codrean, he and I had talked about my adventures in the castle and the run-in with the servant girl. It put Edryd's mind at ease to know that even though he had missed many things, he was still knowledgeable of them.
However, this was clearly something different altogether.
"Damn right about that, Ed," I replied. "I'm guessing you can't tell me much, if anything at all," Edryd said, almost rhetorically. "I don't even know enough to say anything about it. I'm just as confused as you are, if I'm being honest," I replied with an upturned lower lip and a shrug.
Ed simply nodded his head and looked onward. Batch was close behind and ended up overhearing most of our conversation. He looked at me for an answer, but when he received nothing but a confused shrug as a response, he shook his head and sighed.
We entered the main courtyard to Codrean, where the Master, Bernar, and Garett were clearly in a rush. "Feed and water our horses," the Master called out to one of the nearby servants, who rushed to finish the job as quickly as possible. He motioned to me subtly, prompting me to dismount and walk quickly after unlacing my pack from the saddle.
"Sorry about this, Ed, but would you mind taking Celer for me?" I asked. "You're gonna have to tell me what that was all about later," he said with a sly grin, taking my horse by the reins.
I caught up to the Master and the others just before entering the fortress. Down the cold stone corridors and up the stairs, the four of us went to the Master's office. I rued over the memories of the first time I'd been in the dimly lit room full of books, scrolls, and other strange objects.
I feel worse than I did that night, I realized as the door creaked open.
The Master seated himself in the carved, wooden chair and folded his hands together, steepling his fingers together on his chin. Bernar closed the door behind us and peered out of the eye-hole to ensure we didn't have any eavesdroppers.
"How much do we know about this raven, and where did it come from?" he asked bluntly. "I'm afraid there isn't much to tell, Master," Bernar replied, walking from the door. "Thoma told me there had been a second one before the one I saw, about half a league out from here," he continued. "Is that so?" the Master raised an eyebrow at me.
I quickly nodded in agreement, receiving a sigh from the Master in response. "Well, this isn't good news. There is one thing I would like to check on, and I think now would be as good a time as any," he said, pushing his fingers away from his chin and giving me a look I couldn't quite put my finger on.
"Thoma, you have not yet atoned for your mishap the other night, so I will have you take this task on yourself. Obviously, Bernar will instruct you on what you'll need to take with you on your investigation, but for the most part, you will do it alone," he said.
Shouldn't something this important be a job for someone more experienced? I thought, recalling the punishment I'd chosen and realizing now that the two were somehow connected.
"Hold on, I'm doing this alone? Shouldn't Bernar be coming with me if it's that important?" I asked, genuinely concerned at both the amount of trust the Master had in me and whether I'd be able to pull this off.
"Well, yes," the Master replied. "I know of your skills, young as you may be, so I entrust this task to you. The three of us have other matters to attend to, and you're the only other one we can trust right now," he said calmly.
I looked at my brother, who simply nodded reassuringly.
"As you command, Master," I said, looking back at the Master. "Good. Bernar, take him to the armory. Move as soft and quick as shadows, for this is of utmost importance and time is not on our side," the Master said.
"I'm sure there's more to you sending him off alone than you're telling us," Garett gave the Master a stare. "Of course there is," he admitted. "However, there are some things about him that need to be brought out, and this is a good opportunity to do so," he explained, glancing over at me with a wry smile.
"As far as I can tell, there's nothing particularly wrong with the boy," Garett said nonchalantly as if I weren't standing right in front of him. "I'm not saying I can read minds, but I have seen his progress. Given that he's Bernar's brother, I also know I can trust him to nearly the same degree you do," he gave me a knowing nod. "You most certainly can," the Master nodded.
I would be lying if I didn't feel a bit of pride surge within me.
"Don't forget to stay on your toes, lad," Garett called out just before closing the door behind us. I nodded and followed my brother down the stairs.
"Okay. Run that by me again," I said as we were walking down the corridors that led to the gear room. "Run what by you again?" he asked. "You know what I mean," I said, beginning to feel that ice-cold fear again.
"I'm supposed to explore the rumored cave on my own, and the only thing I have to go off is that those rumors are true about there being a massive creature inside? Not to mention the fact that I've only been in a real fight once. Is that right?" I asked, not knowing what to think or feel at that moment.
"If you remembered everything I said, why ask me to tell you again?" my brother asked. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I'm about ready to shit my pants, and then waddle about like some dwarf whose pants are too big for him? Also, what does any of this have to do with the ravens we saw earlier?" I threw my hands into the air.
"Don't worry, and speak less," my brother said comfortingly. "As small of a turd as you are, I'm sure you'll be just fine down there. Besides, it's not like you've never swung a sword before. Simply remember your training, and all will go well," he put his hand firmly on my shoulder.
Bastard ignored my other question, I thought, gulping dryly.
As soon as we arrived at the armory, I was astonished at the number of options before me.
Generally speaking, junior Synners were not allowed inside under normal circumstances. The main reason being that juniors seldom fought in battles, so all we had to do was learn to keep our training gear in proper order and hone our sword-casting; the basics for any Synner.
Only when we were on the cusp of becoming seniors would we choose our specialty and actually use it in expeditions.
My eyes sparkled as I gazed over the various weapon choices. Bows, swords, shields, axes, and spears were hanging on all four walls of the room.
I don't think I'd do well to choose a piece of equipment that I'm not familiar with, I thought, moving away from the walls without swords on them.
Most were too long or heavy for me, but my choices of long swords, bastard swords, and broadswords were palpable. I picked up a long sword and began swinging it around, testing its weight. Its black, wire-wrapped hilt fit nicely in my hand as I gripped it tightly.
The sword had a pommel shaped like a bear's head and a slightly upturned guard perfectly balancing it. It was a stunning piece of work, to say the least, and I knew it would last me a lifetime if properly taken care of. My eyes gleamed with joy and awe, nearly forgetting the reason we were there in the first place.
"Here, let me see that," Bernar said, stretching out his hand. After looking it over, I handed it to him, and he tested its weight and balance. "It's a good sword and, since I don't believe you'll be growing much taller, I think this is a good choice of weapon," he said.
He returned the sword to me just as I finished the last loop of the scabbard's strap around my belt. I slid the sword in smoothly, and a satisfying click halted the blade, making me smile like a toddler in a bakery full of sweets.