Bow and Sparrow

CH 23

Rylan led me to a small run-down building at the end of the road. The street was empty this far from the city's center and I wondered just where Rylan was taking me. The windows to the building were thrown open but no sound came from them. Rylan gave me a secretive grin before pushing open the door, its hinges squeaking under the weight of it.

I was not expecting what awaited inside. Perhaps I thought it would be abandoned but when we walked in, my jaw dropped.

There were books everywhere. Overflowing the shelves that lined the walls, stacked in piles dangerously high on the floor, sprawling across various tables. The smell of ink and old paper filled my nostrils as I took it all in. The encounter in the butcher shop was long forgotten as I brushed my fingers along the titles, stroking the embossed spines of the books.

Rylan watched me in a way that sent the butterflies in my stomach fluttering, drifting in the wind above a field of flowers.

"Is that who I think it is?"

A stout woman with ringlets of curly brown hair that framed her round face, emerged from behind a particularly tall stack of books. She wore a threadbare apron over a plain linen smock that she dusted her hands on before grabbing Rylan by the shoulders and pulling him into a welcoming hug. To my surprise, Rylan hugged her back, if only for a second, before stepping away. Was it the dim lighting or had his face turned crimson?

"And where did you pick this little thing up?" The woman propped her hands on her hips as she studied me with kind eyes, taking in my borrowed clothes and short hair.

"Marge, this is Nori." Rylan beamed as he skirted around Marge to inspect a pile of books, straightening their spines.

I wasn't prepared for the bone-crushing hug that Marge pulled me into. For a woman so small, she was much stronger than she looked. She held me at arms-length as she took me in.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Nori."

"You too, Miss..." I trailed off, waiting for her to answer. It felt inappropriate to call her by her given name after having only just met her. Rylan shot me a warning glance from over her shoulder.

Marge's eyes dimmed before a sad smile parted her lips. She patted my cheek with a gentle hand. "Just Marge is fine."

"Got anything new in, Marge?" Rylan cleared this throat, drawing attention away from whatever I had just caused. I gave him a helpless look -I didn't understand what I had done. Later, he mouthed.

"Yes, let me think..." Marge let go of my shoulders and flitted around the shelves like a ghost haunted. Once she was out of earshot, muttering to herself and pulling books at random, did I grab Rylan by the arm and drag him aside.

"What did I do wrong?" I worried, glancing back at Marge but she was lost to her own thoughts.

"Don't worry. She'll be back to her normal self in a moment." Rylan's calm voice steadied my panicked thoughts, assuring me that my blunder wasn't too terrible. I plastered a smile on my face when Marge returned that I hoped was friendly and not as strained as it felt.

"How's Benny?" Rylan asked.

Marge was weighed down with an armful of books that she dumped on the counter, sifting through the titles meticulously until she had a small stack that she slid over to Rylan. Marge let out a long sigh, thumbing through the pages of a book. "Oh, he's the same. Won't hardly leave his bed these days. You should come visit sometime."

Rylan reached for the coin pouch attached to his belt, but before he could pull it free, Marge waved him off. "Put that away. There's no need."

"Who said they were mine?" Rylan ignored her, dumping a handful of gold coins -dracs, I think they were called in Rezantri- into his palm with a wink.

"Well then, alright." Marge tucked the money into the front pocket of her apron. She pulled a small satchel out from under the counter, stowing the books away inside it.

"Wait here. I have something in the back for you two." Marge disappeared through the doorway that led to a small storage room in the back of the store. I turned towards Rylan, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Whose money was that?"

"It was mine." Rylan admitted, the corners of his mouth turning up, and he leaned into me as if he was telling me a secret. "But it's the only way I can get her to take it."

Something crashed in the back room followed by a muffled thud, but before either of us could do anything, Marge reappeared, her apron askew and her face flustered, with a small paper-wrapped package in her hands.

"I'm fine." She said when she caught the concerned look on Rylan's face. "It's a mess back there."

Marge tugged at the corner of the paper, revealing two small cakes that were dripping in honey and smelled sweetly of almonds. She pushed them towards us. "I made them fresh this morning."

I reached for a cake, the honey already sticking to my fingers as I lifted it from the paper. The golden crust crackled satisfyingly under my touch when I bit into it, but the inside was so light that it seemed to vanish upon my tongue. I polished it off in two bites, and I couldn't help but notice that Rylan had done the same.

"Forget the books. You should be selling these." I gushed as I licked my sugar-coated fingers.

Marge's laughter filled the room, her eyes crinkling in the corners as she crumpled the honey-smeared paper and tossed it in a wastebasket. I almost missed the tension evaporating from her features. She looked at Rylan, jabbing her thumb in my direction. "I like this one."

Rylan slung the satchel filled with books over his shoulder like it weighed nothing. I enjoyed seeing him like this, carefree and not weighed down by responsibilities.

"Well, Marge, we better be off before it gets dark. Someone had trouble riding in this morning." I nudged Rylan with my shoulder but before I could pull away, he threw his arm around me and tucked me close to his side. I could feel the heat flooding my face already.

"Travel safe, you two." Marge called after us as we stepped out of her bookstore. I could tell by her voice that she had a wide grin on her face. I waved to her as the door shut behind us.

The sun was starting its descent in the sky as the evening heat burned the air-

"You're hopeless." I slithered out of Rylan's grip, already missing the warmth of his arm around my shoulder. "And you're riding Chester back."

Rylan held his hands up in surrender, but before he could open his mouth and say something undeniably irritating, a young girl skipped past us, chasing after a gaggling group of children and something tugged in my chest at the sight of her. I reached for her as she brushed past.

"Ayla?"

The name had already left my lips before I could think. Waist-length auburn curls fluttered in the wind as the young girl spun around. Whereas her height and hair were almost identical, the almond eyes that stared at me in confusion were not the same as my little sister. She shifted uncomfortably, waiting for me to say something more.

I didn't trust myself to speak so instead I just gave her an apologetic smile as tears burned in the back of my eyes. The young girl shrugged and ran after her friends and I was left standing crestfallen when a hand landed on my shoulder.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I took a deep breath and turned on my heel towards the boarding stable, mumbling under my breath. "It's nothing."

A/N

Sorry for the lack of update last week but we're back! Enjoy and don't forget to vote and comment!

Until next chapter,

-T