II

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  Arc II Chapter 8

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  12th Anima Lunar VIII AAC 753

  The night was cold and dark. Icy winds gripped the forest. The comforting warmth of the sun had abandoned them and the temperatures were falling. As the days grew shorter every moon, and the nights longer, the months passed. Summer would not last forever. The golden rays of autumn would arrive, followed by the glacial winds of winter.

  Lambert and his party had erected a makeshift camp to provide them with shelter against the elements. A bonfire illuminated the night, banishing the darkness. Fuelled by firewood, the flickering fire was dancing in the night, its flames shielding them against the cold and the wild beasts. Beasts lurked among the trees, but even they feared the fire, the fumes. They feared the light of civilisation. They kept their distance and retreated deeper into the forest, into their dark kingdom.

  The night was still young, and his party was sitting together around the bonfire. Watching the fire, they enjoyed a hearty meal, a bowl of hot stew. The day was long and stressful. All the marching took its toll on them. Their empty stomachs starved for food, for meat.

  Profound happiness filled Lambert. The savoury aroma of cooked boar and delicious vegetables entered his nostrils. Meat had never tasted better. This was heaven. This was true happiness. This was what they needed. The stew strengthened their malnourished bodies. Spoon after spoon, their strength returned.

  “Delicious as usual.” Lambert consumed another helping. “Your cooking skills never disappoint, Rudolf.”

  “...” Rudolf frowned in disagreement, studying his bowl with the critical gaze of a professional chef. His old friend and companion was not much of a talker. He was not a man of many words, keeping mostly to himself, but exceptions proved the rule. “Hmm, mediocre work at best, but I guess it’s ... adequate. The meat quality leaves to be desired. The seasoning is lacking. The texture is off, but otherwise, ... it’s acceptable. Mediocre work, but acceptable.”

  Lambert comforted his friend, patting his shoulder. Rudolf was always way too gloomy for his own good. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Rudolf. You did your best, and that’s what matters.”

  “Sure.” Rudolf thought otherwise. His mood barely improved.

  “...” Lambert nodded along for the sake of camaraderie and politeness before stealing a glance at a certain gluttonous girl. Coiled up like a cocoon inside her warm blanket together with her beloved doll, their little princess had finally fallen asleep. Nothing dared to disturb their peaceful slumber. Cuddling her precious doll, their little princess had been whisked away to the sweet land of dreams.

  The sleeping girl looked like pure innocence, not like the evil cookie devouring demon who was feasting on their limited supplies. Her breathing was slow, calm, barely audible in the silence of the night. If not for her tiny, rising chest, the girl might be easily mistaken for a doll. Her adorable cheeks and her fluffy hair only added to her uncanny doll like appearance, turning her into a human doll, into a cute human doll. But such was only an illusion, a mirage of their imagination.

  The stars stood high, and the moon smiled upon them. It was just the darkness and the flickering fire that played tricks on their mind. Nothing more, nothing to be concerned. Their little princess was most definitely not a doll. The girl was real, and not a fabrication of their vivid imagination.

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  “...” Lambert mustered a weak smile. Their little princess was ... certainly strange. Her behaviour was ... unusual, if not to say peculiar. Nor was he only who thought so. The girl cared much about her doll. Maybe too much. It did not escape them how she was using ‘we’ when about herself and her doll. The girl was talking to her doll as if she were alive, as if she were her friend, which made them all worried about her psychological state. Judging by her appearance and erratic behaviour, the girl must have suffered some sort of trauma. It would explain a lot. It would explain why they had found her here lying on the road in the middle of nowhere. It would explain her amnesia. It would explain her disoriented state and lack of knowledge. Whatever she must have gone through, it must have been severe. Nevertheless, the girl had retained some of her curiosity, which was good, although her incessant questions were slowly but surely trying everyone’s patience, including his, Iris’, and even Arwing’s. The girl was bombarding them with questions what felt like day and night, always seeking more knowledge. Her curiosity and thirst for knowledge were certainly commendable, but also incredibly annoying.

  “Heh ...” Lambert sighed, his eyes watching the flickering fire, sparks flying sent flying by the wind. His mind was searching for the answer that eluded him so far, as. “What do you think about the girl?” His words showed the desired effect, gaining everyone’s attention. Iris, Rudolf, Michael stopped eating. They were listening with interest.

  Michael raised his voice. He was the youngest among them and the most recent member, barely an adult. He lacked experience, but he was a good boy and a promising swordsman. He did his best to improve and learn. After all, no adventurer ever fell from the sky. They were forged in the fires of battle. “To be honest, I couldn’t care less. I’m mostly neutral. I’m just glad that the girl didn’t affect our mission. No further interruptions. No unnecessary distractions. Besides eating into supplies, the girl caused us little trouble.”

  “...” Lambert was tempted to agree. Any experienced adventurer knew that children were a constant source of hassle. Even girls. They were loud, brash, always causing trouble, but not her. The girl behaved, mostly keeping to the background and observing, which did not escape his attention.

  Lambert folded his hands. “And you, Iris? What do you think?”

  “...” Iris clapped her hands together, a smile crossing her lips. Her enthusiasm was evident. “I like her. I find her adorable. The girl is such a lovely child, such a curious kitten. I won’t forget the happiness in her eyes when I showed her my fire magic. Her eyes sparkled with joy. She adored my magic. I’m sure she can’t be a bad person.”

  ...

  ...

  ...

  “Interesting ... observations.” Lambert cleared his throat. “We will keep them ... in mind.” Even after all these years, Iris was still full of surprises. He always thought that she detested children, but reality proved him wrong. As long as they shared her enthusiasm for magic and were cute, Iris approved of them. Intriguing.

  “And you?” Lambert turned to Rudolf. “What’re your thoughts?”

  “...” Rudolf watched the flames, his eyes fixed on the bonfire. The flames weakened, as fuel dwindled. The fire consumed the last logs of wood. Only ash and embers would remain. “I?’m unsure what to think about her. The girl is a mystery, an enigma. I don’t think she’s a threat, but I think the girl is definitely suspicious. In fact, I think she’s hiding more than she lets on.”

  Lambert raised his eyebrow. “You think so?”

  “...” Rudolf nodded in confirmation. “Yes. I wouldn’t put it beyond her. Just think about it, Lambert, ... people ... people don’t appear out of thin air. They don’t wake up on a road in the middle of spirits know nowhere. That’s not how things work, yet we’ve absolutely no idea where she came from or who she is. The girl must come from somewhere. The girl must be someone. The question is from where and who. What was she doing here in the forest? What’s the reason for her amnesia? Because her amnesia seems genuine. I doubt she’s faking it. Her memory loss would explain her lack of basic knowledge. The girl doesn’t recognise common names and places.”

  “... ... ...” Silence reigned until Iris spoke up. “Who do you think she could be, then?”

  “That’s a good question ...” Rudolf murmured, sunk in thought. “The girl’s pale complexion and attire suggest a wealthy background. Either rich merchants, or possibly low born nobility. Her skin shows no signs of manual labour or exposure to sunlight. Her clothes are plain, but the fabric is of high quality. Sturdy, but soft. I suspect that the girl is not some runaway peasant girl, but that’s all we can say.”

  “...” Lambert shared his analysis. He had seen too much in life to believe in coincidence. Certainly not in this case. His experience and his trusted instincts warned him, there was more to their mysterious girl than met the eye. “Do you think she could be related to the coach? Do you think she’s any ties to the Schwarz?”

  ...

  ...

  ...

  “...” Rudolf deliberated. “Possible, but unlikely. The attack was an ambush. The attack was carried by professionals. I can’t imagine her escaping the slaughter. The attackers were thorough. They spared not a single soul. They left no survivors. I doubt they would’ve spared her. They would’ve hunted her down, and they would’ve killed her like the rest.”

  “Hmm ...” Lambert fell silent. Rudolf had a point, a fairly strong point. The girl would not have escaped the attackers. “I thought along the same lines. They would’ve killed her for sure.”

  Rudolf merely nodded. “Yes, they would’ve.”

  “...” Lambert folded his hands, pondering, reconsidering all available information. A heavy sigh escaped him. “Which leaves us exactly where we started, with more questions than answers. We still don’t know who she is or where she came from.”

  ...

  ...

  ...

  “Whatever, it’s already late. I think it’s time that we all get some well earned sleep, right?”

  Everyone agreed. No one objected. Then it was decided. It was time to sleep.

  “Rudolf, Michael, you take the first watch”, Lambert commanded. “Iris and I will take the second. Got it?” They both nodded.

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