Page 6 of Runes To Rain
Lent stomps out of the shop, and I can tell that I’ve been forgotten. I pause when I get outside and, looking down a small alley, see something that brings a smile to my face.
I turn down the alley as Lent continues down the street, heedless of my change of direction. Soon, I am at the side of a harnessed horse. He is mainly white with some strange markings. He arches his neck to blow at me, his nostrils standingsquare. Unsure from what part of myself I draw the knowledge, I know that he is a young stallion and full of himself, but well-behaved. He is also well-loved, and his shining coat shows it.
I run a hand over his shoulder and blow into his nostrils, getting to know him. Suddenly, I hear a loud shout from behind me, and the horse and I shy apart.
“Hey!” Lent yells as he walks swiftly towards me. “Those horses are dangerous, you will get kicked or worse! I don’t know what I’ll do if I have to explain to the others that you ended up as sausage in the street.”
I glare at him from under the fringe of hair that fell into my eyes and then step forward to the horse as it snorts. His ears are pinned at Lent, but I return to our previous silent conversation and begin to stroke his shoulder again. Calmed after a moment, the horse leans his head against me, his ears forward, and with a snort expresses his disgust at stupid boys. I laugh and then turn and walk to Lent, brushing the hair out of my face.
“Don’t stray, you don’t know this city yet,” Lent says before he starts off again. Thankfully, it seems his mood has improved, and he leads me more calmly on the rest of his errands as I trail in his wake.
Next, we stop at a small shop that seems to sell random items. I’m not sure what he buys. They look like strings made of metal and some type of writing instruments. Finally, with his shopping done, he turns us toward home.
When we arrive back at the mansion, Reem meets us in the entry hall. Glancing at me, he then looks at Lent and asks, “Did you get the banjo strings I asked for?”
Lent nods and hands him one of the packages.
Reem frowns as though unsure whether Lent would have correctly fulfilled his task. After checking the contents of one of the small packages, however, he mumbles a thanks.
Then he looks at me and back at Lent before saying, “The others are waiting in the floral room, let's go talk.”
I feel as though there is something he isn’t saying.
Lent says, “Lead the way, fearless leader.”
The corner of Reem’s mouth quirks up, but he shakes his head at Lent. Then he leads us into a room I haven’t been in yet. Painted flowers cover the walls. In the center are a couple of leather couches sitting facing each other. A few other chairs are set across the open spaces. The ceilings are high with white designs painted on them, and there’s a large chandelier in the center of the ceiling.
Fem is already here, standing along a wall with a book in his hands. When we arrive, he takes a seat on a couch, watching me closely. I stand awkwardly as Lent and Reem each sit, and then, realizing they intend for me to as well, I sit at the end of the couch Fem is on.
As I wait for them to speak, I look at each of them again. Some awareness, I’ve been gifted with, tells me they are in their mid-twenties. That same awareness tells me that I appear to be about the same age despite my rather recent gift of life. That same awareness also tells me that they are young for them to have experienced the success they have.
Studying them, I note that Lent fiddles with the package he brought with him, seeming to have rather too much energy to sit still. Reem sits with his arms crossed, looking at all of us as though wondering who is going to start this conversation. Fem sits quietly, still studying me.
Finally, as though he’s grown tired of waiting, Reem begins, “You have been dragged into our life with almost no explanation. You should know that we are a group of musicians, a rather talented group, and we live here in relative decadence. Right now, it is the three of us, as our fourth bandmate recently left us for love.” Reem scoffs, as though leaving this band for love is a ridiculous practice, one that he doesn’t endorse. “Lent is our guitarist, and he also does some work for our other project.” He gestures vaguely in Lent’s direction.
When I glance at Lent, he grins at me and gives me an awkward wave that makes me laugh.
Then Reem continues, “Fem is our fiddle player. He also has some experience as a healer from his work prior to joining the band.”
Fem just nods at me, eyes still searching as though he might find the answer to a puzzle. Unsure what is expected, I avoid his eyes.
“I play Banjo,” Reem says simply.
As I wait for him to say something else, Lent chimes in, “Reem is also our fearless leader. This band is his passion, and he has led our group to much success.”
Reem makes a noise as though he might disagree, but there is a smile on his face. Then he continues, “We have a performance soon, and tonight we are setting up to rehearse and prepare for that concert. I fear it will be terribly boring for you here, and if you would like me to arrange some other mode of board for you I would be happy to.”
I consider, looking at the floor and thinking about what he has said. Finally, I look up, meeting his blue eyes for a flash and then quickly looking away. “I would like to stay here,” I say. “It is nice enough, and you three are the only people I know.”
“Truly?” Fem asks, looking worried. “You really know no one else? Where did you live before?” Because I can respond, he says with a slight shake of his head, “No, do not answer that. I really don’t mean to pry. Only I fear you will be bored with no entertainment. Is there anything we could get for you?”
“Truly, I’ll just explore for now and try to figure that out,” I say quietly and note that my voice shakes slightly.
Reem is quiet for a moment. I feel his eyes on me. He has a serious look on his face as he says, “We are quite busy and have important work to do. I expect that you won’t become a bother. If you do, we will need to find you another place to stay. Otherwise, you are welcome to live here with us for the time being.”
I nod at him, understanding that his work is important. Reem considers and, perhaps finding my assurance acceptable, rises and leaves the room.
Lent is silent for a time, as though wanting to say something but not knowing what it is. Then he rises slowly and walks towards the door. As he leaves the room, I hear him saying something to Reem about being rude.
