Hesitation

Beer no longer mattered.

I wanted to know what had really happened to Riff. Did he die? And Noah? What was the bastard planning? And what had happened to young Sarah in the meantime?

Doubts echoed in my head as I absorbed the whole story with the last sip of beer.

When I found myself, it was already morning. The first rays of sunlight were entering the window. The rain had stopped, which was great.

The attendant got up, took an old leather bag, put some loaves inside, and handed it to me.

"The journey is long. Better to leave early. It was nice talking to someone after so long waiting."

"Oh, right."

I tidied up the few things I had left on the table. My traveling bag, some loose sheets I used to write what I heard, an old travelogue. Some provisions for long walks. My bag of magic components. Every magic user needs one.

I paid some silver coins for the food.

He leaves the inn half dazed. It had been a long and uncomforting night.

I couldn't forget what I had heard. It echoed in my head.

I wanted to know the rest, but it was obvious I would have to find out for myself.

I took a few steps, it didn't even look like there had been a storm the night before, the ground was dry.

But wait, there was a road here, wasn't there?

That's when I noticed that there was no road or house around. In fact, not even the inn, which I just left, was there.

Could it be that I drank until I dropped and it was all the result of an unpleasant dream?

I still had that inedible taste of the soup. The head was heavy, still a little dizzy. It was like he had actually stayed up all night.

There was a river nearby, even if it had been there since yesterday, I wouldn't have been able to notice it in that storm.

But I took the opportunity to splash water on my face and try to put my ideas in place.

It was when I took my canteen from my bag that I felt a shiver down my spine.

The small bundle of bread that the attendant had prepared was there, tied with a small knot.

Wasn't it a dream then?

***

I tried to digest the situation better as I filled the canteen in the river.

What was going on there? If that hadn't been a dream, maybe he'd have been drunk to the ground and left there unconscious.

Perhaps it had been stolen during the carriage ride! I knew that coachman was strange...

I rummaged through my bag, looking at everything carefully.

"No, nothing was stolen."

But that bag of bread… It was proof that he had spent the night at the inn.

But where was it now?

I had a strange feeling of being watched as I rummaged through my bag.

I looked around, there was a clearing near the river, with a lot of undergrowth and small bushes. There didn't seem to be anyone else there.

Perhaps a wild animal? Or a magical beast? Anyway, I didn't want to wait and see.

I decided to walk forward. Watching everything around me and trying to recognize the path.

In fact, I didn't know anything about the area, so it wasn't like it did any good. I had a map with me, but it wasn't much use if I couldn't find a waypoint to get my bearings.

As I walked, I tried to follow the river path, to reach some town or city. It couldn't be too far away, could it? Or was what I expected.

The more I walked, the more I realized that the forest was getting tighter and tighter. Probably not many people used to pass there, as there was no road or trail nearby.

Nothing made sense. If there was no road or trail, how had he gotten there? Magic maybe?

The more I thought about it, the more doubts arose.

I followed the small river. One way or another, he was going to get me somewhere.

I still remember the basic teachings I learned in the Adventurers' Guild.

"Lost in the forest? Look for a source of running water and a place to shelter from wild animals."

I remember one of my masters saying that more important than taking part in adventures was getting out of them alive.

He always said that with a sardonic smile on his face.

A small test of skills demonstrating my aptitude for magic and curiosity for the mysteries of the world, made me choose to walk the path of the bards.

Those who tell the stories of the world.

Of course, it's a noble and rewarding job, but if fame comes with it, so much the better.

My master said that the quest for fame had already led many adventurers into the jaws of death.

"This is not a good time to remember this..."

Lost in thought, I had been walking for a few hours when I began to notice that something was bothering me: the sepulchral silence in the surroundings.

There was no chirping of birds, no chirping of cicadas characteristic of summer, I couldn't even hear the rustle of leaves in the breeze that came at my back and which I only noticed by the slight movement of the strands of hair.

The only sound it seemed to have was running water.

In fact, was it just me or did the trees seem to be a little drier and more twisted than before?

In fact, some even seemed to have a lot of moss, which would indicate a wetter or marshy region. But as far as he knew, there shouldn't be a swamp here. I glanced at the map again and the nearest swamp was almost a month away.

Thank the gods I didn't find any dangerous animals or thieves along the way. I was in luck, or so I thought.

I started to feel tired. The hunger was great, but all I had was water and some sleeping loaves.

I didn't find any fruit or small animals on the way. And it didn't have any accessories that could help fish something out. Not that there seemed to be any fish in that river...

"I knew I should have bought a fishing pole when I had the chance. I'll do it in the next town."

It was getting dark. The light of the setting sun barely passed through the trees.

I chose to stop and camp next to a large tree, which could help protect me if it rained again.

I was careful not to stay so close to the riverbank in case of a flood. It's been raining every day for the past few weeks, so I wouldn't be surprised if something like this happened.

I built a small fire to keep warm, picking up some dry sticks I found around.

While gathering the sticks, I found some chestnuts that appeared to be edible. Just toast them and they would be great.

It was strangely cold, for the time. Summer solstice would be tomorrow so it should have been pretty hot.

Also, a low mist seemed to be forming, indicating a damp, chilly night.

He certainly had nothing to complain about. A hot day would mean an army of mosquitoes eating me alive at the edge of that river.

However, the place I chose was not a very inviting place, I could hardly see beyond the fire and that distressed me, I didn't usually have trouble seeing in the dim light. But I couldn't see the sky from there, which would mean pitch black without a light source.

I didn't use to carry lumines with me, but such should instead get a globe with some for nights like this.

They tend to light more than one fire and are easy to maintain as they feed on the flames.

It was very quiet, and all I could hear was the crackling and crackling of the chestnuts in the fire.

The fog slowly thickened. What made the night more frightening. Yes, I know, for someone who travels alone, I'm playing the coward. But what had happened the night before had confused me. And this being my first trip outside the capital, I hate to admit it, but I don't have much experience outside of libraries.

After preparing the chestnuts and eating until I was satisfied, I decided to meditate a little.

Elves and half-elves don't need to sleep long like humans. We "meditated" for about 4 hours or so to rest, maybe the correct definition would be to go into an astral trance with metaphorical visions and teachings, elvish ancestral heritages difficult to explain, even for elves.

Surely a human wouldn't understand.

"At least the nuts were better than that soup."

I was lying on a cloak that I always carry with me, which I placed on top of a pile of dry leaves to soften the cold floor a little, thinking about the words of the attendant that would keep in my head.

Wasn't it a dream? What did that mean? I looked around again. I wanted to identify where I was, but I couldn't see anything but the dense woods.

I took one more look up, trying to find the sky before closing my eyes, but the treetops kept me from seeing beyond.

It was then that I heard a loud, shrill howl.

I promptly opened my eyes that were quickly trying to get used to the darkness. But he could see nothing but the fire with small flames on the embers.

"You Must be kidding..."