In the Midst of the Lonely Sea of Loneliness 14

The next thing Artham knew, he was back in Glipwood forest, following close behind Neet the scarf woman. Other than his boots crunching leaves and branches under his feet, there was no other sound to be had between them. Instead, there was a strange feeling of tension in the air, like each one of them had a head full of thoughts they did not wish to share.

For Nia, the response she had received at dinner was enough to put her on edge. She knew she had done wrong by leaving the First Book behind and not telling Artham about it but at the same time... She felt relief by not having it in her possession.

Every time she looked at the book, stinging memories of Esben came to her mind and all she could think about of was the last time she saw him- in misery. This was the main reason she had hid the book in a crate full of miscellaneous items... So she wouldn't have to face the pain she tucked in the back of her mind.

However, Artham knew none of this. As far as he knew, Neet had knowingly abandoned a dear family heirloom. Thankfully, given he was part of the reason she didn't return to the cottage, Artham held no blame against her. All of that beckoning finally reached her heart and he was just as thankful that Nia had come home as well as hearing that the First Book was still in tact. The book was still very important to him but to know his brother's children would still be able to grow up with at least one of their parents brought a lot of peace to his heart.

"... S'ti pu ereh." Neet said, looking up a tree that was full of deep claw marks gouged into its bark.

Artham looked up the tree and could just barely make out the bridge at the top in the dimming light. "Hm... I wouldn't suppose you... Have a ladder?"

Neet looked over at Artham and nervously smiled.

Since she could climb trees with her claws and typically had no visitors, she never constructed ladders that would have been useful in this particular situation.

"... I had a feeling that might be the case." He began to roll up his sleeves as he prepared to climb. "Looks like I'll be climbing."

"Ylkciuq won. Yhtoot swoc syawla ssap siht yaw siht emit fo thgin." While she was speaking gibberish, it effectively warned Artham because of her grave tone. She gestured for him to start climbing first, knowing she was a faster climber thanks to her claws.

Artham hesitated for a moment, unfamiliar with the idea that the Queen of Anneria would be the one to protect a Throne Warden of Anneria when it should have been the other way around. He was just about to protest when she gave him such a stern look that he simply complied with her instruction. He briefly stretched before beginning his tough climb up the tree. There were no low hanging branches that he could grab onto so he was depending solely on the grip of his fingers and the tread of his boots to keep him from slipping.

Meanwhile, Nia stayed at the base of the tree, keeping watch so her brother-in-law could make it to the bridge. When she heard his boots hit the creaky boards above, she quickly retracted her claws and climbed up the tree quicker than a ridgerunner going apple picking. She dropped beside Artham, causing the bridge to bounce slightly.

"Woah." Artham found himself eyeing her retracted claws with both awe but also with a healthy amount of fear. He thought to himself, "If her claws are anything like a fang's... I would not want to be at the other end of them."

He cleared his throat as he turned his attention toward where the bridge was leading and asked, "So... it's North?"

"Ro eb netae." Nia replied with a very faint smile on her face before she began to lead Artham down the rickety path ahead of them.

"Alright." Artham replied, despite not understanding the joke she had just made. He followed behind her with many thoughts of his brother and family swirling in his mind.

The two continued on, both still quite enveloped in their own thoughts. Artham simply wanted to take the book and go home while Nia was practically dreading to see its cover... Neither one spoke another word until they arrived at the cottage.

When Artham saw the cottage, he was both impressed and saddened by it. He was impressed for the reason that Neet had managed to build a successful structure but was deeply saddened because a Queen shouldn't have to live in a place so... shabby. Nevertheless, he didn't address it, since he was so focused on getting the book and going back home before daybreak came.

He turned to Nia as she was walking to her mat and asked, "Where were you keeping the book?"

Nia didn't reply right away as she was more focused on retrieving Esben's sketchbook first. She went over to where she had formerly been sleeping and lifted the mat to reveal a battered leather bound book and picked it up. Afterward, she just hugged the book and pointed to the crate with sorrow filled eyes, like she didn't want to touch whatever was in there again.

Artham turned his attention to the crate and began to dig through its content with Nia's permission. He soon came upon the First Book, which he observed was in excellent condition aside from some burnt edges.

"Wow, you really did keep it safe." Artham said, opening it and checking the pages. "The cover is slightly burnt but all the words remain." He looked up from the book at Nia. "Esben... He'd be proud that you kept it safe for him, Nia."

Neet trembled and hugged the sketchbook closer with tears developing in her eyes. She tried to keep from crying but it was a struggle as the memories she had formerly pushed down in her mind were trying to resurface.

Artham tilted his head, a concerned expression coming across his face. "I know... It must be hard for you to think about... but... I need to know... What happened to you? And my brother? Is... Esben still alive?"

"I t'nod wonk." She shook her head and one of her eyes twitched. "Esaelp... T'nod noitseuq em rehtruf..."

He sighed but he quickly realized now wasn't the time to find those answers. Artham knew if he pressed her, Nia could potentially run off but also, she couldn't answer even if she wanted to since there was nothing to write with. He looked away.

"... Forget I said anything." Artham reached over and patted her shoulder compassionately before turning to leave. "Let's get home before it gets too late. Alright?"

Neet nodded in agreement, holding the sketchbook close to her chest. "Ew dluohs og."

The two of them started out the door of the cottage when Neet paused to look back inside. She had lived there for so long and there were hardly any good memories to be had in this place but... some part of her felt a little scared leaving something so familiar to her. So many tears and moments of weakness were shown to this house and while they were bad... Some part of it felt like it home.

When he didn't hear her following, Artham also stopped and looked back at her with concern. "Nia..." Nia slowly looked at him with a brief moment of clarity written on her face. "You don't need this cottage anymore. You have a real home with us now." He offered a warm smile. "Let's get home in time to tuck in the Iggyducklings."

Artham's warm reminder that she got to go home to her children comforted Nia greatly. The encouragement moved her forward and she was now ready to leave.

At last, the two were finally headed back to the Igiby household. They strolled back the way they came on the bridge and when it came to it, they both carefully shimmied down the big tree to the forest floor.

"Ah..." Artham put a hand over his eyes and looked to the east. "It looks like the sun is setting. We should hurry if we want to avoid any confrontations with a toothy cow."

They were just about to make their track our of Glipwood forest when Neet's ears perked to a familiar and dreadful noise rattling in the distance. The Black Carriage was coming early this night and something wasn't right.