Chapter Text
Qifrey kept to himself as the six traversed down the steady slope. He was still chilled to the bone and the girls (except Agott) didn’t have their glyph shoes. Once he was warmer and they found a safe place to sit, they would draw the seals on their soles and fly out of this far away place. He was fairly certain they were close to Kalhn which was good. He could recognize this grassy country side with warm lush grass and lazy clouds coming in from the east over churning distant ocean waves.
He was so cold. No matter how he rubbed his hands together and desperately soaked in warm sunlight, his very core felt numb, like ice. The knotted roots within him churned fitfully like snakes hissing away from a burning flame. It was an uncomfortable feeling but it was good. It gave him more time in life. At the very least, more time to be with his students. He kept his head down.
Who on earth would target the atelier? Would they have to flee to a new location just to protect themselves? Heavens, if they had to seek Beldaraut for help, Qifrey was certain his silverwood would never take root. Half the reason he liked the atelier so much was because those soft hills, carved by a delicate creek and an outlook over the sea didn’t seem like half a bad place for a tree.
A hand slid into his own, startling him. It was Tetia. She was unusually quiet. To his surprise, it was actually Cocoa being the chatter box instead of her. He squeezed her hand to reassure her but still asked, “is everything alright?”
She was quite some time longer before saying, “I left all my ink at the atelier. All my belongings are there. How long will it be until we return?”
He heard Agott up ahead say something like, “good witches keep their ink on them at all times,” which was quickly refuted by Cocoa and the two got in a disagreement. Tetia’s hand squirmed free of his in embarrassment. He gave her a gentle pat on the head.
“You won’t need to make any spells out here but if you do, I have plenty of ink to share.”
She grabbed his hand again, which brought a smile to his face and made the roots inside him churn for a very different reason. That worried him which only mildly counteracted the curse. Just when he thought he’d gotten control over it, his other hand had been taken up by Richeh. The blue haired girl was silent, as usual, hardly offering up a readable expression.
“I can see Kalhn!” Tetia exclaimed after some minutes had gone by. “We aren’t going in public, are we?! I’m still in my pajamas! That would be so embarrassing!! Please don’t make me!”
Qifrey chuckled. “No, no. It’s good to know where we are though.” We’ll find a way back to the-“
Olruggio cut him off, “I’m afraid it would be wiser to go into the town.” He sounded stern, less careful about not worrying the girls than Qifrey was. The serious inflection caught Qifrey off guard.
Olruggio gave him a look that was difficult to read. A warning. Perhaps an indication to be cautious. They were possibly in danger.
“Perhaps we ought to lay low,” Olruggio continued. “Nolnoa is always willing to help.”
“You want us to go to the Starry Sword in our PAJAMAS?!” Tetia exclaimed, aghast. “But Tartah is there!”
“If you four would be willing to stay with Nolnoa and Tartah briefly, your master and I will investigate what has happened to the atelier,” Olruggio explained.
“Let us help you!” Cocoa protested.
Olruggio raised a dismissive curt hand. “If we need extra hands, we will gladly come fetch you. But to start, I’d rather the adults scout out danger before you four tangle yourselves in it.”
Cocoa pouted but didn’t argue any further. Qifrey doubted she actually had faith in his word and was willing to bet she’d try her hardest to follow them later. Maybe he’d hide her shoes from her so she couldn’t very easily draw flying glyphs.
Flying wouldn’t be too bad, now that thought occurred. He was fairly warmed up and the town was in sight. It would be a shame to have the girls get their pajamas any more soiled with dirt than they likely already were.
“Well, now that it has been decided,” Qifrey began, “let us make haste and hope Nolnoa is up this early in the morning. Agott, I believe you’re the only one with your glyph shoes on?”
She nodded but said nothing in response.
“Good. Tetia and Richeh, would you accompany me?” Qifrey said, looking down at his two ducklings clinging to his sides. They nodded as well, allowing him to scoop them up under his arms. Cocoa was already with Olruggio who now took the lead, clicking his heels together and taking off. Agott followed soon after, with Qifrey slowly in tow.
When they reached the Starry Sword they were greeted by Tartah. The shop wasn’t open this early, so he was in the middle of preparing to take in customers soon. He let them inside and called for Nolnoa who seemed to have only just woken up. Qifrey felt rather guilty for that, on top of dumping four kids on him for an indefinite amount of time. He wasn’t a babysitter after all.
In the heart of the ink shop was a silverwood tree climbing through the rafters and sprouting out of the roof above. The kids took to helping Tartah with his morning chores automatically which filled Qifrey with pride that now diminished upon looking at that sad old tree. He wondered if he would look this magnificent.
“Tired?” Olruggio asked.
“Hm? Oh. Yes.”
Olruggio stood beside him and also observed the tree. There was nothing either could say. Qifrey was honestly stalling, though he really didn’t know why.
“We don’t have to go back immediately,” Olruggio said. “I noticed it took a while for you to completely thaw. It would undoubtedly be uncomfortable for you to rush back into that state.”
“I’ll be fine,” he replied mindlessly.
He felt a nudge on his elbow, prompting him to look at Olruggio who was looking at him. Then down at the other man’s hand which was offered for him to take. Like a breath of air, he inched slightly closer to him and slipped his hand under the cuff of Olruggio’s long sleeve.
“Still freezing,” Olruggio remarked. “Tetia did a terrible job at warming you up.”
“Richeh was holding onto this hand, actually,” Qifrey said, “and I’ll have you know she always seems to run very cold.”
“I’ll have to warm it in her place then.”
Qifrey relaxed a little. The knots returned. The sight of the tree before him made his legs feels wobbly and his head faint. He wondered how deep the roots dug into the earth. How strong this tree stood. How many centuries had it been here and how many would it long remain?
“Is there something you want to tell me?” Olruggio asked plainly. It caught Qifrey off guard. That was how their conversation last night had started and it ended with his memories being wiped. He couldn’t possibly need to start doing that daily. Twice this year was already too much.
Olruggio must have noticed the frightened, not so subtle response from his partner. “I’m sorry. That just came out.”
“You have the right to ask,” Qifrey said quietly, “I keep too many things to myself, I’m afraid.”
“We should return to the atelier before we burden Nolnoa with your students too long,” Olruggio said shamefully, averting his eyes.
“Right. Of course.” Qifrey pulled his hand out of Olruggio’s and turned away. The roots in his eye were a mess but at the very least he could feel they would not be budding any time soon with all these recent spikes of anxiety. Now fearing he have to perform that horrific spell on his unsuspecting partner yet again, he was already grieving him like the death of a loved one.