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“That’ll do ‘er!”
“Thanks! How much do I owe you?”
“On the house. Take that tincture if there’s any more pain, OK? It’ll help ya sleep, too.”
I could hear Alfyn ministering to Ali in the other room. He’d been beaten pretty good by Omar but his injuries weren’t that bad.
“Will do. Thanks, Alfyn.” I looked up to see Ali walking over to the table I was sitting at with Professor Albright, Mr. Eisenberg and Therion. “Is this seat taken?” he asked.
“Nope! Go right ahead,” I said, as Ali pulled out the chair and sat down. His face looked a lot better than it had been earlier—Alfyn’s herbs had helped to take down the swelling but he still had a black eye.
“Thanks, Green Pea,” Ali said, and I gave him a nasty look as Professor Albright chuckled.
“Hey!” I protested, glaring at him.
“It’s quite the fitting nickname for you, Tressa. From one green pea can come myriad peapods,” he said, looking up from the book he was reading. “Much like the way you turned a mere rock into quite the commodity.”
“Yeah, until HE stole my idea,” I muttered, rolling my eyes at Ali, who stuck his tongue out at me as he poured himself a mug of cider.
“Children, stop fighting.” Therion said as he lounged in his chair. He was eating an apple, as usual.
After everyone had helped me rescue Ali from Mr. Morlock and run his fat greedy butt out of town, we were staying at the inn while Professor Albright was investigating the book that had disappeared from the library in Atlasdam. Ali decided to invite himself along with us, and after everything he’d been through I don’t think anyone, not even Ophelia, would have said “no” to him.
“So anyway, what brought you here to Quarrycrest in the first place?” Ali asked as he took a gulp of his cider.
“Let me show you!” I said, and I pulled my notebook out of my bag. “This here was a present from the legendary Captain Leon Bastralle himself. I’m following the path of the traveler in this notebook!”
“The Blue Spear?” Mr. Eisenberg’s eyebrows went up. It’s like he has a sixth sense for fellow warriors.
Ali started looking through the notebook, reading everything over. “Hmm. This is pretty interesting” he said, thumbing through it. “Wait, is this your handwrit—”
“Give it back!” I said, grabbing at it. “That’s…That’s not meant for you to see,” I said, feeling my face grow hot.
“You’ll have to catch me first!” Ali said, tucking the notebook in the waistband of his robes and dashing from the room.
“Mrgrgr! Come back here!” I yelled, taking off after him.
I chased Ali into the other room where Alfyn was packing up his supplies into his bag, and past where Primrose, H’aanit, and Ophelia were sitting next to the fire. I managed to dodge Linde’s swishing tail just in time as Ophelia rose to try and stop us, but Ali dashed out the door and into the quiet streets outside. The sun was setting, so everything was colored red and orange in the evening light. Ali was beginning to disappear into the darkness.
“Get back here, you skystone copycat!” I yelled. I was a little out of breath as I ran up the slopes towards the entrance to the mines (that fight against Omar took a lot out of me.) Then I noticed that Ali had stopped on a ledge that overlooked the town.
“Thought I’d never get you alone,” he said. He pulled the book from his waistband but held onto it. “You’ve got some great friends, but how can you ever get a moment to yourself?”
“I...manage...” I said, in between deep breaths. “Now...give that back.”
Ali’s face suddenly turned serious. “Tressa, did you hear the rumors about people disappearing here?” he asked.
“Yeah. Professor Albright said he’s investigating it,” I said. I leaned up against a boulder.
“…I feel like I might’ve been next...” Ali said, quietly.
“What?”
“That bastard Morlock was talking about getting a good price for me… and I don’t think he meant slavery.”
I couldn’t say anything. Ali merely held my notebook out, placing it into my outstretched hands.
“Tressa…I owe you and your friends my life. But you especially. If you hadn’t decided to sneak into his mansion…” Ali’s voice trailed off as he looked towards the setting sun.
I don’t know why I decided to save Ali from the mansion. Maybe it was because I knew I could count on my companions. Maybe because I knew Omar wasn’t like a bunch of groggy drunk pirates. Maybe… because I found a kindred spirit in him, even if he liked to tease and called me a green pea.
“Anyway. Thank you for everything.” Ali said.
I was about to reply, but then heard the sound of paws on stone and turned to see Linde crawling up the slope, followed by H’aanit carrying a lantern. “Ah, there thee be. Thou hadst me beginning to worry,” she said. “These mines art not suited for night travel.”
“Sorry, H’aanit,” I said. “Ali and I needed to talk alone.”
“I see. Art thou finished?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Ali said. “Lead the way?”
We made our way down the slope back to the inn, with H’aanit and Linde leading the way. Ophelia was standing at the door, looking relieved. “You’re back! The way you two ran off so abruptly, I was worried!” she said.
“She was going to go after you, but I convinced her to stay,” Primrose said. “Although that wasn’t exactly the most romantic way to have a private conversation, Ali.”
“Uh, yeah,” Ali said, his face coloring slightly.
“We’re just about to sit down to dinner. Will you join us?” Ophelia asked Ali.
“Of course I would! Thanks for having me,” Ali said.
Ali and I parted ways the next morning, with a promise to meet again in Goldshore, for the Merchant’s Fair. After what he went through, I don’t blame him for not wanting to stay in Quarrycrest any longer.
I just hope that whatever Professor Albright finds out about the missing people, that they’re safe…