Chapter Six

  “Sometimes, all it takes is a good meal and a warm bed to soothe the troubles of the mind.”

  – Unknown patron of the Wealthfire Inn

  ~*~

  The Angaeli River Valley

  Orenthium

  4:37pm Local Time

  Kaedric’s home was not the hovel Liv had admittedly expected, but rather, a cabin. It rested within a valley flanked by tall mountains and rolling foothills carpeted by the same forest she’d been lost in not hours before. A river bisected the grassy lowlands and further away, she could make out the farms he had mentioned before. Animals grazed along the open fields, though they were too far away for her to tell what they were with any certainty. Cows, maybe? Sheep? Those were farm animals, right?

  Back on earth, a home in a place like this was the stuff of dreams and a part of her envied the man for it. A cabin like his would have cost an arm and a leg, if not a firstborn too. What had he paid for it? Had he built it? Or had it been inherited?

  She supposed she was going down an unnecessary rabbit hole, but she couldn’t help it. Sights like these made her hate her shitty little apartment in the city more than she already did. Sure, it was nice, but she couldn’t say it was worth fifteen hundred a month. She’d hoped the housing market might come down eventually, but who was she kidding? She’d probably be in her late fifties before anything ever became affordable. Maybe she should set her sights here instead . . .

  “Are you all right?” Kaedric asked.

  “Hmm? Oh, yeah– I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

  She’d been staring off into space, hadn’t she?

  “You went quiet all of a sudden.”

  “Sorry, I was just admiring the view.”

  “She may not be much, but she’s home,” he said fondly.

  “Are you kidding me? Where I come from, people would be throwing their life savings at you for a chance to live here.”

  “Really?”

  “I’ve seen shacks sell for four-hundred thousand.”

  He spluttered, “Four-hundred thousand? Four-hundred thousand what, gold?”

  “That’s on the cheap side,” she said.

  He brought Kelsa to an abrupt halt and Liv grunted.

  “Where exactly did you come from?” He asked.

  “E–,” she stopped herself, “No place you’ve ever heard of, I’m sure.”

  Kaedric looked her over as if seeing her for the first time.

  “Are you from across the sea, then?”

  She pursed her lips, “Not exactly, but my home is farther away than I’d like.”

  “Are you some sort of noble?”

  “Pssh. Me? Noble? You’re hilarious.”

  He tilted his head, “I assumed you’d have to be, to afford such expensive living spaces.”

  “I wish. Buying one for myself isn’t likely to happen anytime soon.”

  If ever, if she couldn’t find some way to get back home. Shit, what would happen to her apartment in her absence? Her houseplants? She needed to find a way home and soon. She wasn’t about to let all those beautiful begonias of hers die without a fight.

  “I can’t say I’d ever like to visit wherever it is you’re from. Sounds like I’d hardly be able to afford it,” he said, continuing on once more.

  “You’re not missing much,” she admitted.

  His cabin was situated at the opposite end of the valley with its back to the next treeline. The path they took from the forest eventually joined with a cobblestone road. She hadn’t expected something so orderly, considering more rural areas were lucky if they were ever paved in certain parts of the U.S. There were no potholes or dips, the stones used having been ground to a smooth surface upon their placement, by the look of it.

  A stone bridge led over the steady waters of the river, from which a man was fishing. Kaedric offered a wave in silent greeting which prompted Liv to at least offer a polite smile of her own. The man tipped his hat, but eyed the two in some apparent interest. Was that an air of surprise she detected too? Was the man a friend? An acquaintance? A nosey neighbor? If it were either of the former, surely Kaedric would have offered more than a simple wave?

  Her internal speculation was interrupted by a notable increase in Kelsa’s pace once they reached the other side of the river. With the cabin’s barn in sight, it wasn’t hard to guess what had garnered her enthusiasm. Her easy walk had turned into a jig that left Liv feeling like a buoy on rough water. She wasn’t even sure she could feel her toes anymore. Her legs were little more than lead weights.

  She nearly fell flat on her face once they’d arrived and Kaedric offered a hand down from the saddle. Her poor thighs had turned to jelly while her knees had seemingly fused together from being stuck in the same position for so long. She wasn’t sure she’d ever felt so stiff.

  “I’m never doing that again,” she muttered, trying and failing to stand straight.

  Kaedric winced a smile, “You could always ask to accompany one of the farmers. They make runs to the city every few days to deliver goods. Aside from their wagons, a horse would be the only other means of travel, if you want to make it to Ralencia in a timely fashion. I’m afraid there isn’t a train station nearby.”

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  This world had trains? Rail systems? The more Liv thought about it, the more it made sense, she supposed. There were airships, after all, so it wasn’t entirely surprising. It seemed the world she had found herself in was a far cry from the technological wastelands of most pseudo-medieval fantasies.

  She chewed the inside of her lip, fingers tightening where they held her booted heels.

  “You don’t have to make a decision now,” Kaedric said, noting her look, “Give me a moment to tether Kelsa and I’ll show you inside. We need to take a look at those feet of yours.”

  Liv looked to her toes and frowned when he led Kelsa away. There was dried blood along one of her arches. Mud and bits of grass spattered her skin up to her ankles and even smeared her knees and calves in places. What she needed was a good bath and proper clothes. And probably a bandaid or two.

  Maybe even a glass of wine?

  Snorting at herself, she shook her head and did her best to ignore the stinging ache in her feet as she waited. Alcohol was the last thing she needed, even if a moscato sounded nice right about now. She’d be satisfied enough with water she didn’t have to slurp up from a questionable source.

  “I’m afraid all I have are men’s clothes,” Kaedric said as he trudged back up from the barn, “But they’re clean, I assure you. You may use the washroom as well.”

  “I’ll take just about anything right now,” she said, tentatively stepping after him.

  Her feet were less apt to protest while walking through the lush grass, but the paving stones were another matter. They scuffed her feet as she tried to keep up with Kaedric. His long strides ate up the ground, requiring one step for every two or three of hers. It was no wonder he’d been able to keep up with his titan of a horse.

  He offered a hand to help her up the short stairs to his deck when he noticed her lagging behind. She took it with a small smile in thanks. As far as strangers went, she could have done far worse.

  The inside of his home was as orderly as the exterior, clean, while also minimalistic. The rustic furniture was made from wood, the cushions of the chairs and the sole couch made from upholstered leather. There were fur blankets and rugs and even a few select houseplants. It was quaint, cozy and perfectly livable.

  The energy she sensed was welcoming too, which helped ease her mind.

  “I’m not used to hosting guests,” Kaedric admitted, removing his boots at the door and setting them aside.

  “I’m more a stray than an actual guest,” Liv said, feeling rather guilty over the fact she would be tracking blood and who knew what else across his lovely tile floors. They were a curious choice for a cabin, but no less appealing to the eye.

  “A guest is a guest,” he said with a shake of his head, “Here, the washroom is this way.”

  He led her past the stairway and open kitchen to a room that was not all that different from what she was used to back on earth. Everything was a touch more vintage, but clearly identifiable. There was a sink, a toilet and even a shower spout arching from a stonework bathtub.

  “I can’t say I was expecting this,” she said, taking it all in.

  “I may be remote, but I do have running water,” he said.

  “You’ll hear no complaints from me.”

  “Good. Now, there’s an extra towel or two in the cabinet here as well as a few soaps. They’re nothing fancy, but they should do the trick.”

  “Thanks,” she said.

  He nodded, “Take all the time you need. I need to brush Kelsa down for the night, but it shouldn’t take me long. I’ll start on the stew and then the two of us can see to sorting out this predicament of yours.”

  “Food sounds nice,” she said.

  “I best get to it then,” he said, stepping through the door and making to close it behind him, “Call me if you need anything?”

  “I will.”

  When the door clicked shut, she waited a moment before flipping the lock. She let her heels drop to the floor and braced her arms against the small sink counter. Everything ached. She’d been in this world for less than half a day and she was already completely and utterly exhausted. It hadn’t exactly been uneventful, though. She supposed a barefoot hike through mountainous terrain followed by an impromptu horseback ride would likely take a toll on just about anyone.

  Her reflection had certainly seen better days. Her green eyes were bloodshot, braided black hair a mess of small snarls and stray ends. Hell, even her complexion was more pale than it ought to be. The usual warm, olive tones were patchy and flush.

  “Glad to see I look like shit,” she muttered.

  Well, it was time to change that.

  Liv attacked her hair first, undoing the ties and pins and raking it through with her fingers until a majority of the knots were gone and dealt with. She fluffed out the rogue curls, then pulled them over one shoulder. Without a proper brush, she’d have to braid it later in order to keep it orderly and out of her face. A simple braid, she decided, not the elaborate monstrosity of a plait she’d had for the ball. Anything that required more than a single hair tie to hold was too much, in her opinion.

  Sighing, she saw to the rest of her filthy self. The silver sequin nightmare of a dress had plastered itself to her skin. It chafed along her back and shoulders and had left aggravated patches of red under her arms along her ribs. She grimaced as she peeled the garment from her skin and would have cast it into the trash, had one been present. Truth be told, she had half a mind to burn it if only for the satisfaction of it.

  She treated Kaedric’s cloak with far more reverence than she had her dress though, having carefully folded it and set it upon the counter for safe keeping. The heavy fabric was clearly designed to take a beating and withstand the elements, but leaving it on the floor had felt wrong. Disrespectful. It had been offered to her in good faith, after all, so she would take every care until she returned it to its owner.

  She eyed her tattooed arm a moment, wondering if she could expect another spontaneous crystal manifestation. Clearly, the water had been the catalyst the first time around, but that had been while the marks themselves were active and hot. Since she’d plucked those clusters from her arm, everything had felt normal, so maybe it had been a one off occasion?

  Airing on the side of caution, she placed her arm in the sink and allowed the water to flow over the marked area for several minutes. She eyed the glyphs, but thankfully, nothing came of the exposure. A relief, at least.

  Figuring out how the bathtub and plumbing worked had been rather easy with the only real difference being the method of plugging the drain in order to retain the water. A detached knob had to be screwed into place, rather than the stopper mechanism being attached to the faucet. Once she figured that out, the rest had been easy.

  The tub itself was more a pool than anything. It was several feet wide, long enough to accommodate a grown man laid out on his back and deep enough to wholly submerge oneself into with space to spare. Waiting for it to fill may have been maddening, but it had been well worth it. Olivia eased herself into the steaming water with a soft groan. Her feet stung, but she didn’t care. The heat soothed sore, strained muscles and warded off the last of her lingering chill.

  If she could have remained there for the rest of the night, she would have. However, she only allowed herself a few minutes of blissful respite before she saw to scrubbing her skin with the sage-scented soap she’d swiped from the cabinet. Kaedric had claimed it was nothing special, yet it smelled better than half the shampoos and soaps she’d find at the grocery store. There was even a hint of rose incorporated into the scent to give it a slight, but pleasant floral edge.

  A curious choice for a man, she thought, but an endearing one. From what she could tell, he kept a neat and orderly house. Everything had a place, a purpose, a method of organization. The towels she’d found in the cabinet had been meticulously folded with the soaps kept and stacked in small, wooden boxes beside them. There weren’t many of either item, which wasn’t surprising considering he lived here alone, but it spoke to his appreciation for order. She’d have to make a conscious effort to put everything back the way she’d found it when she was finished.

  There hadn’t been medical supplies of any kind in the washroom, nor were there any clothes beyond her soiled ones, so she’d been forced to rely on her towel. Fortunately, the one she’d selected had been more than enough to cover her and left her no less bare than that stupid dress she’d arrived in. Though she’d secured it tightly at her chest, she still held it in place with one hand as she peeked out from the washroom.

  She found Kaedric in the kitchen with his back to her, seemingly cutting vegetables while a large, suspended pot boiled in the lit hearth across the room. The smell of herbs and seared meat was enough to make her mouth water and her stomach growled its anticipation. Once she was actually dressed, she’d see to helping, if he allowed it.

  “I’ve left clothes on the table there,” Kaedric said, respectfully keeping his back to her.

  She glanced toward the small dining space with a flush, “Oh, thank you.”