Sorcery - 07

Nancey briefly dug through the pocket in her cloak and pulled out a couple of items. The first was a leather pack, neatly rolled into a bundle and kept rolled up by leather straps. The second item was a cloak, it was nicer than the one Nicole had been wearing, but not as nice as Nancey's.

"You probably had a small pack, but I couldn't figure out where you stashed it before you tried to murder me. Toss your extra layers inside, store the cloak in the outer pocket and if it rains you can cover the pack and yourself with the cloak. Now, let's get moving, we need to find that road."

Nicole settled the pack on her shoulders and adjusted the chest strap.

"Oh, almost forgot," Nancey pulled another small object from her cloak and handed it to Nicole.

Nicole was left holding a small compass on a loop of leather, "Normally I use the stars-"

"And that sort of reaction will get you jailed," Nancey interrupted.

"Oh, right." And they set out in silence.

They went southwest until they found the river, replenished their dwindling water supply, and continued west until they reached the road. They followed the road north.

They traveled in relative silence until they passed the first crossroads.

"That went smoother than expected. And now we need a new story," Nancey remarked.

"What do you mean?" inquired Nicole.

"That was the road from Ortus to Summit," Nancey explained. "If we bare left at the next fork, it will take us straight on to Basil but we'll need to stop before then, either in one of the small towns along the way or off the road somewhere. Now what's our story going to be?"

"Why are you asking me?" Nicole asked.

"You seemed keen to provide an alibi earlier," Nancey replied.

"Yeah, well the situation seemed somehow more dire. Now that we've been walking for a few hours the threat seems less imminent."

"Famous last words," countered Nancey.

Nicole eyed fresh horse manure in the road and commented, "That may be so," and then, "So, why are we going to Basil? And what's the larger plan? Are you serious about this apprenticeship?"

"I need," Nancey started and then paused, considering her words before continuing, "I need to better understand the political stance of Sept and meet with some colleagues. The larger plan I can't explain here. And do you want me to be serious about this apprenticeship?""

Nicole fell silent and they continued their trek in relative silence. As far as apprenticeships go, she hadn't really learned much yet. But then, she hadn't been given any grueling tasks to perform like what she had heard about from other apprentices in years past.

Justin's tasks certainly hadn't been any sort of frivolous busy-work, but then their relationship hadn't been that simple. That apprenticeship was more of a convenient arrangement. They were dating, she became curious about magic, and in order to teach her, he took her on as his apprentice. It kept him out of trouble with the college and she was allowed to learn magic.

She wondered what actual lessons would be like under Nancey. Certainly not like with Justin! She blushed briefly at a resurfacing memory before it became tinged with sadness and regret. She supposed some day she would be able to look back and only enjoy the good parts, or at least, that's what others more experienced with grief kept telling her.

Nancey had no way of knowing her skill level, so she'd probably have quite a bit of basic material to cover while she figured out what her current ability really was. Or, perhaps it would be trial by fire and Nancey would start from the other end of the spectrum... and then a question came to mind.

"What's in this for you? Usually an apprenticeship is give and take, so what do you get out of this?"

Nancey shrugged off her question, "When the time comes, we'll find out."

They traveled for another hour before a rider approaching them from the south sped past without so much as an acknowledgment of their presence. His saddlebags bore the sigil of a mail carrier and the mark of the crown of Sept.

Nancey eyed the courier with interest, but made no comment.

"So, how much further is it to Basil?" Nicole asked.

"More than a day. It would be a lot faster if we had a horse," Nancey replied.

Then Nicole followed up with, "What are we doing for food?"

Nancey frowned, "We'll have to wait until we reach the next town, we'll lose too much time if we stop to prepare anything we're carrying, let alone if we take the time needed to hunt for something."

Nicole took a swig of water and passed the flask to Nancey. After they both had their fill they resumed their journey.