novelraw Chapter 804: Penny for your Thoughts
Chapter 804: Penny for your Thoughts
Noble froze. She turned around and leveled her gaze at the storyteller.
Rowan's smile faded when he saw the look in her eyes.
The woman floated toward him. "What makes you think I would care about the legend of the Hermit?"
Of course, giving him that attention would confirm that she was. But Noble was more concerned with the man's motive than that he knew about her outing.
Rowan took a step off the podium before taking several strides away from her. She closed the distance between them immediately.
"Forgive me!" He held up his hands. "It is my Aspect. I can tell what people are searching for. That's what makes me such a good storyteller. I give the people what they want."
"So you trick them into thinking about what they are after?" Noble arched her brow. The thought about Hermit had barely entered her mind before Rowan had spoken about them.
"I invite them to share with me," the storyteller nodded. "Everyone is looking for something. That man over there, for instance, is looking for a date with the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper, sadly, only wants to sell him a new pair of shoes."
"That's all well and good." Noble narrowed her gaze. "That explains how you knew. But you lied about seeing the Hermit. Were you just trying to show off?"
"No, no!" Rowan shook his head. Then he paused. "Ok, yes, a little. But only to get your attention."
"You have it now." Noble's eyes swirled.
"Yes, and that might have been a gross miscalculation on my part." Rowan unconsciously pulled at his collar. "But I do think I can help you!"
"How?" Noble crossed her arms.
The entire exchange was likely a waste of time. Knowing what someone was looking for and actually being able to help them were two different Abilities. Unless he had a secondary skill that complemented his Aspect, there was very little that Rowan could reasonably offer.
The man straightened. "I did not speak to the Hermit, but I have come into contact with him. It was an overcast day, though the weather seemed fine enough."
Holding up her hand for silence, Noble studied the man for a moment. Rowan wasn't lying, or at least didn't think he was.
"When? Where? And how?"
The storyteller nodded. "Straight to the point. I like it! While not ideal for stories, it is very efficient in this case. In fact…" Realizing he was about to launch into a tale, Rowan paused.
Noble could see the internal battle ensue. 'It must be his flaw.'
Either the entertainer could not answer a question without a tale, or everything he spoke needed to be wrapped in some sort of narrative.
"Let me try this again. How long ago was this fine day of which you speak?" Noble felt a little awkward. If she were wrong, the man might think she was making fun of him.
However, Rowan was not offended. He was relieved.
"That fine day is one I remember well. It was two days ago with a caravan of most amiable comrades. I nearly lost my wits when I saw the hermit. It is not a moment I will soon forget."
Noble hadn't experienced anyone who believed so wholeheartedly that they had encountered the legend. The few people with whom she had broached the subject had only vague notions of what they had seen.
If he had really seen what she was looking for, it was incredible luck. Unless somehow it wasn't luck at all.
"Tell me what happened and how, if you would be so kind."
Rowan took a deep breath. "With pleasure. We were passing beyond the ash plains when a lonesome howl filled the air. We all went deathly quiet, looking around for the source of the sound and preparing for battle. But nothing happened. About the time I was going to make a joke that one of the Song Sisters must have come to welcome us personally, a lone figure crested the nearby hill. Even as a storyteller, I cannot begin to describe what I saw except to tell you that it filled me with great fear."
Noble listened with interest. "Is that all that happened?"
"If only! It would not have made such an impression on me if the encounter had ended there." The man adjusted his instrument on his shoulder, releasing another chorus of notes. "Before we could decide if he was friend or foe, an arrow streaked across the sky and landed right between my legs. It disappeared, leaving behind a note. 'Steer clear of here,' it read. We did not need to be told twice. We hurried our way and made it to the gates of Ravenheart a full hour ahead of schedule!"
"Do you have the note?"
"I do. No one else dared to touch it after I read it aloud, but the note made too good a story to discard." Rowan fished the paper out of his pocket and handed it over. "It wasn't until I got to town that I found it wasn't as special as I had hoped."
Noble examined the strange handwriting. It was jagged and angular, like someone had not known how their hand would move while writing it.
The words were exactly as Rowan had said, but he had neglected to mention the symbol in the bottom corner.
"A bee?"
More specifically, a crude drawing of a bee with a crown.
"That's what gave me the idea to tell Queen Bee's—your inspiring story. It is a delightful tale, though perhaps less delightful to live through. It reminds me of the time…" Rowan pressed his lips together.
Noble sympathized with his plight, but her mind would not let something he said go.
"What did you mean that this isn't special?"
The storyteller shrugged. "When I came for inspection at the gate, I told the Sister there about my encounter. She said that many notes were thus delivered to those who passed that way in days prior. The daughter of Song said that she herself had seen a dozen of the leaflets from travelers who had taken the same road, but we were the first to say we had seen the sender."
"Did all of them have this symbol in the corner?" Noble pointed to the emblem that looked suspiciously like nectar.
"Who's to say for sure? I have too limited a sample size in my wandering. But if I had to guess, I would say they should be identical. Why would he go to the trouble of making different animals for each? Unless the Hermit is an artist. That would make a very fine tale indeed, don't you think?"
"So, if I head out past the ash plains on the main road there, I should get one of these notes too?" Noble tried to picture the map in her head. In response to her command, Nectar altered her course.
"If the Hermit is there, I imagine you would get the same welcome. Though whether you consider that a welcome depends on how seriously you take his threat." Rowan rubbed the back of his neck.
Noble brought a few more coins from her pocket and tossed them in the entertainer's feathered cap. "Thank you for your time. This has been most enlightening."
Noble glanced at the note once more before returning it to the storyteller.
She was certain of one thing. The warning was meant not only for the travelers, but was aimed directly at her.
'Too bad I'm not good at giving in to threats.'
Turning on her heels, Noble headed for the very place she was told not to go. The Hermit would have a visitor.