I woke up to the morning sun streaming through the wooden window. It was still early, but my bed wasn’t the kind of place that made you want to roll over and go back to sleep. It was just a thin layer of straw over a hard surface—all stiff and scratchy and uncomfortable. Luckily, I usually passed out as soon as I went to bed at night.
I planted my hands on the bare dirt next to my bed and pushed until I was sitting up. After brushing straw from my arms, I rubbed my eyes and reached my hands up high to stretch my body.
It wasn’t a very pleasant morning.
I wondered how things had gone yesterday. By the time I’d gotten back to the guild, Waine had been passed out drunk at the table and Sheya had already disappeared. I hadn’t felt like doing any spear training or reading the magic book, so I’d wandered over to the stable instead. After I’d decided to lie down, I must’ve slept like a rock.
Fatigue clung to me like a heavy coat. The feeling of battering a goblin with the broken shaft of my spear still lingered in my hands, and I could still feel my own blood dripping thick and slow down my forehead. Behind my closed eyelids, the image of a girl crying was burned into my memory.
I couldn’t bring myself to stand just yet, so I sat cross-legged on my straw bed and rubbed my forehead. There was no wound, no pain, and no scar. Touching where I’d been injured almost made me feel like none of it had really happened—like it had all been a dream.
I wanted to believe that, but I couldn’t. All I had to do was shift my gaze to see the scratched-up, bloodstained browplate in the corner of my stable stall. My spear was gone, but I knew it was just at the smith’s for repair. Reality wasn’t kind enough to let me pretend nothing had happened.
I heard a loud growl and clutched my painfully empty stomach. “I’m hungry,” I mumbled.
Too much had happened yesterday. It’d been so overwhelming that I’d forgotten to eat dinner last night. That gnawing, empty feeling inside me made everything feel worse. I couldn’t think of anything in particular I wanted to eat, but I knew I needed to get something in my stomach.
So I dragged myself up to my feet, changed clothes, grabbed my coin pouch, and stepped out of my stall. The big dapple-gray horse, Valenwort, was still sleeping in the stall next to mine. I waved at him without saying anything because I didn’t want to wake him, and he just kept on snoring peacefully. Somehow, seeing that made me feel a little bit better.
I squinted against the sunlight outside, annoyed by how clear the sky was today. The weather was perfect for an adventure, but I couldn’t go without my spear. Leaving town without a weapon would be way too dangerous, so I had to take the day off.
I let out a long breath and circled around to the front of the guild. Since I’d gone to bed early last night, the sun was still low in the sky. At this hour, the kitchen was probably only serving raw vegetables. Thinking about eating unpeeled veggies dipped in salt felt kind of nostalgic, but that didn’t mean I was craving them or anything. Still, I figured I’d be fine with that for breakfast. If vegetables were all I could order, it would at least save me the trouble of deciding.
With one hand pressed to my stomach, I reached for the doorknob with my other hand and pushed the door open... And there they were.
I saw a girl with lustrous cherry-red hair, eyes that radiated determination, and a slim, delicate frame that might be called graceful. At the same time, she gave off a fiery intensity like a burning flame. Beside her stood a girl in an apprentice cleric’s robe and a large hat, her fluffy chestnut hair framing a face lit by a kind and gentle smile.
“Good morning, Kiri,” Liluetta said.
“Good morning, Kiri-o,” Yune chimed in.
I blinked in surprise at their greeting. “Liluetta... Yune...”
Liluetta looked like she was ready for a challenge, standing there with her hands on her hips. Yune had her hands clasped in front of her chest, and I wondered if she had been praying. They seemed like they were waiting for someone.
“Um, what are you doing here so early in the morning?” I asked.
“We were waiting for you, Kiri-o.” Yune’s voice was soft and light as usual, though there was a hint of tension behind her answer.
Liluetta had been glaring at me, but then she dropped her hands from her hips. “Yes, we were waiting for you,” she said stiffly.
Ah, there she is, I thought. Something about her response made me feel relieved. That timid girl sitting with her head bowed low yesterday was gone. The strength of will I associated with Liluetta had returned to both her voice and her striking jade-colored eyes staring straight into mine.
Liluetta and Yune had said they were waiting for me, so I figured they had something they wanted to say now that I was here. I waited for one of them to start talking.
That brief silence must’ve given Liluetta the time she needed to steel herself. “I’m sorry about yesterday,” she said.
Her eyes were still locked on mine, and her voice was so bold and confident that I wondered if I’d misheard her somehow. She was apologizing, but she sounded like she was picking a fight.