Chapter 265: See you shortly

Chapter 265: See you shortly

When Noah sat up, the last dregs of the Mind Meld potion wearing off, Moxie had a strange expression on her face. She looked to be balancing on the precipice of enlighten and frustration, teetering back and forth but somehow managing to keep her spot right in the center.

“Moxie?” Noah asked, rubbing his eyes.

She blinked, then shook her head. “Did things work out for Lee?”

“Yeah,” Noah said, though he paused a second before answering. “Azel showed up. He... gave Lee his Runes, for some reason.”

“He what?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.” Noah shook his head and shrugged. “He said it was a favor because he needed Lee alive. I’m not sure what he was playing at, but he said something about how, as a Demon, Lee needed to keep a certain amount of Demon Runes.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like that, but we don’t know all that much about monster runes.” Moxie rubbed the side of her neck in thought. “It’s possible he’s telling the truth. I guess that would make a certain amount of sense. Demons feed off emotion, and that’s got to come from somewhere. It’s only logical that it would be tied to a Rune.”

Moxie had come to the exact same conclusion that Noah had, though he was pretty sure she’d come to it nearly twice as fast as he did. That likely had something to do with the fact that Moxie had been actively researching Skinwalkers before they’d started spending time together, so she knew more about monsters than the average person.

“As long as it checks out for you as well.” Noah stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants. He looked down at Lee, whose eyes were closed in what he hoped to be peaceful slumber. “Lee should be fine soon. She said we might need to carry her for today, but she’ll be back up and good soon after.”

“Good,” Moxie said. “I was worried, especially after how things went last time.”

Her lips parted, then closed again as she looked away. Noah’s brow furrowed. Moxie wasn’t saying something.

“Moxie? What’s going on?”nôvel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.

“What? Nothing. Just thinking about the future.”

“No, that definitely wasn’t it. You’re thinking of something.” Noah arched an eyebrow, doing a spectacular impression of Moxie’s signature look. “Come on with it. What is it?”

Moxie let out a mixture between a laugh and a sigh. “Fine, fine. I was thinking a lot tonight.”

“And?”

“I... I think I might have figured out something that might work against Evergreen.”

Noah nearly tripped over his own feet. “What? What is it?”

“Not yet,” Moxie said. “It would depend a ton on Lee, and I don’t want to tell you before she knows everything. There would be too much pressure on her to say yes.”

“I wouldn’t do something like that to her,” Noah said, hurt.

“I know. But – and this isn’t a bad thing – you’re a really bad liar. Not as bad as Brayden, but not by much better. When you’re putting on an act, you’re great. But Lee’s going to read you like a book. I was hoping I could just mention it when she was awake.”

“Sorry,” Noah said, not meaning it in the slightest. “So are you going to tell me now?”

“No. Be patient.”

Noah heaved a sigh. “That’s just cold.”

Moxie shook her head in response. “Let’s just get a move on. We don’t have time to waste. The less Evergreen suspects, the better.”

Pulling out his flying sword, Noah tossed it to the ground. They both glanced down at Lee.

“It’s too bad she didn’t turn into a bird first.” Moxie scrunched her nose. “At least she’s tiny. We’ll just keep a good hold on her.”

Noah carefully picked Lee up, then positioned her between himself and Moxie. Moxie tied Lee down with several vines and they all got onto the flying sword. It was far from the most graceful setup, but it worked.

***

Several days later, Noah and Moxie approached the front gates of a large city – Blancwood, by the name embossed on huge panels of wood along the walls. The Torrin family’s home ground was exactly like Noah had expected it to be. Towering wooden buildings rose up like the treehouse of a child’s dreams.

It was a fortress, intricately detailed and interwoven with the huge forest that stood around and within the city. Even large parts of the walls were made from interlocking trees, their trunks pressed together so tightly that they were just a single mass.

The latter half of their journey had been somehow even more stressful than the first. Noah lost count of how many pages he re-read and the monsters the three of them had killed, getting every last scrap of energy prepared.

Rest had become something of a foreign concept, but now that they stood at the precipice, Noah wished more than anything that they’d had just a little more time. Moxie sent him a knowing glance, then turned her gaze back to the city entrance as they drew to a stop before a guard clad in wooden plate armor.

Despite its make, the swirling Imbuements covering the armor and the man’s weapon told Noah that nothing about the guard was ceremonial. The man was probably more than capable of putting up quite a fight.

“Business?” the guard asked, his posture that of a practiced warrior at ease.

“Reporting to Magus Evergreen,” Moxie replied. “I’ve come with an escort.”

“Names?”

“Moxie Torrin. Vermil Linwick.” Moxie answered the question easily, without an instant of hesitation.

The guard’s stance shifted, his eyes narrowing as he prepared to draw his weapon. “Linwick? What is a Linwick doing here?”

“He’s here on behalf of the Linwick family to offer Evergreen something that he retrieved.”

Noah reached down for his bag, then froze as the guard’s sword flashed from its sheath and landed at his neck, just a slight twitch away from slitting his throat open.

“Move slowly,” the guard ordered.

Doing his best sloth impression, Noah pulled his bag open with two fingers, avoiding any sudden movements. He pulled Evergreen’s scroll out an inch at a time, then held it out so the guard could see. “If you could, tell her that this is from Dayton.”

“Noted. This will be reported,” the guard said, gesturing for Noah to put the scroll away. Another guard turned and jogged away. “Remain put. Do not make any sudden moves, Linwick. Peace or not, we will execute you if we have any reason to believe you are hostile.”

“Trust me. No hostility here,” Noah promised. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched a crow sail through the air above the Torrin gate, flying above the wall and disappearing into the maze of buildings behind it.

He and Moxie exchanged a look but said nothing.

Minutes passed. Ten, twenty. Adrenaline swirled in Noah’s stomach, making it a fight to keep his expression even. Finally, the guard that had left returned and gave them a curt nod.

“Evergreen said she’s expecting Moxie. The Linwick is a surprise, but she wants to speak with them both.”

The first guard inclined his head, then stepped to the side, granting them entrance into Blancwood. “Pass, then.”

“Follow me,” the other guard said, turning and setting off down the flower-trimmed street. Noah and Moxie accelerated to keep pace with him.

As they walked, Noah couldn’t help but admire the city around them. Even though they were walking to what could have been Moxie’s end, Blancwood was a beautiful intermixture of nature and mankind.

The air smelled like fresh pine and honey, and no two buildings were the same. The paths seemed more like trails through the forest than proper city roads. They wound back and forth through the trees and buildings, many of which were one and the same.

Their walk ended at the front of a large mansion. Its walls were made of a deep purple bark that looked like it cost more than its weight in gold. The very mansion seemed to be alive, leaves jutting out from it and stretching out to gather the sunlight.

Somehow, the entire house was just one massive, alien tree. Noah suppressed his awe as the guard knocked on the front door and it swung open to reveal a dour-faced butler with dull orange hair. He wore a grey suit and stood with his hands crossed behind his back.

“Magus Moxie,” the butler said, his voice completely devoid of anything that could have been considered emotion. “Come inside.”

After trading one more look, Noah and Moxie stepped into Evergreen’s manor. The butler closed the door behind them with an air of finality.

“Magus Evergreen is occupied at the moment,” the butler said. “Please follow me. She will see you shortly.”