Folding the Sky

-13-

The cheapest option was a sandwich shop whose specialty was grilled peppers and meat between two slices of rye. Zuri and the others gathered there, claiming a small, round table that was probably designed for four occupants rather than five. Zuri, the smallest of them all, ended up squished between Jem and Chike, a table littered with cloth napkins and sandwich remnants stretching before them.

Though it wasn't a tightly-packed institution by any means, the myriad sounds of the energetic city center floated in through the open window by which the group sat, along with the briny scent of water and mildewing stone.

"Really," said Aldric, leaning back in his seat and clapping a hand down on Chike's shoulder. For the last few minutes, Zuri had noticed he was being oddly peppy—at least as peppy as Aldric could be—and there was a dazed glitter in his eye. She didn't understand, until she noted the drained mug of beer resting on the table in front of him, an inch of foam sitting in its base, and sighed. "I don't blame you for not wanting to come along. It was a major dead end, anyway."

A strange look passed Chike's face. "A dead end?"

At that, Jem nodded her agreement. "Nothing in that old place but a shit ton of cobwebs and Schmitt's old loom. All we learned from it is how efficiently an old building gathers dust."

Kalindi let out an exhausted breath, her chin leaned into her palm. It was the first time Zuri had ever seen the princess slouch. "My mistake," she muttered. "I was convinced we'd at least be able to find something, but that was naïve of me."

"Cheer up, Kalindi," Zuri offered. "We only just got here. You can't expect to find him on the first day."

"No," she grumbled. "But you can hope."

Aldric slumped against Chike's shoulder, limp as a fish. Chike grunted in surprise, but didn't move him. "We'll just have to keep moving," Aldric murmured. "And...figure out what to do next. That's all! That's easy."

"Dude," Jem said, scowling at him. "You've only had one beer. How are you already tanked?"

"Tanked?" Aldric blinked, not picking up his head. "I'm fine. What are you talking about?"

Zuri shook her head. "You look like you could pass out any second now. That's hardly fine, Aldric."

"Well, it's been a long day," Aldric said, and hiccuped. "Traveling, and such. Makes you tired."

The strange look on Chike's face was still there as he cleared his throat then, drawing everyone's attention to him. Aldric sat up straighter, returning Chike the use of his shoulder. "About what Aldric said."

"What Aldric said?" Aldric repeated, his face blank for a moment. "Oh. What I said?"

"Yes, what you said," Chike groaned. He shoved Aldric all the way upright, then rested his hands on the table, as if he were preparing for a presentation. "I think I know what we need to do next."

Jem's response was automatic, her gaze on Chike intense. "Spill it, then."

"When I was visiting my family earlier, my parents mentioned to me that they'd just spoken to Schmitt recently."

Instantly the mood surrounding the table shifted; everyone was more awake, it seemed, even the well-inebriated Aldric. "What?" Zuri gasped, leaning forward. "Well what—what did they say? What did he say?"

"He came to the shop my parents run a few weeks back," Chike explained. Outside, a street band started up, so that the slow twirl of a guitar melody wafted in through the window. "He was looking for some distinct thread, or something. A specific type of material he was wondering if my parents carried or had seen before."