A Hero With/Out Time

Chapter 10: My Nightmare (Part 6)

I could see Axel. The small town like a cluster of buildings in the middle of nowhere. To the east and north a set of fields followed the road. The border forest extended from our right all the way past the town and in the North-East a smaller forest sprouted closer. This was my home and just by seeing the familiar slanted roofs a sense of warmth filled my heart. We were still faraway but my goal was in sight.

Taylor, Lara and even Earnest exited the carriage sitting beside me and on the roof as we travelled closer.

"It's smaller than I thought it would be," Lara commented.

"Well compared to towns along the main road of course it would be," I replied with a smile. "We don't have any specialty goods either so there's not much reason to come by."

"I like it," Taylor said from beside me. "I've been all over the Empire and Kingdom but this place has a nice feel."

"Right?" I accepted the compliment happily. "When we arrive I'll show you around. There's not much compared to Greytree but we have our own fun."

"Yes, I'm quite interested," Earnest said a little forebodingly. I knew he was trying to pry into me but he really wouldn't find much. My family in Axel were normal. Though after having thought about it many of them were on the more eccentric side.

We reached the edge of the fields in the early afternoon. It was quiet. Well it was normally this quiet so far from the town centre. The only reason to come this far out would be for work so it was completely fine that no one was in sight. I gazed across the tilled land. There really was no one.

"Is something wrong?" Lara asked me.

"No it's just that I thought I'd see someone by now," I said feeling my anxiousness rise. "Mr Peters owns the land around here. He's usually outside about this time."

"Well it is around lunch perhaps he's on break."

"Right...," my jaw tightened. But it wasn't just Mr Peters, he had quite a few of the townsfolk work with him, to not see one of them was strange.... I calmed myself, it was still in the realms of possibility.

The carriage moved on and I looked to the skies over Axel's buildings. Most the houses and shops were two stories and built up in the centre spreading further apart as you left town. It was a normal day and a clear blue sky hovered between the clouds rolling by.

I frowned, "There's no smoke."

"What are you talking about?" Taylor looked to the sky as well.

"It's winter. Mrs Tiller usually has a fire lit all day but there's no smoke at all."

She placed her hand on my shoulder, "Rain relax. Just because one lady doesn't have a fire lit doesn't mean you need to freak out."

I clasped my mouth shut and nodded. My nerves were continuing to pile up. It wasn't just Mrs Tiller, Tarhand who ran the blacksmith and taught me how to work metal, Marcy the town baker, Nill and Bert who ran the inn, even Margaret my teacher in apothecary, all of them needed some kind of flame. To not see any smoke chilled my heart more than it should.

We were reaching the end of the fields and into the township proper yet still no one came to greet us. The windows facing our way, by now a smiling face should have waved my way. It wasn't like we were hiding. Walter and Lane our town guards, they were quite old now, not that I'd say it to their faces, but for them not to at least do a small inspection and let us roll in was just neglectful. Even if they missed us, the children never would. In the middle of the day the boys and girls would be running all around town playing. Just the simple sight of a visitor would have their hearts flutter in excitement. Yet why? Why was no one showing up? I could only think of one explanation. The town Mayor Sir Mattias the man who raised me the most, he must have called for a meeting. It was the only reason everyone would be in one place and gone.