Moons Apart | Ferry's Tale # 3

The first lesson

He woke up with the strong impression that someone was watching him while he was sleeping. He wasn't wrong. Raghnall stood straight in front of his bed (or rather the slab on which Ferry slept), watching him sleep.

"Ragh, stop doing this," Ferry said, rubbing his eyes to chase away the sleep.

"What?" Ragh asked without moving.

"Don't follow me everywhere. It's getting a little weird ... "

"But Thyme told me not to lose sight of you and to tell everything you do," he said in a natural tone.

Ferry got out of bed and quickly got dressed. "It's not normal to follow someone everywhere they go. In the human world, this is called invading privacy. "

"Well, you're not in the human world anymore," Ragh said without blinking. "And you are not really a normal person. Not even here. "

Ferry sighed. "All right... I guess it's going to take me a while to get used to this. What is the schedule for today? "

"Well... You have to eat well first. Because we have a long trip to do. Lord Stephan wants to see you. "

***

Ferry was too nervous to eat. And although one of the amalgham-women in the kitchen had prepared his favorite dishes that were now lying on the table in front of him as in the parade, he could barely take a bite of the sandwich with apple, butter, and lettuce. Ferry looked at the room where the feast had taken place, now empty and cold. Apart from the two guards waiting at the entrance, he was alone at the table. He couldn't help but wonder where all his friends were and what they were doing at the time. The food was good. The cook had done her best, he was sure of it. But the sandwich didn't taste like his mother's. And probably no other sandwich would ever taste the same...

After the meal, Ferry bumped into Ragh who was waiting for him at the exit.

"Are you ready for a visit to Lord Stephan?" he asked.

"What do you mean? Do I have to be prepared for this?" Ferry wondered. "Doesn't Lord Stephan live in the castle?"

"Oh, yes, he lives in the castle," Ragh replied very seriously. "But it will take us a while to get to him," he said, looking up.

They were near the massive stairs that dominated the castle, descending to the entrails of the mountain, but also ascending to the heights of the sky. Ferry watched Ragh's gaze ascend to the heights. He couldn't see where the stairs led from where he was. Ragh lit a lantern and handed him a thick woolen cloak.

"You'll need it," he said.

"How long will it take us up there?" Ferry asked, putting on the thick cloak that pricked his skin even through the flannel shirt he was wearing.

"About three training times," Ragh replied, beginning to climb the stone stairs.

"Can't we fly up there?"

Ragh shook his head. "The winds are too strong up there. They can bring us down."

They began to climb. The twisted staircase was damp and cold. From time to time, through the few windows dug in the stone, the light of the star penetrated, timidly, throwing a glimmer of light on the blunt steps of the stairs.

For a while, the oval windows disappeared, irregular holes taking their place, preventing the star's light from guiding their steps. Ferry followed Ragh, who was moving forward with care.

"Why does Lord Stephan live so far away from others?" Ferry asked.

"Lord Stephan was the one who built this place for the Amalghams. He always lived there. Besides, he was always more withdrawn... even when he was part of the Palace Guards. "