The Windcaster [Fantasy/Adventure | Featured | Complete ]

Chapter 7: Namru and Little Agasaya

They arrived at a small farm at nightfall: the first human inhabitation they had seen all day since leaving Mooncliffe. It was a modest farmhouse, ringed with a long continuous wooden fence surrounding the outside. The main house was painted white and made of wood, with a thatched roof and closed wooden window shutters. It was a quaint little place, reminding Tia of houses from the wizard stories she used to read as a child. She was doubtful there were people living there when she caught sight of the ground floor window showing a flickering lamp light; the rest of the house was dark. There was a two-storey barn house to the back, its double door locked in place by a wooden plank slotted across the middle.

The sun sank from its perch on the edge of the faraway mountains, dissolving the details of their surroundings. The clouds were a dark grey-blue, contrasted by the pale sky behind them; the sky turned from light blue to yellow and then to red blending with the hazy mountains miles away. The houses and trees in the foreground were black against the light sky, clumped together like mysterious smoke creatures. It was very quiet: even the birds had gone back to their nests to rest for the night.

Mommu took the reins from Master Anu.

"I shall make our presence known to the owner of this farm and request shelter for the night," Master Anu said as they dismounted. He pushed his hood back and hesitated. "Perhaps... accompany me to the front door, and then wait outside."

Exhausted, they obeyed. Tia was bending her knees every few minutes, relieving the sore muscles after many hours of riding. She arched her back and rotated her shoulders, but every new movement seemed to cause new aches and pains to appear out of nowhere. Enlil appeared unhindered by any discomfort as he stroked Nutesh, running his hands through its short, curly black hair.

"Mommu, I am tired," Tia said, cracking her neck left and right. Mommu winced at the sounds.

"We will be inside soon."

"But I am tired. It has been hours and I am exhausted."

"But it has been a wonderful journey so far, no?" Enlil quipped, glancing at the house. Several of the wooden shutters were barely hanging onto the house and bits of paint were missing all around the exterior. Weeds peeped through holes between the wooden planks that made up the front entrance and a nearby swing, made of two bits of rope and a plank of wood, secured to a tree, had fallen and was half-lost in the nearby bushes. The grass was very overgrown at the edges, around the fence. It looked like a place that hadn't been tidied in decades.

"It has... But I did not realise it would take so much energy. Enusat's still going strong!" Tia patted her carrier's light brown, short-haired cheek.

The three of them fell silent. Not long after, they heard drifts of conversation as Master Anu and the owner of the farm approached the trio.

"...am very grateful for this kind hospitality, my friend."

"Anything for a Caster of this Kindom. Your lot do so much good for us; it is the least I can do."

"Here are my three companions, please excuse our appearance; it has been a long day." Master Anu appeared with a man holding a lamp, and gestured. "This is Namru, the owner of this farm, and he has very generously offered us shelter for the night. This is Tiamat, Mommu, and Enlil."

Tia grinned despite the tiredness. The owner seemed to be about two decades younger than Master Anu, with a kindly smile and friendly eyes, which were wrinkled at the corners and he had streaks of grey in his dark hair. His light eyes swept over the two boys with a friendly twinkle as he nodded smilingly to them also.

"And you are all Master Anu's students?" he enquired. He had a throaty voice, like those of merchants after a long day at the market.

"Mommu and I are." Tia warmed to the man immediately. "Enlil is Master's assistant. Thank you so much for letting us stay, sir."