Feyra woke up early to use this day to walk as far as she could. For now her plans were simple: She would go check up on a patient and then she would find a way to get to the Empire.
Time to go see Gerta.
She went around the streets, trying to figure out where she had been that day, until she saw Melinda who was waving at her.
"I assume you're here to check up on Gerta. Come with me. She's in the house.", she said, putting down her broom and leading Feyra to the small house.
"Gerta! It's the lady again who helped you.", Melinda knocked on the door, shouting for Gerta to hear her being there.
Shortly after the door opened and Gerta looked at them. "Come inside."
Feyra immediately saw that Gerta was already better than when she had been unconscious, but she still had a long way to full recovery.
"How have you been doing?", Feyra asked.
"I've been feeling much better since that day. Thank you again. The herbs and mixtures have helped a lot. I also have to thank you for your warning me when we first met. Though... After you had left there had been a black figure telling me either me or my little one would get sick. I'm lucky it hit me and not Ash.", she said, smiling and brewing a tea.
Feyra looked at the tea and noticed it had been a tea she had noted down on the piece of paper she had given to Melinda.
She knows what to do. I'm glad everything turned out to be good.
"So she'll survive... A stone is falling off my heart.", Melinda said, visibly relieved about the good news. Till now she wasn't sure if she could believe Feyra but seeing now that Gerta was getting better and Feyra wasn't concerned either, she was sure that this would have a happy ending.
"I suppose you're leaving the Capital today?", Gerta said, sitting down with her mug of tea.
"Yes. I'll go towards the Empire next. An old friend had visited it a long time ago so I wonder how it is.", Feyra said.
Ash occasionally started crying as Feyra was instructing Gerta how to continue treating the flu.
"Have a safe journey!", Melinda and Gerta said in unison while Feyra was leaving, looking at the map where the gate near the north side was.
She walked down the main road, past the book store, before she was near the gate. Only one more turn and she would be there. No people were to be seen and barely anyone was around. Only occasionally did a carriage pass or some people dressed in black.
"Head Southwest if you want to learn more about medicine."
Feyra turned her head to glimpse a black figure standing near a house before she had to look ahead. A carriage was about to hit her and she had to step aside.
A black figure?
As Feyra turned around again, the black figure was gone. She wondered if she was just looking in the wrong direction, but in the end she gave up.
Head Southwest if you want to learn more about medicine... Let me see...
Feyra went outside the gate and took her map to look what was Southwest.
She found a small spot and saw that there was a harbour city in the Southwest. The road there would take her around the mountains and through two villages.
Should I go? What were they hinting at?
Feyra was thinking for a while before she decided to listen to the figure's advice. She would first head Southwest and then she would go to the Empire.
Feyra was on her way around the mountain range, that was on the west side of the Capital. The mountains were towering above her, but they also gave shade to the forest.
Feyra found some more mushrooms and plants that liked growing in more moist areas.
Perfect! This herb is rare because there aren't as many areas where it could grow. It needs to be dark and moist for it to grow to perfection.
She took some of it with her before she took a break and looked for water. With the pot in hand she soon found a small river and retrieved some water. She took the mushrooms out of her bag and washed them as well as cut off some of the pieces she wouldn't eat.
The knife is sharp and beautiful. Bob truly has a good eye.
Feyra thought about some things before a letter pigeon came to her. She got scared again, letting the knife fall and almost cutting herself.
"Can't you pigeons come from the front for once?", she asked, turning around and seeing a pigeon tilting its head with a letter.
Feyra gave up scolding this little creature and took the letter.
She opened it and wondered why this guy would write her.
Hello Feyra,
I heard you got some pictures of the people you met. I know it may be a bit late but given I wasn't included in the first batch of pictures I asked Robert if he could take one of me and send it to you with this letter.
Now you can remember me in all my glory too. I also included a few pictures of our luxurious hall and our guiding sentence for you. Robert told me you are quite interesting in architecture and statues. A true connoisseur of art I see. Anyway... I'll stop here before I continue on about my ideas.
Sincerely yours, Shiba
Feyra didn't know what to say before looking at the pictures. Shiba was truly not looking bad. Overall he was even quite handsome in most people's eyes.
I wonder if women scurry around him or if he is just too weird... What am I saying? This guy would still have fans even if he was weirder.
She shook her head before she put the picture to the others and continued looking at the ones of the architecture. The building was truly grandiose and luxurious in every corner. Feyra was wondering how the government had given permission for it as it should've cost quite a lot.
My mind isn't at ease not knowing, but I guess I can ask Shiba when I meet him again.
With that she told the pigeon that it could fly away once again before she continued preparing her meal.
This time she was careful with the knife, not trying to hurt herself. The mushrooms had been cut and washed and the water in the pot was boiling already. Feyra took the mushrooms and put them inside with some thyme and salt and pepper.
It's a shame I don't have anything else but I suppose mushrooms as a meal works too. I should truly find more things like potatoes, rice and other stuff. Now that I know how to minimise things I don't need to worry about the weight of it either.
She watched the mushrooms cook until they had a nice colour. Feyra took them out of the water and onto a spoon. After blowing on them for a few times she was able to try the first pieces.
Yummy! They're truly a little watery and I think with a pan it would've been even better but I have to make due with what I have.
She dug in until she accidentally forgot to let one mushroom cool down and she burnt her tongue.
"Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot!"
Feyra was running to the little river to drink some cooler water. She almost fell into the river as it was lying lower than the ground next to it.
Today seems to be cursed... I should definitely sleep tonight. Why does it feel like everything goes wrong?
She minimised everything while thinking about it and then took out some herbs, attached a string to them and hung them at her waist. In the moist forest it wouldn't do a lot but if she found a sunny spot it would still have some effect.
With that, she continued on the journey on this cursed day. In the area were a lot of roots of trees growing across the path, Feyra almost always got stuck somewhere or almost tripped over them.
I have enough of that...
She looked around and saw no one around before she spread her wings and started gliding slightly over the ground. That way she wouldn't get stuck on these roots anymore and also couldn't trip.
The next day she felt far more refreshed and the day also went better than the last. It wasn't as cursed and she wasn't about to hurt herself at almost every corner.
Not long after, she left the forest behind the mountains, seeing a beautiful area full of grass and wild flowers.
A horse stood a bit in the distance. Feyra could only see it from the back and she waited until it turned around.
The face of the horse was half falling off, revealing bone underneath and an empty eye socket. Feyra quickly turned her head away and ran further away to not look back again.
That's an undead horse. Basically it's the same as a living corpse but it seems the horse doesn't have an owner or someone they are tied to.
She held her stomach for a while before she could continue on normally. The flowers helped her relax a little and not long after she also saw houses in the distance.
It seems a village is near the Capital. At least it's not too far away.
She went over to the village and looked around. The houses were abandoned and partially burned down. No soul in sight.
Feyra looked around a little further and also found fields. They had various plants growing on them, looking as though someone had still lived in the village not long ago.
Feyra went back to look further at the houses and figured that the village had been already abandoned some time ago.
That doesn't explain the plants growing on the fields though... What just happened here? Does it have anything to do with the undead horse I saw earlier?
Feyra was just thinking about it as she saw the undead horse walking towards the village. Now Feyra could also see the other side she hadn't seen yet, revealing ribs and even the bone of a leg. The skin was peeling off but it was still hanging on.
It's not a demon horse... Demon horses don't smell. This one smells horrible though. The stench of death hangs in the air.
Feyra was hiding in one of the houses in hopes she wouldn't be seen. The horse looked around for a while as though it smelled something weird, but it gave up in the end.
Not long after, the stench intensified. Feyra was slightly shaking. She felt something ominous around.
Is this an ominous aura? Now that reminds me of... It reminds me of that black figure. This figure also made me have such an ominous feeling but it didn't feel as bad as this one does.
"Now now... Did you smell something?", a voice drifted from the other end of the village and footsteps could be heard.
A figure appeared with a black cloak that wasn't as long as the other black figure had worn. Their face revealed a half that was looking like a skull.
Yet Feyra clearly felt a living presence within the body, giving her even more shivers down her spine.
While she didn't want to believe it, she felt as though this person may have the power of Death. Feyra had only once read about it in a book, and there it was only mentioned shortly.
It had never been explained and thus she didn't understand anything about it. All she knew was that it had an ominous feeling to it.
I was wrong... That horse has someone it belongs to! What a disgusting smell!
Feyra was just turning around as the ominous feeling intensified. Her field of view was limited so she turned back around.
Did they find me?