“You’re different,human.”
I run the brush through my hair and feel the traveling bag against my hip start to vibrate.
“Oh yeah, how’s that?”
I place my hand on the bag to still the movement.
Wait…
Whyis my bag moving?
I quickly open it up and spot Golem’s clay jar. His home is rattling.
“Shit,” I hurriedly close it, “fuck!”
The jar shakes even harder this time, the full vibration pounding against my side.
“I’m going out!” I yell to Alanna, “don’t wait up for me. I’ll see you at dinner.”
Golem vibrates again as I rush to the door.
“Hold still,” I whisper, looking down at the bag, “I’m leaving now. I’ll let you out of your home soon.”
I’m about to close the door behind me when I catch Alanna standing in the middle of the room completely wet and dripping from her wash. She folds her arms over her chest and gives me a cool look, her grey eyes glaring as I hurriedly slam the door so as not to let her see my shaking bag.
I run out of the inn and head straight for the riverbank, every step I take interrupted by the drunken patrons of the town and truly testingGolem’s patience. His jar begins rattling so hard that it sends vibrations through my whole body.
“Just a little longer,” I tell him on a plead, “I need to make it to the riverbank where we can have some privacy.”
Dear Ancients, I’ve hit a new low.
People watch me as I pass by, watch as I speak to no one in particular and offer all the assurances I can at the expense of looking mad. But there’s a plus side to that faux madness, because the more I’m seen talking to the bag at my hip, the more a path clears for me to the river.
“We’re here,” I reach into the bag and grab his home with both hands. I carefully place the shaking jar in front of my feet and pull off the lid, waiting in anticipation.
Nothing happens.
“Golem?”
I turn to the dark trees around me. The soft moonslight falls down from above and barely illuminates the riverbank. It’s black out here, but I’d like to think I’d be able to spot a robed figure made of clay if he was around.
“Golem?” I try again, glancing down at the jar. There’s nothing but emptiness within the clay, though the shaking has stopped completely.
I’m about to put the lid back on when something rustles behind me, the same soft, padded feet that I heard in King Zander’s study whispering with the night. Golem quietly moves out of the shadows of the trees and heads towards the riverbank, his luxurious brown robe swishing behind him with each graceful and quiet step.
“Hi,” I offer to his back.
The magical creature looks up at the moons above before slowly turning in my direction. He looks exactly as he did yesterday, with the angular plains of his face and his leaf-shaped ears resembling so much of a Discerni. The mud of his skin still looks like it’s barely holding itself together, and he stands in the same stance from our meeting as well, his arms folded over the other just below his chest.
There’s no emotion on his face as he stares at me. No anger or some sort of scowl to show off the impatience that previously rattled his home. Everything about him just remains stoic, a perfectly calm creation that hosts some of the most unique features I’ve ever seen.
“We’ve arrived in Brierman,” I hitch a thumb to the town behind me.
Golem barely nods in recognition.
“Prince Desmond leads our group with three other Discerni from the Court of Warriors. My own regular traveling crew is with us as well, a human male and two Discerni twins, all from the Court of Knowledge.”
Another nod.
