Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 16)

(Shit lol)

Ky decided to wander, finally accepting there wasn’t the chance of even the appearance of reading at this point. She was too anxious. Too much to think about. She wanted to go to her room but forced herself not to.

A soldier knocked on Gaius's door.
"Yes?"
"Sir." The soldier opened the door. "There's a woman at the gate claiming she's friends with Lord Loquitur."
"Everybody's friends with him," Gaius said dryly, getting up. "What does she want?"
"She says she'd like to speak with him and that it can't wait."
"Of course." He ran a hand through his hair. "What's her name?"
"Viol, sir."
"The hunter." Tomhas had mentioned her many times, along with Helge and Viol's brother Roddy. "See her in and tell her to wait in one of the parlors under guard. Then tell Tomhas she's here."

(Eheheh)

Ky started doubting her decision. Wandering would increase her chances of running into one of the ghosts. She began to meander back to her reading nook.

The soldier departed, and Gaius slumped back down in his chair.

"Hi there." Narfi's voice was beside her suddenly, and so was the rest of him. "How are things?"

Ky started, whirling around. “Oh my god.” She let out a shaky breath. “You scared me.”

He chuckled. "Just got back. What's new?"

“Not much.” She straightened her clothes. “Back from where?”

"The other plane, and here and there. I've been doing some reading."

That sat uneasy on her gut. “Oh yeah?”

"Yep. I was confused as to why I couldn't make contact with you, you see." He smiled. "Seemed dangerous--in case I needed to push you out of the way of a sword or something. I thought I was losing touch with this plane."

“Right, yeah,” Ky agreed with a nod, deciding to go along. “Makes sense.”

"But it turns out there are a bunch of reasons this could happen, according to the old scrolls." He wrinkled his nose. "I hate books. But it turns out that people used to carry wards around with them to keep away spirits. Superstition or something. And other stuff--spells, troll hair, certain locations, godstones."

Ky felt even more uneasy with the direction this conversation was going. “Oh yeah? And do they work? The… superstition?”

"There's no proof of it." He shrugged. "But maybe you brushed up against something magic without knowing it."

(Bruh I just went axe throwing and it was the fucking shit I am hooked)

“That could be.” Ky nodded, relieved he was going down that direction instead.