Mec let out an audible sigh when he spotted the owl as it descended from the tree's upper branches. His trek had proven to be so long that he was beginning to question if he was marching towards the same tree he had pinpointed in his earlier conversation with Shallan. Any doubts were quelled as he returned the familiar, strangely intelligent, gaze of Olenna's owl. With a hoot and a flutter of its wings, the creature was off, venturing deeper into the forest.
The setting sun provided a reminder of the urgency to follow suit. Even so, Mec stood still for a few moments, allowing himself an opportunity for a brief rest and to observe the city from this vantage point. His ability to control Clair's curse, or its symptoms, rather, was already becoming noticeably more laborious with distance. Before, the magical action was autonomous, like breathing. The effort and energy required was only apparent after the span of a day, and was made up for with a few extra hours of sleep each day. Now, Mec felt his mind was strained. He was losing focus on what was in front of him, the tasks at hand, because he was too busy thinking about maintaining the Equinox. Doing so, while traveling, noting the sun's position in the sky, watching his steps, felt like a balancing act.
The hills surrounding the city, bald of any trees and foliage and dwarfed by the large hills that the forests laid upon, were deceptively large. From where he stood, one would believe that the city was merely a stone's throw away. In reality, miles stood between Mec and the city itself, the furthest distance he had been from Shallan, Clair, the Misftis entirely, in a long time. Mec knew this distance had to be the cause for the extra focus required to use his ability, and realized that the real reason he paused to rest was to regain his control, like a coachmen tightening his grip on his horses' reigns.
Soon, the mage set to following after the owl, disappearing behind the line of trees and into the forest. He hastened his pace, eager to reach his destination before the sky dusked. After following the owl from tree to tree for what felt like ages, Mec finally found the wooden doll. He stepped forward and settled against a tree while he listened to Olenna's doll speak. Her straightforward approach had not phased him- he had grown used to it after several meetings. He had also grown used to her insistence on protecting him, and any other mages, at any cost.
"I will wait a few days for the troupe to finish their business, and continue on with them," he said, pulling away from the tree. "And more importantly, I am not going anywhere without Shallan." He waved a hand slowly, unearthing bundles of knotted roots that rose to make a makeshift bench of sorts. Mec lowered himself onto the seat casually, not far from Olenna's doll. "Another important thing is that I am still trying to control Clair's curse, if you remember. I have not been able to learn much more about it, but I can feel my ability to quell it is wavering now that I am distant. It was effortless before, but now I... must focus." His words began to slow as he refocused his efforts on the Equinox again, and he even went as far as to close his eyes for a long moment. "The source of her ailment is malicious, Olenna. And powerful, too. G's intervention is the only reason I was able to break through in the first place."
The mage turned his body slightly, pointing himself in the direction he had came. A long sigh escaped his lips as he squeezed his eyes shut again, tightening the grip on his ability once again. "I suppose this will be as good of training as any." Although he jested, he still wondered if his practice juggling fireballs and summoning botanical serpents was time poorly spent when compared to the task at hand.
~~~~~~~
It was late in the night when Godrich arrived at the tavern where the rest of the Misfits had retired. Beneath the dark blue hood he wore, his face reflected his exhaustion and his exasperation. His lips were set into a frown, and his eyelids parted only just far enough for him to make out the silhouettes of tables and patrons in the torchlight of the tavern. It was not until Ella stood right in front of him that he had noticed anyone approached him.
"Well?" Ella asked. She peered beneath the brim of Godrich's hood to meet his gaze.
Godrich stared at Ella for a long while. He made note of her chapped lips, cut and slightly stained with blood from hours of nervous biting. "I found out where she's been kept," he mumbled quietly. He pulled down his hood, and to his friend's surprise, a jet black mess of hair revealed itself from underneath. The transformation of red hair to black was nearly seamless despite it being a rushed job, with the only obvious tell being the black stains inside of the hood. "I learned a few things, intermingling with some folks. Capture sorceresses are not tried by a judge or any kind of nobility like normal criminals. Here, they are tried by some priestess. The so-called Silver Priestess or something along those lines. We only have a day, maybe two at most, before the sentencing."
He glanced around, before stepping towards the stairs that lead to the floor above and pulling Ella by the arm "Before I go on, take me to Shallan. We need to discuss the matter of her absent companion. You did not notice either, in all of the commotion, yes?"
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