The shade and humid cold under the small cave like shop, the winds came in with a small window for sunlight.
The smell of wet cobblestones and herbs mixed in the irritation nose of Vael.
Violet sat silently listening to the sound of stone grinding herbs and flowers.
The smell changed every little bit of a minute, meanwhile Vael started concentrating to ignore the smell.
But then his ear twitched and looked at the door with his eyes digging through the door.
Violet felt it too and slowly walked to the door with hushed feet.
"Violet... Don't move, someone's at the door." Vael spoke and in a blink he was behind the door with his plan on it.
Then with another ear twitch he turned to Violet with a relaxed look.
"Oi, There are two kids outside..." Vael sighed relaxing out the tightened muscles.
He sat down again with arm on his knees.
"Ahh... they're here—" Kerran tread to the door and opened it, letting in the light and pushing air inside.
Violet eyes widened while gasping, there were two children—
A girl and boy, the same girl and boy she saved before.
They came in and when the door closed, the sound of the hands of the clock felt like loud percussion.
***
Violet's PoV
The girl held the arm of the boy with a wide smile.
I didn't realise when the edges of the mouth started widening in a smile and my body moving.
I grabbed the boy and lifted him up in my arms.
He was very light, his hand was covered in bandage with ointment patches on face.
But it wasn't possible for him to be healed so fast, although Luciel healed in moments after drinking some blood, but that boy is definitely human.
The girl looked like she was doing better too, I turned to Kerran asking did he help them too?
Kerran walked back to the mortar and started grinding again,
"Of course, who will make the deliveries if I don't fix them."
The smile disappeared from my face, these little kids doing deliveries.
Why? But I knew the answer, from the cold woods I came from, no one can stay still;
Everyone needs to move, if they don't they'll lose heat from inside before the cold from outside reach them.
"Big sis!" The girl hugged my leg, "Thank you so much! You saved Jaden!" Her grin was like stars shining, those freckles on her cheeks were finally visible on those fluffy cheeks.
"Jaden? I thought your name was Jathen." I chuckled, the boy looked embarrassed he was light, he was around 7 or 8, then in a muffled voice he mumbled, "Diana big sis, can't say my name while crying." He said.
His voice sounds like a young wolf pup, he sounded really cute.
I was really happy, I hugged him tightly.
Maybe I felt myself in that boy—
"Thank you." He kissed me on the cheek and with a smile kissed him back and put him down.
"You bastard!!!!" Vael cried out jumping on his place.
***
Vael pointed at the boy with his face red and teeth clenched.
"How dare you! Don't you feel embarrassed!"
"Calm down... it's just an innocent exchange, how can you get jealous of a child?" Kerran sighed.
"You stay out of it!" Vael yelled.
While the children hid behind Violet with chuckles"Kyaa! big brother is angry!!!"
"You twerps!" Vael extended his hands to kids and Violet tapped on his head.
"Stop it! You are scaring them." Violet's little smile cooled down that rising anger.
"Here mister Kerran we have delivered the medicine." The girl gave a slip to Kerran.
He said good job and then pointed at the closed pot.
"There's some bread and stews, eat and rest that's it for today."
The children ran and started eating without missing a beat.
"If you two are hungry too you can grab some too." He said completely indulge in mixing.
Vael and Violet thanked them but refused, they waited and looked at them eating, Violet pain just faded away.
Then Kerran collected the mix and then pulled out some utensils, "it will take some time, if you have something to do I'll recommend finishing it while I am busy."
Vael looked at Violet,
"Why don't we get you a weapon?" Violet nodded and got out of his apothecary.
The moment she went out of the shade the sunlight made her hand cover her eyes.
The busy streets of the village were moving like gears, ignoring them while staring at them at the same time.
The store was down the main street—a blackened signboard reading Eiren's Forge.
The woman inside barely looked up when they entered. Her arms were lined with scars, her short hair tied back, she was pedaling a grindstone while sharpening the sword.
"Welcome," she said flatly. "Pick what you want. Pay. Leave."
Violet tilted her head. "She doesn't like you?"
"She doesn't like anyone," Vael said and moved around looking for bows, more like smelling them
Eiren muttered without looking up. "Kids these days buy shiny junk and think they're warriors. In this shithole everyone is just one weapon sharp enough to cut through bones! Fuckers don't the beauty in steel!"
Violet wandered to the racks. Rows of swords gleamed, spears stood like sentinels, but her eyes stopped on the bows. Two of them—one dark oak, one pale ash. She picked both.
She walked Eiren while humming.
"Look at this little, this frail little thing a weapon will make her warrior. Is she a spoiled brat? Nope that wolf boy won't work as someone's chauffeur..." Eiran thought to herself and scoffed.
Violet put the two bows in front of Eiran and Eiran removed the patches of leather with glass on them.
Eiren finally looked up. "Two? You plan to shoot with both hands?"
"No. I need the string from this one for the other."
The woman blinked. "What?"
She looked at her and then bows with gaped eyes, she remembers changing string of the bow because she knew the string and bow are far more expensive for someone to buy together and nor they will appreciate and know it.
"Little girl, aren't you something..." She grinned.
"Not me, it's my papa..." She uttered.
"Ho! He taught you well!" She chuckled "but I can't, you won't be able to afford it; I don't think you could handle this.
Still tell me, who's this papa, I could recommend a gift for him if you want a good weapon and throw in a good bow for free too."
Violet exhaled and with a pained smile, "I don't know where he is, His name is Garret Holloway."
The woman smile vanished....
She stood up and looked at Violet, "Are- are you Violet?"