WHIT

25 - BREATHING THROUGH A BIGGER HEART

Not long after entering the town, Fabby saw a public well and stopped there to drink water. Edgar, on the other hand, went to an old man who was sitting on a rock and was chewing on some leaves. Before Edgar spoke, the old man gave him a glance and scanned him from top to bottom and then said, “Want something, lad?”

“How big is this town, sir?” asked Edgar, as softly and politely as he could.

“Big enough to breathe,” the old man sarcastically said. He surely didn’t like how the boy was being over polite, which came across as acting.

Just then a horse cart was passing by. The cart was being ridden by three horses with a lot of sparkling metal glaring at everyone as though pridefully begging to be looked upon. A couple of thieves hiding in a nearby tree jumped onto the road and blocked the cart’s path. One of the thieves stood like a rock, while the other hurriedly started beating the driver with a hoe.

Edgar was about to step forward, but the old man grabbed his arm and shook his head. “Don’t bother. You’ll only get hurt.”

Edgar knitted his brows as though he was irked by the old man’s words, and the old man reflexively let go of his hand. Edgar then scuttled toward the cart. “Hello, brothers!” He went to the thief who was beating the driver. “Stealing so publicly before sunset. You guys are either too stupid or too desperate.” 

“Mind your business, kid!” the thief threw a punch at Edgar; however, before he knew it, a jab struck his face, broke his nose, and blurred his vision. He stumbled back and then collapsed to the side. As Edgar was helping the driver to get up, the second thief took out a knife and charged, but Edgar unsheathed one of the blades with his left hand, without even looking, and the thief immediately stopped and then turned his invisible tail and ran away.

“Be careful, brother,” Edgar patted the driver’s shoulder.

The driver was a blonde youth in his early twenties. He bowed deeply and said, “Thank you!”

“Take care of your bleeding,” saying that Edgar walked away.

The driver then realized that his lower lip was ruptured. The curtain of the cart moved just a bit, but whoever was inside wasn’t visible. A decent-sized sack of coins came out of the cart and fell next to Edgar, causing him to stop. However, after looking at the sack of coins, Edgar picked up the sack and tossed it back to the driver and then turned away and minded his business.

The driver ignored the thief that was lying on the road and pulled the reins. As the vehicle moved on, a gold coin flew out of the cart and fell on top of the unconscious thief.

Soon, the vehicle left their sight.

Edgar was still waiting for Fabby to finish washing her face, hands, and feet. She took extra time because the water in the well was cold. She just wanted her skin to soak more of that water.

“You could’ve died there, lad,” the old man cast a sideway glance at Edgar. “Don’t you want to breathe a few more years?”

“What good is breathing when the heart is small?” Edgar said, leaving the old man in a frozen expression.

Soon, Fabby came and patted Edgar’s head. “You did the right thing, Eddie. What good is life when the love in it is small? Only as good as any garden-variety fruit.” She put her arm around his shoulder, and they left together.

As they were leaving, Edgar waved at the old man once.

However, the old man looked bitter, and he didn’t wave back. After the siblings went enough distance, the old man looked around, no one was around. He quickly got off the rock and came to the unconscious thief, picked up the gold coin, spat the leafy paste in the thief’s face, and then left at his own slow pace.

A few minutes later.

The siblings entered a tavern. Their not-so-attractive clothes turned some eyes, but they didn’t mind it and occupied a corner table. The owner glanced at one of the waiters, as if telling him to kick them out.

As the waiter was coming, Edgar placed the sack on the table, and the jingling sound it made changed the gait of the waiter, and he wore a pleasant expression.

“Hello, sir and madam. Are you both perhaps warriors returning from an arduous journey?” he politely asked, wondering if the blades behind Edgar’s butt were just for show or not.

But they didn’t reply.

Since when did someone refer to them in such a manner? Both the siblings sat paused, surprised. Though they came across some people in the Tempting Woods, none of them showed etiquette, even the one who offered them a guarding job.

“Uh, what do we get in this shop?” asked Fabby, clearing her throat.

The waiter looked at her and stretched his lips. It was rare to come across a lady with a bald head. He put the menu sheet, made out of wood, on their table. “By the way, which monastery are you from, lady?”

“I’m not a monk,” replied Fabby, pulling the menu sheet closer by sliding it under her nail. The menu sheet was thin as a tree bark, so she could easily lift it with fingers and take a careful look.

“Oh, my apologies, then.”

“It’s okay.” After some checking, she ordered. “Two glasses of orange juice, and two plates of chicken rice.”

“Sure, madam. I’ll be right back,” after noting them down on leaves, the waiter left with a smile.

Fabby and Edgar then looked around. The atmosphere of being surrounded by people reminded them of their time on the Shushui mountain, because it was still fresh in their memories.

Fabby sighed and said, “I wonder what they are doing… back in the mountains.”

Edgar understood what she was talking about. He put his hand on her hand.  “We are not strong enough to do as we please.”

“I know,” there was nothing more that she could say. If they had escaped with other slaves, then guard units would have been dispatched to find them. Given their current strength, they would’ve been easily caught and at worse have gotten killed. She didn’t feel like she did the right thing by abandoning those slaves, but then she was no more different than a rat back then. One wrong move, and she would be putting both her and her brother in danger. So, for now, regardless of how she felt, she could only swallow all those feelings back to where they had come from.

About five minutes later, the orders arrived.

As the waiter was serving, Edgar asked, “We want to join a guild. What’s the best guild around?”

The waiter smiled while doing his job, “Are you guys foreigners?”

The siblings were startled; however, they quickly covered their expressions.

“How did you know?” asked Edgar, a hint of fear rising in his eyes.

“I didn’t,” the waiter said and smiled cheekily. “I just guessed. There are no guilds in this kingdom. We only have schools and sects.”

“Eh?” Edgar couldn’t hide his surprise. Though he knew about sects, but still, no guilds? Neither he nor his sister knew about that. Well, given their past, their knowledge was quite limited. Even though Fabby knew better, she was still out of words.

“But foreigners like you can’t join the sects so easily,” the waiter tossed a bomb.

“Why?” Edgar couldn’t help but ask.

The waiter then put his hand forward, and Edgar immediately knew what it meant. As a slave, he had seen that gesture so many times. He took out a bronze coin and put it in the waiter’s palm.

“One bronze?” the waiter’s brows drew together as he looked at Edgar. “What am I? A beggar?”

Edgar was stunned, and so was his sister. He took out four more coins and put them in the same palm.

The waiter then smiled. “Thank you, Sir.”

“What’s the name of this looting town?”

“Orseya,” the waiter said cheekily. “Did you enter this place without even knowing that?”

Edgar simply stretched his lips with force. “Tell us about how to join a sect.”

“Yes, it’s simple. Foreigners have to live in this empire for a decade. Then they’ll be eligible to participate in the sects’ entrance exams.”

Edgar’s eyes narrowed to a slit. “Did you take five bronze pieces to say just that?”

“Please be patient, and hear me out, sir,” the waiter tucked the money away into his pockets. “That’s just one way. There are better ways where you don’t need to wait that long.” He leaned closer and whispered in his ear.

Edgar’s eyes lit up. “Oh, that’s better. Much better.”