Chapter 207: Keep Going
Irene’s feet seemed to move on their own as they brought her and guided the others to the edge of town. She couldn’t believe she remembered where the mages were when she first saw them, but it was such an eye-opening situation that it must have stuck out to her more than she realized.
They passed a few commoners sweeping their stoops and cleaning up their areas for winterization as they went on. All they could offer were tight-lipped smiles and nods as they proceeded forward. They weren’t there to offer a hand as usual, but to get to the bottom of things.
It felt wrong considering every time in the past that she traveled through a township with other apprentices, they were there explicitly to help them. Perhaps the people would understand one day that what they were doing was for the bigger picture. Not giving a hand in winterization of the duchy was giving them an opportunity to try and quell the monster issue. If the knights all fell to monsters, the duchy soon would follow.
As the buildings got more sparse, they made it to the end of a road that went on into grassy fields where farmers’ houses were. However, a bit beyond that, in an empty area where nothing more than grass grew, Irene’s green eyes landed on a pile of rubble, and her feet moved forward once again.
They rushed through the town before, but she was in a full-on run as she sought an answer to what she was seeing.
When they were at what was once the front door of the mill where Gunnar had been trapped in Stanley’s magic, Irene stopped them and her eyebrows lowered. Her eyes scanned the area slowly, taking it all in.
"An old, abandoned mill," she explained. "This is where I first met Stanley and the other mages. They were planning on staying here for the winter, but it was an awful old building that offered nothing in terms of protection or warmth. Could it have been when the township was pillaged? Perhaps the ogre..."
She stopped herself from rambling. There was no concrete evidence to prove what she was saying.
"We have to keep going," Felix stated, being the surprising voice of reason. "Unless either of you have any other ideas."