While the lady tended to Cora, Leonardo used the opportunity to study their surroundings more closely.
He was grateful for the bits of information she had offered earlier, but a part of him refused to take her words at face value. She spoke with the composure of soone who had been accustod to helping others, no surprise there, but sothing about her manners still kept him on guard.
Trust, he reminded himself, was a luxury he couldn’t afford.
As his gaze road the room, Leonardo’s eyes drifted upwards. Beyond the rafter, he noticed a narrow wooden staircase tucked in the corner, leading up to a dimly lit floor.
"No, I don’t leave alone," Mira replied, carefully dabbing freshly made balm onto Cora’s ankle, her lilt voice steady and unbothered. "Is there a problem?"
Leonardo’s eyes lingered on the stairway for a mont longer. Cora shook her head to keep Mira’s attention on her, trying to sound casual about it.
"Since the area isn’t exactly safe, it’s a good thing you have company around."
Mira nodded with a faint smile.
After she was done treating Cora’s swollen ankle, she rose and went up the narrow stairs, returning a few minutes later with two clay cups filled to the brim with clean water.
"If you’ve been traveling for long, you must be thirsty," she said kindly, offering one cup to Leonardo first, then handing the other to Cora. "Hopefully there are more vacant rooms in the inn next to this building."
Cora glanced down at the cup in her hands. The water looked clean, glinting faintly in the orblight, and her throat ached from dryness. She hadn’t realized how parched she was until this mont.
"Thank you," she murmured, lifting the cup toward her lips.
But before she could take a sip, Leonardo set his own cup aside on the small wooden table, his expression calm but cautious.
"It’s a habit of ours to not drink from the hos of strangers," he said, keeping his tone polite. "But my friend and I really appreciate the hospitality."
He turned his gaze toward Cora, making sure she noticed the faintest flicker of warning in his eyes. She froze mid-motion, smiling awkwardly before lowering her cup.
Mira’s smile didn’t falter.
"That sounds fine to . I’ll be right back."
She headed upstairs once again, leaving Leonardo and Cora alone. The mont she was gone, Leonardo stepped closer to Cora’s side. Without a word, he picked up the untouched cup from her hand and set it beside his own on the table.
He still didn’t trust her to not drink the water as long as she held the temptation in her hands.
Cora sighed and rubbed her temples. "Maybe I might’ve been wrong?" She murmured, motioning toward the satchel he held for her. "Hand the chronicle, will you? I want to take another look at the map. Maybe there’s sothing we missed... Leonardo?"
But he wasn’t listening.
The young man had crouched down beside one of the wooden chairs, his eyes narrowing at sothing half-hidden beneath it. Reaching under, he pulled free a small, torn patch of fabric. It was coarse and faded, but a faint emblem was stitched into it. It was a crest shaped like a hawk clutching a sword.
"Isn’t this..." he turned the patch over in his hand, studying it before glancing up at Cora. "Similar to the symbol on the guards’ cloak?"
Cora looked at it intently, recognition flickering across her face. "Yes..." she said slowly. "The royal guard’s insignia."
If there was one thing the both of them knew about every kingdom, it was that no one– no one– was permitted to keep a royal insignia in their ho unless a family mber had once served as a royal guard. It was a long-standing custom, one enforced with severity. The emblem of the royal guard was sacred property, distinct in its design and symbolism, so no commoner could mistake it.
Cora pressed her lips into a thin line as she thought the matter over.
"She did say she doesn’t leave alone," she murmured. "Maybe she has a brother... or soone who used to serve. But wait, that wouldn’t make sense now, would it?"
Leonardo stared at the patch, a faint unease creeping over him. He didn’t know why, but sothing about this whole thing didn’t sit right with him. The air in the room suddenly felt heavier.
He wanted to investigate the matter, but the thought of exposing them both made his jaw tighten. Cora would be the one to suffer most. She was still vulnerable due to how bad her ankle had gotten, and he could not risk that.
He wasn’t sure what to expect, and he wasn’t reckless enough to use his accursed powers either.
If Cora could get so proper rest tonight, the swelling in her ankle would likely be much improved by morning. He couldn’t really gamble with the ti they had left to get back to the others, but with any luck, he was determined to fish out the true bearer’s accomplices by tomorrow, and that was the deadline he vowed to maintain.
He slipped the patch quietly into his pocket just as he heard the faint creak of footsteps on the stairs.
"Since we’re done here," Mira said as she descended, her voice even, "do you need help getting her to the inn?"
"No," Leonardo shook his head, though his voice carried no rudeness. "We can manage. How much for your trouble?"
The lady shook her head. "You don’t have to pay . You might need it more than I do. Be sure to check in again before leaving tomorrow. I’ll take that as your paynt."
Cora was relieved this little investigation had finally co to an end.
She tried to fold her leg beneath her and nearly winced from the pain. Leonardo moved before she could, sliding an arm under shoulders and another beneath her knees. He lifted her with a practiced gentleness that made it seem effortless. Her breath caught– partly from surprise, and from how steady and warm he undeniably felt.
She quickly averted her gaze. This didn’t an anything, she reminded herself firmly. It was simply the practical choice; in her condition, walking wasn’t even considered an option.
As they exited the house, stepping into the narrow lanes, the quietness of the hamlet pressed in around them. Sowhere in the distance, a dog barked once, twice, then fell silent. The faint toll of the inn’s bell drifted through the cool night air, mingling with the soft rustle of leaves.
Leonardo frowned.
The streets were too still. Even with lanterns glowing in the windows as proof of people still living here, the entire place felt strangely deserted.
Could it be related to what the young healer told them? Or maybe he was just overthinking the whole thing?
He adjusted his grip slightly, glancing down at Cora’s pale face. For now, speculations could wait. He needed to get Cora to the shelter so she could rest up for tomorrow, a mont to at least breathe if that was all they could get before the mission concluded.
They had to find shelter in the inn... again.
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