7: Duncaster (2)

The next day, Miciah was awoke by someone knocking at his door.

"Your Highness!" Icarus called. Unlike the day before, he said the words earnestly and without contempt, "Are you awake?"

Miciah had fallen asleep in the corner of the room, and the lanterns around him had burned through their oil.

"...I'm awake," He stood up and slid the door aside.

Icarus looked at him, "We're leaving in an hour."

"Why are you waking me up now? It's not as if I have anything to pack."

He smiled, "I'm waking you up now so you can take a bath."

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After taking a bath in a wooden tub, Miciah put on the clothes that he had come in. They were a little dirty and probably smelled, but he didn't have any other clothes.

This problem was noticed immediately by Icarus, who frowned as he stepped out of the bathroom, "When we get to town, I'll buy you new clothes."

"That's very generous of you."

Icarus started to walk and Miciah followed, shaking a few water droplets out of his hair. Seeing as his hair was still wet, Miciah touched a finger to it. The water flew up and sprayed around as a mist.

Feeling something hitting him, Icarus turned around. After noticing that Miciah's hair, which had been soaking wet a minute ago, was completely dry, he laughed, and then continued walking.

"What a good trick."

While Miciah had bathed, Icarus had changed as well. He wore white, loose trousers tucked into boots that jingled with gold ornaments. Over it was a long white coat with a fur hood. The coat was belted at the waist with a gold belt that had intricate designs embroidered into it. Where a sheath would normally go, a gold bell hung. If not for the color, it would be a perfectly inconspicuous outfit.

He had changed his hair, too, Miciah noticed. A few strands were pulled back, but Miciah didn't know whether it was to keep his hair off of his face or to show of the exquisite gold earrings hanging. Miciah touched his own earrings - award earrings - and wondered where Icarus had gotten all of the gold from. He figured that when they walked through town, people would assume that Icarus was a rich noble, and Miciah his badly-treated servant.

Icarus led Miciah to an entrance in the mountain face, carved out from the stone. Miciah paused at the entrance and looked out.

A path spiraled down the mountain, which stood high above a vast forest. From where they were, Miciah couldn't see any town or even any other mountains: seeing this didn't tell him where they were. Deciding to ignore that problem for a moment, he took in a few mouthfuls of fresh air, grateful to be out of the stale mountain. The air was crisp, and distracted him from the cold weather.

Sitting on the path was a wooden wagon. Unlike the covered carriages Miciah was used to, the wagon had no cover and no proper walls. Hay was stacked on the back of the wagon, although Miciah couldn't imagine were the hay had come from. A single horse waited to pull it.

"Is the town far?" Miciah asked.

"It is," replied Icarus. He took a step closer to Miciah, and bent his waist so they were now eye to eye, "But you don't need to worry. You won't have to wait long to get there."

His eyes were a liquid gold, swirling and sparkling, and Miciah couldn't help but stare. Was his jewelry picked out because of his eyes, or was Icarus just using his Ability to make it seem like he had gold eyes?

Miciah never got the chance to ask, because the next thing he knew, he was opening his eyes to the gruff sound of a guard.

"Reason for travel?"

Miciah got up slowly and rubbed his head. He was laying on the wagon, and his back felt sore from the wood. The air around him was almost colder than the mountain's, and he shivered involuntarily.

'You won't have to wait long'... Icarus must have knocked him out to prevent him from knowing how they got to the town. Even if Miciah recognized it, it would only give him a vague idea of where they were.

Icarus was sitting next to him, leaning leisurely against the haystack with an arm hanging off the wagon. He leaned forward so the guard could see him, and smiled.

"We're here to shop."

The guard looked at him apprehensively.

"Where are we?" Miciah asked. Icarus glanced at him, but didn't seem concerned by the question. This confirmed Miciah's fears: it didn't matter if he knew what town they were in, because it had no relation to the mountain.

The guard raised an eyebrow, "You don't even know? Duncaster."

Duncaster? That would explain the cold. Miciah didn't have time to ponder this, because the guard started to scribble something on a notepad. Besides, Miciah had something more pressing to think about - why hadn't the guard recognized him? Even if he wasn't the prince of Duncaster, his face was still well-known enough. A guard especially should have known who he was.

"'Shopping'? Human trafficking, maybe? You can't enter."

With the combination of the strange wagon that didn't seem to have a driver, and a dirty and confused Miciah, human trafficking wasn't a bad guess.

What was actually happening wasn't too different from human trafficking anyway, Miciah thought.

The guard's hand froze on his pen. Miciah glanced over to see Icarus staring at the guard with his eyes narrowed.

"You..." he said slowly. The words sounded clumsy and wrong, "You can enter."

His hand moved jerkily to the lever that lifted the gate.

Icarus smiled as the gate lifted, "Thank you."

The horse walked forward through the gate.

"It's not just people?" Miciah asked. Could he control only people, or also animals?

Icarus knew what he meant, "All living things, with some exceptions. Some things are harder to do than others."

"What's the easiest thing to do?"

He glanced at him, "Killing someone."

That made sense. When Miciah first started to show signs of an Ability, stopping objects was the first thing he could do with ease.

Duncaster was far from Baicia, to the North. On foot, it would take a little more than two weeks to get from one place to another. It had taken them only a few hours to get to Duncaster, so the mountain must not have been too far away.

Of course, that was with the normal speed of a horse. The horse didn't look tired, but Miciah didn't know how fast Icarus had forced it to run.

Duncaster was a mining town. The houses were made of dark wood and supported by thick stone. There were no stands, but there were signs pointing towards various houses, labeled with what they were selling.

"What are we doing here?" Miciah asked.

"Didn't you hear? We're going shopping."

"Shopping for what?"

"Well, first," Icarus took his eyes off of the road and looked at him, "We're going shopping for you."

The horse stopped at one of the shops, and Icarus and Miciah stepped out. The sign read, "Winter Clothing."

"We're actually getting me clothes."

"Did you think I was lying?"

"Yes."

Icarus walked up the shop and knocked.

"Come in!" Said a voice from inside. Icarus opened the door and stepped inside, the ornaments on his boots making noise as he walked.

Warmth spilled out into the path, and Miciah hurriedly walking into the shop.

The walls of the shop were covered in hangers and shelves, and various coats, cloaks, and other articles of clothing hung from them. The shopkeeper - a small man with red hair - scrambled out from behind the counter. A plaque on the counter read "Sancho Ellington".

"Mr. Qilynn! It's good to see you," Sancho Ellington came over to shake Icarus's hand. Miciah glanced up at Icarus, and did a double take.

His hair and eyes had both become brown and his skin was tanner. Miciah knew that Icarus didn't actually look like that. Rather, that he was making them think that's what he looked like. That must have been why neither the guard nor the shopkeeper recognized him.

"What a good trick," Miciah said. It was what Icarus had said to Miciah earlier.

Ignoring him , Icarus spoke to Ellington, "My cousin here doesn't have any clothes suited for this weather, so I'm here to buy him some."

"Your cousin?" Ellington looked at Miciah with glazed eyes, "Ah, yes. You two look alike! Wait here for a moment."

Miciah raised an eyebrow at Icarus, but didn't say anything.

Ellington flitted around the shop for a few minutes, picked things off of shelves and hooks. He then came over with the stack in his arms.

"What here do you like?" Icarus said, looking up at Miciah. He came over to look at each article of clothing.

"This is well made," Miciah said to Ellington, feeling the thick fabric. He beamed.

"Of course! Everything in my shop is of the highest quality."

In the end, Miciah picked only a few things from the pile, and then went to wait outside.

Icarus came out a few moments later with the clothes in a bundle, and then a cloak hanging off of his other arm.

Miciah frowned, "I didn't want this."

"It's cold here," Icarus said, hiding the bundle under a stack of hay and then holding up the cloak. It was a simple black cloak with a fur hood and a wooden clasp. "You should put it on so you don't get sick."

Miciah turned his head to the side, showing that he wasn't going to accept it. He heard a sigh, and then a moment later, he felt something warm draping over his shoulders.

Miciah looked back in surprise. Icarus calmly fastened the wooden clasp, and then reached over and lifted the hood onto Miciah's head.

In truth, Miciah, who lived in a desert, had been very cold, and was grateful for the cloak. However, he knew that he wouldn't need to get a cloak if not for the person in front of him.

"What did you come here to buy?" He asked. Icarus took a step back.

"There's something that I've been looking for for a while, and today I've come to pick it up."

It was clear that he wasn't going to tell Miciah what it was, at least not until he got it.

"Where is it?"

Icarus pointed to a shop on the corner, "Just over there. It should be waiting for me, so you don't need to come."

"Ok."

Miciah didn't feel like arguing with him, and sat on the wagon. As Icarus went to the shop, Miciah closed his eyes and concentrated.

If Icarus came here to get something, it had to be something powerful. It shouldn't be hard for Miciah to find it.

Just as he suspected, he could feel something pulsing inside of the shop. Miciah's brow furrowed. Whatever the item was, it was powerful enough that Miciah could practically see it with his eyes closed. He could see gold being exchanged, and then a few moments later, he opened his eyes.

Icarus walked out of the shop, tucking a package into his coat.

"Are you going to tell me what is it?" Miciah asked.

"Not right now," Icarus said, "Right now, we're going to find my horse."

"Your horse?" Miciah turned, "Isn't he right - "

He stopped, because the horse was not right there. Where a horse had previously been was just an empty road. Miciah blinked, baffled.

"Did someone take the horse?"

"Three people," Icarus said cheerfully, "They must have done it while I wasn't paying attention."

"Why would they want to steal your horse? And how do you know that three people stole him, anyway?"

"They want to steal my horse because it's a good horse. And I know that it's three people, because they're only two streets down."

"What's the problem, then? Can't you just have them walk him back over here?"

Icarus shook his head, "They're too far. I can only see them."

Even an Ability as strong as his had to have some limit on it. With this information, could Miciah escape the mountain on his own? He didn't know how far away Icarus could see him from, and he didn't know if there were corpses anywhere else on the mountain. Even if Icarus couldn't control him, he might be blocked by corpses. Still, it would be easier to take on ten corpses than one Icarus.

Miciah sighed, "Come on, then. Lead the way."

Icarus hurried down the street and Miciah followed a few steps behind him. Icarus had a smile on his face as he went forward.

Miciah wondered if he could make a run for it. But in the end, he didn't run, and instead continued to follow.

They turned the corner, and sure enough, three men calmly walked the horse down the road, one sitting on it.

Icarus narrowed his eyes at it, and the horse started to turn.

"Hey!" The rider said, "Walk straight."

The horse neighed and rose on its hind legs, trying to throw the rider off. He swore, and dug his fingers into the horse's mane.

Instead of walking towards Icarus, the horse started to walk into an alleyway. The thieves had no choice but to follow it, unaware of the two close behind.

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"What's wrong with you?" Benjamin, who was leading the horse, snapped at it, "There's nothing here!"

The alley was a dead end with nothing but grass and brick. Finn tugged at the horse's reigns, "Come on, let's go back. Jesper, you alright?"

The man on the horse nodded, "I'm fine. This is a good horse - when we get it out of here, it'll fetch a lot of money."

They spun around to see two figures waiting for them. One in white and gold blocking the entrance, and the other in a black cloak, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Who are you?" Jesper slid off and stepped forward. He was clearly the leader of the group.

"You don't even know who's horse you stole?" The man in white asked. He spoke with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

The air around them seemed to drop several degrees.

Jesper smiled, too, and pulled out a long dagger from the folds of his clothes, "Do you want it back?"

"Can't you just get a new horse?" The man in black asked tiredly, "This is a lot of trouble."

The man was staring straight at Jesper, and it took him a moment to realize that he wasn't talking to him, but to the man in white.

"Yeah, just get a new one," Jesper said. He regarded the man in white. He looked like a young master from a rich family, probably a second- or third-generation son. He couldn't imagine who the other one was, but neither of them would have the means the get the horse back. "Don't you have better things to do than to chase after this old horse?"

"I wasn't talking to you," the man in black said in a freezing voice. He turned his head to look at the man in white, "Just get the horse and leave."

"Of course," the man in white said. He hadn't moved his gaze off of the horse since he got there. The horse had bent it's head to eat frozen grass.

The man in white let out a low whistle. The horse's head shot up, and it neighed softly and started to walk forwards. Finn pulled on the reigns and dug his feet into the ground, stopping the horse in it's tracks.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jesper took a step forward in front of the horse. In truth, he didn't want to fight them - he wasn't too good with a dagger and didn't have the means to get out of jail if they decided to pursue him. He was just hoping that they didn't know how to fight either, and would leave without calling him on his bluff.

A cry sounded out from behind him. Jesper whirled around to see Finn dropping the reigns, clutching his hand.

"What is it?" Jesper asked. Finn opened his mouth to respond, but only let out another cry. He held his hand up and looked at it in terror. And then, in one motion, his hand dove forward, pinning him to the wall by his neck.

"Stop that!" He ran forward and tried to pull his hand off, "What's wrong with you? Pull yourself together!"

He couldn't pull the hand off. It was like it was glued to the wall, strangling him. Finn's face started to turn blue.

"Benny, help me with F- "

"Ah!" Something slammed onto the wall next to Finn. Benjamin's hand had pinned him to the wall, too, and his clutched at it with his other hand.

"What's going on?" Jesper said. He started to reach forward. Then, his arm went numb. Jesper frowned, and tried to pull his hand down. It didn't budge.

He took a step back, but his hand was connected to his body.

"What's happening?" His voice was shaking as he stared at his own hand, "Why can't I move my arm?"

His hand started to move.

"Don't - no - "

His hand shot towards him, and Jesper let out a guttural scream and closed his eyes.

"Knock it off!" A voice cried behind them. Feeling returned to Jesper's hand, and he opened his eyes slowly. He could move his hand again. Slowly, Jesper spun around.

The man in black had finally come off the wall, and clutched the hand of the man in white, who had been staring at Finn. He glanced at the other man. Finn and Benjamin's hand relaxed, and he sucked in deep breaths.

The man in black lifted his other hand, and the reigns on the horse lifted by themselves. The horse neighed and followed them, while Jesper, Finn, and Benjamin stayed pressed against the wall. Finn regarded his hand with fear and apprehensiveness.

"Let's go," the man in black took the horse's reigns and started to walk out of the alley. The man in white didn't move, and was still staring where the other man had been before.

"Icarus!" The man's voice was sharp with anger. The man in white - Icarus - blinked as if coming out of a trance, then smiled. A chill ran down Jesper's spine.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he said. He looked at the three one more time, before turning and chasing after the man in black.

Jesper stood rooted to the spot for at least ten minutes before he felt brave enough to move again.