Chapter II - Gideon and Folk

I hope the pace is beginning to pick up a little more now. Pacing can be really tricky sometimes when writing. Of course, when reading over your own text, it's really easy to just read it really quickly. Certainly, I find it really quite tricky sometimes to get the pacing just right, or rather, to tell if the pacing is just right. 

Like most things in my writing, I just go in blind. Ultimately, I tend to write as it flows off my fingers and onto the screen (or paper if I'm doing it traditionally) and then maybe go back and tidy up minor details, perhaps correcting some punctuation or spelling, or tweaking a word that I realise I have used entirely too many times within one paragraph. These often slip through, but I prefer the raw writing style to something heavily edited and clipped. 

Again, comments are always gladly received. It's nice to know that people are getting any form of enjoyment out of my writing.
 



Folk opened her eyes and stretched her arms with a yawn, half-rolling over and pulling the sheets around herself. What a dream she'd had. Utterly horrible, that fiend... She had been so terrified, but it had only been a dream... Hadn't it? She paused for a moment thinking about it, and looking around herself. She was in the infirmary, the soft light of dawn breaking in through the glass window opposite from her. The room itself was rectangular and large enough to comfortably accommodate six beds with plenty of space to maneuver between them all. The walls were a soft pastel yellow, and each of the beds was neatly made with ivory sheets and plump downy pillows.

She ran her thoughts back through her dream trying to remember details, then stopped and slowly, slowly slid her hand down her leg. There, bandages wrapped tightly around her calves, and it stung to touch even gently.

It had not been a dream.

Panic began to creep back into Folk's thoughts. She was alone here, what if more of those... Those things were out there? Hadn't Gideon gone off looking for them? Was he alright?! What if she was the only one in all of Berican still alive?!

It was all she could do not to scream when the door opened, but she stopped herself as soon as she saw that it was Gideon, dressed in his usual midnight blue robes with the intricate gold trims. He looked tired though. No, he looked older, as if he had somehow aged another decade overnight.

"Ah, you're awake." He said, breathily, with a smile as he closed the wooden door behind him, "That's good. How do you feel, Folk?"

She nodded quietly, almost shyly, perhaps a little embarrassed that she'd been so worried.

"My leg hurts..." She said after a while.

He gave a sympathetic smile and perched himself on the edge of her bed wearily. "Did you see where the creature came from?"

She shook her head. "What did you do to it?"

"I froze it and rewound it to a time when it didn't exist."

"Where there more?"

"No," he said slowly, "Not in Berican, at least. I sent an Agate messenger out to the other colleges and universities this morning to ask if there were any other similar instances. He's not gotten back yet." He sighed and stared up at the ceiling for a moment before turning back to her. "Folk, it is very important that you tell me everything, do you understand? I had to use a lot of time magic last night to unwind that beast, more than I promised I'd ever use in one go again. What were you doing out of your bed so late at night? Why were you on the southern stairwell?"

Folk lay in silence for a moment, not entirely sure how best to answer. "I don't know." She said at last.

Gideon sighed, but Folk continued before he could press her.

"I don't know why I got up. Something woke me. Not a noise or a thing, but I woke up and felt scared. Like something bad was happening or about to happen. I felt like I had to go, so I got up and went out."

"Were you trying to get out of Berican?"

"I don't know..." She choked a little, something like fear rising inside her as she began reliving the events in her head. Tears began to form at the side of her eyes and her breath quickened, her speech stammering, "I just f-felt like I h-had to go. So I went. I c-c-came to the stairwell and... And I had all these horrible thoughts... I w-was s-so scared and then... Then it was just... There."

The tears came and broke free, but she did not wail. Gideon smiled a little sympathetically and slid closer to the girl, putting his arm around her shoulder and holding her to him to comfort her.

"It's alright." He tried to hush her gently, "It's over and the creature is gone. You didn't do anything wrong, you just had me worried about you, and I'm concerned to where it came from. That's all."

She sniffed and looked up at him from under his arm, "I'm sorry." She said.

He chuckled a little, warmly, "You don't need to apologise. We're just-"

There was a knock and then the door opened. There stood a woman in the full grey robes of the Agate Tower, cord pulled tight around her waste so that the flaps of the robe almost formed a knee length tabard. Her hood was up, but long auburn locks spilled from the opening and onto her chest. Her face was sharp and angular, beautiful and carved, her eyes a deep chestnut.

"I have your report, sir." She said, "My apologies if I am intruding."

"Not at all, Kala, thank you. Come in."

She bowed slightly and stepped into the room, closing the door again behind her, "The response is the same from all questioned, sir. Last night contained several strange events, but none similar to the incident you mentioned. Is this the girl?" The woman peered at Folk, curving to face her directly. Folk suddenly felt quite uncomfortable. Gideon seemed to ignore the question.

"What strange events did they mention?"

Kala coiled back up to attention slowly, her gaze lingering on Folk, "They didn't, sir. They merely mentioned that they had had their own troubles, but neither to the scale or description you mentioned."

"Typical," Gideon muttered, "In a matter like this it still all comes down to College Politics."

"Will there be anything else, sir?"

"Yes, Kala, I'm sorry. I know you have a muster to get to for your northward journey, but I need to call a Council. Each of the Colleges and Universities must send a representative to the Temple of Arosius at sunset tonight."

"And if any refuse?"

"They won't if they think other representatives will be there, they won't let the others get a possible head start. You must make each of the, believe they are one of the last to agree."

"Sir, I am a messenger, not an actor. I don't-"

"Nevertheless, you must do this, Kala. That is all."

She snapped her heels together and bowed before turning and leaving, closing the door quietly behind her.

"Gideon? What's wrong?"

He looked down at Folk wearily, he appeared as one deprived of much sleep, but he still smiled at the girl. If there was a single thing in this world that could soften his mood, it was her.

"I am afraid, Folk, afraid of what last nights events might mean."

She shuffled up closer and put her arms around his waist in a hug. He placed his arm around her, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"And I hope the other Colleges and Universities will take me seriously."