The Blood Alchemist; Chapter 9

Sure enough, as we hold our calm, steady pace, Clyde eventually catches up to us which just so happens to be right as we reach the meeting place. He slows his horse to match the pace of ours.

"Fancy seeing you here," Liv says by way of greeting.

"That was the agreement." Clyde looks at her, "Unless of course, you were hoping for some more time without me?"

Liv carefully turns her head to him. "Of course not; if anything, I would be hoping for time alone."

I lean back, shooting Clyde a glare around Liv, warning him not to say anything.

Clyde's eyes narrow at me. I quickly sit up and look ahead as Liv turns her head towards me. I keep my eyes focused on the road ahead as Liv studies me.

"We found everything we were planning to get," I say in an attempt to change the subject. "Were you successful?"

"Yes," Clyde responds as Liv pulls out a map.

Liv carefully traces it with her eyes. "We've got at least a two-day ride to the next town. I don't suppose either of you knows much about it."

We both lean toward her, looking at the town she points at. Gorum.

"We should avoid entering," I say, pulling away.

"Agreed," Clyde seconds my words.

Liv looks between the two of us. "Care to share the reason?"

"Azymus may have a reputation for being a bit wild, but Gorum is known as a city of thieves and cutthroats," Clyde says calmly. "You don't go there unless you have no other choice."

Liv nods. "Good to know." She carefully folds the map, sliding it back into her backpack. "So, we head towards Gorum, but we don't go in. We just use it as a check to make sure we're going the right way."

"Good thing we got plenty of supplies," I comment.

"Let's see how far we can get today."

Liv flicks her reigns, and her horse takes off, leaving Clyde and me to follow.

We keep to a steady pace, alternating the horses between sprinting and walking, allowing them to keep cool and hydrated, and giving them a break from carrying us as they walk. We break for lunch to give the horses a better rest while we eat. After that, we don't stop until the sun is nearly set, making camp for the night.

Like normal, after eating, the camp remains silent. Liv sits on one side of the fire, calmly drawing in her sketchbook and Clyde contentedly studies another map Liv gave him across from her. I stay by Clyde, not wanting to be near Liv at the moment. Nearly every time I had been near Liv while walking, and even at lunch, I had found Clyde studying us. I don't know why it bothered me so much.

After a short while, Liv puts her sketchbook away, settling down for the night. I find myself watching her as she drifts off to sleep.

I'm enjoying the silence when Clyde decides to break it.

"So, are you just planning on not saying anything?"

I look at him. His eyes are still on the map in his hands.

I look out into the night. "What would I have to say anything about?"

"Olivia," Clyde's voice is calm.

"What about her?"

I can feel Clyde's focus shift. "Did something happen last night?"

"I don't know how to tell you this Clyde, but nothing happened."

"Really? So, what happened in the market was normal unprompted behavior?"

I open my mouth, but there's no good reply, so I shut my mouth. I'm still not sure why I had done that.

"And you two seem much closer than you were before you entered the town," Clyde comments.

"Look, Clyde, I swear that nothing, most certainly nothing like what you seem to be thinking, happened." I turn my head to look sharply at him. "Liv and I pretend to be a couple to ward off unwanted attention and we shared a room, that's it."

Clyde arches an eyebrow. "Liv?"

I grind my mouth shut in irritation, looking back to the sky. "Okay, fine. We had a nice little chat, and she gave me permission to call her Liv. I don't see why it matters so much to you." I turn my head back to him. "Are you jealous?" I'm hoping to get a rise out of him.

He doesn't react for a second, just calmly holds my gaze. "You know I'm only here because you have a terrible penchant for getting yourself into trouble."

I roll my eyes. "Your faith in my self-preservation is astounding."

"I know you too well. You lack what is known as 'common sense,'" Clyde drawls.

I make a face. "You are really hanging me out to dry right now. Are you quite done?"

"Perhaps. Do you get the picture?"

"Yes. You plan to mother hen me till death do us part."

Clyde smirks. "Mother hens will leave their chicks alone once they've proven they can take care of themselves."

"Then pray tell, what can I do to prove I'm capable of taking care of myself because apparently nothing I've done counts."

"Well, not looking for trouble would be a grand start."

"Eh, boring."

Clyde sighs, "And thus the endless cycle continues."

I snicker as Clyde returns to his maps, smiling and shaking his head. We sit in silence for a little longer before I move, settling down on my sleeping pad. I'm unfolding my blanket when Clyde speaks again.

"Bash."

Flicking out my blanket to let it settle over me, I look towards him, "Yeah."

"Whatever happens. . ." he looks away for a second, eyes scanning our surroundings as he sighs, "Just be careful." His eyes land on me. They're as intense and earnest as his words.

I blink, unsure of why he's being so serious. "Aren't I always?" I ask, smirking.

"I'm serious Bastain," he warns. "I find it incredibly unlikely that things will end the way you're thinking or hoping they will."

I can feel my brows furrowing. For some reason, my mother's farewell comes to mind. "What do you mean?"

Clyde studies me for a second. "Just be careful."

Unsure of how else to respond, I just nod to him. He nods back and I settle down to sleep for the night.