Page 56 of Hollow Valley

We all took some time to rest and clean up a bit, but Boden was focused on the first scraps of info we’d gotten in a while.When Leandro headed out to help Fergus and Dougal set up their tent, Edie and Fae laid down for a nap, and I volunteered to go with Boden to scout out the town.

He hurried through the streets, his earlier exhaustion apparently overtaken by his dedication to Remy, and I had to jog to keep up with him at times.

Fortunately, Xwechtáal was small enough that it wasn’t the kind of place anyone could get lost.Janiffer’s directions had been simple enough anyway:Take a left after the gardens, go straight until you find a little wood cabin with a maple tree in the yard.

It didn’t take long at all until we found it.A maple tree grew between a rustic cabin and the garage that was nearly the same size as the house.On the exterior wall of the garage was a staircase that led up to a second-story apartment.

According to Janiffer, Remy had rented that loft apartment from Jordy Duvall, until she had packed up and left, and it had been empty ever since.

Boden bounded up the stairs two at a time, and I raced up after him.He tried the door, and when it didn’t budge right away, he slammed into it with his shoulder, and it popped open.

“Careful!”I admonished him in a hushed tone.“You can’t be breaking other people’s stuff.”

“I’ll fix anything I break,” he muttered as he went inside, and he quickly followed up with a disappointed sigh.

It was a small single-room illuminated by the solitary window – a skylight in the vaulted ceiling.A single mattress leaned up against a wall next to a table and two chairs, but that was it.Other than some dust, there was nothing in the room.

But there was clear evidence that Remy had been there.Or at least, thatRipleyhad.Telltale claw marks on the floor and teeth marks on the table leg, since the lion sometimes chewed on furniture when she was bored.There was even a tuft of amber-gold fur in the corner.

“Well, we knew she wasn’t here now, but we know she made it this far,” I said, trying to look on the positive.“And we have confirmation that she’s heading to Glacier Valley.”

“And that she likely arrived there by now,” he grumbled as he surveyed the room.“She could already be locked up at Cold Shore.Or…” He shook his head, as if he couldn’t even let himself finish the thought.

Abruptly, he turned and started out the door and down the stairs.

“Boden?”I called after him in surprise.“Where are you going?”

From the landing at the top of the stairs, I watched as Boden jogged over to the cabin next door, the cabin where Remy’s landlord, Jordy Duvall lived.He tried the door, and when it wouldn’t give, even when he slammed his shoulder into it, he moved onto a nearby window.

I hurried down the stairs and over to him, hoping to stop him before he broke something that he couldn’t fix.

“Boden, stop,” I said.“You can’t go breaking into people’s houses.Remy’s not even in there, and you know it.”

“I just have to look,” he insisted without even pausing his attempt to pry open the window with his fingers.

I was about to argue with him more, because I truly didn’t know what he hoped to gain by this.The Warden Daiyu had seemed like a no-nonsense type, and she could easily kick us out before we had even a single night’s rest in those gloriously soft, safe beds.

But then the window opened, and Boden was crawling in through it before I could stop him.I sighed and followed him in, because there was no point in turning back now.

Boden caught me before I went tumbling onto the floor, and he helped me to my feet.The cabin was only slightly larger than Remy’s apartment had been, but it was crowded and overstuffed.

The air was tinged with the sharp, earthy scent of dried herbs but also something vaguely chemical and metallic.

The small kitchen was tucked into a corner of the rustic cabin, and the wooden shelves were warped with age and lined with mismatched jars and bottles.One wall was dominated by an iron stove, the top cluttered with kettles, pots, and glass jars.

Moving deeper in the living space, an unmade bed was against one wall.Beside it was a bookshelf completely overflowing with books.In fact, books were stacked up in nearly every available space.Next to an overstuffed leather chair, a tower of books served as an end table, where a flask and kerosene lamp sat.

The centerpiece of the room, if there was one, was a large roughhewn table.Similar to the kitchen, it was crowded with mortar and pestle, tongs and tiny spoons, tattered cheese cloth and stained papers, each marked by green residue.

“So, what are we doing in here?”I asked Boden as he surveyed the cluttered cabin.

“I don’t know exactly.I just wanted some sign as to what Remy’s doing.”His fingers trailed on the table, and he toyed absently with the pestle.“All this stuff is for chemistry?I expected more beakers and Bunsen burners.”

“He’d probably have them if he could,” I pointed out.“But I think he’s actually a chemist, as in someone who prepares and sell medicine compounds.Like a one-person pharmacist.”

“Well, that makes more sense.”Boden’s eyes went to the rafters, where herbs, garlic, peppers, and tear-dropped pouches wrapped in cheesecloth were all suspended from rope, likely for storage or drying.“I flunked out of chemistry back in high school, but I was struggling to figure out what a village like this needed with a chemistry teacher.”

“They need a chemistry teacher the same reason that anyone needs any teacher,” I said.“So knowledge is passed onto our children and it isn’t lost forever.If we hope to build a civilization again, it’s important we keep our knowledge.”