The Arsenic Melody

Every time he visited the East Coast it had been shrouded in fog. It was no different today; as the stone bricks and wooden roofs, most of which had collapsed inwards were devoured by that familiar grey blanket. In Rosebay, it lay as thick on the ground and riverbanks as the clouds which lingered above. The rain held though and for that he was grateful. The world had ended seven years ago, and travelers like Odis had wondered about the world at that time. But found no sanctuary. He was here to see a trader, who moved between the stone Towers of Halden. During the fight against the thirteen divines, and their servants, these Towers were formed; they served as military outposts and civilians used them as trade points because of their added security. The monarchy also provided resources to them for a time. And small towns like Rosebay eventually began to occasionally appear, but they were often found and wiped out as quickly as they had grown. Leaving the Towers to spite the fragility

He lay awake during the night.Worried that the wise woman’s words could be true and determined that they were not. But it was a different sound which unsettled him, the cooing of an owl in a nearby tree kept him awake and active, it was enough to haunt his dreams and cause his superstitious mind to stir. He decided by morning that he would leave the village. An odd sense had descended on himThere was still a bit of money to be made here, and trading to be done. But his gut told him it would be better to leave the town. He stayed awake for lack of sleep, listening to the strange sounds of the night and whether self-conscious or real some of what he heard deeply unsettled him. The most relevant of these sounds were the coos of an owl nearby, he could not help but imagine that in the dark of the night it sat watching him. The thought of such vulnerability, such uncontrollability, forced him to stay awake. But he had a lingering fear to leave his room and even questioned how he would do

Odis raised his head, and felt the cold ground around him. Despite being in the midst of the swamp it was dry and untouched by the frost. With a pillow of grass by his head, and no signs whatsoever of an ethereal being. There were robins which sang in the morning light, and insects which flew effortlessly over the bog. When he stood, he was surprised as his bones and muscles did not ache as though they had been left on the forest floor, he felt as light and rested as though he had slept in the inn by the riverside. The feeling of rest, and the fleeting memories of a dream the night before were partly enough to convince him that he had finally lost his mind, but although this was the easier conclusion for Odis, he felt a desire to follow the instructions given to him. He collected his thoughts and pulled himself together. He checked his sword hilt and was relieved to feel the same blade as always. He dusted him clothes but found there was no need as they were completely clean, more so