Momo considered the proposal with an appropriately thoughtful expression, his ears tilting mindfully as the orderly rows of apple trees came into view beyond the last of the alders. The idea of a treasure hunt seemed, at first, entirely unnecessary. They could simply take a few apples, leave behind their payment, and be on their way. But the more he considered the alternative, the more appealing it became. There was something delightfully ridiculous about transforming a simple act of scrumping into an elaborate little adventure, especially if Godwin was going to be given the opportunity to play along after the fact.
Still, some part of his attention remained behind them.
That shadow had been there.
Momo couldn't quite shake the image of it: the dark shape between the trees, canine in silhouette, gone almost as quickly as he'd noticed it. He had seen no disturbance in the Shroud. Felt nothing from the spirits. There had been no sound, no scent of anything immediately threatening. Every sensible part of him insisted there was nothing to worry about.
His instincts disagreed.
It was an unpleasant little knot beneath his ribs, the sort of feeling that had no name and needed none. He'd learned long ago that danger did not always announce itself. Sometimes it was simply the sudden certainty that something was wrong, even when every piece of evidence said otherwise.
He didn't want to alarm Osytha over a shadow he couldn't even prove he'd seen. More importantly, he didn't want her looking back toward the woods. So Momo kept smiling, kept his tone light, and gently increased their pace.
“A treasure hunt…” he repeated, drawing the words out as though weighing them with great importance. Their joined hands swung between them, and his thumb idly brushed across the back of hers. “I rather like that.”
His eyes remained fixed ahead as the orchard drew nearer. “We could leave a few clues throughout the place. Nothing too difficult, mind you. Just enough to make him wonder what on earth we've been up to.” A mischievous glint entered his eyes, though there was a faint urgency beneath it that he hoped she wouldn't notice. “And the final clue could lead him to wherever we decide to leave the payment. That way, technically speaking, we're not even keeping anything from him. We're simply giving him the opportunity to discover what we've left behind.”
He glanced briefly toward Osytha, then ahead again.
“Which means we're not thieves.”
A beat.
“We're organizers of a very poorly funded treasure hunt.”
A quiet laugh escaped him, and his tail swayed behind him. He resisted the urge to look over his shoulder again. Instead, he concentrated on the orchard ahead, on the neat rows of trees and the farmhouse beyond them, on anything that gave his mind somewhere else to settle.
“We could make the clues tell a story, too. Something unnecessarily grand. A mysterious stranger arrives beneath the cover of darkness. A priceless bounty is discovered. Ancient forces conspire to conceal it beneath the branches of the orchard…” His expression became increasingly solemn as the story grew more ridiculous. “And only the bravest farmer can recover his stolen treasure.”
Momo's ears twitched.
“Which, admittedly, is a rather generous description of a few apples and whatever else we manage to carry.”
His fingers tightened around Osytha's for just a moment before relaxing again. It was an unconscious gesture, less affectionate than reassuring himself that she was still beside him. The strange feeling in his stomach remained, stubbornly refusing to be dismissed.
“As for the payment, I think it should be part of the final prize. Something he'll actually enjoy finding.” His gaze settled on the farmhouse. “Then, once he's followed our little trail to the end, he gets his treasure back.”
His grin returned, more naturally this time.
“And perhaps a note informing him that he's been robbed by two highly respectable travelers who definitely paid for everything.”
He laughed softly, shaking his head.
“Though perhaps that lacks a certain elegance.”
Momo's pace carried them a little farther down the slope before he finally allowed himself one quick glance back toward the alders.
Nothing.
Only trees.
His ears lowered for the briefest moment before he turned forward again.
“Well,” he said lightly, giving Osytha's hand another gentle squeeze, “we should probably get on with our very respectable criminal enterprise before I start taking this entirely too seriously.”
The words were playful. His smile was convincing.
But somewhere beneath it, that knot in his stomach remained.
And Momo had no intention of letting it get any closer to her.
Still, some part of his attention remained behind them.
That shadow had been there.
Momo couldn't quite shake the image of it: the dark shape between the trees, canine in silhouette, gone almost as quickly as he'd noticed it. He had seen no disturbance in the Shroud. Felt nothing from the spirits. There had been no sound, no scent of anything immediately threatening. Every sensible part of him insisted there was nothing to worry about.
His instincts disagreed.
It was an unpleasant little knot beneath his ribs, the sort of feeling that had no name and needed none. He'd learned long ago that danger did not always announce itself. Sometimes it was simply the sudden certainty that something was wrong, even when every piece of evidence said otherwise.
He didn't want to alarm Osytha over a shadow he couldn't even prove he'd seen. More importantly, he didn't want her looking back toward the woods. So Momo kept smiling, kept his tone light, and gently increased their pace.
“A treasure hunt…” he repeated, drawing the words out as though weighing them with great importance. Their joined hands swung between them, and his thumb idly brushed across the back of hers. “I rather like that.”
His eyes remained fixed ahead as the orchard drew nearer. “We could leave a few clues throughout the place. Nothing too difficult, mind you. Just enough to make him wonder what on earth we've been up to.” A mischievous glint entered his eyes, though there was a faint urgency beneath it that he hoped she wouldn't notice. “And the final clue could lead him to wherever we decide to leave the payment. That way, technically speaking, we're not even keeping anything from him. We're simply giving him the opportunity to discover what we've left behind.”
He glanced briefly toward Osytha, then ahead again.
“Which means we're not thieves.”
A beat.
“We're organizers of a very poorly funded treasure hunt.”
A quiet laugh escaped him, and his tail swayed behind him. He resisted the urge to look over his shoulder again. Instead, he concentrated on the orchard ahead, on the neat rows of trees and the farmhouse beyond them, on anything that gave his mind somewhere else to settle.
“We could make the clues tell a story, too. Something unnecessarily grand. A mysterious stranger arrives beneath the cover of darkness. A priceless bounty is discovered. Ancient forces conspire to conceal it beneath the branches of the orchard…” His expression became increasingly solemn as the story grew more ridiculous. “And only the bravest farmer can recover his stolen treasure.”
Momo's ears twitched.
“Which, admittedly, is a rather generous description of a few apples and whatever else we manage to carry.”
His fingers tightened around Osytha's for just a moment before relaxing again. It was an unconscious gesture, less affectionate than reassuring himself that she was still beside him. The strange feeling in his stomach remained, stubbornly refusing to be dismissed.
“As for the payment, I think it should be part of the final prize. Something he'll actually enjoy finding.” His gaze settled on the farmhouse. “Then, once he's followed our little trail to the end, he gets his treasure back.”
His grin returned, more naturally this time.
“And perhaps a note informing him that he's been robbed by two highly respectable travelers who definitely paid for everything.”
He laughed softly, shaking his head.
“Though perhaps that lacks a certain elegance.”
Momo's pace carried them a little farther down the slope before he finally allowed himself one quick glance back toward the alders.
Nothing.
Only trees.
His ears lowered for the briefest moment before he turned forward again.
“Well,” he said lightly, giving Osytha's hand another gentle squeeze, “we should probably get on with our very respectable criminal enterprise before I start taking this entirely too seriously.”
The words were playful. His smile was convincing.
But somewhere beneath it, that knot in his stomach remained.
And Momo had no intention of letting it get any closer to her.
