Island Prose

(Continued from Chapter 10)

It was Mei who first alerted them. Sometimes, as she and Alphonse worked together in Roy’s garden, she’d take a break and sit on the fence, gazing through a gap in some of the bushes on the southern perimeter, watching the fields to the south of the hill on which the house stood.

And that was why, on a clear morning two days later, she saw the two riders while they were still a considerable distance away. They rode in a rather relaxed way up the small road on the eastern edges of the grass fields, obviously not in a big hurry.

Hohenheim and Havoc stood with Al and Mei at the fence for a few minutes, to make sure that these were the riders they’d been waiting for. But finally Hohenheim remarked, “I’m glad I didn’t bet you any money on this, Jean,” and Havoc laughed.

( Getting things sorted out )

(Continue to Chapter 12)

(Continued from Chapter 8)

They didn’t quite make it all the way to the stone pillars, or to the town that was supposedly on the other side, but both of them were quite able to set up a camp for the night. It was almost like old times, in fact, from their years fighting in Ishbal.

The daylight gradually failed, the rays of the setting sun streaming eastward to light the ochre pillars with flame in the distance before vanishing altogether. By the time darkness finally fell, Roy and Riza had found another little spring and a copse of ragged, stunted trees under which to shelter.

( The first few days in Ishbal )

(Continue to Chapter 10)

(Continued from Chapter 6)

Havoc strode up to Hohenheim and grabbed the front of the man’s jacket with both fists, jerking him forward. He glared into the man’s face and growled, “Just what do you think you’re doing? Do you mean to say you’ve known all along what was wrong with Roy, and you didn’t say a word?”

Hohenheim seemed untroubled by the other man’s vehement anger. “Yes, I’ve known ever since I heard he left Central. But despite how that sounds, I wasn’t trying to keep it from you. I just felt it was better if Roy told you himself. But he had to come to terms with it first, and that’s what I hoped to help him do, if I could just talk to him in private for a while. Obviously I never got the chance to do that.”

“You bastard!” Ed raged. “You never, ever change, do you?”

( A lonely journey )

(Continue to Chapter 8)

(Continued from Chapter 4)


Before they descended from Roy’s hilltop house, Riza couldn’t resist taking one quick walk through the rooms. It was a very nice place, with wide windows on every external wall to allow as much light into the house as possible. Since Roy had only been there a few days, much of the house still had something of an empty look, despite being pretty well furnished. It just lacked most of the more personal touches that indicated that an actual human being lived in it. In that sense, the teapot and cups in the sink were almost comforting.

One room that did already show signs of human population was clearly intended to serve as a library, since several brand new polished bookcases stood along three of its walls. Only those on the wall to the left of the door had been designated for books so far, and only a few of those shelves had been populated. Unpacked boxes of books remained still stacked in one corner; clearly he hadn’t gotten around to opening them yet. But Riza could tell that even those books probably wouldn’t quite fill even that one wall of shelving. Roy had obviously expected to be here long enough to acquire many more books for this room before he was done.

( Planning the Pursuit )

(Continue to Chapter 6)

 

(Continued from Chapter 2)


Spring had completely taken hold here. For the past couple of mornings, Roy had stepped onto his front porch and just breathed. You could almost smell everything growing within an inch of its life. There was a small lake to the north, and the humidity travelled down to this area, bounded and prevented from moving east by that ridge across a low valley behind the house. This little cottage he’d bought several months ago was situated in a good position: on a hill from which he could view the valley and the ridge behind, and a gentler valley in front of the house that widened slowly toward a row of hills a few miles away to the west.

Behind him, slightly to the northeast, lay Ishbal, just a short distance away with its heat and its desert. Fascinating, what a couple of high ridges did to block the means of turning that land into as lush a region as this was. And before him, across a small rocky river and over those green hills just a bit southeast, was Risemboul.

( Continuing the hunt )

(Continue to Chapter 4)

Chapter 1

He stood at the entrance to the train station, taking one last look at the street outside. It would be dawn soon, and it was almost time to pick up his suitcase from the locker where he’d stored it, and board the first train out of Central for the day. He was only just beginning to feel a bit tired, after wandering the streets of the city for most of the night. But there would be plenty of time to nap once he’d left the city limits.

He had spent much of the night simply wandering the streets, after visiting the cemetery one last time. He had enjoyed the quiet dark, and the fresh smells of spring that accompanied him on his stroll. He had wandered through a couple of peaceful neighbourhoods, walked along the main market area where the booths and carts were closed up for the night, and of course had moved through the downtown area where administrative buildings were as plentiful as stores. He had only edged along the fringes of that area, though. He didn’t want anyone to see him and he didn’t feel like talking, and there was always a bit of activity in these buildings, even at night.

( Read more... )

(Continue to Chapter 2)