Episode 7: Encounters, part 2
Written by: Auraboo
Back to the Archive | << Previous | Next >>
The pounding of hooves was the first thing that told Tamrus someone was coming, long before the grinding of wheels was close enough to be heard. Horses, he thought, two dozen at least, trotting fast enough to send the ground drumming underneath his feet.
”Caravan,” he said, which brought Lily to a halt. Even beneath the beard his expression was troubled. ”Let’s get off the road until they’ve passed us.”
From the shelter of the treeline he watched as a city of wagons rolled into view, pulled by stout, muscular ponies. Even without seeing the emblems on the wagons he could tell the travellers were dwarven. The ponies resembled Overworld draft horses, raised and bred to pull cargo and traverse the mines where horses could not; too tall for halvlings, much too short for the taller species. The wagons rattled past in an endless line, gilded wheels, guild emblems proudly on display on all sides.
Merchants.
Tamrus’s mouth was drawn into a thin line once the caravan had at last passed them, leaving behind a cloud of dust. They were slowing down, Lily saw, readying for the nightfall. Already the horizon was tinted orange, the sun ready to disappear behind the treeline.
”I suppose we should think about making camp soon.” When he did not respond Lily elbowed him. ”Tamrus?”
He was still staring after the wagons, though they had already vanished behind the bend in the road. ”Those were dwarven merchants.”
”And?”
”That’s the third dwarven caravan we’ve seen in the past days.”
”We still need to make camp.”
”Not here. I’m not risking another one.” And with that he turned around and brushed past her into the woods. ”Are you coming or not?”
”In there? Are you half-mad?” She broke into a run to keep up with him. ”Hey! I’m not done talking to you!”
Night always came faster in the woods, the last rays of sunlight weak in the face of approaching darkness. Shadows swallowed everything and made monsters of trees. Every rustle and noise grew in size and painted threats everywhere, real and imaginary, until Lily walked with a hand at the ready on her dagger’s hilt.
”I’m coming back as a ghost just to haunt you if I get eaten by a bear,” she mumbled furiously, nearly losing her balance as her shoe found the raised root of a fir tree.
At least the forest was not silent. Blackbirds were singing their hearts out though it would soon be autumn, and in the treetops the scurrying of animals could be heard. She found herself relaxing little by little as her eyes adjusted to the dark. Up ahead Tamrus strode on, feigning more confidence than he felt. Darkness underground was different. He had never fully grown used to how sounds travelled in the woods, or how brooks and rivers flowed without the endless echoing of water. Somewhere above an owl took flight, hooting dully. When it was gone Tamrus’s ears caught a new sound; quiet voices talking.
He gestured at Lily and held a finger to his lips. She tiptoed closer, listening.
Among the trees came a faint flicker of light, bright against the darkness.
Fire.
They exchanged a look, then crept closer as one without needing to talk. It was firelight, there was no doubt about it, and whoever was speaking was no dwarf, that much he could tell at once. Tamrus stiffened as he smelled something other than woodsmoke, something that gnawed at his insides. Blood, not that of a beast, but a living person.
His foot found a branch and it snapped in half with a noise like a cannonshot.
”Who’s there?” a voice called. When there was no answer it added, ”we know there’s someone there. Answer!”
Tamrus and Lily exchanged another look. She shook her head slowly.
”We did not intend to startle you,” Tamrus replied, drawing a groan from her. ”We’re seeking to settle for the night and happened to see your fire.”
Figures moved around the fire, backing further away from them. There was the sound of ringing steel as one of them unsheathed their weapon.
”Don’t come any closer,” the voice from before said, soft, masculine, and heavy with weariness. It took an almost pleading note as it continued more meekly, ”please. We don’t want any trouble.”
Though the words were in Common there was no mistaking the obvious Highlander accent.
Elves, Lily surmised, fingers tapping the hilt of her dagger.
”We intend no trouble,” Tamrus said. ”We are just a pair of weary travellers.”
”As are we.” The voice hesitated. Even through the narrow gap in the bushes Lily could see the gleam of the sword trembling as the hand holding it faltered. ”You mean it? You were not sent from Drecanbridge?”
”We’re no more local than you are judging by the accent, Highlander.” Tamrus sighed. The scent of blood was faint, like from an old wound long since closed, yes, but still present. It may not have roused much more than an unpleasant burning beneath his sternum, yet there was no mistaking it. ”Look, I can tell one of you is hurt. May we come closer to the fire?”
Another voice spoke to the elven man in a low murmur, too faintly for either Lily or Tamrus to make out any words. Finally, after what felt like a small eternity, the first voice spoke.
”No weapons. And please keep your hands where we can see them.”
”As you wish.” Tamrus nudged Lily when she continued looking skeptical, fidgeting with one of her knives as if ready to pull it out at any given moment. ”Come on, lass. You heard him.”
They brushed past the trees one after the other and towards the firelight.
The camp, if it could be called thus, was hardly more than a sunken sandpit, much too small to be considered a clearing. The fire burned low in a hole that had been dug in the ground, carefully sheltered from being seen from afar. On the other side were two elves, the man still standing and eyeing the newcomers uncertainly, sword pointed towards them, and a woman sitting right behind him. Her hair was the silvery-white of freshly fallen snow where his was the same blazing red as the fire, but the amber eyes were identical.
Tamrus could almost see the tension evaporate as the man looked from him to Lily and back, eyes widening comically.
”A dwarf and a halvling?” He sounded astonished.
”Not what you were expecting, I take it.”
”I suppose you really aren’t from around here.” He heaved a relieved sigh and finally sheathed the sword. ”You two look like you’ve been on the road for a while, if I may say so.”
”So do you,” Lily pointed out, frowning as she took in the pair of them. The longer she stared the worse it got. The skin around the Highlander man’s left eye was swollen, and purple, smaller bruises peppered the arm peeking out of a rolled up sleeve. There was dried blood around both nostrils. ”That’s fresh. Something nasty happen at this, what did you call it, Drecanbridge?”
”You could say that.” With another sigh he sank down next to the woman – Tamrus was almost certain she was a Woodlander judging by her attire and colouring – and beckoned. ”Come enjoy the fire. We have little in the way of rations to share, but at least we can share the warmth.”
”We have food to spare,” Tamrus said. He took off his rucksack slowly, seeing how the elves were still watching him with some apprehension, and sat down on the other side of the fire. From the bag he removed a spare waterskin and offered it at the Highlander. ”Your face could use a wash, boy. You’re looking a little rough.”
”Let me,” the woman said. She uncorked the waterskin and poured water onto a clean rag. The man winced as she began dabbing at his face, even though it was obvious she was being very careful with his injuries.
Tamrus conjured a kettle from the rucksack, saying, ”how did you get in this shape? Highwaymen?”
”You’re not criminals on the run, are you?” Lily intervened, finally taking a seat next to Tamrus.
”What? No, no, nothing like that. Ouch, Tariya, that’s still sore,” the man said with a grimace. ”It was all rather stupid, to be honest. It was pouring, we snuck into this barn to sleep, the owners freaked out once they found us.”
”Freaked out? Over a pair of ordinary travellers seeking shelter from the rain?”
”I was a wolf at the time,” the woman named Tariya answered. ”I sometimes forget to shift back before going to sleep, see,” she added as though this were the most natural thing in the world, interpreting the questioning looks on her new companions’ faces correctly. ”I still can’t believe I didn’t wake up when they entered the barn…”
”It’s not your fault,” the man told her soothingly, though the frown on her face did not soften much. She poured more water on the rag and moved on to the cuts on his arm. ”I’d heard rumours that the locals had recently lost many sheep to the wolves. It’s not surprising they were scared.”
”You a druid, then, lass?” Tamrus asked, several things in Tariya’s appearance clicking together all of a sudden. She nodded without glancing up from her work.
”Kind of an overreaction to beat up a complete stranger for being accompanied by a wolf,” Lily commented. ”You have the bearing of a soldier. Why didn’t you just fight back?”
The man looked scandalised. ”They were just common farmers! I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”
”Seems they had no such qualms about hurting a harmless stranger, though.”
”It wouldn’t have been fair. People aren’t themselves when they’re stressed out or scared,” he said a tad mulishly, and Lily knew there was nothing to win by pressing the point any further.
Just then the man’s stomach growled audibly, which drew an amused look from Tamrus.
”Here. Catch,” the dwarf said as he dug out an apple from his bag. He tossed it at the elf, then gave another one to his companion. ”You have a name you’re comfortable giving to a stranger, lad?”
”Luzem. And this is my sister, Tariya.” Luzem bit into his apple with some difficulty, for there was a cut at the corner of his mouth, but the fruit tasted just as sweet in his mouth all the same. He had not wanted to think about how hungry he had been; they had been forced to leave so hastily that they had left most of their food behind, and Tariya had refused to go hunt if it meant leaving him alone at camp. ”And I suppose we’re not strangers anymore once we know each other’s names?”
”I’m Tamrus,” the dwarf said with a nod. ”This is Lily.”
”I can introduce myself just fine, thank you very much,” Lily said. She stole a loaf of bread from his rucksack while he busied himself with filling the kettle and hanging it over the fire from a gnarled tree branch. ”Where are you two headed?”
Tariya set down the rag, shrugging. ”Nowhere in particular, I think.”
”You think?”
”We don’t really have a set course. We’ve travelled a little all over, staying a week here and another there, going with the sun. Or the seasons,” Luzem clarified.
”I suppose that’s not too terribly different from us, minus the seasons.” Lily did not bother with a knife as she tore into the bread and separated it into smaller pieces. ”Do you have a direction in mind?”
The elves shared a look, considering.
”Somewhere sheltered for the winter,” Tariya said, to which Luzem added:
”Northwards, maybe?”
She thought about it, then shook her head. ”Too barren. And not many rivers or lakes in the few woods there are.”
”And the east brings us too close to the cities.”
”Why not across the western border, to the Highlands?” Tamrus intervened, drawing two pairs of eyes towards him. The fact that both elves stared at him unblinkingly might have been unnerving had they not resembled a pair of mildly curious owlets. ”Wouldn’t you want to be closer to the lands of your kinsmen?”
He knew at once that he had said something wrong, for both Luzem and Tariya shifted uncomfortably. Luzem looked hesitant as he said, ”I mean, I guess… The area by the eastern border is mainly just uninhabited woodlands. All the major cities are to the west, closer to the coastline.”
Tariya laid a hand on his arm, her expression subdued. ”You haven’t been back since you left, though, have you?”
He shook his head. ”No, not once.”
The conversation never quite picked up after that. They ate with good appetites whatever Tamrus and Lily offered to share with them, neither mincing their words of gratitude, but it was obvious something was weighting on their minds.
Luzem took the first watch despite the others’ protests. When fitful sleep roused Lily from her rest for the third time there was a white wolf lying at his feet. The wolf turned its golden eyes towards the halvling, as though knowing that she, too, was awake, before resting her head once more on her paws. Luzem scratched her idly behind the ears, eyes somewhere in the distance.
Daylight did not easily permeate so deep into the dense woodlands, and it was two hours past dawn when Luzem stirred. It had taken the better part of the past years to learn to put aside the mercenary; to wake with the sun, sleep when he was tired, and eat when he was hungry, as he once had in a former life half-remembered. When he came to, it was to the scent of grease and the sizzling of a pan over the fire, and Tariya’s voice greeted him when he pried his eyes open.
”Morning, sleepyhead.” She smiled as he blinked blearily, trying to focus his gaze. He already looked much better than the night before. Most of the swelling had gone down, natural colour returned to his cheeks. ”How are you feeling?”
Luzem sat up, stretching. ”Like I’ve slept on rocks, to be honest, but at least well-rested.” He sniffed the air. ”Do I smell food? Who’s cooking?”
She gestured. Someone had gathered more firewood and lit a new fire in the pit. The dwarf from last night was sitting on the other side, ladle in hand. Luzem blinked again, trying to parse his memories.
Right. They were not alone.
Tamrus looked up from the pot he was stirring over the fire, nodding once before turning his attention back on the food. Tariya wrinkled her nose.
”He told me not to catch any meat,” she said, disappointment etched deep onto her every feature. ”He apparently doesn’t eat any.”
Tamrus scoffed at her tone. ”I just don’t want you bleeding anything around me. I have a… condition,” he said tersely, pausing to search for his words. ”I don’t react well to the scent of blood.”
”Oh, I knew someone like that once,” Luzem said. ”Fainted at the first glimpse of blood or even the smell of it. Being a mercenary was a weird career choice for someone like—”
”I don’t faint, lad,” Tamrus interrupted him. He sounded exasperated rather than annoyed. ”Well, the stew is ready. Gather around if you want some.”
The halvling Lily joined them as Luzem and Tariya had filled their bowls and sat down to eat. She, too, looked freshened up since the previous night. She had washed her face and her short curls were still slightly damp.
”So where are the two of you headed after this?” Luzem asked between spoonfuls. The root vegetables were perfectly cooked and soft, the broth warm and hearty.
”Across the border and to the Highlands,” Lily replied, blowing into her steaming bowl. ”I think we’ve about used up our opportunities around here.”
Tamrus grunted but said nothing. Though the Highlands were elven territory, plenty of other species had made their homes there, particularly in the eastern half of the country as well as by the border of their Woodland neighbours in the north. The roads were poor outside the coastal region; any sensible dwarven traders would not take their wares on foot or on horseback when the harbours of Llavarron were an option.
”I suppose you two are not going to stick around, either, considering,” Lily added meaningfully, eyes flitting to Luzem’s bruised visage.
”It would seem unwise,” Luzem agreed. He chewed slowly as he thought. Now, in gentle daylight, it was easier to look at their situation rationally. ”The nature in the Highlands has been left largely untouched, so long as we avoid the plains. It might not be such a terrible idea, if it’s just over the winter.”
Tariya exchanged a look with him. Neither of them spoke, not out loud at least, but some unvoiced understanding seemed to pass between them regardless, for they both relaxed visibly.
She said simply, ”we can always come back if you don’t like it there, you know.”
Luzem risked a smile, despite the cuts and bruises.
”Well, I’m not risking the highways again. Too many curious eyes about,” Tamrus said to Lily. ”We may have to wait for the cover of darkness before setting out just to play it safe.”
”Or we cut through the wilderness.” The thought did not please her. Though the woods were still dressed in their summer colours it was not hard to tell a change was just around the corner. She sighed ruefully. ”I guess it can’t be helped. It’ll be safer than the alternatives, at least.”
”You want to cross the border through the woods?” Tariya asked.
”Not too many other options available, are there?”
Her face lit up. ”I think I can help.”
By midday they were all tired and breathless, all but the white wolf who dashed ahead, fleet-footed and excited to have the liberty to run after a day’s idleness. Luzem could not match her speed even on the best of days, no matter how light all elves were on their feet, and this was not one of his best days. He mopped his brow, spying just a flash of white disappearing between the trees as Tariya loped down another animal trail, tail wagging happily.
”Hold up,” he called after her, or tried to. The voice that left his throat was barely a croak. He bent over, hands on his knees, and reached for his hipflask.
”Is she thinking of making us run the whole way?” Lily panted as she caught up with him. Her legs were in agony. The hills of her homeland were nothing to sprinting through the undisturbed woods and vaulting over roots and brambles after weeks on the road.
”I hope not,” Tamrus managed. He nearly emptied his waterskin in one go. What had started as a pleasantly cool early autumn’s day had quickly turned to full summer as the sun climbed towards its zenith. ”Can’t you catch up with her, boy?”
Luzem shook his head. ”I am no shifter. She’s got all the magic in the family.” He drained the last drops of his water. ”She won’t stray too far, I don’t think.”
True to his words, the wolf loped back towards them within minutes and stood waiting with her tongue lolling out until they had reached her again. She ran a lap around Luzem, nipping at his sleeve before sprinting ahead once more.
This pattern repeated until they all heard the babbling of a river and paused to refill their water containers. Tariya led them to a shallow crossing where they could wade across, then splashed on the other side with obvious canine enjoyment.
Here, the trees grew dense, gnarled and old, trunks covered with thick mosses and pale lichen. What looked like the remains of an abandoned wooden building loomed between the trees in a small copse. Lily inhaled sharply just as Tariya nearly skidded to a halt. Luzem’s hand found the hilt of the sword automatically as he saw her hackles rising, but just as suddenly she continued trotting, ears perking up with curiousity instead.
”What is it?” Tamrus asked, seeing the look on Lily’s face.
”Magic,” she answered, massaging her chest. The sensation had been brief, yet unmistakeable; a stirring in the air that had tasted like ashes. ”I think someone’s warded this place.”
Alarmed, Luzem took off running after his sister, feet flying over the mossy stones and ripe blueberries. ”Tariya! Tariya!”
The building turned out to be a tiny old temple, its engravings too faded to reveal what deity it had been for once upon a time. The forest had taken over the grounds, likely decades ago. The grasses and meadowflowers grew tall on the courtyard, moss now climbing the peeling wood walls. The light filtering in through the canopy of leaves bathed the temple grounds in golds and greens. Something hissed and bolted off behind the building; a cat, Tariya’s nose said.
She halted and shifted to her normal form. The feeling of magic had only grown stronger, yet the wards had allowed her, which was curious. She looked around, trying to catch her bearings, when a voice called out to her.
”Now this is something of a surprise.”
There was a hellning sitting on the raised walkway right outside a pair of wooden doors leading inside the temple proper. On his lap there was a small cat, another winding around his ankles, several others in various colours lounging in sunspots on the roof. He smiled, and Tariya recognised him at once: Kae, the warlock they had met nearly a fortnight ago.
”Oh, it’s you!” The genuine glee in her voice made him smile wider. ”Did you set up those wards?”
Kae nodded. ”Better safe than sorry. You never know.” He was not entirely surprised to see Luzem emerge from the woods, sweat gleaming on his face. ”I wasn’t expecting to see you two again. Gods, what happened to you?”
Luzem lifted a hand in greeting, for it was all he could manage. He leaned against the nearest tree for support, trying his damnedest to catch his breath. Behind him came two more people, much shorter than the elves, but equally out of breath.
Kae stood up, setting the cat down gently. The smile was gone; he was staring straight at the newcomers with narrowed eyes. Behind him the cats skittered within the shelter of the temple, darting out of view like shadows.
”You’ve picked up some interesting company since I last saw you,” the warlock said slowly. He addressed Tamrus when he went on, ”incidentally, are you… all right?”
”What?”
Kae pursed his lips, looking hesitant suddenly. ”That’s one hell of a curse you carry, pops. How did you get past the wards?”
Even in the warm daylight Tamrus seemed to grow a shade paler. ”You can tell? How?”
Luzem and Tariya looked at him, then back at Kae, then at each other.
”Sort of falls under my area of expertise,” Kae replied. ”Did you experience any discomfort stepping in here? Pain? Dizziness? Nausea?”
”What are you talking about?”
”I’m…” He paused and let out a sigh. ”Hells, this is not the best conversation opener, but I guess it can’t be helped.” He took a deep breath, visibly gathering himself, and said, ”hi, nice to meet you, I’m a warlock and you just waltzed right through my strongest wards, which means your curse either negates them or ignores them altogether. Please don’t scream or stab me with anything.”
”A warlock?” Lily repeated incredulously at the same time as Tamrus said, ”I’m not going to stab you, lad. You know how to lift curses?”
”For the most part, yes. This one, though…” Sharp teeth worried at the hellning’s lip as he thought. It had only been there briefly, yes, but there had been a glint of hope in the dwarf’s eyes that he found hard to ignore. ”I mean, I can try if you’d like? I’ve only ever broken curses on inanimate objects, mind. I have no idea if it’s going to hurt when performed on a person.”
”Can’t hurt worse than what I’ve already tried,” Tamrus replied.
”Hang on!” Lily interrupted, stepping between him and Kae. ”You’re not seriously going to trust a random stranger you just met? Do you know what warlocks are?”
”There are far worse things a man could sell his soul to than a god.” Tamrus laid a hand on her shoulder and pushed past her, though not unkindly. ”I’d be thankful for any help at this point, if you’re willing to try.”
Kae gestured towards the temple. ”Might as well get comfortable then. Sit down.”
He and Tamrus moved aside and took seats on the walkway. Lily was still eyeing the warlock with open suspicion when Luzem approached her.
”I’m ending him if he tries anything funny,” the halvling muttered, not bothering to keep her voice particularly low.
”Don’t worry, he’s all right,” Tariya said brightly. She had sat down in the grass, watching the proceedings with professional curiousity. Kae was tracing patterns in the air with one hand, the other on Tamrus’s shoulder.
”You know this guy?”
”We’ve met him before,” Luzem answered. ”He’s not a bad person.”
Lily crossed her arms, but said no more.
Even Luzem could tell it took a long time, though he knew little of channelling. The magic he had seen practised was often a quiet, unobtrusive thing, over sooner than any mundane person’s senses could register. The minute changes on Tariya’s face more than anything told him that something was awry. Though he could not see what was happening, he too felt the air shifting, how it grew heavy, oppressive. One the cats darted within the confines of the collapsing temple, as if startled by something.
Kae’s face was contorted – whether from the effort or from frustration, Luzem could not tell – but eventually he sighed, shoulders sagging, and birdsong returned in the woods.
”I’m sorry.” There was a light sheen of sweat on his red skin, as if the attempt had physically taken something out of him. ”This is beyond my ability. It sits too deep.”
Tamrus, too, looked more drained than before. ”I thought as much. Thanks for trying.”
”This feels more like a job for a skilled healer than a sorcerer. It’s… I don’t know, more like a cancer or a degenerative illness, the way it’s spreading everywhere, either through the nervous system or… Sorry, I guess that’s not much of a consolation,” he added, seeing the harried look on the dwarf’s face. ”Have you sought out a healer? Druids, maybe?”
”Just about everyone except a warlock, son.”
The hellning sighed once more. ”Sorry.”
Tariya had got up as they talked, her tiny pocket knife in hand. Luzem watched as she went around the corner of the building, crouched down and started collecting leaves into one of the many pouches she carried in her bag.
”Sis?”
”This place must have been a holy site once upon a time. So many herbs seem to flourish here naturally, even some that should be out of season,” she said. ”I’ll be back. I just need to replenish our supplies.”
And with that she vanished behind the temple.
Lily rolled her eyes and sat down on the uneven stairs. ”I suppose we might as well take a breather. I’m starving.”
”Likewise,” Luzem admitted, wondering how many hours it had been since their breakfast. Too many, judging by the feeling in his belly.
”There’s a hearth in one of the rooms I’ve been using,” Kae said. He dusted himself off as he got to his feet. ”Make yourselves at home.”
They had a fire going and hot water boiling in the kettle by the time Tariya joined them, looking very pleased with herself. The ceilings of the temple were low, built with shorter folk than elves in mind, and she could reach to touch it just by raising her hand. Cats wandered the corridors, some passages sunken, most buckling from moisture and growing lichen. Everything was panelled with dark, lacquered wood, the walls adorned with faded calligraphy and threadbare tapestries.
The room Kae had lead them to was in better condition than the rest of the temple; even the window panes were still intact, if dirty and partially covered with moss. There was a bedroll spread in front of a small stone altar not too far away from the hearth, with a stuffed rucksack, a leather satchel, and a travelling cloak folded next to it.
Luzem spun around, eyes on the moth-eaten wall tapestries. Whatever imagery remained was alien to him; it told him nothing about the deity that had once been worshipped there. ”You’ve been staying here, Kae?”
”Just for a couple of nights,” the warlock replied. He lifted the lid of the kettle, sniffing appreciatively when the scent of tea filled the room. ”It’s free, peaceful, and the company’s good.”
A long-haired calico had flopped down next to him, purring loudly. It rolled on its back, clawing at his sleeve as soon as he started petting its belly.
”Running errands for your god again?”
He shook his head. ”Haven’t heard from them since the last time. I guess I’m on vacation now.”
Tariya hummed as she organised her herb pouches, most of them filled to the bursting now. She pulled out a mortar and called out to her brother, ”I can make you a poultice now. Come sit down.”
Luzem sat very still while she dabbed greenish paste around his bruised eye, expression speaking of reluctance, which was no wonder. The crushed leaves smelled faintly of dishwater and rotting mushrooms.
”I’m still dying to know how you got like this, you know,” Kae pointed out, carefully separating the cat from his sleeve.
Luzem wrinkled his nose as Tariya pressed the poultice over his eye. ”A minor misunderstanding with the locals.”
”Understatement of the century,” Lily muttered. She was still eyeing Kae rather pointedly, though the worst of her earlier suspicion had evaporated. ”A warlock staying at the temple of another god. Rather risky, don’t you think?”
”There is nothing left of the deity that was honoured here, miss. I would be able to tell.” Kae met her eyes and smirked. She was by far the prettiest halvling woman he had seen in a long time, perhaps ever. ”I think you would, too. Yours is no patron-god, but you have a connection with the divine, don’t you?” When her eyes narrowed unpleasantly he hastened to say, ”I won’t ask which god, if that’s what you’re thinking. Just saying that it’s rather noticeable.”
She rolled her eyes. ”I’ve been told warlocks are a nosy bunch.”
The skin around Kae’s eyes creased as he smiled. ”Divine magic calls to divine magic, and frankly, you’re covered in it head to toe.”
Tamrus was only half-listening to the exchange. Sitting down had been a mistake. Now, in the tranquility of the temple he was fully aware of how worn out he felt, paper-thin, faint as a shadow under fading light. The cup in his hands shook despite his best attempts at hiding it, which did not escape Lily’s notice.
”What did you do to him?” The words were directed at Kae, the tone as sharp as a dagger.
”Lily,” Tamrus objected wearily.
”You weren’t like this earlier! I know he did something!”
”What I did was try to unravel the curse, figure out where the source is, how it connects,” Kae cut in. ”Curses are the nastiest form of magic there is – complex, overlapping, designed to harm – and removing them is about as pleasant as draining pus from a wound. And it’s tiring. It takes something out of both parties, same as healing.” There was concern in his eyes when he glanced at the dwarf. Never in his many years of dealing with magic had he encountered anything like this, never on a living being. ”I don’t know where you’re headed to, but you should rest before setting off. ”
”We’re making for the border,” Tariya supplied.
”To the Highlands?” Kae stared at the two elves, then at Lily and Tamrus, and shook his head. ”You’re going to need your energy. That’s at least three days on foot if you’re trekking through the woods, which I assume you are, seeing as you’re so far away from the highway. You people sleep here tonight. I’ll just camp in the woods.”
”We can all fit in here just fine,” Tamrus said with a tone of finality, which shut the rest of them up. ”One night, no more. And this time we walk instead of running.”
There was no arguing with him when he assumed that tone of voice, Lily knew that from experience. She refilled her cup and bit back whatever retorts she had been formulating in her head. She watched as the calico climbed on Kae’s lap, shedding fur all over his clothes. For some reason this amused her. The polished boots and the silk brocade of his well-tailored coat stood out like a sore thumb. He was much too finely dressed for the road, like some pampered merchant prince begging to be robbed.
”What about you, Kae?” Tariya asked, watching him pull out a bag of cat treats from his pocket. ”Do you know where you’re headed next?”
”Not really.” For a moment his thoughts lingered on Kajo, on the pointed silence between the two of them whenever the deity had no demands for him, then shook it off decisively before it could sour his mood. ”I suppose I’ll find ways to amuse myself for a time. It’s not often that I get to travel without it being for work.”
”You could come with us, if you’d like company.”
He quirked a smile at the druid. ”Yeah?”
She smiled back. ”Why not?”
Why not indeed, he echoed her words in his mind. It was not like he was needed elsewhere; he felt more like an aimless wanderer at times, a castaway who had become little more than disposable. Hells, he was supposed to be a warlock, not property. When was the last time he had done anything for himself besides beg for morsels?
”I guess being around people for a little bit couldn’t hurt,” he said, hitching his most winning smile on his face. ”Been a couple of years since I’ve last been to the Highlands. Wouldn’t mind tagging along, if that’s all right with your new friends.”
”Another magic user could come in handy,” Tamrus answered. ”What did you say your name was, lad?”
The warlock held out his hand. ”Kae.”
”Tamrus.” They shook hands, and Tamrus inclined his head towards Lily. ”And my suspicious friend here is—”
”The name’s Lily. And I’m sleeping with a dagger in hand tonight, thank you very much.”
Kae burst into laughter, his merriment catching on to the others the longer they listened. There was something infectious about his voice that seemed right at home in the golden afternoon light and, oddly enough, Tamrus felt it dispelling some of the gloom that had settled over him. Even Lily’s surliness seemed to wither before it. She caught the warlock’s eye, drawing an even wider grin from him, and groaned audibly.
”That’s decided then,” Luzem said. His stomach gurgled loudly, and he added, ”is the stew ready yet, do you think?”
The conversation flowed easily as they ate, prepared another pot of tea, then another, and watched the hours drag on towards evening. They all went to bed with fuller bellies and lighter hearts that night.
Back to the Archive | << Previous | Next >>