A fire was started in the hearth, a straw pallet was hastily constructed before being topped off with a bearskin pelt. He blinked again and came to on the pallet. His limbs and face tingled, he could hardly focus his eyes, and heavy furs smothered him. Morra knelt down in front of him, gingerly removing the scrap cloth bandage around his neck. It was dark and stiff, almost as dark as the cursing that spewed from her mouth. Naurus looked behind her, straight at Dezlyn who shook his head and chewed on twig.
“Am I…how did you…”
“Shush…please don’t talk. You need rest. You’re safe now.” She hastily butted in.
She heated some water in a kettle, then soaked a rag in it. She did her best to clean the dried blood off his neck and shoulders. The warmth was comforting. He decided to rest his eyes.
His eyes didn’t open, but his ears did.
“He’s feverish…keep sweating and groaning. Don’t you know any healers?”
“No, well I mean I used to. Hell if I know where the nearest one is.”
“Shit…I can’t believe this happened. Who were those assholes?”
“You’re asking the wrong guy. I just mind my own damn business out here. This isn’t looking good for your little expedition out here.”
“Thanks for the support, you’re so helpful!”
“Looks like your little patient is stirring, go be helpful over there.”
Naurus finally managed to roll himself back over. It was night time. Morra started checking his bandage and took it off. She tied another one on.
“How are you feeling?” She asked, pulling up a stool to sit on.
“Better…” He cleared his throat, but it felt like sandpaper. “What happened, how did I wind up…wherever I was.”
“Well, judging by the back of your head you were clubbed pretty good. They must have dragged you all the way over to some old fort before you came to. That’s where we found you.”
“So thirsty…can’t talk.”
She got up and fetched a mug and filled it with water. Naurus barely managed to sit up but gulped it down greedily. She refilled it and he took it all down in another hefty quaff.
“So, do you want to talk about it?” Morra said out of the blue.
“Talk about what?”
“What happened there, to you. Who they were, what you learned, all that.”
“Uh…well I didn’t really get a good look at any of them. This guy who was talking to me…he said he was with something called the Regulators…”
Dezlyn scoffed, poking the fire mindlessly.
“Well that’s news to me. Guess I have some new neighbors. Can’t get any fucking peace around here.” He grunted.
Morra rolled her eyes and chuckled.
“Well, were they demanding anything?” She asked.
“Just a bunch of questions. Who I was. What I was doing out here. Its like they followed us or something.”
“And what did you tell them?”
“Nothing, I said I was just seeing friends. Didn’t tell them my name either, just said I was Naughto.”
Morra broke out laughing.
“Is that so? I’m going to bet they didn’t buy that one.”
“Yeah, well that’s how I ended up like this.”
“They sliced your neck a good one, that’s for sure. At least it’s starting to look better.”
Naurus yawned and laid back down, suddenly beset by another wave of lethargy.
“Rest up, our plans have been delayed enough as it is. We’ll need to get a move on as soon as possible.” She said, then walked away.
He didn’t know how long he was asleep, but it was still dark out when he woke up. The fire was reduced to little more than glowing coals and he couldn’t see anyone around him. He got the feeling he wasn’t alone but thought little of it. He was about to go back to sleep when he noticed an odd light in the corner of the room. Naurus sat up and rubbed the sleep out his eyes. He had a hard time believing what he saw, that all too familiar glowing amber orb looking straight at him. It moved closer, and with it came his dad out of the murky shadows. Before Naurus could utter a word, he was in his father’s embrace.
“Shhh, don’t talk out loud. Just be quiet, okay?” His dad whispered in his ear.
“What are you doing here? How could you find me?” Naurus asked, confused and not sure if he was dreaming or not.
“It’s a long story my boy. I can’t believe they did this to you. I knew this was a mistake. I knew this was a big damn mistake. We have to get you home.”
“Dad, I can’t just leave like this. You aren’t even supposed to be here. Where’s everyone else?”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about, but its only me here. I’ll explain everything later, I swear. Just hang in there, I’ve got a plan.”
Trevin set his pack down and started rummaging through it. Naurus looked around, still confused as to where everyone else was. Then he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. He saw the silhouette of a blade rising in front of the glowing coals. He hardly had time to register what it was before he could react.
“WAIT!”
That was all he managed before the blade whistled through the air straight at Trevin’s neck. Naurus cringed at the sight, but then saw the blade slice through nothing but inky smoke that quickly dissipated.
“What the fuck?! Oh, that’s how this is going to be you vagrant! I might let you live if you give up now!” Morra growled, her eyes glowing predatorily.
Her blade lit up with a pale purple glow, the runic inscriptions shone with a burning light and cast a glow around the room. She stood in front of Naurus as if she were a shield and scanned the room. The tension was thick enough to cut.
“Ah-hah!” She suddenly burst out, locking on to a dark corner opposite her.
She cocked her sword back and flung it forcefully overhead. It embedded itself in the log wall with a resounding note.
“That was foolish of you.” Trevin said, emerging from behind a doorway next to her.
He wasted no time in pulling his dear old toothpick and took a step towards her. She lunged back, flipping out a buck knife and standing off in front of Naurus.
“You better put that down before someone gets hurt.” Trevin said coldly.
“I think you better look behind you and eat your words.” She smiled.
“Like I’m falling for that trick! Step away from him, now!”
“It’s not a trick. You better put away that knife or your stupid friends head is going to paint my walls!” Dezlyn said gravely, stepping into the room.
He had one hand on Gully’s shoulder and in the other the lupara was pressed against the back of his captive’s head. Trevin sheathed the stiletto and lowered his hood. He was sweating profusely.
“Gully, what the hell? How did you—”
“Shut up!” Dezlyn commanded. “What the hell are you doing in my house?”
“I should ask you what in the world you’ve done to my boy instead.” Trevin replied stoically.
“Morra, light it up in here, my hands are full.”
She followed her friends wish, and soon a glowing ball of light illuminated the room. Gully looked rather disheveled and upset. He stared at Trevin as if to expect an explanation. Morra looked intently at Trevin and cocked her head.
“Wait, I know you. I thought you were dead!” She said in astonishment.
“Yeah well here I am. And you owe me an apology with an explanation for why my soon looks half dead!”
“This is your son? I suppose I do see some resemblance. How unfortunate you had to see him like this.”
“Yes…yes it is.” Trevin gritted his teeth. “I intended no trespass, but here he is and you two were nowhere to be found.”
“Well just because we were out hunting doesn’t mean you get to waltz in here!” Dezlyn said while pushing Gully onto a seat.
“Fine, both of us will leave. I want no violence here. But just tell me what happened so I can at least have that muc
h peace.”
“Dad it’s fine.” He cut in before anyone else could. “I was captured and beaten up a bit by some guys we don’t know. They call themselves Regulators and questioned me. I didn’t tell them anything!”
Trevin sighed. “That’s good son. I desire to know how exactly that transpired while you were such good hands here, but I doubt I’ll find the answer.”
“That’s exactly right. This is no country for old men, not even shapeshifters like you. I don’t appreciate you skulking around here, casing the place like the two-bit thief you are.”
“I like to think of myself as an acrobat if you will. Call me a second story man if you must, but I am certainly no god damned pick pocket. Was that all, field marshal?”
Morra visibly bristled but bit her tongue.
“Well that’s about all I’m going to tolerate of this bullshit. You two get out now and never come back. Your son is not your concern any longer!” Dezlyn said emphatically.
Naurus looked as Gully and his father shuffled out the door at gunpoint. His father stole one more look back and winked before the door shut behind him.
An awkward silence filled the hovel as Naurus sat on the edge of the pallet, waiting for someone to say something. It was a few minutes before the two Transcendents decided to stop looking out the windows and make sure the intruders were gone at least for the time being. Morra walked back over, bending down and picking up an iridescent scale off the floor.
“I thought you lost this?”
“I thought so too. How…wait a minute…I’m confused.” Naurus stammered, taking the scale and examining it carefully.
“Well, it seems we are having some confusion all around now.” Morra plopped down, rubbing her temples.
“Care to explain that?” Dezlyn shot a burning look at him.
“I can’t explain it. I didn’t know he was here! I didn’t tell him anything, I don’t know how he did it.”
Dezlyn grunted in reply.
“We need to get out of here sooner rather than later.” Morra started. “I just remembered how trouble tends to find you out here, whereas it’s the other way around back home. I really hope your dad doesn’t keep tailing us, for your sake rather than mine.”
“I agree!” Naurus piped up, ignoring the vaguely threatening tone. “Sure, when do you want to go?”
“We can try tomorrow. Let me look at your neck.”
She pulled the bandages aside and inspected the wound. She made a funny face then scratched her neck.
“It’s looking better, just can’t risk too much labor. Is anyone else hungry?” She asked to no one in particular.
“Yes. Haven’t had anything good in a while.” He got up from the pallet and stretched, popping and cracking all over.
Morra disappeared into the larder and Dezlyn followed. Naurus paced around aimlessly, suddenly overcome with energy even though he was ravenously hungry.
He must have followed me. Wait…why didn’t he stop my captors? This doesn’t make sense. How did he get here? How did he just dissolve into the shadows? Am I going crazy? He thought. Something smelled good. He started feeling light headed and queasy. He sat down, playing with the dragon scale and pondering about what the future holds.
✽ ✽ ✽
“Well, are we gonna talk ‘bout that now?”
“What is there to talk about?”
“How ya just almost got us killed ya fuckin’ moron!”
Trevin sighed, and glanced back at Gully.
“Well had I known that we would have company, I would have planned shit to go down a little differently. Quit getting your pants in a bunch as if we never ended up in a pickle before!”
“Yeah, so easy fer you to say when ya don’t have a smelly giant o’ a mountain man merely one sneeze from blowin’ yer head off!”
Trevin didn’t bother replying. They were tired, and evening was drawing in. They had come upon a hill overlooking a clearing below, and in that clearing lay an old, decrepit fort.
“See that over there, Gull? I think I found our camp for the night.”
Gully scoffed. “You best be doin’ some recon that doesn’t suck ass, I’m really not in the fuckin’ mood fer havin’ more guns pointed at me.”
“Easy there…it looks pretty old. Let’s go check it out and see. You can hang back in the forest and be an oxygen thief there if you want.”
Gully sniggered, knowing that he couldn’t stand down from a challenge like that.
It wasn’t long before they were within bowshot of the crumbling stone walls and cracked turrets. Dusk was well underway, and there was not a single sign of anyone in or around the dismal structure.
“Alright now listen, we’re going to do this the right way. You stay out here and if you notice anything at all, make your call. You can still do that right?”
The sound of a man-sized gull filled the air around them. Trevin smiled.
“That’s what I’m talking about! Leave the snooping to me.”
“Now hold on, how are ye goin’ to do that? Just waltzin’ in there? Cause that worked so well earlier today…”
“No, you see something is different out here. I just feel…better. I found I can pull off some old tricks again. Watch this!”
Trevin stepped into a shadow patch of forest, simply melting into the darkness. Gully squinted and stepped forward, failing to see where his partner just went. A quick tap on his shoulder from behind made him jump and Trevin laughed.
“How in the hell? What is this witchcraft?” Gully was exasperated.
“I guess I got my old charm back.”
“Wow, I actually forgot about yer changeling ways. I never thought—”
“I never thought either. But here we are, and I feel better than I have in a long ass time. I don’t know how this is working, but it is.”
“Strange…but good on ya! Get yer old ass in there and have a sniff around.”
With that, no more needed to be said. Trevin stole off into the night like a phantom, his shadowy outline creeping along the wall and into the doorway inside. A minute later, he casually walked out and waved to Gully.
“Well is it just nothin’?”
“Sure is dead quiet in there. There are some blood stains on the floor, but who knows what that’s from be it man or beast. Come, lets find a place to set up for the night.”
They made their way through, eventually settling on staying up in the top floor of a turret tower. They had a commanding view of the surrounding area and a door that lead to the outer wall.
“Well…what the plan fer tomorrow?”
Trevin sat back against an old wooden crate. “Well, we need to push on. Maybe keep a tail on my boy. Distantly though. I need to know what the hell they are getting into out here.”
“Right…and if ya blow our cover again?”
“That, my friend, isn’t our concern right now. When did that ever stop us out here all those decades ago?”
“Hmm…I ‘spose not. But where are we goin’ if we lose ‘em?
“If I remember correctly we aren’t very far from the Dwarven Kingdoms or either the Dominion of Man. We can bug out to the latter if nothing else and charter a boat back. Or steal one again, if the going gets that rough…”
“Right.” Gully took a swig from his canteen. “I wish I could do that magick shit you do. Would make my life a bit easier.”
“You would think, but it’s a curse all the same. It’s the sole reason my life went to such shit and still is. You don’t know what you have until you lose it. Then you want it back worse than anything. I came here to get my son, and now I find I can pull off some old tricks. Maybe it’ll get to the point of metamorphosis again. Maybe it won’t. But this sure is more exciting than robbing old people and scaring their families who have no idea what they did to deserve such a thing.”
“Sounds like ya need a new job.”
“Bite my ass. This is my new job. After this? Who knows. All I know is our King is off his rocker and is close
to picking a fight he is in no position to win. We are a shadow of our former selves. We don’t even use armor plating for fucks sake!”
“Psh, yeah, well maybe we can sit it out over here then.”
“Yeah my wife would love that…”
“Ain’t my fault yer henpecked.”
“No, but it is your fault for coming out here with me.”
They laughed in unison as the beams of moonlight pierced through the arrow loops. They were tired and sore, but nothing else mattered.
✽ ✽ ✽
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?”
She methodically stropped the buck knife against the back of her thick leather belt which she had tied to a door handle. She had spent most of the day flitting about preparing to set back out on the next leg of the journey. However, she had paid particular attention to whetting her buck knife, and now was stropping it with an unsettling grin on her face. Once she was satisfied, she grabbed a bowl fashioned from an animal skull and proceeded throw a tallow soap puck in it.
“Take a seat over there.” She said calmly, nodding to a chair basking in the afternoon sun.
Boars head brush in hand, she whipped up the soap and it became clear she intended to play barber.
“Why are you trying to shave me? I’m fine.” Naurus protested.
“You look like a raggedy bum. We need to clean you up, make you look more presentable. Come now, sit and this won’t take long.”
He hesitantly obeyed and stiffened up, not exactly trusting her abilities as a barber. Her steady hands and methodical technique soon allayed these fears. This was certainly not her first time doing this. Before long, his face was clean shaven, and he felt rather more refreshed then he was expecting. Dezlyn came in from outside with a small cup in his hand.
“Looks like you ain’t lost your touch there with that blade. You still nicked him a bit.”
“Oh shut it, it’s been a while. Now what is that sewage in your hand?”
Empire's Edge (Path of Light Book 2) Page 6