by Bill Albert
On one of the swings she took a step forward. The sword faltered and she knew she hit something. She was also sure she heard a loud groan of pain and knew she had done some serious damage.
As she stepped forward, backing her attacker into the end of the alley, she glanced at a rain barrel sitting against a wall. It was only half full but she hoped it would be enough. After her next advance she put all of her strength into a swing and splintered the barrel. The water flooded the floor of the alley and turned the loose dirt into mud. She kept swinging but kept her attention centered on the ground.
She saw what she had been hoping for and quickly started her attack. Though the invisibility could disguise the attacker and what it wore it could not hide the muddy footprints.
She stepped forward after the trail of mud and made several hard and low jabs. She could tell by the resistance on a few of them that she had hit her target.
There was a change in the air near her as her opponent swung the mace. She managed to jerk her head back out of the path, but in doing so, lifted her right hand up high. The mace caught the handle of the sword and she lost her grip. As the sword dropped away she felt something heavy press against her and she realized her attacker was trying to lean against her to get control. She brought her left hand up sharply and felt the resistance as the knife cut into her attacker’s side.
She could sense the body become heavy and move slowly as it fell into her. She withdrew the knife and stabbed at the assailant again. She stepped back and allowed the dead weight to fall into the muddy ground.
She looked at the shape in the mud and could tell by its size and shape she had been attacked by an adult human male. The imprint made by the body didn’t move and soon the red flow of blood added to the muddy ground.
When she was sure her attacker was dead she fell against the wall, instantly reminded about the pain in her back. Now that the combat was over her body was falling victim to the damage that had been struck. The healing properties of the armor stopped it from getting worse but couldn’t heal her yet.
She tried to get to her feet, but failed, as she sat on one knee leaning against the wall. There was a sudden movement behind her and a satisfied snort as Snow came to her side. She looked up at her companion. They made eye contact and Gallif nodded. Snow moved forward just a bit, then turned and came back so the saddle bag where the healing potions were stored was within reach. Gallif took a deep breath and despite the intense pain reached up and retrieved one of the bottles. She popped the cork and drank the light blue liquid quickly letting some of it pour down her chin. She took several deep breaths and stood.
She could stand steadily but there was still pain in her back from the blow. As quickly as she could she went across the alley and retrieved the flame sword. She walked to the imprint in the mud and slowly pushed the sword into the area to try and reveal more of the body, but she felt no resistance to the tip of the sword. She pushed further and there was still no response. She finally pushed it all the way to the ground and then sliced at it but had no resistance. She cursed several times and, feeling almost completely cured, mounted Snow and headed off at a slow trot.
The healing castings on the armor did their job properly and by the time she got to Tebiet’s temple her back was moving like normal and she felt great. Any joy she might have had ended when she entered the stable. Kavelle and several other members of the temple were in the stable searching through the piles of hay. The place was a mess.
“What happened?” Gallif asked without getting off of Snow?
“Someone came in here and attacked me,” Kavelle said. “Whoever or whatever it was used invisibility casts, but we can’t find a body.”
“Same thing happened to me,” Gallif said quickly and everyone in the stable stopped and turned to her. “There was only one place for the body to be, but the space was completely empty,” she said as a terrible thought came to her. “Maura!” she yelled and turned Snow around and headed out at full gallop.
She rode as hard and as fast as she could. Snow, sensing the importance of this trip, used every ounce of power she had and they reached the estate at the end of the lane in a few minutes. When she came around the corner and saw her destination she was relieved that there were several guards posted at the main gate, but her smile faded as they noticed her approach and started showing their swords and bows. She brought Snow to a stop a few feet from the gate.
“I have to get in!” she shouted desperately.
“No!” the guard captain shouted back.
“No one gets in without approval. There has been another incident here and the estate is closed.”
“Incident!” Gallif said as her heart sunk. “Was someone killed?”
“I can’t say,” the captain refused to budge.
Out of desperation Gallif’s hand went to her sword, but she froze as the points of three swords and three sets of arrows all swung in her direction. Snow snorted in anger and Gallif quieted her as she took her hand away from her weapon.
“My name is Gallif,” she said with forced calmness. “Certainly, there must be a list of people approved to enter.”
The captain pulled a scroll from his coat and unrolled it. She could tell it was a short scroll with very few names on it. The captain put the scroll away and said, “Okay, Gallif, but I’ll warn you, there are four archers located around the grounds and all of them will be aiming at you. Ride slowly,” he informed her and stood aside.
Gallif urged Snow on at a steady trot and they entered the estate. On top of the main building she saw two archers with their weapons ready. As she went forward she spotted a third hiding on a grassy knoll against the wall. She could detect no sign of the fourth but had no doubt that there was another one watching her.
As she approached, the main doors swung open and Ellis came out to greet her.
“Maura?” Gallif asked.
“She’s fine,” Ellis waved at her. “Just come inside.”
Once inside she was reunited with her friend and openly hugged and kissed her. Maura looked calm, but as they touched Gallif could feel her shaking inside.
“What happened?”
“Something came at Ellis and me when we were walking through the grounds. It was invisible so we couldn’t tell who or what it was.”
“Were you hurt?” she asked Maura. “Were you?” she asked Ellis.
“No,” Ellis replied. “There were enough guards on the grounds that heard us calling and came running. I think they chased whatever it was off, but we’re not sure yet. We’ve got more guards coming.”
“You should also set up traps along the walls to prevent anyone from going over,” Gallif suggested.
“They’re working on it,” Kly reported.
“I don’t even know what it was,” Maura said as she wrapped her arms around herself and walked off to the stairs. “Was it an orc? An aquilus?”
“No, it was human,” Gallif said with so much certainty that everyone in the room stopped and looked at her.
Finally, Maura walked back to her and asked, “Something happened to you, didn’t it?”
“Yes,” Gallif nodded. “I was attacked. So was Kavelle.”
“Are you okay?” Maura asked.
“I’m fine,” she said deciding that was all they needed to know.
“How?” Kly asked as she came forward.
“In an alley in town. I heard someone calling my name and thought it might be someone I knew. I suspected it was a trap before I went in but didn’t expect anything that advanced. Once he was down I could tell by the size of the imprint in the mud it was a human, but I couldn’t find out anything else. The body was gone before I could check any further.”
Kly took a deep breath and then went over to one of the servants and whispered something to him. He quickly left the room.
“This has to stop,” Kly said with solid determination.
“Mom?” Ellis whispered in surprise.
“I know, dear, I was just the one who
hosted the parties and spent the money,” she nodded. “But until your father gets back I am in charge,” she said. She did not catch the glance between Ellis and Gallif as she continued, “I want to make sure he is proud to come home.”
“He will be,” Ellis said with glassy eyes and then turned and walked up the stairs.
Kly looked at Gallif and Maura and said, “No one hurts my family. I’ve also sent someone to speak with Brox. He’ll be ready to leave at dawn. Now, I see you have the armor Ellis gave you,” she said and took Gallif’s hand warmly. “Is there anything else you could use?”
Gallif thought for a moment and then finally said sadly, “We’ll need mourning clothes for Linea’s funeral tonight.”
***
Being located on the side of a mountain city, where dark fell early, all of the temples were usually lighted just as the shadows started to crawl across the streets. On this night, out of respect for the dead, all the temples remained dark except for the dwarven temple at the base. There were various torches and tributes lit along the streets to keep the path clear for those coming to pay their respects.
Though the dwarves were small in nature, their loyalty to each other was gigantic. Gallif and Maura took their places with nearly three hundred dwarves in front of them with just as many behind. They wore brown robes, the mourning color for dwarves, but each had their weapons hidden underneath.
The crowd moved slowly and respectfully with barely a word being spoken and after two hours they were near the temple. There were several from the dwarven community giving blessings and prayers to those who came in. Just inside the stone wall was a table with strips of parchment and coal of various colors. They looked at one of the attendants who quietly explained to them that this particular dwarven practice ended with cremation. As mourners entered the temple they were to draw on the paper any gifts that they wanted, in private, to give the departed. The papers were left beneath the coffin and, at one point, would be set on fire. As they burned each gift was taken with the departed to their next destination.
Maura grabbed some paper and yellow coal to draw her gift of flowers. Gallif, completely healed, chose white coal. Though her handwriting needed much improvement she was quite good at art and as they approached the small steps she had a finely crafted image of a pure white horse on the paper.
As they reached the top platform they found ten people ahead of them meeting with Arca and Jakobus. In the center of the platform was a small yet beautifully crafted coffin. Beneath it were hundreds of pieces of paper. People were dropping their gifts into the pile and then slowly exiting on the other side.
They waited without saying anything until finally Arca took their hands and hugged and kissed each of them. He whispered his heartfelt thanks to them, even wiped a single tear off of Gallif’s cheek.
“You are going to find the people who caused this?” Jakobus said flatly when he looked in to Gallif’s eyes.
“Yes,” she said. “I promise.”
“I’ll be ready whenever you want to leave,” he said.
Gallif looked at him and saw there was no way to talk him out of it. She wasn’t sure that she would try to do so. He was strong and intelligent, and she knew they could use all the help they could get for the fights that were ahead of them. She nodded and said, “Dawn.”
He nodded and thanked her and then moved to the next people in line. They passed the coffin and respectfully placed their gifts with the others. They reached the exit stairs and saw how everyone was going down in an odd way. The steps were so small a person, not even a dwarf, could walk down them properly and had to stand sideways and move slowly.
“It’s so you don’t turn your back on our god,” one of the dwarves explained.
Carefully, respectfully, they made their way out of the temple. They were heading back up the slope when a single bell was rung from the dwarven temple. After that all of the bells on east slope were rung and a brilliant, bright and beautiful fire erupted at the base.
At the top of the slope they were met by the guards that Kly had sent to follow them. They mounted their horses and were back at the estate within a few minutes. Even at this distance they could see the glow on the horizon of Linea’s pyre.
Once inside they left their mourning robes with some servants and went upstairs. Gallif went to her bedroom and Maura followed her inside. Maura sat at the small table looking away as Gallif removed her armor. She put on the shirt and pants that she had slept in the previous night before she realized Maura hadn’t said a word. She walked over and put her hands on Maura’s shoulders. Maura looked up and Gallif saw that she was crying. Gallif crouched down so she could look eye to eye with her partner.
“What’s wrong?” she asked gently.
Maura swallowed hard and said, “I can’t go with you. Tomorrow, when you leave to the ice fields, I can’t go.”
Gallif shook her head and put a hand on Maura’s shoulder. “I don’t understand.”
“This is too much. I’m not trained enough to be able to take on the combats you’ll get in to. I’ll hurt the party.”
“I need you to watch my back,” Gallif pointed out to her. “You picked up my knife and you saved us all when we were outnumbered.”
“I was lucky.”
“You did what you needed to do.”
“I killed people.”
“You killed things,” Gallif said desperately. “Those monsters deserved to die. You saw what they did in the barn.”
“But how does that make it better?” Maura asked and pushed Gallif away.
Gallif stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. “Because you know the difference between what’s right and wrong. You did it because they are evil. You did it so that others would survive.”
Maura stopped and thought about what she had been told. “I’m afraid I can’t keep up with what you’ll be facing there,” she said. “I froze and could have cost you your life.”
“It was once,” Gallif said urgently. “It was early, and no one was hurt by it.”
“You could have been hurt, I could have been hurt, maybe if I had moved differently at some point Tome wouldn’t have died,” she choked in tears as she spoke.
“Maybe if I would have done something different he wouldn’t have died,” she pointed out strongly. “I even saw the captain going toward Tome. I knew then what was happening.”
Gallif looked deeply into Maura’s eyes and Gallif could see the change in her. She could see a calmness cover her but knew Maura would not go with them.
“I didn’t know that,” Maura said.
“It happens to everyone,” she comforted her.
“I want to,” Maura shook her head, “but I just can’t go with you.”
Gallif looked down and put a hand in Maura’s lap. She glanced at the bracelet on her wrist and then looked back at Maura. “Ok,” she said peacefully. “There is someplace I want you to go,” she said as she took Miki’s bracelet off and handed it to her partner.
They sat for an hour as Gallif told her the exact whereabouts of the school. She described every room in every detail so that Maura would not have to take time to become familiar with the surroundings. She told her how she had met Rayjen and his influence on herself. She had no doubts that Rayjen would take her and protect her.
“Rosario will recognize what she gave me,” Gallif assured her giving her the necklace as well. “She’s great, she studies healing with health, and will help you out.”
Maura looked at the necklace and gently ran her fingers across it. “I’m sorry it has to be so difficult.”
“No,” Gallif said gently as she stood and stepped away. “You’ll be okay. You’ve got more actual experience than almost all of the students had when they started. You’ll learn quickly.”
Maura looked at Gallif’s back and finally stood. She walked to the door and was about to open it when Gallif’s handheld it closed.
Gallif then pulled Maura to her and cupped her face in her hands. She pass
ionately kissed Maura on the lips and held her for a long time. Then she kissed Maura’s cheek, jaw and ear very gently. They both knew that this was considered wrong in society but neither could hide what they wanted. Gallif felt Maura relax as she gave in to what was happening, and Maura returned the kisses to every part of her body.
The next morning Gallif woke early and was very careful not to wake her sleeping partner. She dressed without making a sound and finally sat at the small table and pulled a piece of parchment and an ink bottle from the drawer. She wrote a very short note, just a few words, and waited for the ink to dry. She smiled and thought how happy her professors would be to see the handwriting. It’s important enough, she thought to herself, and she gently finished drying the ink with her breath.
She took a long look at Maura’s sleeping figure, listened to her breathing, then laid the note on the table and left.
***
As she left the estate she noticed that the temperature was considerably cooler than the previous morning and she made a mental note to get a heavier cloak from the bags she’d left in the stable. There were even more guards on the grounds than there had been the night before, but they let her pass without incident.
As she saddled Snow and put in the last of the belongings she was going to take she thought of Maura still sleeping upstairs. The temptation to go and speak with her, to kiss her, to stay with her was so strong that Gallif had to force herself to climb into the saddle. She briefly considered keeping her deal with Ellis and talking to her a bit about her dad before she left but it would increase the chances of her staying. She told herself, and would tell herself many times, that no matter what she felt for Maura this was the right thing to do.
Wrapped up in a thick fur cloak she quickly left the estate headed east. After a quick ride she entered the stable at the temple of Tebiet and found Kavelle waiting for her.