“Should we help him?” Fritz asks with concern as the griffin flies upside down and nearly scrapes Luke off on a chimney.
“He will be fine. If anything, this might humble him,” Aedyn replies through bouts of laughter. The priest slows down his hysterical laughter when Luke flips himself onto the griffin’s belly and scrambles to get back on the saddle as the beast rolls right side up.
They can see Luke mouth something and the griffin stops abruptly. Luke waves at everyone on the ground, in an attempt to recover some pride, before instructing the griffin to fly toward the clouds. He streaks past the other griffin causing it to shriek at him. Fritz and Aedyn can’t tell if it was the beast or the rider that made the angry noise. The last anyone sees of either griffin is one diving to the side to avoid a bright orange line that disappears behind a cloud.
Fritz joins in the laughter rippling through the street. “Guess they are getting along in some way.”
“Seems that way,” Aedyn gasps, wiping a tear from his eye.
“Why do you think Luke needs humbling?” Fritz asks.
Aedyn clears his throat and feels his pointy ears warm up as he blushes. “I do not know if I should get into that. It could cause trouble between me and Luke. I respect him too much to let my personal thoughts give him grief. Besides, I feel he is in a fragile state of mind due to recent events.”
“You think he has gone back to being a reckless warrior with more courage than common sense,” Fritz bluntly interjects. “One could even say that you have lost some faith in his abilities as a leader.”
Fritz can see Aedyn try to hide his wounded expression as the gnome continues, “I have to agree that his recklessness has increased over the last few days. When he met Nyx, he didn’t try as hard as he could have to calm her down and avoid the fight. Luke seems to be hunting for distractions too. Something is going on in his head that he isn’t willing to share with the rest of us. I have some ideas on what it is, but I have a feeling that Kellia will be the one to help him.”
“You are thinking this is his way of not thinking about Kira,” Aedyn says as they reach the golden temple of Durag. He stops at the bottom of the yellow stairs to reach down and drink from a bronze, sun-shaped fountain. “You are probably right. Somebody should talk to him about it before he succumbs to his depression. Kellia might be able to talk some sense into him by reminding him that her life is his responsibility. He would have to pay attention when the job is yelling at him. Still, I find it amazing that the bond between Luke and Kira became so strong over such a short time.”
“I’m not getting into any discussion that deals with the heart,” Fritz claims, following Aedyn up the freshly swept stairs. “I’m here to get a look at your temple and help out. Already, I can see that this is an architectural work of art. The golden pillars with glass orbs edging the roof are designed to gather and distribute the sunlight. It’s an old, but highly effective system. I especially like the multiple glass domes that make up the roof. I assume there is one for each room. Your people sure know how to design a temple worth looking at. How does sunlight get to the lower levels?”
“The floor is a glass-like material that your people created exclusively for the Durag temples. This material allows natural light to pass through, but you cannot see through it like ordinary glass. So, it gives both privacy and natural light to all levels of the building,” Aedyn answers as they reach the top of the stairs. “We have had to depend on the gnomes for great creations to help us with our oath to bathe in natural sunlight. So, as much as I thank you for your praise of our temples, we could not have done it without the creative talents of the gnomes. You know, I am starting to believe Luke might have been right about the two of us.”
“The two of us seem to have bonded even though I find you stuffy and a fun killer at times,” Fritz claims, clapping Aedyn on the back of the leg. “Still, I find it much easier to talk to you than the others when it comes to serious stuff. We make an interesting pair, kid.”
Aedyn puts a hand on Fritz’s shoulder as the gnome attempts to enter the temple. “You never told me what you think of Nyx. You should tell me before we enter the temple. Someone inside might know her, so it would be best to finish this conversation outside.”
“Like you, I feel that I should not make a final judgment at this time,” the gnome casually states. “For now there are two things about her that I know for a fact.”
“Those are?” Aedyn asks suspiciously.
“One is that she is a powerful caster that has the potential to become one of the greatest casters in history,” Fritz rambles while he unwittingly moves his hands to form illusionary, and partially clothed, images of Nyx behind him. “The other is that she is a stunning beauty with those violet eyes and slender frame. I wonder how she keeps her body in such shape. Her muscle tone isn’t up to warrior standards, but it isn’t anything to ignore. I think her legs are her best feature. They’re a nice length for her height with a healthy amount of tone.”
Aedyn uses his staff to knock the gnome on top of his head before the lewd images of Nyx take a more detailed form. The priest shakes his head in disgust and rubs his eyes. A few acolytes that are cleaning the grounds begin to chuckle at the wordless exchange. They laugh even louder when Fritz kicks Aedyn in the shin and the pair has an awkward stare down. It eventually ends with Aedyn sighing and turning toward the open temple doors. Without another word, Aedyn enters the temple and tries to make it look like he has no connection to Fritz in any way.
*****
The air is filled with a wall of smoke from pipes and lanterns even though the windows of the bar are wide open. At the edge of the hazy surroundings, Luke and Nyx rest quietly at a corner table while drunks wander the crowded room in front of them. Four bowls with the remains of a thick stew are piled in front of Nyx while a half-finished mug of water sits in front of Luke. He barely touches the warm bowl of stew in front of him as he sips at the soothing water. Nyx cracks a smile at the forest tracker and his half-hearted attempts to get some food in his queasy stomach.
“You wouldn’t be having this problem if you hadn’t thrown up,” she whispers, trying to hide her smile.
“It was my first time flying and my griffin decided eight loops in a row followed by a hundred foot diving spiral would be a nice trick,” Luke says in a weak and sickly tone. “I will do much better the next time I’m in the air. I know some exercises that I can do to get my body used to being upside down. They're just some simple equilibrium balancing positions, but I never saw a reason to keep in my daily workout regime, until today.” A loud gurgle from his stomach fills a sudden noiseless void in the bar.
“It sounds like your stomach has issues with that idea,” Nyx laughs, her voice becoming oddly musical.
“It’ll live. Worst that happens is that I throw up again,” Luke groans.
“I bet the griffin will appreciate that repeat performance,” Nyx says, mockingly rolling her eyes. “They don’t enjoy smelling bad, but they also hate being bathed. At least, you got some revenge.”
Luke grins as he finishes his water and makes another attempt to eat some of his stew. A crash across the room catches his attention and he looks up to see two men, a dwarf, a half-elf, and a half-orc throwing a family of halflings out of the building. Nyx ignores the scene and kicks Luke in the knee to get his attention.
“What was that for?” he asks with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
“They outnumber you and I’m not getting into a fight that you start. Besides, you can barely keep your food down. One punch to your stomach and you’ll make an embarrassing mess,” Nyx hisses, leaning across the table. She frowns when Luke looks back at the group of thugs. “Stop staring at them, Luke. I always heard that the Callindors were cunning and cautious warriors who thought carefully before entering a fight. You must be the idiot of your family tree.”
Luke swallows a spoonful of broth and fights to keep it down. “I’ve had a rough week. Taking out some aggression on a
pack of bullies might do me some good. You of all people should understand. Aggression appears to be a perpetual state of mind for you.”
“Here I thought we were bonding, jackass,” Nyx growls. She slumps back in her chair and puts her booted feet on the table.
“Not my problem you have a chip on your shoulder the size of an ogre,” Luke contends. “At least, I have a reason for being irritable.”
“What reason might that be?” she asks, tapping her fingers on her knee. Her raised tone and loud voice catches a few stares from people at the next table. Two female elves start whispering and pointing in their direction, but they quickly turn away when Nyx makes eye contact.
“I don’t want to get into it,” he mutters.
“Girl trouble it is. You’re so easy to read,” Nyx announces. She smiles as Luke blushes and shifts in his chair. “Anyway, we should start heading back to Rainbow Tower. I was told that the boat leaves at midnight and I still have some things to do.”
“You were told of this adventure a few days ago and you haven’t finished packing?” Luke asks with a stunned smile. “I guess you have some actual female tendencies behind that tomboy façade.”
Nyx sounds tired and rubs at her eyes. “I haven’t packed because I was trying to get out of this. I was honored to be chosen for this mission, but I really don’t want to go. You see, I’m an orphan. My father was killed in the Caster Swamp Wars and my mother was destroyed along with the rest of my home village. A wandering caster in red robes found me in the ruins and brought me to Rainbow Tower. The only home I have ever known is Rainbow Tower and I’m not ready to leave. I feel that there is nothing outside of Gaia that is worth leaving my home.”
“Talk about stupid,” Luke callously declares. “You’re scared to leave the safety of the tower and are keeping yourself blind to the benefits of seeing the world.”
“I’m not stupid. I just don’t want to leave,” she snaps, getting to her feet and starting to walk away.
Luke catches her by the sleeve and gently directs her back to the table. “You have a great amount of magic and knowledge, Nyx. You have the courage to talk back to one of the greatest and scariest casters in Windemere. The only thing that is stopping you from being ready to leave Gaia is your fear. Imagine the magic you will find out in the world and the new knowledge that you will gain. You might even find the caster who rescued you or other villagers that survived the destruction of your hometown. Yet you will never know if those people are out there unless you come with us.”
Luke pauses to gather the courage to tell her a thought that he has been holding back since they first met in Willow’s garden. “Most importantly, you’re strong, Nyx. I fought the Lich before and I know that I got lucky in that fight. Your magic could very well be the only thing that can defeat to this creature and the demons sent after us. My friends and I need your help to get through this. Kellia and her father need you. Now, do you understand why it’s so important that you come with us?”
“You don’t have to flatter me or be dramatic. I will be going with you and your friends. I won’t make any promises that I will stay around after we reach Gods’ Voice. I plan on returning to Gaia once this is done,” Nyx admits, trying her best to sound determined. “Now, let’s go . . . hey!” A thick arm suddenly wraps around her shoulders while another hand pinches her on the thigh.
“How about you leave that boy for a man tonight?” slurs a grungy, balding man. Luke recognizes him from the earlier incident across the room. The other four thugs are gathered behind their drunken friend with ugly grins plastered across their faces.
“Why should I go with you?” she says in a terrifyingly calm voice.
“Let her go!” shouts Luke, who is already on his feet. He takes a step toward Nyx only to be blocked by the half-orc. The burly drunk draws two battle-axes at the same time that Luke draws his sabers. Both of them move quickly and stop their weapons less than an inch from each other’s throats. Luke slowly brings his sabers away from the half-orc, but his gaze never leaves the towering warrior’s eyes.
“It looks like you won’t be saving her. My friend there is a forest tracker and a bounty hunter. A whelp like you would lose,” the dwarf grunts from behind the animal pelt-covered warrior.
“Stay out of this, Luke. I can handle this,” Nyx swears.
“You seem like a fun-loving and feisty wench,” announces the leering drunk, his friends laughing around him. “You look pretty durable and flexible too. I really love that fire in your eyes. My friends and I could have some real fun with you. Course we might have to rough up your little friend for drawing steel on us, unless you agree to our requests. So, what do you say to a night with all of us, girl? We’ll make it worth your time and shame.”
“May demons eat your balls,” Nyx snarls before she sends a close-range blast of wind into the man’s gut, which hurls him into the far wall. His friends waste no time drawing their weapons on her.
“Crazy caster!” the man yells, pulling himself through the fresh hole in the wall. “You’re going to bleed for that. Let’s see how strong you are when you can’t cast anything stronger than wind gusts.”
“Excuse me, sir!” the bartender interrupts in a calm, collected tone. “I should warn you that she won’t hold back because she is inside. Nyx has damaged my place ten times since she started coming here two years ago. I suggest you stand down or I will hold you and your friends responsible for the damage to my bar.”
The man sneers, but beads of sweat begin to appear on his brow. “That doesn’t scare me. I say we gut them both and run before the authorities arrive.”
“I state a public challenge!” Luke announces. Everyone in the bar stares at him in disbelief as the half-orc backs away. A victorious smile is on the faces of the drunken gang while Nyx stares at Luke with an open mouth. The bartender opens a compartment in the bar to pull out a silver horn. He inhales deeply before letting the echoing howl of the instrument erupt into the evening sky.
“Do you have any idea what you just did?” asks Nyx, her voice filled with annoyance and worry.
“Not exactly. Fritz mentioned something to me about public challenges when we were in Visindor Forest,” Luke innocently says. “From what he said, I think it means that you have to fight that man in the arena without the use of magic or weapons. A member of the Grand Counsel will judge the fight. If you win then you don’t have to go with him. You have a strong punch, so you could easily take him since he is obviously drunk.”
Nyx punches Luke in the arm before angrily ranting, “A public challenge means all who are involved in the incident will fight in the arena. You just made it so that the two of us have to fight all five of these drunks with no swords and no magic. I don’t know enough about hand-to-hand combat to hold my own against more than one person since I use magic to enhance my physical abilities. That leaves the other four to you and I don’t think you can take them out without your swords. The worst part of this is that if we lose to those goons then I go with them and you get put in jail for a few months. This is why nobody calls out a challenge without knowing that they will win or having nothing to do in the immediate future. Do you have any idea how to fix this problem that you caused?”
“We can win. Trust me,” Luke whispers as a contingent of city guards arrives to escort the challenge participants to the arena. All of the participants hand over their weapons as they are escorted out of the bar and lead down the street.
“You better know what you’re doing,” Nyx hisses. She is given a bronze ring, designed to prevent the use of magic, and begrudgingly slips it on her finger.
Luke lightly punches Nyx’s arm, causing her to scowl. “I said I needed to get some aggression out. A fight like this is just what I wanted. Besides, I have a feeling that it won’t go the way you fear it will.”
“I’m screwed,” Nyx groans.
4
“Do not tell her where I am,” Nyx whispers through the small, bar-covered window looking into the busy
street. “Just tell Lady Willow that I would appreciate it if she packs everything I would need for my journey. Luke and I will meet everyone at the docks tonight as we planned. We have been delayed because Luke wanted to see more of the sights. Thanks for the help, kid.” She tosses a silver coin to a small boy outside the window before he disappears through the crowd that has gathered around the arena.
“Done freeing up your schedule?” Luke asks as the guards check him for any hidden weapons.
“All of this is your fault. I swear that I will turn you into a carcass beetle if we lose this fight,” Nyx growls as another guard searches her. “Hey! Don’t get grabby! This is a weapon search. Not a slow dance!”
“I’ve been in worse situations than this,” Luke casually admits. “These idiots probably haven’t sobered up yet, so this will be easy compared to everything I fought while at the academy.” The guards finish searching the pair for weapons and leave the half-elves to wait until they are summoned to the arena.
“Do you even know how these challenges begin?” Nyx inquires.
“Not a clue. I’m a tourist after all,” he innocently answers. “I assume we go in and start fighting after someone does a small speech or introduction.”
“Better answer than I expected, but the situation is different since we are outnumbered. It will begin with one of us fighting one of them. All other fighters will join in once one of the first two combatants is defeated,” Nyx states without any effort to mask her irritation. “Although, the rules will be changed for us since I’m a combatant and the prize. If you win the first round then it’s two on four. If you lose the first fight then it will be taken as the end of the challenge and I will go with those drunks. The only way that won’t happen is if the judge decides to let me fight, but that rarely happens. Some hero you turned out to be. Instead of protecting the damsel in distress, you drag her into an arena brawl.”
Legends of Windemere: 02 - Prodigy of Rainbow Tower Page 8