Sorcery, Schemes and Skelt: The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol II

by Rachel Ronning

  “No, now is not a good time for Elvish diplomacy. We might have to go there after we discover what the Skelt are up to. If the Skelt plan to use the anderi to invade Elven lands, they’ll have to be informed.”

  “Not that I have problems sneaking around,” commented Gavin since he had finished eating, “but what happens if one of these war happy kings finds us sneaking around?”

  “We’ll likely be killed as spies,” said Joss.

  “Since certain death is the way to go, north it is,” said Gavin.

  “Care to join us?” Justin asked Kinda and Allar with a smile.

  “Warring kings and Skelt. Sounds like fun,” replied Kinda with an evil grin that made Lucy think she meant it. Lucy again reassessed how dangerous this pair might be. She was feeling vulnerable until remembering she could probably obliterate Kinda before Kinda had time to raise a weapon. Interesting. Lucy tended not to think of herself as dangerous. She wondered how their group was perceived by the other patrons of the inn.

  “We have prearranged plans elsewhere,” Allar reminded her.

  “We do,” acknowledged Kinda with a sigh. “We’ll have to find another time to face death with you.”

  Justin grinned. Talk turned casual and another round of ale was ordered. Lucy wondered how and when Justin had met Kinda and Allar. They spoke to each other as though they were old friends and trusted each other in battle situations. Deep as she was in her own thoughts, she did notice that the usually jocular Joss seemed withdrawn. He hadn’t tried to bait Maya into an argument since the second round of ale.

  “Something troubling you?” Lucy asked Joss.

  “I’m trying to figure out how years of border skirmishes have turned into a full blown war. I wonder what’s going on,” said Joss sounding concerned.

  “What is the Ostrakan Army?” Lucy asked, both curious and as an attempt to distract Joss. She did not care to listen to a lecture on the political background of two kingdoms. However, a lecture on something she had never heard about sounded interesting.

  “Often, individuals of mixed race don’t fit in with either culture they come from. Their parents love them, of course, but what does a half Dwarf do when he grows up and feels like he doesn’t belong? Perhaps he is a foot taller than all the full blooded Dwarves and doesn’t like mining. Perhaps the human parent is dead and the Dwarf parent alive, but remarried to a Dwarf or, even more awkwardly, another, younger human. A half Dwarf has a shorter life span than a full blooded Dwarf. Not all humans accept Dwarves and likewise, not all Dwarves accept humans. It’s even more awkward if you are half Giant or half Sprite. A half human half Sprite who changes color with his emotions tends to stand out in a human town, but probably wouldn’t survive in the mists.

  A long time ago, some of the half Elves, half Dwarves, half Giants, and half Sprites banded together. They claimed an uninhabited island, turning it into their home and training ground. Their inability to fit in elsewhere is their badge of belonging together. They make money through trade and as mercenaries. All of them are ferocious fighters. Some have had to be for survival. A half Giant growing up among Giants is often bullied. He knows he’ll never be bigger than the other Giants, but his human half sometimes makes him smarter and faster.

  They called themselves the Ostrakan Army. They develop new fighting styles and weapons rather than sticking with well-tried traditions. I’m not sure Dwarven armor has changed in centuries, neither has the Elven bow, but you never know what the Ostrakan Army is going to wear or use. They are fun to watch fight unless they are against you. When called on, the Ostrakan Army sends out a well-trained detachment.”

  “Detachment?” asked Lucy. “Then couldn’t there be some on both sides of a battle?”

  “Certainly. They won’t face each other in battle though. Usually, a battle ground is big enough to avoid each other. They tend to work on a first come first serve basis. Or, they choose sides based on the terrain or who they think will lose. They fight for whoever pays them, but they don’t like to be totally predictable or money driven. They’ll take the odd contract on the side. Also, there is a yearly fair and competition on their island. Outsiders can come and participate. The Ostrakans know some people will come just to gawk at the freaks, but it also builds respect once people see their potential. No one has ever tried to attack the island.”

  “Interesting,” said Lucy. “Do their families live on the island too? Spouses and children?”

  “No,” replied Joss looking surprised by the question, “The Ostrakans don’t have families.”

  “On the island or anywhere?” asked Lucy confused.

  “Anywhere. Half Elves can’t reproduce. None of the Ostrakans can. They are sterile. A surviving parent may come for a visit, but they don’t stay. As such, any mixed race child that shows up is unconditionally welcomed.”

  Lucy considered this while Joss studied her curiously.

  The fire crackled, patrons sang, drank, and called for more ale. One patron, who had had too much, stumbled. Gavin’s quick reflexes caught him right before he fell into the fire. The man motioned gratitude and began snoring, so Gavin gently laid him down on the floor in a corner. They saw the innkeeper shake his head and sigh. Apparently this was a common occurrence. The wind rattled the windows, causing a dog to howl, and the mist swirled independent of the wind. Lucy shivered despite the fire. She was glad to be inside.

  Chapter 10

  By the next morning, the drizzle mist had changed into a full blown downpour. The gusts of wind were so strong, that, at times, the rain was falling horizontally. Lucy was glad the creepy mist was gone, but wasn’t enthusiastic about the storm. The five of them decided their quest wasn’t urgent enough to travel in a deluge. Kinda and Allar agreed. After checking their mounts, they spent the rest of the day in the common room of the inn. They certainly weren’t the only patrons either. Many people came in throughout the day to escape from the rain, have a warm bowl of stew, and down a pint of ale. The innkeeper kept the fire burning merrily.

  To pass the time, they thought up all sorts of different games and contests. Kinda won an arm wrestling contest. Gavin was a bit embarrassed, but took the defeat good naturedly. Male or female, never expect to beat a Dwarf at physical strength challenges. Besides, Kinda’s laugh was infectious, taking the sting out of losing. Joss won the knife throwing contest. The innkeeper wasn’t fond of that contest, but after the damages had been covered and then some, he became good natured again. Allar showed them some sleight of hand tricks. Gavin’s nimble fingers picked up on them quickly. Lucy made a mental note to never play cards with Allar, especially if there was any kind of bet involved.

  Then, Kinda introduced a new dice game. Lucy loved games and quickly memorized the rules. Maya didn’t seem terribly interested. She kept forgetting if it was 2’s or 4’s a person wanted to roll. Games with dice always seemed to involve more luck than skill. Lucy found them interesting and enjoyable, but still preferred certain card games. For travel purposes though, dice could handle unpredictable weather conditions better than cards, not to mention the occasional ale spill.

  A bard arrived that evening. He sang and told stories. He had a beautiful voice. Lucy was surprised to see Kinda pull out a pipe and blow green smoke rings. The smoke had a sweet scent about it. Lucy had always thought pipe smoking a masculine past time. She wondered what else would surprise her about Kinda and hoped they would meet again sometime.

  The next day, the weather was back to a light drizzle. They decided the time had come to continue their journey. Justin and Lucy added weather proofing spells to anything that didn’t already have them. Allar and Kinda were pleased with the upgrades to their cloaks. They parted ways; Allar and Kinda headed south. Lucy was sorry to see them go. She liked them very much and would have enjoyed their company on their quest. Gavin, Joss, Maya, Justin, and Lucy continued north. They did not talk much as they traveled; the drizzle induced introspection rather than conversation.

  Joss was preoccupied with t
he situation in the north. He did not like the idea of trying to sneak through a battle zone. Gavin was thinking up new strengthening exercises to do while traveling. He wasn’t thrilled about being bested by a woman, even if she was a Dwarf. The old saying was: if you didn’t want to get hit, move faster. If you didn’t want to lose an arm wrestling contest, grow stronger.

  Maya was thinking about Joss. Every other word out of his mouth might annoy her, but his silence was somewhat unnerving. She supposed she could start a conversation with him, but that might encourage something she did not want to encourage. However, talking made traveling more enjoyable for the group in general and she did enjoy some of his banter. Then, she changed her focus from personal to professional. If they were going to be traveling through a potential war zone up north, it would be better to have some healing salves and potions on hand. She had packed some, but it might not be enough. She started to keep an eye out for raw ingredients to gather. Then, if she had time, she would at least have fresh supplies on hand to use.

  “Do I hear thunder?” Joss asked Maya.

  “I don’t know. How would I know what you hear? Do you hear thunder?”

  “I was checking if you heard thunder.”

  “Then ask, ‘did you hear thunder?’” snapped Maya.

  “Well, did you?” asked Joss with a smile.

  “No, I wasn’t paying attention. Did you hear thunder?”

  “I might have. I was hoping for confirmation.”

  “Asking the right question helps.”

  “I’ll work on that,” said Joss with a smile.

  Lucy was sure Joss knew the question would annoy Maya. Did he like vexing her, or was he simply trying to distract himself from his thoughts? Lucy stopped wondering about Joss and Maya. It either would or would not work itself out. She certainly couldn’t stop Joss from baiting Maya. Instead, she wondered if there was a better way to go than straight through a battle zone. Logically, if the majority of the soldiers on both sides were at one concentrated location for a battle, there should be plenty of unwatched areas for them to sneak through. Neither Justin nor Joss seemed thrilled with the idea of going to the Elves. Why was that? It sounded like a better idea to Lucy than sneaking through a war zone.

  “Are we going to travel at night once we get closer?” Lucy asked Joss.

  “No, if we are caught at night, we look suspicious automatically. If we are caught during the daytime, we can pretend to be travelers ignorant of their conflict.”

  “Will that work?” asked Lucy doubtfully.

  “Probably not. We’re a little too heavily armed to pass for the average traveler. Whatever side stops us will think we’re spies, arms, or mercenaries, for the other.”

  “So, we need to get lucky or we are in trouble,” said Lucy.

  “Something like that. Really though, life is like that a lot, so don’t let it worry you.”

  Lucy wasn’t sure she could stop worrying completely, but to avoid her troubling thoughts, she went over different spells in her head. She reviewed anything that might be useful. If they were caught, hopefully, she’d react rather than freeze. It comforted her to know even if she was disarmed, her magic was still a weapon. She’d figure out a way to survive.

  When they stopped to camp for the night, Lucy had a hard time getting warm. The weather and the mists made it difficult to shake off the chill. Even after a drying spell, her clothes still felt damp. She scooted closer to Justin, trying to steal some of his warmth. It didn’t help much, but his nearness was comforting.

  “Cold?” Justin asked in her mind.

  “It’s the chill and the damp. I can’t seem to get warm.”

  Justin put his arm around her. That did help, a little.

  “You know, with separate tents I could think of all sorts of easier, better, and more enjoyable ways to warm you up,” Justin joked.

  “Sure, that would improve the group dynamics.”

  “I’m so glad you agree. I packed the other tent just in case.”

  Lucy elbowed him and he smiled in the dark. Justin liked joking with her and lightening the mood with their private conversations. There was something very intimate about mind to mind communication. Justin was glad he could share moments with Lucy without sharing them with others. He pulled her closer and she sighed contentedly.

  “Goodnight, Lucy.”

  “Goodnight, Justin.”

  The next day dawned bright and sunny. Everyone’s mood lifted. It was difficult not to be happy with the sun shining after so many days of mist. Cloaks were shed, talk was easier, and Joss started to banter again. Apparently he was ready for another round or two with Maya.

  “I’ve been working on my questions,” said Joss to Maya.

  “Fantastic,” she replied, “Now you can work on your sentences since that didn’t make any sense at all. I speak over twenty languages and know various sentence structures.”

  “I have a question for you,” Joss said. Lucy could hear the smile in his voice and wondered what game he was playing now.

  “That was a statement.”

  “Can’t I start a question with a statement?”

  “Apparently, grammatically, you can do anything you like,” replied Maya with a shrug.

  “Have you been thinking about our kiss?”

  “‘Our kiss’ would imply mutual consent and participation. I don’t recall having one of those.”

  “You don’t?” joked Joss with mock, shocked dismay.

  “No,” said Maya firmly.

  “Would you like to rectify that?”

  “No,” said Maya, even firmer.

  “I thought I should check.”

  “You really didn’t have to.”

  “I have another question.”

  Maya groaned.

  “Have you been thinking a lot about when I kissed you?”

  “Not really. I’ve had more important things on my mind,” retorted Maya.

  “More important? Than being kissed by a handsome guy? I thought that was every girl’s dream.”

  “Most girls have more than one dream.”

  “What do you dream about?” wondered Joss.

  “Day dream or night time dream?”

  “Either.”

  “I tend not to dream,” replied Maya somewhat wistfully.

  “Day dream or night time dream?”

  “Either,” replied Maya with a smile. “I don’t remember my dreams in the morning. I tend not to day dream either. I set goals and make them happen. Not quite the same thing.”

  That must be nice, thought Lucy. She wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but they weren’t trying to be quiet so she didn’t feel like she was intruding by overhearing. Lucy dreamt all the time. She could wake up in the morning and remember three or four different dreams from the past night. She didn’t mind the good dreams, but her active nighttime imagination gave her nightmares too. She would willingly give up the good dreams if it meant the bad ones would go away. What was it like to sleep all night without dreaming? Lucy supposed it must be restful.

  A few days passed filled with similar banter and conversation.

  “You know what I think?” asked Joss.

  “No, but I’m sure you’ll tell me,” replied Maya.

  “I think we should get married.”

  “What?!” Maya practically shouted. “How, in the world, did you come to that conclusion?”

  “It’s simple.”

  “No it isn’t. You don’t know anything about me.”

  “I know I enjoy spending time with you. I know I like to watch you laugh. I know you’re smart, capable, and captivating,” stated Joss.

  “That doesn’t imply compatible,” Maya interrupted.

  “Perhaps not,” Joss acknowledged. “Look at it this way. All couples grow and change over time. They either grow closer or farther apart. We are so far apart, we can’t help but grow closer together.”

  “That’s preposterous!” sputtered Maya.

  “Is that a no, then?”
>
  “Was that a proposal? I don’t remember being asked anything. I was only told what you were thinking.”

  “You’re absolutely correct. Shall I propose?” Joss smiled.

  “Don’t you dare!”

  “Afraid you might say yes?” teased Joss.

  Maya’s eyes opened wide; she started moving her mouth but didn’t actually form words. Joss watched her for a minute, winked, and rode back to ride with Gavin, starting a conversation on sword tactics. Maya couldn’t decide if Joss’s impertinence required a verbal lashing or if she should simply ignore him again. Finally, giving Lucy an exasperated look, she pulled out a map to study.

  Lucy didn’t think the idea was that absurd. Joss and Maya did enjoy each other’s company and the verbal sparring. She knew arranged marriages were based on far less. Also, Joss did have a point; couples grow closer together or fall apart. Besides, Lucy couldn’t see Maya happy with a submissive man.

  “If we locked them together in a room for a week, do you think they’d get everything straightened out?” Justin asked in Lucy’s head.

  “Maybe, but I’d be sure to take out anything breakable first. Maya may be the type to throw things when angry,” responded Lucy, trying not to smile too much at the thought.

  “I’m never entirely sure how serious either of them is, or if they just like the verbal banter.”

  “I’m not sure they know how serious they are either. That could be part of the fun,” responded Lucy with a shrugged.

  They were camping one evening on a rocky hillside when they found themselves surrounded. Thirty-five mounted men wearing white tunics over chain mail all had weapons pointed in their direction. The men were clean, well fed, muscled, trained, organized, and possibly deadly. Their swords, axes, and spears glistened in the setting sun. Obviously, a scouting group of one of the opposing armies had found them.