Theresa pulls the darts out of the wall and places them back in their case. She pulls her pants back on, but has to sit down to make sure they stay on. Fritz and Nimby push the couch closer to the table and quietly take their seats. Getting comfortable, they wait patiently for her to start talking.
“I am Kellia’s personal bodyguard,” Theresa admits.
Fritz cocks an eye toward Nimby, who looks confused. Running a hand through his greasy hair, Fritz says, “Interesting. You don’t seem the type to take a royal bodyguard job from someone like Duke Solomon. I can tell from your previous speeches that you are socially minded and have an opinion on politics, but I never thought you were religious. If Duke Solomon hired you as Luke’s backup then you are probably religiously connected as well.”
“It is a long answer,” Theresa claims, sounding bored with the conversation.
“We have the time to hear it,” Nimby assures her with a friendly smile.
“I was trained by an organization that was both religious and political in nature. I cannot tell you anything about them even under guild game laws,” she answers, picking her words very carefully. “Now, this Lich happens to fall into both categories. It has been an enemy of Zaria and her followers for a very long time. It seeks to possess Kellia’s body and push for a revolt against Duke Solomon. It wouldn’t be too hard for the Lich to cause this revolt if it succeeds here. Peasants are easy to fool when you look like the heir to the throne.”
“Guess that explains why Duke Solomon hired you,” Fritz politely interrupts.
Theresa fingers begin to delicately dance in front of her. She notices what she is doing and slowly places her hands on her lap. “You are wrong about my employer. It was Kellia who summoned me from Gaia about two weeks ago. She wanted protection while at this academy and asked me to arrive at my earliest convenience. At the time, it wasn’t for anything specific, but she felt it would be smart to have a hidden bodyguard. I learned of the Lich while I was finishing a job in Gaia, but the job had already been accepted. So, I was merely doing my job to protect her without smothering her. Unfortunately, Kellia and I were also unaware that there was a demon around. I did not learn about the demon until I overheard your group and Fizzle talking in the Visindor. I was surprised the drite and Luke didn’t notice me in the shadows.”
“It sounds like we are on the same side,” Nimby says, leaning forward. “How about you help us? We could really use the extra fighting power.”
Theresa playfully nails Nimby in the face with a pillow. “Begging is beneath you, thief. Now, I still claim that I work better by myself. I might not be around much longer considering I plan on telling Selenia exactly why I am here. It isn’t like I have a choice in the matter because Kellia requested that I be allowed to visit her. With all that has happened, keeping secrets from Selenia would be a hazard and I sense that she is itching for a fight. Besides, you don’t need my help.”
“Why do you assume that?” Fritz asks, worry and doubt on his face. “Our priest is drained. Our leader is still recovering and probably mentally damaged. I’m still a little rattled from my encounter. Fizzle has disappeared, as usual. Nimby is the only one of us with all of his wits intact. He’s not the type to lead the charge against a single zombie much less a demonic assassin and a necrocaster. I’d say we’re in very bad shape.”
“You seemed so rattled when you whistled at me. You’re getting better, Mister Warrenberg, and Aedyn will get his energy back after a long rest,” Theresa assures him with an amused smile. “As for the Callindor, I wouldn’t count a member of that bloodline out of action until they’re dead. I hate to admit that he might be better suited for this than I am. My areas are stealth and subterfuge. Demons and diplomacy are beyond my interests. Besides, I’d rather let somebody else work closely with Selenia on this.”
“I can agree that Selenia should be somebody else’s problem and Luke seems to be a favorite target of her wrath. I see no reason to change that. It’s a shame that you aren’t willing to help us,” Nimby admits, genuine disappointment in his voice. “I guess we should leave. It was a fun game of Rodil Darts and thanks for telling us the truth. Maybe we’ll meet again after this is done and we can have a rematch.”
“Any time, pipsqueak,” she retorts. “I’m always up for guild games. I owe you for this game, so seek me out when the dust settles.”
Fritz rolls his eyes as Nimby blushes and they get up from the couch. They nod toward Theresa, who doesn’t move to open the door for them. Fritz notices this and lets a grin play across his face.
“Don’t worry, ma’am. You have nothing to be ashamed of,” he declares before following Nimby out the door. He can barely hear Theresa laughing from inside the room.
*****
Luke wakes up in the middle of the night with a startled jump, feeling a smooth hand moving across the scar on his bare chest. A feminine shush is barely audible as another hand gently pushes him back onto the bed. Luke can smell a mild perfume in the air, but he doesn’t recognize the scent. The delicate hands slowly drift away and he can hear the stranger get up from her chair. A quick spark of light appears when the mystery woman tries to use some flint and steel to light a candle. It takes a few more tries for her to get a small candle lit.
“Kira? What are you doing here?” he asks when he can finally see her. The girl puts a finger to her lips and moves back to the wooden stool. She puts the candle on the small table by Luke’s head.
“Nobody is allowed to be out after dark any more. It’s a new rule until this mess is cleaned up,” she whispers with a bashful smile. “I wanted to see if you were awake like people were saying.”
“I’m touched, but I need my rest,” Luke nervously hisses
“I’m really sorry about what happened in the utility shed,” she swears, shifting uncomfortably on the stool. “It was just me having some fun at your expense. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble with Kevin and Selenia or make you mad.”
Luke sits up in the bed and rubs his neck. Kira slips behind him to start massaging his shoulders before he can stop her. She doesn’t say anything while she helps get the knots out of his stiff muscles. Luke moans gently as he feels her rub his tension away. Kira’s long hair tickles his back, so he tries hard not to squirm away from her.
After a few minutes of quiet, Luke says, “Don’t worry about the shed. I have more important things to worry about now. You don’t have to treat me like this.”
“Consider this an apology and enjoy the pampering. You’re going after the demon again as soon as you get out of here. We all know it. Aren’t you afraid that it might kill you?” she asks, panicky concern in her voice. “I mean, nobody besides the teachers would be able to handle it. Most of us don’t deny that you are one of the best students the academy has right now, but this is a real demon and you’ve already been hurt. Most of the students are worried that you won’t survive the next fight.” Kira continues massaging Luke’s shoulders before making her way down his back.
Luke shudders at her touch. “I’ll be fine. I learned my lesson. Why am I even talking to you about this? You wouldn’t understand.”
Kira stops what she is doing, timidly moving back to her chair. She looks dejected and Luke can tell that she is about to weep. He tries to avoid eye contact with her, but it doesn’t take long for him to reach out and pat her hand. Kira looks up and smiles at him while Luke carefully strokes her hand.
“I know that I’m not a warrior. I can barely consider myself a student since I still don’t know how to fight. Not enough to be any good. I know some kicks and a little about my weapon of choice, but that’s it. I don’t even plan on using these skills once I graduate. A merchant’s daughter has no reason to be in battles,” Kira quietly explains, turning away from Luke and starting to softly cry. “So, my reason for visiting you has nothing to do with discussing a strategy to use against the demon. I just thought you would want someone to talk to. You know, someone that you can relax with for a night. While I mig
ht not understand all that you have to deal with, I can still listen to what is on your mind. My mother always said that a listening ear can help more than a continuous voice.”
Luke holds her hand until she stops crying. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
“I guess I deserved it, though,” she claims, shrugging slightly. “I should probably be getting back to the dorm. I’ll get in trouble if they find me missing. There is also a risk that the other students will begin thinking I’m the demon. Just take care of yourself, Luke.”
“I’ll try, but it won’t be easy with what I have to deal with,” Luke admits with a small chuckle. “After he finds out that I’m alive, the Lich will probably become more active. He’s going to want to make a move before Kellia is taken away from the academy. I wouldn’t put it passed that monster to make a full attack the academy.”
“Then, I guess it’s a good thing we have you here. A Callindor and Selenia in the same place is enough to make us feel safe,” Kira whispers. She stands up as Luke swings his legs off the bed.
“Thanks for the visit,” he says. Kira smiles as she goes to the candle and blows it out. Luke hears her whispering something in the dark before he feels her arms wrap around his neck. Her lips softly touch his and he briefly considers pushing her away. Instead, to his own surprise, he reflexively pulls her in close. By the time the kiss ends, Luke still has no idea what came over him.
“Something for us to talk about after you kill that demon. Consider it another apology and a promise all in one,” she whispers as she kisses his cheek. “Maybe even a reason for you to not get yourself killed.” Kira makes very little noise as she opens the door and sneaks out of the infirmary.
“I’m starting to wonder how foolish that girl really is. Something tells me she knows what she wants and knows how to get it,” Luke mutters, staring at the rising sun through the open door. The doctor walks in and is startled to see the half-elf sitting on the bed in a daze. Luke suddenly snaps out of his trance and leaps to his feet. He notices that all of his gear is in the room and can only assume that Kira brought it to him.
“Is everything okay, sir?” the healer asks as Luke gets dressed and straps his weapons in place.
“Never better,” Luke states with a grin. He calmly slips by the doctor and out the door of the infirmary.
12
“Welcome back, Luke. You had this old gnome worried,” Fritz declares when Luke arrives at the stables. Fizzle is perched on Aedyn’s shoulder while Nimby sits on the fence of the hunting dog pen. Luke smiles at his friends as he takes a seat on the gate of Stiletto’s stall. He can hear Jamie and her father working with a sick horse on the far side of the stables.
“I’ve had worse. The scar is going to sting for a few more days, but there’s nothing I can do about that,” Luke casually says. “Thanks for healing me, Aedyn. I owe you my life.” Stiletto puts his front paws and head on the stall door, so Luke can easily scratch him behind the ears.
The tired priest waves his hand at Luke. “I already told you not to worry about it. It is my duty as a priest of Durag to do such things. Allowing me to help you with destroying this demon and its abomination of a master is reward enough for me. Besides, I would like to think that we are friends and things like this do not lead to debt. Do the stable hands mind us meeting here? They sound like they have their hands full with that sick horse.”
“I already talked to them. They don’t mind as long as we don’t feed the animals and we keep the noise to a minimum,” Nimby mentions as he pets one of the dogs. “They know what is going on around here just like everyone else, so I doubt they want to interfere. Now, what are we going to do? The Lich knows what we’re up to, which means our element of surprise is gone. That was really all we had in the first place.”
As he massages Stiletto’s scalp, Luke silently acknowledges that his first adventure has become a disaster. The Hellfire Elf is incredibly strong and the Lich is probably more dangerous than the demon. As Nimby said, his only advantage was the element of surprise, which is gone. The feeling of Stiletto licking his hand reminds him of the promise to spend more time with the dog, which he found to be nearly impossible to do. If he wasn’t in class, he was in trouble or eating or busy searching for the heir. Luke scratches Stiletto under the chin and decides to take his old friend out for a run after dinner. The forest tracker chuckles when Stiletto playfully nips at his fingers for more attention. Luke goes back to scratching Stiletto’s head as he watches his friends shift nervously. Fritz leans against the wall, deep in his thoughts, while Aedyn takes a seat on a pile of clean hay. Fizzle quietly scratches his head with his tail until he suddenly darts into the air.
“What about Selenia? She give help,” Fizzle suggests. “No hurt to ask. She strong and smart and brave.”
“No. This is my mission and I won’t let her take it over. I'm strong, brave, and smart too,” Luke states, his voice more edged and cold than he intended. “Well, maybe not as strong and smart as her. That’s just lack of experience, which is something I’m working on getting. It doesn’t mean that I need her help with this.”
Fizzle looks like he is about to cry when Luke stops talking. “Me sorry, Luke. Fizzle quiet now.”
“Don’t be sorry, Fizzle. All of us were thinking the same thing, but we can’t forget to factor in Luke’s pride and ego,” Fritz says, turning his attention to the young warrior. “I think you better calm down and accept help from anyone who offers it, kid. You nearly died during your first encounter with the Hellfire Elf and your second meeting will probably be harder since he knows a bit about your fighting style. We have to acknowledge that this is more than any of us can handle. A Lich is trouble on its own, but adding a demon makes it even worse. Even a stubborn forest tracker like you has to admit that.”
“Those are all valid points. I would probably lose if I tried to fight the demon again, but that’s only if I do it alone. I think we should make a plan that involves all of us working together,” Luke announces. He sighs when he sees the looks of doubt around him, including an odd stare of contempt from Stiletto. “If we bring Selenia in then she’ll push us to the back and we won’t get to finish what we started. It isn’t like we’re helpless. I mean, we are a genius illusionist, a master thief, a drite, a priest of the sun, and a forest tracker. We all have skills that can be used to help us take out our enemies, but it all comes down to us making a plan where we work together. I don’t have a plan as yet, but I should have one soon enough. Just give me some time to figure things out. Can you guys please let me try to come up with a plan?”
Nimby stops petting the greyhound and looks around at the others. “I think we can give you some more time. I’m just confused on what we are trying to do here. Do we protect Kellia, go after the Lich, or take on the Hellfire Elf? All three are very important right now. Choosing one over the other could lead to a disaster.”
Luke stands up and turns toward the dog pen. He reaches out to pet one of the greyhounds as the others sit in silence. He notices that the dog is looking a little bloated and takes a longer look to realize that the dog is pregnant. She continues to lick at his hand and nuzzle him as he thinks about his problems. Nimby is about to pull out some food for the pregnant dog until Fritz gently smacks him on the wrist. A silent point toward Jamie eyeing the halfling makes Nimby slowly raise his empty hands where she can see them.
Watching Nimby, Luke realizes that the halfing is right about his choices. Kellia is counting on him to make the right decision, so whatever he wants is no longer important. The smartest plan would place Kellia out of harm’s way, which meant Selenia would have to be involved in the planning. With the headmistress watching Kellia, Luke would be free to hunt down his enemies. As much as he wants to go after the Lich, he could waste days searching the Caster Swamp for the monster. That would give the necrocaster plenty of time to go after Kellia. Luke nods when he realizes what he has to do and turns to his friends to announce his decision.
“We go for the Hellfire Elf first,” Fritz declares as Luke opens his mouth to talk.
“Hey! That was what I was going to say,” Luke childishly retorts. Nimby and Aedyn can’t stop themselves from smirking at Luke’s outburst.
“Great minds think alike then. You would be able to think as fast as I do if you were shorter. We get cleaner air since we’re closer to the grass,” Fritz says with a friendly grin. He waits for Luke to smile before continuing in a cautious voice. “I think we should go after the more present threat. That Hellfire Elf is going to be back and we should be ready for him. I suggest going back to Selenia’s office before going into more detail. With that thing being able to transform, I don’t think we should discuss how to kill it while it is out in the open.”
Aedyn nods before getting up and leading the way out of the stables. Luke stays behind for a few more seconds to kiss Stiletto on the head and whisper a promise to take the noble shepherd for a run after dinner. Luke is barely a step outside when Fizzle drops on his shoulder. The drite still looks upset, gingerly wrapping his tail around Luke’s right arm. His reptilian chin quivers as tears begin to form in his glazed, black eyes.
“I’m sorry about yelling at you, Fizzle,” Luke apologizes. “I guess the stress is getting to me. Forgive me?”
“Yeah. Fizzle no hold grudge. You young and emo . . . em . . . moody. You no know better. Fizzle understand,” Fizzle replies, his voice soft and kind.
As Luke jogs to catch up to the others, he passes Clarence who is on his way to visit his greyhounds. The skinny archer is carrying a bag of snacks and several items that Luke guesses are for dog training. Several leashes, wooden rings, balls, sticks, and something furry are precariously balanced in his arms. The sergeant instructor has some trouble with the load, so he stops to balance everything, pausing to nod at Luke and Fizzle. Suddenly, Luke’s ears perk up for a second and he jogs back to catch up to Clarence.
Beginning of a Hero (Legends of Windemere) Page 28