by Andi Van
“Tasis told me something similar, when we were with the giants,” Jorget admitted. “But self-confidence isn’t always that easy a thing to obtain.”
“Then look at it this way. I think it’s important you make this journey up the mountain because I trust you to have my back, and because I already consider you a friend. If I’m going to climb some mountain to go meet a talking bird, I want it to be with people I trust. So what if you can’t throw a fireball or levitate?”
“Oh, I can throw a fireball,” Jorget said with a snort. “The problem is that I’d probably set the entire damn mountain on fire.”
“Nobody’s perfect,” Kelwin said blandly, making Jorget let out another snort. “In the meantime, why don’t you go call Denekk? The mirror you’ll need is in the room Tasis and I are sharing.”
“Okay,” Jorget said in agreement, getting to his feet. He took a couple steps toward the hallway, then paused to look over his shoulder. “You really do love him, don’t you?”
“There have been many things in my life that I’ve doubted,” Kelwin answered as a small smile tugged at his lips. “I’ve doubted my mother’s love because she didn’t have time for me. I’ve doubted my path in life because I felt that I would never be as talented as my mentor. I doubted my own courage, and my own strength of character. But the one thing I have never doubted from the moment our mutual affection was confirmed is that I love Tasis with all my heart, and that he loves me as much in return. And that is a gift I will never take for granted.”
Chapter 10
THEY LEFT the following evening, under the cover of darkness. The stay had been short but necessary, if for nothing but to make decisions on what they would be doing next. After another meeting with Reikos, minus the armor this time, they decided it would be safest to meet the guards at the bottom of the mountain itself. As much as they trusted the congenial man, and as much as the giants could overpower the small contingent of armed men, no one would be comfortable with the king’s men in the village. At first they’d suggested Jorget travel with the guards, but the young man had protested rather fervently, and Reikos had assured them that none of his men were likely to mention to anyone outside of their group that Jorget hadn’t actually been with them since Inafain. With that assurance in place, Reikos and his men had left the mountain while Tasis and Nabiha had continued to poke through the books still remaining in the house. Unfortunately, their search had been to no avail, though Tasis did say several times what a fantastic job Nabiha had done reorganizing the small collection in a way that made sense. The two had already had their heads together discussing how the vast library at the guild might be sorted to best help with those who would need it.
It was just as well, as it turned out. At Tasis’s request, Reikos had kept an ear out for anything Nabiha’s parents might be doing in an effort to find her, only to report that her parents had been at the inn. Her mother seemed distraught, but her father had declared they were better off with two less mouths to feed, both of them worthless because one was too weak to be of help during planting or harvest, the other too young, and didn’t they have three strapping lads in their brood to help already? Nabiha had appeared unsurprised by the news when Tasis had broken it to her gently, which had made them all sad, but Emlynn confided in them later that the girl had cried herself to sleep that night. Tasis had done his best to distract her with plans for the library, but they all hurt for the girl. And so, despite whatever pain she may have been feeling over the rejection, after only a couple of days Nabiha had already found a place she wanted within the new home that awaited her.
If he was going to be completely honest with himself, Kelwin was a little jealous of that. Not that he begrudged the girl her chance to start over. She more than deserved it. But while he certainly helped by supporting Tasis, he wasn’t certain he had a place in the guild other than that. He considered it might help if he started taking up his own studies again. A knowledge of plant life could certainly come in handy among a group of people who cast spells on a regular basis. He’d made a mental note to discuss it with his mentor upon his return to the isle.
That would have to wait, though. At present they were once again in the wagon, the horses pulling them along probably faster than was advisable. When they left the house, they’d tucked Nabiha and Malik onto the floorboard of the cart, nested in blankets to keep them comfortable until they had passed their parents’ farm. Because while her father may have been an uncaring bastard, her mother had at least seemed worried, and there was also always a chance of someone seeing them and weaving some wild tale of the local despised elf kidnapping the two. That was something none of them needed, not when they already had Archai breathing down their necks. When they’d gone far enough that they could be relatively sure no one would see them, they had stopped the horses and helped Nabiha take a seat next to Emlynn, who had somehow managed to become the girl’s protector.
“I want to go with you,” Tasis said, apropos of nothing.
Kelwin turned and gave him a horrified look before turning his attention back to the road. “Are you actually talking about going up that mountain? Do you not recall Vashk saying it would be dangerous for you?”
“I don’t want to go into the mountain,” Tasis said with a frown. “I only want to go far enough to talk to the bird everyone is insisting is Bahz. I feel like it’s something I should be confirming for myself. If nothing else, I want to be there to hear him tell his story with my own ears.”
“He has a point,” Emlynn said in her quiet voice. “And I don’t see why going that far should be a danger to him. Certainly, it’s a fair hike, but my people have yet to lose anyone to the mountain. We all returned from our journey.”
“Yeah, except he’s not a giant,” Zaree pointed out. “Accidents happen on mountains all the time, and as much as I love him, I could also see him tripping over his own feet and going over the edge. He’s safer on the ground.”
“Thank you,” Kelwin said emphatically. “Finally, someone with common sense. Tas, it’s not that I think it’s beyond you. But clearly there are forces outside of our control that have been messing with things. Things keep happening that are a little too convenient, and that makes me nervous. For all we know, it could be an effort to get you up the mountain just so you can be shoved off it. I’m not taking that chance with you.”
The steely look that came over Tasis’s face had Kelwin immediately regretting those words. “I’m going,” Tasis said. “I understand why you’d be hesitant, but it’s my decision, and that decision has been made. That said, I’ll talk to Whogs about the safest way for me to proceed. Because you are right, we have to assume anything could be a trap. Especially where the king’s involved.”
Kelwin closed his eyes briefly and let out a heavy sigh. Then he felt a hand take his, and he looked to see Tasis’s hand in his own. When he looked up at his beloved, there was a smile on the other elf’s face. “I will be careful,” he promised, giving Kelwin’s hand a squeeze. “I know you’re worried about me. But this is something I have to do. I don’t know why, exactly, it’s just….”
“A gut feeling,” Jorget supplied.
Tasis chuckled. “A gut feeling,” he agreed. “I have a feeling it’s another piece of this whole bizarre puzzle, and I need to be there for it to click in where it belongs.”
“You know my people won’t let anything happen to him,” Emlynn said. “He is our friend.”
Kelwin sighed again, this time squeezing Tasis’s hand in return. “Just up far enough to talk to that damn bird? You promise?”
“You shouldn’t talk about the spirit bird that way,” Emlynn interjected, sounding affronted.
“Sorry,” Kelwin apologized immediately. “But only up that far, yeah?”
Tasis nodded and kissed Kelwin’s cheek with a swift peck. “I promise.”
“Great, so can you stop with the flirting?” Zaree asked, the scowl in her tone matching the one on her face. “Much more and you’re going to be mak
ing us all sick to our stomachs.”
Tasis turned to glare at his sister. “You could be happy for me, you know.”
“I’m happy for you,” Zaree muttered. “Just maybe a little jealous too.”
Before an argument could start, Kelwin held up his hand. “Stop,” he said. “We’re here.”
And indeed, in the dark cold of night, they had reached the foot of the path up to the giants’ village.
“Do we need to walk from here?” Nabiha asked, a little nervously. “It looks steep.”
“It’s not as steep as it looks,” Emlynn reassured her. “It’s deceptive. It helps keep strangers from finding our village.” She flicked a glance toward Tasis and gave a small smile. “Most strangers, at any rate.”
Tasis turned in his seat to wink at the giantess. “I’m a little stubborn that way. But Emlynn is right, Nabiha. The horses shouldn’t have a problem, and we should all have warm, comfortable beds waiting for us.”
Indeed, the horses seemed to know they were nearing the end of that leg of the journey, and made an extra effort to climb the small grade as quickly as possible. Kelwin couldn’t blame them, but he had to slow them down more than once to keep them from hurting themselves. By the time they reached the top and met with that night’s guard, the horses were breathing harder than he would’ve liked. That was put out of mind, though, when the guard’s voice boomed a greeting.
“You’re here,” Lifit called happily, and Kelwin was glad to see the face of their old friend.
“We’re here,” Tasis agreed, hastening to leave the cart to approach the giant. “It’s good to see you, Lifit. But what are you doing on night duty?”
“Waiting for you, of course,” the giant said merrily, his customary smile practically taking over his face. “You didn’t think I’d let someone else greet you first, did you?”
“Never,” Tasis said, smiling almost as widely.
Kelwin would almost have been jealous of the obvious affection between the two, except he was as fond of the cheerful giant. “I need to go take care of the horses,” he interrupted apologetically. “Same place, Lifit? Get the others inside where it’s warm, and I’ll join you after I’ve seen to them.”
The giant turned his beaming grin on Kelwin then and nodded enthusiastically. “Same place,” he answered. “There’s room for the cart too. Would you like some help?”
“I’ll help,” Jorget offered immediately. “I agree with Kelwin, the rest of you should get inside.”
Zaree immediately leaped from the cart. “Whatever gets me away from the horses faster,” she said, sounding so relieved Kelwin was hard-pressed to keep from laughing. He understood the girl couldn’t help her fears, but sometimes he thought she was a little ridiculous about it.
Kelwin and Jorget waited until the others had safely disembarked, and then Kelwin directed the horses down a different path with the ease of someone who had gone that way many times before. That apparently didn’t go unnoticed by Jorget, as he asked, “Have you all been here frequently?”
It was a fair question, given it was pretty obvious Tasis had not been back to his childhood home since leaving. “A few times,” Kelwin admitted. “The giants are strong allies and good friends. We’re welcome here, unlike Inafain. Tasis didn’t feel comfortable going back there until he knew there was a way to hide himself. I saw firsthand how the people of that town treated him, and I was all for him never going back. But here? Here we are considered family.”
Jorget went silent after that, and Kelwin assumed he was considering what he had been told. The silence continued as Kelwin pulled the cart into the shelter and they began to free the horses of their burden. As they brushed their equine companions, Jorget finally spoke up again. “He deserves better.”
“From the town? I agree,” Kelwin said, not pausing in his task. “But he’ll be the first to tell you his childhood was far from rough. Certainly, he lived near a town full of bullies, but he also had a loving mother and a protective sister who would do anything for him. They used to make frequent trips to visit the Gyrn, who have also long since considered him family. Even when they were in town, he and Zaree were more often on the water than on the land. All things considered, he actually had quite a good childhood, and he’ll tell you as much. I think in some ways, the giants remind him of the Gyrn, and that’s why he’s so comfortable here. It also doesn’t hurt that Brolt was still alive when the first of the mad kings attacked the isle. His memories are worth their weight in gold.”
“Can I say with no offense intended that I find that kind of creepy?” Jorget asked. “I mean, I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal to you, given how long elves live under even the most normal of circumstances, but….”
Kelwin laughed, and this time he did pause what he was doing to look over the horse’s back and grin at Jorget. “I’ve heard something much like that more than once over the past several months,” he admitted. “The flow of time is more subjective than most people are comfortable admitting. You’ll come to see that when we hold a party for your five hundredth birthday.”
“Okay, that’s even creepier. So, what? Time is a concept magic has conveniently forgotten?”
Kelwin pondered that a moment before he took up brushing again. “I’m not sure if it’s forgotten, so much as ignored. But that’s probably a good way to look at it. You’ll get used to it. I’ll remind you of this conversation at some point, and we’ll both laugh at how foreign it seemed to you at the time.”
The conversation turned less serious from there, and Kelwin was glad for it. When they were done and had begun to head back the way they’d come, he was feeling much lighter. “Where are we going, anyway?” Jorget asked, peering into the darkness with narrowed eyes.
“I’m almost positive they’re with Whogs, considering we have Emlynn with us. I’m guessing she’ll stay with him tonight, but they’ve probably set one of the empty houses up for our use. That’s what they’ve done the few times we’ve been able to visit, anyway,” Kelwin explained. The first time that had happened to them, it had been more than slightly comical, as no one had considered how large a giant’s bed would be to them. It had taken a bit of creativity to fashion some steps so they could get onto the mattress without having to perform acrobatics. The next time they’d visited, steps had been fashioned for them, and they had remained there for every visit since.
“You know, it’s funny,” Jorget said slowly, as if he were mulling over his words carefully. “For some reason, I never expected the giants to be so human, for lack of a better word. They’re not much different from us, are they?”
Kelwin smiled to himself. The poor guy had a lot of preconceived notions about a lot of things, but it was gratifying to see him working through what he’d assumed and replacing it with what he’d seen for himself. “They’re not different at all,” he agreed. “What do you think of all this? From what little I’ve seen of the kingdom, I’d guess this is probably all a big shock to you.”
“Yeah,” Jorget said with a nod. He stopped, and Kelwin paused next to him. The grin that crossed his lips was huge, and his expression held excitement. “But you know what? The reality is so much more fun than I would have guessed.”
“Even with a mad king?” Kelwin asked.
“Even then,” Jorget said.
Kelwin chuckled and clapped a friendly hand on Jorget’s shoulder. “Well, then,” he said. “Let’s go find the others and see what kind of trouble we can get into.”
Where they found them was, as Kelwin had predicted, with Whogs. The giant looked up when they entered, and he gave Kelwin a quizzical look. “Tasis tells me you’ve all decided he, Zaree, and your new friend here are sailing back while you’re up on the mountain.”
Kelwin crossed the room and sat next to Tasis, taking the other elf’s hand in his automatically. “Well, yes,” he admitted. “Vashk said it was dangerous for Tasis to join us on the mountain, and both Nabiha and Malik are in danger from their family. The safest place for th
em all is at the guild.”
Whogs let out a snort, and Kelwin felt it ruffle his hair from across the room. “I agree the isle is the safest place you could possibly find right now. But shipping them back there is kind of ridiculous in my opinion. If the guild is the safest place, wouldn’t you say the village is the second safest? You’re not going to be up that mountain for a week, lad. I’d guess two days at most. They can stay with us, and we’ll keep them safe. You trust us to do that, don’t you?”
“Of course he does,” Tasis said immediately. “This was all done in so much of a rush I don’t think any of us stopped to think of that.” He looked at Nabiha and shrugged. “It’s not solely up to me, though. I feel safe here because I know them. What’s your opinion?”
Nabiha glanced at Emlynn before focusing her gaze on the baby in her lap. He gurgled at her, and she was suddenly wearing a crown of perfect daisies. She smiled at him, and leaned down to kiss his forehead before answering. “I trust Emlynn,” she said. “If she says her people will keep us safe, then I believe it.”
Kelwin would probably never admit it out loud, but he thought the bond the two girls had forged in a couple of days was adorable, and probably what they both needed. Even a hard life was a little easier with a true friend by your side. “I think it’s a good idea,” he said. “Like Tasis said, this whole endeavor was more than slightly rushed. Because when you say it like that, you’re right. Sending them home when they could stay here is ridiculous.”