by Jo Fontana
"Did they train you like a hound, man?" Reyden asked incredulously.
Deverick laughed. "No, nothing like that. But I could be bribed to do just about anything for a roast or some of Mom’s cookies.”
Reyden grinned despite himself.
"What are you doing back this way anyway?” Illithor asked. “I thought you left for the other side of Ator."
Deverick hesitated a moment before answering. “I didn’t get far; actually, I never made it out of the grove. There’s been strange things happening and I wanted to see if it was just local or if the problems are more widespread.”
“What kinds of things and where is Shadow?” Illithor asked.
“Shadow went…missing. Many unsettling things have happened. Magic workers’ items being stolen, arcane books and maps disappearing, and attacks on healers. Actually, I’m glad I ran into to you. I was wondering if you’d heard anything.”
“Who’s Shadow?” Reyden interrupted.
“His horse,” Illithor replied.
Reyden exchanged worried glances with Illithor.
“A map of mine went missing,” Illithor admitted. “Reyden here has been robbed of something important too.”
“That isn’t good. I haven’t been able to figure out the connection, but I think these things are all related, including what happened to you two.” Deverick paused and glanced at Emory. “I’m surprised the Postulate hasn’t told you any of this.”
Reyden frowned and eyed Emory with deep suspicion. “Well it explains why he was in such a hurry to get us out of Hollow Harbor.”
“And just what are you insinuating?” Emory demanded his voice raising as he stood to tower over Reyden.
“Just that maybe you lost Rafe on purpose so you could follow him and learn exactly what’s going on,” Reyden snapped, then he added, “Perhaps you weren’t looking to arrest him merely for assault and theft. Maybe he’s connected to these other crimes?”
“As a Postulate, I don’t have to explain my actions to you,” Emory spat with fury.
“I don’t care what your motives are, whether you’re looking for glory or not, but I want my egg found! You must uphold the law. Remember your oaths, lawman.”
“I do not need to be reminded of my oaths,” he responded angrily.
Deverick walked over to them and stood in between Reyden and Emory. “Maybe I should tag along?"
Before answering Reyden glanced at Illithor, who shrugged. Emory took a deep breath and went back to tending the stew. Reyden figured Deverick was smart enough to know that his stolen horse had something to do with all of this too, but he asked the obvious anyway. "Why would you help me?"
"Illithor’s an acquaintance, and if he's going with you, I figure I can help too. I hope that while helping you get your items, I can recover Shadow and then maybe we can find out who or what is responsible for all of this. Besides, I'll be able to keep an eye on your horse for a while too.”
Reyden noticed Emory still refused to acknowledge anyone for the moment and Illithor seemed to be watching Deverick intently but said nothing. The elf’s silence bothered Reyden, but he wasn’t about to dismiss extra help when it cost him nothing. He would have asked Illithor why he looked puzzled, but he didn’t think the elf would be forthcoming with him. Reyden vowed that he would keep to his rule of not depending on anyone for anything. He was also annoyed at the idea of having to keep a close eye on the others—especially the Postulate.
“Suit yourself. Just know that if we have to go further than the plains, that’s what we’re doing.”
"That doesn’t bother me."
“It’ll be convenient to have someone around that can help with the horses,” Illithor reckoned.
"Another pair of eyes can't hurt either," Emory added quietly.
“Just a word of caution though, touch my eggs and you die,” Reyden warned Deverick.
"Funny thing, I've never been a fan of eggs. I've always preferred bacon and cheese.”
"Good. See that it stays that way."
"Are you this protective of all eggs or just your own?"
"Let's just say that for now, I need every egg that I have in my possession and any that we can find along the way.”
"Okay, eggs are for the scary man in black. Got it."
Reyden glared at the Forester. “They’re not for eating, idiot! They’re for my magic until I can retrieve my permanent focus from the thief who stole it!”
Deverick whistled softly upon hearing this information. “I’d wondered what was stolen from you. Yeah, I think tagging along is a good idea.”
Reyden frowned; he didn’t mean to share that much information with a stranger. He started to brood over it, but was interrupted when Emory began dishing out the stew. Reyden noted the Postulate had become even more distant, but he didn’t regret a thing he said. He was supposed to be the law and it infuriated Reyden that the Postulate, of all people, kept that kind of information from him. Reyden cautioned himself to remain wary of all of them. He thought of his mentor and of how he missed Master Levik more than ever. He resolved to pay him a visit as soon as this fiasco was over. Master Levik was the only person Reyden trusted. If he thought it was possible to reclaim the egg on his own, he'd ditch these people sooner rather than later. Nevertheless, Reyden had to admit that he needed the help—at least for now. Reyden was disheartened that the others, with the exception being the elf, seemed to lack integrity. He wondered if integrity was a trait reserved for advanced magic users.
Reyden’s attention focused once again on his companions and he watched the group closely as they dined. Deverick seemed to be shoveling the food in and enjoying it immensely. Almost too much, in Reyden’s opinion. The campsite became silent for about twenty minutes, apart from Deverick’s slurps.
Reyden’s anger diffused slightly as he watched Deverick eat. Once he finished, Reyden muttered to himself, "A hound." He spoke so softly that only Illithor seemed to hear the comment. Illithor paused eating to grin at the comment
A few minutes later, Illithor concluded, "It's good to know that between the four of us we can make a decent meal, so at least we won’t starve.”
"That's right," Deverick replied merrily.
Reyden saw that his bowl was already empty.
"Enjoyed that did you?" Emory asked him, apparently noticing Deverick’s bowl was empty too.
“Yes, thank you, it was delicious!” Deverick answered with undisguised pleasure.
“Great, you have clean-up duty tonight,” Emory ordered. “We'll take turns with that too.”
Deverick gathered up the dishes and practically skipped towards the river. Reyden smirked to himself as he watched him head off.
"He’s very agreeable,” Illithor stated.
Reyden thought Deverick’s personality might be an act. "He’s like a hound, feed him and he's content. We could even bribe him with food when necessary. Is he truly reliable?”
“Very,” Illithor assured him.
“Good—he may be a useful addition to our group.”
"He is a good addition. Although I don't think we should keep referring to my friend as a hound; he might get angry and bite before he barks," Illithor joked.
Reyden rolled his eyes.
"Besides, he seems more like a retriever to me,” Illithor quipped.
Reyden cackled for a minute at the comparison, then put his backpack under his head, and closed his eyes. Emory coughed as he took a drink because of the exchange, then swallowed hard, and started laughing. “Thanks a lot, Illithor!” he sputtered.
“What? What did I do? Whatever you think it was—I’m innocent,” Illithor declared haughtily.
“Sure you are,” Reyden muttered wryly. He idly wondered if Illithor made a habit of teasing his friends or if the elf just thought Deverick was foolish. Maybe Illithor didn’t care so much for humans. Reyden thought Illithor was cultured enough not to buy into stereotypes, but one never knew. He would have to see how Illithor acted the next time the group encount
ered another elf.
Reyden was still awake because of the injury from the fall. He feigned sleep when he heard Deverick’s footsteps halt beside him.
"You fell and hurt yourself when the horse stumbled, didn’t you?"
Reyden sighed and opened his eyes. "It's nothing.”
"I bet you have a broken rib, sit up so I can check.”
“I’m just sore—I expected to feel pain after falling off that wretched beast," Reyden growled as he attempted to shoo Deverick away.
"Stop arguing! What if you have a broken rib? You can puncture a lung if you don’t take care of it! You want to be able to breathe, don’t you?”
Reyden hesitated to answer and looked almost nervous. He frowned, not utterly convinced that Deverick’s motives were altruistic.
"Look, I’ll be careful. I've taken care of broken ribs before—my own and my brother’s."
Reyden sighed as he reluctantly sat up.
“You need to lose the shirt,” Deverick ordered.
Reyden shot Deverick a look of extreme displeasure before slowly removing his shirt. He sat facing forward and winced while Deverick prodded his ribs. As Deverick wrapped Reyden’s ribs, he paused for a moment and inhaled sharply. Reyden would verbally assault Deverick if he were foolish enough to comment, but he only paused for a moment before continuing to wrap Reyden’s ribs. When Deverick finished, Reyden slipped on his shirt and thanked Deverick idly. Reyden wondered how long it would take Deverick to tell Illithor and the Postulate all about the patchwork quilt that was the skin of his back.
"Anytime," Deverick whispered.
Reyden lay on his side and kicked off his shoes so he could be more comfortable. A few minutes later, as Reyden was pretending to doze again, his companions loudly noted with disgust the stench emanating from his feet.
Illithor was the first to voice his concern. "We’re in trouble."
"What's the problem?" Reyden asked, acting as if he awoke at the thought of impending danger.
"Well I was just thinking of the Smog Hills," Illithor said.
“What are the Smog Hills?” Reyden asked, obviously intrigued.
“They’re a group of small mountains that has a noxious fog roll in every week. We don’t know where the fog comes from. This fog lasts twenty-four hours and it smells horrible. I think the fog actually smells worse than your feet, but not by much. If you get caught in the fog, the smell permeates you and the only thing that can completely get rid of it is a bath in dragon’s milk with crushed lavender and daisy petals.”
Reyden grinned. “I don't know. My feet may be worse. Who knows how long the stench lingers and I doubt they have an antidote either. We'll have to experiment later."
"I like experimenting," Illithor parroted.
Reyden watched with amusement as Deverick and Emory glanced at each other and then rolled their eyes. Reyden heard Deverick rummage through his supplies. He looked up in time to see Deverick, who was holding his nose, sprinkling some herbs onto his feet. Reyden smirked to himself before closing his eyes again.
When Reyden woke up the following morning, he felt much better, but he was unhappy with the others for letting him sleep so long and made sure they knew it.
"You needed the extra sleep to help yourself heal. I'm sure we'll all be in that position at some point," Illithor rationalized. "You just happened to be first so stop scowling and eat."
Reyden grumbled into his breakfast but continued to eat. Then he paused. It occurred to him that either Illithor seemed to think that it would be a long time before he got the egg back, or he was insinuating that they would all be traveling together after they retrieved their possessions. Reyden couldn’t decide which option would be more annoying and didn’t bother to mask his feelings.
There was amusement in Illithor’s voice when he spoke. "Let me guess. You've always been a bit of the cantankerous sort haven't you?"
"I thought we went over this yesterday," Reyden snapped.
"We did. I just wanted everyone to catch up."
Reyden snorted and flicked some of his oatmeal at Illithor. He flicked harder than he intended to and when Illithor ducked, the glob hit Emory in the eye.
“Emory, if you didn’t take up so much space, that glob of gruel would have completely missed you," Reyden gloated merrily. He didn’t feel one ounce of guilt about it either because he thought it served the Postulate right for keeping information from him.
Emory slowly wiped the gruel from his eye. "I won't dump this whole bowl over your head due to the fact that you were recently injured. And I can't help being large, it's in my genes."
“You can dump it on Illithor instead,” Reyden instigated hopefully.
“Mom was incredibly tiny especially next to dad, but he was enormous,” Emory continued, ignoring Reyden’s suggestion.
“I pity your mother when she had to give birth to you,” Reyden said.
To which Emory stated the obvious, “I wasn't born over seven feet tall, and that took time.”
“I suspect that you were a large baby,” Illithor commented.
"I was so big that as soon as I started walking she stopped carrying me around," Emory admitted.
"Now dump the leftovers on the elf's head,” Reyden provoked again.
"So all the animals will follow us because he smells like breakfast?" Deverick chastised.
"He can take a bath," Reyden snarled testily.
"I'd rather get him when he's not waiting for it,” Emory announced. "It's no fun if he's prepared."
"Fantastic,” Illithor muttered and stood up. “Shall we get going?"
Reyden cackled again. "Agreed to both!"
Deverick approached Reyden. “Care to share your horse?"
Reyden considered the request for a moment. He realized that this might not be a bad thing, as he could probably learn something about horsemanship from Deverick.
“So, did you lose your horse Forester, or was it really stolen?
Deverick shrugged.
Reyden let it go and planned to pester Illithor into prodding Deverick for information about it later. “As long as you don't squeeze my ribs."
"You won’t even know I'm there," Deverick assured him.
"We'll see."
Reyden immediately noticed that Deverick was such a natural on a horse that he didn’t even really need to hold on. If it wasn’t for the other’s breathing behind him, Reyden could have sworn he was riding alone. Reyden was tempted to test Deverick’s skills before thinking better of it because he would probably be the one who fell instead. They kept riding until Reyden felt Deverick’s hand on his shoulder.
“I think I hear something following us—I’ll be right back.”
Deverick jumped off the horse, scaled a nearby tree, and disappeared into the thick green canopy above them. The grove grew eerily silent. The foliage above them seemed to part slightly and motes of light illuminated their surroundings. Reyden felt the air grow thick and he began to sweat. It felt like he was breathing through cotton. Reyden felt a surge of panic and thought the faster they left the grove, the better.
Deverick returned moments later and whispered to the others, “I just saw the weirdest thing. It’s a creature that I don’t recognize and it wouldn’t answer me when I tried to talk to it.”
“What does it look like?" Illithor asked anxiously.
“It’s almost kind of random looking—a mix of different animals. It had the head of a snake, the body of a bear, the hind end of a wildcat, and the hooves of a deer.”
Reyden looked at Deverick skeptically. “Are you sure you didn’t eat any of those funny looking mushrooms we passed earlier?”
Deverick rolled his eyes and ignored the comment. The group quietly began to discuss what they should do about the creature. Suddenly, a twig snapped close by.
“How quickly does that thing move?” Emory asked.
Deverick shrugged in reply.
Reyden frowned, then grabbed an egg so he would be ready to cast. “Apparently
, he’s not too worried, even though he doesn’t know a blasted thing about it.”
Illithor followed Reyden’s lead and removed his crystal from his pocket and Deverick readied his bow. Emory drew his sword in preparation for battle, but he wasn’t fast enough. The creature hit Emory and almost knocked him off his horse. Reyden threw an egg at the creature as he casted. When he realized it was rotten, Reyden bellowed, “Hold your noses!”
Illithor began casting, holding a clear crystal while Deverick notched an arrow and let it loose. The arrow stuck in the creature’s back and it hissed in pain. Illithor pointed at the creature’s hindquarters and it erupted in flames. Then the creature began howling; a horrendous racket that sounded like a hundred wolves baying at once. The cacophony and the smell of the rotten egg distracted Emory so his aim was off, and he couldn’t hit the creature. However, it began to retreat because Illithor engulfed it in flames once more. Emory dropped his sword as Deverick shot another arrow, which went through the creature's head and killed it.
"Nice shot!" Emory cheered in between gagging.
"Thanks," Deverick replied.
As the creature continued burning, Reyden barked an order to Illithor. “End the spell so we can check the carcass.”
Reyden checked the carcass as soon as the flames died. He couldn’t find anything on the corpse so he kicked it away. “Look around. I thought I saw something fall when it first hit you.”
"Well, I think it was trying to make me its next snack," Emory stated as he began searching the ground.
Reyden ignored the urge to taunt the Postulate and instead pointed to the ground. “It looks like there are enough dumars for us to split.”
Deverick bent down and picked up a discarded knife to inspect it. It looked dull and rusty. “I don’t think the knife is worth much, but it may come in handy if I need it in a pinch.”
"How long does it take to get through the grove?" Illithor asked shakily.
“About two more days if the weather holds,” Deverick replied as he put the knife in a pouch.
“Let’s travel a little further then break for camp at twilight,” Emory suggested.