by Robe
Veese nodded. “I should like to ponder this in solitude. Have you said all you needed to?”
Auric nodded, and Veese limped out of the room. The group sat in silence for a while, Joan close by to Kandon and fussing over his bandages. Her gaze didn’t wander in Auric’s direction even slightly. Dalk was quite sore, and his body ached, but he had suffered no long-lasting injuries. Ziem was relieved to let his hood down after attempting to remain inconspicuous the entire day, and Reon sat cross-legged on one of the beds, wondering why Auric looked so uncomfortable. When Auric glanced over at him, Reon gave him a smile in the hopes of possibly cheering his friend up, and although Auric responded with a smile of his own, it was awkward and clearly forced.
“Reon,” Dalk said from across the room, his loud, sudden voice making the boy jump. “Warm this place up a bit?”
Reon nodded and conjured an ember, suspended between both of his hands. He knew full well that Dalk was not bothered by the cold, but he didn’t argue the opportunity to practice with his power.
The companions were just beginning to relax when there was a rapping at the door. Auric looked at his friends nervously, and they gave him reassuring bobs of their heads. As Auric strode to the door and began to open it, Dalk stood and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Oh, it’s you,” Auric said, the tension leaving his shoulders. “Come in, please.”
Kassidy stepped into the room, Thraun just behind her. “It is no secret what you did today in the town. Everyone around knows,” Thraun said. “You really are some kind of special group sent to protect us, aren’t you?”
“No,” Dalk said, “but if that is the role we must serve, then so be it.”
Thraun nodded. “We just wanted to thank you again, for letting us burden you with our safety.”
“Of course,” Auric said. “You are welcome to remain as long as you like.”
Thraun thanked him once more and then began to turn toward the door when Kassidy spoke up. “There is one more thing,” she said. “I was not anxious to reveal this before, but now I feel any information we can offer is of use to you.”
Auric stroked his chin, clearly wondering what it was the young woman knew. “Go on,” he said.
Kassidy looked nervous, but she continued, “Thraun is not the only one of us who is gifted. I can… do this.” She walked over to one of the candles nearby and touched the wax where it should have been hot. The flame of the candle dimmed and then flickered away, but when she released it, the fire returned. “Plants shrivel under my fingers, and skin turns grey, but when I pull back, everything goes back to normal. I can control it, but it’s not something I wish to show off. I know it’s strange, but if that man who attacked us can also do this, you should probably not let him touch you.”
Auric nodded. “Thank you, Kassidy. It was brave of you to tell us, and comforting to know that we have another ally we can trust.” The pair left. Shortly after, the party split and half of them slumped down the hallway to flop into their beds in the second room, most of them falling asleep without even undressing.
16
When the sun rose again, the party gathered in the sitting area of The Solid Coin. They ordered breakfast, and shortly after, Turtle, the bartender’s assistant, brought them their meals. Auric seemed even more convinced Argain and Balanch had to be found before the pair did something disastrous. He argued that since there were now two of them, one of the villains had to slip up and reveal himself.
“More pointless waiting around, then?” Joan asked.
“Every time we’ve been ‘pointlessly waiting around,’ as you call it, we’ve run into trouble,” Dalk argued. “Would you rather sit here and have Argain be long gone by the time we arrive at the scene of his action?”
Joan snorted but said nothing more. Auric continued, though he did not decree that they remain in large groups. He instead suggested they split up, each of them discretely keeping a watchful eye on the town. They would remain nearby to one another, but not obviously so.
“It is clear this Balanch character will return to attack us again,” Auric said. “I believe this plan will allow us to take him by surprise. Should something happen, we must all be nearby enough to aid those in need.”
Veese offered to stay behind and watch over The Solid Coin, stating he would find it both refreshing and relaxing to practice with his newfound power, and he could keep an eye on Thraun and Kassidy.
The six individuals were off after breakfast, pacing up and down the rows of buildings that made up the market and nearby commercial district. The greater part of the afternoon was uneventful, and the companions met to relax for a short while and eat lunch.
“I wonder what Veese is doing,” Reon said, and he bit into his meat sandwich.
“I don’t,” Kandon replied, his mouth half full. “He’s too strange to waste time wondering about.”
“Veese is a good man,” Dalk said. “He saved us all from a pack of monstrous animals by using himself as bait. It was right around the time we all met, actually.”
“The same day, if I recall correctly,” Auric said.
“Wasn’t he some hermit before you dragged him away from solitude?” Kandon asked.
“He was guarding something very important,” Auric corrected. “The artifact that contained the being we pursue now.”
Something caught Kandon’s eye, and he was suddenly giving somebody across the market a friendly wave. It was Colinsborn, the man Kandon had admitted to tormenting. Colinsborn eyed Kandon with contempt, but when he spotted the tracker’s present company, he made his way in the opposite direction.
“You know, I really don’t mind being part of a group as much as I used to,” Kandon said, smiling and filling his face with a rich cake.
“Must you continue to prod at matters which could get out of hand so quickly?” Joan asked. “At least let yourself heal up from yesterday.”
Kandon grinned at her, his mouth full of food. “Are you worried about me?” he asked through copious amounts of pastry.
“Of course,” she said and gently patted his cheek. “Whatever would we do if your dashing good looks were to be mussed?”
After lunch, the party continued their watch over Abelenst. The day had gone by painfully slowly, although Reon could not help but enjoy himself, pretending he was a spy lurking through an enemy camp. He pressed his back against the side of a building and peeked around the corner, his hood pulled securely over his head. It occurred to him that what he was doing was indeed more important than the work of any spy of Lon Gairdas, but instead of making him straighten up and act naturally, the thought had him slinking closer to the ground and dragging his hood farther over his face. He looked around through squinted eyes, almost expecting to see Argain himself standing before him, ready for combat. Rather, he found Joan staring at him confusedly from across the street.
Not far away, Auric and Kandon were walking through the market as people busily rushed about to meet the day’s demands. It was much noisier than the market in Rode. It was larger, but that wasn’t the main reason for the increased volume. The bulk of the noise came from the stall owners instead of the customers, each one belting out the names of the products they sold at unbeatable prices. For the most part, it was all nonsense and banter, but the determination of the merchants could not be denied.
“So, who elected you the leader of our little pack?” Kandon asked Auric as they strolled past a silverware shop, pretending to look interested.
“Nobody,” Auric replied. “The role needed to be filled, so I took command.”
“And they didn’t complain?” Kandon asked.
“Why would they?” Auric said.
“No reason. It’s just that every group of travelers I’ve been in, there’s always far more than one person trying to lead the show.”
“Trust plays a large role, I feel,” Auric said. “You have experienced Argain’s evil and so you wish to stop it. We feel similarly. It’s more important to w
ork together and get it done than act solely and fail.”
“Hmm,” Kandon grunted. “On a different note, do you have any issue with me courting Joan?”
“I do not own Joan. She makes her own decisions,” Auric said, not looking at Kandon.
“It’s just that the others, Dalk particularly, seem to disapprove of our relationship,” Kandon elaborated. “Sure, I act tough, but I would only treat her with the highest respect, none less than she deserves.”
Auric turned to look at Kandon and tried to smile. “You have my consent, Kandon. From what I can tell, you’re a very good man.”
As Kandon nodded, Auric spotted something strange, a sort of dark cloud rising from beyond the skyline. “What the…?” he said aloud, and then he realized what it was.
Instantly, he was off, running with his eyes trained on his destination. Kandon was behind him, questioning why they were running until he too saw the dark mass. Through the busy market square and down several streets they bolted, civilians gasping and pointing at the fog-like phenomenon. After taking a shortcut through an alleyway, the two men were right before the massive funnel of smoke that pillared high up into the sky. It was indeterminably deep, but only as wide as several buildings together.
“Isn’t this where that tavern, The Fouled Mare, sits?” Kandon asked, and Auric looked back at the wall of smoke, conviction smeared across his face. He pulled his sword from its sheath and raced toward the barrier. “You won’t be able to breathe in there!” Kandon called to him as he followed.
“Then neither can the people trapped inside!” Auric said and pulled his cloak around his mouth. Inward they charged, and they were plunged into almost complete blackness.
The smoke was not as thick as smoke from a fire, and it didn’t burn their eyes as much, either. It was thick, though, and simply moving forward required effort. Breathing was a challenge as well, and even through his cloak, Auric could tell no one would last long against the haze. Shortly, they came upon the door to The Fouled Mare, and through the buffeting of the smog, they could hear the screams of people on the inside.
Auric ripped the door open and an even darker blast of smoke escaped from within. He turned to see Kandon was still behind him and pushed inside. It was blinding, and had the two men not known the layout of the place, they, too, would have been helplessly lost within. All around them, people were crying out in fear, some of them curled up and trying to escape the smoke, others less fortunate, already choking and heaving on the floor. Auric grabbed a man near enough for him to hear gagging and pulled him to his feet. With great exertion, the two men struggled out the door, and Auric shoved him in the right direction to escape the smog before turning to help another. Alongside him, Kandon was guiding people, two and three at a time, outside and returning for others in danger.
“I can’t thank you enough,” the bartender coughed out as Auric dragged him out of the tavern. Auric had lifted him from behind the bar where he had taken shelter and managed to get him to the lighter pollution outside. “There are others!” he choked.
“Where?” Auric pressed him.
“Through the left hallway! A door leads to sleeping quarters!” the man said. Auric patted his back and gave him a push in the right direction. He turned back toward The Fouled Mare and met Kandon as he rescued a young woman out from under a table.
“More people in the back!” Auric called through the whirling of the smoke. Auric went ahead as Kandon pulled the woman outside, fearing that the people within may already be succumbing to the asphyxiating nature of the smoke. He found the door and followed the hallway, feeling for anyone stranded along the walls, and he located the doorway to the first room. He searched it thoroughly before heading to the next, finding it too was empty. As he exited, he bumped into Kandon.
“The next one is clear, too,” Kandon shouted. “One more!”
Auric followed him through the gas until he found the final room and pushed his way inside. They felt around the room until they found a pair of children, one boy and one girl, huddled together in the corner. Auric lifted the boy and Kandon the girl, and they made their way carefully out of the tavern and into safety.
As they pushed out into the clear, each of them gasped for breath, nearly falling to their knees. They set the two children down before realizing something wasn’t right.
“So nice of you to join us!” Balanch laughed. On their knees on either side of him were Joan and Reon, their hands and mouths bound.
Veese hummed faintly as he focused on the air around him. At every command, suggestion, or whim, it obeyed him. He felt it whirling in circles on either side of his face and even used it to push his boots across the room. After hours of practice, he was certainly getting the hang of it, and he was enjoying himself more than he could recall for a long time. The discovery of his ability to manipulate air and wind explained much that had happened to him since the time of Argain’s escape; he had made impossible jumps, survived foot pursuits with the physically superior Raugen, and even briefly levitated. His senses seemed heightened as well; he moved more quickly and reacted faster, even accounting for his injury.
At lunch time, he had strolled out to purchase a fine fish, fried well with spices to make it taste superb. Back at the Cursed Forest, thin, little fish darted around under the surface of a pond or two, but they weren’t much good for eating. Veese liked these fleshy, tasty fish much better. Thraun and Kassidy had invited him to join them for a meal, but he respectfully declined.
Eventually, he had learned to create miniature vortexes beneath everyday objects. Continually rotating wind brought candles, a plate, and even a knife into his hands, and then he used the same method to returning them to their original resting spot.
A knocking from outside his door alerted him, and he snapped out of the meditative, subconscious state he’d dipped into. He opened the door a crack to see who was making the commotion, and his heart almost stopped. Argain was standing just in the hallway, waiting for Thraun or Kassidy to answer.
As Veese slipped outside his room and quietly unsheathed his blade, Thraun appeared at his door. Recognizing Argain immediately, he tried to hurl the wooden barrier shut. Argain casually raised his hand toward the man and released a flash of light that blasted the door back open and knocked Thraun to the ground. Then, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, the Evil God turned and looked directly at Veese. Veese conjured a gust, slamming Argain back into the opposite wall. The villain rose to his feet and was immediately in motion, dashing toward Veese with his hand outstretched. Diving back into his quarters, Veese threw another strong breeze at Argain, which the Evil God deflected with a force of his own. The two circled each other around the room, Veese’s blade still at the ready.
Argain eyed Veese’s weapon before slowly commenting, “You fight with a woman’s sword.”
“Perhaps you recognize it,” Veese said. “It belonged to one of my ancestors.”
Argain narrowed his eyes as he looked at the blade more intently, and then he advanced. Veese threw another gust, but Argain avoided the invisible blow and began moving forward. As the gap between them closed, Argain reached for Veese again, but Veese sidestepped him and lashed out with his blade. Each of his sweeps was fast and precise, but the Evil God dodged one after the other, moving almost like a liquid to evade the blows. Suddenly, the Evil God’s hand shot out and gripped Veese where he held his sword. Before Argain could use his magic, Veese let loose a blast of air with his left hand. The quick gust caught Argain off guard and he was sent flying across the room, smashing into the wardrobe on the other side. Argain snarled and stood, and then he whipped his hands about and a huge snake burst into existence. It plopped heavily down between the hero and Argain, and the Evil God turned his attention back to Thraun.
Kassidy had appeared in the doorway behind Thraun, ushering him back up, and before the Evil God could reach them, Thraun raised his hands. An almost invisible barrier appeared between him and his attacker. Scoffing, Argain
raised one hand and touched the transparent wall. A red gleam appeared at the point of contact, and sparks began skittering from it as the Evil God attempted to break through.
In the other room, Veese found himself locked in a battle of intimidation. He had encountered many snakes living in the forest, but none were as large or fearsome as this one. It hissed loudly, almost roaring, and it leered intensely, bearing upon his vulnerable position. No stranger to the way of serpents, Veese offered the snake room, but it was only agitated by his movement, and it was soon clear the beast could not be tamed or reasoned with. Veese held his sword out before him, poised at the snake, and he advanced. He glared back at it, but its nerve wasn’t rattled. The closer he grew, the higher it raised its head, uncharacteristic of the snakes in the Cursed Forest, and Veese realized too late that the beast he challenged was not like anything from the New World.
It struck at Veese so fast he could barely see it, and it went for his damaged ankle. He cried out as the creature’s fangs sank into his leg and was immobilized by a white streak of blinding pain. Again it attacked him, catching him in the side and tearing his cloak open. Blood slid freely down his leg and out of his chest, and he rolled out from under the towering monster before it moved a third time. As he retreated, the beast advanced and lunged forward, barely missing his sword hand. Veese pulled himself up on the doorknob of the washroom and faced the snake. Hissing, it raised so high its head skimmed the ceiling. Before the beast could strike, Veese swung his sword where he predicted the snake would attack, and instead finding him, its jaws were sliced open on his blade.
With the serpent momentarily stunned, Veese tapped into his power, manipulating air to lift a heavy tray behind the snake and smash it against the side of the serpent’s head. Propelling himself forward, Veese chopped down with a swift slash at the back of the creature’s neck. Although his slim blade was unable to decapitate the creature’s head completely, it was enough to bring the monster to its end. The massive serpentine body dropped to the ground with a thud, and Veese, holding his bleeding side, limped around it to find where Argain had gone.