Elyana smiled sadly, trying not to think of the brave young wizard's last moments, and his final agony. It put her in mind of what she herself had recently undergone. "The Galtans had some kind of pain spell on me. Was it a curse?"
"No. The healer dismissed it. It would have faded in time. He was amazed that you'd still been on your feet with it activated. He doesn't know you very well." Stelan chuckled. "You never stop until something knocks you down."
"Drelm had that spell on him, and some kind of strength draining magic, and he still fought on. You do what you have to do."
"So did we always."
Elyana pulled up the corners on the right side of the bed and slid out, her bare feet cool on the stone. She stepped for the wardrobe. "Are my clothes in here?"
"Yes. I can have someone help you with that—"
"I'm fine." The wardrobe door creaked open at her pull.
"Perhaps I should go." Stelan rose and stepped quickly away.
Elyana turned. She'd been so comfortable talking with him that she'd momentarily forgotten that a married man should not see his old lover naked. She smiled sadly. "I don't need to dress immediately, I suppose. It's just that this gown ..." She gestured down at the fabric stretching to her ankles. "It's not really me."
"Yes. I understand."
It was, she supposed, what she would wear to sleep if she were a wife to a baron.
"Elyana," Stelan began, then hesitated before edging forward.
"Yes?" she prompted.
"Renar said that Arcil was ..."
What word was he struggling for? Helpful? Powerful? Evil? Good?
"A dead creature," he finished.
"He was."
"I saw him. The cleric said that he was an abomination, but Renar demanded that he be buried properly, with full rites. He was adamant about that."
"Was he?" Elyana was secretly pleased.
"What do you think? I would not have an unholy thing in the hallowed ground of the village cemetery. The priest thinks we should burn him."
"No," Elyana said without thinking, wondering at her answer even as she spoke on. "Renar is right. He should be buried. He said he was sorry."
"He did?"
"Those were his last words. I think he meant to say more, but he died."
"Do you think there is hope for his soul, then?"
"I'm no expert on souls, Stelan. A whole lot of people died because of him."
Stelan brushed at his beard, frowning thoughtfully. "Renar told me that he didn't think Arcil was all bad. What do you think?"
"I think Arcil would have ripped out your liver if it had been useful to him," Elyana answered. "He'd have been polite about it, of course. But he was a black-hearted bastard, only out for himself."
"Then why are you crying?" Stelan asked gently.
"The hell if I know." Elyana wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
"I shall pray for him as well," Stelan said with quiet dignity.
"You are a good man, Stelan."
"Not as good as I would like to be." His lips worked quietly, portraying some deep inner struggle, and then he sank to one knee before her. He reached up and tenderly clasped her hands. He kissed her fingers, then pressed the back of her hand to his face. He remained thus for a long while.
She closed her eyes and felt new tears sliding down her cheeks. Her heart thrummed.
"If I had but three words left for you," Stelan managed finally, "I would also say that I am sorry, Elyana. Sometimes I wish ...Sometimes I think—"
"Shhh." She took one of her hands from his and set it atop his head. "Don't say it."
His eyes held only her, and bored deep into her soul, as they had not done for long, long years. "I will not be here much longer for you to save, Elyana. Old age comes on apace. Would you really have wanted to see that? To be with me?"
"You know the answer. Stelan, you are wiser than this. You love your wife, and she you, and Renar would not exist without the two of you. He is a good man. He will be a good ruler."
Stelan wiped something from his eye, and stood. He let go of her hand and drew himself up. It was almost as if he slid a mask back into place. "I hope that you will join us for dinner," he said formally.
She responded by lifting the hem of her nightgown and making a deep curtsy. "I will be delighted to accept."
He bowed his head and departed to let her dress.
Over the next few days, Elyana spent more time at the keep than she had in years, and even Lenelle seemed to welcome her to dinner, hugging her once with such sincerity that Elyana understood the depth of the woman's appreciation.
Yet even as the baron's home was opened to her in ways she had never known, she understood that Adrast and the keep, and even her stables, could never again be hers. That they might never have been. As her strength returned and the mark the ring had left upon her finger faded, she realized that it was time to go.
She told Stelan and Renar that she must return to the elven lands and pay respects to the family of the deceased. She saw by Stelan's look that he knew her true aim, but he did not attempt to dissuade her.
Renar, though, clearly missed Elyana's real purpose until she called him to her cabin to leave detailed instructions for the care of her animals. He might still be somewhat naive, but he was no fool.
"You're leaving for good, aren't you?" he asked.
Elyana checked the height of her stirrups and stroked the neck of Persaily's sister, a calm roan. "I may be gone for a while, Renar. It's probably time I better knew my own people."
"So how long will you be away?"
"I cannot say."
"Elyana."
She heard him speak her name in a different way than he had ever said it before. It was not wheedling, or needy, or petulant, or respectful. He had addressed her as an equal.
She met his eyes.
"You mean to miss my father's death, don't you?"
She swung up into her saddle. "Stelan will have many years left, Renar. Perhaps I shall return to meet your children, and teach them to ride. And hunt. Show better sense than your father and I, and stay here. This is a lovely little village, and far from trouble. Don't go looking for any."
He took her horse's reins near the bit and absently stroked the mare's cheek. "Is there anything you wish me to say to father?"
"He knows all that I would say. Thank him for me."
"Thank him?"
"For his friendship, Renar."
"Thank you, Elyana. For ...everything."
He looked as though he was struggling to find a way to convey more, but his meaning was clear to her. "You're welcome, Renar." She hesitated only a moment, then turned to impart a final piece of advice, something she wished she had said to Arcil, or Vallyn, in younger days. "It is the way of humans to crave always what they do not have, and begrudge the things that are near at hand. You would do well to remember that."
"I will," he said seriously. She hoped he would.
She urged her horse forward with the barest nudge, leading another behind her, burdened lightly with saddlebags.
She looked back at him, there beside the fencepost, hand raised in farewell, and wondered what he would look like in another twenty years. She would have to come back and see.
The road through the village would take her too near the keep, and too close to familiar faces, so she cut southeast around it, rejoining the dirt track a quarter-mile past the last farmstead. She was startled to discover a thick, sturdy figure waiting there under an oak, his warhorse cropping grass nearby.
She drew up her reins. "Drelm. What are you dong here?"
The half-orc stood, stretched his great shoulders, and walked for his mount. "Riding with you."
He must be confused, she thought. Did he not kno
w that she was leaving the village? "I am going back to Elistia."
"So am I." He climbed into his saddle with a grunt.
She stared at him, faintly amused. "I don't expect that you'll find it a comfortable home. You didn't like the wine, remember?"
"You won't stay," he assured her. "You will ride on. And I will go with you."
"Why?"
He rode up beside her, his horse snorting in greeting. "The young lord will be the baron's captain now. And in his time, he will hire a captain of his own. As for me, there is more of the world that I would see. If you do not mind the company."
"I would not," Elyana decided without need for reflection, and their horses fell in step.
"Do you think we'll see more shadow wizards?" Drelm asked.
"Gods, I hope not."
"Me too." Drelm was quiet for only a moment. "What about Gray Gardeners?"
"I hope to avoid them as well."
Drelm nodded slowly. "You do think, though, that there will be things to fight?"
"Most assuredly."
"Good." The relief was clear in his voice, but he seemed to think further explanation necessary. "That will please me."
Elyana laughed, and the two of them rode out together under the warmth of the rising sun.
About the Author
When not helping run his small family farm or spending time with his wife and children, Howard can be found hunched over his laptop or notebook, mumbling about flashing swords and doom-haunted towers. He has worked variously as a TV cameraman, a book editor, a recycling consultant, and a college writing instructor. He was instrumental in the rebirth of interest in Harold Lamb's historical fiction, and has assembled and edited eight collections of Lamb's work for the University of Nebraska Press. His stories of Dabir and Asim have appeared in a variety of publications over the last ten years, and led to his invitation to join the editorial staff of Black Gate magazine in 2004, where he has served as Managing Editor ever since. His first novel, an Arabian historical fantasy titled The Desert of Souls, was published in February 2011 by St. Martin's Press imprint Thomas Dunne Books. He blogs regularly at blackgate.com and maintains a web outpost of his own at howardandrewjones.com.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks go to Bob for scouting the terrain; to Pete and Chris, who guided me through the pass when they had battles of their own to fight; and to Shannon, who led the cavalry through a mighty host of foes.
Glossary
All Pathfinder Tales novels are set in the rich and vibrant world of the Pathfinder campaign setting. Below are explanations of a number of key terms used in this book. For more information on the world of Golarion and the strange monsters, people, and deities that make it their home, see the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook or any of the books in the Pathfinder Campaign Setting series, or visit paizo.com.
Abadar: Master of the First Vault and the god of cities, wealth, merchants, and law.
Adrast: A small barony in northwestern Taldor.
Athalos: A deceased wizard specializing in shadow magic.
Avistan: The northern continent of the Inner Sea region.
Calistria: Also known as the Savored Sting; the goddess of trickery, lust, and revenge.
Cheliax: A devil-worshiping nation in southwestern Avistan.
Chelish: Of or relating to the nation of Cheliax.
Elves: Long-lived, beautiful humanoids who abandoned Golarion millennia ago and have only recently returned. Identifiable by their pointed ears, lithe bodies, and pupils so large their eyes appear to be one color.
Five Kings Mountains: A large and ancient mountain range in southeastern Avistan. Primarily inhabited by the dwarven nation of the same name, though surrounding nations such as the elves of Kyonin also have settlements there.
Forlorn: Elves raised in human society—so called because the difference between human and elven lifespans causes them to outlive generations of human friends and family.
Galt: A nation crippled by constant, violent democratic revolution. Fond of beheadings.
Galtan: A person or thing from Galt.
Golarion: The planet containing the Inner Sea region and the primary focus of the Pathfinder campaign setting.
Grave Candle: A magic item that allows you to speak with a corpse, but only for a few questions.
Gray Gardeners: The masked secret police of Galt, who dispense harsh revolutionary justice to those who cross them or the state.
Half-Orcs: Bred from a human and an orc, members of this race are known for their green-to-gray skin tone, brutish appearance, and short tempers. Highly marginalized by most civilized societies.
Hell: A plane of absolute law and evil, where evil souls go after they die to be tormented and transformed by the native devils.
Hellspawn: A human whose family line includes a fiendish taint, often displayed by horns, hooves, or other devilish features. Rarely popular in civilized society.
Hold of Elistia, Fortress of the Bluffs: An outpost of the elven nation of Kyonin situated in the Five Kings Mountains.
Inner Sea Region: The heart of the Pathfinder campaign setting. Includes the continents of Avistan and Garund, as well as the seas and other nearby lands.
Kyonin: An elven forest-kingdom located in eastern Avistan.
Lich: A spellcaster who manages to extend his existence by magically transforming himself into a powerful undead creature.
Mount Rein: One of the easternmost mountains of the Fog Peaks range between Taldor and Galt.
Nightmare: A monstrous, horse-like creature with mane and hooves of fire. Highly intelligent and completely evil.
Orcs: A bestial, warlike race of humanoids originally hailing from deep underground, who now roam the surface in barbaric bands. Universally hated by more civilized races.
Plane of Shadow: A dimension of muted colors and strange creatures that acts as a twisted, shadowy reflection of the "real" world.
River Kingdoms: A region of tiny, feuding fiefdoms and bandit strongholds, where borders change frequently.
Rovagug: The Rough Beast; the evil god of wrath, disaster, and destruction. Imprisoned deep beneath the earth by the other deities.
Sentinels of Elistia: Elven soldiers and lookouts from Kyonin, based in the fortress of Elistia and used as border guards.
Shadow Hounds: Predators from the Plane of Shadow—vaguely wolf-like in shape. Capable of causing intense, debilitating fear with their howls.
Shadow Magic: Magic focusing on the manipulation of shadow and/or calling forth the creatures and power of the Plane of Shadow.
Shadow Wizards: Wizards specializing in shadow magic.
Shelyn: The goddess of beauty, art, love, and music. Long-suffering and good-hearted sister of the evil god Zon-Kuthon.
Star Tower: One of many towers created by Zon-Kuthon to help stitch the world shut again after Rovagug was imprisoned in its center.
Taldan: Of or from Taldor.
Taldane (Common Tongue): The most widely spoken language in the Inner Sea region.
Taldor: A formerly glorious nation, now fallen into self-indulgence, ruled by immature aristocrats and overly complicated bureaucracy.
The Rough Beast: Rovagug.
Tregan: A tiny Taldan town on the border with Galt with a large population of refugees from the revolution-torn nation.
Umbral Dragon: A dragon affiliated with shadows and the Plane of Shadow.
Vale of Shadows: A strange valley in the Five Kings Mountains filled with shadow magic, surrounding a star tower.
Wight: An undead humanoid creature brought back to a semblance of life through necromancy, a violent death, or an extremely malevolent personality.
Wizard: A spellcaster who masters the art through years of studying arcane lore.
Woodsedge: A city in western Galt.
Wyvern: A brutish draconic creature not as intelligent or cunning as a true dragon.
Yanmass: A city in northern Taldor.
Zon-Kuthon: The twisted god of envy, pain, darkness, and loss. Was once a good god, along with his sister Shelyn, before unknown forces turned him to evil.
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