by Philip Smith
“Yes?” she said, suddenly completely breathless.
“You and I,” he said, “are the only two that know about the key.”
She felt her pulse slow a bit, the weird excitement drifting away as if on a light breeze.
“Oh,” was all she said.
He looked around, then continued. “I think we should keep it that way,” he said. “The less that know it’s the key they are after, the better.”
“Not even the others?” she asked.
The elf shook his head. “They can’t know or else it’s one more thing they’d have to lie about if captured, and I’d rather them not have to carry that burden.”
“I still don’t understand what is so important about it,” she said, rubbing her forehead.
“Neither do I,” he said. “But we need to find out.”
“So much blood for a single piece of leather and a tiny trinket,” she muttered. He looked like he was about to say something else, but Woodcarver walked up at that moment.
“How is she, really?” Paige asked the magician.
“She’ll be okay,” he said. “She just needs rest.”
“She has a strong will,” Dinendale said. “A hard head as well. Remind you of anyone, Woodcarver?”
Paige punched the elf. He laughed, rubbing his shoulder and trying to hide the wince.
“At any rate, Dinendale, I need to discuss something with you. Paige, tend after your sister, won’t you? And be sure to take care of those ribs. I only have so much salve, you know.”
“I can do that,” Paige nodded, feeling her side through the baggy shirt she wore. It felt nice to not have to wear any armor.
“You needed to speak?” Dinendale asked the magician.
“Yes, lend me your ear for a moment?”
The two walked off and began talking in hushed tones, and Paige left them to their conversation. She sought out Broadside who was boiling up a couple wild onions and potatoes he’d scrounged around the stony earth for supper. They weren’t very good, but she did eat a small amount just to keep her strength up.
“Well princess, now that we’ve rescued the damsel,” Broadside laughed, taking a bite of the mashed mush. “What do you want to do now?”
“I honestly haven’t given it much thought,” Paige admitted. “First things first, Olivian needs to be strong enough to travel.”
“Of course,” the dwarf stuck his pudgy hand into the pot and ate a fistfull of the gruel. Paige felt her stomach roll but laughed at the ridiculous nature of the short creature she’d learned to accept as a friend.
“Well, whatever you decide, know I’m in. You do pick some of the dandiest adventures.”
“I appreciate that, Broadside,” Paige laughed, standing and excusing herself while he began to lick the little pot clean with his fat, purple tongue.
She sat next to Olivian all through that night, wiping a damp cloth across the head of her sister who slept peacefully. She hummed the elvish lullaby their mother had sung so many times in their childhood. She was so relieved to have her sister back, and to have the boys to call family now. This meant, for the first time since that dreadful night so many weeks ago, she finally had a place where she belonged. She thought about what Broadside had said, mulling over several scenarios in her head as what she should do once Olivian was well. Would they stay with the Brotherhood? What did the fellows want to do next? They couldn’t very well go back to Kapernaum. What was the next move?
“How is she?” Dinendale stooped to enter the shelter.
“Better,” Paige shook herself from her thoughts. “She just needs some time.”
“I see,” he said.
Paige looked at the elf. He seemed a little more tense than normal. He was pressing a cloth into the burn mark on his throat. “How are you?” she asked.
“Fine,” he said quickly. “Why do you ask?”
“You’re uptight,” she said.
He eased up a bit. “Hardly, it’s just this burn is giving me grief. It’s in an unfortunate location,” he said, trying to wave it off, but Paige could hear the lie in his tone.
“I know you better than that, Din,” she said.
“Maybe,” he forced a smile. There was a moment of silence between them before he spoke again. “I just wanted to thank you,” he said.
She looked at him quizzically. “For what?”
“I was hurting,” he said. “I was a hateful creature a few months ago, so full of bitterness. Then you came along. You’ve done us all so much good, Paige. We had forgotten how to believe in ourselves till you came into our world. Into my world.”
“I did nothing except supply a tragedy,” she drug the cool cloth across Olivian’s forehead again.
The elf shook his head, his black hair dancing. “No. It was so much more than that.”
“Well, then you’re welcome, I guess,” she said quietly.
Dinendale smiled. “I just wanted to say that in case I never got the chance to later,” he said. He sad down beside her, the warmth of his body a welcome reprieve from the chilly air. Paige felt something like a moth fluttering inside her chest. She sighed distractedly as Dinendale took an extra blanket and unfolded it in his lap, spreading it out and offering half to Paige.
“You don’t have to stay up with me, you know?” Paige said, her voice uncharacteristically breathless.
“I know,” Dinendale said. His face wore a distracted, almost distressed gaze. “I want to.”
Paige felt her ears getting warm. Her heartbeat hammered in her ears as she reached out and took the elf’s hand. It was rough and calloused, with strong fingers and bony knuckles scraped and bruised from fighting. The elf flinched slightly, but relaxed and let his fingers intertwine with hers.
“I, too, have to thank you,” she said softly. “Without you, I’d be dead. And so would she.”
Paige took her free hand and applied another warm cloth to Olivian’s forehead. Dinendale squeezed her hand and a slow, low warmth spread from the back of her heart and across her chest.
“I need you to remember something, alright?” The elf said, taking his free hand and turning Paige’s chin to face him. She gulped unconsciously and felt the inside of her mouth go dry.
“What?”
“No matter where you are, no matter how many miles lie between us, I will always be here for you when you need me. I will have your back when you stand your ground, and I will protect you with my life when you can’t stand any longer. You...you are my best friend, Paige Alwasu of Alataria. And I need you to remember that.”
This time it was her turn to squeeze his hand. Unsure what to do next, she cautiously leaned her weary head against his chest. He was warm and solid, just as he’d always been. The elf buried his nose in her hair and inhaled softly. Paige felt like her skin was absolutely glowing.
“And one more thing?” he whispered.
“Mhm?”
“You could use a bath.”
“Well, you are no batch of roses yourself, mister,” she chuckled.
He snickered. Paige could feel his chest vibrating under his coarse shirt.
“Fair point,” he replied.
Paige smiled, feeling her eyes grow heavy. She yawned quietly as Dinendale grazed his thumb over her knuckles.
“I’ll watch Olivian, if you need to get some rest.”
“I don’t need long,” Paige yawned again. “Maybe just a few minutes?”
“Go for it,” the elf whispered. Paige smiled again and nuzzled her head into Dinendale’s chest as she pulled the blanket further up her body and made herself more comfortable. It wasn’t long till she drifted off to sleep to the even rising and falling of the dark elf’s chest.
◆◆◆
“Dinendale!”
The shout startled Paige out of her sleep. She looked about bewildered, alone under a blanket beside her sister’s bed. Olivian moaned and sat up weakly.
The makeshift blanket door to the lean-to was thrown back to reveal blinding sunlight.
Paige blinked as Broadside jumped inside.
“Is Dinendale here?” he asked, out of breath.
“He… he was in here when I fell asleep last night,” Paige said, puzzled.
“He’s gone!” the dwarf said.
Paige rolled her eyes.
“He’s probably out hunting,” she said. “Probably didn’t want mushy potatoes and bitter onions for breakfast.”
“With his blankets, gear, and the red colt we took from the castle?” Jesnake asked, stepping in behind the dwarf. Paige got to her feet.
“You're kidding. He wouldn’t just up and leave.” A nervous laugh escaped her lips. The eyes of the elf and dwarf held no mirth. They were deadly serious, Broadside wringing his hands like a worried mother. All three of them exited the lean-to together in a bustle.
“He’s gone,” Robert said, walking up to them, a scowl on his face. “I’m not finding any tracks either.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Paige said. “He wouldn’t just go without telling anyone.”
“Actually, that’s exactly something he would do,” Jesnake muttered.
“Someone has to know where he went!” Broadside said. “We need to find him.”
“Someone does,” the western elf said.
“Who?” Paige demanded. Duelmaster and Twostaves walked up.
“Woodcarver,” Duelmaster finished for Jesnake. “He’s gone, too.”
“We need to find them,” Broadside insisted. The poor fellow was wracked with grief.
“Maybe he doesn’t want us to find him,” Robert said. “No trail means he didn’t want to be followed.”
“But why?” Paige demanded in shock. He’d just left. He hadn’t even said goodbye.
“Who knows?” Twostaves asked. “But I know he wouldn’t just leave us for no reason.”
“He has to be here somewhere,” Broadside said. “He has to be!”
“Well, he’s not!” Robert snapped. The force of the yelling sent Broadside back a few feet in surprise. Robert clenched his jaw, and looked away, focusing on a far-off peak to cool himself down.
“Paige,” Robert said evenly. “Where is the page?”
“It’s in my moccasin,” she said confused.
“Is it?”
Paige felt a sinking feeling in her soul as she ripped off the moccasin and drew her knife, her fingers fumbling numbly as her hands shook with emotion. She angrily cut the leather Woodcarver had sewn into her footwear away from the moccasin and held it up.
It was blank. Woodcarver had never sewn the actual page into her moccasin.
“What?” Paige shouted. “What is this?”
“Either Woodcarver has betrayed us, or they left together. Either way they have the page from the Book of Death. Doubtless, if they are together and not one hunting the other, they are off to try and unlock its secrets,” Duelmaster muttered.
“But where? How? And why not tell us?” Paige demanded, her mind scrambling for a rational explanation.
“Well, isn’t it obvious? I don’t think we’re supposed to know, seeing as he’s abandoned us,” Robert spat.
“No. He… no!” Paige shouted. With that, she took off, running into the tree line near the creek. She felt angry, hurt, and scared. He’d just left. No explanations; no goodbyes. She stood by the creek, her fists in tight balls at her sides, her knuckles white and popping with the grip. She sank to her knees, looking into her reflection in the bubbling brook. She sat like that for a long while, her head was spinning so fast she didn’t even hear the soft footsteps behind her.
“A rose for the lady?” Duelmaster pulled a flower from the bank. Paige shook her head angrily. The dryad sighed, playing with the little flower.
“He didn’t leave just to leave, ya know?” he offered.
“Doesn’t change the fact that he just… just… ugh.” Paige punched her reflection in the stream. She felt the sting on one of her knuckles as the blow skinned the boney nubs on her fist. Duelmaster was quiet for a moment before chuckling.
“He’ll come back.”
“You don’t know that,” she said, not looking at him.
“Yes, I do,” the Dryad said.
“How?”
“Because,” the dryad said, smiling, “you’re here.”
“Didn’t stop him from leaving though,” Paige said.
“Sure, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t fall under your spell.”
“You’re delusional.”
“Most of the time, yes,” Duelmaster smiled. “But I think I know him well enough to say without a doubt that he cares for you.”
“Then why did he just… leave?” she demanded.
The dryad shrugged. “Who knows? But I promise you what I do know is he’ll be back. Just wait and see. If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that Dinendale will always come back.”
Paige felt slightly reassured even in her anger, but she stood up wiping her hands on her shirt. Duelmaster smiled, and Paige wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. The dryad didn’t even seem surprised as he squeezed her right back.
“Ow!”
“Oh, sorry m’lady,” the dryad said, breaking off a tiny branch that had poked her in the head from his beard. “I haven't had a chance to shave yet.”
“Well, aside from that, now what?” she asked, releasing him from the hug and jerking her chin towards the camp. “We can’t stay here for long.”
“Winter is coming,” Duelmaster agreed. “We’ll need to find a place to lay low for the season.”
“Then what after that?”
“Well, I’m not quite sure, my lady,” Duelmaster said, a twinkle in his eye. “We kind of always play it by ear. But you know? I think that’s the adventure of it all. I hear there may be a few other places that need emancipating now that I think about it!”
He held out his arm like a princely escort, and Paige smiled, taking it.
“Shall we, princess?”
Paige nodded. And with that, arm in arm, the two returned to camp, ready to face their next grand adventure.
For there is always another one right around the next corner, if you know where to look.
The End...
Acknowledgments
Thank you to all the members of my Brotherhood, for all the memories and heartache, good times and bad, I’d trade every page of this book for one more day like the one’s we had.
To my Alpha and Betas, for all your feedback and encouragement:
Paul and Shanna-Kaye Fancher - Drake Pledger
Marissa Grammoll - Karin Salisbury - Kim Gibson
Christy Miller
Thank you to all the Kickstarter backers without whom this project never would have taken off:
Alayna Dudock - Amanda Belcher - Amy Bardwell - Amy Daniels - Anthony Hamilton - Bill Nimchuk - Brian D Lambert - Brian James Sipe - Caleb Tolbert - Cameron Piner - Charles Davis - Cody - Corrine S Garrison - Deanna Young - Debra Thomas - Derek - Dylan Edward Culver - Emerson Kasak - Esa Eriksson - Fallon Leigh Smith - Fermin Serena Hortas - Fiona - Gerald P. McDaniel - Ginny Jordan - Hannah Heppenstall - Holly Graf - Ian - Isaac Kennedy - James H. Murphy Jr. - Jen - Jennifer Nicklyn - Jennifer Priester - Jennifer Pyle - Jessica Sindeldecker - Jhannah de Castro - Joel Raulerson - Jonette Carlson - Jordan Lewis - Joshua C. Chadd - Joshua Gramoll - Joshua Tolbert - Josiah Teel - Kate C. - Kenneth Ost - Knights of the Pen Productions - LAURENCON - Liz Steinworth - Lloyd T-Taylor - Madison West - Marie - Marie Schatzman - Mary Therese Ward - Marye Dedmon - Matrix
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About the Author
Philip Smith was born in Fairfax County, Virigina. From a young age he enjoyed drawing and writing stories. When he turned fifteen, he grabbed a piece of copy paper, folded it in half, and wrote the first words of what would become the book you just finished reading. He continued to work on it for over twelve years and finally published it in early 2019.