* * *
Moriana and Timonus had made it to the caves just before nightfall but the mist that had been so unrelenting during their trek had left them both cold and exhausted. Once inside, Moriana rested atop a small bolder, shivering in the fading light. Timonus saw her shaking and removed his cape. "Here," he said as he gave it to her, "I know it's not much but the material is thick and it's been waterproofed."
She stared at him a moment before taking it as she was unfamiliar with such courtesy, "Th-thank you, Legate."
Timonus nodded, then studied their surroundings to see exactly where they stood in terms of survival for the night. Outside the cave the mist became rain. "Well," he began, "the horses had our food stores, cooking supplies and waterskins, so I suppose we're basically starting from scratch here." He rested his hands on his hips, "By the gods, I just realized that I don't even have my tinderbox!"
Without uttering a word, Moriana bent down and retrieved something from her leather shoe. As she sat back up, she held a small loop made of iron above her head.
"A fire starter!" Timonus exclaimed at the sight of it. "You magnificent woman, you!"
She smiled despite her discomfort from the cold, "I t-told you that I had resources." Moriana then reached down to her other shoe and pulled up a small flat rock, "Here-here's the flint."
He smiled warmly as he took the fire starting tools from her, "Well, that's most of our problems solved but we still lack tinder."
She indicated with a nod over her shoulder, "There are plenty of dried mushrooms along the walls there. I left them during my last walk. We can use them to make amadou for tinder. There should also be some dry wood and an empty waterskin that we can fill in the rain but unfortunately," Moriana frowned, "no food."
The Legate stared at the venefica with slight admiration, "Mother Wolf, I wish you had been with us on my last patrol!"
She smiled, unable to hide her pleasure at his approval, "Why? Was it a particularly difficult one?"
"Yes," he answered, grunting as he bent over to gather the materials, "we were in Bestial land up north, no water in sight and very little food. The temperatures were freezing!"
"No fire, then?"
He shook his head, "They wouldn't stay lit; the winds were too high. We were ill-equipped for the terrain." Timonus stood, "In truth, we really had no business being up there."
"So, what did you do?"
"Well," he carried the pile of supplies over to where Moriana sat and began to stack the wood in a pyramid over the small mound of shredded and dried mushrooms, "first, we lost nearly half our forces to the elements, then another third of them to starvation, and after that, well, we just cut our losses and returned home."
"And the Emperor didn't have you hanged?" she was astonished by the casualness of his tone.
He chuckled, "Ah, but, you see, it wasn't Emperor Tiberius, it was his father."
"Oh... the...," she searched her memory, "the Peacebringer, right?"
"Yes," he began to strike the flint against the iron loop, "at least, that is the name he is remembered by. The patrol was an exploration mission-"
"Wait, but you said it was your 'last' patrol?"
He stopped in mid-strike as a thoughtful look crossed his face, "I did, didn’t I?"
"Has it... really been that long?"
Timonus returned to his task and before long a spark hit the dried mushrooms and it immediately began to smoke. His face broke out into a relieved smile, "Aha! We have a spark!" He looked up at the venefica again, "There'll be no cold, dank cave for us tonight!"
She smiled in return, although it was distant, wistful. "I've spent many a cold and dank night here, even with a fire."
He handed her tools back to her, "Does it always rain in this part of Lycania? It seems like it's been non-stop since we left the Caves of the Veneficas."
"Yes, it is often very dreary on the shore but," she shrugged, "you adjust and get used to it."
"I suppose," he rearranged the wood so that it would catch the flame better.
Moriana pulled the cloak tighter around her, "You never answered me, by the way. Was that your last patrol?"
He sighed and stared at the tiny fire that had begun, "Yes, I suppose it was. I was promoted soon after we returned and then the Peacebringer died and his son became Emperor. I've served by his side ever since."
She was surprised by him, yet again, "But that's been over a decade!"
"Yes. It has."
"Do you ever miss being," she waved her hand, "out there? Where the action is?"
He sat back on his haunches, "In some ways, maybe." He reflected for a moment before answering further, "But being stationed here in Odalia has its advantages."
"Like?"
"Well, my wife, for instance. We spent the first half of our marriage separated by war and patrols. Now, I see her nearly every day and our sons as well." A smiled touched his face as he thought of them.
"I... didn't know you had a family."
"Well," he laughed, "of course not. How would you, really?"
Moriana stood, "I'll sort food for us-"
"But you're soaked! You'll catch your death before you catch anything else!"
She shrugged, "I've been here, in this state, more times than I care to remember." Moriana indicated the area just outside the entrance, "There's plenty of samphire grass growing out there among the rocks, we can always steam the stalks to tide us over, but," she began to grin, "I'm usually pretty good at finding a rabbit or a lizard or two - not to mention the flocks of birds that are always around here as well."
He looked at her curiously, "And just how do you intend to capture such prey?"
She was still grinning and, in the low firelight of the cavern, Timonus could see that the blackness of her lips was beginning to fade away. Moriana then triumphantly untied what he had thought had been a rope belt from around her waist and held it up for him to see.
"Ah," Timonus laughed, "a slingshot! My dear, I'm beginning to believe that you might could survive anything!"
She gave him a pleased smile, "That has always been my intention!" Moriana then walked closer to the entrance, "Would you like to watch, Legate? I'm quite deadly with this thing."
"I would, actually." He joined her and she began to gather stones as the rain eased off. Within a moment she found a small but heavy and slightly roundish one. She tossed it in her hand and seemingly satisfied with its weight, she then put a finger to her lips and issued Timonus a, "Shhh."
He nodded and faded into the shadows of the entrance to give her a wide enough berth for hunting while still being able to watch her. From his vantage point, not only was he able to observe Moriana but he could also examine the surrounding terrain a little better. The skies were still a murky gray but he could see that had the sun been shining, the cliffs themselves would have been a spectacular sight.
Interspersed within the rocky outcropping before him were small bits of green shoots growing up and there were even a few sparse trees that reached their bare branches to the sky. As Moriana sought her prey, Timonus tried his best to stand on his toes and look over the nearby cliff's edge, which, although still a good six or seven meters away, made his stomach twirl at the height of it. Past the edge, out against the horizon, he could see the unsettled and foaming waters that swirled against jagged black rocks.
Just then he heard a strange noise followed by Moriana shouting, “Yes! Got him!"
Timonus turned his head and saw the venefica proudly holding up a rather good-sized rabbit. He laughed at their fortune, "I can't believe it!"
"Yes, we will certainly eat well tonight, Legate!" she grinned as if she were a young child proud of their latest clay creation as she brought the rabbit into the cave. "I can skin it and everything!"
"Excellent! For I fear my skills are a little... out of practice." Based on her exuberance, he couldn't help but began to wonder if he had been wrong about his original assumption of just how old she was. He had placed her at a mid
-third decade but as her outer appearance began to melt away with the rain, he was beginning to think she was quite a bit younger.
A little while later they were both happily dining on the slightly chewy rabbit, supplemented with a few salty stalks of samphire that had been grilled along in the fire as well. "You know," Timonus began as he tore at a piece of leg, chewing as he spoke, "I thought your lips were black from poison."
Moriana instantly raised a hand to her mouth, "Oh! I-" He'd caught her off guard. "It - they should be," she sighed.
"And your fingers, too? Are those just stained with dye as well?"
She looked down at her lap feeling a bit ashamed and nodded, "Yes."
"Is that typical among the venefica?"
She nodded again, "Nearly all the younger ones, except the Silver Sisters and those that practice smoke inhalation regularly - they come by the Stain naturally."
"I don't understand. Why do it?"
She smiled, "Because to outsiders, true Staining shows wisdom and experience."
He continued to chew as he thought. "So, how long have you been a venefica?"
"Nearly three years now."
Timonus remembered her story from earlier, when she told him about the time that Mother Marcella had come upon her when she was around fourteen. He did the math quickly and nearly choked on his meal, "Wait - you're only seventeen?"
"Maybe," she shrugged, "I'm not sure. I've never had reason to keep a record of such things."
Timonus was stunned into silence. After a moment she became concerned with his lack of response and asked, "Is that... upsetting to you... or-"
"No," he shook his head, "I'm just surprised at your being so young yet being so self-reliant."
The pleased smile reappeared on her face, "I told you, I am a survivor. I always have been."
"Well, Moriana, you certainly have my admiration, I'll give you that."
Her face took on an odd expression as she looked uncomfortably down at her lap again, eyeing her half finished piece of rabbit, "It... it’s Hanna."
"What?"
"My, um," she cleared her throat and looked up at him, "my real name, you asked earlier about it. Well, it's Hanna." She laughed nervously, "Though no one has called me that in quite awhile."
"Well, Hanna," he smiled, "you have taught me many things on our little adventure so far. I look forward to what tomorrow and Feronia brings us."
"Yes, well, we veneficas don't think of the future. We concentrate only on the present," she flashed him a quick smile then looked away before he could see the pain that appeared behind it. "But for now, Legate, we should rest."