‘Working for the factions of Yondern is just an option for Remus and myself; we still don’t know their motives, and we are bound home. We never planned to leave High Peaks for any extended period of time’ Elaina explained to Perfidian.
It wasn’t necessary. Perfidian nodded, ‘I know, I would not expect you to go with me if I went, though certainly your company would be welcome. My path is that of the traveler, and I still have a lot to see. I have yet to discern where that path will take me’.
‘Your help has been greatly appreciated, Perfidian, though Remus is a grouch, and would likely not admit it’. They shared a laugh at their friend’s expense. Elaina continued, ‘You are more than welcome to come back to High Peaks and stay with us. We can help incorporate you into the community… well, whatever help a ‘freak’ and a ‘hermit’ are able to provide! You could make a living there simply by telling stories and entertaining folks. As banal and short-sighted as most people there are, they surely could not resist hearing of exciting tales and adventures’.
Perfidian smiled appreciatively, but did not look convinced.
* * *
When they arrived back at the room, Remus’ colour had greatly improved, and he still slept soundly. They had spoken to Quintus, and he confirmed that the Steelwielders were in good standing with the government, and that it was perfectly fine if they decided to work them at the same time as they tackled assignments for the guards. When pressed about the war, he offered the same dicey sentiments that the priest had expressed.
As they unpacked their travelling supplies, Elaina stared at the sleeping figure of Remus. His slightly rough features and disjointed noise gave the impression of aloofness, yet also of vulnerability. He was not an ugly man, he was arguably handsomish in a sagacious way. His wide brow and strong, though not exaggerated, jaw gave him a figment of nobility.
Elaina felt strangely disheartened without Remus’ brooding, cynical presence. She sighed, and continued changing out of her travelling wear, placing her staff against a wall and removing her money pouch, cloak and leather tunic. She wore a fancy, yet tasteful green blouse underneath, shoulders puffed up and blue lining tracing decorations over the garment. She preferred full-length gowns when she was at home, not the billowing, impractical type favoured by some aristocratic ladies, but the simple, comfortable type. Perfidian always seemed to be dressed ostentatiously, despite wearing chain armour and his clothes bearing tears and smudges from travelling. They soon settled in for a well-deserved sleep.
The next morning, Remus was awake and cognizant. He was obviously his old self, and despite still being weak, would recover fully. Remus even was able to walk around, and took a stroll around the block. Two more days and nights were spent in the inn, with the companions keeping a low profile and largely keeping to their room. On the morning of the third day, Remus was recovered enough to travel, the healing and rest having worked wonders. He still would be slightly sore and feverish for a week, but he was restless and did not want to stay in town for any longer.
Quintus was happy to furnish them with the body of the dead dwarf, and a fresh sack to carry it in. The body had been kept in a government storehouse, and they had to wait in the barracks till it was brought in. Spices and unguents had been used to preserve the body, and while it was not pleasant to look at, it did not smell unduly terrible. So it was that the companions left the city of Yondern in the mid-morning, and began the trek back to High Peaks.
* * *
Gedderick paced through the underbrush quickly, the Royal Eye assassin having no trouble maintaining viewing distance of the departing trio. Queen Millandrae had personally ordered him to follow the group, and had provided him with all known information about the two men and woman. Some mid-ranking officer had been approached by the group and informed Millandrae, no doubt chasing a promotion. Gedderick chuckled. Rising in rank and prestige was not for him, although he enjoyed the reputation he had among the secret order. No, having an occupation he enjoyed and excelled at, being indispensable and very well paid… these were goals worth striving for.
The Queen had decided not to alert all the guard posts in the city, as the group had not performed ill actions, but merely needed to be watched. In fact, they had aided the city by slaying some minor Fey that had troubled the peasants. They had claimed to have been tracking it from their backwater town in south Corsen. The reports from Quintus were that they seemed reliable. However, the fact that one was reliable in a specific situation did not mean that they were reliable; this was one aspect he and the Queen agreed on.
These travelers seemed to have the knowledge to commune with, and effectively fight, dwarves. They must be watched. Those were his orders, but if worse came to worse, and they were consorting with dark powers... Gedderick would get to perform his own brand of magick tonight. He grinned, feeling the pommel of his sheathed dagger as he ran.
* * *
It was the second night of travel, and they were well on their way back home. They had set up camp by the road, by a large boulder. It was always good to have your back against something, it limited the direction you could be seen from. Perfidian and Elaina had constantly been inquiring about Remus’ health. He felt good, perhaps he needed a few more days to lose the minor grogginess he still felt. Although they underplayed it, he knew that his companions had saved his life and tended to him. He didn’t know how to feel. They were part of his life now. Part of him resented that, the unwelcome intrusion into his own personal space. He had spent so long being reviled by ignorant people, and seeing the miserable and evil nature of so many people and things; it had become comfortable for him to withdraw into his shell.
That had been changed. He was partly responsible for stopping a major war now. Elaina and Perfidian had told him of the opportunities for work offered to them by the various factions in Yondern. Bah, he still saw the same stupidity. The image of the hanged man in the farming community of Yondern flashed through his mind. Now there was a war brewing between the Steelwielders and some foreign religion. More mindless loss over beliefs and mythology. But… he could not deny the noble features in his companions. Although Perfidian was too blithe and Elaina too didactic, they had risked their life to do what was right. He did owe them his life. He could not deny the nobility he saw in many different people, bits and pieces of nobility that shined through under pressure. The guards who risked their lives to protect the villagers, Markham who flew at the dangerous dwarf, swords flashing; even an Eruthian merchant who stopped in his journey to share tales with complete strangers.
Still, he was no wandering adventurer of old. He would return to his old life, he did miss the peace and quiet. Elaina and Perfidian could visit, of course. He wondered about the safety of Perey, the jovial town courier. Was he involved in the fighting? Did he join the militia? Or had he been in town, had Remus missed him amidst the chaos?
Remus volunteered for the first shift, thoughts swirling around his head. Soon, his exhausted companions were fast asleep, and Remus sat against a tree. His martial skill had improved during this adventure, he had noticed. That would be useful. He silently applauded himself on the smart usage of caltrops near the cave. It was the second time the tools had helped him in battle. Learning, preparing and devising strategy was one thing; applying it in the field of real life was another.
A rock skittered across the camp ground, softly but noticeably. Remus sprang up, hand axe in hand. Rocks did not throw themselves.
A dwarf emerged from the foliage. Remus knew it was not the slain insane dwarf, but had to glance at the sack to make
sure. The dwarf was bearded, and held up his palms in an apparent show of peace. Remus stood ready to yell for his companions, and glanced around, expecting an ambush.
Then he saw the book. The dwarf placed a familiar leather-bound tome on the ground and backed off a step. It was Remus’ book of lore! How did this dwarf come into possession of it?! And why was it being returned? Remus gingerly picked up the book and flipped to a few pages. Yes, it was his original book. He crinkled his brow in trepidation and glared at the dwarf, axe at the ready. The dwarf signaled Remus to turn the pages of the tome. He did so cautiously, constantly looking back at the dwarf to spot any potential trickery. After he got to the last page in his handwriting, he kept on flipping. There were more pages! There were images that seemed to be metallurgical instructions, as well as writing in dwarvish and crude human letters.
Much like the dwarves that Remus and Elaina conversed with, this one could have learnt some basic human words by comparing the letters and enunciation of dwarvish words to that of human words. Except this dwarf had held possession of the book for weeks. ‘You. Learn’, the dwarf intoned roughly, pointing at Remus. The dwarf wandered off a bit to the side, beckoning Remus. Before the intrigued man could think twice, he found himself following the dwarf. The dwarf pointed at Remus’ axe repeatedly, and then motioned for Remus to open the book. He continued to prompt the bewildered man to turn the pages, and then held out his hand, instructing him to stop. It was a page with detailed drawings, they seemed to be of various kinds of ore, and showed various kinds of processes being applied to the ore to shape it into weapons. There was a blacksmith’s hammer, and complicated devices that Remus could not comprehend.
The dwarf pointed at his axe again. ‘You are telling me that I can craft a superior axe with your technology’ Remus asked rhetorically; aware that the dwarf would not be able to comprehend or speak whole sentences. The dwarf smiled and crept closer. It was a surreal and bizarre feeling being so close to a flesh and blood dwarf. Remus found himself staring into the dwarf’s eyes, recoiling from the alien intelligence and self-awareness that he saw. It was similar to what you would see in a human’s eyes, but in another way it was completely different. The dwarf patted him on his forearm in a gesture that seemed to be equivalent to a human slapping a friends’ back in good-natured cheer.
The dwarf then removed a pouch from his dirty furs and opened it in front of Remus’ eyes. Inside were small clay spheres. The dwarf indicated throwing them, and repeated ‘Danger. Danger’. He then handed the pouch to Remus, who accepted it out of pure curiosity. The dwarf then turned and quickly walked into the forest foliage. Remus stood staring at the pouch, then tied it up and put it in his pack. He glanced at his companions. They were asleep. Should he tell them? He shook his head, quickly packing his tome into his pack. Remus was panting heavily, overwhelmed by the experience. He could not read the tome now or deal with the experience, there was too much on his mind. He glanced around carefully, making sure he could neither hear nor see any foreign presence.
Remus sat back against the same tree, trying to focus his mind.
* * *
Gedderick slowly crept away from the camp. He had seen the whole unusual encounter between Remus and the bearded dwarf without being seen by either party. It was almost unheard of for a human to possess the stealth prowess to avoid the perception of a Fey, but with enough painstaking practice and training, it was possible. Gedderick held no small measure of pride in this ability.
The Royal Eye had decided not to assassinate the party, though he wielded the requisite weapons, poisons and skill to do so. They obviously had contact with dwarves, but it seemed the inter-species conspiracists had trouble communicating effectively. The pieces to the puzzle began to assemble in his head. These people had helped slay a rogue dwarf, but obviously had mutual relations with dwarves. Could it be the Fey were bribing these humans to be their spies? Did these three strangers go about earning trust in human kingdoms and then leaking information to the dwarves? He was not sure. They could be the tip of the spear of whatever strange conspiracy this heralded. Queen Millandrae must be informed. Slaying these people would only take away the element of surprise from the Yondern authorities. We could not have that.
* * *
The three travelers were quiet, yet content during the journey home. They had survived an arduous experience, and would all enjoy having the time to reflect upon it. The only urgent thing weighing on their conscience was the ongoing war, and the dead dwarf they carried, that might end it. However, whatever had occurred in their absence, it likely would not change in a day, which was when they would arrive in High Peaks. They were not even sure if they could persuade the townspeople to end the war, even with the evidence that it was a rogue dwarf that slew the child.
It would all be resolved shortly. Hours flew by like a feather in a breeze for the introspective travelers. Soon, they camped just outside the borders of High Peaks. It was late and they were exhausted. A few hours of walking tomorrow morning would see them arrive at their hometown. Since Remus had taken first shift the previous day, he was taking last shift this night. As he drifted off into a deep sleep, it seemed that mere moments later he was awoken. This was a trick of his mind, as he could see it was a few hours to dawn, and his body had rested sufficiently. Sufficiently, but not as much as he would have liked. That would be addressed tomorrow, as he intended to hibernate like a bear once he arrived back home to his familiar bed. He was sure his companions felt the same.
Perfidian was the awakener, having had second watch. Both men were groggy, Perfidian from desiring sleep and Remus from being torn from it. Few words were exchanged. Remus felt a thrill. He was finally ready to examine the new content in his book of lore. It took all his patience to wait a half hour until he was sure the bard was asleep, before he surreptitiously slipped the book out from his own back pack and opened it. His hands trembled as he examined the foreign handwriting on the new pages. The dwarf had sketched several pages of metallurgical diagrams. It would take intense scrutiny to piece together what they meant, but fortunately diagrams avoided the problems of trying to understand foreign tongues. Pictures told a thousand words, indeed.
He flipped to the next pages, curious as to what new words the dwarf might have inscribed-
‘What’re you doing, Reym’, Elaina’s voice sounded casually. His heart pounding in surprise, he turned his head to see her standing, yawning and reaching for her waterskin. She had merely woken up thirsty. It was too late to hide the book, and Elaina came over to chat. Her eyes focused on the book and emotions splayed across her face: surprise, confusion, then apprehension. ‘That is the book that you lost during the caravan battle’, she stated carefully. ‘Remus, where did you find that?’
Remus stuttered, his mouth struggling to form a coherent excuse. ‘Remus, where did you find it?’ she asked, more deliberately. He stood. ‘Look, Elaina, a dwarf approached me last night. It was the weirdest thing. He returned the book to me, and he added new writing to it. It could-’
She cut him off, ‘You have been communicating with dwarves without me? After all the dangers we have been through, how could you keep this from me?!’
‘It occurred last night, I have not had any other meetings with Fey that you were not present for. I did not know what to do’.
‘What else did he give you?’
‘There was also a pouch of spherical objects, I believe they are some kind of dwarvish weapon’.
Elaina’s eyes flared up in anger, ‘You are trading knowledge and weapons with dwarves, without telling me, or Perfidian! What if i
t is a trick, or a trap? Didn’t you think we deserved to know?! We have risked our lives for you!’
Perfidian rubbed his eyes and sat up, awakened by the shouting.
‘You have your own tools and weapons, Elaina!’ Remus countered. ‘I merely want to have my own, so I can perhaps save your life, as well as Perfidian’s! It is my job to gather lore; that is my role in the group’, he said conciliatorily. ‘I never knew your knowledge of herbology was advanced enough, to cultivate a leaf that could bring a man back from the brink of death’, he said praisingly, referring to the leaf she had used to restore his health. ‘And, I believe I saw you attempting a new type of spell in the battle with the dwarf’.
Elaina’s expression changed to one of slight contrition, even shame. She avoided his gaze and looked at the ground. The shift away from anger in her attitude was strange. Remus asked, ‘What is it, Elaina?’
‘I… I too was visited by a Fey. I think it was an elf. It happened on the road to Yondern, during my watch. She taught me… some things’.
It was Remus’ turn to be outraged. ‘So you scold me for not telling you about the dwarf, but you kept your meeting with the elf secret?!’
‘She was trying to help me Remus! She-’
‘And just how do you know that!’ he countered.
Perfidian stood near the campfire, watching the fight passively.
Remus went on sarcastically, ‘You always were the preacher type, weren’t you Elaina?! Always pushing others to achieve their best, always cajoling. You kept your meeting with an elf secret, yet have the hypocrisy to condemn me for withholding my meeting with the dwarf! We do not even know what role the elves have in this conflict! The bard and myself could have stood to know that’. He shook his head wearily. ‘I don’t even want to be here, I left my cabin, my life, to prevent people like you and I from being killed and tortured by the ignorant sheep in our town! That is all’.
‘Why don’t you return to your cabin, then?!’ Elaina screamed, wan features creasing in fury. ‘I had to drag you, and ‘cajole’ you into opening your heart and getting off your backside to help other people! You are nothing but a bitter hermit! Perfidian and I brought you back to life, tending you for three days! And this is how you show your gratitude!’