Disclaimer: Well, technically, I guess, the characters are not mine. They are the warped versions of the Mag 7 characters owned by the MGM boys and their Trilogy friends. However, the setting and the story are all my own insane creations.
Parts: Three (Word makes it 13 pages long). So, a short piece.
Description: Whether you want to call this an epilogue or a segway, it's the continuation of my Four Kingdoms AU. It's the next morning after the battle with Farron and the ensuing celebration in Four Corners. In other words, now that Farron is gone, what happens next?
________________________________________
Inez
sat up in bed for a while, watching Ezra sleep. Her eyes followed the
steady rise and fall of his chest, drifting along the scars, especially the one
that seemed to slash straight across his torso. She didn't want to ask
how he had survived that one, nor was she really ready to accept that he was
actually there...alive...in her bed. Somehow, when the seven men had left
yesterday (was it only yesterday?), she had felt certain she would not see any
of them again. And yet they had all survived, and Farron was gone.
It was over.
So
why did she feel so ill at ease?
Perhaps
it was the hangover?
That
thought brought a smile to her face, remembering the wanton revelry of the
night before. The whole town had celebrated as if some horrible curse had
been lifted, and the mountains surrounding the Pass had rung with music and
light. She was surprised she was even awake at this hour, much less not
puking her guts out. And Ezra had been amazing when they'd gotten back to
her room. She could feel herself falling for him with every kiss,
wondering if she had finally found the one she'd dreamed of.
But
in the cold light of morning, without an alcoholic haze softening every harsh
angle, she wondered if it really hadn't just been a dream. As she
absorbed his innocent looking face lit by the morning sun, she realized that
she knew no more about this man than a few items hidden in the floorboards and
what she had felt on instinct.
Worse,
she didn't know how he felt about her.
All
she really knew was that he was going to leave her.
Water
welled up in her eyes and she had to work hard not to let any of it fall.
Quietly, she slipped out of the bed and reached for the bathrobe hanging off
the bedknob. Moments later, she slipped out of the room, closing the door
softly behind her.
On
the bed, Ezra, exiled prince of Danaeria and one of the best thieves in the
Four Kingdoms, opened his eyes and sighed.
Lords
above but he hated mornings.
______________________________________
The
troll wandered into town slowly, sniffing at the strange smells that permeated
the filthy place. The dirt road down the center was littered with trash
and bottles, while pools of liquids - not water, he realized upon closer
inspection - seemed to be constantly in his way. Looking up at the sky,
he noted the fairly late hour, and had to admit some curiosity as to why none
of the humans seemed to be around. Usually they were up when he was,
right at dawn, inspecting their food stores and checking on the animals they
kept.
Speaking
of animals....The troll smiled, revealing a row of granite teeth speckled with
bits of grass and mud.
He
was hungry.
He
took a few more sniffs, trying to determine whether he wanted his food raw or
cooked this morning. Being lazy, he didn't really want to have to make a
fire, but cooked food usually did taste better. He looked around,
examining the stables and the barns and the smaller, easier to break into,
houses.
Since
trolls were not the fastest of thinkers, this decision could possibly take a
while. So, after adjusting the cloth a little that he wore around his
waist - deer hide, very soft - he sat down with a thump in the middle of the
road, in the middle of Four Corners, and had a good long think.
Then,
as if in answer to his desires, he caught of whiff of something cooking.
Smiling again, he lumbered to his feet and headed in the direction of the
smell.
Some
person had made a fire and was making breakfast. He wondered if the food
they were cooking would go well with human?
__________________________________
Inez
leaned against the wall, waiting for the fire she'd built in the kitchen hearth
to fall. In her arms she stirred the
pot of porridge slowly, combining the oats, brown sugar, bran and water,
wondering if anyone else would be up yet to share it with her. All the
rooms in her inn were full, but she'd not heard hide nor hair of anyone since
she'd come down. It made the place feel surreally empty, and part of her
wondered if everyone else had actually gone somewhere without telling her and
that she was really all alone.
She
wiped away another tear.
Bloody
hangover.
She
jumped suddenly as a loud banging came from the back door. The heavy
black pot she was holding nearly fell, and she had to move quickly to catch
it. Resting it on the wooden table in the middle of the room, she brushed
her hands on her apron and headed towards the back door, her anger rising at
the rudeness of the knock.
And
then the back door exploded.
Screaming,
Inez fell backwards, nearly losing her feet as she caught herself on the
table. The troll smashed away at the oak door he'd splintered with a few
hard knocks, pushing at the half rent planks to make his way inside. The solid
lock meant nothing to him as the whole back wall of the tavern shuddered in
response to his smashing.
Still
screaming and now yelling for Ezra and for help, Inez ran to the door that led
into the main room of the tavern, hurriedly trying to undo the bolts she'd slid
closed last night. Behind her, the troll pushed in past the shattered
door and into the kitchen, the granite teeth of his smile leering at the
pathetic woman.
Quickly,
Inez got through the door and into the main room, heading for the front.
The troll smashed through the door behind her, nearly taking it off its
hinges. She stopped at the front door, once again finding herself delayed
by having to fight with the bolts, while the troll stopped in the middle of the
room and watched her with an amused look on his face.
"Go
away!" she screamed at it, the last bolt near the bottom of the door
refusing to be pulled out. The troll laughed and took a couple of leisurely
steps forward.
"HEY
UGLY!"
Ezra's
yell was one of the most beautiful things Inez had ever heard. The troll
turned around just in time to find a sword slash down across his chest with
brutal intensity.
Ezra
backed up, double-fisting the single grip sword, his eyes watching the black
blood oozing from the wound he'd inflicted. The troll took a step back himself,
one hand moving up to touch the shallow mark.
Ezra
hadn't meant that slash as shallow. He'd put all his strength behind
it. In a man, that slash would have cut them in half.
In
a troll, it was a paper-cut.
The
troll roared and advanced on the thief, narrowly missing grabbing the man as he
ducked under the heavy stone like hands. Twisting around quickly, Ezra
thrust the sword at the troll's unprotected side, hoping to stab him
through. The sword rang as it hit, as if he'd attempted to stab a rock,
and barely made an indent in the thick dark green hide. Rocking back on
his heels, his arms shaking, Ezra stumbled in the direction of Inez.
"Get
help!" he ordered her, continuing to back away as the troll turned to face
him full on, the creature's face twisted in a grimace of pain and anger.
Ezra jumped back out of the way of a swipe, "Get Josiah!"
Inez
needed no urging as she pulled the last bolt back and ran out into the road,
screaming for help. She ran in the direction of the boarding house,
yelling for Josiah. Chris threw open a window above the clerk's office
and looked outside as she ran past, then turned just in time to see Ezra get
thrown backwards out of the front door of the tavern. The thief rolled to
his feet, staggered a little, then brought his sword up again.
By
the time the troll was there to meet him, the creature suddenly found that
there were others running towards him. Swords, axes and black maces were
held in the small hands of the humans, and, though one alone may not have been
much of a match, the troll knew that it couldn't beat an entire town.
Growling
one more time at the one who'd been attacking him, the troll turned around and
ran back into the tavern, heading for the back door and the woods beyond.
"Get
after it!" Chris yelled to the townsfolk and to Buck, Vin and JD as they
pushed through the crowds. Roaring, the townsfolk spilled into the tavern
and down the alleyways on either side, aiming to chase the troll all the way
back to its hiding place if they needed to. The paladin then knelt down
next to where Ezra had fallen to one knee and patted the man's bare shoulder.
"You
all right?"
The
thief grinned roguishly after he coughed a little, and nodded. "Just
winded. Get after that bastard, will you?"
Chris
smiled and, when Josiah arrived next to him, took off after the others with the
mage on his heels. Inez arrived back in time to see Nathan helping Ezra to his
feet, the healer's hands glowing yellow where the touched the thief's chest.
"Just
some minor bruising," Nathan announced, "You'll be sore for a couple
of hours, but that's all. Nothing serious."
"Just
some minor bruising, he says," Ezra shook his head and laughed,
"remind me to let you take on a troll single handed next time,
Nathan." The healer smiled wryly
and looked in the direction the others had gone.
Inez,
meanwhile, was looking into the devastation that had been her tavern.
"This is not a good sign," she muttered quietly, the tears on her face drying slowly.
___________________________
The
bright fall sun was marking noon when the townsfolk returned, limping into town
with the air of any army returning from battle. Ezra was sitting on a bench
in front of the tavern nursing a beer with Nathan, both men noting grimly the
caked blood on folks' clothes. There were a few smiles and even some
light laughing among the group, suggesting victory, but the people's carefree
attitude of the night before was clearly gone.
Eloise,
who had joined the hunters, was busy pulling grass out of her red hair, her
eyes dark beneath her furrowed brow. As she walked past Ezra and Nathan,
she gave them both a nod before disappearing into the tavern to get a drink
from Inez. Several others followed, but most of the men went home to see
their wives and get cleaned up.
Troll
blood stank.
Nathan
got up to see if anyone needed his help, but they all brushed him off.
Only Buck proffered up his arm, which he had apparently broken. Josiah sat down
with a whoosh next to Ezra on the bench and stole his beer, downing it in one
long gulp.
"So
you succeeded?" the thief asked casually, watching Chris as the paladin
worked out the knots in his muscles of his neck. Chris nodded.
"There
were a whole bunch of them out there," JD said, his voice bright,
"had to be almost ten of them just waiting. Vin here said it looked
like they were trying to ambush us. Don't think they counted on the fact
that so many of the townsfolk would give chase." He shook his head,
wiping off some black blood from his cheek.
"Ten
trolls could level a normal town," Vin said softly, "We were
lucky Josiah was there. He shook the earth beneath their feet and knocked
'em all down, made it easier to attack 'em. Still took more blows than I
want to remember though."
"Yeah...I
kind of missing having that earth power," the kid said wistfully.
"Not that you weren't amazing, Josiah, just...compared to what I could
do...." He shrugged, looking unapologetic. The mage gave him a
crooked smile.
"I'm
only a mere mage again, JD. My powers are only as strong as that, and I
never was much good with the earth power. And, of course, you are merely
a kid again."
"A
kid? You calling me a kid, old man?" The former stableboy
bristled, and Josiah started to laugh.
"So,
sounds like you did okay," Nathan remarked, letting go of Buck's arm. The
captain moved it around a little before smirking at the healer and thanking
him.
"Yeah,
we did okay," Vin replied, "for puny humans."
"That's
what they called us," JD explained to Ezra, grinning. "I didn't
know Trolls could talk."
"They
can," Josiah said tiredly. "Most fey can. Trolls just don't
like to. They're not very smart."
"With
hides like that, they don't really need to be," Ezra said, rubbing his
sore arm. It still ached from trying to stab the one that morning.
He smiled and looked at the others, "Well, nice to know no one was badly
hurt."
"This
time," Chris said darkly. He looked at Ezra, freezing the smile on the
man's face, then around at the others. "The fey didn't disappear
when Farron died, and they're not likely to run away now that they've remember
how much fun it is to pick on the unwary. The mages of yesteryear who
drove them underground are gone, and with the Four Kingdoms in ruins...."
He shook his head, the implications clear.
The
others regarded him quietly. This was the conversation they'd all been
dreading after the events of yesterday. In some ways, the fey were only
one of a whole host of problems in the Kingdoms now that Farron was dealt with.
JD
looked at them all, the only one of them who was actually in his home town, and
frowned. "So...what is going to happen now?"
_______________________________
"They're
Kingdoms! They need Kings!" Buck slapped the table hard in the tavern,
staring at a very sheepish Ezra. The thief was having a hard time
explaining why he didn't want to go back to Danaeria.
"Perhaps
that's true, Captain, but I'm not sure my kingdom needs me. They've functioned
for years now without having my father there, why should they want me now that
he's dead?"
"Functioned?
Functioned? How the hell would you know? When was the last time you
were back there, huh? When you stole that crown? And what about
your mother?"
Ezra
winced. He didn't want to think about his mother.
"Lay
off Buck," Chris said quietly. "It's not as if Ezra could have
gone back before." The paladin watched Ezra with dark eyes.
"Seems
like a coward's answer to me," the captain muttered. "Well, at least
Brishnia will have its king back."
"Yes,"
Chris said the word slowly, his mind thinking back to Mary's conversation with
him this morning before the troll had interrupted them. She wasn't sure if she
really wanted to return, and she knew Billy didn't. The discussion of duty and
reality versus their dreams had been a difficult one at best. "Billy
will be king."
"Hooray
for Brishnia," Ezra said coldly. He was beginning to feel more and more sorry
for himself as the conversation went on.
From
where she was sitting at the end of the table, Eloise snorted, looking angrily
at Ezra for the first time since she'd met him again.
"How
can you be so selfish?" she demanded. "Don't you think that if I thought
I could return home to Tilluria that I would? That if I didn't think they'd
stone me to death I'd be on a horse right now, riding home? But you can
go home! You can be a king to your people, bring them out of this quagmire of
death and destruction that has plagued them for so long. Can't you think
about someone other than yourself?"
Ezra's
jaw tensed, and he gripped his arms more tightly across his chest. Sitting next to him, Vin could almost feel
the anger seething inside the man. Swallowing, he looked over at Eloise
with calm eyes.
"Considering
what just happened, Eloise, I don't think you can ever accuse Ezra of not being
able to think about someone other than himself."
The
statement from a fellow Tillurian was like a slap in the face to the woman, and
she immediately blushed as she understood its meaning. Crossing her own
arms, she slumped back in her chair and sighed sadly.
"You're
right. I'm sorry Ezra....It's just..." she tapered off, shaking her head.
"Besides,"
Vin continued, "I'm not sure you're right about how the people would feel
about you."
Eloise
perked up at that, "What?"
"You
were loved, My Lady. Although it is true that you lied to them, I have a
feeling that, after all of this, if you tell them what happened here, you'd
find the Tillurian people are still behind you. Tilluria needs someone to
go down there and take control, and, as the daughter of the former Champion,
I'm sure they'd be grateful to see you there. Though you may not have the
blood of one, you are still a Queen."
Eloise
watched him with bright eyes, not sure if she wanted to believe him. Then she
swallowed and looked around at the others. She stared longest at Buck.
"Do
the rest of you think that way?" she asked quietly.
"Tilluria
is a strong country, Lady Eloise, that prides itself on its pragmatism and
logic. They are the merchants of the Four Kingdoms, and they know that
stability is more important to them than ego. For that reason, I think
Vin is not only right, but prescient as to what will happen if you
return." Josiah leaned forward to touch Eloise's arm in
support. She smiled at him, then she looked back at Buck.
"Will
you go with me?" There was no question at whom the question was
aimed, though she did look around at the others after she looked at Buck.
"I
believe what I said," Vin told her as her eyes met his. "I will
go back with you. It is my country too after all." Eloise
smiled brightly at him, then looked up at Buck, her green eyes wide open with
hope.
The
Captain opened his mouth, then shut it again. "Louisa, I...I'm sorry. I
have a duty to my king. I have to take him home."
Louisa
blinked, trying to hide her hurt, then looked at the others. Ezra didn't
meet her gaze, while Josiah and Nathan just looked at each other. JD was
watching Wellssandra, who was standing off to one side, listening with only
half an ear. The girl smiled as she caught JD looking at her, then
stepped forward to stand next to Eloise.
"I'll
go with you too," she said, smiling. "It's the least I can do
after everything you did for me, saving my life and all, all those times."
JD's
mouth fell open. "Miss Casey!"
She looked up at him, her brown eyes bright with mischief.
"What?" she asked innocently. "Aren't you coming too?"
JD
instantly frowned, wondering if he'd just fallen into some sort of trap.
"I...well, someone has to look after you, I suppose. Just going to
get them all into trouble if I don't." He was frowning more deeply
with each word, and Vin had to lower his head to hide his smile.
"I
think I need to go back to Cathacus," Nathan said, leaning forward on the
table. "The Nichols family and all the others will know soon enough
what has happened, and I don't want to think what that will mean for
Rhea. I...I wouldn't be surprised if the city falls into some sort of
civil war." He shook his head, already worried about what Raine and
her father might be doing now. Rhea had never been without a king or
queen on its throne. Who would run the city now? He shivered as he considered the power Ma
Nichols wielded.
"I'll
go with you, Nathan, though I admit, Rhea's politics aren't what takes me
there," Josiah sighed heavily. "The last school of mages is in that
city, and we will need everyone there to figure out how to deal with the
fey."
"Well,
that just leaves Ezra...and Danaeria," Buck said, smiling wickedly as he
looked across at the thief. Ezra didn't respond, just stared straight
ahead at the table.
"Though
I don't agree with the way Buck has said it, I have to agree with him,
Ezra. You have a duty, just like the rest of us." Chris's
voice was stern, but not cold. Ezra shut his eyes.
"I'll
go to Danaeria. But I won't stay," he said quietly. "I will
return to abdicate the throne, that is all."
"Then...then
I guess that's it," JD said, looking around at the table. "I
guess we all go our separate ways then." He frowned, as if realizing
what that meant for the first time. Somehow...it felt wrong.
"Separate
ways," Josiah was frowning now too, thinking back to Hannah's premonition
of the seven all those years ago. He felt the same way as JD. There was
something not right about breaking them up.
With
an abrupt movement, Chris stood up from the table and backed away.
"Good.
Keep in touch," he nodded at them all and looked to his captain. "Buck? You coming?" Without
another word, the black-clad paladin strode swiftly out of the tavern, leaving
a somewhat surprised group behind. It was a curt goodbye after all they
had been through. Buck looked as surprised as the rest of them. He
stood slowly and looked down at Eloise, before reaching down to kiss her
lightly on the lips.
"I'll
come as soon as I can," he whispered to her. She nodded, pressing
her hand to the side of his face briefly before letting him leave. He
saluted the others, and even bowed slightly to Ezra, before heading out after
his paladin.
"Well,
I guess that is the signal to leave," Eloise said softly, standing
up. "I'm going to go and gather my things. Vin, JD, Casey,
shall I meet you at the stables in an hour?"
"An
hour?" JD was still a little stunned by the swiftness of it
all. He'd only just gotten home, and now he was leaving again?
Gathering himself together, he tried to look more adult. "Of course,
My Lady. I'll be there."
Eloise
smiled at him, then pushed herself away from the table to leave. Casey followed
her out, seeming more like a maid than the Oracle she was. Since yesterday,
however, she'd not seen anything but brightness around her. She hoped it
lasted.
Vin
stood and rested a hand on Ezra's shoulder, then looked at the others. "I
hope to meet you all again someday," he said softly. "This
whole thing...has been amazing. Thank you."
Ezra
touched his hand with his, gripping it once then letting go.
"What
he said," JD agreed, smiling. Josiah stood up and gave the kid a
hug, then reached over the table to shake Vin's hand. Nathan and Ezra
stood up to do the same, shaking both men's hands and then each others.
"We'll
meet again," Josiah said sagely. "I can feel it."
Ezra smiled, secretly hoping it was true.
__________________________________
It
was over three months since they had left Four Corners to return to Tilluria,
and they were only just now getting to Tallus.
Eloise had stopped at every major Manor house and Castle on the way
down, meeting with the lords and ladies of Tilluria for news of what was happening
now that Farron was gone. With each one
she met with, she had found Vin's words to ring more and more true. The country lords were interested in seeing
her regain the throne, and several had sent along their small militias and
vassals to support her in her movement.
Tents flying the colors of some twenty fiefdoms now littered the
clearing on which they were spending the night, and Eloise sat with counselors
and support on all sides. Of the
original four that had traveled down from the Four Corners Pass with her, only
Wells had stayed at her right hand. Vin
and JD had slowly but surely been pushed to the background.
Vin
sighed as he looked in the direction of the setting sun, his shoulder blades
itching with restlessness. Partly it
was due to the uselessness he had begun to feel, but there was something else
as well. For some reason he'd been
overly anxious all week, as if he'd missed something important, forgotten
something vital.
Looking
up at the sky, he tried to let its blanket like quality calm him down, but it
only seemed to make his mood worse. A
few stars were already visible in the deepening gloom, but they seemed somehow
lifeless.
What
the hell was the matter with him?
"Hey
Vin," JD wandered up slowly, his eyes to the ground, as if he could see
through the grass and dirt beneath their feet.
"Wells
shove you out again?" the scout asked, smiling. He realized that his fingers were drumming against his thigh, and
he stopped them.
"Yeah,
Eloise sent for her again. I'm
beginning to realize that I may not be as important in her life as I
thought."
Vin
smiled, shaking his head, "That's not true, kid. She's just distracted.
Now that she knows your safe and by her side, she gets to take you for
granted. That's just the way things go."
JD
frowned and looked over at Vin, "And you know this because...?"
Vin
just smiled, not answering. Then he sighed again.
"Vin..."
"Yeah?"
"Something's
wrong."
This
caught the scout's attention. Instantly
alert, he started to look around the campsite for danger.
"Where?"
"No,"
JD shook his head, "not here.
Somewhere else."
Vin
looked back at JD, his expression all ready to mock the young man. But as he
met the kid's eyes, he saw in them the same thing that had been plaguing him
all week. Slowly, he nodded.
"Yeah...I
know."
"What
do you think it is?"
Vin
shook his head, turning to look once again in the direction of the sun. It was almost to the horizon, and the sky
was aflame with color. He reached a
hand up to rub at the back of his neck.
Next to him, JD scuffed his boot heel in the dirt.
"I
think there must be something wrong with one of the others. And...and I think it's Ezra, and maybe
Josiah," the kid said.
Vin's
eyebrows shot up, and he turned to look again at JD.
"Why?"
"Partly
gut feeling, but also because we haven't heard from either of them for a couple
of weeks. Not since Josiah went to
Danaeria to help Ezra out with whatever that 'little' problem it was that Ez
was having."
"Josiah
only seemed mildly worried in that letter."
"What
if he was wrong. What if they're in
trouble?"
Vin
frowned, thinking back to Josiah's letter.
Ezra hadn't actually written to any of them, except for one short letter
two months ago to say that he may have been wrong about how well Danaeria was
doing, and that it would take him longer than he thought to leave again. Then Josiah wrote to tell them that Ezra had
requested his help on something, but that he didn't think it was anything
serious. Josiah usually wrote a letter
every week, so it was strange that they hadn't heard anything for almost two.
"What
do you think?" JD was watching Vin now, trying to read the stoic
face.
After
a few moments, Vin started to smile.
"I
think Eloise has more than enough people supporting her now," the scout
replied, turning to JD. "And I
think that I've always wanted to see Danaeria.
After all, I understand they make the best beer in the
Kingdoms." He was grinning now,
and JD started to laugh.
For
the first time in three months, the two men felt like they were on the right
track again.
___________________________________
Mary
reached up to hold Chris's hand for a moment longer before he left. He sat astride Solon, looking down at her
with a apologetic look on his face. On
his other side, Buck pulled himself up onto Grey's back, patting the solid
horse's flank.
"I'll
be home as soon as I can," the paladin promised, leaning down to kiss her
hand. Since she'd taken up the role of
regent, they'd not seen much of each other, and personal contact had to be kept
at a minimum. It would not be proper
for a duchess and regent of Brishnia to be consorting with a common soldier,
even if he was a knight and Adenn's Paladin.
Brishnia was nothing if not conservative.
"I
know," she whispered back. She still didn't exactly understand why they
were leaving, except that all the government and politics had really started to
drive Chris and Buck crazy. In the last
week in particular they'd been almost violently restless. They needed to get away from the
castle. She looked around at the
scaffolded towers and masons working tirelessly to rebuild the dark, granite
castle. "Adenn may be finished by
the time you get back," she said.
Chris
looked around at the dark gray walls, so different from the red walls of Tallus
and the whitewashed walls of Rhea. He
loved them...and hated them. Right now,
the latter felt more true. Next to him,
Buck was thinking something similar as he spoke with the man who he was leaving
in charge of the new castle guard.
"I'll
try to be back sooner than that, My Lady," Chris replied, squeezing her
hand once more before letting it go. She nodded and drew it back, holding it
close to her heart.
The
paladin looked over at Buck and grinned, "Ready?"
"Hell
yeah," the captain grinned. Trying
not to start laughing, the two men slowly made their way out of the courtyard
and across the drawbridge. They
continued the slow trot until they were about halfway across the field that led
up to the castle. Then Buck turned a
mischievous eye on his companion.
Chris
was already way ahead of him.
With
a loud "Ha!" he spurred Solon into a fast gallop, getting a lead on
his friend. Within moments, both men
were racing their mounts in the direction of the Thaem Pass that would take
them into Danaeria, their laughter ringing among the soft green downs.
_______________________________
Nathan
adjusted the green silk scarf around his head and sniffed at the wind. He was almost halfway to the Cathacun border
with Danaeria now, having ridden hard for a few days, and he could already
sense the change in the weather from southern warmth to winter cold.
That
damn mage, what had he been thinking heading off alone? Nathan had far too much to do in Rhea to go
after that fool every time he had a whim to go and explore the north country.
Sighing,
the healer tried to put Rhea out of his mind.
The city was a mess. Theft was
rampant, there was no one in control, and the city council he'd put together to
try and administer at least the necessities had already fallen into corruption
and despair. And now he had to
leave. To go after that damn mage and
that blasted thief.
Damn
them.
A
slow smile lit across his face.
He
hoped they saved some of the adventure for him
___________________________________
Ezra
leaned back against the rock, his head pounding almost as quickly as his
heart. The snow swirled around him
unmercifully, stinging his face with ice.
Shaking it off, he made it the few more steps to the cave.
Josiah
looked up as the hide was lifted away from the front of their shelter, his
hands reaching instantly for his staff.
Upon seeing Ezra's red, wind-whipped face, he smiled and laid it back
down.
The
thief wandered over and sat down heavily on the free blanket, looking over at
the bandage around Josiah's arm.
"Still
hurt?"
"Throbs,
that's about it. How's the head?"
"I
think the Danaerian Orchestra's percussion section has taken up residence, but
other than that..." he shrugged.
Josiah smiled again, then it faded.
"You
get word out?"
Ezra
swallowed and shook his head. "The
snow is too thick. Even when it wasn't
snowing, there didn't seem to be a bird anywhere in the sky or an animal on the
ground. We are truly cut off and alone
up here."
Josiah
grimaced, "Alone...except for them."
He looked behind him, and Ezra followed his gaze.
Two
dwarf children stared back, their knees drawn up tight against their
chest. Ezra smiled at them, but they
were too terrified to respond. The
thief sighed.
"Yes,
except for them."
"You
realize, Ezra, that when you suggested to me that there might be some problems
among the folk of the Northern Reaches...."
"Believe
me Josiah, had I known that there was a war going on up here between the old
fey and the new, I would never have come myself. But, now we are here, trapped, and without a chance of a soul
coming to help us...." He leaned
back against the warm stone.
"Oh,
I don't know about that," Josiah replied, smiling and stoking the fire
again. Ezra's eyes popped open.
"You
don't agree that we're trapped?"
"Oh,
we're trapped," the mage grinned, "but as for the other..." He
stared at Ezra with knowing eyes, "Listen a minute, and tell me what you
hear."
Ezra
frowned, confused, hearing only the wind.
Then, like a whisper across the back of his neck, he understood. His face lit up with amazement and he stared
at Josiah with bright green eyes.
"They...Are
they coming?"
Josiah
nodded, and Ezra stared over at the hide door as if he expected to see Chris
and the others walk through at that minute.
"Did...did
you do this?" the thief asked, looking back at the mage.
Josiah
laughed, shaking his head vehemently.
"But
then, how?"
Josiah's
smile fell slightly, and he shrugged.
"We're linked, son. They're
coming. I think that's just the way
things are."
Ezra
watched him a minute, then turned to look at the two little children. They still stared back, though one of them
tilted his head slightly as if his fear was changing to curiosity. Ezra smiled at them, and the curious one
risked a slight smile back.
Still
smiling, Ezra turned back to the mage who was also smiling now at the child
that was smiling back.
"Seems
to me," the thief said, "this is a good sign." Josiah chuckled.
_______________________________________
To
Be Continued in Book Three: The Fey War
(Note
– don't worry folks, no more long sagas. Stories should be their usual length
again. It was just that first book that really got away from me. Meg)