Troubled times have beset the land of Crolis. Undead, monsters, demon, and barbaric raiders have upset the normally peaceful land. Three adventurers brought together by chance now search for the source of the trouble. Chapter 3: The group run into a figure from Emily's past and is Jonathan as great as he thinks he is? Note: All spells are untranslatable. Any 'foreign” languages used will be translated by footnote in the text.
They traveled the remainder of the day and made camp on the side of the road that night. Ian settled himself close to the fire but tried to put as much space between himself and his traveling companions as possible. He pulled out his flask out of his bag and was searching for some hard tack, when Emily came over and handed him a small bowl filled with something that smelled delicious.
“What’s this?” Ian asked, examining the bowl.
“Supper, of course,” she smiled, “My Mama Greta’s recipe. She called it trail stew.”
“Most excellent!” Jonathan cried out, “A talented cook as well as a master scholar! You are just full of surprises Emily.”
“Thank you,” she replied, blushing.
“It is rather good,” Markas said, looking at Ian.
Ian took the hint and took a sip out of the small bowl. It was very good. Tangy and warm, he could feel it trickle down his throat and fill his stomach.
“You should consider becoming a cook, Miss Emily,” Marta said brightly.
“Nonsense,” Jonathan replied, “Not that your cooking isn’t that good of course. But if she became a cook, the world would be short one wonderful scholar. Why, I would wager that Emily was top of her class at university. Am I right?”
“Actually,” Emily replied sheepishly, “I never went to university.”
“But where did you study then?” Markas asked.
“I was apprenticed to Ivanus Arcanus, Keeper of the Tower of Secrets, since I was a baby,” Emily replied, straightening up.
“That’s highly irregular isn’t it?” Markas asked.
“Well, yes,” Emily replied, “But Uncle Ivan is one of the greatest wizards living today. And the tower is the largest repository of magical knowledge on the continent. So, in a way, it was really a more privileged education than I might have got at the university. And I did pass my exams with top marks.”
“You still had to take exams?” Markas asked.
“Yes, every scholar has to take their final exams in order to get their license to practice magic,” Emily replied.
“Amazing!” Jonathan exclaimed, “Emily you are absolutely amazing. So did your Uncle teach you to use your magic to cook as well?”
“No,” Emily replied, blushing, “Mama Greta taught me to cook and keep a house. Though, I did use a little magic to make some of the ingredients portable.”
Emily pulled a small bag out of her knapsack and took a small brown bead out of it.
“Beef stock,” she smiled, “I just have to toss into the boiling water,”
“Brilliant!” Jonathan exclaimed, “No wonder, being related to one of the greatest living wizards though.”
“Oh, I’m not related to Uncle Ivan and Mama Greta. That’s just what I call them,” Emily said, “I don’t really know who my real parents are.”
“How tragic,” Jonathan said as moved next to Emily and took her hand, “I promise that I will do anything to help you find them. After all, I’ve played in both the finest courts in both the human kingdoms as well as the elven ones.”
“Really?” Ian interjected, “The finest courts and now reduced to playing in taverns. What happened?”
“Nothing happened,” Jonathan replied, glaring at Ian, “I have such a wonderful talent, it seems a shame that I should only reserve it for the privileged.”
“Oh, yes,” Ian replied, taking a swig from his flask, “That would be a real shame.”
“Do you mock me?” Jonathan said, standing up, “I’ll have you know that before I arrived in Carsonia, I was playing in the court at St. Ridgestone.”
Ian took another swig from his flask, “Now that’s odd because St. Ridgestone doesn’t have a court seeing as it’s ruled by a council of knights.”
“I meant the council, of course,” Jonathan said uneasily, “I just assumed, someone like you wouldn’t have heard of them.”
“Actually, I thought that was pretty common knowledge,” Emily said.
“Common knowledge for the educated,” Jonathan replied, “Such yourself and Sir Markas. By the way Sir Markas, what court do you serve at?”
“I’m not a courtly knight,” Markas replied, “I’m a member of the Order of the Golden Gryphons. Or I was rather.”
“What happened?” Marta and Emily asked in unison.
“The entire order was wiped out,” Markas replied, “I’m the only one left.”
“How awful,” Marta replied.
“Well, it grows late,” Jonathan said suddenly, yawning, “I think we should turn in for the night. Two more days to reach dear Marta’s village, after all.”
Ian watched as one by one the other people around the fire fell asleep. Sleep had not been welcome since he had left home. His dreams just reminded him of things he didn’t want to be reminded of. So whenever he was in a tavern, he made sure to get his flask refilled, so he could drink to forget. He could sit, just as he was doing right now, sipping on that flask, not having to think about what the ring on the chain around his neck really meant. He could sit there caress it between his fingers and think about its owner without having to think about what actually happened to her. And if he started to not like the thoughts he was having, he could drink a little more and they would get nice and blurry. Yes, blurry thoughts and feelings were much easier to deal with.
*****
“Ian, its time to get up,” a sweet, gentle voice said.
Ian ignored it. His head hurt. He started to sink back into blackness.
“Ian,” the soft, girlish voice said again. He felt himself being shaken gently. The voice was inviting, but the pounding in his head made the darkness seem more inviting. He slipped back into sweet unconsciousness.
Suddenly, a swift kick to the back made him jolt up. He drew his sword and squinted in the bright sunlight at Markas standing over him.
“What are you trying to do!” Ian roared, “I’ll take you where you stand!”
“It’s morning,” Markas replied calmly, “We’re getting ready to leave. Emily tried to wake you twice.”
Ian looked around and everyone was packing up their bed rolls, getting ready to leave. Emily walked over and hand him a small cup filled with a thick, steaming brown liquid.
“Drink this,” she said, handing it out to him.
“No thanks. I just need my flask,” he said looking around.
“Drink this first,” Emily insisted, still holding the cup out to him.
It couldn’t hurt, Ian figured, after all the stew last night had been delicious. He took the cup and took a sip. He spitted it out. It was the foulest thing he had ever tasted.
“What was that?” he said, still trying to spit the taste out of his mouth.
“Hangover tea,” Emily replied, as she got up to collect the cup.
Ian found his flask and took a big swig but it seemed to do little to get rid of the nasty taste. He kept taking sips as they finished packing up and started down the road again. It took almost an hour for the taste to go away completely. What was worse, he felt almost completely sober, event though he had only had a tiny sip.
As they traveled along, Ian couldn’t help but doubt his new traveling companions’ effectiveness. Sure, he had seen them in action in the Thirsty Scholar, but he was beginning to think that may not be the best tool to judge them by. Sure Emily was a talented spell caster, but well, she wasn’t the most mature person Ian had met. She was very sweet to be sure, but horribly naïve. Of course, it wasn’t her fault, having been locked up in a tower all her life, but he had come to value experience, which Emily was definitely lacking.
At least he felt he could trust Emily, everyone else was uncertain. Markas was a knight, but Ian was suspicious. Markas had said his entire order had been wiped out, but he hadn’t really explained how he’d survived. Not that Ian thought Markas had done something evil, but rather that his survival might be due to an act of cowardice—inexcusable for a knight.
Not that I can judge, really. Ian thought.
And he didn’t trust Jonathan at all. While Emily and Markas had shown their ability to handle themselves in a battle, Jonathan had been cowering under a table. Ian wasn’t sure why the bard had come with them at all. The fool insisted on singing sappy ballads as they walked along. The only ones who seemed to be enjoying it were Emily and Marta, who blushed and giggled every time Jonathan smiled. In fact, Jonathan mostly devoted his attention to Emily. Something clicked in Ian’s mind and Jonathan’s motives became crystal clear. Well, if that fool wanted to tag along because of Emily that was his business, just as long as he didn’t expect anyone to protect him if they got into another fight like the one in the Thirsty Scholar.
Just then a cry of pain echoed out of the forest trees to their left. They all turned to the direction the noise had come.
“Perhaps, we should check it out?” Markas said, peering through the trees.
“TiTi, Go!” Emily said as the raven on her shoulder took off.
“TiTi?” Ian asked.
“Yes,” Emily replied, “That’s his name.”
“You named him TiTi?”
“Well, I didn’t name him that,” Emily replied, “That’s what he said his name was when I met him.”
“Well, if that’s the case then,” Ian replied, rolling his eyes.
“I think it a most noble name for a most noble animal,” Jonathan said.
“Well, I,” Emily started, but suddenly her smile disappeared, “Oh no, Silnas!”
“Silnas?” Markas asked.
“A friend. TiTi’s spotted him and he’s being attacked. We have to hurry!” Emily cried as she ran into the woods. Markas mounted his gryphon and took off after her. Ian dashed after them as fast as he could.
“I’ll just stay here and protect Marta!” Ian heard Jonathan yell out behind him.
Ian didn’t acknowledge him and kept running through the trees until he came to a small clearing. In the center of the clearing was a silver haired elf, dressed in simple robes, fighting off fifteen gnolls. By his side was a large, hulking bear who seemed to be helping the elf. The gnolls were cackling like mad, their sharp canine teeth glinting, closing in on their seemingly outnumbered prey. Emily was standing near by, already mid-spell, cosmic forces swirling about her. Markas remained on Kirin, flying up into the air and the dive bombed the gnolls, causing them to scatter.
Ian drew his sword and rushed toward the nearest gnoll. The gnolls were all carrying clubs that were no match for Ian’s sword. He finished with the first gnoll and was moving on to the next when he noticed that about eight of gnolls suddenly seemed entagled in large, thick vines. Emily finished her chanting and a huge fiery blast appeared on top of the stuck gnolls, causing most of them to drop to the ground. The two left standing seemed very scared and were desperately trying to remove themselves from the remaining tangles. Markas and Kirin seemed to be chasing another two off into the woods. The elf and the bear seemed to be capably handling the last two gnolls. Ian finished off the gnoll he was fighting and rushed to help the elf as Markas returned on Kirin and took care of the two entagled gnolls. A blow from the bear and the last gnoll fell.
“Silnas!” Emily cried, running over to the elf, “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” he said as Emily ran up and hugged him, “But what are you doing out of the tower? Is something wrong? Ivan…”
“Everything’s fine,” Emily said, “Uncle Ivan decided it was time I left is all.”
“But you were never supposed to leave,” Silnas said, “Ivan should know that. He gave his word after all.”
“He did,” Emily said, “But apparently his promise as Keeper of the Tower overrides his promise to my mother.”
“That doesn’t change anything, Emily. Ivan should have…” Silnas stopped and looked at Emily, “How do you know about the promise he made to your mother?”
Emily smiled, “Uncle Ivan let it slip when we were discussing my departure.”
“Well, that was rather foolish on his part,” Silnas said, annoyed.
“Really?” Emily said, “Maybe you could explain it to me more then? Since you seem to know my mother.”
“What?” Silnas said, “No. I guess I already said too much myself. But what are you doing here exactly?”
“Oh, I’m on my way to help a village with some problems it’s having,” Emily said brightly, “And Sir Markas and Ian have agreed to help me. And there’s a bard too, Jonathan Silverthorn. Where is Jonathan?”
“He felt it best he stay behind to guard Marta,” Ian said, “Excuse Silnas, but who exactly are you?”
“I am a druid from the Temple of Sylva that protects the Forest of Sanctuaries and the Forest of Silnce, the lands of the Sylvani elves. I was assigned to protect the part of the forest around the Tower of Secrets, where Emily lives.”
“Well, he seems to be doing a bang up job of it,” Ian said, surveying the scattered gnoll bodies.
“All living creatures are welcomed in Sylva’s domain as long as they do not upset the natural balance,” Silnas said, “Usually the gnoll tribes do not send out their hunters in packs this large. It is one of many signs that the balance is upset. My brethren have even seen undead and abominations within the forests confines, creatures that are expressly forbidden. It is why I have traveled so far from my own home by the tower. Our high priestess has called a conclave to discuss the matter.”
“If I am not mistaken,” Markas said, “The temple is on the way to Brue Village. You are welcome to join us.”
“Yes, I think I will,” Silnas said, looking at Emily, “If we hurry, we can make the temple by nightfall.”
They made their way back to the road, but there was no sign of Jonathan or Marta.
“Jonathan! Marta!” Markas called out.
There was no reply at first. Then suddenly there was a rustling from the bushes on the other side of the road and Jonathan and Marta emerged from them, their clothes rather disheveled. Marta’s face was crimson and her eyes downcast, as if the only thing she could look at was the tip of her shoe.
“Ah, there you are!” Jonathan said, his face flush as well, but smiling brightly, “Heard a noise in the other direction. Thought we ought to go and investigate. Turned out to be nothing though.”
“Well, that’s good,” Emily replied, oblivious, “This is my friend, the druid Silnas. He’ll be traveling with us as far as the Temple of Sylva. He says we should make it by nightfall if we hurry.”
“Well, let us make haste then,” Jonathan said, as he started to head down the road. Everyone started to follow but Ian grabbed Markas’s arm and held him back a second.
“Are you going to let him get away with that?” Ian asked.
“Away with what?” Markas replied.
“You damn well know what.”
“All I know is that they were alone together,” Markas said, not looking at Ian.
“Oh come on! You can’t be that naïve!”
“I know what you are implying. I have the same suspicions. However, I have no proof.”
“Proof? What more proof do you need than the look on her face?” Ian asked.
“Look, we didn’t hear her scream, there was no sign of a struggle. As far as we know, it was completely consensual,” Markas finally, replied looking straight at Ian.
“Still, she’s just a girl. She can’t be older than sixteen,” Ian protested.
“Which is the legal age to get married in most of Crolis,” Markas said, “Look, why does someone like you, some sword-for-copper, care so much?”
“I have my reasons,” Ian said, steelily.
“Then why don’t you do something about it?” Markas asked.
“Because, as you just pointed out, I’m just some sword-for-copper. You’re a knight of realm. I believe part of the oath any knight takes is to protect the innocent.”
“Look,” Markas said stopping, “I don’t trust Jonathan Silverthorn and my gut feeling is he did something despicable back there. But I don’t have any proof and I can’t act without any. For now, I think our best course of action is to make sure he isn’t left alone with either of the girls again. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Ian replied bitterly. Ian thought it would be a miracle if he didn’t punch Jonathan before the trip was over.
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