Chapter 98:
Anton’s backside hurt from the long days of hard riding. They rode at a brisk pace and were now on a stone road, after spending a few days in the countryside after travelling through the Griffin Pass, but it was starting to take its toll. He had some soft cloth underneath the rough saddle but it wasn’t enough to take away the constant jolting and rocking back and forth. That and his legs felt slightly numb whenever they stopped. If anything he felt they were starting to bow.
Verona and Kal were doing well and enjoying the scenery. While Verona simply enjoyed the adventure, not so much avoiding the small groups of Goblins and Ghlotsm they stumbled across, Kal was slowly growing more agitated. Every day was another day closer to Rusaddir and the Seocurian capital, Danafra, and her mother’s freedom. She kept it hidden well but every now and again a mixture of excitement and nervousness would burst through. Cetina was getting better as well. She hadn’t turned to drink again, even when they stopped at some small countryside towns, and had a smile on her face more often. She occasionally played and fidgeted with her eyepatch but Kal had adjusted it and made more comfortable. However, her lack of depth perception was a serious issue, doubly so when she used a sword and shield to fight. She bobbed her head about as she fought to simulate depth perception but it wasn’t that good. Still, it would put an opponent on edge to see such a tall soldier moving about so strangely.
A squeak near his leg caught his attention. Luna sat in the pack beside his leg, her head poking out and observing the world as it went past. She hadn’t tried to escape, for today at least, and appeared content to sleep for most of the day. That and eat. She had a ferocious appetite, almost as large as Verona’s, and would not hesitate to drink milk no matter the time. They found a farm a few hours before dusk, a farm with dozens of goats and even a few cows. Understandably the farmer had been dubious at their stated intention to just buy milk, they were heavily armed and Kal’s mask threw their thoughts, but once money was offered he came around. Kal’s Cold Stone, as Verona dubbed it, sat in the bottom of a large water skin, wrapped in a thick cloth to protect the horse from any contact damage. The milk was always kept cold and had lasted for several days so far and looked like it would last for a little while longer yet. They could make more to bring enough with them on their trip to Danafra.
Luna nuzzled at his leg again, her doey eyes trying to convey something important. Perhaps she just wanted to be played with or wanted to run around. Thankfully she appeared housetrained and made a lot of noise the last time she needed to go and this wasn’t like that. Anton reached down and scratched behind her ears. Her squeak deepened before she slunk back down into the pack with only her eyes and nose peeking out.
“There’s a sign.” Verona, who led their little convoy, shouted back. “What does it say?”
Kal leant forward. “Sa’leem. Five miles. Looks like it is sitting between the gaps in the mountains.”
A mountain range had slowly grown in the distance as they followed the road. The tops were not covered in snow but it looked almost impossible to traverse. Several times he was certain he had seen something moving around the peaks, maybe small dragons or even griffons. That would make the seemingly unnatural pass the only safe way through.
“Awesome. We can get some good food and give our horses a moment to rest too.” Verona looked back to Kal. “How many arrows do you have?”
“Not as many as I’d like. I guess I could make some but they wouldn’t be as good as an arrow made by a fletcher. Someone that knows what they’re doing.”
“You can actually make arrows? That’s…You’re making me feel a little jealous right now.” Verona slowed to move alongside Kal, with Anton on the far side.
“Why?”
“You know why.” Verona lightly kicked Kal, who returned it. They both laughed and looked at Anton. “Anyway, do we stop at this town for anything more or do we keep on moving?”
“Let me check the map.” Anton leant forward, Luna licked his leather armour as it passed, and rummaged in the pack for the roll of paper. He glanced back to Cetina and she increased her speed to come alongside. “Cetina, what about your shield? Do you want to see about getting it fixed here?”
“I don’t know if they can. It isn’t made just from Iron. If it was I could get a good smith to fix it but it’s not. Besides, it still works just as well.”
“It just has a massive dent in it,” Verona added.
Cetina smiled weakly and nodded. “True. But it’s not broken.”
Anton retrieved and unfurled the map. While his attention was focused on the sheet of paper he wasn’t watching where he was going. He trusted his horse to follow the others and not do something stupid. All had been very well behaved so far.
“According to the map after we get through Sa’leem, if they don’t have another checkpoint thing going on, there’s a whole bunch of small towns on the other side. They don’t have names but they’re marked. One of those is bound to have an Inn that we can stay in.”
“A bed!” Verona cheered. “Sleeping underneath the stars is all well and good but I do want a soft bed every now and again.”
“I don’t think they’re going to be as good as The Orange Haven,” Anton said, Verona dramatically let her excitement deflate. “Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten that we should get one for ourselves. But hopefully better than the one at Soulthor.”
“That wasn’t too bad.” Kal looked at him. “The bed was clean…Though there were the Mole Rats.”
“What?” Cetina asked.
Anton explained what happened when they arrived at the small border town of Soulthor, omitting their run-in with the Ancient Listener cult. She sighed and shook her head.
“Of course you did.” She chuckled. “After what you did to those Demon’s I’m not surprised.”
“By the way.” Verona began. “I haven’t heard anyone talking about them yet. Are we just too fast for word to travel?”
“I think so. But it’ll spread quickly, it’s something everyone would want to talk about, even if they’re trying to hide it. We might be just ahead of it. Hopefully, we won’t be dragged into anything. None of the stories, so far, have our description.”
Anton looked forward. The road only had the odd traveller and trader but ahead two more roads merged and the traffic increased by an order of magnitude. Anyone wishing to get through the mountains would need to come through the city. Anton made sure that Kal was in the middle and she pulled her hood down low. Her mask, while hiding her Beast-kin heritage, did raise other questions and the occasional long stare. Those were much better than a lynching.
They joined with the small stream of traders and travellers and made quick progress towards the gap in the mountain range. Several small trails of smoke rose into the air. Signs of civilisation. Kal reached and tapped on Anton’s elbow.
“Something’s wrong.” She said quietly. “The people passing us. Just look at their faces.”
The other side of the road was filled with far fewer people, so few that their column threatened to spill out and take over the whole road. When Anton actually looked at their faces he felt something was wrong. While they weren’t haggard they were almost dazed, there was something that haunted their every thought. Not enough to scare or terrify but something deeply upsetting. Anton caught the eye of one and he only looked sorry, sorry that they would have to experience whatever they just fled from.
Anton leant forward and got Verona’s attention. “You might want to pull your hood down too and hide your hair.” Verona followed his instruction but looked a little confused. “Something’s going on and we don’t want anyone to get wound up because they see that silver and think you’re a Clansmen.”
“Right.” Verona sighed as she tucked it underneath her helmet. “Shitasses. I just want to have my hair out.”
Kal checked herself over, just in case, as the city came into view. A large and tall wooden wall extended from one side of the gap in the mountain to the other. Soldiers, wearing the same attire as Lord Umbris’s soldiers at the bridge, patrolled the top and several riders patrolled outside. The walls hid most of the city but several rooftops peeked over, black and red slate rooves looked like small gnome hats above the brown wooden wall. Anton caught the eye of someone that just passed through the gate. The slightly haunted and troubled look was far more intense. Something was very wrong here. Anton noted to keep an eye out and get through the city as fast as possible.
Thankfully the gates were open and everyone was allowed inside. The guards didn’t concern themselves with checking every cart that went through, they barely batted an eye as they passed. Bandits must have been far less of an issue here than in Cassius’s territory.
Once inside he immediately felt like he was back in Porswea, sort of. There was an immediate wave of human activity but it was nowhere near as dense. A central road ran through the middle of the city, easily fifty meters wide. No market stalls or shops of any kind lay on this road. Beyond the road, defined by a thick line of deep red stones in the road, stood the shops and stalls that he remembered. The criers and owners shouted to the passing crowd, their signs and banners all jostling for exposure, but none were willing to pass the red line. If anything they were taking great care not to.
Anton nodded for them to peel away from the column and stop in a clear section of the wide road.
“This is different,” Verona said. “They really want to cross that red line to get to us.”
“Yeah.”
Anton looked more closely at the market stalls. Small groups of soldiers spent all their attention looking along the bricks. When a crier took a step past the line the soldiers moved towards him. He immediately backed away and threw his hands up in apology. The guards nodded and returned to their original position.
“Guess that answers that.”
“Just to keep it clear?” Verona asked. “Seems a little extreme.”
“This is the only way through that mountain range,” Kal replied. “They’d want to keep it clear so they could move an army through quickly.” Verona nodded. “At least, that’s what I’d think they’re doing it.”
“Let’s go find somewhere we can get more supplies and find ourselves a fletcher,” Anton said. “I don’t want to stay in this place for long.”
“I smell someone cooking good food.” Verona nodded towards one of the larger market stalls. “Seems like a good place to start.”
Verona didn’t wait for their response and whipped her reins. Anton and Kal sighed while Cetina looked confused between the two.
Anton smiled at Cetina. “She can think with her stomach at times.”
“I thought men were supposed to do that,” Cetina said very quietly as they followed Verona.
They dismounted before they approached the market stall and kept their horses and valuables close. The number of people wasn’t as great as Porswea but there was every chance that thieves and pickpockets could be lurking in every corner. Verona had already reached the stall and purchased five meat kebabs, all bursting with juices and bursting with flavour. He knew that Verona wanted to devour them right there but held herself back.
“Here you go, everyone.” Verona handed one to each of them, keeping two to herself. Luna sniffed at Anton’s and sneezed loudly. Kal tilted her head when she looked at the food.
“Umm...Kal, just come close to me.” Anton said. “Just pull your cloak down and it’ll be fine.”
Kal moved between them and lifted her mask enough so she could eat. With her hood pulled tight, she ate as quickly as possible. She licked her lips and refastened her mask. Anton looked around. No one had noticed.
“Thanks.” She said. “Excellent choice, Verona.”
Verona smiled and began eating both of hers at once. The food was delicious but Anton stopped when a small group of guards approached them.
“Excuse me.” The guard spoke loudly. “I’m afraid that you can’t eat here.”
“I’m sorry?” Anton looked around. “But we’ve only just arrived…”
The guard nodded and gestured to the red brick line. “All business needs to be conducted beyond that line.”
“But we’re eating?” Cetina replied, throwing up a black brow. Verona agreed though she eyed off Cetina’s half eaten food with ravenous eyes.
“These aren’t my rules. I just enforce them.”
“And who is that?” Anton asked.
“Lord Umbris’s designated Regent of Sa’leem. Father Hathorne. He has enforced the old rulings relating to trade and safe passage through the city.” Annoyance flickered over his face. “And that Judgments can be done in full display.”
“Right…Well, we’ll move over the line then.” Anton led his horse forward, quickly followed by the girls.
“Thank you.” The guard replied. He began to return to his post when Anton stopped him.
“By the way, do you know of a fletcher in this town? We are a little short on arrows.”
“There’s one back there.” The guard pointed towards the northern mountain. The city expanded up the mountain as the buildings became smaller and poorer. “Look for a bundle of arrows on a sign in front of a building. Just follow that path. It shouldn’t be too hard to find.”
“Thanks-”
Bells began to ring. Giant bells. The deep ringing reverberated across the city and silenced the noise of the people. The people passing through the city looked confused while the residents looked on with equal numbers terrified and delighted.
“Fucking hell.” The guard grumbled.
Before they could ask the guards ran towards the sound of the bell. It came from the southern side of the mountain, from a very tall building made from white stone. A large window sat at the very top, just underneath a black slate roof trimmed with gold. A giant golden cross, with an upside-down crescent on the bottom half of the cross, sat just underneath the roof. The ringing flooded the entire city with its deep reverberation.
“Should we just go?” Verona asked.
“I don’t like the sound of it either.” Anton looked up the street the guard gestured to. “I think I can see the building he was talking about. How about we go there, buy a bunch of arrows and then get out of here? We’ll get more supplies at the next city.”
“I-”
A loud groaning noise interrupted Kal. Anton heard the clamour and cries of people from both ends of the city. The huge wooden gates were closing and people were desperate to get out. The gates were quickly closed and sealed by massive pieces of wooden bars. Everyone was trapped inside. Guards filled out and stood in front of the gate, preventing anyone from approaching.
“Come on. If something stupid is about to happen we need have all the weapons we can get.”
---[]---
Buying over a hundred new arrows was a surprisingly quick and painless affair. The Fletcher, according to Cetina, offered a good price and threw in a thick sack to carry them all in. When Anton asked about the bells and guards he remained quiet, an odd look of shame on his face. Since he wasn’t going to give up anything Anton paid him and they returned to the central street.
Where there was once a busy street, full of bustling trade behind the red brick line, now a large wooden platform stood in the middle surrounded by nearly everyone in the city. Young, old, rich and poor had gathered. Anton looked back to see the stalls were abandoned but not empty. Everything remained where it was, anything relating to cooking had been snuffed out, and several guards stood well behind the crowd. When they caught Anton looking towards the empty stalls they shot him an evil glare. He turned his gaze away and towards the central platform, out of his peripheries they relaxed and looked towards the centre. The platform stood well over two meters above the heads of the people. From what Anton could see from the ground it looked to be a simple and light portable construction that could be carried to position. What worried Anton the most was the beam that ran along the middle. Three people, in plain white robes, a simple brown rope tied around their waist, threw a thick rope over the beam. Anton saw the noose swaying in the breeze. For a moment the thought they had been discovered flashed through his mind but when he saw three nooses his panic eased. They were clearly travelling in a group of four…
“I think we’re going to have to wait for this to play out,” Anton said quietly. “Though I get the feeling that we aren’t going to like what happens next.”
“Who are they going to kill?” Verona asked.
A person near the back of the group turned around. His eyes were nonchalant and held no malice. Anton seized the brief opportunity.
“Excuse me, but what’s happening here?”
The man said nothing and turned away. Verona huffed and held Anton’s hand.
“No need to be rude.” She said very softly.
A rising cheer emanated from the crowd as someone came from the south. The cheers grew, people jumped for a look, as a man walked onto the platform. The cheer became a roar as a man stepped into view. Hundreds of people cheered and clapped but Anton saw a good many were silent and completely still.
The man upon the stage looked very similar to the other three. A clean-shaven young to middle-aged man wearing nothing more than a white robe, though his belt had a golden ornate working on the tassel. He raised both his hands and the crowd began to quieten.
“Oh no,” Cetina said. She nodded towards the man. “That’s a priest of the Holy Father. And he looks like he’s pretty high ranking.”
“How bad is that?” Anton asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen them wear something so plain before. They never wore anything like that in Bebbezzar.”
“Maybe it’s a breakaway group, different from those in Bebbezzar and Qaiviel,” Anton replied. “Religions tend to do that given enough time and distance.”
The priest raised his hands again and the crowd slowly calmed. He waited until everything was utterly silent, the loudest noise were from the horses next to them breathing.
“Brothers and Sisters!” he voice boomed over the silent crowd. “We gather today to deal with the most hateful of Sinners.”
The crowd erupted into another cheer until the priest raised his hands once again.
“Though I know, good people of Sa’leem, that while you walk in the light of the most gracious Holy Father, there are those that seek not to earn his favour and redemption, nor even just to spit on his name by ignoring his eternal and unending care and love.”
“I’ve heard this sort of stuff before,” Anton said softly. Verona and Kal looked at him but he didn’t elaborate.
The priest shook one of his hands into the air, while the three other priests checked the nooses. “No. There are some that seek to destroy everything that we have built with the vile sins they inflict on themselves. Sins that attract the demons that have ravaged the lands to the east.”
The crowd burst into heated discussion. Very quickly the priest sought to bring things under control.
“Oh, I guess they have heard.”
Let’s see what they actually have to say about it…
“Beings of condensed sin have been born into the world near the lands of the heretical clansmen, slaying innocent and guilty alike.”
Here we go…
“The sins of the people of Graterious, of the Shattered Kingdoms, have begun to spill into the Real!” He threw his hands into the air. “But fear not! Fair people of Sa’leem, for we have ways to appease the Holy Father and forbid such monstrosities from ever setting foot on our fair lands.”
He waved to his priests. With the help of a few guards, they dragged three people onto the platform. Two men and one woman. They wore almost nothing and looked dirty, tired and beaten. Even from their distance, he could see the red marks from beatings and whips. All three were delirious and needed the three priests to hold and guide them.
The murmurs grew in the crowd once again. “These three, who once lived amongst you, have committed great and numerous sins. But fear not, for their souls will receive the Holy Father’s blessing once they leave this cruel and heartless world. Praise be to the Holy Father!”
The crowd erupted in cheers, under marked by boos and jeers at the three.
“Are they serious?” Verona asked. She looked over the crowd. “They’re actually going to kill them?”
“Seems like it. Most of the crowd seems in on it.”
Anton saw that amongst those remaining silent a majority were traders.
The three were moved to the gallows and noses pulled tight against their necks. They struggled but a few quick strikes to their stomachs, forcing them to convulse and pulling tight on the noose, stopped any resistance.
The head priest stood in front of the woman, turned to his side and pointed at her. “The woman that you knew as Mollie has confessed to adultery. A terrible crime, with this man here, Theo.”
The crowd booed and some threw rocks and scraps of food. The priest dogged the strikes and stood to the side as he allowed the two to be pelted. He smiled as the crowd grew in anger and rage. A large rock flew from the crowd and struck the man’s head. Blood spurted from his mouth, showering a nearby white-robed priest. The priest looked down in disgust but the head priest waved for the crowd and the priest to calm.
“Do not worry fair people, for they will meet their justice soon enough.”
The head priest moved to the final man. He appeared to be the most coherent. And defiant. His face bristled with anger and hatred but something within him held him back from lashing out like a wild maniac.
“And you.” The priest looked the man over. “I expected better from you.” He smiled as he turned to the crowd. “While these two may have indulged in one another despite being promised to another, you…You have laid with Beasts!”
The crowd silenced for a moment before turning to anger once again. Anton almost wanted to roll his eyes at the accusation.
If they found out about Kal they would definitely say the same thing. And if they knew about Verona…
The head priest raised his hand for the crowd to silence as the man desperately tried to speak but the crowd was simply too loud.
“Silence!” The Head Priest shouted over the crowd, instantly dimming the noise. “We are not the simple creatures that he prefers. Let him speak. It’ll be the last thing he has to say before receiving the everlasting love and redemption of the Holy Father.”
Only when silence settled over the crowd do the man speak. “Fuck you and your ridiculous shit. I didn’t fuck that bear and you know it. You all fucking know it. If you don’t stand up for yourselves now they will keep taking everything until you have nothing left.”
The crowd remained silent. The man continued with his last words.
“The only reason you, and the rest of your little sycophants, want me dead is so that you can take my land. Since you lot became in charge twelve people have been killed like this. And all their land and property now belongs to the Church. Do you think that everyone is so fucking stupid to not see it?”
The man spat at the Head Priest. The mixture of blood and spit landed in one of his eyes. He recoiled but held his ground. The Head Priest wiped away and looked at the crowd. His words had struck some deep chord within and rattled his seeming confidence and charisma. The crowd noticed it too, already they were beginning to whisper amongst themselves. Doubt and troubling thoughts were beginning to surface in the crowd.
“Enough of your vile words, you filthy heretic.” He clapped his hands and a priest moved to the edge of the gallows. The head priest turned to the crowd and raised both of his hands. “Brothers and Sisters! I ask that you pray for their souls as we deliver them to the Holy Father, cleansed of their mortal sins and allowed to bask in his radiance.”
The crowd immediately stopped their whispering and began chanting something over and over.
Cetina shook her head. “It was never like this back home. They got weird at times but nothing like this.”
“Are we going to let this happen?” Verona asked very softly.
“There’s not much we can do,” Anton said. “We might be able to save them but how do we get out of here without having them chase us? And what do we do with those three?”
“I know…”
Anton held Verona’s free hand. He could tell that she was angry. “We can’t save everyone, even if we want to.”
“I know…”
The chanting grew in volume until it reached a fevered pitch. The head priest swung his arm down and the three dropped. Everything went silent as they fell, the sounds of snapping bones reverberated throughout the air. The bodies twitched and spasmed for a moment before the crowd cheered once again. Anton felt a little ill at their eagerness to hang the three, even though it appeared there was only hearsay for their crimes.
The head priest left the platform along with his three followers. The one covered in blood scowled at the stain as he followed at the rear. Slowly the crowd dispersed as the city guard moved forward and collected the bodies. The woman was somehow still alive. A guard plunged his dagger into her heart and silenced her forever. They slumped the bodies over their shoulders and travelled towards the south. Another group of soldiers moved forward and carried the empty gallows platform out of the central street. Everyone turned away and returned to their everyday lives like they hadn’t just executed three people with dubious levels of guilt. Anton caught the eye of the man he asked for information earlier. His empty eyes, devoid of the joy of life, told him that he wasn’t an uncommon occurrence.
The gates rumbled open and a large stream of people entered from both sides. Their annoyed faces knew nothing of what had just transpired.
“Let’s get out of here before anything else happens,” Anton said as they mounted their horses and moved to the eastern gate.
“I think it’s best that we stay away from the cities again,” Kal said. “I don’t want to see that again.”
Anton leant over and squeezed her hand. “Yeah. I think we all deserve a little drink after that.”
Luna sneezed at his leg, she had been silent the entire time. Anton rubbed he head as they hurried out of the madness of Sa’leem.
---[]---
No one spoke for some time. They were all just glad to be rid of that awful town. Compared to the normal travellers they rode much faster. Anton didn’t want to spend the night too close to that town, and the other travellers and traders simply trailed away.
“What a place,” Anton said loudly. Verona and Kal looked at him. “Thank all the gods that we didn’t have to stay there the night.”
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Luna sneezed loudly. Anton leant down and scratched her head.
“Or a moment longer.” Verona shook her head. “I think we could have made it out of there if they decided to have a look at us…”
“They’re not like the people I knew,” Cetina said quietly. “They weren’t like that…I don’t know what’s wrong with them.”
“Maybe so far away from the centre of power they’ve grown more radical,” Anton replied. “At least that’s what I’m guessing what happened. Either that or they’re acting just like that last man said, just using their religion to take stuff from others. Either way, its shit.”
“What a place to live…” Verona rubbed her stomach. “I know this might not be the best time but I feel hungry. Again. I think I need to eat something to calm me down.”
“At least your appetite hasn’t diminished.” Anton teased.
Verona stuck out her tongue and lightly punched his side. He laughed and retaliated, Verona, laughed even more before steering her horse away slightly. Anton looked at Kal and saw she was slightly jealous. He reached over and gently squeezed her hand.
“The next town…” Anton reached into a pack and pulled out a map. “The next town is probably an hour or so away. And I don’t know if it’s going to be another crazy place again.”
“We should probably stick to the roads as much as we can then,” Verona said. “So we can get to Rusaddir as quickly as possible. Though we’ll need to get some more milk for Luna.”
Luna squeaked at her name being spoken. Anton leant down and scratched her head again.
“We should find somewhere off the road where no one’s going to spot us if we’re going to have a snack.” Anton looked at Kal. “Somewhere where you can take your mask off for a bit. And actually have some fresh air and sun on your face.”
“Somewhere without Ghlotsm too.” Kal snidely added.
Anton smiled. He didn’t want to have to deal with those monsters either. Were they related to Goblins? He hadn’t seen them together but it didn’t mean they didn’t attack each other on sight. If the Ghlotsm laid eggs rather than live birth their numbers should be large enough to simply smother the countryside. He didn’t want to think any more about those things than he needed to.
Verona raised her hand to shield her eyes. “I see something ahead that looks a bit like that. One of those travelling stop points. And there’s a fence around it too, so it should take those monsters a bit to get in.”
“Anyone there already?”
“No.” Kal moved her mask to the side. “There’s no one there. And…I can’t see anyone ahead on the road either.”
“Strange.” Anton shrugged. “Maybe there’s another of those checkpoints ahead.”
“Do you think they’re looking for us?” Cetina asked as they approached the campsite.
“I don’t think so. Four travellers probably isn’t a major concern. Especially when they’ve got a gang of criminals to worry about.”
“We could still be criminals.” Verona pointed out as they stopped. “Just four criminals rather than a whole gang.”
“Perhaps. But they’ve got a lot more to worry about than just us.”
A brewing civil war for one. I wonder what Lord Umbris has to worry about compared to Cassius? Maybe it’s just the Church of the Holy Father that’s a thorn in his side. He did lose his son as Cassius lost his daughter. Maybe the radical elements got into his head when he was mourning?
Anton had no answer as he dismounted his horse. The girls quickly followed and stretched out their legs. It felt good to not be sitting on, what was essentially, a large warm barrel. Verona slapped her legs as he and Kal brought out some food.
“Do we want a fire?” Cetina asked, pointing to a small blackened circle in the centre of the space. A few pieces of wood had been left to the side by a previous traveller, something one probably did while travelling through Graterious.
“Yeah, actually. A fire would be good. But I think that I’ll light it. Your pieces of flint weren’t that good, if I remember correctly.”
Cetina frowned as she opened the small pouch on her hips. She had kept the two pieces of flint, which looked somehow odd and soft and rotten, probably just because she had forgotten to discard them. She juggled the two pieces in her hands, both clinking lightly. She looked at them and sighed.
“These darn things…”
Cetina gripped her hands tight before throwing the pieces far into the woods. They smacked into a tree and disappeared into the forest. Cetina took a deep breath and smiled at them. She seemed a little happier.
“I’ll get some wood.” Cetina brought her horse to one of the many poles rammed into the ground. It appeared every spot had these stumps.
“I’ll help,” Kal said as she tied up her horse’s reins. “You shouldn’t go into the forest alone. You don’t know what’s out there.”
“Okay.” Cetina smiled faintly as they walked to the edge of the clearing.
Anton saw many large branches lying just beyond the wooden fence. He didn’t want either of them to go too far from his sight. With the ever-present threat of Goblins and Ghlotsm, it didn’t make him feel good for them to go too far. Verona grunted as she held her and gyrated hips.
“I think something light would be best.” Verona rummaged through the packs on her horse. Of course, she had taken all the packs of food for herself.
“I think we might be able to get some fresh meat if we want. So long as Kal’s willing to gut them.” Verona chuckled as she scratched her hands. “I don’t think I’m ready to handle that much blood by myself yet. I’ve only watched her do it, never done it myself.”
Anton held her shoulder as Verona pulled out a large wrapped piece of dried meat. “Is it getting any worse?”
“Not yet.” Verona smiled and pulled him down for a quick kiss. “But I’ll let you know the moment something happens. I haven’t forgotten what I said.”
“And I haven’t forgotten having to shoot you with my lightning.”
“Yeah.” Verona winced and looked away. “I don’t want to think about that.” She hadn’t forgotten either.
A loud squeak caught their attention. Luna, still tucked safely in her pack, was desperately trying to crawl out. Her small hooves desperately tried to lift herself out but she wasn’t strong enough. There was also the meter odd drop afterwards but she wasn’t worried about that. Anton was secretly glad she had started making a noise. Verona pulled out a few pieces of bread as Anton lifted Luna out of the pack. Her hind legs, those of a bird, kicked violently and scratched at his wrist armour.
“What’s wrong?” Anton asked as he put her down. “Do you need to go?”
Luna, despite being no older than a few days, trotted a few paces away before she urinated.
“House trained,” Anton asked himself as Verona came to his side, already nibbling on a piece of meat. “It’s impressive if nothing else.”
When Luna was finished she scampered back to Anton and Verona, pawing her front hooves between them until Anton picked her up.
“She’s probably hungry as well,” Verona mumbled. Anton turned to see her face stuffed with food. He pinched her cheek as she tried to move away but she wasn’t fast enough. She chuckled as she swallowed the food. “How much milk do we have left?”
“Enough for now. But we’ll need to get quite a bit for the trip to Danafra. A small barrel or two.” Anton, holding a very active Luna in his arm, walked to Kal’s horse and touched the water-skin of milk. “Well, it looks like the cold stone’s still doing its work.”
“Kal’s right.” Verona began. He looked back and she stopped herself from taking another bite. “These would make us enough money to buy all the Beast-kin slaves we could want.”
“True. I just wonder how they make these normally.”
“Do you think this is enough?” Cetina asked as she and Kal dropped a large bundle of wood next to the fire pit.
“That’ll be more than enough,” Anton said as they approached. “I’m sure that I could actually just make a flame and just cook it on that. But that seems like cheating.”
“That would be interesting.” Kal looked along the pathway and moved her mask to the side, just enough to reveal her mouth. “You’ve already done something like that before. I remember in Mount Aspire, when we were heading beneath it you used a magic flame rather than a torch. Though you did something with our eyes so we could see in the dark.”
“I did…” Anton shook his head. “Then there was that door as well.”
Kal slowly nodded while Cetina looked on confused.
“A story for another time.” Anton clapped his hands. “But we should have something to eat first.”
Cetina knelt down and arranged the wood into a small pile. Anton lit the fire with a small wisp of flame. Within a few moments the wood was burning and they all sat down around the flame. Verona sat on his right and Kal on his left, Kal leaning heavily onto his shoulder, while Cetina sat beside Verona. Luna nestled herself between Cetina and Verona. Cetina smiled as she scratched Luna’s ears and she let out small pleasant squeaks.
As Verona cut and skewered the meat, holding it over the open fire, Kal became increasingly restless. She kept looking back to the road, her hands gripping tight on his legs.
“What’s wrong?”
“I…I don’t know.” Kal sounded quite distressed. “But...There were people behind us.”
“And?” Verona asked as she handed a large piece of meat to Cetina. Her eyes lit up at the size of the portion being offered.
“They should have caught up by now.” Kal shook her head. “And where are the people coming the other way? There was always someone on the road.”
Anton felt a creeping sense of dread. He hadn’t really noticed it until now but Kal was right. Someone should have passed by now, even if it was just a single person.
“Cetina? Get your sword.” Cetina nodded and rose at his words. “Just in case.”
Cetina quietly walked to her warhorse and took her blade and shield. Kal shuffled and took her bow and checked her quiver. Verona took some blood from Anton. He didn’t know if he was being paranoid but it was better to be safe than sorry. Cetina returned to the fire with her sword drawn. They scanned their surroundings but he couldn’t see anything moving. Not even the small rabbits and critters that always darted through the short grass.
“That smells delicious.” A voice came from the forest. It was old and scratchy, something about it familiar. “Do you have any delicious food to offer to an old woman like myself?”
Anton turned to the source. From behind a small tree an old woman, covered in tattered clothes, emerged. White and stringy hair poked out from underneath a long hood, a toothy smile barely visible.
“Did you find the village?” The old woman asked as she approached, a gnarled wooden cane emerging from a fold of cloth. “I’m assuming you did, since you’re here now.”
Cetina took a step in front of Anton and raised her shield. The old woman raised her head. Milky white eyes stared at him before they flickered to Cetina. She cocked her head and frowned.
“Well, it seems you have another companion. Quite an odd one.” The old woman chuckled. “But were my words true? You did find Soulthor?”
“We did,” Anton replied. “It was an interesting few days but it was better than sleeping in the wilderness. Especially with the Mole-Rats.”
“I thought that was her,” Verona whispered.
“Mole rats…” The old woman looked away, a wistful look graced her face. “How very strange. But you survived them. Obviously.”
“Yes…” Verona trailed off. “Still wasn’t fun.”
“Not for a Blood Berserker who wants to retain her sanity, no.”
The old woman slowly approached them. Like the last time, she appeared to need the cane to walk but Anton saw it didn’t always press down very hard on the grass. It was just for show. Maybe. She reached the wooden fence and sighed. She raised her cane and touched the horizontal beams and they broke, sliding down to the ground and allowing her passage. Anton swore he saw the tiniest hint of a green flash when the wood broke. He looked to Kal but she didn’t say anything or give him any sign she had seen. Thankfully, if what he saw was real, Cetina hadn’t seen. He chanted a prayer in his mind to grant him immunity to Strega magic, not knowing if it would work.
“There we go.” The old woman chuckled. “I almost bumped into that. There are some things that are difficult for me to see.”
“I’m surprised you can see anything,” Verona said quietly.
She nodded. “True. I cannot see how you do. No colours…But I can see so much more now.”
“Do you want some food?” Anton asked, the girls glancing oddly at him. “Last time you said you hadn’t eaten in some time. Is that true this time as well?”
The old woman smiled. “No one would give me anything more than an angry glance. Some even tried to strike me. I mean, look at me. I’m just a tired, old and blind woman. Why would they care about me?”
Anton made a small collection of their food with the second largest piece of cooked meat they had. Again Verona used her blood to pass it to the old woman. He didn’t want to get too close to her just yet. Her white eyes widened as Verona dropped the plate in her hands. She smiled and began to devour the food like a starved wolf.
“What is this?” Cetina asked, a deep frown on her face.
“I’m not entirely sure myself. Just, keep your distance and don’t do anything stupid.”
Cetina nodded furiously and looked back to the woman. At least she hadn’t seen the flash of green.
With the food gone the old woman wiped her mouth with her sleeve and let out a loud burp.
“That. That was incredibly rude of me. But…you do have some of the best food I’ve been given in a long time.”
She held out the plate for Verona to take.
“So…What brings you to meet with us again?” Anton asked. “You said that we would meet after we’ve….”
Anton looked along the road. Still, there was no one, nor any sign someone was approaching.
Like we’re stuck in our own little world.
“Done our thing.”
The old woman nodded. “Yes. And I’m glad that you’re continuing your little quest to free Beast-kin slaves. Very nasty what’s happening to them up in Seocuria and I’m glad that someone’s trying to help them. At long last. Well, more than just one.” She smiled at Kal. “Tethra wouldn’t have blessed you so if your motives were impure. Especially a mixed.”
“You…” Kal gripped her hands tight. “Last time you called me a…an Orison Templar.”
The old woman nodded.
“Why? What does it mean?”
“Simply that you are a devout follower of Tethra and have earned her favour. Though, you didn’t have her power when we first met. Just a lingering touch. Though that has changed, hasn’t it?”
Kal frowned and retreated behind Anton’s body. The old woman chuckled and smiled.
“Yes. Quite a powerful glyph. Nonetheless, I’m impressed to see three people travelling with a mixed, humans too. Often times we aren’t the most tolerant of creatures.”
“No,” Kal replied. “But they are different.”
“That they are. That little jewel of yours tells me otherwise.”
Kal began to panic and held her ring finger tight. Even Verona’s hand trailed to her ring.
“Very impressive.” The old woman chuckled.
Anton didn’t need someone to congratulate him on bedding and marrying two women. She, whoever she was, didn’t come all this way just to congratulate him.
“But we still have to get to Seocuria.” Anton continued. “Then you said to meet you in…Kudur-”
“Koumore.” She answered for him. “You still have that map?”
“We do. But why are you here now?”
The old woman winced slightly. “I must apologise for my…inaction, during certain events.” She looked at Cetina. “There are things I should have looked into more thoroughly. And if I had things might have gone better for everyone involved. Especially you. Your father might not have died if I had been watching a little more carefully.”
“What?” Cetina could barely speak.
“I should have been keeping a better eye on you. Where you’re going and who you were travelling with.” The old woman sighed. “I spent all my time collecting tomes and artefacts for you that I didn’t check who you were travelling with. If I had I would have immediately seen those two for what they really were.”
Cetina made a step forward but Anton grabbed her shoulder hard. She flashed a look of anger back but it faded after a few short breathes.
“You could see what Eluria and Sancha were?” Anton asked. “Like you can see what powers we have?”
“Yes. The Strega witches have a smoky green aura. Very distinct.” The old woman chuckled. “They are lucky only a few beings in the world can see what I can. Their twisted forms cannot escape the sight. Otherwise, they would have already been hunted down.”
“One of the soldiers immediately knew what they were and ordered them killed,” Anton said. “Didn’t even hesitate.”
“As I said, they would have been hunted down by now.” She turned to Cetina. “Congratulations on killing one. That’s no small feat. And it looks like you managed to shrug off their magic’s too. That would explain why it’s so hard to see you.”
“Since she has an immunity to mana?” Anton asked. “Her…aura would be weak to you, wouldn’t it?”
“Sort of. More that her presence is weaker and that magic doesn’t affect her as easily, for better and for worse. That’s why their mind controlling curses didn’t work on you. Though I’m sure it still would have hurt somewhat.”
“I did have a terrible headache until Anton removed it,” Cetina said quietly.
“Yes…Tethra’s magic does have a lot of uses. Very versatile.”
“That it is,” Kal whispered to Anton.
“But I am here to express my condolences that I wasn’t able to stop them. And make sure that there isn’t any lingering taint of their magic. If there is they’ll be able to track you down very quickly.”
“How many are there then?” Cetina almost snarled the words out. “How many of those rotten things are out there.”
“At last count, there should be twelve Strega witches.” The old woman smiled. “Though now there’s only eleven. Again, congratulations on taking one down.”
“Sancha…She wasn’t really paying attention to me.” Cetina admitted. “I snuck up on her when she was distracted.”
“A kill is still a kill. But I can see that there is not taint amongst you. If they do decide to attack you, which they shouldn’t, it’ll take them some time to track you down. And they don’t know where your home is. So that’s safe.”
Anton felt his blood run cold. That was a thought that had constantly niggled at the back of his mind. But to hear it spoken aloud…
“That doesn’t really put me at ease. How am I supposed to know that someone that visits our home isn’t a Strega witch in disguise?”
“There are ways.” The old woman smiled warmly. “But I can assure you that the Strega Witches are focused elsewhere. All these little cults are always plotting and scheming something. Otherwise, what would they do with their days? And I know that Eluria is still heavily wounded, so you won’t be seeing her for some time.”
“I did cut off and shred her foot.” Verona chuckled. “Bitch was screaming pretty loud.”
The old woman laughed. “I bet she was. You Blood Berserkers do have a tendency to kill in such creative ways.”
Verona grunted and shuffled awkwardly.
“Well. Thank you for your words.” Anton frowned lightly. “I don’t think we actually know your name. Last time we were interrupted.”
“Ah, my apologies. It’s Ferula.” Ferula smiled. “Sometimes I forget simple things in my old age.”
“It seems that we meet you after running through some crazy cults.” Anton looked at the mountains. “I don’t know which one was worse.”
Verona and Kal groaned as they remembered the Ancient Listeners, the odd way they moved and talked. And the small child with the severed Goblin’s head. They hadn’t spoken a word about it since then.
“Oh…Oh.” Ferula chuckled. “Those Ancient Listeners are up to no good again, aren’t they?”
“We really don’t want to have to meet them again.” Verona shook her head, Cetina looked oddly at her. “Bunch of crazy people we met. Though I think they’re just as crazy as the Church of the Holy Father.”
“Them...” Ferula looked towards the distant city of Sa’leem, the mountains still visible in the distance. “Annoying people, aren’t they. Though it’s rather annoying that they are so stuck up and self-righteous all the time. Their god is even faker and a product of delusion than the Ancient Listeners.”
“Are you saying the Holy Father doesn’t exist?” Cetina asked.
Ferula faintly nodded. “I’m afraid so. Despite the words and screams of the Church…He doesn’t exist. He never has and never will. It’s just fantasy.”
“But…But I’ve seen their priests use magic.” Cetina furiously blinked her eyes. “And they were chanting hymns praising him…Just like Anton and Kal do when they use Tethra’s power. Then how…”
“I’m afraid it’s all a lie.”
Cetina’s shoulders drooped and her face fell.
The religion that her father followed so faithfully…All of it a lie…
Anton reached out and held her shoulder. She jumped at his touch but faintly smiled when she looked back. She gave a nod before looking back to a faintly grinning Ferula.
“But I’ve heard them as they worked…”
“They’re using the same principles that normal mages use.” Ferula moved towards the fire and sat down, with many groans and moans as she did. “They’re most famous for their healing arts. Tell me, do they always have a silver charm on them, in the shape of their cross? With a large white crystal in the centre of the cross with four small blue crystals around that?”
Cetina slowly nodded.
Ferula smiled. “They’re using the Principles of Life with a properly attuned charm. When they use their magic to heal…Think of it like using Tethra’s power to heal. Kind of. It’s a little difficult to explain without a proper teacher of the Principles of Life, which I am not, but suffice to say that The Church of the Holy Father combines their religious teachings with the Principles so most people, who don’t know any better, think that they’re actually using the power of the Holy Father. But there's no such being.”
“That would probably be enough to convince me if I was someone that knew nothing about magic.” Anton looked back to Sa’leem. “Any sort of magic, no matter how weak, is spectacular the first time you see it.”
Anton motioned for the others to sit. They followed his action, begrudgingly, and kept their weapons close. Luna scampered towards Anton and curled around his feet. Ferula glanced down and frowned at Luna.
“How did you manage to get one of them?” Ferula nodded at Luna. “A Peryton. They only live in the forests to the south of the Kar Kingdom…In Wood Elven lands no less.”
Anton picked Luna up and held her in his lap. “We found her in a place called Griffon Pass. Her mother had been killed by a Griffon, and killed it in the process, and she was the only one left of her…litter.” Anton shrugged. “And it felt bad just to leave her there.”
“She seems a little different to what I remember.”
“We…I cast a prayer on her to cut any ties she has to Nithroel. Just in case.” Anton scratched behind her ears. “We aren’t on very good terms with her.”
“It is just one so hopefully it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.” Ferula shifted her legs and rested her cane on her lap. “If she lives to become an adult she’ll be very strong. Far stronger than she would appear. And she’ll be able to fly as well.”
“I don’t think I’m ready to fly.” Verona smiled.
“I don’t want to fall to my death,” Kal added with a smirk.
“Me neither. But when you talked about the Principles of magic…We don’t know that much about normal magic.” Anton said. “We all use the power of the Old God’s Glyphs…”
“It’s difficult to explain.” Ferula began. “Instead of using the power of the Old Gods they use the charms to create magic. Forming their mana using the charm and then releasing it. If using the Old God’s power is instinctive, drawing power from the Old Gods, then using the Principles is using mathematics and formulas to create. Using the Principles requires a great level of control, especially compared to using the glyphs where you simply create magic, so anyone can’t just pick up a charm and use it. You could use one of the Church’s charms to cast fire or earth magic but it would be extremely dangerous. If you get it wrong it could explode and take your head off.”
That’s what Belinda said about her charm. At least it’s consistent.
“I’ve heard that before.” Anton smiled.
“One of the first things apprentice mages learn is to never use the wrong charm.”
Ferula chuckled. “Sorry. I don’t have the opportunity to talk about these sort of things so openly and without scorn and ridicule. As part of my agreement I have collected many tomes on how to use Principle Magic and Glyph Magic.” Ferula winced slightly. “However…I cannot bring them with me. My ability to move from one place to another…without drawing unnecessary attention is extremely limited. I can bring myself and that’s it.”
“Not even food?” Anton smiled.
“No.” Ferula chuckled. “Not even a piece of bread. Though I can bring my cane with me.”
“Is that your charm?” Kal asked.
Ferula shook her hand. “Not exactly. But it does help with my magic. There are many artefacts that can help cast magic, or simply increase your magical reserves. None of you really need that though.”
“We tried to get into the Magical Academy in Porswea but we were really running out of time.” Anton glanced at Cetina. “And we had other reasons to leave. Do you know where the other Academies are?”
Ferula frowned and rubbed her weathered chin. “In Lord Cassius’s lands, there’s only one. And that’s in Porswea. Lord Umbris and Vulusius have one each and Emperor Decius has three in the capital. I doubt you could get into any of them, looking like you are even now, but each Academy has a rivalry with each other. Being friendly with one won’t help you with another. Though they won’t hate you.”
“Is there anything there about our magic?” Verona asked, leaning forward.
“I’m not sure. I can’t go there, they don’t appreciate people just appearing out of thin air.” Ferula smiled. “Last time I did every one of those crotchety old fools actually started moving…”
“We really needed some guidance on our powers. I thought they would have some there but apparently, they were destroyed in a fire.”
“It’s possible. Probably a fire mage got a little too eager and burned down the building. But, as there haven’t been any followers of the Old Gods within the Academies for some time, it would have been forgotten but the Principles of Magic would have been rebuilt relatively quickly. So long as a master of each Principle survived.”
“We met three mages that seemed pretty tough,” Verona said. “A fire, water and iron mage. They seemed nice, though at the end they were a little strange.”
Ferula frowned for a moment, staring into the flame, before smiling back at them. “An Iron mage…Those are pretty rare. Not a very popular Principle.”
“How many Principles are there?”
“Quite a few. There are the larger schools, that’s what they call them within the academy, such as fire, water, life and earth. Then there are the smaller ones like the light and metal schools. That’s where your Iron mage comes from. Then there are those that...don’t officially exist. The most notable would be death.”
“Necromancy?” Anton asked. “Bringing back the dead?”
“You can do that?” Cetina asked.
“I’m afraid that it doesn’t work that way.” Ferula sighed. “Finding and bringing back a soul from beyond the veil is extremely difficult and painful. For both the soul and the caster. I’ve seen casters die from trying to bring back one. And the spirit wasn’t exactly having a good time either.”
“Oh…”
“But it must work otherwise it wouldn’t be popular.” Anton continued as Cetina slumped into herself. “Even rarely.”
“What I was talking about before was trying to bring someone specific back. If you wanted to raise some skeletons or zombies…or worse things, you don’t need to worry about that. But one would need incredible strength of mind and mana just to maintain them in some semblance of order.”
“I wouldn’t be particularly happy if someone brought me back to fight in a skeleton.”
“Exactly. Every moment the skeleton, or whatever they are, is trying to attack the conjurer. And that takes its toll. The greatest necromancer that I can remember was when the Shattered Kingdom was still united. That was a long time ago…”
“And if the Strega Witches are hunted down then Necromancers…”
“If they’re smart they don’t do something like raise an entire graveyard full of skeletons and zombies. That gets attention very quickly. And some people that hunt mages are extremely good at their job.”
“Yes…Another reason why I don’t want to attract too much attention.”
Anton looked at the road. Still, no one had passed them by. “I’m guessing there’s magic beyond the Principles of Magic, as you call them, and the powers of the Old Gods? Like magic that can put us into our own little world where no one has passed us for some time?”
Anton took another look along the road. The travellers they had passed just before reaching the stop. And still…
“Just a little spell of mine.” Ferula waved her hand. “They’re passing by but we’re not really of each other’s presence.”
Ferula picked her cane up and tapped it on the grass. Anton heard the sound of horse’s hooves trampling on stone. They looked back, Anton lowered Kal’s mask, and people were walking past but they looked like ghosts. None were looking towards them.
“That’s…neat,” Verona said. “I don’t feel any different though.”
“It’s not that sort of magic. You would only know something if you had these eyes. Or a very delicate understanding of the flows of magic. Which none of you do. For now at least…”
Ferula tapped her cane again and the ghostly figures disappeared.
“I came here to give my condolences and tell you that you don’t have to worry about the Strega Witches. If they move against you they’ll have to contend with me.” Ferula smiled a toothy grin. “And none of them are powerful enough for that.”
“Well…Thank you.”
Ferula bowed her head. “I can only offer my condolences at your father’s passing, but I have some advice for you. If you will hear me out.”
Cetina appeared surprised to be the centre of attention. She gave a small nod.
“I’m afraid that I will be blunt…but you will never wield magic. Your blood and the Ghlyirl infesting your head means you cannot control mana well enough to use magic.”
Cetina didn’t look that surprised or shocked at her words.
“Perhaps if I trained you for a winter, even at my hardest and most ruthless, you may be able to use a single spell once a day.”
“I thought that would be true.” Cetina shrugged. “But I’ve never fought with magic so I’m not worried.”
“Well...” Ferula trailed off.
“You mentioned her blood.” Anton leant forward. “She doesn’t have the same red hair and she has patches of blue through her black hair.”
Cetina’s idle hand reached for the patch of blue hair over her ear.
“That would explain a lot, even though I cannot see as you do.” Ferula scratched her chin and at the few wisps of white hair trailing down the side of her head. “That would mean that one of your ancestors comes from Eperios. That’s a long way from Bebbezzar, they couldn’t have come over the land…Over the sea then. That person must have been very brave to cross those waters.”
“She was.” Cetina smiled, a tear trailing down her face. “My mother said she came from there. And followed my father home to Bebbezzar.”
Ferula realised she had touched a nerve and her fingers scratched at her cane. “I’m sorry if I brought up something painful for you.”
“It’s fine.” Cetina sniffed. “You didn’t know.”
“Well, as I was saying, you will never be able to wield magic. But that doesn’t mean you are weak.”
“Certainly not,” Anton said. “I’ve seen her fight with her sword and it’s pretty terrifying.”
Especially when she does that zoning out thing. I wonder if that’s from her mother’s side.
Verona and Kal nodded in agreement, even Luna let a tiny squeak and a sneeze.
“The enemies that you face, Grand Mage, will become ever stronger. And they will not all be as easy as those you’ve fought so far. If the two Strega Witches had been ready you could very well be dead.”
“Well…We didn’t give them a chance to fight back. We just hit them with everything we had and hoped for the best.”
“Exactly. You won’t be able to do that against someone who is prepared and knows what they are doing. You’ll need something more. You need someone by your side that can deal with mages and magic easily. Someone that already has an immunity to magic.”
“So I need more Ghlyirl in me?” Cetina asked flatly.
“Not in you.” Ferula smiled. “I can’t say that having a huge amount of Ghlyirl in your body is a good thing. But I’m talking more about using Ghlyirl based weapons and armour. If you wielded weapons with enough of the metal you would be essentially immune to magic. A great bolt of lightning would simply scatter and fizzle out as it approached you.”
“Like some sort of Mage Hunter?” Verona asked.
“Exactly. Something you will need in the battles to come.”
“It sounds like it could be very useful.” Anton folded his arms. “Though I’ve got no idea where we could get such weapons. I don’t think Porswea had them and that’s one of the larger cities in Graterious.”
“Where you get such weapons I’ll leave to you. Just know that they’ll be very expensive and will draw attention.” Ferula smiled. “But please take it seriously. Seriously consider becoming a Mage Hunter. It is something that only you can do.”
“I’ll…I’ll think about it.” Cetina looked at Anton. “I’ve still got a lot to think about and I haven’t made my decision yet, but I will consider it.”
Ferula smiled as she shakily stood up. “I think you already have but please make sure that you fully understand who and what you’re getting involved with. There will be a point where you can’t turn back.”
Cetina nodded, strangely seriously, as Ferula fully stood up.
“I wish you all the best. Remember to come and see me when you are done in Seocuria.”
Ferula gave a final bow before hobbling towards the broken fence. Once she passed she used her cane to pick them up and back to their original position. Anton didn’t see the green flash this time.
Ferula gave a final wave as she approached the trees. “I will see you all soon.”
She hobbled past the trees and simply disappeared, her body moving past the trunks and not appearing on the other side. When she had completely disappeared the sounds of horses and people passing by returned. Anton quickly made sure that Kal’s mask was down before he looked towards the road. Ten people walked past and glanced towards them. Anton saw a strange look on their faces, one of confusion at their presence and the presence of the rest stop.
“Well, that was something.” Verona sighed. “One of you two should learn how to do that. So we can just move through the land without anyone seeing us.”
“That would be very useful,” Anton said. He turned to Kal. “Did you manage to get anything to eat?”
“No.” Kal chuckled and leant into his shoulder. “I don’t know if you noticed but we had the creepy old lady to deal with.”
“I wonder if we’ll meet her early again.” Anton took one of the pieces of uncooked meat and held it over the fire. He turned to Cetina. “What do you think about what Ferula said?”
“I…I don’t know.” Cetina shuffled about. “But it’s given me something to think about. Though it sounds kind of interesting.” Cetina smiled at them. “The thought of being able to hunt down those Strega Witches sounds like a good idea.”
“Only if we see Eluria again,” Anton spoke firmly. “We don’t know what the others are up to and I don’t want to fight them. We won because we attacked hard and fast, and didn’t give them the chance to recover. I don’t know how we’d fare against another that’s prepared for us.”
Cetina looked blankly at him.
“But if we do meet Eluria again we’ll be sure to get her. And make sure she doesn’t get away.”
“Really?”
“You have my word.”
Cetina smiled and gripped her sword’s handle tight. “I think I’ll look into becoming a Mage Hunter, or whatever she called it. How expensive do you think those weapons would be?”
“Don’t know. Extremely I’m guessing.”
Anton took the cooked piece of meat off the fire and passed it to Kal. She looked back and saw that none of the few passing travellers were looking. She moved her mask to the side and began to devour her food. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the luxury to enjoy the taste.
“But you don’t have to worry about things being too expensive.”
Cetina looked at her pack and chuckled. “No, I don’t. No I don’t.”
Verona bumped his shoulder and gave him a thumbs up. He smiled and ruffled her hair. When she pulled herself into his other side.
Did I actually see a green flash from her? If she’s a Strega Witch can we trust anything she says?
Anton searched through his body with the prayer magic but he found nothing. He did the same for Verona and Kal, both gave him odd looks but he found nothing as well. He even checked Luna. She had nothing but she pawed at him with her hoof before he rubbed her head. That just left Cetina but he would check her in a moment.
The gnawing thought that he had no real idea of what was happening around him, especially to him, continued to eat away at his mind. Verona and Kal picked up on his worry and held his arms tight. He could only smile and pat their hands as he stared silently into the flickering flame.