Kaleb’s mind had been restless like the open sea night, waves crashed against the bulwark and rain pecked at the board above his head. The cabin was warm and the dim light flickered happily on the table.

Flencer pushed his way in, “Iridia said you wanted to speak with me.”

Kaleb smiled and pointed to the seat across from him, “Sit, Dwarf.”

Flencer’s eyes narrowed momentarily when he caught the off-tone, he was used to Kaleb’s terse approach to conversation, but a month or so into the voyage Kaleb had been off with him, and he assumed this was when he’d find out. “I brought Iron Seeker.” Flencer lifted the bag.

“Is that the deck we found in Happywood?”

“Certainly is, managed to keep hold of it, lucky it survived the dashing the harpies gave the wagon back in Manglewood.” Flencer held the bag by its drawstring as it spun hypnotically between them.

Kaleb smiled and tapped the table, “Deal up then.”

Flencer was struck with a bolt of relief, perhaps the journey had simply taken its toll on Kaleb and that was the reason for his mood. The change in demeanour was welcomed and with a jolly method, he shuffled the deck. “Been waiting for some revenge ‘ave ye?”

Kaleb raised his nose and eyebrows simultaneously. “Something like that…”

Flencer cleared his throat, and with that jagged turn of phrase, Kaleb had bubbled the unease back in his belly. He dealt the cards and they both picked up their hand to begin silent inspection.

“Talk to me about the Elves, Flencer,” Kaleb said placing down a pickaxe.

Flencer feigned nonchalance as he fingered through his hand and placed a copper vein down. “What about ‘em?”

“Well, where they live, tell me about that.”

“Mysterious place.”

“I bet, you know what else is mysterious?” Said Kaleb, placing a second pick axe down, “I’ll tell you, that no man aboard this long-toothed crew, has ever heard of visiting the Elven lands by foot.”

Flencer peered over his hand, rustled by the statement but still in the right mind to place a cart down. “They move the land in strange ways, powerful folk them.”

“Oh yes, very powerful, so powerful, but not as powerful as your lies…half stack.”

Flencer was sweating some. “Your move…”

“No, it’s yours, I drew a card…you should pay attention.”

“Right, you are.” He placed a gold mine and nodded. “Your turn.”

“I called you a liar, Dwarf…are you not going to defend yourself?”

“Nay.” He shook his head slowly.

Kaleb leaned back and took up the conduit blade, he placed it on the table to one side of the playing space. A wave crashed into the ship and rocked the hull which sent the cards slipping out of place. “I’ve had my doubts about you since you slithered back into my wagon at Brimshire.”

“You were right to.” Flencer bowed his head. “I deserve death.”

Kaleb was a little surprised at the response, he expected a wiley excuse. “Explain.”

Flencer scratched his chin. “I worked for a cult that served the Demon.”

Kaleb took up the blade and held the point to his throat, the edge cutting away ginger bristles as he moved it. “Self-judgement, a correct one.”

“I’m no match for you, Kaleb, you needn’t bother hold me at blade point while I tell you my story.” Flencer held his hands up, “It’s not like I can run anywhere is it?”

“I do not make assumptions anymore.” Kaleb gritted his teeth. The boat was rocked by another wave that knocked Kaleb to the side. The conduit blade made a clean but shallow slice over Flencer’s throat. Blood ran down to his chest and clogged in his red hair.

Flencer remained steady with both pudgy hands aloft. “I will tell you the whole truth, and then you can do with me as you wish, whatever your decision I do have a request.”

“I’ll listen.”

Flencer lowered a hand and from his pocket, he retrieved the red seed he had cradled throughout the journey. He placed it on the table and raised his hand once more. “The seed, tis yours if you should slay me.”

Kaleb, perhaps just a few months prior would have slaughtered the Dwarf for his confession. Things had changed now, the fate a man was condemned to upon death was rarely a fair punishment for any deed they might commit in the world of flesh. By this knowledge alone, Kaleb’s hand was stayed with a new tender mercy. He thought of Esme for a half second. The pain of her fate burdened his heart and so he’d walk in her footsteps from now on, for better or worse.

“I shall tell you this, I am no Dwarf.” Flencer’s eyes lowered against Kaleb’s glower.

“You look like one to me.”

“This is part of my change.”

“The seed is my love, who I betrayed, I betrayed all my people.”

“Why?”

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“The Demon you met, Kaleb.” Flencer’s tone had darkened and his accent seemed to fade away, though the missing vowels were still present here and there.

“What of it?”

“Five thousand years ago, that demon was born in the Pools of Eternium, silently it brewed like it does beneath your great cities now.”

“How do you know this?”

“I am an Elf, Kaleb.”

Kaleb pulled the sword back and let out a hearty, scrutiny-laced laugh. “You? Half stack?”

“Don’t be so sure of what our people are, this is my guise which I am trapped within.”

“So you cannot prove you are an Elf?”

“I can, when…if I return to our lands.”

Kaleb set the blade down tentatively, though, like a scorpion, his sting always threatened. He picked his hand up and quickly played a mine of his own. “I may as well beat you at cards before I kill you.” He slapped his hand down and folded his arms.

Flencer wiped his brow, he did not wish to die. His fear was not for his own life, though he knew that his soul would be gifted to the Demon if he was slaughtered, and perhaps tortured for what he did. “The Demon grasped me and many others by our hearts.”

Kaleb waved his hand to silence Flencer. “Why did you lie about travelling on foot.”

Flencer paused. A tear formed in the corner of his eye. “I forgot.”

“You forgot?”

“I forgot how to go home.”

“By the sea…”

Flencer shook his head. “No, home, home is not by the sea…not when it was my home. Our lands were once connected.”

Kaleb smirked. “A hole in your little tale.”

“It’s hard to think on your feet when they dangle.”

Kaleb leaned back. “The shield claims to know the way when we reach these lands, did he lie too?”

Flencer stroked his beard. “I believe the shield speaks the truth.”

“How could a bard know?”

“He is ancient, and back then the lands of Elves were travelled much by men.”

“You have forgotten though?”

“Forgotten is a word to describe it yes, I had it ripped from me, I stole away my love when the schism occurred.”

“Schism?”

“The Demon rose from the pool, and a great bloody civil war occurred. Men, Orc and betrayer Elves.” He pointed to himself.

“Did you kill your own people?”

“No, I fought in no war.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t lie about everything, Kaleb…I am a coward, was.” Flencer turned a card over to reveal a blacksmith and placed it down.

“Why did you flee?”

“Esme.”

Kaleb frowned.

“Esme saved me, she freed me from the Demons grasp, she helped me escape before the land was cracked in twain. The battle ended, it was forgotten, and no one speaks of it. The Elves drifted far away, victorious. They surrounded themselves with a dire fog and built men of iron to man ships and sink the Demonic fleets.” Flencer rubbed his neck. “The Demon fled and made a new home, in your lands, I swore allegiance to Esme.” Flencer tapped the seed. “I promised my love that I’d also return and we’d grow once more.”

Kaleb shook his head, “You are quite the word weaver, Dwarf…” He placed another pickaxe and smiled at his brilliance, taking a second turn and placing a smithy of his own. “Why do you look like a Dwarf then, hm?” He gave his head a little bobble. He played into the ridiculousness of this whole encounter, more sure than ever that Flencer needed to be tossed overboard.

“I needed a new look, inconspicuous, one that allowed me to operate in the shadows, for Esme and the defence of this land.”

“So you now serve the Empire? How fitting.” Kaleb chuckled and placed an iron ingot down. “How did you aid, Esme?”

“We launched multiple campaigns to quell the spread, one of those was to keep House Zale alive and well.”

Kaleb’s nose wrinkled, “House Zale is fine, was fine.”

“Don’t be so coy, House Zale has been systematically purged over the years by operators who serve the Demon. Your kind route out corruption, Paladins can’t hold power for more than a hundred years before they fall to their own degeneracy, ‘cept of course our lovely Scions.” Flencer punctuated his point by placing a cart and iron ingot of his own.

“A fair point, but that doesn’t convince me I should keep you alive.”

“There is another reason that Esme had me follow you, bigger than my personal love affair.”

“I’m all ears,” Kaleb said, shuffling through his hand with a grumble before placing a third pick axe.

“When you approach the great mirror into our city, they may ask you for a sacrifice, the greater the sacrifice…the greater the chance they will allow entry.”

Kaleb raised a brow. “Go on.”

Flencer glanced at his hand and placed a copper ingot and an iron mine. “I am a betrayer, and so you can spill my blood over the mirror, at least my death would be valuable.”

“That is something you’d be willing to do?”

“I owe Esme and her brethren everything, I would die a thousand times for them, for you and Iridia.”

“Why lie in the first place?”

“The Demon has ears everywhere, also Kaleb, if I had told you this truth back in Happywood, what would you have done?”

Kaleb thought a moment. He had to draw another card which irked him. “I would have killed you,” he admitted.

“I need to stay alive, and you are an obstacle to that as much as anything else, Kaleb. You cannot trust anyone and for that I am sorry, you make the decisions of this party.” Flencer dropped a pickaxe card on the table. “This is your quest, I am here to serve. I am sorry also that I have not spoken to you about the truth. I planned to reveal myself once we reached my lands, it would make it a lot easier with evidence.”

Kaleb placed a mine card and leaned back, biting his lip. He smiled a bit and dropped a gold mine. He placed his hand down and reached over to pick up the seed. Flencer blinked in concern.

“I see you are taking the seed, so your decision is made… I request that you plant the seed in the heart of the living forest, she may grow even in her despair.”

Kaleb inspected the seed by turning it between his fingers while he reached for the hilt of the sword with his free hand. “Indeed…” he tossed the seed to Flencer who instinctively caught it. With great speed, Kaleb brought that stinger back to his throat. “You have given me much to think about.”

Flencer’s eyes widened. “You believe me?”

“I believe that there is some truth in your nonsense, but I do not trust you, you will hand your weapons to Iridia, you will remain in your cabin with a guard out front.”

Flencer set his seed down. “I will not betray you.”

“If your story is true, then you will certainly betray me.” Kaleb returned the sword to the table.

“Esme–”

Kaleb cut Flencer off, “Stop saying her name, Esme is under the foot of that Demon, probably maddened by the torture, you served that Demon!” The ship rocked again. Kaleb leaned over and jabbed his finger into Flencer’s bony chest plate. “That is your fault.” Kaleb sat back. “Your fault.”

The cabin fell quiet as they both took Esme into their thoughts, sadness swept through the air and a fresh mourning was held between the men for their fallen hero. Esme was missed for her inspiration could fill the emptiest hearts and turn the darkest of souls away from the greatest evils.

The waves battered against the ship which lulled them both into a calm.

After ten minutes Flencer sighed and placed down another two ingots, sheepishly he cooed: “I win.”

Kaleb’s top lip curled up. “Lucky.”

“I ‘spose you have another reason to keep me alive, don’t want to let me go without beating me, eh?” He stifled a strained chuckle.