There was total silence at the table, and Maura was worried all over again that they might think she was weird and ask her to leave. She hid her face on her knees that she had drawn up to her chest. She didn’t have the courage to look up and read their faces.
It came as a complete surprise when Amelia scooted her chair a little closer and placed her arm around Maura’s back and held her shoulder. Maura had initially tensed but, though she couldn’t feel it very well through her furs, the weight and closeness was comforting in a way she hadn’t ever known.
Captain Logan exhaled explosively then simply said, “Well, shit.”
He sighed and tried to lighten the mood by saying, “I’m going to have to beat Eileen away from you with a broom. Listen kid.” Maura looked up at him shyly, “I don’t really understand what that musta been like, I can’t, but some soldiers have gone through a little of what you have. They get lost in the deep dark, and it takes special help to bring them back. When we get to the city, there are counsellors for this kind of stuff at the temple. They deal with soldiers and refugees all the time. You let me know if you’re interested in that, alright?”
Maura just shrugged shyly, so he continued, “I know I came off as a hardass, but that was just me trying to get info out of ya. It was my duty to determine if you were a risk or had done something nefarious with my soldiers. While I find your story almost impossible to believe, I can tell that you have been through something terrible and you don’t seem like a threat. I’ll leave you be for now, but don’t hesitate to ask me any questions if you want.” He looked at the Carters and said, “Thanks for breakfast. I’ve gotta go kick some people around and get ready to move.”
With a nod he rose and left after grabbing his maul.
Amelia kept her arm around Maura and was gently rubbing her arm as the silence stretched. It wasn’t a terrible silence like she was used to, it was a little nice actually.
Ser Stephen quietly said, “You made all of those clothes yourself, didn’t you? Every time I look at you I find something new that was hidden. I’ve been dealing in monster parts for my entire adult career, and I haven’t the foggiest idea on how much something like that would cost. That cloak of yours can probably defend against a mundane ballista bolt.
“Fascinating. Just… amazing. People will want to know your story. You have a lot to learn if you are to survive the politics of all that. That’s for later. Captain Logan was right; we have to start getting ready and I have duties to see to. You’re free to stay here if you want, Maura. I didn’t really think about it but you’re probably exhausted, eh? Stay with Amelia, she’ll take care of you.”
He, too, stood up and left. Maura was a little shocked at how fast the conversation had ended, but that was overshadowed by what they had said. She could stay! They weren’t going to make her leave!
The warm arm around her and the new glow boiling up from within were almost enough to completely overwhelm her. She began to cry again, this time in joy. It’s the first time she had ever experienced this sensation and it was confusing but wonderful.
As Maura’s mind was beginning to spiral into a different kind of trap Amelia gave a little snort, and hugged her a little tighter.
She said, “Men. Their emotions reached the tiny threshold they have for such things, so they had to go and hit something or grunt enough to let their minds work through it all. I’m going to straighten up a little, but I’ll be right here if you want to talk, okay? Finish your breakfast and we can set up a little cot in the corner for you to sleep.”
Maura looked into Amelia’s kind eyes and nodded quickly a few times. She didn’t trust herself to try to speak. She began to work through the rest of her meal as Amelia placed the pot and basket near the door and used a little tub to rinse the dishes and place them on a clever little rack to dry.
As Amelia worked, she spoke to Maura about little things. “We’re a bit more than a week out from the city, Torrine. It’s a nice city, and very old. We’ll be seeing all sorts of sights on the way that might be new to you, like the farms and little waystations. They have whole herds of cows, sheep, elop. On the south side of the city there are even some horses, but those belong to the nobles.
“To the north of the city is where we will be going first, there’s a section set apart for caravans of wagons such as ours to stay. It’s usually a very nice place with lots of people coming to see what we have to trade, but we will also have a large group set up in a few different market areas inside the walls. The walls are very large and they have old enchantments built right into them!
“There are a few children in the wagons here, but there will be many more once we reach the city, perhaps you could try making some friends? We can have lessons while we move to prepare you somewhat, but living life is the best way to learn.”
Maura couldn’t get her mind to stop spinning in circles imagining all of the amazing things she might see, but she was also thinking of all the ways it could still go wrong. Before she knew it there wasn’t any food left. She had taken her time to savor every bite as she pondered, but it was so good she ended up eating too fast.
Amelia swooped by and took her dishes with a smile. Now that she was idle, Maura could hear people beginning to move with more purpose as they began to prepare for travel, and that’s when it hit her.
My spear! And my pack!
She jolted and quickly stood up. She didn’t want to leave now, because what if they didn’t let her back? But she needed to retrieve her things.
She timidly approached Amelia, who was finishing with the last dish. She asked, “I have some things in the forest that I left. Can I go get them? And can I come back? Can I really stay?”
Amelia looked at her in surprise, and said, “Oh of course! I should have considered that. Yes, of course you can stay, Maura. Why don’t you go grab your things while I set up a cot for you? We’ll be leaving soon, so hurry up and then come right back. Do you think it will take you long?”
Maura bounced a little and said, “No! I’ll be right back! Don’t worry, it’s not far!”
She pulled her headdress back up and swept her cloak over her shoulders before dashing to the tent flap. Before she left, she looked at Amelia one more time, and received a smile and a nod. Steeling herself, she flew out of the tent and quickly dropped to the ground to the side of the wagon.
It was like falling onto a different world. The world of warmth and possibilities inside the tent became something other as her mind snapped back into survival mode.
She was in the wilderness again, but at the same time, it was slightly different. In her mind the camp was a place of safety, much like her little burrows. She knew how to check for threats before leaving her burrow and so followed her routine for leaving camp.
The sky was beginning to brighten further and the mountains to the east were outlined in golds and reds of the rising sun. This was the safest time to enter the woods, and so she did.
She kept her senses alert and avoided the eyes of the sentries easily. A little voice inside her head that sounded suspiciously like a bear was saying something about Eilieen being even more annoyed, but she was too focused to listen. She entered the treeline and moved silently to where she had left her things.
Finding her spear would never be an issue for Maura. It was a bone from a supremely magical creature that had bonded to her very soul over the years. It had changed as she had changed, and she could sense and find it anywhere.
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The only little worry she had was for her pack. She had some jerky and foraged nuts and berries inside her pack, but she had hidden and buried it well and the way it was packed and strapped down cut any smell from inside to almost nothing.
Maura skipped past the range of an ambulatory vine hiding under the snow and found the area where she had stashed her pack and found a monster nearby obviously sniffing for it. She only had her sword, but this beast wasn’t overly magical or even aware Maura was there yet.
She silently moved around behind it and waited for the right moment.
Eventually the beast began to dig a little, and while it was distracted Maura took the silent steps and leapt over it. As she came down she unsheathed her sword in well oiled silence and slashed right through its neck as she landed. The blood spurted out, but Maura had pivoted correctly as to not get any on her.
She stabbed her sword into the snow to quickly remove any blood or smells then a quick cantrip had it clean. She resheathed the sword and went to retrieve her pack.
She dug around the roots of the slightly poisonous tree and retrieved her pack, brushing off any clinging detritus. She held her pack in her left hand and then pushed her right into the snow a few inches to retrieve her hidden spear.
As she lifted the spear, she studied it for a moment to make sure her new feather ornaments hadn’t gotten mussed. There were several small bands of whitish leather wrapped in specific spots along the length of the spear, and the main grip where the feathers were attached looked fine.
After a quick scan she quickly returned to the edge of the clearing and studied the skies. They were suspiciously clear, and had been for several days. Maura added that as a question to ask Amelia about.
She sensed some magical signatures disturbing the manasphere further in the forest, but nothing seemed to be heading towards the camp, and she sensed no threats in the clearing with the caravan.
Moving quickly towards camp, she knew her stealth wasn’t as good as it could have been with her huge spear and pack breaking the coverage of her cloak, but only the guards or sentries would care. If there was one thing she had picked up on during her eavesdropping it was that information swept through the camp at an amazing rate, so she didn’t think she would be a surprise for anyone at this point. Maybe not even some of the children who were still asleep!
She was noticed by two people; one guard and Sergeant Eileen who shot a strange expression her way. It was like she was angry, embarrassed, curious, and frustrated all at once and Maura had no idea how to react to that.
As she re-entered the camp, she saw that the elop were about halfway finished being harnessed to the individual wagons and that almost everyone was awake at this point. Ser Stephen was moving between different groups asking for updates, while Captain Logan was finishing some kind of morning training with two of his squads.
When Maura hopped back onto Ser Stephen and Amelia’s wagon, there were two people standing out front. Maura froze alongside the tent and peeked out to study them. One was a Manza male with almost brown skin working on the reins and placing hides and such on the driver’s seat, while the other was the young Manza girl from before. She had taken the pot of stew and basket from inside and placed them down while she chatted with the man about Maura.
“I’m tellin’ ya pa, she was strange looking but also neat! Looked like a wild child from the stories, I swear! I can’t wait to meet her, oh I wonder what she’s like!” The girl chattered away.
The man who was bent to his task replied, “Well I’m sure you’ll have time to chat later, Celia. We’ve a week to go till the city, so there’s plenty of time. Now quit your slackin’ and finish your chores, maybe when you’re done you can come visit.”
Celia gave a dramatic sigh and flopped her body strangely but it was lost on her father who wasn’t watching, and was most likely immune anyway. She scooped the basket and pot back up and stomped away with a, “Fine!”
While their backs were to Maura, she swept over to the tent flap. She used a finger to push it aside a little and check to see if it was clear on the other side. She paused for a moment, her mind worrying that she might not be welcome, but forced herself to enter.
As she slid her spear in and followed she realized that there wasn’t really a ton of room inside for her to place her spear anywhere. Sure, the tent was much larger than her spear, but it was only ten or twelve feet at the highest. As she was standing in the middle of the room pondering, Amelia turned and saw her standing there.
She exclaimed, “Oh, my! That’s quite the weapon! And I usually only poke fun at the men for their overly large sticks! Well, we might need to find someplace else to stow that, dear.”
Maura had turned to her, but upon hearing she might need to be separated she made up her mind. She replied, “I can make it smaller. I usually don’t, because it’s just the right length… but I can do that to keep it here with me? Is that okay?”
Amelia looked a little skeptical, but nodded her head in the affirmative. Maura placed her spear and pack on the ground, removed her gloves, then picked the spear back up in both hands touching the spear directly instead of the grips.
A strange twinkling sensation that was hard to describe flowed through her body and she could feel it enter the spear as well. She didn’t often make skin to skin contact with the spear as it made her feel different.
She let her energy flow and all of the little designs on her skin began to glow a faint white which spread up the spear onto similar runes and designs that had been all but invisible until they also began to glow.
Maura heard Amelia gasp, but she focused on feeling through what she wanted to do. Both ends of the spear shrunk at a rapid pace inwards, and after only a few moments the fifteen foot long weapon was a now comfortable eight. She rarely used it in any configuration other than it’s larger one because she needed the reach against larger monsters and it allowed her to use the spear for repositioning and such, but she was comfortable enough with it to use it at any length.
Once the glows faded, she opened her eyes to see Amelia standing close and studying her intently. Maura flinched back a little and was beginning to worry she had done something wrong again when Amelia started talking.
She said, “Maura, I have so many questions for you it’s driving me wild. I won’t pressure you just yet, but I hope we can talk about some things during the trip.”
Maura looked up into Amelia’s hopeful eyes and replied, “Of course! I mean… if you want. I’d like to do that, I think?”
Amelia nodded sharply with a quick and brilliant smile then began moving Maura around and fussing over her and said, “Excellent. For later, then. Now store your things over here in this corner. I’ve moved some things around so you can put your cloak on the wall and I guess your pack as well. This is an old cot from when the children still lived on the wagon that we keep for guests and this drape here is for privacy. You can also use your bedroll I see there for more padding and perhaps your cloak as an extra blanket?”
The corner looked perfect to Maura. It was mostly hidden behind a thin cloth drape of some kind, but was cozy and tight. There was room for her spear and sword to lean up in the corner and plenty of hooks to stow her gear on. There was even a nice and fluffy pillow for her to rest her head.
Maura responded, feeling a little flustered, “I… it looks great! Thank you so much! I… I usually just curl up in my bedroll? It’s rather large when unfolded and quite comfy!”
Amelia patted her on the head a few times and said, “Anything is fine. Why don’t you get settled in. I’ll be looking over paperwork and then knitting and other little things today so I can stay here with you while you sleep. Just get yourself tucked in and we’ll talk more later, alright?”
Maura had a huge grin as she nodded yes a few times quickly, though half of her expression was hidden behind her headdress. Amelia chuckled and walked out of the little space and draped the curtain closed.
Maura was almost overflowing with happiness as she laid her spear along the wall of the tent. She placed her pack on a hook along the wall and then unbound her bedroll and set it up on top of the cot, which was really just a stuffed pad on the ground. She had been considering what to do when sleeping, but now that she had a safe little nook she felt comfortable enough to remove her gear.
It was an arduous process to unbind and remove everything, but she would be much more comfortable sleeping like she normally would in her dens. She placed her sword in easy reach and her dagger on the floor near the pillow, but everything else she placed on the hooks on the wall.
As she was getting close to halfway done, Amelia called out, “Maura, is anything wrong? You’ve been making a bunch of noise back there for a while, do you need any help?”
Maura said, “Um, no. It just takes a while, is all.”
Amelia clearly didn’t hear her soft voice, and Maura heard her stand and move to check on her. Maura felt a little foolish that even her furs made her weird, but she just kept working on her leg armor. Amelia pulled the curtain aside and saw Maura leaning over working on straps along her legs with her naked back facing her.
Maura heard her gasp and whisper, “My goodness, child! What happened here?”
Maura stood and turned to face her and felt herself blushing in embarrassment. She said, “Sorry, it just takes a while to get all of my gear off. I should be done soon.”
Maura had the distinct impression that she had missed something again, but she just bent over and continued to work. Amelia was shocked still and it took a moment for her words to penetrate, but once they did she just cleared her throat a little and said, “Yes, of course. I’ll leave you to it.”
Maura heard her leave and sit back down at the little desk. She eventually finished removing everything and hanging them on the hooks, then wrapped herself in her bedroll. The combination of the cot and the comfortable pillow along with the gentle noises of Amelia in the room and her own extreme exhaustion had her falling asleep faster then she ever had before.