Chapter Sixty-six

I wanted to talk to Krissy immediately, but I found myself struggling to say anything. It wasn’t that I didn’t know what to say — there was a lot I wanted to talk about. Trying to muster up the courage to talk to her, was like standing in front of my parents or teachers before having to confess some wrongdoing. It even came with the sensation of the proverbial pit growing in my stomach. I was worried. And ashamed. I let her get injured. In fact, everything that had happened to her ever since we’d met on Misery Island, had been mostly because of me.

So, I just watched her. She tried to stretch as much as the casts on her arm and leg let her. The bed creaked as she managed to sit up, making enough noise to wake Kitala Iwani.

I watched the elf woman help Krissy to the bathroom, help her wash, then put on her cleaned and ironed ranger clothes. I might have enjoyed the sight of their morning activity, had it not been for that feeling of guilt gnawing at me, and of course my long dead libido. Being a spirit after having lived as a human was such an unfair state of affairs.

The two women left the barrack and headed for the compound’s cafeteria. Krissy seemed to be able to move well enough using the crutch, needing only the occasional help from Kiwa. Tilry was quiet again — I felt like our conversation had depleted her reserve of spoken words for the foreseeable future. I hoped we’d get to chat again soon, in private, with our respective hosts sleeping.

The compound was similar to the one we had stayed at in Gal Themar. Paved pathways ran between buildings — barracks, offices, armory, storage blocks, the surgeon’s and more. I could see a gathering of rangers on what must have been a parade ground or the training area, doing sword and spear drills or something like that. They all stopped whatever they were doing when we walked past them and stared at us in silence, thirty or so heads turning slowly, their gazes following us until we left them behind and reached the cafeteria. Krissy and Kiwa of course noticed this strange occurrence, but they chose to ignore it, just as they ignored the twenty something elves dropping their food and turning to look at them as they entered the building.

Kiwa pointed at a table near the counter where the food was served. Krissy nodded, and they beelined there to join the four elves sitting there — Timo, Arde, Hisa and Scout Master Dimal.

Timo, Hisa and Dimal had their eyes glued to the pair as they approached, then sat down at the table. That’s when I realised they were gawking at Kiwa rather than Krissy. I should have known — Kitala Iwani was an exceptional beauty even amongst the elves, so that kind of explained all the googly-eyed men. And here I had thought Krissy was the star of the show, whose exploits on the ork pirate ship had earned her all the wonderstruck gazes. No real substitute for good looks, not even in this world. I wondered if I’d ever bump into a spirit who’d find me pleasant to look at.

‘You’re late,’ Dimal said to Krissy, managing to tear his eyes away from Kitala Iwani. ‘We’ve got half an hour until the hearing, so eat quickly.’

He pushed a plate and a cup of tea in front of her.

‘I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but getting dressed with a broken arm is a slow affair,’ Krissy retorted. ‘You should try it once.’

Dimal scowled at her.

‘You’re a ranger trainee. Rangers are always ready. And are on time.’

Krissy and Kiwa looked at each other, then at the actual ranger trainees, who were trying to look anywhere but at her.

‘Come on, Master Dimal, she took that ork ship down by herself,’ Arde turned to the man to protest. ‘And she’s not that late.’

Good man, Arde! Krissy had done most of the work on that ship, taking me around so I could eat the hell out of everyone. Even Timo and Hisa were nodding. And it seemed the elves had indeed picked up the word “ork” and were using it already. Good man, Kevin!

Dimal glared at Arde for a moment, then turned back to his breakfast of fresh bread and eggs.

‘What’s this hearing going to be about?’ I asked, my speech-paralysis forgotten.

Krissy dropped the fork she was holding and slammed her hand on the table, startling everyone.

You’re awake? When did you wake up? Why didn’t you say anything? Are you alright? She began bombarding me with her thoughts.

‘Yeah, just woke up not long ago,’ I lied. She didn’t need to know I’d been up for a while now, did she? Tilry looked at me funnily, but she didn’t say anything. ‘I’m fine, I think. Listen, uhm … are you okay? How are you feeling?’

How do you think I’m feeling? Her mental yell echoed in my mind. I cried myself to sleep last night. And where were you? Passed out drunk? What is wrong with you?

‘I’m sorry. I know you’re angry …’ I tried to smooth it over, but she wasn’t finished.

You left me. Again. On the ship. Injured, and with a bunch of barbarians and navy officers. Personal issues? What the hell Kevin? She demanded. ‘You think some pancakes will fix this?’

‘I’m … sorry. It was important,’ I said. ‘But … wait. Pancakes?’

Important? Even Lady Wensah wasn’t sure what you were doing and why. She said you nearly killed yourself. If she’d been a few seconds late, you would have died. And your drunken tirades? Just how stupid can you get? And yes. You promised me pancakes, whatever the hell those are.

Once again I found myself unable to say anything. I wanted to explain to her about Mr Instinct — who was quiet, luckily — but I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to do it now. Maybe later, once she calmed down. Or maybe I could get Wensah to fix this for me without Krissy ever knowing. I didn’t want her to worry. Other than that, I didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t wrong — from her perspective I had just disappeared in the worst possible moment. And I was failing to come up with an excuse. Maybe some pancakes would calm her down.

Huh! No reply? She scoffed mentally. Fine. We’ll talk about this later.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

‘What’s wrong?’ Arde asked Krissy.

‘Kevin’s back,’ Krissy told him, almost hissing.

‘Hm. Good,’ Dimal said, shrugging.

‘Good indeed,’ Krissy grumbled.

Huffing, she turned back to her own breakfast and proceeded to eat. Everyone watched her without saying a word. They let her finish her breakfast, and we all headed over to the building that housed the leadership of Fifth Rangers, and was to be the location of the hearing.

***

The large, three storey building looked similar to the administrative centre of Third Rangers back in Gal Themar. I believed this was where we’d find the office of the much heard of but not yet seen Master of Fifth Rangers. I tried to recall the name of the man. Sivaren Rols, I thought.

It kind of bothered me that the elves were using the title “master” for someone who was obviously a general, mostly because they used the same word for other things as well. Scout-master was one, and the word was also the polite way to address someone, akin to mister or sir. Titles aside, I hoped that Master Sivaren Rols was going to be a less foul-mouthed, more reasonable version of Fenirig Arte.

Then there was the so called “Defense Committee”. From what I had heard during my time here, they were the equivalent of the MOD, or Ministry of Defence, and they were in overall charge of the defense policy of Solace, including the two main branches of their military: the Rangers and the Navy.

I had heard talk about town militias and city guards — mostly a thing in the cities in the west of Solace, where all the trade with the continent was conducted. From what I understood they were also operating under the Defence Committee, but were more akin to a police force than military, and rangers looked down on them as much as they looked down on the tarlickers. Rangers were quite the elitist bunch, but I couldn’t deny that they were probably the best Solace had to offer.

A couple of guards ushered us into the foyer of the building. Krissy’s crutch clanked loudly on the polished, stone floor as we walked inside. From a group of ten or so people loitering there, a well dressed woman rushed to us the moment the doors shut behind us.

I was getting the hang of estimating how old an elf was. Had the woman been human, I would have said she was a magazine model in her mid or late thirties. Which meant she was probably at least two-hundred years old. Or older. She had the pointy ears and silvery hair characteristic of elves, and a broad smile on her face, the kind I didn’t often see around here.

Dimal bowed his head to the woman, and so did the trainees. Krissy and Kiwa followed suit a second later.

The woman looked at Hisa, her smile widening to the point I was wondering if it was some sort of trick or illusion, because how on earth could anyone have such an unnaturally huge grin on her face, elf or not?

‘Hisa, my darling, how are you? How was your first taste of real rangering?’ the woman asked the girl, her voice sweet as honey.

‘I’m well, thank you,’ the young trainee replied, her face reddening. ‘It was … a valuable experience.’

‘Oh, I’m glad to hear that,’ the woman nodded then she turned to Dimal. ‘Scout-master …’

‘Dimuren Alte,’ he introduced himself.

‘Well, Dimuren Alte, thank you for looking after our young trainees,’ she said to him, ‘It’s a horrid state of affairs we find ourselves in, but it also serves to prepare and harden the next generation of rangers, doesn’t it?’

‘Certainly, councilwoman.’ Dimal bowed his head again to the woman.

The councilwoman — the title indicating she was a member of The Solace Council, and likely of the Defense Committee — turned her attention to Krissy, the only human around.

Another person who turned her attention to us was a younger looking woman, standing and talking with a group of people some five or six metres from us. I didn’t know who she was, but she was well within the reach of my invisible tentacles and therefore my vision. The woman was definitely watching us. Well, I supposed spiritualists were kind of a novelty, so I let it go, and focused on our own conversations.

‘You must be Misery,’ the older councilwoman stated. ‘I have heard much about you.’

Krissy steadied herself, holding onto her crutch, looking into the woman’s eyes.

‘I am,’ she replied confidently. ‘I believe we haven’t been introduced yet.’

‘Of course.’ The woman nodded, that wide smile still on her face. Wasn’t all that smiling hurting her? ‘I am Korolan Mirei. I am a member of the Defense Committee.’

‘Pleasure to make your acquaintance.’ Krissy took the hand the woman offered and shook it. This was the first time I saw an elf doing a handshake. Perhaps she was trying to show some goodwill by using a predominantly human gesture? I wasn’t sure.

‘I take it Misery isn’t your real name?’ Korolan Mirei said.

‘It’s a nickname that stuck. Perhaps you’ve also heard about the mask I sometimes wear? It’s because of that. My full name is Krissintha Arlonet Dar Ghelain,’ Krissy explained, and the councilwoman nodded.

That revelation visibly fazed the trainees more than it did the woman. Thinking back, I realized none of them actually knew Krissy’s real name. It had been Misery-this, Misery-that ever since the first elf we’d met — none other than Tovaron Ento — gave her the nickname.

‘Interesting name,’ the councilwoman commented. ‘Mainlands nobility? From the south, perhaps?’

‘My father was a baron. In Thyssa,’

‘Was?’ the woman inquired, her smile finally fading. ‘Is it because of the recent civil war, if you don’t mind my question?’

‘My family stayed loyal to the rightful king. The usurper didn’t take kindly to that.’ Krissy replied, sneering.

‘I can imagine. And I am sorry for bringing it up,’ the councilwoman said, her tone suggesting she meant it. ‘As I said, I have heard a lot about you, but my husband tends to overlook details he deems unimportant or uninteresting.’

‘Your … husband?’ Krissy and I asked at the same time, my voice only heard by my host.

‘Fenirig Arte,’ she said, her smile returning to her face. ‘You have been training under him, haven’t you? Has he not mentioned me at all?’

Krissy’s mouth hung open. So did everyone else’s, except Hisa’s — her face went beet-red instead.

This was Mrs. Hellspawn? And Hisa’s grandmother?

‘Hm. I take it he hasn’t.’ The woman shook her head.

‘No. I’m afraid not,’ Krissy said, trying not to look at the woman.

‘Good. Honesty is good.’ Mrs. Hellspawn nodded. ‘The presence of a powerful spiritualist is a concern in and of itself, and the appearance of a god in our midst has rattled quite a few people. Especially those on the council who remember the times before Solace. You will be asked some questions,’ Fenar’s wife explained, then she sighed. ‘Honesty is good, but truth can be … a tricky thing sometimes. Just ask my husband, he would know. He seems to have a high opinion of you. Unusual, really, I’m sure you noticed he has a tendency to dislike everyone.’

‘I have noticed that,’ Krissy agreed with the woman.

Korolan Mirei just smiled at her and said,

‘Now, before the hearing starts, tell me about your patron god. I heard she appears as a woman wearing a red dress.’

Krissy thought about it for a few moments, probably gathering her thoughts on the matter. She promptly ignored me when I suggested the main feature of the goddess was “being a pain in the ass”, and she proceeded to explain what she knew of the goddess. Which wasn’t much. In all fairness, even I didn’t know Wensah very well. I’d seen her only a few times, and my interactions with her were far from amiable. But Krissy did a good job being as vague and diplomatic as possible.

Mrs. Hellspawn kept humming and nodding, listening to Krissy’s abridged and incomplete account of events, not lying, but not telling everything either. When she was done, the councilwoman’s smile vanished, the look in her eyes suddenly as serious as a heart-attack.

‘Do you think it would be possible for me to meet your patron god? Sometime after the hearing? In private?’

‘May I ask why?’ Krissy asked, sounding worried.

‘It’s a … personal matter. I know gods don’t just appear to us mortals because we want them to, but your patron god and I might have an acquaintance in common. Someone I would like to ask her a few questions about.’

Kevin? Krissy turned her thoughts to me.

‘I’m not sure. I think I can get her to appear if I cut the supply of Essence to her. Or poke around that portal again, which I don’t want to do. So … maybe. No promises.’

‘It may be possible, but I can’t make a promise,’ Krissy said to her.

‘That’s all I can ask,’ the councilwoman said, smiling again. A bell’s chime filled the air, and everyone began climbing the stairs, leading up to the first floor. ‘The hearing is about to start. Remember, Krissintha, the truth is a tricky thing sometimes.’