Authors: James R. Vernon
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
They traveled through the woods for three days without incident, which should have made Nolan content, but he was worried that his brain was turning to mush. Ever since he had bonded Paz and Ezzy again, his equilibrium was off. Worse, he was having trouble concentrating. In the middle of a sentence, he would forget what he was talking about. He would have a useful thought, but it would evaporate before reaching his tongue. At least the trek had been peaceful. Considering it was the Chill season, the weather was unseasonably warm. At night, the blankets were enough to keep the cold at bay. That didn't mean he wasn't looking forward to a roof over his head and a warm bed. And a hearty meal in a tavern would be nice.
While Nolan appreciated Shayua's efforts to spice up their food, he had grown tired of eating road rations and rabbit meat. What he wouldn't do for a warm loaf of bread, a cup of spiced wine, and a comfy chair by the fire to enjoy them! Most of all, though, he wanted to get Ezzy alone for a few moments and away from her new "mentor."
The two women were walking in front of him at the moment, talking in low tones about who knew what. In only a few days, the two had become inseparable. Always talking about Avien'zia this and hunting that. Shayua never said very much about her goddess around him, which was fine as far as he saw it. Nolan was quite content following Ni'Aren. Knowledge. That's what was important in this world. Not the ability to catch and skin a rabbit. Ezzy had finally caught one the previous night, which he had to admit was impressive. And Shayua flavored them with some tasty spices...
Focus, Nolan.
Stopping for a moment, he rubbed at his left elbow. He had been lost in his own thoughts yesterday when he missed seeing the fallen log. He tried to walk right through it, tripped, and landed on the only jagged rock in the area. To make matters worse, he had gotten tangled up in a bush, and Ezzy had to have Paz pull him out. He didn't know what was worse, the nagging pain in his elbow or the annoyed grunts Shayua made sure Nolan heard whenever he had the least bit of trouble moving through the dense forest. Both made sleeping difficult. His elbow hurt whenever he rolled on it, and Shayua, well, she was a killer.
"Nolan!" Ezzy was yelling from far ahead of him. "You ok?"
How had she gotten so far ahead? Even Paz was ahead of him. He hadn't even noticed the Vilathos trudging past him, sticks and saplings crackling under its metal feet. He was getting lost in his thoughts more and more often. Deep in thought. And it was getting worse. Every time he used his power, it was like...well...
"Nolan!"
A hand on his shoulder startled Nolan out of his thoughts. He was even more startled to see Ezzy standing right in his face. Had the girl run back to him? Had she...
"Nolan. Focus. Focus on me."
He did. He looked at her young face, a few new wrinkles around her amber eyes. Eyes full of concern. She knew what was happening to him. He had warned her the same day she had asked him to come with her on this search for justice. Was it still justice she sought or was it revenge? Had it always been revenge? His biggest fear was that she--
Her hand struck his face. Not a hard slap, but it certainly had enough force to knock the thoughts from his head.
"You hit me!"
"I'm sorry! You weren't responding and I got worried."
"Yes, well, I understand. Thank you."
She let out a laugh. He knew her well enough to hear the nervousness she tried to hide in it.
"Anytime. I wish I could knock some sense into you more often." Her tone grew more serious and she dropped her voice. "It's getting worse, isn't it, Nolan? It took you a long time to wake up after the last time you bound me to Paz, and these last couple of days you've been quiet. More quiet than usual."
"It's becoming more difficult to get out of my own head, like my mind is a forest more dense than the one we're in, and I'm trying to find my way at night. Before, it came and went, but now..."
He grew silent as Shayua approached.
"Is everything alright?" The bounty hunter's eyes scanned him top to bottom. "Does the old man need a break? It would be a shame to stop now when we are so close to our destination."
"Nolan's fine, Shayua. His knee is just bothering him."
"Fine. I'm going to scout ahead then. After you have assisted the old man, catch up quick. We still have much I wish to discuss before we reach Shade."
"Of course, Shayua. I'll be there soon."
Nolan glared at the bounty hunter as she walked off. Why was she in charge now? This was Ezzy's hunt... Hunt? Wonderful, now he was talking like her too.
"I'll show you old, you towering red buffoon," he said, brandishing his staff at her back.
"I heard that, old man!"
"Good!"
"Nolan, stop." Ezzy put a hand on his arm and lowered it along with his staff. "You shouldn't say things about her skin. You know how much it upsets her."
"Let her be upset. She had no problem insulting me."
"True, but you couldn't rip off both her arms if you got angry enough. The same can't be said for her."
"Let her try. If you've already forgotten, I was the one to capture her in the first place."
"You struck her from behind after she was about to thank me for helping her."
"Don't make excuses for her."
Rolling her eyes, Ezzy put an arm around his shoulder and started leading him forward. "Come on, let's get going. We can walk and talk for a bit."
"I don't need a babysitter, Ezzy. I'm more than twenty years your senior."
"You're also my friend and I worry about you. So humor me."
"Fine, but we're not going to talk about my...condition."
"Of course we are," she said with a laugh. Nolan tried to glare at her, but the sound of her laughter broke his resolve. He let a smile touch his lips, but didn't give her the satisfaction of laughing with her.
"You are impossible, Ezzy."
"Yes, but you've known that since the day you made me that first Vilathos doll."
He couldn't help but laugh again at the memory. She had been so excited by the gift, a small doll made mostly of cloth and straw. When he had bonded her to it, even with the magic strengthening the material, it could barely stand on its own. By the end of the day though, she had it tumbling around and making human gestures. Ezzy had always been a natural at controlling Vilathos. That had been the deciding factor when she had begged him to bond her to Paz. She had been so desperate that day. It broke his heart to see her--
Nolan's foot struck something and he pitched forward. He felt Ezzy's arm try to keep him upright, but he ended up dragging her down as well. She let out a yelp as they tumbled forward landed in a heap. Nolan lost his grip on his staff as he hit the ground and the dull throb of his previous injuries doubled in intensity from the impact. Once the initial shock of hitting the ground wore off, they disentangled from each other and climbed back onto their feet.
"Well, that was embarrassing," Ezzy said, brushing leaves and twigs off her yellow cloak.
"At least your new mentor is out of sight. I'm sure she would have loved to point and laugh at the two of us."
"Oh, give her a chance, Nolan. She's going to be with us for a while. You might as well try to be friendly."
"I'll leave that to you. Meanwhile I'll stick to my job of trying to keep you out of trouble."
"Need I remind you who just made both of us fall?"
"Right, because you've never tripped before."
Her voice grew serious as she looked him directly in the eyes. "Nolan, I know it wasn't clumsiness that made you fall. You were laughing along with me one moment and then you suddenly stopped. Your eyes glazed over. I literally watched as you disappeared into your own head."
"Ezzy, I really don't want to talk about it. I'm just tired. I need a night in a real bed, in a warm room, after a very large meal. Then I'll be fine."
"We both know you won't be fine."
"Just let it go for now, ok Ezzy? I promise if you want to talk about it, we can, once we get to Shade."
Frowning, she stared at him for a few moments. Nolan felt a swell of happiness at her obvious concern. He had always cared about Ezzy, ever since he became a permanent employee for the Ciantar family. After the death of her father, he had felt like he was becoming a father figure to the young woman. It was both intimidating and an honor. He had to make sure to live up to that title.
He had a few titles now. Thaljori was the major one. Follower of Ni'Aren was another. Shut-in was how his neighbors viewed him. Well, until he had started traipsing about looking...
Pull it together!
When his eyes focused again, he found Ezzy staring at him, the frown replaced with a sad smile. In the fading light, it was hard to make out the rest of her expression... fading light... wasn't it before midday? How long did each mental lapse last? They couldn't possibly have been walking all day already...
"Well," Ezzy's voice matched the sadness in her eyes. "It looks like you pulled yourself out of that little mental episode by yourself. I guess we can wait a bit to have a serious conversation about what's happening to you. We certainly won't be able to get far with you continuing to disappear. Maybe you are right and a good night's sleep in a warm bed will help your condition a little."
"Thank you, Ezzy. I appreciate it."
"As long as you realize that by a 'bit,' I mean the first day after we get settled into an inn and you get some rest."
"Fine, fine." He flashed her a small smile. "As long as you realize that the following morning I plan on sleeping in until lunch time."
"Sounds good to me." Ezzy gave him one last look over and then started walking ahead. After a few paces, she looked back over her shoulder at him. "That will give Shayua and me some time to hunt down this Saniteal we're looking for and politely ask him a few questions."
Nolan wasn't sure if it was the mischievous smile she wore or the inflection of her voice, but he knew right then that there was no way he would be sleeping in any time soon.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
They reached Shade the following morning. As they approached their destination and the Unyielding Wall, Nolan noticed a slight change in the trees around them. The foliage seemed to bend and curve away from the wall, the trunks leaning away from the massive shadow cast by the wall. Their leaves, which should have already fallen once the Chill season began, were a mixture of bright green and purple. The closer they got to the wall, the more noticeable the change became. It made Nolan uncomfortable for some reason, and he was glad when the trees finally tapered off and the village of Shade spread out in front of them.
Shade was an average-sized village of a hundred or so residents. Consisting mostly of homes, the only shops entailed an inn, blacksmith, healer's hut, and general store. Nolan had never been there before, but he had read about it while working for Ezzy's father. It had been founded and was under the control of the Janpair Hawkpurse family. They had settled this close to the wall to have easy access to the unique worms that lived in the swamps to the south. Those worms produced a fine silk that couldn't be found anywhere else in the realm and made the most exquisite clothes and sheets. Nolan had two robes made of the material, his favorite, hanging back in his house. After he had bought his first, he had researched as much as he could about Shade and the nearby swamps. It had been done on a whim, but perhaps that information would prove useful while they were here.
With no point in worrying about being followed now, the three companions and Paz moved onto the road and walked into town. Their first destination was the village inn, The Cozy Shade, which was the first building sitting alongside the road to their left. A large two-story building with a stable that wrapped around behind it, the Cozy Shade was painted an obnoxious orange and green. The sign hanging out front was a detailed depiction of the Unyielding Wall behind a few buildings with the sun barely peeking over the top. It struck Nolan as strange to have such a detailed sign when few people actually visited the out-of-the-way village.
"What an ugly building," Ezzy said. "Why in the world would you paint anything, let alone an entire building, such a brash combination of colors?"
"Your father used to say that the people who live in Shade were a little...different."
"Well, I've met some of the cousins of the Janpair family, and if they were any indication of what the rest of this village is like, we are in for an entertaining couple of days."
"Who cares what the people are like," Shayua cut in. "I want some real meat, a good pig leg, or deer haunch. Anything that takes me more than two bites to finish."
"For once I agree with our tall tag-a-long," Nolan replied. "Sitting in a room with a toasty fire, a plate full of food, and a relaxing drink sounds perfect."
"And I agree with you, old man. Plentiful food AND drink are just rewards after days stumbling through the woods."
Ezzy rolled her eyes. "I'll be happy to be around people other than you two bickering children. That's the first thing you've agreed on the entire trip."
"We're older than you," both Shayua and Nolan said in unison. Nolan frowned as he realized what happened while Shayua just stormed off towards the inn.
"The two of you are ridiculous," Ezzy said before walking off towards the inn as well. Paz started moving immediately after her.
Watching Ezzy and her Vilathos walk off, Nolan had to admit that the comments between himself and the bounty hunter were unnecessary. He used to have better control over his words. Ni'Aren taught patience and to think before you spoke, but he often found himself doing the opposite. Plus, the woman had more than made up for trying to take them back to Lurthalan over the past couple of days. She supplemented their supplies of food, cooked amazing meals with the barest of supplies, and most importantly, offered them a great deal more protection than Nolan could provide.
Of course, in his mind, none of that compared to the negative influence she was having over Ezzy. When boiled down to the most basic facts, the only thing keeping him from accepting her was an unwavering fear that the woman would lead Ezzy down a darker path. She was smart, if a bit unpredictable, and she knew the difference between right and wrong. He had to hope it was possible Ezzy's newfound devotion to a goddess would not lead her to murder the man she was looking for. And if Shayua and her cursed goddess did push her towards killing the man, Nolan would intervene and make her do what was right. No matter what the cost.
A cold wind brought him back to the here and now. Pulling his coat tighter against his body, he made his way to the inn. A fence built to contain the horses belonging to the inn's customers ran around the right side of the inn. Paz stood inside it, stoic and waiting for orders. It no longer held all of their bags, meaning Shayua and Ezzy must have already taken them inside. With thoughts of a warm room and meal driving him on, Nolan walked up the couple of steps to the front door and entered the inn.
Warmth greeted him like an old friend as soon as he stepped through the double doors, and he sighed as the chill immediately left his bones. Even the knife wound in his shoulder didn't throb as much as it had while they traveled. That alone was worth any amount of coin they would have to pay to stay here. Add in an evening by the fire to take some of the pain out of his aching knee and elbow, and he might even be able to sleep comfortably tonight.
The common room itself was almost empty. A single waitress moved about, pushing in stools and chairs and wiping down tables. A few patrons sat scattered about the room, enjoying a late breakfast or asleep with their heads on the table from the night before. None of those at the tables were Ezzy, but he did find Shayua sitting by the fire, a mug already in her hand. She frowned when she noticed him looking at her. Then, to his surprise, she waved him over.
"Esmerelda...I mean Ezzy, has already gotten us a room. She is taking our things up to it as we speak."
"That's good. I'm looking forward to a night in an actual bed."
"You don't like me."
The statement caught him off guard. Well, the woman was direct. He had to give her that.
"I don't like how much influence you're exerting over Ezzy."
"Ezzy is old enough to make her own decisions."
"Yes, you keep saying that, but age does not always bring wisdom. What you have to remember is that Ezzy grew up in one of the richest households in the realm. She was sheltered from the reality of our realm and is still learning how harsh and unforgiving this world really is. In that aspect she still is like a child. A very impressionable child."
"All the more reason for me to be her instructor. After all these years, it doesn't seem like you've done much to educate her about how to navigate Ven Khilada. Her first thought when a problem arises is to throw some money at it."
Nolan held back the biting retort that almost leapt out of his mouth. As much as he hated to admit it, Shayua was right. He had let her get away with a great deal. As much as he talked about keeping her head on straight, he never actually pushed his ideas on her. By the Abyss, he hadn't really impressed upon her how much he disliked her current path. He was taking the roundabout way by talking to Shayua instead of her. Worst of all, he couldn't think of a valid argument against what she said.
"That may be true," he finally admitted, "but I don't want her education to include murder and revenge. Ezzy already has a great deal of pent-up anger over what happened to her family. All it will take is a little push to change her hunt for justice to one of revenge."
"Is that what you think I'm teaching her? To seek revenge and kill those that have wronged her?"
"Isn't that what your goddess wishes?"
Shayua leaned back in her chair and took a long drink from her cup. Her eyes never left his. Nolan began to shift uncomfortably in his seat under that stare. When the bounty hunter slammed her cup down on the table, he nearly jumped out of his chair.
"Alright, Nolan Bintershad. Before Ezzy returns we need to come to an agreement. First, we must acknowledge that I know as little about your beliefs as you do about mine. We should not let our ignorance affect how we interact with each other and Ezzy."
"Agreed. I won't think of you as a brute and a killer, and you won't think of me as a frail know-it-all."
A small smile touched her lips. "Exactly. And to alleviate some of your fears, know that when given the option of capturing a bounty dead or alive, Avien'zia would rather her hunters take a prey alive. That is the idea I have pressed on Ezzy and will continue to promote. I want her to take this Ean fellow alive just as strongly as you do."
"That does make me feel better."
"Good, then the last thing I ask of you is to let her find her own way. If becoming a true devotee to Avien'zia is not what she is meant to do, it will be made obvious to us all. But do not try and hinder her from discovering her own path one way or another. Only two people can make that decision. Ezzy or Avien'zia herself."
"I can manage that, as long as you do not try to keep secrets from me." He raised a hand as she leaned forward, a scowl appearing on her face. "What I mean is that any decision or plan that involves her and our next course of action should be discussed as a group. Not decided between the two of you and then told to me after the fact."
"That is acceptable. Shall we make a pact on it then?"
Nolan hid his hands underneath the table. "I don't think blood needs to be involved to seal this particular deal."
This earned a great bellowing laugh from the woman.
"Not every deal involves the merging of blood. Again you show how little you know about my goddess and our practices."
"Oh. Well then." He felt his cheeks start to color. "A handshake?"
"Yes, a simple handshake will be fine."
"Good," he said, extending his hand. "I wasn't sure that--"
He cut off as Shayua spit on her palm and extended it towards him. Although her face had taken on a serious look, her lip trembled as if holding back a smile. Shaking his head ruefully, he spit into his own hand and then grasped hers.
It was at just that moment that Ezzy walked up to them.
"Should I take this as a sign the two of you will stop going at each other's throats?"
"Yes," Nolan replied.
"Less than before at least." Shayua said at almost the same time.
"Good, because we have much to do. Let's order some food, rest our feet for a moment, and then it's time to work. The day is still young, and we have a Saniteal to find."