Chapter 13

Krarshe sat across the table from Lycia. His eyes bounced between her and her breakfast: some fluffy, yellow thing that they claimed was eggs. She'd been picking at it absent-mindedly for a while now, long enough for other inn patrons to come and go for their morning meals. Krarshe had long since finished his own as well.

He spoke up finally. "Lycia?"

No response.

Again, he called out to her. "Lycia?"

"Huh?" She lifted her head, eyes focusing on him for the first time all morning.

"Is the food okay?"

"Huh? The... Oh, oh yes. It's fine." She took a spoonful of the soft yellow mush and ate it. "Mmm, delicious," she added flatly.

Didn't she say she didn't like eggs? Why'd she even request it? "Uh-huh... Lycia... You're still worried about yesterday, aren't you?"

She turned away. "Whatever could you mean?"

"You don't have to hide it. I understand. It's your mother, after all." He couldn't tell if she was listening but continued anyway. "However, it IS your mother. I'm sure whatever it was, she'll be okay."

He watched her intently, looking for any sign that he got through to her.

After a moment, she sighed. "I know... It's just-" She took a deep breath and pursed her lips, contemplating how to put her thoughts into words. She started poking around at the eggs on her plate. "Her expression... it worried me. She was so serious."

"Isn't she always?" Krarshe asked, half serious, half trying to assuage her worries.

She shook her head. "Not like this. I know it probably looks like that to you, but it's not the same. Trust me, I could see it in her face. Something happened."

It didn't seem like there was any talking her through this. So he tried a different tactic. "I know she said to continue our training, but maybe we should take a few days to consider our plans." She looked up at him as he continued, "You know, go back to Valenfort for a little while before finding our next quest. Maybe Marcel would have an idea of what happened. He seems pretty connected to the goings-on. What do you say?" He didn't think Marcel would actually know, but he figured if she was home, surrounded by those she grew up with, maybe it'd put her at ease some.

After a moment, she said, "That... that sounds like a good idea... Yeah, let's do that. We'll go back home for now." She scooped up more food off her plate. "I'm sure if it was anything serious enough to be a concern, Marcel would have heard about it."

Wait, is he actually well-connected? Krarshe pondered.

She finished up her breakfast and called their waitress over. "What do we owe for the breakfast and rooms?" she asked.

Krarshe tried to act normal, containing his comments. Even now, Lycia's inexperience with inns was evident.

"Mmm... You were rooms seven and eight, right? That was paid for yesterday by the third member of your group. Will she be down soon?" the waitress asked.

"Oh, no, she ended up being called out to some private business last night, so it's just the two of us," Krarshe said.

"Very well, then you're all set. Breakfast was included in your room's cost, so you're all set to go. Thank you for choosing Seraphine's Glass!" she said with a big smile as she turned to help another patron.

"I guess we can just head out then," Lycia said. She stood up and started for the door.

I guess she really wants to be home, he thought. Or maybe she's just trying to distract herself... No matter, I think she'll feel better once she's back.

Krarshe stood up and hurried after her.

The two of them made their way through the streets of Remonnet with haste to the gates of the city. Krarshe lamented that he once again wouldn't be able to go meet his friends, but Lycia was like a person possessed. It honestly made him more nervous than when she was quiet at breakfast, but he decided it best not to stop her.

As they went through the gateway, Krarshe felt that strange but familiar sensation, like he was stepping through a thin film. Keeping his eyes on Lycia as she walked ahead of him, he realized what it felt like. "Lycia."

"Hmm?"

"When did they erect a barrier around the city?"

"What?" She stopped abruptly and turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"Walking through the gate, it felt like when you enter the fence around your house."

Her face contorted in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't feel that just now?"

"Umm... No? I don't know what you mean about my home either. And I live there."

Huh? Am I just always imagining it? ... No, that can't be right. He took a couple steps back toward the entrance. "Here. Right here. You don't feel this?" he asked, gesturing with his hands as though there was some invisible wall.

Lycia walked over, waving her hand around where he was gesturing. "No, can't say I do," she said after a few waves of her hand. "You must be imagining it." She started walking again and Krarshe chased after her. "Besides, you called it a barrier, right? Like the one around my house. Those are only effective because you CAN'T feel them."

"Huh..." He was baffled. He definitely felt something there, faint though it was. But she didn't feel it at all. No, she said they couldn't be felt. But that didn't make sense...

He stopped on his heels and swerved out of the way of a couple of travellers, breaking his string of thoughts. He shook his head as he looked at the crowd outside the gates that he'd have to navigate through. He wasn't going to find the answers he sought, and constantly mulling it over was only going to lead him in circles. He'd just have to ask his master. Well, whenever he met her again. For now, though, he needed to not run into anyone else.

He passed a woman who had a flower neatly tucked in place, as though it was a hair ornament. The flower wasn't anything particularly special, it looked like one of the ones you often found around the city, but it stood out and accentuated her beauty. The smile on her face made Krarshe envious; what he wouldn't do to get Lycia to smile right now.

The two of them made their way through the flowering fields around the city. The breeze was still cool, but the early Budding sun bathed them in a comfortable warmth. Had the situation been different, Krarshe would have wanted to spend a bit of time here, just enjoying the beautiful sights and smells of this glorious bloom. And to share it with Lycia would be something special.

He felt those awkward but warm sensations welling up inside him again. Not unlike the rays of the sun, but at the same time wholly different.

The woman with the flower in her hair came to the forefront of his mind. Maybe she'd like a flower too. As he went to ask, he found himself holding back. Would it even be right to ask her if she wanted one? Would it be too presumptuous? Would she just laugh at him for it? Though, that could also result in the desired outcome, but at a cost.

He hemmed and hawed the entire trip back. In a flash, they were already nearing the forest of Vale. Ugh, why is this so frustrating?! Just do it!

Krarshe steeled himself and plucked the prettiest flower he could find around them. Do it! "U-umm... L-Lycia?"

"Yes?"

"W-w-w-would you... like this?" With a shaky hand, he held the flower up toward her.

She turned around to see the flower. The shock on her face made Krarshe nervous. "U-umm..."

Krarshe couldn't tell if she was happy or annoyed. Krun! Why'd I chance it? Krun!!

"I- I'd lov-" She stopped as her eyes drifted up. To Krarshe's face. Rather, PAST him. "What's that...?"

Not the reaction I was expecting... His pulse still racing, he turned around. Three men on horseback were approaching them. What? They can't be approaching us, right?

As if to spite him, the three horsemen did ride up to them.

"Well, now. What's this? Pair of sprites," said the first one as the other two guided their horses to circle around them. His stocky, heavyset body was clad in leather armor, with a few metal plates patched on in places. Thick, muscular arms waved and gestured to his companions.

"Sure this is the one?" he heard one of the two say softly behind him.

"For certain," answered the third.

The stocky one nodded to the other two.

Uh oh... This doesn't look good.

"Two elves, this far from Thalas'anir. Hmm, you two must be the SPIES we heard about."

"Yep yep. I think that's EXACTLY what we got here." The gangly one behind Lycia said, dismounting from his horse. His hand was resting on the longsword at his waist.

"We're not spies," Lycia protested. "I don't know where you got that information, but it's wrong. Look, we even have adventurer tags from Remonnet." She held up the silver tag she wore around her neck.

"Bahahaha! Easily forged," said the stocky one, dismounting as well. He pulled a large, bronze warhammer off the back of his horse's saddle.

"This is bad, they're not listening to us," Lycia messaged to Krarshe.

Krarshe watched them as they got closer. "Something tells me they were lying from the beginning. This was a fight from the moment they rode up."

"So, what we going to do with her?"

"I'm sure she'd fetch a good price," the stocky one said, a sickening smile twisting up under his mustache. "After all, some people got a proclivity for elves."

Krarshe reached out his hand toward them. Electricity began to arc down his arm, taking aim at the stocky one, and then-

"Ho there!" The man still on his horse shouted abruptly.

Krarshe felt the mana flowing down his arm fizzle. He turned around to see the third man holding open a scroll. The text was alight in blue flames and then quickly went out.

"Aha! He was right! The boy IS a mage!"

He? Krarshe wondered.

Suddenly, the world warped around him. The distance between him and the men stretched and swirled. He felt his balance give way as he stumbled, like the very ground beneath his feet had shrunk and expanded suddenly.

"K-Krarshe?" Lycia asked worriedly, but he could barely hear her. It was like she was leagues away.

Krarshe's breathing became ragged as he fell to a knee. He could feel his knee and foot sinking into the ground. Oh no...

"What... spell?" One of the men was talking, but Krarshe couldn't make it out.

"Dunn-... -ry pow-..." He could make out the laughter, but the words were impossible to hear.

No, not now, not now! Krarshe's world continued to spin. Clutching his face, trying to make it stop, he could feel the inhuman strength of his grip. But it did nothing. A sickening feeling in his stomach compounded the problem. Focus! FOCUS!

The roaring in his ears had become a loud ringing that drowned out all other sounds. Lycia seemed so far away now, when she had been beside him just a moment ago. It looked like one of the men was approaching her.

FOCUS!

Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream ripped through the ringing in his ears. Krarshe could see a flash of something, followed by a sudden foul smell. He recognized it from past quests.

Burning hair and flesh.

"CURSES! WHORE'S A MAGE TOO!"

"Krarshe!"

His world was still spinning, but Lycia's hand on his shoulder grounded him just enough to get back some semblance of balance. One man rolled on the ground, clutching his face and screaming.

"Krarshe! We got to run! NOW!"

He could hear the other two men yelling as she tried to drag him along, him staggering as he ran forward on wobbly legs.

"Get back here, you dregs!"

Krarshe had no idea how he managed to stay on his feet, especially with his head swimming, but he ran as fast as he could. A few times, when it felt like the world was shifting out from under him, he had to resort to a sort of crawling run on his hands but kept moving forward nevertheless.

"Hias gra!"

Lycia sent a flaming orb at their pursuers, again and again.

With the help of her spells, they made it into the forest. Quickly, they fled from the road and into the underbrush.

While the world was beginning to slow and objects slowly return to their proper depth, it was still exceedingly difficult for Krarshe to not trip. Just as he was reaching his limit, he felt a yank on his arm and a hand quickly cover his mouth.

"Shh!" Lycia was crouched over the top of him.

They were tucked away around the base of a tree, surrounded by thorns and branches and leaves. She did her best to stifle her heavy breathing.

Krarshe could see some trickles of blood on her hand and a couple small tears in her sleeves. A thin red line formed on her cheek. Between her touch and the hard wood he was pressed up against, it felt as though his head had returned to his shoulders and the world had come to a standstill. He grabbed her hand on his mouth.

"I'm fine now," Krarshe said.

"Fuck! I don't hear them!"

"Forget it, Roland. They're gone."

"No! We're getting a lot from this! Plus, they hurt Tobi!"

"All the more reason. We got to get help for him. See if they can still save his face."

Krarshe and Lycia listened quietly to the two men argue, trying to keep their breathing under control.

"Besides, this forest's cursed. No way they get out of here alive. And no amount of money worth getting tangled up in whatever's living in here."

"Arrrrgh!" A large thump shook a nearby tree. "Curses upon you! May the Hungerer find you!! Fucking dregs!"

The two elves continue to lay low in the underbrush for several minutes. After they were certain the men were gone, they got up.

Sure enough, the men were nowhere to be seen. A nearby tree had a splintered scar upon it, as though something hard had struck it with some force.

The two looked at each other. They'd narrowly escaped an unknown, but certainly dreadful, fate at these assailants' hands.

Without another word, they made for the village.

Krarshe was thankful beyond any means he could express. If Lycia hadn't been there, he'd be in their hands now. He knew not what spell was on that scroll, but it was dangerous. To him most of all.

* * *

Krarshe and Lycia sat in front of the fire at Marcel's house. The warm hearth felt good in the cool evening. It felt safe. Like home.

"Probably illegal slavers," Marcel said, placing down mugs of warm milk in front of the two. It seemed a simple explanation for the events they had just recounted to him. "Being suspected of espionage is a common claim, and being elves just makes it easier. You were probably just easy kidnap targets."

"What do you think about the scroll then?" Krarshe asked.

"Hmm? Umm... That was probably a scroll of mana disruption. Really useful against mages. They probably figured, as elves, you'd be gifted in magical arts."

"It debilitates a mage? I feel my mother would have warned us about it, no?"

Marcel shrugged and then flopped down in his chair by the fire. "Normally that doesn't happen. Honestly, I don't know much about magic, but I HAVE heard Taliarrah say your magic's strange. Maybe it rebounded or something. I don't know." He took a sip from his mug and gazed into the flickering flames. "Would be best to ask her about it, honestly."

Lycia sat back, taking a drink. "Yeah..." she said, staring wistfully into the white liquid.

Krarshe wished he could accept this reasoning, but something didn't add up. It sounded like they were looking for him. Specifically him. Like someone had told them about him - sent them after him - and Lycia was just unfortunate enough to be there. The thought that Krarshe could have again put Lycia's life in danger unsettled him.

"Any idea about what could have happened with my mother?"

"You said someone came up with a written message, right?"

"Yeah."

"Looked official. Had that... stuff on it," Krarshe added.

"A wax seal," Marcel explained. "Did you see what was on it?"

"It was a rose," he said.

"Hmm..." Marcel stretched and then leaned forward and rested on his knees. "That'd be the mark for high nobility, or maybe even royalty. Would certainly explain the secrecy and urgency in which she left. Can't really turn down those kinds of summons, you know?"

"But... Is it... something dangerous?" Lycia asked hesitantly.

Marcel looked at her with a hard, serious stare. Then smiled. "Don't know."

Lycia stared back at him. "... You don't know?"

"Nope."

"Not even a hint or clue?"

He shook his head. "Not a one. But! That should put you at ease. You see, if it were something important, there'd likely be some news about it by now. It COULD be something extremely dire, but I couldn't imagine something that serious. I would have at least heard whispered rumors if that were the case, anyway."

"Well, that's good," Krarshe said, smiling at Lycia.

She smiled and looked into her mug again. "... Yeah."

The three sat quietly, enjoying the fire and their drinks. After the tumult Lycia and Krarshe had gone through the last two days, or even before that with the events in Lanche, this calm was most welcoming.

With a yawn, Lycia said, "Well, I should probably get home. After today, all I want to do is sleep. Though... I can't say I'm not nervous about sleeping alone without my mo- mother there. Especially after what happened earlier..."

"Why don't you stay here then?" Marcel asked jubilantly.

"Wha-? N-no, no. I couldn't. I wouldn't want to impose."

"Nonsense! I have plenty of rooms! Besides, I'd be remiss if I let Taliarrah's daughter sleep alone in that dark, dank, desolate house! ... Don't tell her I said that."

Krarshe covered his face with his palm, with second-hand embarrassment.

Lycia's face contorted at that last part. "W-well... I guess this house is warm, and it would save me time warming my house. And I'm afraid of what creepy, crawly creatures have taken up residence in our absence..." She thought for a moment. "Okay, sure."

"Wonderful! Now Taliarrah can't say I've never done anything for her!" Marcel laughed.

Krarshe buried his face in both hands now. "Wisdom, why..." he muttered.

Lycia chuckled. "So, where is this room?"

"Just upstairs, second door on the right."

She nodded. "Well, 'til the morning, then. Good night." She gave an exaggerated bow and went upstairs.

Krarshe watched her until she was out of sight. Or, rather, until he noticed Marcel looking at him cheekily. "What?"

"Oh, nothing." That smile that Krarshe hated just grew wider.

"What?" he asked again, more insistent.

"I feel a 'thank you' is in order, no?"

"... For what?"

"Well... She's right upstairs."

"Okay..." Krarshe wasn't sure where this was going.

"Furthest spot from my room."

"Umm..."

"And, I'll just say I'm a very heavy sleeper." The smile was at its peak annoyance level.

It then dawned on Krarshe. "I'm not doing anything like that."

"Like what, exactly? What did you have in mind? Hmm??"

"That's it, I'm going to bed," he said defiantly, feeling the warmth in his cheeks.

"Just remember, that second step creaks," Marcel said, laughing vigorously.

That obnoxious laughter continued until well after his bedroom door had closed.