Keep Your Friends Close

Still irked by the way she treated him the night before, Katnir said nothing to Satine as they continued their march. Having caught some sleep, albeit unintentionally, she was clearly able to think with at least some clarity of mind, as they made some solid progress.

He had rethought his plan to extend his capture, and instead decided to break free at the first opportunity.

It’s better if I run away and find Reiny. We’re losing time in this shithole. We should be searching for the crystals in one of the central provinces.

As they trekked through the dense woods, they heard a distant clatter of hooves on the rocks. They crouched and silently made their way to the edge of the forest. Beyond it there was a meadow stretching on a rocky ridge. Along the crest, two riders were trotting, apparently looking for someone. Katnir recognized the coats of the Sisterhood.

“It’s them!” – Satine cried and sprung up to meet them.

Now or never – Katnir thought and smacked Satine in the back of her neck with his shackes. She fell unconscious.

He searched her for the key, eager to be finally reunited with his powers. As soon as he was free from the bondage, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was as if he woke up from a stupor. Even the air tasted differently, filled with the forest's residual aura.

As he was about to leave the scene, he glanced back at Satine and the two figures which were already riding away.

If they don’t find her now, she’ll never make it out…

After a brief hesitation, he shrugged and picked her up from the ground.

Oh, what the hell. Maybe they won’t kill me right away – he thought as he walked out of the woods and hailed the two battlesisters.

***

“Stay down, you’re too weak” – Sonia said when Satine tried to stand up. – “We’ll have to carry you back somehow.”

“I’ll take her home with Katria.” – Taevine decided. – “You two can look for the sorcerer, if he’s still around”

Sonia and Liesë exchanged glances.

“You’ll need Liesë to look after Satine. She’s the best healer out of the four of us.”

Taevine was hesitant, but she relented. Together with Liesë they tied their horses together and hung a blanket between them to act as a cradle for their wounded commander.

“I’ve got this” – Liesë whispered to Sonia before mounting her horse.

She and Katria looked as their sisters trotted away. Before they lost sight of them, Satine waved her hand at them. They waved back.

“Let’s make our way to the village of Coine, shall we?” – Sonia suggested. – “Maybe we can gather some news there.”

“Alright.”

They found their way back to the main road and followed it north. Sonia didn’t really want to search for the sorcerer. Had she wished so, she would have picked his track then and there. Whether Katria realized it or not, she wouldn’t dare speak up her mind. Instead of following the sorcerer, Sonia wanted to discreetly probe Katria about what the matter with Taevine was.

“Did the sorcerer say anything?”

“He just shouted at us. At first, we didn’t recognize him. You know, we couldn’t see him very well through the fog the other day. He just walked up to us, carrying Satine in his arms, and laid her on the ground. We only realized it was him when he disappeared in our plain sight.”

“Strange. Satine said she doesn’t remember falling unconscious. Could he have cast a spell on her?”

“She said he was shackled with catharite.”

“Yeah… and what she said happened before is even stranger. Why would he help her fight off the wealdlings? He could have run then and there.”

“I… don’t know, Sonia.”

“Did Taevine say anything?”

“At first, she wanted to chase after him, but I urged her to stay with Satine instead.”

“And…?”

“She still wanted to go, but she knew that Satine’s safety was more important.”

So does she want to take over or not? Maybe she didn’t dare, knowing that Satine is alive.

She didn’t press Katria further, lest she started to suspect something. Sonia felt bad for treating the poor girl like a conspirator. She knew she probably was under Taevine’s influence.

Actually, is it really true that Taevine’s up to something? Maybe she was just upset about Satine’s disappearance and her acting bossy was actually her cope.

It was already evening when they made it to Coine. The village sat atop a hill overlooking the surrounding birch forest. The pale bark on the trees glared orange in the setting sun.

A tall palisade encircled the village. The only way in was through the wooden tower gate with some archers standing guard atop. The sentries let them in through the gate without any trouble, seeing the crests of the Sisterhood.

The muddy streets weren’t too lively. Only some merchants with their wares and lumberjacks hauling timber moved around minding their business. Sonia and Katria rode between rows of wooden huts and finally found an inn. A faded signboard read “Broken Horseshoe”.

“Can you go find some fodder for the horses, please?” – Sonia asked. – “I’ll take care of the lodging for the night.”

Katria nodded and took their horses to the stable while Sonia made her way inside the inn. It was brightly lit with candles. A whole crowd of patrons was in attendance that evening, mostly local laborers after a long day of work. They were playing cards and drinking to their hearts’ content, while making a ruckus heard across the entire village. The smell of liquor was overwhelming, but Sonia didn’t mind. In fact, she intended to indulge herself a little as well. After all, mother Mina wasn’t watching and Katria knew to keep her mouth shut.

She had little sitting spots to choose from in this throng of people. Finally, she settled for a secluded table near the window, and ordered two cups of wine for herself and Katria.

“Hey, little fawn…” – she heard a drunken voice behind her back. – “How about joining me and me lads for some fun, huh?”

Sonia knew how to deal with blokes of this kind. She was already coiled for a sucker punch in the gut when she heard another voice.

“Be so kind and leave the lady alone, will you?”

“Huh?”

She heard a dull thump. When she turned around, she saw a large, visibly drunk man stumbling around for a second, before sitting down on the bench, unconscious, guided by a hooded stranger. When Sonia looked around, it seemed that no one had seen the entire incident, and the drunken man looked as if he had fallen asleep.

The stranger sat at a free spot on the other end of the table and ordered a flagon of ale. It was only then when Sonia realized her amulet had been trembling the entire time. Her heart sank as she recognized the sorcerer from the bridge. She hid her crest, hoping he had not seen it.

***

Katnir didn’t even bother with the clay cup left by the tavern wench, and instead took a mighty swig straight from the tin flagon, intending to wash down the craziness of the last few days. He had already ordered a room in the attic and a hot tub. He felt he deserved some respite before embarking on the search for Reiny, but only one night. The urge to find the khorii crystals had come back with a renewed strength the moment catharite was off his wrists, and with it – his grief.

What a waste of time that whole ordeal was. Maybe I’ll just cross the river and go west immediately. Reiny will find me somehow. The further away from those nuns, the better.

Suddenly, a soft voice dragged him out of his thoughts.

“Hey… uh, thanks, but I could have handled him myself.”

He looked around and saw the ginger girl that was getting hit on by a drunk a few moments ago.

“I know. I just felt like punching the bloke.”

The girl chuckled.

“Do you always punch people for fun?”

“Only when they have a punchable face.”

“I think I’m beginning to like you.”

That was strange to hear, but Katnir didn’t mind having a chat. He was still far from being done with his beer chugging for the night.

“Too bad. I’m leaving tomorrow and I’m not coming back.”

“What’s the hurry?”

He looked her down, but didn’t notice any ill intent in her voice or her face. In fact, she simply seemed childishly curious.

“I have some business to attend to, and then I’ll be off to somewhere far away.”

“Why leaving?”

“Let’s just say I’m a bit homesick.”

“I feel you. I had to leave my home too.”

“How come?”

“Well…” – the girl lowered her voice and leaned closer. – “My pa was caught poaching and, uh… extended family took me in.”

“I see…”

“But it’s not too bad. I love my new sisters” – she said and after a pause added with a more somber tone – “Probably more than my pa had ever loved me…”

Katnir was surprised to hear her confide such a thing. After all, he was a stranger. He thought the wine must have already gone to her head.

Maybe it’s not such a bad thing to vent to a stranger. It’s not like I’ll see her again.

“Then what makes you miss your home?”

“I guess it’s not the family home itself that I miss, but rather the idea of it, the endless potential of who’d I become once I grow up.”

“Are you not happy with whom you grew up to be?”

“Well, I never wanted the responsibilities that I have, and that spoils the fun a little bit.”

Katnir glanced at her longbow, which was leaning against the wall.

“I can see you’re an archer. Wouldn’t little you be happy to see you’re good with a bow?”

The girl chuckled. She had a sweet laugh.

“Aye, she probably would.”

“Then there’s at least a little to be happy with.”

“Yeah, I guess there is… And what makes you miss home?”

The wizard thought for a second. He was wary not to reveal himself, but he didn’t want to blatantly lie to her. Maybe the second flagon of ale he had emptied in the meantime made him soft, or maybe it was the disarming innocence of the girl.

“I think we may not be too different. I also miss what I could’ve been.”

“Why?”

“I could have learned a lot from my peers back home. Out here I feel like I’m just wasting my time.”

“Maybe here you can gain something no one else at your home ever has.”

“Like what?”

“Wisdom. A new perspective at what it means to live.”

“Bollocks. The meaning of life is to learn, add something worthy from yourself to that knowledge and pass it on.”

The girl laughed.

“But you can gain much more insight by travelling, talking to people, by experiencing what’s foreign to you, by striving to understand it. If you just settle for what’s familiar, you can only swallow and regurgitate the same ideas your people have had for ages. That’s not progress, that’s stagnation.”

Katnir didn’t know what to tell her. What she said gave him some food for thought.

As he was pondering over her point, the window shattered with a loud smash and a fireball flew inside the inn, hitting one of the tables further inside and blowing it to splinters.