Seer Sight

"Rorik," Vala answered reluctantly. It pained her to utter her son's name out loud, considering why she was looking for him. "No doubt he goes by a different name now, if any, but that was the name he was born with."

Looking towards the rising sun as she crested the hill, she continued in an almost wistful manner, "He had the fairest hair and eyes like sapphires. I always knew he'd grow up to be a fine, strong man. He was like that before leaving the village... perhaps he still is."

Walking down the other side of the hill now, Vala saw the wagon and men Nimbus had mentioned. She tensed herself as one of them approached and stood in the way, but said nothing. The others moved to join him. There were three of them.

"What do you want?" Vala said, warily tightening her grip on her staff.

The man still didn't respond. He only looked at Vala and then at Nimbus with a gauging stare. After a while, he turned back to his companions and shook his head, then all three of them returned to their wagon.

Walking on until she was past them, Vala said to Nimbus, "I wonder what that was about."

~~~

"Not a good time?" Ashnak repeated as he tried to remember last night... and then he did. "Oh no, that's right... I was in one of my moods."

That was putting it lightly. It began with Ashnak sitting by the hearth with his men and the owner of the house, reminiscing about Jorgen and their past adventures.

With each bottle of mead, Ashnak's hatred of the king's killer was brought closer and closer to the surface until, after the sixth or seventh bottle, it erupted like a volcano.

From there, he was ranting and raving, vigorously describing the methods he'd use to torture and kill the assassin, each more draconian than the last. It went on for some time before Ashnak finally passed out from drinking too much.

To answer the elf's questions, he replied, "The moot should be half a month from now and I'd like to spend today talking to my allies in the city. I'd like to know their thoughts on some of the matters we discussed last night. You're welcome to come with me if you want."

Walking on until she was past them, Vala said to Nimbus, “I wonder what that was about.”


“Well, did you notice their wagon?” Nim asked. “Take another look.”


The wagon the men had with them was like a traveling merchant shop. It's odds and ends hug off the sides, things of various kinds filled the nooks and crannies. Carpet rolls, fancy dresses tucked into drawers. Pots clanked the sides, rods of iron stuffed in barrels. A familiar staff stuck into the side, one that Nimbus recognized. Lanterns of different qualities chained to poles swung from side to side. The wagon itself was beyond what a few men like them could afford from a days wage. But Nimbus knew these men weren't interested in an honest living.


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fJFYSQF2zH...avan_wagon.jpg


They say never judge a book by it’s cover, but people forget that there is usually a summary on the back to give you a clue. Just like their wagon, the men looked mismatched and out of sync with what you might expect from a steady working merchant. Anyone would carry weapons, but the rest was still off. Quietly judging them by sight, Nimbus named them all.


‘Budgy’ was the man who had a rounded build like a massive boulder. His hair was long, spilling like a black waterfall along the sides of his head. Sunlight glinted off the top of his bald crown tattooed with symbols. His lips were large, but somehow paler then the parchment colored skin. They were even more pronounced for how flat his nose was against his face. The glaring beady eyes that were set below the large black unibrow across his forehead. He only wore a pair of red silk pants that billowed, gathered at the ankle with tasseled ropes. A wide sword was stopped to his hip.


The oldest one, now called ‘Grumpers’ by Nim, was carrying a hammer across his back. He had deep scars in his face that made it look like his own skin was a mask. This was kind of disturbing, but hey, you never know what a person goes through in life. He wore the best things out of the three, besides his shoes. Too nice. So many jewels woven into the fabric. His messy grey hair was braided down his back. Both eyes were a pale creamy green.


The last man, looking like the youngest of the group, was called Stork, in her mind. His skin was like the grey hued skin of a herons feather. Sickly, hallow faced, tall. The one she labeled Stork had a circled earring of gold, dangling from his ear by a thin chain. His hair was patched, as if he had some kind of disease that made his hair thin and wispy. Easy to break. His long spindly body had more leg and arms than torso. His fingers spread like spiders legs over the crossbow he carried. It’s quality would denote that a skilled hand made it, that had been tailored, but not for him it seemed.


“What sense did it make for a tailor to craft an outfit that didn’t fit his client?” Nimbus pointed out. “These men are bandits. They didn’t even offer to sell anything like a merchant would, you see? They only eyed you, and seeing me, they made the sensible choice not to tangle with us.”


Nimbus didn’t need to explain further to prove her point. Ahead they saw a half naked man, brutally beaten. His motionless body was sprawled to the side amongst the bushes. Eyes stared into nothing. “The man I saw yesterday from the sky.” She frowned. “His staff is gone too.” Nimbus’s eyes clouded with a stormy blue eyes, recalling the staff the wagon had. “Bastards.” She whispered. “I can't imagine what they might have done to you.”


=


“Of course I would, Ashy.” Naris chuckled. “I got to get work done too, you know? If he thought I was being lazy, even though there isn’t anything much for me to do as I wait here, I’ll get chewed out. Not that I don’t want to do work, but you know. What can I do until the moot?” He said, now just kind of shuffling his feet a bit. “Sometimes you can only do so much, but, not for him. I have to keep doing something. Then maybe we’ll be on good terms you know?..."

Naris's mind went back to a point in time when all things shifted for his life, but he dragged himself back to the present. "So anyway...who are you going to visit first?"

Bandits. Cowards. Vala had nothing but disdain for such men, but considering the nature of her mission, she felt no compunction about leaving the dead merchant and his killers behind.

It would have been a waste of time to confront them and Vala preferred to avoid trouble when it could be avoided. However, she wouldn't put it past the three men to follow and wait for some later opportunity to strike. If it did come to that, she wouldn't hesitate to spill their blood in the snow.

"Better then they should worry what I'd do to them," Vala replied. "My blade guts men as well as elk, but let's ignore them for now. We have more important things to worry about than vermin."

After some time, the fact that Vala was essentially retracing her steps began to niggle at her mind. Had she actually passed her son along the way to the city?

At the very least, the elf had confirmed Rorik to be the assassin. No one else, no matter how skilled, would have that kind of advantage when it came to finding him.

"Let's go that way for a while," Vala said as she pointed her staff off the left side of the road, where the tall birch trees grew thicker. "I'd like to find a safe place to use the sight."

~~~

"I haven't decided yet," Ashnak answered. "First, we'll have to find out who is in the city. I'll have Arnolf and the others do that, and when they report back, we'll move out then. Until that time, let's have a talk. There are some things I want to know that only you and your brother could know."

Returning to his room to get dressed, Ashnak went to find Arnolf and the other men to set them upon the task of reconnaissance. With some grumbling, they ate and dressed hastily for the outside chill, then moved outside with a purpose and spread out to different parts of the city.

After seeing his men out of the house, Ashnak returned to the hearth to eat some bread and meat left over from last night. All the empty bottles scattered around were enough to give a man the mother of all headaches in the morning, but being an orc, Ashnak's hardy constitution negated such problems. Indeed, his only wish now was that he had left at least a little mead untouched.

"So, I know this might be a little awkward," Ashnak said as he checked one empty bottle after another. "I imagine you and Cirian would have been questioned quite heavily after Jorgen's death, but please understand; the last time I saw him was back in the north a year ago, as you might know, so don't think of this as an interrogation. I just want to know what he's been up to since then and before his murder."

It had been some time that Nimbus had scouted. She didn't particularly like Vala going into a thicket of trees. Part of her wanted her to wait a moment while she looked ahead. Vala walked on into it anyway, seeking about for a place to lay. There they found a large boulder, that nestled against a cliff edge. It was not so high. About ten or so feet, but a cliff edge nonetheless. The boulder's side was gaping for a gash that was cut into it. A dry spot on the ground was a good place to lay.


"Do you think this is good enough?" Nimbus asked, fluttering to a branch by it. "I can keep my eyes out for trouble if you want to use your sight here."


=


"Questioned? I'll say. I was questioned twice, if you get my drift." Naris sighed. "He wasn't without his own interrogation. But anyway, yeah, North." The young elf shuffled some of the bottles around, putting them up in a clever shape that held itself up.


Naris made a thoughtful expression, thinking about what to say to Ashnak. What was it that Jorgen did? Would that he was articulate like his brother.


"As far as I know, he was fine. Doing what he had to do. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary." Naris shrugged, but also he frowned. That was an issue his brother got on his case for.


Naris wasn't paying enough attention. Naris should have taken note of everyone Jorgen met. Naris shouldn't have let- well, what's done was done.


"Did you notice anything? Anyone new, anyone old? Something? Someone? I can't think of anything wrong." Naris admitted. "And I can't say much happened at night that my brother didn't know about. Nothing happens at night. What was there for him to catch? Nothing really. It's my observation that lacks, apparently."

Surveying the area, Vala nodded and replied, "This will do, thank you for your help."

Huddling up against the foot of the boulder, she held onto her dagger and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were aglow with the sight and she saw the same vision she saw in the tavern. This time however, there was more...

~~~

"Well they saw us. Bring the beast man," said the oldest of the three bandits. "We'll have need of his power."

The youngest went to fetch the shapeshifter whilst the largest came and asked, "Do you have a plan?"

"Yes, we'll use the savage to range ahead of us like last time and let him do the fighting. With any luck we won't have to do a thing, but just in case, you and I will take the woman, and Ivar will shoot down the eagle."

When the shapeshifter came back, his dark eyes locked onto the old one's and his mouth curled up in a smirk. How the grey haired bandit hated it when he did that.

The shapeshifter was a true savage of the north; black eyes, black hair, tall and lean as a hound, all covered in blue tattoos and clothed only in a leather vest, boots and loincloth. It would have been foolish for anyone else to be near naked in the snow, but apparently the beast blood ran hot in the shapeshifter's veins.

"Brun, we have a job for you," the old bandit said.

"Tell all," Brun replied. "I listen."

A short while later, the shapeshifter travelled along the road in bear form with the bandits trailing behind. It was not too long before he reached the forest and the hunt began. For the purpose of stealth, he shifted back into human form and followed the woman's tracks on the ground.

~~~

"Don't be hard on yourself," Ashnak replied. "No one can be expected to remember every little detail of the past, or even know which should be important. No doubt, Jorgen had simply been doing his duties, same as usual."

Finally finding a bottle that was at least half full, Ashnak took a swig of mead and sat back in a chair by the hearth.

"So the question is now, who would benefit from his death? With this long winter, all the people that are leaving and the money with them, the next king would only inherit those problems. What's to be gained?"

Among the branches, Nimbus would flit from tree to tree, keeping an eagles eye on the surrounding forest. Any noise, any movement, had to be investigated. It was prudent to make sure one wasn’t completely exposed to danger. During a landing on a branch farthest away from Vala, Nimbus caught sight of a shaded figure. His presence sent an alarm in Nim’s mind. Friend or foe ran through her mind in a flash, and Nimbus decided he was not going to be given the benefit of a doubt.

Taking to the sky in that second, she tried to be as silent as possible. Diving down, Nim focused on his spine. Locking eyes in mid air, Nim turned just in time before the tattooed man could repel her attack which caught his attention to her displeasure. Making a blast of a shriek, her eagle voice was loud, and hopefully it was as alarming to hear for Vala as it might be for Brun.

Taking a swerve again, she dived down once more. These beings were nothing to toy with, and Nimbus knew there was a possibility of great damage, but there was dire need to fend him off.

Come on Vala, wake up! She spoke in her mind, unsure if she should give away that Vala was hiding between the boulder and the cliff.

~~~

“Ah, I don’t think drawbacks to having the current throne is much of an issue. Every rule has problems.” Naris offered, shuffling through bottles to find a full and unopened one. He smiled with a boyish grin at his good fortune, taking a seat by Ashnak near the hearth. “I wouldn’t say a man would worry about taking up slack. Maybe they think they have an answer for the issues at hand, and so that isn’t a big deal. What we should look at first is the very simple question.”

He popped the top off the bottle of ale, taking a swig from it that looked more like a man quenching his thirst after days in a desert. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and made a satisfied sigh before continuing. “Who thought they could run things better in general? Who here thinks they have the answer to questions that Jorgen wasn’t inclined to listen to?” He thought about it a little more. “But then again, everyone has their secrets. Could be deeper than we think…” He squinted his eyes. “And that would make my simple question less simple...which brings it back to your proposal. Who would gain most out of this?”

For a fraction of a moment, Brun's feral instincts took over as he spun around and took a swipe through the air, his hand changing into a bear's paw as it clawed through where Nimbus would have been had she continued to dive.

"You," he said with a grin as the eagle shrieked. "They warned me of you."

Holding out his turned hand, he gave a sinister chuckle as the other hand changed as well and then, with frightening speed, he bounded up the nearest tree and leaped from it to take a swipe at Nimbus.

The jump was high, but the eagle was higher and Brun fell short. Catching onto another tree to break his fall, he spun around, scratching off wood and bark with claws as long as knives, and landed on the ground with a roll after letting go.

Looking up, he readied himself for a second attempt until he heard quick footsteps behind him and then sprang away just before Vala could drive a spear into his back.

Having seen the shapeshifter's arrival in her vision, Vala had come prepared with her dagger attached to her staff with twine. After her charge, she stepped back and held up her spear in a cautious guard, knowing that a single mistake could mean death.

"Heh, the prey is a woman," Brun said with a smile. "A strong woman, I like that. We can make strong children if you be mine."

Vala pointed her spear at the shapeshifter in response, her expression that of grim defiance.

"Ha ha ha! Oh, that is fine too."

Raising both clawed hands, Brun laughed as the rest of his body began to change. Thick black hair sprouted from his skin, which also expanded as he grew and grew.

"Then I will eat your heart," he said just before the transformation was complete and there he stood as a beast, a bear as large as any other yet still vaguely humanoid in form and no less agile for all his size and mass.

With a berserk roar, Brun bent down on all fours and charged towards Vala, who stood her ground and gave her own battle cry, a shout she had not made since her days as a shieldmaiden. And so they clashed, bear and seer.

~~~

"Hm, you may have a point there about someone thinking they could do a better job," Ashnak replied. "But to resort to assassination... whoever is the cause of this is someone completely without honour. I knew someone like that once, but at least he still faced me in a duel. Of course, he ran away afterwards, but he fought nonetheless."

Remembering those early days, Ashnak wondered where the man he was thinking of was right now. It was possible that over the years, he might have wormed his way into nobility, one way or another. Perhaps he was even the same man who killed or was the cause of Jorgen's death, but all that was mere speculation.

Still, Ashnak pondered the thought as he drank. When he finished the mead, a knock came at the door and he knew that it was Arnolf reporting back.

The sheer mass of this beast was a sight to see. The tattoo's on his human body transferred to mark his fur. The fight Vala had in her against the bear was not left to fate. Nimbus dived in and splayed her claws. She targeted his ear, like it was an unsuspecting little brown bird in the sky. Swooping down, her claws caught it up, and then his ear was no longer on him, but tucked in her claws. Blood spurted out from the wound.

Nimbus snickered, taking it up high.

=

"Well we should keep our eyes out for someone like that." Naris said. "I don't think honor matters to men with greed in their hearts..." Then he thought of something interesting, but shrugged it off. He took another drink of ale, and his thought became a little more interesting, so Naris said. "It could be a woman, you know. Well, I mean, it could have been a woman who had him assassinated. Right? that's not too far fetched. They can be wicked creatures too."

Vala stepped to the side just in time to avoid getting crushed as the shapeshifter charged on ahead, roaring in pain.

Digging his claws into the ground, he turned around and flung some rocks and sticks into the air, sending a cluster shot of projectiles at Nimbus in retaliation for the attack.

Returning his attention to Vala, he pawed the ground and charged again with a roar.

Moving quickly, Vala stepped behind a tree and waited to see which side the shapeshifter would attack from, but suspecting a trick, Brun checked his advance and slowed to a stop, then circled around warily, keeping his eyes on Vala, who had her spear aimed the whole time.

From there they faced off, both slowly circling around each other with Brun alert for anymore surprises and Vala trying to keep the tree between them.

Taking the initiative, Vala struck first, lunging forward with her spear. The bear dodged to the side and counter attacked with a swipe, which Vala narrowly avoided by leaning her head back and then she launched a counter attack of her own, swinging the butt end of her weapon into the shapeshifter's head.

Having been cracked across the nose with the woman's staff and torn at the ear by the eagle, Brun was quickly becoming infuriated and he sprinted after Vala as she danced away, but she kept her spear pointed forward and never turned her back for a second.

Slowing down just out of reach, Brun approached with caution, frustrated by the threat of the spearhead and the woman behind it. He never imagined that he'd ever meet such a wily foe.

Grunting, he took a swipe at the spear itself, which Vala swiftly moved out of the way then into position again, pointed at the shapeshifter's face. They spent the next few breaths of a moment like that, Brun testing Vala's defences and her maintaining her guard, breaking it from time to time to feint or jab.

Thinking of what he did before to the eagle, Brun tried the same tactic, digging his claws into the ground and flinging up earth and snow, which worked to his satisfaction. Vala went reeling back, shielding her eyes, and Brun lunged forward, knocking the seer to the ground.

The bear was about to rush for a killing blow, but Vala kept her spear raised as she fell and defeated any attempts for a coup de grace. Brun realized too late that he could have knocked the weapon out of the way, but Vala was already on her feet and they faced off yet again, seemingly at a stalemate.

Brun had not forgotten about the eagle either and remained alert for anymore of its swift attacks.

~~~

"Perhaps," Ashnak said as he went to open the door, but to his surprise, the man outside was not Arnolf, at least not only him. Standing in front was the master of Hrotir and Kodral, and one of the wealthiest men in the land, Jarl Uldric Fenrorsen.

"Hello Ashnak, may I come in?" he asked.

Ashnak looked back at Naris with a questioning look, wondering if this was an issue for the elf.

A rock hit Nim's wing tip, forcing her to recover by rolling in the air. She felt the sting of it through her wing. Nimbus tossed the ear away, taking higher to the air as Vala and Brun were hidden in the trees, making their strikes in there. Once she felt her wing was still good, she saw them clear from the branches. Nimbus assessed how bad it would be to dive in about now. She had an idea spring into her mind.


Twisting slightly in the air, she could see her presence wasn't lost on him. But being reckless, and having trust in her armor, Nimbus disregarded that and made for his head.

=

Of course it was 'perhaps', and Naris looked like he felt it was more than plausible. He tried to explain how Jorgen could have had this secret love. She, being called Esperanza at the moment, couldn't stand that Jorgen loved a different lady, so she tried to kill that woman, but Jorgen saved her. This slighted his lover, and she took her revenge on him!

As anyone can tell, Naris was creative, but hardly the type to depend on when working out detailed scenarios. He was chuckling to himself as Ashnak went to the door, but as soon as he saw Uldric, the elf's face dropped and he quickly pulled up his scarf and yanked down his hood. Only his golden eyes could be seen.

"Good morrow." He said with a small voice compared to earlier.

Warned by instinct, Brun turned around to bat the eagle out of the air, but he was too slow. Nimbus's talons smashed into his face and tore bloody scars above his snout, and Brun was stuck violently shaking his head, trying to fend off the attack. Seizing the opportunity to strike, Vala dashed forward with her spear and thrust it into the shapeshifter's side.

Bleeding from his ear, face and body, Brun realized that he'd be as good as dead should the fight continue, and that made him all the more desperate and ferocious. In a final outburst of savage fury, he reared up on his hind legs and smashed Nimbus out of the air with one hand, then delivered a heavy backhand to Vala with the other.

The claws raked across her chainmail, but did not penetrate. Even so, the sheer blunt force of the blow sent her flying back through the air and all the breath left her body when she landed on her back.

Having kept a tight grip on her staff, it was still in her hands when she fell and she used it to push herself to her feet, but the dagger had torn loose from its bindings and remained embedded in the shapeshifter's body. Without it, she feared that there might be no hope of putting up anymore resistance, but then she saw the bear transform back into a man and she knew that the fight was won.

Feeling himself grow weak, Brun pulled the blade from his side with a grunt and turned to face Vala whilst trying to stand up, but he collapsed on his knees and could only manage to look up... with a smile. His face covered in blood, it looked like something out of a nightmare.

"Good fight," he said. "You are strong, stronger than the old man. We should make a deal."

Vala stood over the shapeshifter and looked impassively from his smiling face to her dagger in his hand, and then to Nimbus. Her ribs were sore, but Vala had enough strength to knock the dagger out of the shapeshifter's hand then say in the coldest of tones, "If she is dead, you die too."

Hobbling towards the eagle, Vala called out, "Are you all right?"

~~~

Ashnak cleared his throat and said, "Ah yes, Uldric, this is Gerrick, Gerrick, this is-"

"Do not insult my intelligence, Ashnak," Uldric interrupted as he stepped inside the house. "I know this is the elf who failed to protect the king... and now it appears he's trying to latch onto another lord's good will, or has he already wormed his way into your service?"

Squinting with contempt, he went to stand between Ashnak and Naris, and continued, "I always knew he was good for little more than decoration. I told Jorgen as much you know."

"If you're done," Ashnak said, already tiring of Uldric's presence. "What is it that you want?"

"To talk of course. Your man Arnolf let me know you were in the city, so I thought the least I could do was come here myself to discuss matters of state, particularly about the moot."

"All right, take a seat."

As Ashnak let Arnolf inside and closed the door, Uldric approached the hearth and stood above Naris, saying without words for the elf to leave the chair.

The feathers of Nimbus shook as a trees leaves would in the strength of an autumn wind. Her body felt the shock of the hit. Thankfully she had turned in time for his claws to miss her vital parts, but she did make an uncommonly sharp shriek before she thumped to the ground. Her tiny lungs- well, tiny compared to the other beings around her- momentarily lost its breath.


Many things went through her mind. Was Vala alright? She couldn't see her! Nimbus berated herself for not missing that hit. She thought she was too foolish, for putting herself in that reckless position if it meant Vala was without a companion, or worse, if it meant Vala had been harmed. Nim thought back to the letter. To keep safe this woman. She didn't have to say the words to Cirian, to make a promise like that.


The ache through her body was intense, but thankfully her breathing was hindered already, and the strike's effect faded away quickly enough. Still, her hearing was dimmed for longer. Nimbus felt the foot steps vibrations coming towards her. Turning her head gently to see Vala's figure block out the sun, she sighed in relief to know she was alright. Only one eye peered out. The other was closed shut, having been sliced by the claw of Brun.


“I'm...ok.” She grunted, trying to right herself. Nimbus's eye seeped crimson tears.

http://puu.sh/9cvpo/b6108bfecd.png

Hearing the man, Naris kept his brothers words in mind. A man doesn't let his countenance or calm be unsettled by idiots. One must look at a situation of any kind with a critical eye and come to understanding, even if that means accepting and owning up to failures on your end. Naris could just hear his brother by his shoulder, guiding Naris not to fly off the handle when it came to people insulting his kin. Counting to ten, was always a good idea.


“One...” Naris began counting as soon as he heard Uldric speak his first word. “Two...” Naris grit his teeth, staring back at Uldric with the same intensity of criticism as Uldric was giving him while he stated him as a failure. “Three...Four...” It was getting harder now, listening to him make judgments on his and his brothers character. “Five, six, seven-” As soon as Uldric made the motion that he would have Naris's seat, he elf couldn't keep it in any longer.


To hell with the last three! Naris huffed inwardly.


“Hah! Saying that would suggest you have intelligence to insult! Don't flatter yourself, Uldric.” Naris burst, gripping the seats armchair with strength that turned his knuckled white. “Decoration? Pfft, don't hate us because we're handsome AND we're competent warriors, you ass. My brother of all people could take you down with a flick of his wrist! You know, you're not even worth the explanation of what really happened that night, and I don't care what you say about me, but so help me, if you insult my brother again, I'll take you down! So you can suck it!” Naris then got up, standing in front of Uldric. His fists were balled and his eyes burned with the gold of the sun. “You want my seat?” The elf turned around, picked up the recliner, and tossed it out the window. The chair crashed into pieces below. Naris turned back to him with a cool stare.


“Make yourself at home” The notion that the gutter was his home, that the seat now was scattered in, wasn't out of the question either. Naris stood right by that hearth, ready for what might come.

"No, you are not," Vala said with concern as she bent down to help Nimbus up. "Your eye is gone. We must find a healer before it gets infected."

Overhearing her words, Brun laughed and said, "An eye for an ear, that is a very fair trade, yes it is!"

Turning and standing, Vala strode towards the shapeshifter and kicked him onto his back.

"You will tell me why you attacked us, wretch," she said as she held the point of her staff above the man's throat.

Still laughing, Brun replied, "My respect to ye and yon companion, truly. The old man said to follow good prey, but you are more like wolf than deer, ah ha ha ha ha! So, wolf woman, my life is in your hands. Will you make a pact with me or kill me dead?"

Looking back at Nimbus, Vala asked, "This man is with the bandits, what do you think we should do with him?"

~~~

"Technically, this isn't our home," Ashnak mumbled as Arnolf chuckled with amusement.

"It seems I struck a sore spot," Uldric replied nonchalantly to the elf. "And now you'd like to strike me down, wouldn't you? Well you're welcome to try, but of course, the whole city will hear of it and judging from your false name - Gerrick was it? - I'm guessing that's not what you want. Be assured, I've no personal quarrel with you, but when all is said and done, you were a bad investment for Jorgen."

Taking a different seat, Uldric sat down by the hearth and continued on, "Ashnak, I know you and I aren't exactly friends, but I'd like you to hear my story and plans for the moot. Your friends may stay and listen if they wish, but beyond this room, I'd like our discussion to be private."

"We better find some more chairs then," Ashnak said as he motioned for Arnolf to do just that. "And regardless of what you said, I value the elf's thoughts on things so he should stay, but that is of course up to him. What do you say Naris?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She nodded. "Thanks..."


Nimbus began preening, trying to get the blood off of of her chest feathers, and off of her armor. She tilted her head to the left, to peek out with her right eye. The Eagle was staring intensely at Brun, just slightly twitching that good eye when he mentioned the trade. She glowered in contempt. Hopping fearlessly up to him in the manner that all birds do, Nim quietly contemplated what his innards would taste like, while Vala talked with him.


"I know what deer tastes like, you know. Wolf...and Bear too." Nimbus hinted to her thoughts. Just a little interjection.


Still she had to admit this wasn't an attack on a personal level. This was business. She knew that kind of job. Still, she wasn't happy about losing an eye. Brun losing an ear wasn't enough, in her mind.


"Did you make a pact with the other men? What do we have to go off of, besides your word?" Nimbus scrutinized with that one eye. "The question here is, do we trust a stranger who switches sides?"

http://puu.sh/9cvwP/d210d286d1.png

"Well, apologies to the owner, Ashnak, but the offer still stands. If Uldric wants my seat, he can go sit in it." Naris said, taking another seat, away from Uldric. but in a comfortable spot. "Yes, I would like to strike you down. And I think what sheep think doesn't matter to me. I'm Gerrik for someone else, and if you think you can threaten me with their wrath, you can swallow your words when I shove them down your throat, because you made it personal."


Here we have a good example of why Cirian wouldn't have Naris go to the moot unsupervised. This, one can imagine, is one of those times that Cirian would have sighed deeply too. Maybe even hushed his brother so that he might speak instead. Naris was hot-blooded, and stubborn. But most of all, he was passionate. Taking time to think about that, Naris mumbled that Uldric was a waste of energy anyway.


"And regardless of what you said, I value the elf's thoughts on things so he should stay, but that is of course up to him. What do you say Naris?"


The elf crossed his arms, impatiently. "I will hear it, thank you Ash." Naris said, giving Uldric a critical eye.

"I do not choose whose hands might claim my life, brave bird," Brun replied, suddenly serious in tone and expression. "Only the gods can know such things and they have decided I should be here at your mercy. I would not question their designs."

Turning to Vala, the shapeshifter's jovial grin returned as he continued, "But where the old man bested me with trickery, you did it with strength. If our fight went the other way, I would have eaten your heart to take your power and yours as well, warrior bird, but instead I am the one who is beaten, and very clearly as you see."

He removed his hand from the wound in his side and showed the blood on his palm, then reached up and smeared it onto Vala's arm. Disgusted, she stepped back and away from the shapeshifter, allowing him to sit up.

Brun laughed at the reaction and covered his wound again as he said, "Ha, anyway you decide, I may be dying already! But I am wood-wise, so I can tend to my hurts if time be granted. Heh, your friend's as well if she is not too proud, so decide quickly then, I only have so much blood."

"You talk a lot for a savage," Vala replied with disdain, but looking back at Nimbus, she was sorely tempted to accept the shapeshifter's offer of allegiance.

Though Vala knew how to live off the land, she was no medicine woman and if there was a chance that the shapeshifter was telling the truth, then perhaps he could help Nimbus quicker than having to travel to find a healer. If not then at the very least, the man was in no state to do anymore harm. It would be simple for Vala to kill him at the first hint of betrayal.

"Very well, I will spare your life," she said with reluctance.

"That is good," Brun replied, smiling. "And what of you, one-eye? Ye bested me too, so my life is also in your, heh, talons."

~~~

"Very well, I will begin with saying that you ought to care more about the sheep of this country, elf," Uldric said. "Because it is by their sweat and toil that we sit here under a roof, with food to eat and clothes to wear. You at least respect this fact, do you not, Ashnak?"

"Yeah I suppose," the orc replied from where he stood, still waiting for Arnolf to return with a chair.

Uldric nodded with approval and continued, "Jorgen knew it too and he also knew that our duty is to ensure the people's prosperity, so ours may be ensured as well. Of course, he wouldn't put it as cynically as that, but the point still stands."

With a deep sigh, Ashnak interjected, "Yes, yes, enough preamble. Now what do you want?"

"To put it plainly, I want your support at the moot."

The orc could only stare in disbelief. "Well here comes the incentive then."

"How about your people surviving the winter, is that incentive enough?"

"What do you mean?"

Uldric scoffed. "Surely you know. People are travelling in droves to the lands in the south, our winter stores have dried up from here to the north and there isn't a bit of farmable land left anywhere in between. We must begin to rely on foreign aid, I've told Jorgen that for years, but he and everyone else were always too stubborn to admit it."

Ashnak frowned upon hearing Uldric's criticism of Jorgen and seeing this, Uldric hastily continued, "Now I do not mean to disrespect his memory. He was a good man, you know this most of all, but as a ruler, well, you should have seen him at court. Always with the compromises and middle grounds. In any argument, he'd see both parties leaving equally unsatisfied."

"Some might call that ruling fairly," Ashnak replied.

"He ruled fairly, aye, but he wasn't serious enough about the country's survival. I am."

A silence settled as Arnolf came back from one of the bedrooms with two chairs and gave one to Ashnak. "So what did I miss?" said the one-eyed man.

"Just Uldric here telling us how badly he wants to sit the throne," Ashnak answered as he took a spot by the hearth.

"I won't deny that I've desired it," Uldric said. "But this is an issue of necessity. Times are hard now, they're only going to get harder, and all the other jarls are too proud to look for outside help."

"And the substantial bounty on Jorgen's killer, this is your idea of looking for outside help?"

Uldric fixed a level stare at Ashnak and replied in an even tone, "No, that is my idea of avenging his death. He was my friend as well as yours."

"Hm... well what do you think, Naris? My place in the north keeps me far removed from these kinds of concerns, so I'm not sure what to think. Life is always hard up there, you see."

"Harder yet if no more food shipments arrive from the south," Uldric quipped.

The Golden Eagle stared at him for a moment, then said. "Oh yeah?" Nimbus rolled her eye, for the other wasn't available to roll. "Gods is it? I suppose everything that happens to you is 'designed' by the 'gods', now?" She asked, and then took a balled up clump of mud, tossing it at his side. "So I guess that was the 'gods' design right?"

Sure Nim had heard Vala speak of her Seer Sight, and sure Vala had mentioned gods, but just because Nimbus had accepted that Vala really had this ability, it didn't mean she thought the rest was true. The Eagle didn't much like Brun, so for him to mention these 'gods' she didn't mind taunting him about it.

"I suppose all of this was just made up by gods, and we are all supposed to be where we are, and there is some stupid plan set out by some invisible random people in the sky." Nimbus flapped her wings a little in a goofy fashion. "I guess I can just eat your heart and take your power, because for some odd reason, the heart holds your essence!" She nearly laughed.

Nim, however annoyed, decided she'd listen to Vala. "You live, because of Vala." She grumbled with disdain. Though, one could say that Nimbus's hesitation to kill Brun added to his survival, she refused to indicate that she valued any of his help at all. To wait for Vala, Nim took to a shaded bush not too far off. It was cooler there, and she didn't have to be next to Brun. The Eagle was quite annoyed. Her whole body language was stiff and her feathers were very much ruffled.

http://puu.sh/9cuCN/4077a68d2f.png

"Being respectful, and having respect for someone is different, Uldric." Naris pointed out.

The idea that one preserved the people to preserve oneself was indeed cynical and pretty much anything coming from Uldric was going to be viewed in a disfavorable light. So, when he asked Ashnak to support him, it was almost inevitable that he would not promote such a move. Yet as Uldric explained his position on things, Naris added in his own thoughts.

"I'd go for a Just rule, over an ambitious rule any day." Naris said, setting his feet up on the footrest. He carefully pondered Uldric. "You know, one might think that the assassin sent to kill Jorgen could be placing attention off of himself...maybe by investigating Jorgens murder. Or financing a search. Who's to say you hadn't set the killer onto Jorgen, Uldric? What if you think we're just playing into your hands now that Jorgen is dead."

"You mock the gods?" Brun said in a deadly tone as he glared at Nimbus. Vala thought of dashing for her dagger and plunging it into the shapeshifter's heart... until he burst into laughter. "Heh heh heh heh, ah ha ha ha! The bird that can speak is dumber than the birds that can't, AH HA HA HA HA HA!"

He scooped up a handful of snow and sent it spraying over Nimbus, still laughing uncontrollably.

"Even the trees know, but one-eye is blind, ah ha ha ha ha ha! Oh, too funny, much too funny. Come wolf woman Vala, help me walk. I know what to look for."

Entirely bemused by his reaction, Vala retrieved her dagger then bent down to help the shapeshifter stand. This is all for you, Nimbus, she thought as she tried to ignore all the blood that was getting onto her.

As Nimbus hopped towards a bush, Brun called out towards her, "Hey, you better come too! The old man is not far behind now and one of his dogs has a crossbow, heh, or maybe you can stay behind and meet the gods yourself. It would be a funny palaver!"

"Please stay silent if you value your life," Vala sighed, supporting Brun's weight as he laughed.

~~~

Ashnak's mouth fell wide open as Naris spoke. Why in the abyss did you say that out loud, TO HIS FACE? he thought, wanted to shout, but remained in stunned silence.

Uldric for his part only chuckled at Ashnak's reaction and then replied, "I don't suppose you have any proof to back up your claims, elf? Because that's a rather serious accusation, you know. But those were some good theories, I'll give you that. As colourful as the ones about you in fact, but I'm sure you've already heard most of those."

Shifting in his chair, Uldric continued, "Very well, I'll play this game. I mean it would make sense, would it not? Me, an ambitious jarl who thinks he can do a better job at ruling than Jorgen did, so what quicker way to get to the throne than by getting rid of him? Then I, feeling justified by my plans to save the country, ascend to the throne and secure the authority to do what I want, while the assassin is conveniently captured by one of my men, then executed with the bounty paid off and none the wiser. Only..."

Uldric held up a fist and raised one finger for each point he illustrated, "One: Jorgen's killer was a seer, of which there are only a few in the whole country and they are all known to each other, and would not hesitate to help us find the rogue so that the rest of their kind may be vindicated. Common wisdom dictates that it'd be better to NOT hire such an assassin, who'd inevitably be caught and could easily lead back to his employer.

"Two: even with Jorgen's death, my being chosen to be the next high king is not even guaranteed. In fact, I have less chance than anyone else since my opinions at court have always been unpopular, especially regarding foreign aid. The reason I come to you for support, Ashnak, is because you are one of the few respected lords who may be willing to listen to reason and not disregard everything I have to say for the sake of pride."

Uldric looked at Naris as he said that last word.

"And three: despite what you and everyone else may think of me, Jorgen WAS my friend. He didn't always follow my advice, but he listened and that's something all the other jarls never did. I never intended to play politics and make friends at court, I only did my duty and if the fact that he actually respected my opinions isn't enough, it's because of Jorgen that I'm even alive today and can sit here, being accused of his murder. Do any of you know what it's like to endure a famine?"

Ashnak, entirely surprised by Uldric's impassioned spiel, only answered, "Came close a few times in my hold."

"Is that so?" Uldric replied sardonically. "Well in my younger days, a plague had destroyed all the crops in my home village and we were too poor to afford anything from outside. Sickness took hold, people started dying and even a potato was worth killing for. It was only until I, the only able bodied man left in the village, had traveled here to this city, to raise the issue with high king Jorgen that anyone could be saved at all. I even remember you being his housecarl then, elf, but by the time assistance was finally rendered, so many were already dead. Now imagine that scenario replicated across all of Atamor if someone who's willing to act before it's too late is NOT on the throne by the end of the moot. Can you blame me now for being an ambitious man? It's almost as though I'm the only one who notices each year getting colder and colder, and each harvest being poorer than the last."

"As for Jorgen's killer, I have a theory of my own to propose. What if, and let's remember that he's a seer; perhaps he saw something Jorgen might do in the future that he didn't like and so acted upon it. It wouldn't be the first time such a thing has happened. Now, considering that, what if the assassin had acted entirely on his own? No scheming nobles, no conspiracies of betrayal, just a man on a mission."

"Then I'd say he's a fool," Ashnak replied. "Seer or not, he's bound to get caught."

"But his mission remains accomplished, the future he saw being averted or ensured."

"Even so, he has to pay for what he's done."

Uldric nodded and then said to Naris, "You don't have to like me. I desire not your approval nor your respect, I just want you to think, though that might be better suited for your brother. In any case, understand that we are truly one in the same for our desire to avenge Jorgen. I know he was always kind to you, little as you deserved it and the same for me."

The cold stare of her eye was meeting that of the dangerous Shifter. Nimbus wasn't going to back down in this silent power-struggle. However, the sudden laughter furrowed her golden brow. The snow had to be shuffled off, like a dog shaking. Nimbus's annoyance at this movement, and at his words grew, but the bird was not going to engage into this childs game of pointing fingers.

"As blind as you are deaf!" She argued from her bush. "And don't patronize me, Shifter, I can handle myself!" But it did enter her mind to remind herself to thank Vala later for all she had done. The Eagle watched them hobble away in to the trees. The blood on the snow was pretty, despite it's implications of a fight.

'Gods. What a fool. There are no gods.'

Pondering these things, she was snuggled in the folds of the bush. She had a clear view of the battle area and although she couldn't see in her right eye anymore, she heard quite well. Tilting, she spied the bandits creep into view. Each were mumbling, pointing where they thought Nimbus and the other two had gone. The one known as Stork had a crossbow.

'Pfft. Unacceptable' Not intending to let them follow the blood trails, Nim shot out at the bowman first. His head slumped forward on his shoulders like a napkin folded in half, but still attached. The startled bandits turned around, just as Nimbus cracked the bow in half before taking to the sky again. She flicked into the trees while Grumpers and Budgy got their bearings. Yet no time more would they get. Nimbus shot out again, dodging a hit by Budgy. She went in and out of the branches, and they couldn't guess when she'd spring from next.

"It's a demon!" Grumpers cursed.

Nimbus rushed at his head from behind, clipping his spine too. Budgy managed to slam a hand onto her wing, but thankfully she swept it in fast enough not to get pulled. In the air she swung, coming right onto Budgy. He made a yell, like a warcry, as Nimbus came to to his face. He had a hard metal club to shatter her body with, but when they met her ebony talons, the blades cut into it, slicing it in half. Nimbus struck her hemelt against his head, and crushed Budgy's temple. He fell backwards, and she used the force to fling into the soft snow. Once on the ground, she turned to look at her handy work. All dead.

"I guess I'll see the gods at a latter time." Nimbus spoke smugly. "Or when summer reaches the North." The Eagle snuggle into the bushes again, waiting.

http://puu.sh/9cvoj/d8ab8d993a.png

Naris could tell what Ashnak was thinking, and he guessed Uldric would make up something to say. No one would go 'Well, you got me. I did it.' Of course he would give an alibi. In a way, all they know now is a story they can potentially find holes in, which could expose Uldric later.

"Well, you make a good point." Naris agreed, though reluctantly. "I guess you didn't do it. He sighed in defeat and crossed his arms. As Uldric spoke of a famine, Naris didn't seem to care to offer his own story. "This isn't a competition to see who had the best sob-story." Naris mentioned flatly. "We don't have to have gone through a famine, to know it's bad, alright? So you had hard times, big deal. Not as if no one else did." He said. "Your solution, what would it be, Uldric? You can't control the weather." Naris was suspicious.

What might this man intent to do? It was fine, until Uldric made a crack at him again. It was, in all technicality, a compliment towards his brother in a way, but it wasn't welcome still. "First off, you would do well to keep your smack-talk to yourself, Uldric, you inherently disagreeable man." Naris narrowed his eyes. "I would hope you have the sense to explain just HOW you are gonna 'save' us all, before expecting us to just follow you into this. What if the aid doesn't agree?"

Some time later, Vala returned with Brun hobbling behind her, but walking well enough on his own. His wounds were covered with poultices, kept in place with strips of cloth, and a clump of moss was hanging out of Vala's pouch.

At first, Vala was concerned when she saw the bandits lying dead in the snow, but then she saw Nimbus huddled in a bush and sighed with relief. Brun on the other hand was absolutely wide eyed as he looked at the bodies and then at the eagle.

For a moment, he simply stared in stunned silence, but when he turned his eyes upon the bodies again, a look of realization dawned on his face and his mouth split into an open grin.

"Yes... yes, I see now!" he said excitedly. "It's all coming together, I see it now!"

"See what?" Vala asked, utterly perplexed.

The shapeshifter burst into a fresh fit of laughter as he replied, "I was going to make you fight the old man before making our pact, but you and your companion are worth ten of him and his dogs together! The answer was already clear!"

Turning to Vala, he gripped her by the shoulders and continued, "My time with them was only so that they could lead me to you, don't you see? It is the call of destiny, the gods have a plan! Ha ha, we must make our pact now!"

"How about after treating Nimbus?"

"Yes, of course!"

Brun let go and went towards the eagle with Vala following behind.

"You are magnificent!" the shapeshifter crowed with joy when he crouched down in front Nimbus. "I am free now thanks to you. Here, Vala, give me the ice moss."

~~~

Uldric merely shrugged and replied, "I make no apologies for speaking my mind, never have. In any case, all I can do is try. Foreign relations has always been tricky business and there's no guarantee it'll work, but if it does then we'll have averted a disaster. I've already enlisted the cooperation of some other jarls, but every voice will count at the moot and yours counts for a lot, Ashnak."

Standing up, Uldric nodded at the orc and concluded, "Well, I've said my piece. I'm sorry I could not be more cordial with the elf, but I cannot forgive him for failing Jorgen in his time of need. Maybe someday, but not today. Anyway, I'll be seeing myself out."

When Uldric left, Ashnak turned to Naris and said, "I'm surprised he didn't try to bribe me. So what do you think, is there any merit to his words?"

Crunching boots made Nim look up through the branches of the bush. It was warm there, and pretty covered. If it had been a beast coming to feast on the dead, she was sure she would be concealed well enough. Seeing it was Vala and Brun, Nimbus stepped closer to the edge to meet eyes. Cocking a feathery brow, the Golden Eagle sighed and shook her head at the Shifter. He was spouting about the gods again.

"There is no plan. What do gods have to do with us, even if they are real? Why are we even important to them at all? Can you tell me that, eh Brun?" Nimbus posed. The Eagle knew she was going to have to travel with him, so might as well get ready to be fussy about this subject. It was her mission, she thought, to relieve him of the fantasy he latched onto since he was a babe suckling on his mothers breast. The lie of a deity, or deities, looking down on them. Nim's thought on that was that it was insulting. No one is special. There is no one looking down on her. Or anyone.

The Eagle let Brun come over to help her eye. It was very sore and she had to brace herself. The color was off and the eye ball was loose inside her socket. It was either going to come out, or stay inside. Either way would work at the moment, but Nim wasn't sure how bad it was from Bruns point of view. The vertical cut was going to stay, of course. Forever to mark her. Nims eye went to look at the place where Brun's ear had been. She had to admit. It was quite coincidental.

"How are you there Vala?" She asked, making sure she was alright.

http://puu.sh/9coV0/c099193b9d.png

"I honestly don't like this man at all." Naris crossed his arms, not taking his eyes off the door. "I don't need his apology anyway." He added.

The elf grabbed a bottle of ale and swirled the bottle a little, watching the liquid form a tunnel. "I guess in a way, we are stuck. Depending on how many Jarls he has with him, he might not need our voice, and if we purposefully vote against him, he might take that as a slight. I think he's cornered us Ashnak. If we don't, he'll know." Naris frowned, tipping the bottle to sip it. He finished the bottle and set it down. "I don't think he had to bribe you, Ashnak. He just had to show up. This wasn't a bribe. It was a question asked. 'Are you my friend, or my enemy'. And we'll give him the answer at the moot."

"Some bruised ribs, but I'll manage," Vala replied as she gave Brun a handful of moss.

Crushing it to paste in his hands, the shapeshifter smeared the moss onto a strip of rags and turned Nimbus's head to inspect the wound. Yellow fluid was leaking from the cut and Brun surmised that the eye would lose all vision, but it was still mostly intact. It would not need to be removed, at least for now.

To answer the eagle's questions, Brun flicked Nimbus on the beak and said, "That is for the gods to know, but there is a plan. I've known hints of it for a long time."

Brun turned and gave Vala a meaningful look before returning his attention to the eagle's eye. "Now be still, this will clean the wound and lessen the pain, but it will need to be changed many times."

As Brun applied the poultice, Vala wondered if the shapeshifter knew about her abilities. Certainly he knew of them if he was of the deep north, where seers were still held in very high esteem, but was it possible that he could recognize one by sight?

There was also the possibility that Brun could have the sight as well, but Vala dared not entertain that sort of notion. A shapeshifter was bad enough and seers were feared for their ability to know the unknown, but having both abilities would be like being half a god and the idea of a savage like Brun wielding such power was indigestible.

Looking at Nimbus to distract herself, Vala wondered how fast the effects of the moss were and asked, "Is it feeling any better?"

~~~

"Hmm, this is vexing indeed," Ashnak said as he pondered Naris's words. "It would help to know precisely who is going to support Uldric, then I would know whether he's worth worrying about. Looks like you and the others will have some work to do, Arnolf."

"And here I was thinking we'd drink mead til the moot," Arnolf remarked.

"That's a jarl's privilege, my friend. In any case, I don't plan to ally myself with Uldric if I can help it. He does not strike me as being magnanimous enough to make a good king."

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Ashnak continued, "Hmm, at the very least, I believe he was being truthful about Jorgen's killer. It's not the first time a ruler's death was deemed necessary by a seer's visions, though I can't recall one of them ever carrying out the deed themselves. Tell me, Naris, how was it that the killer could get past you and your brother's guard? Sight or no sight, I can't imagine that being a simple task."

Nim was experiencing a lot of pain by now, having her eye cleaned and dressed. Her avian body shuddered. She greatly wished that this didn't make her seem less than fierce, but what else can she expect from being worked upon in this state of injury? Nimbus stayed as still as she could. Brun spoke and she didn't have much to say back at him for her feathers trembled and all she was doing for the time being is keep from yelping. The idea it would have to be changed made her stomach ache.

Once he was finished, Nim felt the strip snug onto her head holding the moss in place. It was a tiny thing, but it was apparent that it didn't improve her sense of balance. Nimbus felt some what angry inside about that. She was a flying beast, and this patch made one side of her head feel funny, making her tilt just slightly to that side.

"I'm feeling hopeful." Nimbus said to Vala. Now she was free to poke at Brun too. "Hints eh? Is that their way of saying they don't fully trust you? Why give hints when you an just be told? OR is it your imagination instead?" she cocked the brow of the only eye there. Nim shook her head. "In any case, we should get going."

=

The question made Naris downcast his eyes. He didn't like the subject and he wasn't fond of the explanation. "It was at the break of dawn when it happened." he sighed. "It was during transition, between Cirian and I. It's hard to describe what we go through, but we're definitely not easy or functional enough to fight back. We thought we were in a safe place though..."

To break off an uncomfortable subject, Naris struck a grin up at Ashnak. "I think you should be King, Ashy. I know you, I know you're honest. I know you'd never let us down." He patted his green friends broad shoulder.

Brun's mouth twisted up in a look of consternation as he replied, "Hm, I can't read their minds, brave bird. It's hard enough for me to understand the hearts of other people, let alone the gods. All I know is that we were fated to meet."

"Do you have the sight?" Vala asked immediately.

"No."

That was a relief.

"But I know you do."

Vala's entire body went stiff upon hearing that.

"I was told by the seer back in my old home," Brun continued, no longer smiling or laughing. "Before it was... gone."

Silence fell like a snowflake after that. Vala never imagined feeling any sympathy for a man who had just tried to kill her a moment ago, but she could very well understand his kind of loss.

"So how about that pact?" Vala asked to change the subject.

"Yes," Brun replied with a smile as he stood up and went to approach the seer with every manner of supplication. Clearly he was eager.

The shapeshifter kept his eyes down and his arms folded with his hands touching the shoulders as he shuffled across the snow, and still in that manner, he bent down to kneel on both knees in front of Vala.

"In the eyes of the gods, I, Brun," he began. "Swear loyalty eternal to this woman, Vala. From now on my strength is hers and my heart is hers, and may we share life for as long as we both live in this world."

At first, Vala reacted with a dubious squint, which gradually gave way to horror as the meaning of the shapeshifter's words began to dawn on her.

"Brun," she said. "What did the seer in your old home tell you?"

The shapeshifter's grin threatened to escape his face as he replied, "How I will meet my wife."

~~~

"I didn't know you hated me so much," Ashnak replied, heaving a sigh.

Arnolf chuckled as he said to Naris, "Join the party, it's what we've been saying all the way from the north."

"And as I told you many times now, it's hard enough trying to take care of one hold, imagine safekeeping an entire country. No, Naris, I will not put myself forward as a candidate. I was not made for kingship, I am only here to support someone who is."

Standing up to pace around, Ashnak halted at the window as he continued, "And to clean up after you, apparently. Arnolf, you go find out how many jarls Uldric has in his pockets. I'll be waiting here, fixing this mess."

"Busy morning," Arnolf replied as he stood up and returned the chair to where he found it, then departed without further ado.

As the man walked out into the street, Ashnak said to Naris whilst fetching a mop, "By the way, I'm sorry for bringing up that matter earlier. I only wanted to know what really happened that night and not just listen to the rumours. In any case, I am honoured that you think I should be king. I mean no slight for disagreeing with you, I just happen to think otherwise."

The thought that no one can read a mind of a being not actually there, was going to be voiced, but right now the pain in her eye was causing her a little bit of a headache. So, she only huffed at Brun's explanation. Oh so wise minded, wasn't he? Nim didn't seem bothered completely. Maybe it was just the eye that truly irritated her. Somehow Nim wondered why Brun wasn't as upset about his ear. Or why he didn't seem as annoyed with her 'lack of faith' as she was with his belief.


These things were pushed aside as Vala spoke with Brun, about how he knew Vala was a Seer, and when he knelt to swear to her, and watched Vala's expression, Nimbus guessed what this meant before Brun said it out loud.


There was a momentary pause, with Nim's wide eye switching between the both of their faces. Then...a grin cracked the corner of her beak and then, her feathers shook as she let a laugh burst from her body. Nimbus flopped onto her back with her long legs kicking slightly in the air.


~~~


The elf laughed, hearing Ashnaks first remark. "Oh yeah, sure, I hate you so much, I want you to be my king." He added to the joke.


When the mood became more serious, Naris grabbed his cloak to throw it over his shoulder. "For what it's worth, you'd be a great king. In my mind, I think that the fact that you don't want it says a lot. In my mind, there is no one better."


When Arnolf left, Naris smiled and said, "Don't worry about it, Ashy. It's not like I can escape it any time soon. When this is all over, we can all have a mug of ale at a tavern and laugh about the past." He went over to the door, paused, and faced Ashnak again. "What can we do at the moment?"

Vala's face was a mask of astonishment. She could only stare in dumb silence as Brun made his intentions clear and Nimbus laughed her feathers off. This was simply too absurd to be real!

"The marriage is not complete until the other also says the words," Brun went on to explain. "I can say them again if you want to-"

"Do not mock me," Vala interrupted, her voice dripping with contempt. "And say no more if you wish to continue drawing breath. This conversation is over."

Seeming to expect this, Brun simply smiled and nodded, and astonishingly said no more on the matter, to Vala at least.

"An eye I will take and an ear I would give for her hand in union," Brun said to Nimbus, watching as Vala walked off to find the road beyond the woods. "Met in crimson, that's what the old seer told me. I didn't remember until you did this."

Brun gestured to the bodies of the three dead bandits, their blood painting the snow.

"Truly, I am in your debt."

~~~

"How about saying hello to an old friend?" a voice said from outside the house.

Before Ashnak could say a word, the door opened and a female elf let herself inside, lowering her snow dusted hood as she entered with a warm smile on her face.

She had brown hair, brown eyes, a round face and was a head taller than Naris. Beneath her travelling cloak was a hard boiled leather cuirass and sword belt for a long curved blade, and slung across her back was a darkwood bow as well as a quiver of arrows.

Rangers were an uncommon sight in Atamor these days, considering their disassembly as a corps the day Jorgen became high king, but a few would sometimes appear here and there, doing some good or making mischief in whatever ways they could make use of their talents. They had a dubious reputation to say the least.

"Another lady seeking your attention?" Ashnak said to Naris with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, don't even suggest such a thing, my lord," the female elf responded. "I remember when he was still just a green boy, barely old enough to grow his first chin hairs. So how have you been, Nukky... is this a good time to talk?"

The elf cast a wary eye towards Ashnak, who held out his hands and replied, "Oh it's quite alright, we were just finishing, but now I believe introductions are in order here."

"Well you heard the lord, be a gentleman and introduce me already."

Nimbus had to correct herself, turning over to slide back onto her feet. She shook the snow off of her, and looked with her good eye as Vala left. A part of her was not so happy anymore. Brun didn't know Vala's past, but Nim had gotten the sense that this wasn't a welcome addition to her life's story. She turned to Brun and huffed.


"Well, if I can't take it back, then, mores the pity." She frowned. "I'd say you're not so bad, but, I can also say 'so far' too."


Nimbus stretched out her wings in a motion that emphasized her next part. "This is not uncommon. Why would you say it has any significance?" She asked.


=


"Well Hellooo." Naris smiled, seeing Yunawen. He had a habit of being fairly friendly, but not in a forward way. Ultimately Naris was being a tease. He did, however, want to milk the joke as much as he could.


The elf flung his arm around her shoulders, speaking in a sigh and sarcasm, "Well, I am the ladies-man, aren't I, Ashy?" he cocked a grin. "How has my one and only been? It's a long time since we talked, Yuny." He booped her nose with his free hand.


The intro for Yunawen was nothing like what Cirian would have done. It would've been a quick and concise, "This is Yunawen, a former ranger like ourselves. We worked together, she was there when it happened."


For Naris? It was, "The wonderful, the alluring, the graceful- yet occasionally stinky" And it was true, right? People get stinky. He said this with a cats grin. "A former ranger, like us. The old girl was actually there when the curse took place..." He made a suspicious glance at her, with a long stare. "Or did you do it?" He joked, bursting in a laugh when he let her go and bumped her shoulder.

For the rest of the journey along the road, Vala had to endure the verbal sparring between Brun and Nimbus on matters of philosophy. Out of the three, Vala felt like the only adult in the group, but it was not the bickering that bothered her most of all. It was Brun himself and his very presence among them.

Marriage? Fate? What in the world were the gods playing at? On top of finding her son and concealing her identity as a seer, there was enough for Vala to worry about already, and she hadn't forgotten how the shapeshifter was trying to kill her not too long ago.

That seer Brun mentioned must have been having a laugh, if his story was true. There was no way Vala would ever marry such a man, especially a savage.

After half a day's travel, the trio finally came upon a town next to a frozen lake. Bare limbed trees stood here and there like skeletal sentinels, but for the most part, there were only stumps and roots. The town was hungry for firewood it seemed.

"You stay here," Vala said to Brun as they crested a hill. "I don't want you scaring the people."

"As you say, my love," Brun replied with his easy grin.

Vala's face twisted in a grimace, which made the shapeshifter laugh rowdily. "Do not call me that. You stay with him, Nimbus, and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. I'm going to find some lodgings for us."

And with that, Vala made her way into town.

~~~

Yunawen chuckled merrily as she bumped Naris back, nearly knocking him off his feet, and said, "Hey, show a little respect to your old captain, we're in the presence of a jarl here."

"Chief if we're splitting hairs," Ashnak replied. "But I'm not one for semantics. In any case, I can see you two have some catching up to do, so I'll just be outside. It was nice meeting you."

As the orc passed by, producing a smoke pipe from his pocket, he continued in a whisper to Yunawen, "And tell your other friend to stop causing trouble in my hold before he gets himself hanged, understood?"

Yunawen's smile disappeared entirely as she nodded in reply. Satisfied, Ashnak went outside to light his pipe. He had no doubt that the elf would pass on the message, knowing how tight-knit a group the former rangers were.

With Ashnak gone, Yunawen turned to Naris again and forced a smile as she said, "So, speaking of the curse, any luck on that front?"

“Smooth move.” Nimbus teased Brun. “You know she’s not inclined to be with you in that way, right? Gods or not, Vala doesn’t seem to agree.” The Eagle let that linger in the air for a time before adding in a half murmur. “Fortunately for her, that ‘god’ business is a bunch of hooey. If it WAS true, I’d expect she’d be your wife, and if it’s NOT true, well then, I’d expect you’d have to rethink about what ‘gods’ there are, or aren’t, as the case may be.”


The Eagle’s eyes had healed enough to where her bandage wasn’t needed. Maybe a wipe here and there to clear anything sticky, but over all she was good to go without a wrap. The blue of her eye glazed over, making a milky film that looked dead. A thin line crept over it where Brun’s claw had sliced. Nim wouldn’t be able to see out of her left eye anymore, so she was perched on Bruns right shoulder. She couldn’t see him unless she twisted her head, but this was because she'd rather keep her good eye available to see around her.


=


The whisper wasn’t lost on Naris, who watched Ashnak leave with his pipe to smoke. Even though Yunawen had changed the subject back to the curse on him and his brother, he only shook his head at it with a shrug, saying it was still unsolved on how to fix it. “But never mind that though, what are you up to these days? Who’s the ‘friend’ Ashy was talking about?” He asked her, motioning for them to take a walk, “Done with being inside.” he offered as a reason.

"The gods brought us together, but the rest is up to me," Brun replied soberly as he watched Vala leave, and then with confidence, "It will happen! It will take time, but it will happen."

Touching the bandage over his missing ear, Brun smiled optimistically at Nimbus as he continued, "It wouldn't be worth our sacrifice if it didn't, don't you think?"

Meanwhile, as Vala walked over the streets of hard packed dirt, she quickly learned from the general hustle and bustle that all the wood collected from outside was not just for the town alone. Everywhere she looked, Vala saw traders coming and going with long wagons, either empty or loaded with piles of logs.

With the sheer volume of people around, Vala was worried that there wouldn't be any accommodation available, and sure enough, the first inn she checked was packed to the rafters. Even space by the hearth was being charged for a fee.

"You'd have better luck setting up camp outside the town," the innkeeper told her. "There are places where you can buy supplies if you need them."

Accepting his word for it, Vala thanked him for the advice then left to tell Brun and Nimbus about the state of things.

~~~

"I'll just be here then," Ashnak said after the pair of elves as they walked outside.

Yunawen was glad to leave the house, knowing that the orc was deadly serious in what he said earlier, but she was hesitant to tell Naris about it.

"It's Hagen," she sighed as she strode down the cobblestone street, her breath steaming in the misty morning air. "Not sure if you remember him, but he was still little when you left. Little Hagen he used to be called. Well he's not little anymore and... hm, let's just say that some of the rumours about us are true since Jorgen broke us all apart. I swear, if it wasn't for that man, then maybe..."

Catching herself, she stopped in her tracks and turned to face Naris with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that... old grudges, you know. Anyway, you let me worry about Hagen. The only reason why I'm here is to see how you're holding up. When I heard about what happened, I was worried you might do something reckless."

Yunawen glanced towards the broken chair outside the window as they walked past.

"I don't know if it would be worth a sacrifice." Nimbus tilted her head. "I kind of want my eye back...nevermind, I really want my eye back." She added that with certainty.

On the way back to her comrades, a young man wearing tattered clothes and shoes with the heels flopping, sat on the side of the road she had just come up from that lead to Nim and Brun. He was about four-teen, and he had a small burlap sack on his back, with a banged up lute slung around him. His messy black hair were dense tiny ringlets, making it look like spongy peaks poking out of his head at all angles. The dark bronze of his umber skin was warm toned, you could tell that by the sun gracing his epidermis. His lips were fuller than most men, with a pronounced nose, just a bit wide. His black iris were like two onyx stones. In his hand was a rough-knit red beanie. A few of the threads poked out here and there. He outstretched his hand and beamed a smile, showing off a set of pearly-whites, probably the only clean spot on him.

"Morning, Ma'am." He grinned with a bright set of hopeful eyes. "For a coin or two, I can entertain you. I know you won't be disappointed."

=

Naris waved his hand, saying it was fine. Then the elf shot a smile, and put his hands on his hips. "Me? Reckless?" Naris was ready to laugh out loud, but when the chair caught his eye, he paused before one note of mirth escaped his lips. He had to gauge if that act was categorized as reckless.

No, I'm pretty sure it's not. He thought to himself. A voice at the back of his head disagreed. Ok, maybe it was 'intense', but surely not reckless. That was debatable, but Naris pushed those thoughts aside for a later time.

"Well, I have had some irritations." Naris admitted. "But I am fine...why? Is there something more? I haven't seen you in so long, Yunny. What would prompt you to check on me now? How are the others doing? Are they alright?"

Brun gave the eagle a look of commiseration as he replied, "Hm, for it's worth, I don't agree with the gods on the price of our meeting. Very steep, especially for you. Maybe you will be repaid some day, I would like to help if I can."

The fact that Nimbus's eye had been lost to Brun's own claw did not escape him and he felt remorseful about it, even if it was fated. A warrior with one eye was still a warrior, but it was better to have both.

Just outside of town, Vala stood blinking at the young lad with the messy black hair and red cap in his hand. A bard no doubt, judging by the lute he carried, and barely a man, but perhaps one with an adventurous spirit to be travelling on his own.

As a mother, Vala couldn't help comparing the lad with her own son Rorik. He was roughly of the same age when he left home and hearth to roam, and Vala had decided it was for the best at the time. It was hard to let go, but Rorik had that right to leave the nest upon becoming a man.

Vala only hoped that he would return some day, stronger and wiser than before he left, and perhaps with a worthy woman by his side, but now that hope was a smoking ruin. A foolish dream that the sight had failed to foretell of its doom until only just recently, with too little time to act before Rorik had done what he did.

"I'm sorry, but I'm busy at the moment," Vala said to the lad as she walked on. She didn't like the memories his presence had provoked.

~~~

"Hey hey, one at a time now," Yunawen replied mirthfully with her hands held up, smiling at how little Naris had changed over the years. He always did have a habit of firing off all his questions at once, him and his brother both.

"The others are fine, it's just Hagen who's been stirring up the most trouble lately. He's been giving hunters a hard time up north; poor folks can't shoot an arrow at a deer without him shooting it back, but no one's died yet and I don't think he'll be caught anytime soon, so I'm not worried about him for now."

Yunawen lapsed into wistful silence for a moment as she remembered hearing about Hagen's activities for the first time. Despite his misguided actions, Yunawen had been and still was proud of the young lad. He never did stop being a ranger.

"As for you," Yunawen continued. "I know how loyal you were to Jorgen, so when I heard how he died, I thought you might have gone after his killer on your own... well, you and your, ah, you know what I mean. I was actually a bit surprised to see you were still here in the city when I saw you last night, so I'm a bit curious now. What's keeping you here?"

"Well, if the gods exist, they have a terrible sense of humor. I don't think I like this 'trade', if you can call it that. Plus, it's non-consensual." Nim frowned. She couldn't see his head, but she was pretty sure she was sitting on the side that no longer had an ear. It was a fight. Things happen in a fight. Brun wasn't so bad though, so, Nimbus found it in her to sigh about having cut his ear off. That might not have been the best intro for the two.

Coming up the way, she spotted Vala and another figure. A boy, perhaps? He was talking to Vala, and very much so. "Please ma'am, I can sing a song, I can do card tricks. I have a few stories. Anything I can't do I can learn. I just need something, even a little something. Can't a guy work for his fortune?"

Whatever he thought he was earning, it wasn't much. The young man was getting discouraged, but then he saw the Eagle on Bruns shoulder and he beamed another smile. "Ah, an Eagle! I've seen those! I know one or two in my traveling." He said, running up to Brun and Nimbus. "Hey there! You're a Shifter right? Well gee, just wait one moment." he sat down in the snow, pulling out a sketchbook and a pencil, scribbling down what he saw and what he so far been through since meeting Vala.

"Who are you?" Nim asked, cocking a feathery brow. "What are you doing?"

"My name is Tommy, and I am gonna be a famous traveling bard of all history." He paused from his writing and looked up with a weak smile. "I know, I don't look like much, but that's gonna change!"

=

"Well, he has passion, that's for sure." Naris chuckled, but it kind of faded as she went along with her speech. "The moot. Apparently we are finding out who could have possibly set up the murder of the King. Maybe it could be the very person who is going to be elected. We aren't sure, but it's an angle, and already we had an interesting visit from Uldric...you saw me last night?"

Vala frowned at the same time Brun smiled as the lad named Tommy spoke.

"I told you I'm busy," Vala said with naked irritation.

"How did you know I was a shifter?" Brun asked.

"Why are you talking to him?"

"He knows I'm a shifter."

"I know, but why are you speaking to him?"

"Because I want to know how he knows about me."

"I know, but- oh forget it. Look, we don't have time for this."

Vala held the lad by the shoulders and looked into his eyes as she said, "I am sorry, Tommy, but we cannot help you, understand? Where we are going, you do not want to follow, trust me on that."

"Where are we going?" Brun piped up.

Vala bit her bottom lip and gripped her staff as she turned towards the shapeshifter with a dagger sharp stare.

~~~

"Yeah, when you were drinking with that jarl," Yunawen replied, jerking her thumb at the house. "I wanted to talk to you then, but I didn't want to interrupt, so I figured I'd wait until the next day. Doesn't seem to have made much difference since you fellows were still at it, but at least we get to take a morning stroll.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're not going after the killer himself. It's one thing to hunt poachers and bandits, but assassins? That's out of our depth by far, even as rangers. Leave it to the bounty hunters I say, and all the other wretches who value life so little."

Passing richly decorated houses and shops, the elves walked towards a wide stone bridge with carved balusters that told of the city's founding. The bridge spanned across a river that flowed from the faraway, flat-headed mountain called Jotenstad, meaning 'Giant's Anvil'.

Despite the mist in the air, the snow clouds from last night had partly abated and the sun was shining through, turning the river into flowing quicksilver. Yunawen was momentarily lost in the beauty of the sight, leaning on the baluster to drink it all in with her dark amber eyes.

It was only until a one-eyed man came running that she noticed a group of people gathered at the other side of the bridge.

"Naris!" Arnolf called out as he stopped before the elves. "It's Uldric, he's dead. No idea how it happened, but he fell in the river and drowned. I got to tell Ashnak about this."

Utterly bemused, Yunawen looked at the commotion happening by the riverside and glimpsed a hooded figure walking away, making for the market square. She didn't know what was going on, but her ranger instincts took over as she touched Naris's hand and said, "Look over there," then began to give chase with bow in hand.

There was a pause, with Tommy looking between them, the journal he was writing in drooped since his focus was elsewhere. Then, he hopped up with a happy ‘hooray!’ and exclaimed. “An adventure! You three are on an adventure! Oh boy, what a way to start my career as a traveling bard!”


“Oh gods, he’s enthusiastic.” Nim grumbled.


The boy with the floppy shoes stuffed his journal and pencil into his burlap sack with a huge smile on his face. The lad was barely as tall as Vala’s shoulder, looking up at Brun with a finger on a tattoo of his arm. “I’ve found more Shifters with tattoos than not, and I have seen a great many of them in my day!” He told him. Tommy went on his tip-toes and reached to stroke Nim’s head feathers. “A talking warrior Eagle! I have seen your kind a lot too.”


“You have?” She titled her head, brushing his fingers away from her feathers.


“Well.” He sighed, slumping his shoulders sheepishly. “Jones did. The things I know, I learned from him actually.”


“So, when you say you have seen a lot of Shifters-“


“I mean Jonesy did. But! He was such a great bard, I FELT like I was there! I want to be able to do that. I want an adventure!” Tommy straightened his belt. The intention was clear. They had a tag along.




=


So then, Yunawen might have seen… Naris glanced back at the chair. Yes, she must know about that. Well, if she would have a say in anything, he guessed there was a possibility that Yunawen might have picked the word ‘reckless’ well.


“Well, I would have liked to go after him. Jorgen was close to me, as you know.” Naris gave a half frown. “Techincally I wouldn’t be by myself either.” he pointed out as they walked.


When they stopped to observe the surroundings, Naris was going to speak, but then Arnolf came running up. Uldric? Dead? His eyes were wide. “When? How?” But there was no time for this to be answered, Yunawen was already racing into the distance. Naris was no slow runner. He caught up with Yunny in a heart beat, unsheathing his sword as he ran with her into the market. There were many people criss crossing their path. There were sights and sounds that threatened to cover the tracks of whoever she had seen.

Vala threw up her hands in surrender as Brun laughed and nodded with approval. "Good, good!" he said. "You have a great spirit! I think you will have many songs to write by our side."

"But he is just a boy," Vala sternly replied.

Brun's laughter was cut short as his face took on the look of one who had just heard something deeply offensive. "Heart of my heart, why would you say such a thing? He is clearly walking the way of the skald, that is a man's path! Who are you to deny him this?"

Her patience stretched to its limit, Vala gave an exasperated sigh and turned to Nimbus. "Very well, you will have the final say in this matter. What do you think?"

~~~

<object width="370" height="24"><param name="movie" value="http://www.itemvn.com/player.swf?soundFile=EDBE668DFF&autostart=no&loop= yes"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.itemvn.com/player.swf?soundFile=EDBE668DFF&autostart=no&loop= yes" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" width="370" height="24"></embed></object>

"Move out of the way!" Yunawen shouted as she ran, her eyes locked on the hooded figure who was moving to the other side of the market.

The people around either stared or hastened to step aside, alarmed to see two elves on the run with weapons drawn. This also drew the attention of the market guards who came to inspect the ruckus.

"What's going on here?" asked one man armed with a spear.

Yunawen slowed down into a cautious approach, but not because of the guards. The hooded figure had suddenly stopped at the other side of the market and began turning to face the elves, though it seemed to Yunawen that he was looking directly at Naris.

Slowly, deliberately, he pulled his hood down to reveal a thin bearded face with long fair hair, pale skin and sapphire blue eyes that began to shine silver as he drew his rune-etched dagger. As soon as he did that, many things happened at once.

Yunawen picked an arrow from her quiver, the market guards called for everyone to get back, several of the bystanders produced their own weapons, shouting about a bounty, and the fair haired man turned around again and fled into an alleyway.

"Let's go!" Yunawen shouted as she began to pursue in earnest, her elven legs striding effortlessly across the frosted cobblestones.

Nimbus flicked her eye between the three. Did this boy even know what kind of things happened in adventures? Would be be a burden to haggle with, to feed, or worse, to have to protect in a dangerous situation? Another question was, where did he come from? Who are his parents?

"Kid, might as well go home." Nimbus shrugged.

Tommy's mouth downturned. "I don't have one. I am not from here...I'm an orphan."

"Then go back to Jones." She offered.

"I can't." Tommy sighed.

"Why not?" She asked.

"He's dead." he told her. "All I remember are flames of the past. My life began with the shepherd and his oldest son, Jones."

Nimbus frowned. He really was just a young man, suffering through lifes path and it's twisted sense of humor. "Alright." She agreed quietly. "You can come with us, but don't think you can mooch."

"Right!" he beamed.

"No special treatment, you're a man."

"Absolutely!"

"Ok, ok. Simmer down, you bubbly boy." Nimbus turned her eye onto Vala. She knew she probably didn't really understand why she let Tommy in their group, but it was a little too personal to explain at the time. "Looks like we're ready to go."


=

...not even aware until you saw the killer's eyes shining in the darkness, bright as flame and silver as starlight...

Those eyes. It was the first thing Naris saw, and his heart skipped, squeezing the air in his throat. The rune-crested dagger was more than enough to confirm, and so Naris sped off like the life of the King would be saved, if he only ran his sword into the Seers heart. Yunawen had trouble keeping up with Naris, whose nose flared red with hard breathing.

"Stop him! Stop that man!" Naris shouted to anyone near by. He could hear his brother yelling for him to grab the man. This was the killer! This was his opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of his brother, and the eyes of the rest of the world. Naris felt his feet beat the ground as fast as his heart bashed against his chest. The figure was coming closer to his grasp, fingers lunged out and he felt the fibers on the tips of his skin.

"Very well then," Vala replied, not quite believing Nimbus's decision.

She had hoped that the eagle would have more sense than to accept travelling companions, much less someone so young as Tommy. Now there would be no way of getting rid of him, not without using force. Vala was well capable of doing that for the boy's own good, but she was tired and sore, and couldn't be bothered to care anymore.

Resigning herself to Tommy's presence, Vala walked on with Brun soon catching up and falling into step at her side. Vala was beyond caring about that too, despite how repugnant the smiling savage was. It was just as well since Nimbus, riding on Brun's shoulder, was brought close enough to speak to.

"We'll talk about this later," Vala said to her and then to everyone else. "Before we enter the town, we should find a spot outside in case all the inns are full. I was told we might be better off setting up camp out here."

"We can make space," Brun chuckled mischievously as he shifted his hand into a claw.

Vala thwacked her staff against Brun's leg. "None of that now. So Nimbus, can you fly up and find an area for us?"

~~~

The elf's fingertips brushed the back of the fugitive's cloak and then closed into a fist, bunching up fabric. Acting quickly, the man unwrapped his cloak, letting it fall from his shoulders, then spun around and leapt to kick Naris full in the chest. Bouncing off, he turned around again to continue running, barely breaking stride.

Yunawen was astonished to see the fervour in Naris's eyes as he dashed by and even more so at the man's agility. His movements were more like that of an elf than a human being, and it was so jarring to see that Yunawen briefly wondered whether she had imagined it. Shaking the thought from her head, she nocked an arrow to her bow and let it fly as she ran.

It was no good. The man dodged the arrow as though he had eyes in the back of his head and a bend in the alleyway defeated the chance for a second shot. With another arrow to her bow, Yunawen rounded the corner and aimed at... nothing. Where was he?

A thud above her answered that question as the man leapt from a rooftop and onto another. Yunawen loosed another arrow at him, but missed and she continued to follow on the ground.

"Get up there!" she shouted to Naris without taking her eyes off the fair haired man.

The idea of talking about it later made Nimbus inwardly sigh. It would be hard to explain to Vala why she decided to bring Tommy along. Maybe it was he poor condition that the boy was in, maybe it was something he said. He didn't mean to be a burden, and he picked up his feet in their company.


Nimbus noticed how often the young lad would pop up with his notebook when he found something interesting to jot down. Tommy didn't even stop when they were looking for a place to bunker down.


"I can." She nodded, shooting off into the sky. Nim circled around a few times, seeing two spots read for the taking. The Golden Eagle saw two clearings, one full of gopher hold, so they other was decided upon. When she went down to them, she perched on Vala's shoulder this time. "To the left, there are two clearings. One was near a stream."


=


Naris didn't look to see what Yunawaen would do, or what she might say. He ignored the possibility that she might, in fact, hit hime.


"NO!" He yelled.


Scrambling up the walls, he latched his fingers onto every crevasse as he went up and over, seeing no way to get this man other than the crazy thought in his mind, Naris sucked in breath, launched himself, and screamed so loud, his voice echoed. His arms outstretched, Naris wanted to grab the figures two legs, where he might hold him down.

"Very good," Vala replied. "Go with Brun to reserve the place by the stream... hm, you better put something on to hide those tattoos. Here."

Removing her cloak and revealing the chainmail covered tunic underneath, Vala tossed it to Brun, who caught it then inhaled deeply as he pressed the garment to his face.

"Mm, I do like your scent very much," he said with a broad smile.

"Ugh... just put it on and keep the hood up as well."

Running a hand through her short silver hair, Vala made a rough effort of tidying it up before removing her chainmail and handing it to Tommy.

"Might as well make yourself useful now that you're with us," Vala said. "Put this in your sack and then follow me into town. We're going to buy some supplies, maybe a hot meal too and a room if we can find one."

~~~

The rogue seer had seen the desperate maneuver coming, but Naris managed to hobble him nonetheless, catching one foot in a vice like grip. He struggled for a moment before kicking the elf twice in the head and then crouching down with dagger poised to strike.

"I don't want to kill you," the man said, eerily serene.

In that moment, Yunawen fired another arrow, but the man deflected it with his dagger and then returned his attention to Naris. With his free foot, the man stomped down hard on the elf's wrists then twisted loose, but he didn't continue running just yet.

Looking down calmly into Naris's hateful eyes, the man said, "You will find the answer to your curse in the lands to the south. Travel there some day when you are ready."

Another arrow came flying to the seer, which he caught this time and used to pin Naris's left hand to the ground. Yunawen gave a shocked gasp as she saw it happen, but before she could so much as regret firing that arrow, the man was off and away.

The bounty hunters and market guards had caught up then to continue the chase, but Yunawen slung her bow across her back and climbed swiftly to the roof where Naris was.

"By the gods, I'm so sorry!" Yunawen said as she came running.

"Put this in my sack?" Tommy blinked, feeling the heavy metal shirt in his hands. He held it like he was raising up a bowl of soup. "What? No! These are quills and inks in this sack. My paper is in here, lady!" He turned up his nose and held it out to her.




Nimbus was taken by some surprise. She didn't think Tommy was going to be so fussy about that. He looked so rough-hewn, by the clothes he wore, you would have thought he was less thoughtful when it came to carrying chain mail in a sack.


"I will not break, smudge, or snap any of my precious scribe tools with this manly metal-knit apparel." Tommy stated.


"Put that thing in your sack before you're sent away, Tommy, we mean it." Nim set her eyes firmly onto him. Er, eye.


The boy's shoulders raised, his black eyes fluttering in indigency. "Bu-but."


"Now!"


"....FINE."


Tommy took out his things, shoved the shirt at the bottom and then carefully put his parchment, quills, inks, and such on top of that, with a few odds and ends. "Uncultured" he sighed at them in a mumble.


The Eagle flew ahead with Brun, until she circled around and found a good spot, where they were near a clear flow of water. She swooped down at the side, on the rock that was wedged between the stream and the small clearing there.


Tommy trailed after Vala, working on a song that he was singing in an unattractive voice.


Morning rises, so do we
Masters of our fate,
us the glorious three!

Sing a song of Tommy!
Vala and Brun two!
Nimbus, a great birdy!


If Nim was here to hear that, she'd have cringed.




=


Didn't want to kill him?


"Well I want to kill you!" He made sure that was clear. Naris tried to make a grab for the man, but his words about the South caught his attention. What was he doing? Was this a trap?


"AH!" Naris grit his teeth when the pain of the arrow held him down. He used one hand to grab the shaft, to pull it out. "No, no!" He breathed in a raspy yell, watching the Seer run off. When Yunawen came to his side, he was furious.


"Don't bother with me! RUN! GET HIM!" He pointed in a flurry at the fading figure. "Don't be such a girl, Yunny, get the man!" A few angry tears formed in Naris' eyes.


Did he lose him again?


Oh, brother...don't be angry.