The three who escaped wasted no time, but neither did they rush, to join their companions. Having been removed from the physical companionship, even though there was still the ever-present awareness of both Inglorca in Zyndalia’s mind and Xunmerco in Ronialdin’s, they nevertheless suffered from a homesickness caused by the distances between them. It was one thing to be held in the confidence and companionship of another’s mind, but completely another to enjoy that companionship reflected in the physical warmth of touch.
As they continued their brisk walk to the edge of the trees where the wolves had been only minutes ago, their excitement for their reunion began to flow over from their souls and into their legs. Neither Rony nor Zyn could withstand the awful urge to run. Almost in complete unison, they broke into an enhanced sprint leaving Liani in their wake. At the same time, bursting through the perimeter of the tree line, two large wolves began running toward them. For anyone outside of their group, the scene would have resembled a quickly approaching battle, for the speed and determination set upon all four of their expressions was one that would not be denied. When they collided, Zyndalia with Inglorca and Ronialdin with Xunmerco, there was an overflowing resonance of joy that even provoked Liani’s eyes to share in the tears of both brother and sister.
As she approached the mass of man and wolf engaged in an embrace of trust and comfort, Liani was drawn to look back to the edge of the trees. There, standing against the green backdrop of the forest’s foliage was a lone grey wolf, its head and ears cocked forward in anticipation. There was a character about her that reached out with familiarity and bid Liani to approach. So, she did. As she drew closer, the lone grey wolf slowly began wagging its tale. The closer Liana walked, the more she could feel the wolf’s contentment. Yet, although she knew this creature innately, she was still apprehensive about getting too close and alarming her. When she was about twenty feet away, her focus turned to the beast’s eyes, a pair of eyes that exactly reflected her own. Though the color was slightly different as one would expect between man and wolf, what existed behind them was the mirrored truth of the other’s soul. They were one, woman and wolf.
Slowly, each approached the other until they were close enough to touch. Liani knelt down to one knee and stretched her hand out to the wolf’s muzzle. In return, the wolf stretched its neck gently placing the bridge of its nose against her outstretched palm. As she began gently stroking between its eyes, and then scratching behind its ears, she felt a connection to something she would later describe as an immortally shared condition of each of them becoming part of the other. She knew, as the beast nuzzled into her, that they would never be apart, that they could never be apart.
“So, what are you going to name her?” asked Ronialdin as both he and Zyndalia walked with their companions to where Liani was, now laying on the ground with the third wolf.
“I do not know,” she said as the wolf licked her across her face producing a hearty laugh from both brother and sister. “I have a feeling she will let me know the name she approves of.”
The wolf seemed to know that Liani had already begun thinking of a name because she growled a deep guttural sound beginning and ending in her throat. But it was not like the growl of other lupine creatures. This grey wolf, smaller than the other two, growled with a prolonged “a” sound as opposed to the normal, throat induced warning from similar beasts. “So, is that it?” Liani asked the wolf as she affectionately rubbed her neck. “Are you trying to warn me against picking a name you will not like?”
In response, the wolf growled again with the same slightly odd sound.
“Very well. I will take time to consider and get to know you. Although I feel as if we already do. As if we have already known each other,” she said as she stood up while the smaller grey wolf continued to cuddle up to her legs. “Oh my!” Liani said as she turned to fully attend to both Rony and Zyn. “I did not realize just how large Xunmerco and Inglorca have gotten. They must be almost as tall as a bear.”
“I believe you are right,” replied Ronialdin.
“And I do not believe they are done growing,” added Zyndalia.
Liani continued to naturally scratch behind her grey’s ears which provoked a very low growling in response, sort of a purr, if wolves were ever known to purr. But regardless of the sound, Liani had no doubt at all that the small grey wolf was extremely at ease and very content with their meeting. She found the connection to be very easy and fluid; the way water naturally flows downstream. She imagined it must be the same for both of the hunters, but it did not mean she was not allowed to revel in the uniqueness of the bond between she and her grey.
“I am quite sure we would all love to spend eternity here, in this moment, but I think it best if we move quickly before night hits. I do not doubt that anything lurking out there will stay very far away with these three with us,” he said as he stroked Xunmerco’s broad snout, “but just the same, I would like to cover as much ground as we can before the sun sets. Our journey is going to be long. It would be best to get a good start,” Ronialdin said as he turned and began walking into the beginnings of a setting sun.
“Is he always like this?” asked Liani.
“What? Oh, do you mean he just does things and expects me to follow?” answered Zyn as both women watched he and Xunmerco walk away.
“Yes,” she clarified.
“Yes, he is. But he has gotten a little better since leaving home,” answered Zyn. “Let us hope our journey does not propel him back into his old and tiresome habits,” she added as she chuckled.
“How long has it been since you have been home?” asked Liani.
“Hey! Did you not hear me?” shouted Ronialdin who had not noticed the lack of response from the women. “It would be better if we did not delay.”
“Do you even know which way we need to go to get home?” shouted his sister in return as she shot Liani a small grin.
“Of course I do!” he answered, showing a small amount of frustration with his sister.
“Is that so?” added Liani, grinning along with Zyndalia.
“Yes, it is so!” he said defiantly. “We are going to head east until we find a small town or traveling inn we can stay at.”
“And then?” prodded Zyndalia.
“And then we will ask if we need to. Now, can we please move on?
“We had better get moving,” said Zyndalia to Liani under her breath. “We do not want to stoke the fire too much.”
“After all, if it all burns out now, what will we do for fun the rest of the journey?” asked Liani. The two women began walking to catch up to Ronialdin, but he did not wait for them.
He set a ruthless pace. Well, it would have been ruthless, but their enhanced stamina allowed all three of them to cover what would have been an impossible amount of ground for anyone not under the effects of the still mysterious bond with the wolves. To Rony’s delight and approval, they reached an inn much sooner than he had hoped. He planned to spend the first night in the forest, but when they saw the faint light and smoke from the hearth’s fire in the distance, he offered an uncommon approval at their progress.
As with all inhabitants of inns, they drew suspicious glances from those still seated at tables enjoying the last drops of their ales and last wisps of fire before it gave way to only the glowing embers of what once was and promised to be again. The three of them looked around hoping to identify someone to speak with, but when they were not successful, they slowly walked up to the bar. Seeing no-one behind it, Rony turned to the man on his left and asked, “Is there anyone to speak with about getting a room for the night?”
“That would be Esthan,” said the man, a slight slur to his words.
“Do you know where we can find him?” added Rony.
“I do not know, at the present. But if you wait here, he will return,” said the man as he looked into the bottom of his ale tankard. His brows furrowed and his eyes seemed to grow sad. “And none too soon,” he continued, “I am out of ale.”
“Well, should we wait?” asked Liani.
“I think it is best. We still have to resupply,” answered Ronialdin.
"That and a night in a warm bed before we begin our journey does have its appeal,” added Zyndalia as she yawned.
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a particularly loud and creaky door opening to their left. Such was the sound the rusted hinges made that all three of them turned to look. They saw an elderly man of short stature slowly limp through. He was wearing black trousers and a simple, off white tunic. He was not overly thin, but it was apparent he suffered from some type of condition because his skin appeared thin and almost transparent. He slowly hobbled behind the bar at which point the man whose ale had recently been emptied said, quite loudly, “Hey, old man. Where have you been? I need another ale.”
In a weak, but sturdy voice, the elderly man retorted, “Listen here, Esthan. Just because you own the place and pay me a decent wage, does not mean you can continue to boss me around. I am still your Drahin.”
“I know, father. I was merely having fun with our newest guests,” said the man named Esthan. Turning to them he asked without even a trace of his previous slur, “So, I understand you are looking for a room?”
“Yes,” answered Rony. “Well, no.”
“Which is it boy, I am a busy man with many things to do,” Esthan said as he stood up and began walking behind the bar counter.
“We need two rooms for the night,” Rony clarified.
Esthan did not reply immediately, rather he waited until he had finished walking behind the bar counter. Once there, he stopped, looked at Ronialdin quite deliberately, then to the two women and then back to Rony and asked, “You need two rooms?” as his left eyebrow shot up.
“Yes,” answered Rony, “two rooms please.”
Esthan again looked at him and then back to the two women, and then back to him with the unspoken intent to help this dull and daft young man in front of him realize the potential a single room could present; but when Ronialdin showed no sign of a deeper understanding behind the superficially rude pause from his hopeful host, Esthan shook his head and said, “Very well boy, I have two rooms for you. It will be six marks.” Turning to the two women, he added, “If, however, either of you, or even both of you, find the confines of your rooms a bit cold and limiting, my room is right down the hall from you. Feel free to join me and I will show you the limitless potential of a good sturdy bed.”
As the two women awkwardly blushed, Rony put both of his hands on the counter and said, “Just the rooms please.”
“Very well, I did not mean to offend, just to present a once in a life time opportunity. Here are your keys, boy,” he said. “You will find both rooms up the stairs to your right and at the end of the first hallway on your left.”
“Thank you,” said Rony as he took the keys from the man in exchange for the six marks.
“What are those?” asked Esthan as he looked down to the counter.
“What do you mean?” answered Rony.
“Those,” said Esthan as he pointed to the six pieces of currency resting on the counter.
“Six marks. The price for the two rooms,” Ronialdin clarified.
“Those have not been in circulation since The Stone Keep was taken,” he said.
“Well that is all I have. I can assure you they have been accepted everywhere, even in the Stone Keep itself,” he answered.
“Yes, I know they have. The currency repeal does not take effect until next year. Or so I have been told by the roaming authorities.”
“They are repealing the currency of the Silver Empire?” asked Zyndalia.
“Apparently they are. Well, just the Stone Keep’s province that is. That was one of the first edicts from Lord Kahl soon after he became the Lord of what he calls The Blood Keep. That and the newly introduced magically enhanced food program,” said Esthan.
“Do they actually believe ridding the Stone Keep of the Silver Empire’s currency and replacing it with their own will help?” asked Liani.
“I do not know, my dear. One can only speculate to the reasons of conquerors. But I can tell you one thing: their designs are much larger than just the Stone Keep. Replacing currency, I fear, will only be the first step,” he said dubiously.
It was Ronialdin who spoke next, “Thank you for your time and rooms, sir.”
“You are welcome,” he said as he grinned to both Liani and Zyndalia. While they were turning around and walking toward the stairs, they overhead the sounds of a hushed admonishment being issues from Esthan’s father and an equally hushed retort from Esthan himself. They found the rooms easily and exactly where they had been told. Rony retired to his, and the two women to theirs.
The marginally soft mattresses and pillows felt much plusher because their most recent beds consisted of no more comfort than the hardness their feet were used to trudging upon. There was a time when both women would never have thought they would ever become accustomed to sleeping on the rough and adverse surfaces of grass and dirt and rock, yet quite quickly, although it seemed like an eternity each night, they did. So, when they each laid down on what would have been defined as poor quality, it felt like they were resting on the light and puffy clouds of a warm, early summer day. Exhausted, it took little time for Rony to succumb to his fatigue. Zyndalia, while just as tired as he, fell into the restful and warm hands of slumber more slowly than her brother. The thoughts of finally being reunited with their mother was enough to keep her silently awake for another hour after him. However, she too closed her eyes and accepted the easy rhythm of a poem’s sleep.
Liani, on the other hand, was too engrossed in the novelty of her new wolf, excitement etched deeply into her soul, to have so easily fallen asleep. Instead, she fought the urge of exhaustion and persisted in examining as much of their bond as she absolutely could. Much like her, the small gray wolf was something of an oddity when compared to its other brethren. She felt a strange disconnect with the rest of them through the transmission of her wolf’s emotions and thoughts. It took a decent amount of time for her to understand what was conveyed for no other reason than she was not wolf herself. And while humans communicated through a very complicated system of speech, wolves were not like that. A least, not hers. Images were linked to senses and further linked to emotions.
But after a brief period of difficulty, Liani began to develop a fluidity of conveyance with her wolf, though by now she understood it was not and could never be hers. For a bond like this was a much closer approximation to companionship where both parties continued with each other’s presence only because of choice. But was it even a choice at all? She did not choose to connect with this animal. It just was. One moment she was alone in the confines of her own mind and soul, and the next, the small gray wolf howled into her expression, becoming one with her; at least as much as two separate beings can become one. But she was not the only one who was busy exploring the soul of the other. She could feel the playful prodding of the small gray poking anxiously into what she could only define as the part of the identities they shared.
This connection, however peaceful, still produced a set of questions she could not answer, and apparently, neither could the small gray. Was Rony’s transformation part of the effect of his connection to Xunmerco? She saw him when he was engaged in what they referred to as the white rage. She was the first one to witness it. Would she too find the white rage knocking at the door of her soul just as he had? She had seen subtle changes in Zyndalia, but were they the result of her bond with Inglorca, or was it merely a result of a familial connection? So many thoughts and questions were now racing through her mind; but more foundational than all of them, was the simple thought that she was alone no longer.
Yes, she was quickly becoming close to both Rony and Zyndalia, having developed a great friendship with the younger, and a profound bond with the elder, but it was nothing like this. They were still separate people with their own complete and complex id
entities; thus, they would never be as close as they would need to be to consider one with the other at all times, no matter how much they cared about each other. But, with her small gray, even across the miles that separated them now, she could feel their identities being drawn together by a knitting stronger than any other bond existing in mortality. She wondered if there was an end to it. Would they continue to become so close that they would be blended by the continued knitting of their independent identities as one, or would they still be able to maintain their own separate intents?
Fatigue. That was the latest and most severe emotion shared by her and her small gray in this moment. As much as both wanted to continue their reveling into each other, they both knew the bill would come due in a harsh exhaustion if they did not rest enough to keep up with what would surely be an unrelenting pace set by Ronialdin. As she let pass the thrilling energy to discover all she could about this small gray, amazing wolf, she felt sadness creep through their bond, not only to her, but from her as well. Yet, there was joy too. A joy that filled tomorrow with purpose and companionship. Neither of them would ever be away from the other. Neither of them would ever feel alone again.
On the calling of the morning rooster and with the rising of the new sun signaling a journey of familiar hope and energy, the three of them left the footsteps of the inn. They were joined by their wolf companions when they reached the distance where the presence of the three very large animals would go unnoticed, thus avoiding alarm. They knew the main roads would be very busy with not only the presence of merchants and other people going about their business, but with scouts and soldiers seeking to unravel the many rumors regarding the new Lord of the Stone Keep. Though avoiding the main thoroughfares would prolong their march, it was decided that safety and anonymity should rule their steps.
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