Of Liars and Thieves

by Gabriela Lavarello

  “The mountains split here,” Finriel said, pointing at the map, and Tedric took two long strides to Finriel’s other side and looked. Her finger was pointing at a place not too far from their current location, and Tedric nodded, realizing what Finriel was getting at.

  “We should keep more to the east,” Tedric replied confidently. “It will keep us closer to the coast, so it should be warmer than there,” he finished, pointing a dirt-encrusted fingernail toward the westerly portion of the Steel Mountains.

  Lorian nodded. “I’ve gone both ways, the westerly mountain pass will be covered in feet of snow by this time. Besides, staying to the east here will give us a more direct line to Dragonkeep, which is where I am assuming we are headed.”

  “It’s the only fathomable place to find the storyteller’s dragon.” Finriel shrugged. “That or the Clelac Crags.”

  Tedric watched Lorian curiously as the thief shuddered and shook his head.

  “The crags can be our last resort.” Lorian cringed. Tedric raised a brow in question and Lorian shook his head, answering quickly, “It’s another long story.”

  “There’s a large pond over there,” Krete called, and Tedric turned slightly to look behind his shoulder.

  Krete and Nora stood at the top of a small ridge a few feet from where Tedric and the others stood, and Krete waved them over.

  “We stay east, then?” Finriel asked, and Tedric nodded in confirmation.

  Finriel rolled up the map and the three of them followed Aeden to the top of the ridge. Tedric’s tunic felt sticky with sweat, and he swore he could feel the endless dust they’d gone through now ingrained in his skin.

  “There,” Krete pointed, and Tedric looked.

  A large meadow with sparse yet surprisingly still green grass stretched out beyond, and indeed a fairly large body of water glittered in the sun at the base of an enormous mountain. Large boulders were scattered throughout the meadow, casting long shadows across the ground.

  “I say we stay here for the rest of the day and make camp by one of those boulders,” Tedric said. “We’ll be no good against a dragon if we don’t take at least one day of rest.”

  No one argued against this, and the companions were soon making their way toward the large pond in the distance. Tedric’s itching skin felt as if it too was anticipating getting to the water. He knew that the first thing he’d do was jump into the pond, no matter if there were large water snakes or other creatures inside. Tedric wanted nothing more than to feel clean for the first time in nearly two moons, and he’d go stark naked even in front of Aeden and Finriel to get a good bathing in.

  “Here is good, don’t you think?” Krete said, gesturing to a smattering of boulders spaced close to the edge of the pond.

  Tedric nodded along with the others, his mind more on the prospect of a bath than where to set up camp. Being on the road had changed him, he realized with a jolt. Before, he wouldn’t have even thought about his own comfort, ensuring that he followed protocol and created a home base before going off on his own. Perhaps it’s not such a bad thing to loosen up, he thought as he walked over to the rocky shore of the pond.

  “What do you think, any water snakes?” Lorian asked, making Tedric jump as the thief came to stand at his side and peer into the clear depths.

  “I don’t think so, the water is too clear,” Tedric commented, finding that he could see the rock-and sand-covered bottom of the pond, which was not very deep at all.

  “And too cold,” Lorian agreed. “It might even be too cold for our snakes.”

  Tedric scowled, and the thief shrugged with raised brows. A resigned sigh fell from his lips and he began working at the clasp of his cloak.

  “I’d rather risk that unfortunate event than be dirty at this point,” he replied, pulling his tunic up over his head.

  “Krete!” Lorian yelled over to the gnome, who was helping Finriel and Aeden search for kindling for the coming night. “Come join us for a swim.”

  Krete glanced at Finriel and Aeden, who gestured for him to go, and the gnome promptly dropped the few meager sticks in his hands and went to join the men.

  “You could have invited the women over,” Tedric grumbled under his breath to Lorian, who had also started to discard his grimy clothing upon the rocky ground.

  Lorian snorted, though his eyes darkened. “I don’t think Finriel would willingly come near me and a body of water any time soon.”

  A wave of guilt crashed over Tedric’s good spirits as he set his pants atop his tunic and cloak. “I’m sorry, I had forgotten,” he said apologetically, now standing in nothing but his undergarments.

  Lorian stared at him for a moment, then burst into a fit of wild laughter. Tedric felt nothing but confusion at this, and he looked down at himself, trying to find something that may be of humor to the thief.

  “I can’t take you seriously with you baring your heart to me in nothing but your underthings,” Lorian wheezed, nearly doubling over.

  “Is everything okay?” Krete asked, already shrugging his vest from his shoulders as he approached.

  “Lorian is just getting a good laugh out of me, that’s all,” Tedric growled, though he was finding it hard to remain serious himself.

  “Ah, well, I can’t seem to understand most things that come out of his mouth,” Krete replied with a simple smile, and headed toward the water.

  Tedric was surprised to find that nothing but muscle rippled underneath the gnome’s tanned skin as he dove into the crystalline depths with barely a splash.

  Lorian nodded toward Tedric’s shoulder and said with a slightly more serious tone, “It suits you.”

  Tedric looked down at the scar that ran from the top of his shoulder and ended at the middle of his bicep, the raised red line a stark difference against his olive skin. Tedric flexed his arm, remembering how foolish he had been with the chimera. “It will be a constant reminder that I can do better,” he said almost to himself.

  “You’re too harsh on yourself,” Lorian sighed.

  “Come on.” Tedric motioned for Lorian to follow him into the water, and he trudged toward the shore. Perhaps Lorian was right and he was too hard on himself. A small ball formed at the pit of his stomach and Tedric shoved it down. Excellence was the only thing that had brought him and his father even the smallest bit of honor. Tedric wouldn’t stop trying to be better, even if it killed him one day.

  Tedric sucked in a breath at the sting of freezing water that lapped around his feet, the sensation of tiny pinpricks against his skin near painful. He looked over to Krete, who was standing a few feet off, scrubbing at his arms and head merrily as if the water were as warm as a regular bath. Tedric shook his head in wonder and forced himself a few steps further, cursing at the cold. He looked over his shoulder to get a glimpse at Aeden, and his stomach gave its familiar flop as his eyes landed upon her and Finriel lounging on a patch of grass, both of the women watching him and Lorian with looks of amusement. Tedric brought a hand up to wave at Aeden, but before he could, a hard body slammed against his back, sending him falling face first into freezing water. The cold was blinding, and Tedric pressed against the smooth rocks at the bottom of the pond to come back up for air.

  “I hate you,” Tedric spluttered, shaking his head and sending droplets scattering across the rippling water.

  Lorian brought a hand to his bare chest in mock hurt. “Oh, now you’ve just hurt my feelings,” he replied with a devilish grin.

  A smile tugged at Tedric’s lips and he lunged forward, bending slightly to aim his blow at Lorian’s waist. His shoulder connected with Lorian’s now filled out frame, and Lorian fell back into the water with a grunt of surprise. Aeden and Finriel’s laughter rang through the air, but Tedric kept his focus on Lorian, waiting for the thief as he popped back up, spitting water from his mouth and wiping dark shoulder-length hair from his face.

  Lorian was still grinning when their bodies collided again, and Tedric easily hooked his leg behind Lorian’s knee, sending h
im back into the water in less than a second. Tedric couldn’t help his smile from growing at Lorian’s silly attempts of attack, though he knew that the thief wasn’t trying very hard.

  “I could beat you in a fight with my eyes closed,” Tedric commented after he had thrown Lorian into the water yet again, and Lorian simply laughed.

  “My apologies that I wasn’t honed into a fighting machine at such a young age, but I also haven’t been trying,” Lorian replied easily.

  “Oh?” Tedric said. “Please, do enlighten me.”

  “Come on, now,” Krete interjected from where he stood a few paces away. “I’m just trying to get clean, and you two are making the water dirty.”

  “So sorry,” Lorian panted. “We’re nearly finished.”

  Krete sighed and quickly finished scrubbing at his mousy brown hair, grumbling under his breath about thieves and young men having as much sense as a brick. Tedric brought his attention back to Lorian, but found that the thief wasn’t there anymore. A hand clasped around Tedric’s ankle and he let out a yelp of surprise as it yanked his foot forward, and he fell into the icy depths once again.

  “That’s not proper fighting,” Tedric finally said once he emerged from the water to find Lorian scrubbing at his now clean skin as if nothing had happened.

  Lorian looked at Tedric and replied with a grin, “My line of work doesn’t require proper fighting. It simply requires whatever moves will get you out of trouble quick enough.”

  “I could teach you a few things, you know,” Tedric said, shivering against a sudden breeze.

  “The commander of the Ten, train a wanted thief to fight?” Lorian said, and flung his hands into the air. “Next thing I know, the goddesses will return to Raymara, and I’ll become a king.”

  Tedric laughed. “We should get out. We’ve already scared Krete away.” He pointed at Krete, who was now crouched at the shore, dunking his clothes into the water.

  Tedric and Lorian finished scrubbing the grime from their skin and hair, and Tedric relished in watching the lines of dirt fall from his skin.

  “What’s been the matter between you and Aeden?” Lorian asked, breaking up the silence.

  Tedric paused his scrubbing, his heart skipping as he took a moment before answering, “There’s nothing the matter between us.”

  “Oh, please.” Lorian snorted. “Even Krete could see that there’s something between you two.”

  “I couldn’t say.” Tedric sighed. “I still feel like I don’t know her very well, and I would say more if I knew that she wasn’t listening to our conversation.”

  Tedric glanced at their camp, and indeed Aeden had paused in leaning over something upon the ground. Lorian chuckled and patted Tedric on the shoulder with an understanding nod. Tedric and Lorian slowly made their way to the rocky shore. Tedric looked down at the ground to grab his dirty clothes, but frowned to find that they were nowhere to be seen.

  “That’s strange,” he said.

  “Maybe Finriel and Aeden took them,” Lorian suggested, and the two of them set off shivering toward the women and Krete, who was now seated next to Aeden.

  Nora was nowhere in sight, and Tedric could only guess that she was off hunting somewhere. He let his gaze travel over the wide meadow, though he knew that he wouldn’t be able to spot the mogwa.

  “Looking for your clothes?” Aeden asked as they approached, and Tedric nodded, his veins thrumming as their gazes met. Aeden quickly looked away and pointed to her right. Tedric followed her gesture to find his and Lorian’s clothes on one of the large boulders close to them, dripping wet.

  “You washed them?” Lorian asked, and Aeden nodded.

  “It was more for us than anything. Finriel and I have barely been able to stand the smell of you two for the past few weeks.”

  Tedric padded over to the boulder and picked up a sleeve of his dripping tunic with another shiver. “Finriel, would you mind lending a hand? They won’t be dry enough for hours on their own.”

  “I’m surprised,” Finriel said with a raised brow. “I wouldn’t have thought that a trusted warrior of the Red King would ask for me to break the law for him.”

  Tedric tensed and shot her a look of warning. She was right, however. He was asking her to break the law on his accord, even if it was just to dry his clothes.

  “I have no problems with breaking a silly magic law.” Lorian filled the silence. “You can dry both of our clothes on my behalf.”

  Finriel rolled her eyes but smiled in reply to Lorian’s request, and Tedric dropped the sopping tunic sleeve as Finriel stood and came to stand at his side.

  “It doesn’t make you any less of a man, you know,” Finriel said, and Tedric looked down at her in surprise.

  He was speechless as Finriel gently closed her eyes and splayed her hands over his and Lorian’s clothes. Heat began to radiate visibly from her fingertips. That had been the nicest thing she’d ever said to him, he realized, and he glanced down at the large red scar on his shoulder, which was just another reminder of what she had done to help him live.

  “There,” Finriel said with satisfaction, and she stepped away.

  Tedric reached forward to find his clothes dry and warm to the touch, and he thanked her quickly before grabbing his tunic, pants, and cloak. Lorian came to stand at Tedric’s side, and they began to dress.

  “What is the matter between you and Finriel?” Tedric asked, his thoughts drifting to Finriel’s sudden change in attitude toward Lorian.

  “I suppose she’s realizing that I’m not entirely the idiot that she thought I was,” Lorian replied nonchalantly as he finished buckling his cloak, though Tedric found a note of tension in his voice.

  “I see,” Tedric nodded, and Lorian gave him a strained smile.

  * * *

  A full moon bathed the open meadow in soft luminescence, and nothing but the sounds of even breathing and a whispering breeze filled the air. Tedric sat with his back against the cool stone of a boulder, watching his companions and the glittering pond beyond as he took the last watch of the night.

  The companions had enjoyed a laughter-filled mealtime around a campfire, the remaining embers still glowing softly a few feet away. His heart had grown fond of his companions, even Nora, though she was rarely with them for very long periods of time. Tedric sighed through his nose, his thoughts drifting to what would happen after the quest. Would he be expected to simply return to his duties as commander of the Ten? Would he have to forget about the faces of the companions he’d grown to care for so deeply? He supposed that was the nature of any quest, but Tedric hadn’t allowed himself to grow so attached to anyone but his men in his entire life.

  His attention snapped back to the small camp, and his heart jumped as a familiar graceful body stood from among his sleeping companions and approached.

  “Can’t sleep?” Tedric asked as Aeden came to sit at his side, and he slid over so that she could rest comfortably against the smooth stone.

  Tedric’s skin prickled where their arms touched, and Aeden shivered as a cool breeze swept over them. He itched to bring her into his arms and shelter her from the growing cold, but he forced his hands to remain clasped in his lap.

  “The moon is too bright,” Aeden explained. “And I can never sleep on the full moon.”

  “I can’t either,” Tedric agreed.

  “It’s the last full moon before Clamidas,” Aeden said again, and Tedric looked at her, finding that her expression was lined with worry.

  “Is that a bad thing?” he asked.

  “No.” Aeden shook her head. “Though I’ve never enjoyed it as most fairies have. My father has never let me experience it in the forests.”

  “He sounds like a very controlling parent,” Tedric mused, “though I could be wrong.”

  “You’re far from wrong,” Aeden said with a small smile. “He’s a monster.”

  “What sort of things did he do?” Tedric asked, remembering that she had said something similar during one of their firs
t conversations.

  “After my mother died,” Aeden began, “he was never the same. He blamed my nan for her death, though her passing had clearly been nothing more than an accident.”

  “I’m sorry,” Tedric whispered, and Aeden shook her head.

  “Don’t be. I did all I could to convince him, but my distaste for him had already grown thick when it happened.”

  Tedric wasn’t sure if she was going to continue, but she opened her mouth again after a moment of pause. He watched her with a growing ache in his chest, wishing that he could look into her green eyes and hold her as she spoke with growing anger.

  “I was sixteen when my father had him killed four years ago. He was my first and only love, but my father didn’t agree with our desire for each other.”

  “How is that possible? He could have been cursed doing that,” Tedric said, more of a question than anything.

  “My father didn’t kill him. He’s too much of a coward to use his own hands, but he made me watch the man who was hired to do it,” Aeden nearly spat, and Tedric shuddered.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, and Tedric found himself extending a hand to her. She took it tentatively, and Tedric squeezed her hand softly, reassuringly. She gave him a small smile, and his heart nearly stopped at the beauty of her.

  “Why did he do it?” Tedric asked, and Aeden’s smile faltered.

  “My father has always been proud of his status, and the boy was a human servant,” Aeden replied. “Because of this, he wanted to ensure that our house remained respectable and … clean.”

  Tedric nodded, though his stomach clenched at her words. He understood what it was like to hate someone of a different race, but he was beginning to find that he didn’t feel the same about his hatred for fairies anymore.

  “My father wanted to have the boy’s death be an example of what would happen if I ever crossed him again.”

  “You have to stand up for what’s right even if it means that it goes against your father,” Tedric said, and Aeden’s smile reappeared.