Diane and Kat- the Bound Bands

by Michael Hudson

  Diane stepped forward, her hand shooting out like a snake from its den, and grabbing his wrist. Ice formed around the tips of her fingers, and the man tried to pull away, to little avail. “Now, my dear Kesral fool , I do believe you should calm down. As our lady said in passage twelve, line fifteen, ‘we are to spread tenderness and joy to all we see as possible allies, as such things can be passed on to improve one another, unlike what hate and vitriol may’. So,” the frost on the man’s arm began to spread along it as her eyes shot daggers into him, “would you like to follow your teachings, or will you continue to insult my companion?”

  He was white as snow at this point, and garbled up nothing in response. It was still enough for Diane to feel free to let him go. She rarely liked resorting to such an extreme method, as it always brought along issues, but they would be gone from the town soon, and she had more pressing issues on her mind at the moment.

  A whistle came from behind her, and Diane turned to her friend who was holding their fruits for the journey. “No matter how often I see you do that, it always unsettles me to watch you get your scripture on. And hey, you didn’t have to lose your cool on him, not for little ol’ me.”

  Kat stuck her tongue out at Diane, but the sorceress could tell by the gentle squeeze on her arm that Kat had noticed that something was amiss, and she would ask question soon. Diane tried to wave it away, but she soon noticed she was between a rock, and a hard place. She could either leave with Kat to hear her companion’s questions, or stay under the shining eyes of the older woman and-

  The woman reached out and grabbed Diane’s hand before pulling her in close. “Please, priestess, won’t you come back with me? I would be happy to give you a discount on the fruits for a blessing, as my son, well, you see, he is very sick, a-and we so rarely-”

  Kat slid forward, placing a hand on Diane’s arm and pulling on it, just to make sure she had a grip on her friend as she looked the woman in the eyes. “What’s wrong with him?”

  The woman glanced at Kat, a scowl making the lines on her face all that much worse, before gesturing for her the redhead to leave. “A warrior knows nothing about healing, so please, do not interrupt,” She then turned back to Diane, all signs of annoyance evaporating as she put her hands back together. Her voice lowered as she whispered, “her.”

  Diane took in a deep breath, trying to stay calm as a sweat broke over her brow. She did manage to force a smile on and tilted her head, just as she had seen so many healers do before. “Please, my companion is correct that the first step in any healing is to know what sort of condition the patient is in, and how they got into said condition. If his case is beyond my capabilities, I may have to send for someone better.”

  She nodded furiously, now eager to give the information that she had kept before. “Well, you see, a week ago, he was playing by the river, and found some purple flowers. As he is so young, and I am so old, I did not notice he was eating them until it was too late. I thought little of it until he began to throw up his favorite meal that night. Please, help him expel the curse those little plants put on him, for it has been over a week, and all he does is sleep, sweat, and vomit!”

  Diane nodded as she put up a hand, each breath being forced as she simply tried to calm down the woman. “Let me speak to my companion, and I will see what I can do.” She nodded as the woman did, and slipped only a few steps away, though the roar of the market crowd behind them would make sure Kat and her had privacy. “Why do they always assume I’m a priestess?”

  Kat kept her arms crossed, one of her sharp canines showing as she growled. “It’s the same reason the friars leave you alone when you quote that religious shit.” She shut her eyes, slowly breathing in and out. “Have the disrespect to tell me to go jag off while your son has eaten poison. Who does that?”

  Diane nodded, her stomach slowly returning to normal. She wasn’t a healer, never had been, never wanted to be one. Even back in the church, when given the option to watch the clerics work on the sick, she usually went and read within the confines of the library. When people looked at her to save their children though, she wished with all her might that she had taken the chance. “I need to start memorizing your remedies so I don’t feel so…” She stopped, feeling a strong hand on her shoulder, and looking down at Kat.

  The shorter woman brushed some of her orange hair out of her face as she sighed. “I know, trust me, I do. Luckily, this one shouldn’t be deadly; it just wreaks havoc on the body. My clan and I would get it into a city’s water supply a couple days before a raid, dump a barrel of the stuff in, and the guards would crumple by the time of the attack. Luckily, any herbal shop will have the yellow sarasun that she needs to cure it; doubly so if she mixes it with some beef broth… though that may have just been how mom got dad to ever take his medicine.”

  Diane managed to smile with her friend as she nodded,and recomposed herself. Everything would be fine. Kat knew what to do, just as she always did when it came to such things. She just needed to remember that more often, especially with the quest she had set them upon.

  “Hey, healer, she’s waiting on you!”

  Diane snapped herself out of her thoughts and spotted her friend standing by the vendor, leaning against one of the poles as she waited. Diane nodded and came over to deliver to the woman the good news, and watched the elder’s face light up in joy. Soon, the shop was closed, and Diane was leaning to the side, forced off balance by the heavy satchel on her shoulder. “Well, at least we’ll be eating well in the dungeon.”

  Kat’s eyes narrowed, and she pointed at Diane. “You better buy me some meat to go with those damned prunes. You know how much I hate them.”

  Diane nodded, shifting the satchel slightly as she frowned. The woman had been in a rush, but a little better organization would have meant a lot less work tonight trying to get them situated properly so as to not snap her spine in half tomorrow. “I’ll grab it once you’re back at the hotel, practicing with your blade, okay?”

  Kat’s smile grew and she nudged Diane in the side. “Give me the money for the blade, and I can go get it myself. Besides, a blacksmith is no place for such a pure and innocent, Kesral healer.”

  Diane gave her howling friend a look that would kill lesser girls, before turning away, and stomping off. Kat would know she wasn’t mad, and a quick look back guaranteed that, as her friend was holding one hand in front of her in an odd hook. Diane did the same, lining up her half with Kat’s and feeling a flood of warmth in her chest as she completed the little heart symbol.[5] Kat nodded, and turned away, soon being lost to the crowd as Diane headed for the butcher to get the last of their food for tomorrow’s journey.

  To Treasure!

  Kat smiled as she heard a groan come from beside her, and began to chuckle as her partner’s muffled curses met her ear. She opened one eye, noting Diane’s pale skin before she swiveled her vision to the rest of the room. Above her was the hard, wooden rafters of the inn, and the breastplate that was hopefully dry by now. Of course, the smell would probably be another case altogether, but they had tried their best to remove it, so it would be her job to grin and bear it for now.

  Kat fell out of bed, landing on her hands and knees, before scrambling over to their packs. Her hands moved with practiced ease, before they sank into what felt like squishy organs. For a moment, the young woman wondered if she should be concerned about that being what came to her mind instead of preserved prunes, before shrugging it off, and actually searching the bag now. By the time Diane was finally making her way over, Kat had successfully retrieved a canteen, coffee, and a cup for her friend.

  Diane mumbled, “Mo’ing,” as she weakly gripped the cup. Kat helped pour out some of the water and coffee, a smile growing on her face as it did every morning. While Kesra always asked for its followers to stay pure, they were also the ones who were most responsible for Diane’s addiction to the bitter drink in her hands, and the irony was so sweet on the redhead’s tongue. Kat nodded once she saw small licks
of fire escape her companion’s hands, and she walked to another bag as the sound of boiling water met the air.

  “Shirts, breaches, and an almost dead sorceress. No better way to start the day of a dungeon trip, is there?” Kat waited for Diane to turn and open her mouth to throw her a shirt, and watched as she jumped at the sudden motion. “Careful. Don’t wanna get burned by hot water now, do you?.”

  Diane narrowed her eyes, before bringing the life giving cup to her lips. While she had undergone miracles, healing spells, and even what was considered being given immortality by a cult, she had found nothing quite cured what ailed her like the bitter drink between her digits. Well, that, and getting back at her companion for her jokes by pointing one finger at her and letting the sparks fly.

  “Yipe!” Kat jumped up from the pack, glaring at Diane as she rubbed her bum. “You’re lucky I wasn’t wearing my breeches yet, or else that would be another ruined pair.” She gave it one more squeeze, wincing at the now sore spot on her backside. “I will need to get you back for that.”

  Diane nodded as she put her coffee to the side, and began working with her own clothes. Of course, she had tried leaving both of their tougher sets at the top of the pack, because you never went dungeoneering in just cotton. She frowned for a moment as the stiffer, leather reinforcements on her arm gave a bit more feedback than normal, but such was the cost of them having been tucked away for quite a while. “You can do so at camp tonight. Sound fair?”

  The barbarian nodded as she unslung her breastplate from the rafters and began working on the intricate straps. While in most regards the steel plate was a regular piece of armor, she did have custom made straps for it. While they made getting the damned thing on even harder for the shorter girl, if, in a pinch, she needed to get it off, all it would take was about a half a minute of work, instead of the normal few minutes for knights. “Fine. What do you wanna do for breakfast though?”

  Kat looked up as she smelled something foul, and scowled at the piece of bread with a prune on it. “Oh, how I wish we got apricots, apples, or anything that was not prunes yesterday.”

  Diane winced as she took her own bite of bitter breakfast, but ignored the less than appetizing meal for the most part. “Tis part of the price we pay as adventurers though, and you should know it.”

  A sigh escaped Kat as she got to the door to the hotel and popped it open while watching Diane pat down her robe. “How is the chainmail in there doing?”

  Diane slowly came over, letting the armor in her sleeves settle as she walked. She had about three versions of these robes; one with chainmail, like this, one with more leather reinforcements, like her shirt, that she had worn for more odd jobs, and then a regular one, for supply runs. All of them were a little cumbersome, but they did their jobs well, and it helped her feel comfortable, even while underground. “I’m not noticing anything, though we may want to see a tailor or blacksmith soon to make sure.”

  Kat nodded as they both finally walked out of the room. Kat had most of their stuff with them for now, as a safe trip through town wouldn’t really need her ready to move. It did not mean they were light though. “I really hope this is a dungeon that doesn’t focus on reusable traps, because I’m guessing you didn’t leave a ton of room for any treasure.”

  Diane nodded as they made their way past the guards at the town walls. The place they were going to wasn’t far, but one usually avoided building a town around a place that monsters may end up sneaking out of. “No, I didn’t, though from what little I’ve gathered, The Bound Bands should be the most valuable thing we find in there.”

  Kat groaned as they began walking through the forest. “Yeah, well, if that’s the case, we may have not wanted to piss that mayor off. We may need to get some more work before we shove off for the next town.”

  “Oh…” Diane slowed for a moment, before shaking her head clear. “Sorry. I suppose I’ve been so nervous about this raid that I didn’t think about that possibility.”

  A whistle escaped the knight as the ruins came into view. It was a large, stone block, with a door as tall as two men at the front that was made of solid gold. It shone in the early daylight, but time had not been kind to the metal. Otherwise, Kat and Diane would have been blinded at this point. “Hey, it’s been awhile since we went treasure hunting, so I don’t really blame you. I know I wouldn’t have heard about this thing, or been able to find the sparse clues you have.”

  Diane nodded as they came ever closer to the open plain before the monument. She was a bit worried that this could be another town’s way of attracting adventurers to ‘treasure’, but with doors like those… “Damn. I didn’t even know about those. I know little is known about this dungeon, but for even the entrance to be kept secret? Why?”

  “I can tell you.”

  Kat and Diane turned to the voice, only to see a young girl, even younger than them, standing there with broom in hand. Kat growled as Diane smiled, and they both walked closer to the blond stranger. “What do you mean?”

  The girl nodded, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet as she smiled wide at them. “Well, the queen, in respect to the one who had this tomb built originally, wanted to honor the memory of her by keeping this place well maintained as a memorial. Thus,” the girl gently curtsied to them, “I, Abigail, and my family, are paid to keep this place looking nice. We even have a nice, little bed and breakfast behind the temple.”

  Diane nodded as Kat groaned. “Great. Just another fucking tourist trap, using the royalty as an excuse for this existing. Just great!”

  Diane frowned at her companion as the shorter girl huffed. “Now, we aren’t certain about that. If this was a tourist trap, the town would have sent us here, so as to make sure we paid the premium price for better access to the dungeon.”

  “Hey!”

  Diane glanced at the blond girl beside her. “Are your prices higher than in town?”

  Abigail raised a hand while her jaw lowered, and then froze. Her cheeks then turned red as Kat let out a sharp bark of laughter, earning her a glare from the teenager. “Hey, it’s only because the commission that the crown gives us isn’t enough to pay for everything. Well, that, and my cornbread is the best you’ll find this side of the Charafiga[6] !”

  Diane and Kat glanced at each other, both of them remembering how many times they had heard that in the past month, because everywhere had the best cornbread this side of something. Diane put a hand on her forehead as she took in a deep breath. “Look, Abigail, we’ve had a bit of a hard time in town, but that does not excuse how my companion has treated you. Still, if you have any information on the dungeon, or the legend of The Bound Bands, that would be very useful.”

  The blonde girl and Kat spent another moment exchanging dirty looks, before she shook her head and turned back to Diane. “Well, I suppose I could, especially since it’s the most interesting part of…”

  “Anything you do?’

  A sigh escaped the girl as Kat chuckled at her little joke, before patting the girl on the head. “Hey, a quiet life isn’t always so bad. Take one whiff of my hair, and you would probably agree.”

  A small giggle escaped the girl, before she straightened herself out and put one hand on her hip, while the other jutted out straight, now holding the broom like some sort of staff. “So, as legend foretells, three hundred years ago, there was a man who lived in this fair land, a farmhand. His name was Carnick, and for much of his life, combat was not who he was. Instead,-”

  Kat smacked the broom from her hand, startling the girl as she let out a yelp, and stopped her story. “Look kid, we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t know that much. We don’t need to hear the long winded, royal version of Carnick meeting the princess of the time, falling in love, and becoming her knight. We know all of that.”

  Diane couldn’t help but give a small chuckle herself as she came next to her companion. “We would not be seeking the bands if we did not know of their power to share buffs between one another. I will admit t
hough, I was a little excited to hear the romanticised version, as they’re always wonderfully over the top.”

  The girl huffed at first as she reached for her broom, before giving into the warm heat of the day, and giving the two a smile. Besides, they were by far not the worst travellers she had ever experienced, even in her little time as caretaker. “Well, spicing it up makes it more interesting for the storyteller, which I’ll admit, I’m guilty of myself. However,” she held one hand up as Kat had begun to turn away, “do you know of the trials that Carnick set up in order to protect his bride’s tomb?”

  Kat glanced over her shoulder at Diane, who was smiling as she stared at her companion. The redhead paled as she realized what she had to do, and grumbled as she stepped back over to Diane and Abigail. “Alright, I’ll bite. What did he do?”

  The girl grinned wide as she leaned back, and looked into the sky. “It was a dark, stormy night when Carnick had to finally give up his bride. The gravel underneath him was pounded into solid stone as he cursed the gods for her passing, but he had no one to blame for it. Time had merely taken its toll, and decided to whisk her away to the heavens first. Of course, with her being younger, he found this even more insulting to his pride as her husband and defendor.”

  Diane glanced over to Kat, who had buried her face into her hands, and forced herself not to chuckle at her companion’s misery. Besides, she somewhat assumed that Abigail was doing this on purpose now.

  “A long progression swept through the countryside, so as to allow the land to see their queen’s unfortunate fate. Miles upon miles, the beauty of the innocent woman was shown to all the land, and no matter how far they travelled, Carnick did not rest. He did not take assistance, he took no horse to help in his travel, but merely ran alongside the progression, supposedly holding her hand the whole way.”

  “How touching.”

  “Yes, that our current royalty decides to honor their ancestors and pay the keeper of their tomb to tell such nice-” Kat’s eyes bulged as Diane’s hand caught the back of her had with a very loud thwack. The sorceress understood the want to actually get to what they did for a living and for fun, but she would not allow her friend to keep insulting the woman trying help them.