I mentally noted each sensation, replaying the battle we’d just survived. I was disappointed with my performance. I thought I should have been better at fighting after watching my brother train, not to mention everything I’d read about in books throughout the years. But reading was no substitute for learning how to fight, which I’d discovered the hard way.
I chanced a peek at my shoulder, wincing at the jagged mess beneath what was left of my shirt. Bile rose in my throat and I forced it down with difficulty. I’d already embarrassed myself once, and I didn’t want to vomit again.
My thoughts were interrupted by a village appearing unexpectedly through the trees. I'd never known there was another village here. The Low Forest encompassed a large territory, mostly comprised of plains, but we’d now reached a deeper area of woodland where all my familiarity with the landscape ended.
This village looked similar to others I'd seen, but something struck me as odd. It took a while, but as we neared the houses, I realized what it was. Each building was proportional to Loglan’s size. It was instantly clear that this village had been specially designed for centaurs. Only a few centaurs stood guard around the periphery, which seemed strange considering the time of night. When they saw Loglan arriving with an entourage, they merely acknowledged him with a slight dip of their chins, betraying no sign of surprise or interest beyond what would be expected at the presence of newcomers in the village.
Everything was eerily familiar to what I was used to seeing in the elven village of the Low Forest. With the exception of the size, the houses, stores, and village square were arranged in a similar fashion.
The healer's cabin was at the far end of the village, just passed the last row of houses. It was tucked away unobtrusively in the trunk of a large tree, half dug into the ground, instead of inside one of the larger cottages we’d passed.
At first, I didn’t realize it was even a house. I thought Loglan had forgotten to turn when we’d passed the last row of houses, then had decided the healer lived on a farm instead of in the town. So, when Loglan had paused to knock on the side of a tree, it had taken a moment for me to understand what was happening.
The inside was surprisingly spacious, with a ceiling high enough for Loglan to walk straight in while carrying his wounded cargo.
The healer was nothing like what I had expected. In my own village, the healer was an elder, with several apprentices who did most of the work. She was only seen if you required help beyond what they could provide, and considered wise, old, and wise, and silent.
This healer was a strikingly majestic and powerful female centaur, with flanks of pale silver glowing like one of the moons. Unlike Loglan, her upper body was covered with clothing, with muscles every bit as well developed which emerged from underneath her sleeves. Maybe all centaurs were naturally muscular, or perhaps it was the type of work she did which led to her having more than the average upper body strength for her kind as well.
She took one look at the wolf Loglan was carrying, immediately instructing him to place her on a large table in what appeared to be a kitchen. Her face appeared concerned but betrayed not even a hint of discomfort at the sight of the injured wolf or Gwen, who was pacing in a wolf-like fashion beside the still figure of Kiya.
While I waited for her to assess the wolf, I allowed myself to slump in the corner next to the fireplace. The cold which had begun to overwhelm my body slowly melted away under its heat. There was no chair there, but I was so tired I was just happy to have a wall to rest against.
I must've dozed, because the next thing I saw was Gwen sitting beside me, gently patting me on my good shoulder.
"Huh? What, oh, hi. I guess I fell asleep. Is Kiya okay?"
I looked back at the table where I'd last seen the wolf, surprised to find it empty.
Gwen sighed, giving me a small smile. "Sweetgrass, the healer, thinks she'll be just fine. She bandaged her wounds and gave her a potion to drink which should apparently restore her energy."
I smiled back, narrowing my eyes when I noticed Gwen’s searching look. "What? Are you okay?" Was she mad at me because her wolf had been injured?
"Yeah, I'm okay. Those tiny demons didn't manage to do much more than scratch me a few times. They weren't as fast as I was expecting, luckily, but there was a lot of them. I’m just worried about you. Are you sure this is what you want to do?"
It was nice, feeling as though someone was concerned about me for a change. I reached out, resting my hand on hers. "This is something I have to do. But I understand if you've changed your mind after what happened to your wolf.”
Gwen blinked at me as though I’d grown an extra head. "Are you kidding? After what we just went through, there's no way I’m leaving you to face this alone. If I'd ever had my doubts, after seeing the way you performed in battle, you need me more than I need you. So, if you're planning to go ahead with this, you better believe I'll be right there by your side."
Unbidden, a smile crept over my face at her words. They were practical, supportive, and a little insulting all at the same time.
"That means a lot. Today showed me I really don't know what I've gotten myself into. But it’s also taught me a couple of other things. One of those is that you’re even more amazing than I realized." She snorted, but I stopped her before she could say anything. "Another thing I discovered is even though Sel has always seemed so young and dependent on me, when it came right down to it, he fought better than I did. I need to start giving him more credit. He’s surprised and impressed me so much in the brief time since we left Cliffside. I have no idea how much he’s capable of."
My eyes searched the room for him but came up empty. I turned back to her with a puzzled expression on my face and she chuckled.
"I think your young servant has a crush on Loglan. Or hero worship, one of the two." She shrugged. "Honestly, it doesn’t make any difference which it is. He’s pretty struck by him. They’re out back, looking at the stars.”
I felt my heart lurch in concern even as she rushed to reassure me. “He wasn't injured, but he was too excited to go to bed. So, Loglan took him out back to teach him about stars and navigation.” She lifted a shoulder as she admitted her weakness. “I also figured it was a good idea because I may know more about navigation than you do, but I'm not very good at it, especially at night. I figured if he knew more about star navigation it may be helpful on our journey."
I absently touched my shoulder as I considered her words, the lack of pain just registering on my senses. How had I not noticed it earlier? I moved it cautiously, taking care to keep my movements slow. It felt a bit stiff, like I’d had a poor night’s sleep, or carried a pile of books wrong. I wasn't sure how I'd ended up so lucky. When the ur’gels had first attacked, holding my own was one thing. But when they’d kept advancing inexorably and when I’d been injured, I’d been certain I wasn't going to make it out of the forest alive.
"Did Loglan mention traveling with us?" My head was fuzzy on details about our walk to the healers. "I remember him saying he would take us here, but was it just my imagination when he promised to take us to the land below the forest?"
"No, you heard correctly. He must've felt pretty bad, or perhaps…" Gwen trailed off thoughtfully.
When she hadn't spoken for a few minutes, I nudged her. "Perhaps what?" My impatience prompted me to speak.
She looked at me, her eyes suddenly dark and worried, all sunshine gone. Moonlight had instead replaced it, swirling behind the rich green. "Sometimes, I see things about the future." She bit the inside of her lip. "I think maybe Loglan does, too. Centaurs are known for their wisdom, but they’re also known for keeping prophecies. If it had just been me and my wolves, I know Loglan wouldn't have given us a backward glance had my wolf not been injured. Even though he probably would have helped us, he wouldn’t have brought us here. I think seeing you both, especially with you talking about the Library, well, Loglan's face … shifted. His eyes became thoughtful. I think perhaps he knows something."
>
She had never mentioned anything about being able to see the future before. I knew we could be important to each other, but until now our lives had been too different to allow us time for deep confidences of this nature. Foretelling dreams and magic weren't unheard of among elves, but I had a feeling she was reticent to share her secrets with me because of her past experiences with others in her village.
"Did he say anything to you about what he'd seen?"
Her face confirmed my suspicions. "We … Well, we know each other from passing in the forest, and we tolerate each other. But we're not friends."
I caught a wistful sadness in the way she uttered "friends." I reached out my hand, placed it on her knee, and gave it a light pat. "You've got me for a friend. I may end up being more dangerous than either of us expected, but you can count on me for anything."
She pressed her lips together, and then relaxed them into a sweet smile. "If you're saying you want to keep going, you can count on me as well." She put her hand on top of mine and squeezed it gently. " Friends till the end."
I smiled back at her, feeling a tingle of warmth inside my chest. If this was what having a friend felt like, I could really grow to like it.
"Gwen?"
A soothing voice interrupted the moment. We both turned as though we’d been caught misbehaving, and saw the healer standing a few feet away, smiling warmly down at me.
"I'm glad to see you're awake again. You appear to be recovering from the event. How does your shoulder feel?"
I rolled my shoulder tentatively, still amazed by how normal it felt after the searing pain which had been my companion all the way to her treehouse. "Almost as good as new, thank you. I'm sorry." My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I didn't mean to fall asleep before introducing myself. I guess I was more tired than I’d realized."
She raised an eyebrow, gesturing at my shoulder. "Or perhaps it was because of the blood loss. Not to mention that the particular variety of ur’gel you encountered has the tendency of leaving behind nastiness in their bite."
I looked at my shoulder with concern, remembering how I’d wondered if they had poison in their bite when the burning had spread out. "Like what?"
She chuckled at my wide-eyed look. "No, luckily for you it’s not poison. But they aren't the cleanest of creatures. Their teeth can cause wounds to fester, even with prompt medical attention.” She smiled without modesty. “In your case, my skills are better than average. I cleaned the wound thoroughly before patching you up. We managed to get a small amount of blood broth into you while you were out, but I’d like you to have another glass now."
"Blood broth?" I wrinkled my nose suddenly grateful I’d been unconscious. I’m not sure I would have drunk anything with blood in the name otherwise.
Gwen rolled her eyes at my squeamishness. "It doesn't actually contain blood." She sounded as though she was reassuring a child.
"She's right. We use it to strengthen the blood and accelerate the normal replacement schedule. Everyone's body circulates and recycles blood. I estimated you’d lost at least a quarter of your usual supply. It would be prudent to have you drink at least three glasses of blood broth between now and when you leave. I’m confident your stores will return to normal within a day or two if we succeed, instead of the normal one to two months."
I wasn't eager to drink it, but her explanation helped me understand why it was necessary. When she handed me an earthen mug almost as big as my head, I gave her a weak smile. "Thank you … erm, I don't believe I caught your name." I sipped the drink while I waited for her answer, and had to choke back my disgust. It tasted like dirt mixed with peppermint and lavender, if they were used to flavor a cleaning solution. I took a breath and kept sipping as she spoke.
"Your friends told me all about you, but I forgot the favor wasn’t reciprocated. My name is Sweetgrass. I'm the healer for the people of my village. From time to time, I also receive a stray human, elf, or animal, such as Kiya." She turned to Gwen. "I’ve just returned from checking on her. She’s still sleeping, but I believe she'll be good to go by tomorrow as well. She lost a lot of blood and collected a few nasty bites of her own, but luckily, nothing I couldn’t fix."
Gwen stood up, moving over to Sweetgrass. She appeared positively tiny in comparison, barely reaching shoulder-height on the female centaur. Tears sparkled in her eyes and she placed a hand over her heart.
"Thank you, so much, Sweetgrass. I know wolves aren't a centaur’s favorite creature, and it means a lot to me that you’d help us despite that. They are very special to me."
Gwen didn't say anything else, but I observed with interest as the two women exchanged a look of understanding. After a moment, Sweetgrass replied, her voice soft.
"With what we believe is about to come, we must keep our allies close, and our loved ones even closer. My people have been seeing portents for some time now. If you believe you know something to aid the light in fighting back the night, I would do anything it takes to help in your search for justice and goodness. If you ever require help from the centaurs, regardless of where you are, give them this. Tell them we have vouched for you. It may not be much, but perhaps it will be enough in a moment of need."
Gwen accepted the small gift from Sweetgrass, turning it over in her hand. It appeared to be a small piece of jewelry, but other than a brief flash of bronze I didn’t get a good enough look at it to know what it was. Before I could ask about it, Sweetgrass brightened, then gave both of us a smile.
"Come. Rhin, you can drink the rest in your room. I've arranged a space for you to sleep tonight." She looked at Gwen. "I hope it's acceptable to share with the wolves and Rhin?"
"Yes, thank you. I don't like being separated from my wolves, and I’d feel better watching over Rhin tonight." Gwen bowed her head.
Sweetgrass turned and waited for us to follow. The moment I stood up, even though I felt better than I had upon entering her home, I could tell I was still in need of rest and time. She led us down a hallway with hard-packed dirt floors and walls that looked as if they’d been hewn directly into the tree to a room a few paces down the hallway where she pointed out what we’d need for the night.
Gwen sat down on the pallet, nuzzling nose-to-nose with Kiya. It was clear the centaur wasn't set up for housing elves, but she’d done a decent job making the room comfortable, as well as accommodating the needs of the wolves.
Kiya opened her eyes, letting her tongue fall out in a canine half-smile when she saw Gwen. For a long moment, the wolf and Gwen locked eyes, communicating without words. When she gave the wolf a small scratch under her chin and the wolf closed her eyes, I decided they were finished and spoke.
“Is everything okay?” I still felt guilty her injuries were my fault, but Gwen gave me a tired but reassuring smile.
“She’s fine. I was just telling her how brave she was for keeping my friend safe.” She flushed as she looked away.
“Is there something else?” Her reaction was unexpected, but her answer didn’t shed any light.
“She just told me she knew you meant a lot to me, that you resonate with me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“It’s just a wolf thing. She also told me the horse-woman is nice and she’s feeling better. She just needs sleep, as do we.”
Too tired to pry any further even though I didn’t understand her cryptic answer, I gratefully sank onto my pallet on the floor beside them. I meant to say thank you, but it was difficult to order my words.
I took another sip of the blood broth as a warm tingling sensation overwhelmed me. Placing my mug on the floor just as the darkness grew from the outside of my vision moving in, my consciousness faded, catapulting me into a deep and dreamless sleep.
Chapter 7
I groaned at the rock jabbing my spine. It felt like something trying to pierce my skin and with my eyes closed I groped for the disturbance. My bed was usually much more comfortable. I’d have to get Sel to fix it. Awareness filtered through
when I was finally able to pry one eye open. Gwen was across from me, on the floor, cuddled into a mass of white and grey fur.
I struggled to sit up as memories flooded back. It wasn’t my bed at home giving me such trouble. I was on a pallet on the floor of a centaur healer’s home. Why was that? Oh, right. I’d run away, fought ur’gels, and became injured. I snorted. It sounded like I was still dreaming, except for the hard object which had woken me.
I glared at the bed, finding the source of my discomfort. It was a stone, as I’d suspected from the way it had felt, and had been hidden beneath the pillows. My bed had been comfortable when I was exhausted, but I would have slept longer without it. I succeeded in achieving a cross-legged position, hampered along the way by the shifting of my sleeping surface which made movement difficult at first. I stretched, feeling my stiffness ease.
Sweetgrass was a miracle worker. I looked down at my shoulder, remembering the pain from the night before, grateful it seemed to be gone. I touched and tested it, rolling it, and turning it from side to side. It was only a little tender, nothing remotely like the searing agony it had been right after I’d been bitten.
As I tested my shoulder, I made the less pleasant discovery I was the one emitting the unpleasant, pungent odor. I’d noticed it previously, but assumed it was the wolves until I’d stirred the air. Wrinkling my nose, I found my shirt to be a crinkled and disgusting mess. Dried blood had made what remained of the sleeve and shoulder area stiff and hard, creating a fabric more like burlap than the soft cotton it had been before blood had reinforced the threads.
I wanted nothing more than a chance to wash away all the grime and blood and put on new clothing, but I couldn’t wait. Now that I’d discovered how bad it was, I had to change immediately. I struggled to remove the shirt, wincing as it ripped away from areas where the blood had dried it solidly to my skin. Once I’d succeeded in lifting it off, I crumpled it into a ball and grabbed my only other shirt from my bag, which someone had placed beside my pallet.
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