Midnight Quest

by Honor Raconteur

  “Won’t you be cold?” she asked in concern.

  “I be used to cold much harsher than this,” he assured her. “My coat be enough in this weather.” This time, he sat down next to her. He took in a deep breath to steady his nerves before trying to speak again. “Priestess, I be Ramathan.”

  Her mouth dropped open a little. “Oh! Do you know, then, what Corgen wanted?”

  “No,” he answered, fervently wishing that he did. “Himself did no say anything about this to us.”

  “Himself?” she repeated in confusion.

  Rialt paused a moment, struggling to form an explanation for something that every Ramathan child by the age of three understood. “Our Ahbiren—you would say clan leader—be like a father to all of us. We do no call him by title, just refer to him.”

  “Ah, I see.” She raised the cup to her lips, taking another healthy swallow. “I…I have a request for both of you.”

  Whatever this girl wanted, Rialt would gladly give it to her. “Ask, Priestess.”

  “First, call me by my name?” she requested with a hopeful smile.

  “We will, Jewel, if you so wish,” Sarvell responded. He’d been very quiet during this exchange, studying the two of them intently, and he was obviously relieved at Rialt’s evident change of attitude.

  “Good. But I want to…um…see you.” She wriggled her hand a little in partial explanation.

  Rialt blinked at her in confusion, not quite sure he understood what she asked, when Sarvell lit up with understanding. “Of course, Jewel,” he assured her, shifting about so that he sat on his knees directly in front of her. “Go right ahead.”

  “Thank you,” she responded with a puff of relief. “I’ve been so curious, but for most people, it’s very uncomfortable when I do this.” She set the cup carefully beside her, then reached out with both hands until they grazed Sarvell’s chest. Rialt watched silently as she slid her hands across, up and down, her brows furrowed in concentration.

  “You’re very muscular,” she commented, mouth quirked up slightly. “But your shirt and coat are made from very fine material. You’re not a guardsman, are you?”

  Sarvell’s eyes twinkled in amusement by this observation and question. “No, I’m the third son of a merchant family. My head is better with fighting and logistics than numbers, so they put me in charge of the caravan guards.”

  “Ah, that explains it.” Pleased by his answer, she let her hands drift down to his, where she carefully felt along his wrist and fingers. “You are a very neat, meticulous man.”

  Rialt blinked again. It was obvious for him to see this, but how in the four winds could she tell?

  “Your nails are perfectly trimmed, and your hands have thick calluses, but aren’t rough,” she explained as if she could see their bemusement. “Very few men are as careful with their appearance as you are.” Her hands went back up, this time examining his face with light fingertips. “Hmm,” her mouth curled up in a wider smile, “you’re handsome.”

  “Now you’re pulling my leg,” Sarvell drawled.

  “I’m blind, not oblivious,” she retorted on a laugh. “Your features are very symmetrical, and you have those high cheekbones women love. You’re younger than I thought, too. Twenty-five?”

  Sarvell raised both eyebrows at her in surprise. “Twenty-eight, actually.”

  She withdrew her hands and sat back again. “I bet that you’re used to charming people into doing what you want.”

  “On occasion,” Sarvell admitted, openly amused by her frankness.

  She nodded knowingly.

  Rialt did no know if he would be as blasé about this as Sarvell seemed to be, but it was clear that she now felt very comfortable with the other man because he had let her closer. Rialt wanted her to be just as at ease with him. No, more than that, she would need to be in order for him to protect her. So without making her ask, he reached out and gently caught her hand, pulling her slowly around until she faced him.

  She gave him a thankful nod, hands reaching out until she found his chest. She did the same, slow examination that she had done with Sarvell. Her brows slowly climbed as she went over his chest, shoulders, and upper arms. “Goodness, but you are heavily muscled! What sort of weapon do you use?”

  “Battle axe.”

  She nodded, unsurprised by the answer. When she reached his hands, she slowly felt along his fingers. Rialt felt a little embarrassed by this tactile scrutiny. “I be no as pretty as our friend,” he said as a sort of objection.

  “You work a great deal with your hands,” she answered, pausing long enough to give him an encouraging squeeze to his palms. “I’d say you were the kind of man that prefers to simply dive in and get the job done.”

  “Eh. Well…eh.”

  With a soft chuckle, she lifted her hands to his face. “My, that’s a thick beard!”

  “Beards are good in the winter. Keeps half of your face from freezing.”

  “It’s neatly trimmed,” she approved. Her fingertips were soft and gentle along his skin, carefully tracing every dip and angle. Rialt felt somehow self-conscious by the way that Sarvell watched them, and kept his eyes on her in an attempt to ignore the double scrutiny. “Ah, you have those high cheekbones, too. It looks like I have two handsome men keeping me company.”

  Rialt rolled his eyes at this. He had never been called handsome. Brutish, now, that was a different matter.

  “Hmmm. You’re the same age as Sarvell?”

  “Twenty-five,” he corrected. “Near enough.”

  “Is the long hair typical of your countrymen?” she asked, hand stroking the short ponytail hanging from the nape of his neck.

  “Well, it be no uncommon. The hair keeps the back of our neck warmer, too.”

  “Ah.” She sat back, regaining her seat and picking her cup back up with unerring accuracy. “Thank you for indulging me.”

  “Not at all,” Sarvell assured her.

  Rialt, relieved, went back to business. “Now, afore we move, I say we plan a bit ahead.”

  “That’s a fine idea,” Jewel agreed readily. “I think we should go to Ramath first.”

  “Ramath?” Rialt sputtered, completely taken by surprise.

  “First?” Sarvell questioned in bewilderment.

  She stilled at their reactions. “Did Elahandra not tell you that either? The four crystals in each clan are not in the proper place.”

  “Lass, they have no been for nigh on two centuries,” Rialt pointed out in exasperation.

  “Which is a problem,” she informed him, mouth tightening in an unhappy line. “Rialt, I don’t think you understand. Each crystal was put into the position it was so that it could easily connect with the other crystals. This was done on purpose. All five crystals have to be linked to each other in order to be charged. When those crystals were moved, not only was the burden of the barrier put onto just one crystal, but the means of re-powering it was taken away.”

  Rialt’s blood started to run cold as her words penetrated. “Then, your crystal?”

  “It cannot sustain the barrier much longer.” Her white, unseeing eyes turned to the direction of the crystal with pinpoint precision. “Perhaps a year, but no more. Elahandra told me before you came for me that as soon as I was free, my first and most urgent task is to find and replace the other crystals.”

  Sarvell looked as if someone had just driven an anvil into his temples. “Find four giant crystals that no one has seen in two hundred years while dodging patrols searching for us…”

  Rialt felt the same headache coming on. “By the wee lass, that be quite a task that we have been handed.”

  “It’s not as bad as it sounds,” she assured them quickly. “I can sense all of the crystals, once I’m close enough and the closer I am, the clearer it is.”

  “Eh, that be something,” Rialt admitted with a heavy sigh.

  “Still leaves us with all of those patrols to dodge,” Sarvell pointed out.

  “Come on, man, where be your s
ense of adventure?” Rialt chided with mock exuberance. “If there be no danger, it would no be half the fun.”

  “That’s the spirit!” Jewel cheered, face lighting up with a smile.

  Sarvell looked between both of them, expression growing resigned. “I’m not sure which one of you is crazier. Alright, so we’re crystal hunting. Why Ramath first?”

  “It’s closest,” she explained readily, ignoring the comment on her questionable sanity. “I’m also worried about Ramath’s borders. I’d rather have their crystal in place first, that way when I do have the last crystal up in Jordia, I can charge it right then.”

  It would also save them time, Rialt reflected, as Jordia was on the opposite side of Ramath and it would take almost a month to travel from one to the other. “I be for it. But we can no just scurry about the countryside until we stumble over it. Ramath be a big place.”

  “We won’t need to,” Jewel assured him. “Actually, I need to go to the largest Order Temple in Ramath in order to look at their records. They should have a location written down. If nothing else, it will say which city the crystal was last in. I can’t imagine that the crystal was moved very far from there, considering how massive they are.”

  “A good point,” Sarvell acknowledged. “Rialt, where is the Order Temple in Ramath?”

  “Wingate.”

  “The very northern edge of Ramath?” Sarvell asked in a defeated groan. He clearly knew where the city was and didn’t need the confirmation.

  “I’ll also need to go to Juven’s Temple,” Jewel added tentatively. “Because I’m working in another god’s territory, I have to at least warn her of what I’m doing and ask formal permission.”

  “Shards, lass, but be this the time for formalities?” Rialt objected. “We do that, and every Thornock lackey will notice us!”

  “Rialt,” Sarvell said with a sort of weary patience, “we’re going to be moving around crystals as tall as a two story building. You really think we can sneak in and out without someone noticing us?”

  Rialt opened his mouth to protest, thought about it, and subsided with a long sigh. “Point.”

  “No one in the temples would report us,” Jewel declared firmly. Then her forehead crinkled up in an uncertain frown. “Or at least, I don’t think they will. Each priestess operating a temple is from her own country, after all. Thornock’s political reach is extensive, but surely not that extensive.”

  “They will no need a plant inside,” Rialt disagreed. “Just a man watching the doors. You stand out like a sore thumb, lass.”

  Sarvell nodded in agreement, although the wheels were clearly turning as he thought the matter through. “Disguises likely won’t help much, but we’ll try our best.”

  “All we can do,” Jewel agreed, rubbing at her temples as if trying to stave off a headache. “So, Juven’s temple in…what’s the nearest city?”

  “Denzbane,” Rialt answered immediately. “My home town.”

  “Then let’s stop there first, so that I can report to Juven what I’m doing, and then go to Wingate,” Jewel proprosed.

  “Sounds logical enough to me.” Sarvell stood, absently brushing dirt and blades of grass from his pants. “Rialt, I’m going shopping for her first before we start really traveling. That dress of hers is a dead giveaway to her identity.”

  Rialt nodded in agreement at the sensible plan. “We will shadow you to the next town and bide outside. Jewel, you ride with me.”

  Chapter Four

  They put Jewel in front of Rialt on his horse.

  She wondered why they were constantly putting her in front of them like a child. Granted, in comparison to their size she probably did look like a child. They were both very tall, broad men. Still, she had a notion that they were going to act very protective of her and it would only get worse unless she put her foot down. People tended to treat her as if she were incapable because of her blindness and small size.

  They were back on the road but not at the quick lope they’d traveled at before. The sharp clop of hooves against hardened soil was loud, but not to the point where it would drown out her words. “Rialt?”

  “Eh?” he responded, tone inviting.

  “Why do you and Sarvell keep putting me in front like this? I can hang on in back.”

  “No sure of his reasons,” he rumbled, “but as for me, I would rather no have your face near my axe.”

  Oh. His axe hung at his back? Well, she didn’t want to be near something potentially dangerous like that either. Relieved, she tried teasing him a little. “Afraid I’ll poke an eye out?”

  To her delight, he chuckled openly. “Eh, that be an option. I would rather no have herself drop in a fury and skelp me.”

  “How did she call you in to help me, anyway?” Jewel hadn’t yet heard his side of the story. “I mean, technically she’s not your clan’s god.”

  “When a glowing god with a mad-on appears at a man’s footboard in the dead o’ night, he tends to forget little things like that,” Rialt drawled with enough dry humor that she cracked up laughing. “Mind, it was no until herself left that I thought about it, and by then I was firmly caught. I had said I would go, so away I went.”

  “I’m glad,” she responded sincerely. “We’d have been lost without you.”

  “My people would be hard-up without you,” he responded so quietly that the words were almost drowned out by hoof beats. “The past three months were a mite…difficult.”

  This from a man that thought toying with a castle full of guards was nothing more than a lark.

  “Jewel…” hesitation was clear in his voice, weighing at his words. “Why did you leave Ramath to fend for itself six months ago?”

  “Huh?” Confused, she shook her head. “Rialt, I’ve only been high priestess three months. Did my predecessor leave you out of the barrier?”

  “Three months…” he murmured in something akin to relief. “I see. Eh, for a week or so we were a bit bare.”

  “I’d wondered what my predecessor had done to get yanked out of office so quickly.” The reason was obvious now. “Um, does all of Ramath think it’s my fault you were exposed like that?”

  “We had no notion a new high priestess had been called in this past year.”

  “Great,” she groaned, shoulders slumping. “That means everyone will be mad at me.”

  “It will be fine,” he assured her comfortingly. “I will straighten ‘em out quick-like.”

  Rialt struck her as a man with a direct approach in matters such as this. She couldn’t help but ask, “With axe in hand?”

  “If need be.”

  That’s what she was afraid of.

  ~*~*~*~

  They were a stone’s throw from the main road leading into town, largely hidden by the foliage of trees. She and Rialt waited as Sarvell went into town, keeping well away from the road so that no one could notice them.

  The merchant’s son was very quick when it came to shopping, for he came back within a half hour with a complete outfit for her. Sarvell had bought a wide riding skirt, billowy blouse and a stylish gypsy vest for her that fit tolerably well. He’d borrowed one of her shoes before going shopping so that he could buy her new boots as well without completely guessing at her size. The boots were a mite large, but two layers of socks fixed that well enough. The real blessing came in the form of the thick, fur-lined cloak he’d brought back for her. Their northern route brought them closer and closer to the heart of winter, and the air became progressively colder.

  Rialt surprised her by sitting her down and braiding her hair in a winding knot that went around her head. He’d laughed at her and Sarvell’s surprise and said, “When a man grows up with four sisters, he picks up a few tricks.”

  It was hard to disguise her because she was so memorable. Changing her appearance had been easy enough, but her blindness was impossible to disguise, and it would be something that everyone would take note of. Sarvell suggested that when in sight of other people, they would act as if she w
ere the victim of a recent fever that had robbed her temporarily of sight and strength. It wasn’t the best disguise, but they’d planned to avoid civilization as much as possible anyway.

  The real problem was the news Sarvell brought back with him. The only two highways leading from Thornock into Ramath were heavily guarded and everyone was being examined closely. Crossing the border would be nearly impossible without being caught.

  After dressing in her new clothes and burning the old ones, they sat and planned what to do next.

  Sarvell blew out an irritable breath, saddle creaking as he leaned forward. “I know there’re a few back roads we could take as well, but I’m not very familiar with them.”

  “Do no even think it, man,” Rialt denied almost before he could finish. “Those roads are near overrun with bandits. Folks think to cheat the road guards from their toll by taking other ways and they make rich pickings for bandits. It would be asking for trouble.”

  “Then we have to use the main roads,” Sarvell concluded with a bone weary sigh. “Alright. I thought you might say that, so I took a look around when I was in town. My father has friends that run a caravan through here, and two of them are putting together a caravan train right now. It will be slower to travel with them, but it will get us through the checks.”

  Nowhere in that had he said he’d already talked to them. Jewel was taken aback at his surety that these associates would help three wanted people. “You’re so sure they’ll help to smuggle me across?”

  “Oh certainly,” he assured her as if he didn’t doubt it for a moment. “And spend the next twenty years bragging about it. My father likes them because they can get merchandise into…unattainable markets.”

  “Smugglers, he means,” Rialt translated for her helpfully.

  Despite herself, her interest piqued. “I’ve never been smuggled before. This should be interesting.”

  Sarvell laughed outright, the sound warm and rich on her ears. “I don’t know what response I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that! Well, Jewel, they’ve never smuggled a person before either so I’m not sure how this will work. I just hope we can get you into the city without arousing suspicion.”