by M. Gregg Roe
She strolled around the village for a while, but it was still snowing and rapidly getting colder. She considered going to the meeting hall to join the others but instead went to her aunt’s house. Berna and her cousins were all happy to see her, and they were amazed when she showed them her healed leg. She told them briefly about her new life and then gave Berna some money.
Audrey made her way back to Violet’s house. Orian answered the door and invited her in. She told them what had happened with her parents, and the two of them told her that she was welcome to stay the night.
She was surprised that Violet had already told her husband about what they had discussed earlier, but the changes in Orian were even more surprising. He was more polite and subdued than the Orian she remembered. She had known that Violet had been planning to try to change some of his behaviors—Audrey had heard that all wives did—but he almost seemed like a different person.
They told her all about what had been happening in the village. Audrey was horrified when Violet told her that Abigail’s baby had only lived for two days. She again urged Violet to have her baby somewhere else. She ended up telling the two of them all about her situation in the Witch’s City. She told them everything she could think of that might help them if they decided to move.
Audrey sewed up the rips in her pants leg and also managed to get the bloodstains out. Her cloak was another matter. She and Violet tried a number of things, but the stains just wouldn’t come out. She had obviously chosen the wrong material for a travel cloak, at least for travel that involved bloody violence.
She spent the night in what would soon be the baby’s room. Violet cooked breakfast in the morning while Audrey washed up. To Audrey’s great surprise, the food was all delicious. Violet had finally learned to cook.
28
‡ Snow ‡
The six of them departed Farmerton just after dawn, following the path along the shore of Fog Lake as best they could. Siljan took position up front with Gabriel, and Audrey found herself next to Saxloc in the middle row with Aliva and Hankin behind. It was cold and snowing, but at least the wind had died down. Violet had given her a wool sweater, and she was very glad of the extra layer.
Audrey was feeling somewhat depressed, and Saxloc looked down as well. He also didn’t look as though he had slept well.
“How was your visit with your parents?” he asked her once they had cleared the village.
“Terrible,” she replied, sighing. “My father was completely unreasonable, and I don’t think they’re getting along very well at the moment. I ended up staying with Violet and her husband.”
He looked at her in surprise and then frowned. “I didn’t have a very good evening either.”
“Oh? What happened?”
“Aliva and Siljan spent a considerable amount of time berating me for my treatment of you.”
“I see.” Well, he certainly deserved it. “What about Gabriel and Hankin?” she asked.
“They wisely kept their mouths shut.”
Audrey wasn’t surprised. She paused briefly to knock the snow off her boots and Saxloc did the same. Each step seemed to pack on more snow, making her boots even heavier. Her legs were already beginning to ache.
Saxloc looked directly at her with a serious expression. “I swore to everyone that I would properly apologize to you. I’m finally beginning to understand just what kind of person you really are. That was the problem; I didn’t even try. Instead, I just went around telling everyone that you were—”
“A conniving money-hungry bitch,” Audrey finished with a grin. “Your mother told me.”
“Great. That’s just great. I didn’t know that either.” He shook his head and frowned as he composed his thoughts.
He began again. “Audrey, I’m sorry. I treated you terribly. I wish I could take it back, but that’s impossible. If it’s any consolation, I am certain that my parents will lecture me about it when we return. And also my grandfather. I am never going to hear the end of it.”
That was true, and it made her smile. She knocked the snow off her boots again before saying, “It’s partly my fault. I shouldn’t have thrown myself at you the way I did. Violet told me to just befriend you. I should have listened to her and simply asked you to take me with you. Or would that even have worked?” She had been wondering about that for some time.
Saxloc thought for a moment. “If it had been just the four of us, then no. But we were escorting Alessandra to Rohoville, so we might have agreed. Although we were attacked by a large band of goblins on the way.”
“I see. So I would have either been killed by goblins or ended up in Rohoville with no money and no prospects. I’d have probably been dead within days.”
“I don’t know, Audrey; you’re fairly resourceful. I wish I had just agreed when you asked instead of calling you a whore. I should never have said that.”
Audrey held up her hands. “No. That was accurate. I had sex with you and then immediately asked for something in return. Isn’t that what whores do?”
“I think they ask for the money first, or at least agree on the price.”
“So that was my mistake,” she said with a silly expression. “I should have negotiated first and then stripped naked.”
He looked wistful, which made her laugh. Then he leered at her and said, “I’m sure you look much more impressive naked now then you did back then.”
Audrey felt herself blushing. “If you hadn’t been so polite after our dinner, then you would have found out for yourself.” She was proud of how she looked now.
“Really? You were serious?”
She nodded, and then laughed at the look of disappointment on his face. “Well, maybe not the ravage part, but I really was willing.”
“If only I hadn’t been raised so well,” he said with a regretful look, and she laughed again.
Audrey had to stop again and clean her boots. “Gods! Will this snow never end?”
“That’s one reason we usually don’t go adventuring in the Winter,” he told her as he scraped off the snow caking his own boots.
“Audrey, why did you hide your Shorinken training from me? If I had known, I would have been forced to reevaluate my view of you.”
They began to plod along again as she thought about what to say. “I really don’t know. I got it in my head that I wanted to keep it secret and surprise you. Then it was almost like a game. Looking back on it now, that was really stupid of me.”
He gave her a compassionate look. “Perhaps, but it was stupid of me not to notice. Thinking back, I can remember you often left after lunch carrying a satchel. That was obviously your uniform. And there were many evenings where I wondered why you looked so tired. Now it all makes sense.”
Audrey sighed. “Okay, we are both idiots.” Hiding her training really had been a huge mistake on her part.
“Agreed.” He looked glum as the two of them continued trudging along through the swirling snow.
“Saxloc, I’m really worried about Violet.”
“What do you mean? Because she’s pregnant?”
“Yes. Sometimes things go wrong. There could be a lot of bleeding. The baby might be turned the wrong way. Violet could die. The baby could die. They could both die. Things will probably go fine, but I can’t stop worrying about it. Violet is my oldest friend and I don’t want to lose her.”
She wiped at the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks. He looked both thoughtful and sympathetic as he said, “They must have people in Farmerton who can help her.”
“They do. Violet’s mother is an experienced midwife. But things still happen. My own mother nearly died giving birth to me.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that.”
“I told Violet and her husband that they should consider moving to either Rohoville or the Witch’s City before the baby is due. I wanted them to be someplace where there are clerics, where healing magic is available. But I was being stupid. It would be dangerous for Violet to travel in her co
ndition.”
“That’s not something I know very much about, but you may be right. Why don’t you speak with Alessandra about it when we get to the temple? Maybe she can send someone there to help.”
Audrey smiled at him. “Okay. That’s a good suggestion. I feel better now.”
“Violet’s husband is a farmer, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then what about Dymar or Lovar? You know, the two farming communities near the Witch’s City. They’re close enough to have access to the temples, and they are under the protection of the Witch’s City Guard.”
Audrey stared at him with a stunned expression. “I had completely forgotten about that! That’s a great suggestion. But now we’ll have to stop in Farmerton on the way back. I was hoping to avoid that.”
“Not necessarily. You could write up a note for Violet and then ask Hankin to sneak into Farmerton and slip it to them. He would probably enjoy the challenge.”
“All right, I will. That really does make me feel better. That’s a much better option for Violet and her husband.”
“One more question, Audrey.” His expression was unreadable.
“Yes?”
“How badly would you have hurt me if I had actually tried to hit you after you slapped me that time?”
She burst out laughing and had to stop. He grinned at her, and she noticed Siljan looking back with an annoyed expression. She began walking again and put her right hand to her chin.
“Let’s see. Your mother would have been upset if I had gotten blood on the upholstery or rugs. So I would have had to limit myself to bruises and broken bones. Lots of broken bones.”
Saxloc laughed. “That’s what I thought. If I ever say anything like that to you again, then you have my permission to break as many bones as you like.”
“I will hold you to that.” It was another apology, and she was impressed.
“All right. I’m going back up front now.” He began to increase his pace.
Siljan arrived next to her and immediately asked, “Did he apologize?”
“Yes. I’m satisfied. You and Aliva can stop picking on him now.”
Siljan grinned. “Just trying to help. I still can’t believe you put up with it so long. I’d have hit him.”
“It was tempting at times, particularly after I learned how to fight. But I really was kept busy helping Almera and trying to get an education. Not to mention all that training with Grasapa.”
“You should use your training, Audrey. Give Saxloc a good beating. I’m sure he won’t mind.”
Audrey narrowed her eyes. “Speaking of beating, do you remember a tall, handsome young man with dark hair that you flirted with during your previous visits to Farmerton?”
“Yes, he was really cute. I was disappointed that I didn’t see him this time.”
“He’s my best friend’s husband and she’s carrying his baby. If you ever flirt with him again, I’ll give you a good beating.”
Siljan laughed. “Fair enough. I’ll stay away from him.”
♦ ♦ ♦
They continued following the shore until they reached a bluff overlooking a wide river. They headed west, roughly following the river’s course. It continued to snow the whole time, and they didn’t encounter any other travelers. When it began to snow harder, they moved into a tight group because of the poor visibility. She was feeling drained, but the others were still going strong.
Audrey was suddenly enveloped in an icy mist. She felt a cold so intense that she screamed in pain. The mist rapidly dispersed, and she could see that a huge white wolf had appeared from out of the snow to her left, next to Siljan. Saxloc, Gabriel, and Aliva had all drawn their swords and were quickly moving to surround the wolf. Audrey was still in a great pain as she backed fearfully away. She noticed that Hankin was hanging back and watching alertly with his rapier at the ready. She realized that he was watching for more wolves, and she started looking around.
Another wolf suddenly appeared out of the snow right in front of Hankin. It breathed out a blast of icy vapor, but he nimbly avoided most of it and began to stab at it with his rapier. Audrey spied another wolf coming up on Siljan from behind, and she yelled a warning. Siljan whirled around and emitted a blast of flame from her left hand. It was perfectly aimed, and the wolf shrieked in pain and backed away with its fur on fire. Siljan instantly moved up and started slashing at it with her shortsword. Audrey pulled out one of her throwing knives and hurled it at the wolf from behind, but her gloves made her clumsy and she completely missed.
The first wolf died in a spray of blood, and Gabriel ran to help Hankin while Saxloc and Aliva moved to flank Siljan’s opponent. Audrey pulled out another knife, but she decided it was too risky to try throwing it and put it back away. She couldn’t seem to stop shivering as she watched the others fight. Before long, all three wolves had been reduced to bloody corpses.
Audrey began to search for her knife, eventually finding it next to the severed hind leg of the wolf that she had tried to hit. She was shivering with cold and her stomach was in a knot. She was very glad that she hadn’t eaten anything for a while. She squatted down and retrieved her knife, but when she stood up everything started going black and she fell face first into the snow.
After a moment, Audrey felt someone turning her over. She opened her eyes and saw Saxloc looking down at her with concern. She tried to say something, but she was trembling uncontrollably. He cast Recovery on her, and she soon stopped shaking as warmth suffused her body. Saxloc helped her to her feet as she gave him a grateful look. Hankin was using a dagger to remove the pelt from one of the wolves, and she hurriedly looked away, feeling queasy. Saxloc led her to where the other four were standing and waiting for Hankin to finish. Aliva was very concerned about her, so Audrey tried to reassure her.
After Hankin finally finished, they continued west. The snow never seemed to end and Audrey could feel the strength draining out of her. But she knew it wasn’t much farther and was determined to make it there on her own. They arrived just before sunset, and the temple was smaller than she had expected—a single story with an odd, angular design.
The two guards in front were heavily muffled against the cold. They greeted Siljan by name and opened the two iron doors. They all walked inside and the guards closed the doors behind them. The room was roughly rectangular with two entrances at the far end flanking a statue of Kyran. There were doors on either side, and the room was lit by braziers. There was a long wood pew facing the statue, and stone fonts filled with water off to either side. Audrey moved to the left side, pulled off her backpack, loosened her cloak, and then sagged against the wall. It felt wonderfully warm inside the temple. The floor looked like stone, but the warmth seemed to be coming from it.
Four people soon arrived from the rear entrances. There was a fit-looking young man with sandy hair, blue eyes, and a friendly smile. The slim woman with dark red hair next to him seemed annoyed, however. The other two people were Ariel and Alessandra, and they were both smiling. Alessandra strode forward, looking beautiful in a revealing blue dress.
“I see we have some first-time visitors,” she stated. “Welcome to our Temple of Kyran! I am Alessandra, and I am the head priestess here. I have already sent for wine and food. We always endeavor to make our visitors welcome.”
The man stepped forward and said, “My name is Julien, and this is Isadora. We would also like to welcome you.” He had gestured at the red-haired woman, but she didn’t look very welcoming in Audrey’s opinion.
Alessandra seemed to be waiting for something. Saxloc suddenly poked her and whispered, “Introduce yourself.” Audrey took a step forward and said, “My name is Audrey av Marilee. I’m originally from Farmerton.” She moved back so that she could lean on the wall again, noting Saxloc’s look of concern.
Alessandra nodded. “I thought you looked familiar, but you look very different from the last time I saw you. And very tired.” Audrey managed a small smile in reply.
Ali
va stepped forward boldly and announced, “My name is Aliva ul Wiva. I’m the daughter of one of Siljan’s father’s oldest friends. And my mother was a succubus.” Julien was startled by her admission, but Isadora began turning red and looked like she was going to explode. Alessandra simply laughed and said, “Oooh! I like an honest girl.” Then she grabbed Siljan by the arm and went to speak with Isadora.
Audrey noticed Ariel hesitantly approaching Aliva. Aliva hugged her and the two then moved off and began to converse. The food soon arrived, but Audrey found she wasn’t all that hungry. She kept seeing slaughtered wolves in her mind and felt queasy. She nibbled on some cheese and drank a little wine, and was surprised by how good they tasted. Saxloc had been staying with her the whole time, and there was nothing wrong with his appetite. Audrey began to feel light-headed and nearly fell over before he caught her.
Alessandra suddenly marched to the center of the room and addressed everyone. “Here are your room assignments: Gabriel and Hankin may use the acolyte quarters next to Siljan. Aliva will be in the quarters next to Ariel.” She looked directly at Saxloc and Audrey with a look of real concern. “And you two are in the guest quarters right through there.” She was pointing at the wood door on the left. “Saxloc, I think you had best put Audrey to bed before she collapses.”
“Thank you, Alessandra,” Audrey said in a weak voice. “This trip has been exhausting for me. Please, Saxloc. Let’s go.”
He opened the door and led her down a short hallway to another door. The room inside was oddly-shaped and there was a single large bed, two nightstands, two upholstered chairs, and a large wardrobe.
Audrey sat on the bed and began to remove her boots. She found she was too weak to do even that, and tears began to run down her face. “I’m sorry, Saxloc. I’m such an idiot. I thought that if I could become like you and your friends, then you would accept me. I didn’t know it would be so hard.” She smiled weakly. “Can you please help the mighty adventurer to remove her boots?”
