"So, yes," Chara said again. "For a few days, probably."
"Can't she speak?" Kate asked.
Chara grimaced. "Mom!"
"What?" Kate shrugged. "Seems like a simple enough question."
Chara stormed across the room, taking her mother by the arm, whispering, "She can't, okay? She's a mute. Doesn't even have a name that I can tell. Never mind that, though, she's a Cleric of Ramor."
Kate gave her an annoyed look. "Ramor doesn't have a priesthood, honey."
"Yeah, well, he does now," Chara huffed. "I saw her throw a fireball from her hand with my own two eyes."
Kate managed to look both exasperated and irritated at the same time. "Why in all the realms of Heaven would she have been doing that?"
"To kill the Demon Seed that attacked me," Chara exclaimed, trying to keep her voice hushed.
As her mother sighed heavily, Chara glanced over at the warrior, smiled, and gave her a thumbs up. The warrior arched an eyebrow, utterly lost.
"Right, so she saved you from Demon Seed," Kate said. "Is that what you're telling me?"
"It is," Chara told her, looking triumphant for no reason.
"Sweetheart, no one has ever seen Demon Seed in this area, or in Fival at all, for that matter," her mother groaned. "Maybe you dreamed it."
Chara gaped. "I did not! Ask her!"
"How is she going to answer if she can't talk?" Kate retorted.
Chara had to think about that for a minute. "Just ask her!”
"Fine, fine," Kate gave in, turning back to the warrior with a gentle, patient smile. "My daughter tells me you rescued her from Demon Seed."
The warrior nodded, holding up three fingers with each hand.
"See?" Chara gloated. "I told you so."
Kate scowled slightly. "Well, whatever, I suppose. You're welcome to take your ease here till you're ready to move on, Miss."
Chara stared at her in disbelief. "Mom! She's a Blessed! Of Ramor!"
"Yes, I can see that, but that doesn't help us run the inn, now does it?" Kate replied with a snort. "Now, off you go, get to the kitchen. Dinner won't cook itself."
"But, Mom!" Chara protested.
The warrior slumped in her seat, thankful for the sudden silence. It lasted only a moment, until the sound of clattering pans erupted from the kitchen.
"Chara!" Kate cried.
The warrior sighed heavily. Her Avatar did the same. In song.
Chara's father, Diem, returned home a good hour later, carrying a load of firewood on his back. As soon as he entered the common room, he spotted the blonde in armor, with the Wolf paw mark on her forehead, as she looked off at nothing.
He couldn't say for certain how intently he stared at her in his shock, but he realized later he may as well have bored a hole in her head. She appeared to notice after a moment as she shifted her gaze over to him.
The two stared at each other for some time before the Blessed lifted a hand, giving him a wave as a nervous smile crawled over her face. Somehow, Diem managed to regain control of his senses, remembered he had manners, grasped that one of Heaven's Holy Warriors sat in his inn, and stopped staring like a teenager seeing his first pair of breasts.
"Greetings, my friend," he said, voice a little higher than he would’ve liked. Steadying himself, he slid the firewood off his back and coughed timidly.
The warrior's smile grew slightly more nervous as she nodded to him.
"Sorry about that," he finally said, dusting himself off before crossing the room and offering his hand. "We don't ever see your kind about these parts. Caught me off guard. I'm Diem, proprietor of this inn."
The warrior shook his hand warmly as she rose, bowing her head for a moment before tapping her throat and shaking her head. Diem stared at her in confusion, still pumping her hand eagerly, until he realized he was doing it, and tried to be relaxed about letting go of her. From the weird look she gave her hand, he knew he’d failed.
Trying to laugh the whole matter off, he stuck his hands in his pockets, before they did something else embarrassing. "So, who might I have the honor of saying stayed in my inn?"
The warrior stopped staring at her hand to give him a concerned look before patting her throat again and shaking her head. Diem smiled and nodded for a full minute before he got it. He managed not to feel a complete fool, but not by much.
"Oh. You mean you can't talk, right?" he blurted. So much for not feeling a complete fool. Part of him desperately wanted to go bang his head on something for a while.
The warrior nodded slowly, giving him that concerned look again, the one that openly wondered if he'd been dropped on his head a lot. Chagrined, Diem took a steadying breath, and reminded himself that Blessed were people, too. He had to repeat it several times.
"My apologies, Miss," he finally told her, bowing low. "It's been many years since I was in the company of a Blessed. All that the world owes you, and I make a total ass of myself. Please, forgive me."
The warrior gave him a gentle smile and waved the whole thing off. Relieved, he motioned for her to sit as he fetched a bottle of whiskey from a nearby cabinet, along with two glasses and joined her.
"I'd love to ask what brings you, but I figure you’d have a hard time telling me, so why don't I ask how long you plan to be in our fair town?" he said, pouring them both a glass.
Remembering the fun from earlier, the warrior shrugged a bit, holding up first two, then three fingers before downing the whiskey. She didn't have a lot of hope at this point of anyone understanding anything. The entire town appeared to be full of idiots.
"A couple days, eh?" Diem nodded, refilling her glass. "If you have a horse, we can stable it out back."
The warrior blinked, surprised, and then shook her head. After a moment’s thought, she set her coin purse on the table and mimed holding reigns.
"Need one, do you?" he asked. "Well, that won't be too hard to manage. I'll talk to a couple people in town and see if I can find you a solid one for a decent price."
The warrior stared at him wide-eyed. Just to be sure, she mimed putting on a backpack, drinking, and eating as well.
"Oh, don't worry over that," Diem chuckled. "You'll leave town provisioned for a trip to Lansing if that's what you like. I'll see to it myself."
Pleasantly surprised, the warrior laughed silently and nodded, then bowed her head in thanks. Diem flushed a bit and pshawed the whole thing off as his wife and daughter returned from the kitchen, arguing, like always.
"I'm just saying that Hale was looking forward to you getting home," Kate was saying as she carried a massive pot roast into the room. "It wouldn't kill you to go by and say hi to him."
"I was attacked by Demon Seed, Mom," Chara countered, hauling a stack of plates. "I've had a bit more on my mind than whether or not I've made Hale happy today, you know?"
"Really, Chara," her mother sighed. "With that attitude, he'll be married to someone else before you know it. Then where will you be?"
"Still single," her daughter shot back, setting the plates down on a table.
"That's what worries me," Kate grumbled. "I swear, between this and how I have to drag you into the kitchen, I don't know how you'll ever make a husband happy."
"So what if I don't?" Chara clamored. "So what if I'm single my whole life?"
Diem gave the Blessed across from him a nervous smile, shrugging as if to say, what can you do. The warrior nodded, wide-eyed as she twiddled her fingers on the table, trying to look anywhere but at the two women.
Kate gave a huff. "Never mind that for now. We've got a guest, and dinner to serve. Set some tables, won't you?"
With an anguished wail to the heavens, Chara snatched up some plates and stomped away to do as her mother wanted. Kate shook her head in dismay as she headed back to the kitchen to fetch the rest of dinner.
"Sorry about that," Diem offered. "That would be my wife, Kate, and the tempest over there is my daughter, Chara. They're both so headstrong, they could break rocks by head-butting
them."
The warrior nodded slowly, trying to smile, before pointing at Chara and using both hands to walk her fingers across the table. After a moment, she realized how stupid that looked and stopped, heaving a weary sigh.
"I see," Diem replied, matching her sigh. "You've already met my daughter."
The Blessed gave him an odd look, but nodded all the same. After thinking on how to explain it, she gave up and waved a hand in Chara's direction.
"I'll ask her about it after she's finished setting the tables," Diem assured her. "Until then, more whiskey?"
The warrior shoved her glass over, feeling exhausted.
By the time Chara finished, patrons had begun to stream into the common room. It seemed as if half the village was there, and at first, it made the Blessed more than a little nervous. She hadn't been around this many people since Ramor had taken her to his home. Then, she recalled that it hadn’t been uncommon in her own village. As a child, she and her family had often taken their dinner at the local inn, visiting with neighbors, and spending some time socializing.
Slowly, she relaxed, at least until Diem asked Chara how she met the warrior. The devilish look that crossed the girl’s face sent the warrior looking for the bottom of her whiskey glass quickly, and often.
Unsurprisingly, the girl embellished the story greatly. The five Goblins became fearsome creatures as she regaled the entire common room with the story, holding them enraptured as she told them of the hulking, powerful Hob-Goblin that’d tried to take her innocence from her.
The warrior sank slightly deeper into her seat as Chara detailed an elaborate battle that hadn't happened, complete with fireballs being thrown hither and yon. First chance she got, she abandoned her glass and started drinking straight from the bottle.
Once Chara had finished the tale, she started it again straight away for a group of latecomers, moving to the far side of the common room. The warrior was somewhat relieved, though the many admiring stares she was now getting made her want to crawl under the table.
"Demon Seed in Fival," Diem mused. "Is this true?"
The warrior nodded. For the most part, Chara's story was accurate. For now, anyway.
"That's troubling," he admitted. "Only a day away, as well. Might be a good idea to send a runner to Adel to alert the garrison there."
The warrior watched him stand and start talking with several other men from the village, their hushed tones of concern at odds with the rambunctious retelling of Chara's rescue happening across the room.
As the evening wore on, the warrior heard the story at least four more times. Enough so she was tired of it. While she figured embellishments were to be expected, Chara had gotten carried away, turning the brief encounter into an epic struggle.
On the other hand, the warrior had to admit the girl had been right about her mother's cooking. The simple dinner of pot roast, potatoes and vegetables with fresh-baked bread had been delicious, taking her by surprise. She’d forgotten what food of the Middle World tasted like over the long years, and was pleased to find the flavors so delightful.
She also found that Chara hadn't exaggerated about her brother, either. As the warrior leaned back, her meal done, the young man, Chara's elder by a good two years, slid up alongside her, offering her a rakish smile and wink. In return she gave him a bored look that turned to a scowl as he persisted, sending him packing quickly, and stirring a great deal of laughter in the common room. Suddenly remembering she was the center of attention, she felt bad for humiliating the boy.
With dinner dishes cleared away and friends drifting home for the night, the warrior rose from the table and pulled the money pouch Father had given her before she left home free of her waist. Shaking out a few gold coins, she offered them to Diem.
“Absolutely not. No Blessed ever pays in this inn, much less one who saved my daughter’s life. Stay as long as you like, friend. I’ve already seen to a room and a bath for you. Chara will show you the way.”
The warrior slowly replaced the coins, seeing by the look in Diem’s eyes that there was no way he was going to take her money. She hadn’t been prepared for that. Ten years in her Father’s home had taught her that she always paid her own way and never accepted anything without having earned it. That was the way of honor.
Almost fearful of more of Chara’s 'conversation', the warrior followed her up the stairs all the same to the room that’d been prepared for her. It turned out to be rather spacious with a large bed and a bathroom off to one side. More than she’d been expecting.
“We had some engineers from Felnor come through a few years ago and install a device that pumps water from the well into this big copper vat that heats it. From there, we can pump it straight up here to the bathing room, giving instant hot water. It’s really very remarkable,” Chara said as she lit the lanterns in the bathing chamber, opening the pipe that let the steaming water flow into the large tub.
The warrior nodded and stripped her armor off, placing it on the bed before sitting and pulling her boots off. She listened as Chara continued to talk about the wonders of running hot water; a comfort the warrior had long ago gotten used to in her Father’s home. She shook her head and smiled as she finished stripping down, more than ready for a bath.
Chara stepped out of the bathroom to find her savior nude, folding her clothes carefully and placing her armor and weapons on the small table in the corner. She took a discreet and savoring look at the woman’s long, well-muscled frame, generous curves, and flowing hair, finding her fascinating. It wasn’t until she turned that Chara saw the marks of a warrior on her body.
Across her chest ran four long scars, discoloring the pale flesh. They trailed up from just above her well-defined abdominal muscles to over her left breast, stopping short of the shoulder. Chara gasped, hand going to her mouth at the sight.
The warrior paused, her face growing concerned, until she realized what the girl was seeing. Absently, she trailed her fingers over the mark, her eyes growing misty with memories of a childhood destroyed, a death narrowly avoided. Shaking her head, she pulled out of those memories and rested a hand on the girl’s shoulder, smiling.
“Who... I mean, when...” Chara caught herself, remembering the woman couldn’t speak. “Did it hurt much?”
The warrior nodded slowly and sighed, looking away, tears threatening once again in her beautiful eyes. She waved a hand and wiped them away, smiling and patting the girl on the shoulder. It didn’t matter. It happened a long time ago. Chara could read it easily and smiled back, deciding not to pursue the matter.
“If you need anything, let me know, okay?” she called after the warrior as the woman entered the bathing chamber and eased her body into the heated water. She got a casual wave in response and, with a smile, stole another look at the tall beauty before letting herself out of the room.
Pausing outside in the hall, Chara leaned against the door and sighed happily. The warrior was more than beautiful; she was ravishing. Flushing a deep red, she giggled to herself and hurried back downstairs. Her mother would expect her to help with the clean-up after dinner, and Chara suddenly found she wanted to hurry to bed, where fantasies of the Blessed could dance freely in her imagination.
When the warrior finally emerged from the bath, wiping dry on the heavy cotton towels Chara had left behind, she had to smile to herself once again. Despite her non-stop chatter, the girl obviously was eager to please her. Children were so easily impressed, and so impressionable.
Seating herself on the bed, she ran a hand over the rough fabric used for blankets, somewhat missing the silken spreads that she’d grown accustomed to. It was of no consequence though, for in time, she would return home. There were matters that had to be attended to now that she had the skill, and the power.
Reaching across to the small table in the corner, she lifted the pouch that carried her few, meager belongings and opened it, pulling free the piece of linen she’d carried with her from the High World. Setting it on the bed, she slowly unf
olded it, revealing the image painted on the fabric.
A black dragon, reared back on its hind legs, breathing fire. The standard of the man who had destroyed her village, and her life. He was here, somewhere, in this world. She’d returned with a simple purpose: to kill him and get revenge for the slaughter of her family and her village.
Nothing was going to stand in her way.
Chapter Four
“I’M JUST SAYING that she’s a little odd, dear,” Kate was telling her daughter as the warrior descended the stairs, causing her to pause just out of sight of the two.
“Mother,” Chara snapped, a tone of warning in her voice.
Kate sighed as she pulled fresh-baked bread from the oven, the scent filling the inn’s kitchen. “Don’t get defensive. I do appreciate what she did for you, Chara. I wouldn’t have her here if I didn’t.”
"What's that supposed to mean?" Chara exclaimed.
Kate tsked her in the way only a mother ever perfects. "A woman running around, carrying a big sword like that, fighting. It just isn't proper. She should give it up and find a good husband. That's all she needs."
"Give me a break," Chara moaned.
"That aside, she did save you, so I’m grateful, is all I'm trying to say," Kate added, picking up on her daughter’s swelling agitation.
“Please, Mom," Chara groaned. "If that was all you’re trying to say, why do you keep saying so many other things?”
"Never mind it," Kate told her.
Chara set aside the skillet she’d been scrambling eggs in, her mother picking it up quickly. "I seem to recall you always saying something about family being honest with each other. What happened to that?"
“Fine, then. Since you keep insisting. First, I’ve never seen a woman warrior blessed by the Great Wolf before. Men, certainly, but a woman? Just seems wrong to me. Second, if what you say is true and not the result of getting your head knocked on the ground, then she’ll also be the first Cleric of Ramor I’ve heard of since I was a little girl. It’s all just a little odd to me,” the girl’s mother explained, keeping her voice reasonable. Chara had gotten her defiant streak from her father; that much was for certain.
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