“How do the bets work?” asked Gavin.
“Pretty basic. Nothing over five. If your person loses, you lose the amount. If they win, you can collect the original or let it ride for double. So forth and so on. No one can lose more than five and no one loses to another person, only to the inn. It’s all supposed to be good natured and fun,” explained Wisp.
Lucy made her way over to betting table. She put down five coins on Taran’s double circle.
“Let it ride,” Lucy told the woman taking bets.
“He hasn’t won anything yet.”
“I’ll be back at the end when he has,” said Lucy confidently.
“Taran? Not Gavin?” inquired Wisp. “Do you know something I don’t know?”
“Perhaps,” replied Lucy with a shrug. “I know Taran is good.”
“Isn’t Gavin?”
“Of course! If this were a general melee competition or anything other than staffs, I’d bet on Gavin absolutely. Single swords, double swords, maces, axes, spear throwing, archery, or an eating contest, Gavin would win. However, Taran is the best person I know with a staff.”
“Interesting,” said Wisp. “Still, they have to make it past a lot of other people first.”
Lucy nodded and they found a place to stand within easy view of all three circles. The first competitors took their places. One of them was the dashing man who had asked Wisp if she was going to compete. He noticed them and winked. Since Lucy didn’t know anyone fighting at the moment, she cheered for him. He was good. They were the first of the three groups to finish. Lucy enjoyed watching the staffs whirl and strike with grace, speed, and talent. She also enjoyed the energy of the crowd. The cheering, jeering, yelling, laughing, and groaning all melded together into an air of excitement.
Gavin and Taran were both in the next match. Gavin’s opponent was large and burly. He looked like he was used to winning a fight with a few strong hits rather than needing any type of stamina. He looked disgruntled when Gavin easily blocked his first couple of attacks and dodged under his next one. It turned into an exciting battle. The other man tapped out, breathing heavily, and laughed that he was out of shape, but his eyes remained hostile. Taran was matched with a guy about the same size. Taran disarmed him in two lightning quick, elegant moves. This brought impressed murmurs from the crowd and a rush to the betting corner. Lucy wondered if that was wise of Taran. Lucy supposed it couldn’t be helped; people had a hard time not showing off in a competition. After that, no one knew what to make of their group, but now they were part of the excitement and people were cheering them on as well.
The next fights included a couple of females. Lucy was intently watching them to see if she could pick up any pointers about the way they adjusted to larger opponents. They were decent. They’d have to be to enter a contest here. Taran was in the next round against a woman. She proved a better opponent than his first had been, but he still disarmed her quickly. Gavin’s next match was against a smaller, though much quicker guy than his first opponent. The contrast in opponents showed others that Gavin was agile and strong, as well as versatile. Gavin was showing off his ability to fight, having fun with his opponents before ending the matchs, while Taran was showing his ability to quickly disarm. People wanted to see more of both of them. They were each earning a following of cheering ruffians. In one bout, Wisp’s dashing man won with a resounding crack to his opponent’s leg. Everyone winced. Lucy was sure it was broken.
“Should I go help with that?” Justin asked Wisp.
“Yes, it is only in fighting that magic is cheating. Healers are allowed to know healing magic. Use few words, but imply you have studied healing with masters and let them know you can help. The lovely thing about this place is that people tend not to ask too many questions.”
Justin nodded and made his way over to the injured man. Lucy continued to watch and cheer. This was more fun than she had had in a long time. She enjoyed not worrying about Shadow Weavers, invading armies, or doom and gloom. It was fun to watch. Gavin and Taran were both fighting again. The ranks were narrowing significantly. Besides Gavin and Taran, there were two women left, along with the dashing man, a quick, lethal looking man with scars, and an old man. Lucy wondered if the old man’s opponents had underestimated him. Then again, she considered, you didn’t become that old living as an outlaw unless you knew how to survive. By the look of things, the man was a survivor. He had won many of his bouts like Taran had, quickly disarming his opponents rather than drawn out fights. It was interesting to Lucy to note that despite his apparent age, he was probably still a couple hundred years younger than Taran.
Lucy sensed a presence approaching, and Corealanna’s ring burned softly. There was an intensity and vibration to her left. She turned to see who was giving off that feeling. A man stopped next to her and gave her a slow smile. He was tall and lean, with black hair and high cheekbones. He had deep blue eyes and his entire being radiated an unusual energy that Lucy didn’t understand. She wasn’t drawn to it, but was very aware of it. Was it magic? Did she feel this way to other people? Should she be worried?
“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said quietly, with a voice like warm honey.
“That seems like a silly thing to do. I didn’t know I would be here until earlier today,” Lucy replied.
He chuckled. “Necessity can sometimes be silly, too. I am rarely wrong; I need you.”
“What for?” asked Lucy.
“You need me.”
“I doubt that.”
He chuckled again as Lucy cheered for the old man. Who was this man?
“You are mine.”
“That’s an intense thing to say to someone on their first meeting,” Lucy observed. “I’m quite sure I am mine. Not yours.”
“Not yet, but you will be.”
“I have better things to do. Do you have a point, or do you just enjoy being cryptic?”
“Must one exclude the other?” he queried raising an eyebrow.
Lucy smiled slightly.
“There are things you will need to know that he cannot teach you. You are too strong, too important.”
“What is your proposal?” asked Lucy.
“Come with me. I can show you. I can teach you.”
He took his index finger and ran it down the back of her hand. His touch was warm and electric. Lucy almost gasped. She could feel his amusement at her attempt to contain her reaction.
“Not much of a proposal,” she commented. “I have no intention of leaving my friends. We have things to do.”
“Yes, you do. But they can do those things without you. You need to do what you need to do without them.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“You can think about it. I’ll be here in the morning.”
“There is nothing to think about. I’m staying with my friends.
“You will come to me in the end. You will have to,” he bent to her ear and whispered, “Only I can help you against the Shadow Weavers.”
“No,” replied Lucy, but he was gone. She looked around but couldn’t see him. She couldn’t feel him either. Had he even been there in the first place? No one seemed to have noticed anything amiss. Everyone was intent on the staff fights, including Wisp. Lucy felt very confused. She thought they were the only ones who knew the Shadow Weaver army was coming. If someone else knew, was he friend or foe? Also, he had said Shadow Weavers, implying more than one. They had only seen one, but there could have been more elsewhere in the keep. She didn’t like his implications. She wanted to stay with her friends, but if the only way to save them was to go with this man, would she?
Gavin defeated the dashing man while Taran defeated the old one to find themselves facing each other in the last round. By this point, they had groups of supporters and the cheering was thunderous. Gavin smiled at Taran, and Taran grinned back. Justin slid up next to Lucy and shook his head.
“Is this going to be a good or a bad idea?” Lucy asked him.
“I hop
e they don’t let things get out of hand.”
Gavin twirled his staff and crouched into a ready fighting stance. Still grinning, Taran crouched to face him. The crowed hushed in anticipation. Then, Gavin began. This time, he didn’t start slowly. He didn’t need to test his opponent and he didn’t need to warm up. His staff spun and twirled, struck and blocked with amazing speed. Taran met him stroke for stroke, his body and staff moving together in a blur. The crowd cheered and gasped as both of them moved faster than the eye could follow.
“Wow,” breathed Wisp. “You weren’t kidding.”
“Nope,” replied Lucy, not taking her eyes off the fight.
She didn’t have to say any more. The guys’ skills spoke for themselves. As far as Lucy could tell, neither one had landed a hit on the other. They both moved so fast. One of them had to mess up sooner or later. One of them had to make a mistake. The longer the match continued, the more impressed the crowd became. No one would forget either one of them soon. Was it a good thing to be remembered by thieves and cutthroats? Lucy found herself holding her breath. Taran had beaten Gavin last time, but could he do it again? Gavin was the kind that learned from his mistakes. Taran was the kind not to make mistakes in the first place. He was also the kind to always keep a trick up his sleeve in reserve. Did he have any tricks left? They continued to revolve in a blur of motion. Suddenly, a staff flew into the air. The crowd gasped and watched as it came down. Taran caught the staff, spun both staffs flawlessly and bowed to the crowd amid cheers. Gavin laughed, and they clasped hands. Lucy could see them talking and wondered what they were saying. They were both winded and smiling, but neither one was hurt.
“You’d better collect your winnings,” said Wisp.
Lucy nodded and went off to the betting corner. The woman shook her head and handed Lucy her money.
“Are you that lucky or have you seen him fight before?”
“I’ve seen him fight,” Lucy admitted with a smile. “I didn’t know how he would do against the talent here, but I had faith in his abilities.”
When she got back to Justin, Taran and Gavin were back. She gave Taran half her winnings with a grin. He laughed. Gavin shrugged good-naturedly. He may not be able to beat Taran staff to staff, but he was sure he could beat him with another weapon. They went back into the inn for some ale and, in Gavin’s case, more food, possibly including another egg. Justin wrapped his arm around Lucy.
“Who was your handsome stranger?” he whispered in her ear.
“I don’t know,” replied Lucy.
“I hope you told him to shove off.”
Lucy smiled and leaned her head onto Justin’s shoulder. So, her odd interlude hadn’t gone entirely unnoticed.
Chapter 19
Lucy had trouble sleeping that night. She couldn’t get the stranger’s words out of her mind. She wasn’t sure what bothered her most about the conversation. Was it his assertions that she was his or the idea that he might be right about needing to learn things? As far as she could tell, they didn’t have an effective plan yet to fight the army of nightmares. Did the stranger know something that could help? Obviously, his entire egotistical being rubbed her the wrong way. She tossed and turned, mulling things over in her head.
The next morning, she was ready to go. They said good-bye to Wisp and thanked her for her help. As they exited the inn, Lucy could sense the same energy and intensity from last night. The man was standing outside the stables with a coal black horse. He cocked an eyebrow at her. She shook her head. He gave her a slow, knowing smile.
“Come find me when you need me. I’ll be here.”
Lucy heard his honeyed voice in her head and felt his amusement.
“You will need me.”
Lucy turned away, but could still feel his intensity. Justin gave her a questioning look. She shook her head and started walking. The others followed. She walked until she couldn’t feel the other man. She knew trouble when she saw it, and that man was trouble. He exuded danger, and she wanted no part of it.
“Where are we going?” asked Lucy.
“The Elves,” replied Justin. “We need to warn them and they might have information we can use. From there, we should get back to Joss. We can travel the line between Skelt territory and Fredamonn all the way to the Ondra. Then, we can rent a boat and ride it north.”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Gavin optimistically. As usual, he was game for anything, especially if it involved an adventure.
“We should also get a message to Joss and Maya,” suggested Lucy. “I’m sure they are concerned about our safety and curious about our whereabouts.”
“Yes,” agreed Justin. He called down a bird and had a conversation with it. “I’ve asked him to let Maya know we are okay, the threat is real and worse than we thought, and we plan to go to the Elves before returning to Lerramorre for a full explanation.”
“Not to be difficult, but despite Maya’s many skills, I don’t think she’s fluent in bird,” commented Lucy.
“She’s not,” answered Justin. “I’m counting on the Wild Woods having sent a talking creature of some sort by now. A bird would be the unassuming, obvious answer until thing heat up.”
“Sounds good,” said Gavin. “Shall we start hiking?”
“Do we have to walk the whole way there?” asked Lucy. “Can we magically jump it like we did through the mountains? Hopefully no one here will notice.”
Taran and Justin looked at each other. Taran shrugged, and Justin nodded. Lucy smiled. She held out her hands. Taran took one, Justin took the other, and Gavin stood behind her with his hand on her shoulder. Lucy was anxious to put as much space as possible between herself and the mystery man at the inn. She looked at a tree a couple hundred yards ahead of them and took a step forward, magically covering the distance in a single step. She picked the top of the hill as their next destination and took another step. In a few movements, she had covered a distance that it would have taken them most of the morning to walk. After so many days in the caves, it felt exhilarating to use magic again. It would make the journey much faster and cheaper considering the amount of food supplies Gavin was capable of consuming. By the time they decided to stop for lunch, they had reached the Ondra. Everyone was impressed with Lucy’s method of travel. They stretched and enjoyed a quick meal of dried meat, cheese, travel bread, and the last of the avila fruit.
“Do you sense a boat or anyone with one nearby?” Taran asked Justin.
Justin closed his eyes and scanned the area.
“There’s no one close by,” he confirmed.
“Can I jump us across?” asked Lucy.
“That could have adverse consequences,” replied Justin.
“Such as?” wondered Lucy.
“I don’t sense anyone, but the Elves are on the other side. They could be shielding,” he warned.
“What are our options? We wait for a boat? Swim? Send a talking bird across to request safe passage?” joked Gavin.
“How much of a hurry are we in?” asked Taran. “Lucy’s ability already saved us days of travel. Is it a problem if we wait for a boat?”
“You did see the Shadow Weaver, right?” asked Justin. “I think as little time should be wasted as possible until we have a plan. Right now, we don’t even have a reasonable understanding of the problem, much less a plan.”
“Point taken,” agreed Taran, grimly.
“The water looks like it’s flowing quickly,” commented Gavin, “Should we risk swimming it?”
“No, the Ondra claims many victims. The currents are quick, deep, and deadly. You do not attempt to swim it unless you are trying to escape certain death,” answered Justin.
“You’re a ball of good news today, aren’t you,” griped Gavin.
Lucy rolled her eyes. This was getting ridiculous; they were no closer to deciding on anything than they had been before lunch. She grabbed Justin and Taran and touched Gavin with her foot jumping them across the Ondra.
“You should have warned me you w
ere going to do that,” said Justin angrily.
“How would that have helped?” demanded Lucy. “We’re across now.”
“We could have made a plan or at least put up shields first,” explained Justin.
“I always travel with shields up, I thought you did, too,” argued Lucy.
“Yes, but we could have shielded the others.”
“It would have made no difference,” said a voice ahead of them. “We were watching you since you arrived on the other side.”
They found themselves surrounded by Elves, bows notched in their direction. Everyone held their breath.
“You should know better than to sneak up on Elves.”
“We weren’t trying to sneak up on anyone. We are trying to meet with the Elves,” replied Justin.
“It is dangerous to use magic to come to our lands. One could take it as an act of war. Or an act of stupidity. We could kill you for it.”
“Or, you can take it and shove it in your quiver,” said Justin, getting angry. “Stop being so superior, Barralor, and tell your Elves to stand down. We need to see the council on a matter of grave importance.”
“Greetings to you as well,” laughed Barralor, nodding to Taran. The Elven guard relaxed and introductions were made. “Why do you need to see the council? They are very busy with important matters.”
“We have some news for them,” said Taran.
“News from the wandering half Elven brothers?” scoffed a blond Elf, Nolder, “How important can it possibly be?”
“Can we please see the council? Or, at least, someone who takes news to them?” asked Taran, he had always been the more diplomatic brother. Justin was starting to get frustrated.
“We can take them to Fallon,” suggested a petite brunette, Ferra. “She’s only a couple of hours walk from here. The humans won’t see much. She’ll either agree they should see the council or send them away. That should be good enough for Justin and for you.”
The blond glared at her.
“Fallon is nearby?” asked Justin looking hopeful.
“She at A’lanola. She’s doing a tour of the major healer communities,” answered the helpful brunette.
Ravs Are Rarely Wrong: The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol III Page 14
