by Eric Vall
I would prove to them that I was worthy of being their master.
Unfortunately, Morrigan wasn’t the chattiest of persons, so the process of building a rapport would be a bit more difficult. I had guessed correctly that the elf wouldn’t pour out her life story like Carmedy had. It wasn’t her way. I would have to make an effort to initiate a conversation with the elf and make her feel comfortable. After all, I couldn’t properly train her if I didn’t know more about her. I didn’t know much about her, Rana, or Annalíse. They all seemed to have their secrets, but out of the three, I knew the least about Morrigan.
“Sorry, Morrigan’s so secretive.” Carmedy’s voice broke my thoughts. “Don’t take it personally. To tell you the truth, I don’t know why she’s traveling either. None of us do.”
“What do you know about her?” I asked the cat as she steered Xerxes around a large rock that lay at the side of the road.
“Not much. She doesn’t talk to us a lot. I’m sure you’ve already noticed that she talks to Fea and Macha, mostly.” Carmedy gestured to the pale elf’s pets. “She’s pretty private and kinda spooky.”
“I see,” I mumbled. Even Morrigan’s traveling companions didn’t know much about the strange elf. Where did she come from? How had she come by those mage markings?
“Your turn,” Carmedy said gleefully.
“Pardon?” I raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“We told you all about us, well, I did anyway,” the cat said with a laugh. “I want to know more about you and stuff. It’s not fair if you ask all the questions but don’t share anything about yourself.” Carmedy playfully wagged a finger. “I’m not just your minion, I’m your riding buddy. It’s kinda weird if I don’t know anything about you. So now, I get to ask some questions!”
I blinked in surprise. She wanted to know more about me? I hadn’t expected any of the women to care enough to ask. I had never been one to talk about myself, but it was pleasing to know that Carmedy was interested in learning about her master.
“What would you like to know?” I asked my riding partner.
“Hmm.” Carmedy thought for a moment as she watched the moon begin to take its place in the darkening sky. Shadows began to stretch across the land, and the surrounding trees sent strange shapes across the ground. “Why don’t you tell me more about how you got banished to the continents?” Her words echoed in my head, and I felt a sudden pang of sorrow. I didn’t want to have this discussion, but it was only fair that I share something personal about myself. She had done so for me.
“I… broke one of the Divine Laws,” I said with a heavy sigh.
“Ooh, that sounds bad,” Carmedy said with genuine concern. “What rule did you break? And what are the Divine Laws?”
“Well, there are certain rules that even gods must abide by to keep balance and order. These are called the Divine Laws.”
“Okay, gotcha.” The cat motioned for me to continue.
“As I said, I broke one of these rules. The rule that I broke was… one pertaining to mortals. Gods are not permitted to fraternize with mortal beings.”
“You mean like you aren’t allowed to talk to mortals?” Carmedy’s green eyes widened. “Or you mean we can’t be friends or something? Are you breaking a rule right now?” Her words tumbled out one after another, and each one was filled with worry.
“No,” I said with a slight chuckle. “These rules do not apply to me any longer. While I am technically still a deity and have the full use of my abilities, I am no longer formally recognized as a god.”
“Oh, I get it. Sorry.” The cat turned to me with a wince.
“No apologies are necessary.” I raised a hand in the air. “In response to your other questions, the rule does not forbid talking to mortals or forming friendships with them. The issue lies with having a more serious relationship with one,” I said softly. This conversation made my heart ache, and yet I felt a little relief in being able to confide in Carmedy.
“Oh, I get it. Romantic relationships.” The feline nodded with understanding. “So, who was she?”
“Her name was Isolda,” I said as I sucked in the cool night air. “She was beautiful. Long flowing hair that looked like golden spun silk. The softest, most delicate skin, and the loveliest blue eyes. Even her voice was enchanting. She was brilliant, humorous, caring…” My voice trailed off at the recollection of Isolda’s face and the sound of her airy laughter that had never failed to enchant me. So many events had occurred since I had awoken. The excitement had kept my mind occupied with other things, but now I remembered how much I missed her.
“What happened to her?” Carmedy asked softly, and my breath caught in my chest.
“I am not sure what became of her.” My words came out awkwardly as though I was unaccustomed to speech. “She’s long gone now, of that much I am sure. I’ve been asleep for centuries. Elves are the only mortal beings with abnormally long lifespans, and she was a human.” Every word I uttered caused me grief, and each syllable seemed to get caught in my throat before it crawled to my lips.
“I’m sorry,” Carmedy whispered. She turned to me and held my gaze for a moment. Her face was twisted into a sad expression as though she shared my suffering.
“Thank you for your kindness.” I tried to force my words to sound more cheerful. “I am sure she had a happy life and that she was blessed with much joy. These thoughts give me some peace.” My words were true, but they didn’t erase the pain.
“That’s a good way to think,” Carmedy said kindly. “I wish there were a way that we could bring our loved ones back, but maybe things are the way that they are for a reason you know?”
“How do you mean?” I said curiously.
“Well, let’s say we somehow found a way to live forever.” The cat leaned her head back and stared into the sky. “We probably wouldn’t appreciate the time we have as much because it would be limitless. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, it does actually,” I said quietly, even though I actually could live forever. Carmedy had surprised me yet again. First with her knowledge of medicine and this time with her unexpectedly profound words.
“Losing someone you love hurts,” Carmedy continued. “We may not be able to bring them back, but we can cherish their memory and keep them alive in our hearts. I think that’s pretty special don’t you think?” The feline turned to give me a soft smile.
“Yes, it is special.” As I spoke the corners of my mouth turned upwards ever so slightly. Carmedy’s words had been refreshing and had given me a little comfort.
Carmedy leaned back in her seat and gave me a peck on the cheek that seemed to linger on my skin even after she pulled away. “Alright, no more sad and serious stuff.” The feline grinned carelessly waved her hand. My stomach fluttered at her sudden contact with me. The gesture was unexpected and sweet, and I was touched by her wanting to cheer me up. “I had another question, but I can’t remember…” Carmedy’s voice trailed off as she tapped her chin. “Oh! Were a lot of other gods kicked out too?”
I closed my eyes and sighed in relief. I knew that Carmedy hadn’t meant any harm when she had asked about the circumstances of my banishment, but the topic caused me great distress, and while she had lifted my spirits a bit, I still didn’t wish to dwell on the subject any longer.
“Yes, there were many,” I said to the cat. “Each cast out for breaking a divine law.”
“Wow,” Carmedy breathed in awe. “How many laws are there?”
“There are three in total,” I said as I raised up the corresponding number of fingers, even though I knew she couldn’t see me at present. “The first rule is that no god shall try to take the life of another god. The second is that no god shall attempt to seize another god’s domain. The third is the one I spoke of earlier, no god shall fraternize with mortal beings.”
“Gee, I never imagined gods had to follow rules,” Carmedy breathed in surprise. “I figured you guys could, you know, do whatever you wanted.
“Yes,
you would think so,” I said with a smile. “But even gods have rules.”
“You know, when I was younger, I always imagined gods as these humongous people stomping around in the clouds and watching us from above,” Carmedy said with a snicker. “And that if one of us mortal people did something that they didn’t like, they could zap us or stomp on us or something.”
“Where did you get such an idea?” I asked as I felt my lips spread into a grin.
“My older brothers told me that when I was a kid.” Carmedy turned to smile at me. “I guess they were trying to spook me. It sure worked though! I can’t tell you how many times I had nightmares of some giant god jumping out of the sky and trying to squish me. I’m glad you’re not like that. You’re not scary. Well, you were at first, but once we fixed you up, you looked pretty nice.”
“Thank you, Carmedy,” I said with a grin. The feline was a bit scatterbrained, but now I knew of her unexpected medical prowess. And she was kind, thoughtful, sweet, and lighthearted. The kiss she had given me on my cheek had not only lifted my spirits, but had made my breath catch in my chest in a way that it hadn’t for a very long time. It was hard not to be in an uplifted mood when in her presence. Just like Isolda.
Our party traveled for about another hour after the moon had risen and fixed itself in the inky sky before we finally stopped to make camp in a clearing about twenty yards or so from the road. Then the women began to unpack the provisions that Annalíse and Morrigan had purchased in town.
While Carmedy began to prepare to light a fire using some of her pouches, she motioned for me to sit beside her in the grass.
“Look, see?” She plucked two bundles from her belt and began to untie them as I sat beside her. The first was filled with a chalky white powder. The second also contained a white substance. However, it was finely milled. “This is potassium chlorate, and this is actually sugar.” Carmedy pointed to the first bundle and then the second. She opened the small sacks a little wider so I could see them more clearly. I couldn’t believe my ears. Had I heard her correctly? Had she really implied that she was going to use sugar to start a fire?
I nodded even though I had no clue what the first substance she had mentioned was, and I didn’t understand how sugar was going to help start a fire. Then again, I didn’t comprehend this world of modern medicine and advancements. It was all new to me, but Carmedy was an expert in this field of study. If she said that she could use sugar to start a fire, I believed her, even if I didn’t understand how it worked.
“I’m going to combine them, and then I’m going to add a drop of this,” Carmedy said as she reached for a glass bottle that had been on the other side of her body. I leaned over to study the contents of the translucent container, and as I did so, I noticed that she had a few more bottles beside her that contained liquids of various volumes and colors.
“This is sulfuric acid.” Carmedy playfully jiggled the bottle in her hand. The clear liquid inside of it sloshed lazily back and forth as though it was some sort of oil. “Watch what happens when I pour a drop of this on top,” the cat said enthusiastically. Her jade-colored eyes glowed in the surrounding darkness, and they burned with excitement.
The petite feline jogged over a few yards to the area that had been designated for the fire pit. I would have assumed that the women would have started a fire using kindling and stones, but perhaps that was an old-fashioned technique. Or perhaps Carmedy found her methods more fun. The black-tailed woman squatted over the empty fire pit marked by a circle of stones. She measured out a portion of the chalky powder and poured it in the center of the circle, then poured the finely milled one on top. She held the glass bottle and turned to look at me.
“Ready?” she asked, and I nodded in affirmation.
I watched with anticipation as Carmedy uncorked the bottle and cautiously poured a drop of the liquid onto the small mound of powder. For a moment, nothing happened, and I wondered if she had made some sort of mistake. But at that moment, the area where the bead of fluid had met with the powder began to bubble after a brilliant orange flame ignited. I rose to my feet and slowly approached the fire pit with my mouth gaped open in surprise. As I drew closer, the heat of the flame reached my skin, and the fire danced and shivered as though it had been crafted from wood. How could this be? I had never seen such a trick.
Carmedy watched my reaction with a toothy grin and stifled a giggle. “Pretty neat, huh?”
“It is most interesting,” I replied as I gazed into the fire in awe. The flames shuddered and crackled and sent the occasional spark sailing into the air. I wanted to ask Carmedy how this was possible. How was it that sugar could be used to start a flame? It was baffling. I would ask her later. For now, I simply wanted to enjoy the warmth and glow of the fire and marvel at its creation.
“Thanks,” she said and smiled at me. “I’ll go help with the meal.” As I moved to join her, she waved a hand and then tapped on her chest. “No. You’re the master. As your minion, it’s definitely part of my job to prepare your meal.”
“As you wish,” I said as she left me to join the others in the food preparations.
Before long, my senses were enticed with smells of salted cooked beef and warm bread. My mouth began to water when Annalíse passed me a stick laden with roasted meat and a chunk of bread that had been heated by the lively flames. My hands trembled as I brought the food to my nose and inhaled deeply. The scent of the well-seasoned morsel was tantalizing. It had been so long since I’d had food. The last meal that I had eaten had been a stew that Isolda had prepared for me. That had been right before my banishment, and I hadn’t consumed anything since then.
I bit into the meat and chewed it slowly. It was delicious, and I savored every bite as though it were my last. As I eagerly devoured my meal, my minions shot me the occasional curious glance, but they said nothing of it. Instead, they talked amongst themselves, save for Morrigan who again chose conversation with her ravens over her humanoid companions.
“So, I wonder if dungeons have more than treasure and power in them,” Carmedy mused as she ripped off a piece of her meat with her teeth and chewed with her mouth open. “Do any of them have knowledge, like about new medicines or science or anything like that?”
Annalíse grimaced at the cat’s less than graceful manners and carefully tore off a piece of her beef before placing it delicately in her mouth.
“Considering the wondrous magic and treasures we have already seen and heard of, it could be possible.” Annalíse swallowed and looked at me. “You would know even better than us, of course. What can you tell us?”
“I do not have information on all of the dungeons in existence,” I said as I reached for another piece of bread. “I do not know of all of their masters or what treasures they hold. I only know of a few, but to my knowledge, some offer material wealth to those who conquer it, others offer some sort of power, but yes, sometimes that power comes in the form of great knowledge.”
“That’s great!” Carmedy purred excitedly. “You can be granted wishes if you conquer certain dungeons too, right?”
“Yes, I am aware of one or two that grant the conquerors wishes,” I confirmed after I had consumed my bread within three bites. “However, to my recollection, those dungeons are not on this continent.”
“Aw, that’s too bad,” Carmedy said with a slight pout. “Oh well.” She shrugged. “We’ll find them, eventually!”
I chuckled at the cat and grabbed yet another hunk of bread. My stomach was as endless as my caverns.
“I also heard that there is some sort of sacred objects in the some of the dungeons,” Carmedy said with wide eyes as she glanced around the circle. It had been long since I had heard mention of the sacred objects, and I waited with anticipation to hear what sorts of rumors Carmedy had heard.
The cat’s word seemed to have piqued Morrigan’s interest, and she ceased her hushed conversation with her pets and turned to listen to Carmedy. Even her ravens turned their heads as though they too
were listening.
“Sacred objects?” Morrigan asked with her usual lack of expression. “What are these… sacred objects you speak of?”
“I think they’re supposed to be jewels or something,” Carmedy said enthusiastically. “And if you use them all together, they’re supposed to do something. I think it grants the user power or becomes a weapon… I don’t know, I can’t remember. My brothers told me about it a long time ago.”
“Wouldn’t be surprised,” Rana snorted with agitation. “There are a lot of different dungeons with all sorts of different treasures. That’s why there are so many adventuring teams. Doesn’t mean we’ll find any, though. Let’s not talk about it anymore.”
“We might find sacred items!” Carmedy giggled, cocked her head to one side, and glanced at me. “We do have Master with us. He is amazing, and powerful, and handsome!”
“Meh.” The fox-girl frowned as she looked at me. Then she chewed her last bit of meat and tossed her stick into the fire. “I’m not impressed with him so far.”
“Oh?” I asked as I raised an eyebrow.
“No,” she said as her eyes narrowed.
“That is fine,” I replied as I smiled at the fox-girl. “Soon you will appreciate me. I am thankful you have given me this opportunity.”
“See?” Carmedy wagged her finger at Rana. “Master is very nice to us. He’ll help us find lots of treasure.”
“And I shall train you four to be incredibly powerful,” I said.
“Yay!” Carmedy giggled as she clapped her hands. “We are so lucky that we met him.”
“We’ll see how he ‘helps us’ during our first dungeon,” Rana grumbled, and then her hand moved up to touch the amulet that she had around her neck.
“I did already help you,” I said as my eyes focused on the piece of jewelry she had taken from my dungeon.
Rana’s blue eyes flickered angrily when she saw me looking at her, and she tucked the amulet away and then cleared her throat. “I’ll take the first watch. You guys go ahead and sleep.” With that, she walked off toward a nearby tree and settled down in the grass. The fox-tailed woman leaned her back against the tree’s trunk and stretched her legs out in front of her as she folded her arms and looked up at the night sky.
