Mighty Hammer Down

by David J Guyton

  Chapter 22

  Alana gently traced the flowing lines of delicate scrollwork on the hilt of the sword Rommus had given her. There were no gold details like there was on her dagger, but it was just as impressive with its highly polished silver appearance. Its color was different than any sword she had ever seen, and in certain lights she could see that it was not exactly silver, but a very faint, cool blue color. It was hard for her to determine if it was actually suitable for battle, since its beauty made it seem like it was for decoration only.

  She turned her attention from the sword to the forest in front of her. Since they had not had time to prepare for their journey, they had spent most of the time starving. Rommus had seen a merchant cart on one of the major roads and went off to see if he could purchase any food. He said that he would have to be careful, and that he was going to avoid the road as long as he could before meeting up with the man. He told her that he would return by a path in these woods, and to watch for him there.

  She wondered briefly if Mages could be merchants. The thought made her uncomfortable and she worried for Rommus. Even if the man was a Mage in secret, he was obviously from some distant town, and could not have known of the recent events in Brinn. She breathed deeply and let it out slowly as she hoped that she was right. She listened carefully for their voices, but they were obviously too far away to be heard. She turned her attention back to the sword in her lap.

  Her thoughts wandered as she resumed tracing the details of the sword. She had been feeling more and more guilty for what she had tried to do to Rommus's father. She tried to forget about it, but every time she saw Rommus and saw what a good person he was she felt an icy stab of pain in her heart. The General might have deserved it, but she was no longer sure that it was the right thing to do. How could she take away the only person in the world that Rommus had?

  Then she heard something in the woods. Her body sang with a mixture of fear and hope; fearing an attack, but hoping it was only Rommus. She gripped the hilt of her sword tightly in anticipation for the worst. She almost screamed when she heard a voice behind her.

  "It's just me," Rommus said quietly.

  Her breathing was about twice as fast as it should have been. She quickly jumped to her feet. "How did you get behind me? I thought you said you were going to come out of those woods."

  "Well, it worked out better to come out from the woods over there," he said, pointing behind him. "The road curves around through here, and I met up with the merchant farther down than I thought I would. Did I scare you?"

  "Yes you scared me!" she said as she smacked his arm. "It wasn't funny."

  "I didn't mean to," he said with a smile.

  "What was the noise I heard over there if it wasn't you?"

  "Oh, I threw a rock over your head into the woods when you were looking down."

  Her mouth dropped open like a mother's would, amazed at how naughty her little boy could be. "So you had every intention of scaring me."

  "I'm just trying to keep you on your toes. Did you miss me?"

  "Oh stop it," she said. "You said the man was a merchant. Did you get any food?"

  Just then she noticed that one of his hands was hidden behind his back. He brought it out into sight and presented a sack with a few rolls, some dried meat, and a small water skin inside. It wasn't much, but it was something. Suddenly hunger was more important than conversation, and they both sat down there in the rolling field and began eating.

  She looked up at him and watched him chew; his jaw muscles moving in rhythm. "Rommus, you need a shave. Look at yourself." She playfully ran the back of her hand up his cheek.

  He brought his own had to his face and felt the bristles. "I know. We have been out here so long that I have not had the chance. We missed two towns by avoiding the road."

  "Actually I like it. I think it looks good like that."

  "Well it itches. I can't stand it," he said as he scratched his neck.

  "So why don't you shave it then? You have a sharp blade there."

  He pulled the golden sword from the scabbard at his hip. "It's not that I need a blade, I need a mirror. I can't see what I am doing. Besides shaving dry hurts you know."

  "You men and your beards. I can't imagine having one."

  "They are certainly a hassle. I could do without them," he said as he brought the sword up and gently scraped his neck. He quickly jerked it away from his face when he realized he had cut himself.

  "Rommus! Are you all right?" she said as she saw blood trickle down his neck.

  He brought his hand up to comfort his wound. "Yes, I'm fine. It's just a little cut. How foolish of me to do that. I wasn't really going to try to shave with this thing."

  "Let me see it," Alana said.

  "I'm fine," he said, revealing his wound to her.

  She looked at his throat for a while. "I don't see the cut. I just see a little blood."

  He took the small water skin from the sack and poured a little water in his hand. He washed the blood from his throat and rubbed it, trying to locate the cut. "That's odd. I don't feel it."

  She again examined his neck. "I don't see it either. Wow, you must have just barely nicked the skin. I can't believe that it didn't bleed more."

  He smiled. "I guess I'm just lucky. I'll wait until we get to the next town to finish shaving."

  She resumed her meal and relaxed. "How far away is the next town?"

  "Not far. These woods end pretty soon, and when they do, the road is out in the open, so we'll have no more cover. Luckily though the town is located right where the woods ends, so we can at least blend in with the people there."

  "So what do we do for cover beyond the town?"

  "I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I suppose we can cut across the land between roads in places, but that is not going to make traveling very easy. I think at that point we will be far enough away from the Mages that we can start using the roads again."

  "But aren't there Mages in places besides Brinn?"

  "Of course there are, but do you think they all know what happened back there? I don't think word spreads so fast. Besides, they'd have to know who I was in order to attack us again. I am not that famous of a person."

  She finished chewing before she asked another question. "How close do you think we are to Vindyrion? This isn't exactly the way I came."

  "Well I have never been that far east, but the edge of these woods is where the plains begin, so it won't be long until we reach your land. Of course, we have quite a ways to go north if we are going to end up in Reyth."

  "Is Reyth still where you want to go? Have you had any more dreams?"

  "I have had a few dreams, but not about Reyth." He immediately put food in his mouth and she assumed he did not want to tell her about his recent dreams.

  "Well what did you dream about?" she asked, unable to resist.

  He was quiet for a moment, but then answered. "It's nothing. I just had a dream about Mirra."

  She put a hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort him. "I'm sorry Rommus. I didn't mean to be rude."

  "It's all right. I don't consider that rude. It was just a dream. I guess it's just my mind dealing with the fact that I miss her. I spend all my waking hours trying to forget her, but it seems that I have a little less control when I am asleep."

  "That's normal Rommus. It is not easy to forget the people who have helped to shape our lives. Sometimes it has to be done, but there is no easy way."

  "It makes me wonder though," he said, looking off into the distance. "Has anyone ever had to go through such pain to forget about me? It seems like forgetting Rommus Tirinius is an easy thing to do."

  "I don't think I would have an easy time forgetting you Rommus."

  "But you barely know me. We only just met. I am not the person you think I am. I am trapped alone in a world of gloom. My whole life is just a void. I look to the future and see blackness, so I try to find comfort in the past. But I see nothing but blackness there too."

/>   She took her hand from his arm, not knowing what to say. She watched as he continued to stare out at nothing. Eventually she felt she had to say something. "I can see it Rommus. I see that you have a darkness inside you. I don't hold it against you; I think it makes you who you are. Your struggles have made you into the man you are. And you're a good man; anyone can see that."

  "I am not trying to impress the world by being a good man. I just wish the world wasn't so comfortable being so cold to me. I don't know what I did to deserve it."

  "Maybe it's everyone else who has the problem Rommus, not you."

  He finally turned to her and looked her in the eyes. "I find that very unlikely. How could everyone change almost overnight and dislike me? I must have done something to change their view of me."

  "Well if it bothers you, you can always change something. Be more outgoing. Make new friends."

  He sighed. "We have been over this. I will not convince people to like me. Maybe the change I need is just to get away. Maybe getting out of Medora for a while is the best thing for me."

  "Well if that's your plan, we are already making it happen. And even if all those people don't like you, I still do."

  "Thanks. We'll see how you feel when you find out more about me."

  His comment made her feel sorry for him and guilty at the same time. She wondered what he would do if he ever found out that she was the one who tried to kill his father. She wished that none of it had ever happened, but if she had never come to Medora, she would never have met Rommus. She wondered how Tachion could deal with arranging every event to make things go according to plan. She could barely keep track of her own agenda, let alone the actions of every living being. She shook her head as she thought that being the god of time must be complicated beyond measure.

  He spoke and interrupted her thoughts. "We'll be in the town of Peorum in about an hour. We can buy supplies there. Let's get moving."

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