First day of Winter 4994, 18 Aoimoth
The following day the group set out again, following along the lakeshore until they reached a wide and shallow river leading northwest.
"Might as well follow it," Tuth pointed out, pulling out the compass to show it pointing roughly the same direction, "I would rather not cross if we don't have to." No one argued, none of them really having the heart for much speech.
With Ryuuko gone, Shon confessed to Lily that he felt stretched and thin, as though a part of him was being pulled away like taffy. It made him not only sullen but irritable. In an effort to spare the others his attitude, he further separated himself from them. Except for Lily. She stayed by his side in supportive silence.
After the town and her nightmare, she didn't bother to try and smile. But she did put on a confident air. Without comment or even a sigh of mourning, she'd walked with head held high and eyes forward, picking her way nonchalantly around the dead fish littering the side of the lake.
Once again, Shon had managed to say exactly what she longed to hear. She'd been told before that she was safe now, that she had nothing to fear from her past and that her friends and companions would support her. He had only tacked that on in the end, instead insisting from the beginning that she had, and could, take care of herself. Alone if necessary.
She loved him all the more for it. And with that came a revelation. That even if she could fight alone, she didn't want to. Not even to prove herself. Not anymore.
They followed the river for the entire day, camping on its banks that night and setting out the next morning before anyone dared casual conversation again. Tuth pulled Shon aside to discuss what they would do as the official representatives once they met the tribes. He brought up the possibility of Shon showing himself as a Sorcerer as well. Arguing that having not only one Shaman -Lily- but two, would endear them to the tribe even more. Shon shot that idea down with a single stubborn word, "No." and Lily fell back to walk with Yua rather than argue with him about it.
"Tuth is going to twist that man's panties in a bunch so tight I won't be surprised if he finally loses his cool and slugs him," Yua commented, nodding toward the two.
The mental image that planted in Lily's mind was enough to pull a genuine smile from her and almost enough to distract from the subject that was 'twisting Shon's panties' in the first place.
"Now that's the grin I like to see," Yua whispered, leaning over to bump Lily with her shoulder, "So how long do you think it'll be before the big guy breaks and walks away?"
"What makes you think he won't eventually give in to the idea? It's a good one, and Tuth is a professional arguer." Lily countered.
Yua shrugged, "You know him better than I do." She shot Lily a sly wink before she continued, "But I somehow doubt he'll give in with this. We traveled an entire week thinking Ryuuko was just a companion because he wouldn't tell anyone it was his familiar. Even when the Mage asked if she could cast her own familiar spell on it. We only found out he was a Sorcerer by accident. When his sword was pulled out of range by that idiot Barth. And just now, he shot down Tuth's suggestion before he even got it all the way out."
Lily sighed, throwing her head back to stare at the sky, "Shon is very stubborn, particularly about this. Honestly, I hate it. It's the only thing we've ever argued about."
"Hence why you're back here with me and not up there putting up a fight." Yua nodded in understanding, "Best not to rock the honeymoon barge this early in the voyage." She shook her head, then grinned sideways at Lily before changing the subject ever so slightly, "What do you see in him anyway? Besides the muscles..."
Lily giggled and hummed low in her throat, "The muscles are pretty amazing, aren't they?"
Yua laughed out loud, "If you say so. He isn't my type."
"Oh?" Lily asked, bumping the Ranger with her hip, "Are you saying you don't like a big strong chest?" She hadn't had much opportunity for girl talk over the years. It was nice to be distracted from recent events and current one-sided arguments going on ahead of them.
Yua snickered, returning Lily's bump, "Oh, I like a big chest alright, though not like his," she made a cupping gesture over her breasts and winked at Lily, whose mouth fell open, finally understanding.
"Well, I supposed that would make him quite clearly not your type then!" Lily said with a real laugh that served to banish some more of the darkness from the previous two days.
Yua joined in her mirth but then nodded once again to Shon's back. "Seriously though, besides the physical appeal, I don't get it. He's more than just introverted. He's..." her face fell as she searched for the right word. Lily let her think until Yua finished with, "...cold." and shuddered. Catching sight of Lily's tilted head, she continued, "I've seen him fight, kill, it wasn't... normal. He broke a sleeping draken's neck with a stomp. Without flinching or even blinking. It was..."
"Scary?" Lily asked. Yua only nodded, her eyes going wide when Lily shrugged in response.
"He's always been like that," Lily explained, "I remember back in Hamerfoss, all the Squires tried to keep him from sparing me because they knew he wouldn't hold back. I insisted on it for the same reason." She grinned, "I almost won, you know, the bruise I left on his thigh was almost as dark as his hair. He told me, and Shon doesn't lie."
Yua managed a grin, "Well, I'm glad you're both on our side. I don't know what's scarier, the emotionless killer, or the woman who loves him anyway."
"We have dust!" Veon-Zih shouted from the top of a hill beside them.
Followed by Velona's confirmation yell a moment later, "Riders. Heading our way."
The party shifted their course to intercept the dust cloud until they could make out the horses and their riders. At that point, they stopped at the edge of the flatlands to wait for the tribesmen to come to them. Tuth took out the compass to confirm that the riders were coming from the right direction but shrugged when Yua asked if they were the correct tribe or not.
Lily took up position in front of the group, and when Shon arched a questioning eyebrow, she just smiled, kissing his cheek and waving him back. Without protest, he took a step back to stand behind her left shoulder with the others, trusting in her experience with barbarians.
The horsemen didn’t slow as they approached the adventurers. Instead, they maneuvered around to begin circling them, still at full speed and kicking up dust, making Lily wave her hand in front of her face. It was a show of strength and would've been an impressive one to anyone else caught on foot.
But this party wasn't a standard adventuring group and wouldn't be intimidated.
Lily let them show off for a while, then closed her eyes, breathing in and gathering her energy. She started a small fire at her feet that began to circle the party in the opposite direction as the riders, pushing them back as their horses shied away from the flame. As it moved it grew, and Lily’s flames took the shape of a horse. By the fire horse's third circle, the horsemen stopped riding, taking up position in a large circle, many with slack jaws.
Opening her eyes, Lily searched the tribes mens' faces for the one that looked like the leader. He was directly in front of her, and with a smile, she allowed her fiery steed to jump off the ground in a graceful arching leap that made the barbarians gasp. It shrank in the air as it dove for her open hand, and she condensed the energy of the fire into a single marble-sized ball that glowed white like the sun in her palm before she popped it into her mouth as though it were candy.
Swallowing the fire, she took a step toward the leader and put on her best and brightest diplomatic smile, “Greetings! I am Lily, also known as Golden Rage in the north and Crimson Dancer in the south. I come seeking an audience with an elemental Shaman of the Laughing Pony tribe.”
The warriors to either side of the leader exchanged looks while the man nudged his reluctant -but obedient- horse a single step closer. Brave, but the beast tossed its head and refused to move any further. “We are the Laughing Pony tribe,” the Barbarian answered. Lily’s smile broadened, and the man allowed a little grin of his own to peek out before he cleared his expression to demand, “What business have you with our Shaman?”
Lily tilted her head to the side and blinked at the man, explaining, “We have detected great power coming from your tribe, and we want to know more.” Truth, and neither threatening nor overly reassuring.
Apparently it hit the right tone, because the man said, “I am Scarletgiraffe, son of Amberyak, and I will take you to our camp.”
Lily shook her head. “Thank you for your kind hospitality, but my fire prevents even the bravest of steeds from taking me as a rider.” She sighed, showing her honest disappointment. Then perked up, her good mood from her talk with Yua improved even further by the fact that they'd found exactly who they were looking for. “We will continue on foot if you would bear the news of our coming.”
Scarletgiraffe, son of Amberyak, nodded to Lily and motioned to his riders, who circled them one more time before riding back in the direction they'd come. “We will prepare a welcoming feast for the Firespeaker of the north and south.” He nodded, then bowed from his saddle to her.
Lily returned the nod and leaned back to whisper to Shon, “See, I knew they'd heard of me.” She winked at him, and Shon shook his head, never having said anything to hint that he didn’t think she would be notorious amongst the tribes.
Behind them, Tuth snorted, “Well, it's a good thing they were the right ones. That display completely ruined my compass.
***
Night had fallen by the time they reached the Laughing Pony encampment. With every step closer, Shon prayed and felt himself return more and more to normal. This was a mission, and he was a representative of the Temple of Hengist. He would serve professionally as such in his entirety, not letting the emotions of the past days, his discomfort from Ryuuko being so far, or Lily's intoxicating proximity, show.
That, as well as Lily's evident love for the barbarians, had Shon trying to approach everything with an open mind. After all, he'd never really taken to those particularly judgmental lessons in his youth anyway. He'd been taught that the barbarian tribes were primitive and warlike, as eager to raid each other as the smaller kingdom settlements. That they valued strength of arms above all else and would even worship Horsa, if they had any of the discipline the god demanded of his kingdom followers. Even after Veon-Zih had urged him to dismiss those obviously biased lessons, Shon found himself surprised despite the efforts.
The encampment looked for all the world like a permanent dwelling. Its sturdy circular homes well lit and painted with beautiful swirling colors. They were arranged in larger circles with straight roads -like the spokes of a wheel- leading towards the center where a communal fire burned. The people mingling amongst the yurts were all tall, strong, and clean, with long dark hair brushed clear of knots and tied with decorative feathers and stone beads. They held themselves with pride whether they carried the weapons of warriors or foodstuffs for the feast. They didn't turn their noses up at the kingdom citizens, nor did they try to seem threatening to the group. They nodded respectfully to Lily as she passed, and she smiled at them, waving as if she knew each one and making them smile in turn.
They spoke an archaic form of Common, the kingdom language having been standardized from ancient Lenarian, for which Shon was grateful. He spoke Skalin -the ancient language of Clearhelm- in addition to Common, though not fluently, and he knew Veon-Zih spoke Oanic. Neither would do them any good here. Only the Barbarians continued to use the native languages of the provinces regularly, while the rest of the world merely used them as a way to hold private conversations in foreign provinces.
From behind, Yua whispered, "Have you visited this tribe before, Lily?"
"Nope." Lily answered with a little skip, "I stayed with the Roaring Buffalo for a while two years ago, though."
Tuth cleared his throat, preparing for a lecture, "The tribes of their respective regions aren't as isolated from each other as most presume, every year they meet to-"
But Lily hopped on her toes and waved as she shouted, "Scarletgiraffe! I hope we aren't too late."
"Not at all, Firespeaker," at just over six feet, Scarletgiraffe smiled warmly down at Lily. Shon hadn't been around so many people his own height since he was a teenager. "Follow me to the center. Father awaits you eagerly." He turned away to lead them the rest of the way to the middle of the encampment, and Lily fell back to walk beside Shon.
With a wicked grin, she nodded to the barbarian's back and the long ponytail swaying clear down to his buttocks, whispering, "How long do you think it'll take for your hair to grow that long?"
She seemed entirely back to normal, and Shon's carefully crafted professionalism cracked in the face of her joyful teasing. They weren't in the presence of the leaders yet... He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Not in a million years, Lily." which made her pout and him smile.
"Uh... Shon?" Tuth asked, jogging up to Shon's other side. Shon arched an eyebrow at the Mage, but Tuth wasn't looking at him, he was scanning the roofs of the yurts, "Ryuuko isn't back yet, is it?" But then he answered his own question under his breath, "No... there's no way it could make it by now..."
Lily leaned forward to tilt her head at Tuth from Shon's other side, but when he didn't look at her, she asked, "What's up?"
The Mage shook his head, leaning forward too but not to look at Lily. Instead, he continued to scan the rooftops on her side, "I saw a pseudodragon... but this isn't the right region. They're forest creatures."
Lily straightened with a shrug, "Maybe it's the Sorcerer Shaman's familiar."
"Yeah... Maybe..." Tuth conceded though he sounded doubtful.
Behind them, Yua took up Tuth's argument, "Aren't familiars normally regular animals? Mage Sonya made it sound like pseudodragons were an oddity."
Tuth cleared his throat, and Shon noticed Lily roll her eyes. "Special familiars such as pseudodragons only bond one out of every hundred times. And there are any number of magical creatures that count as 'special' in this circumstance. The chances of meeting another Sorcerer with a pseudodragon specifically is-"
"Or we could just ask," Lily interrupted, skipping ahead to catch up with their guide.
They reached the center of the encampment then, finding yet more circles, these of tribespeople sitting around low fires heating shallow but wide iron bowls filled with steaming broth. Before each diner, large mounds of raw, thinly sliced meats and wild vegetables waited.
An older man -as tall as Scarletgiraffe and twice as wide in the belly- stood with a grace that seemed counter to his girth, and held his arms out wide in welcome. Golden bands glittered on his upper arms, and large, immaculate feathers swayed with his hair as he bellowed, "Firespeaker! You honor us with your presence, and we welcome you with Laughing Pony hospitality."
Lily ran to the man's circle -the largest and centermost of the lot- weaving between the others, whose occupants laughed at her good-naturedly as she passed. Stopping just short of the chief's circle -because who else could this possibly be?- Lily bobbed on her toes and clapped her hands, "Oh wow! I love hot pot!"
Impatiently she gestured for the others to follow her, and Shon took a calming breath. On the one hand, it was good to see her so happy and at ease. On the other, she was behaving like an excited child, whatever formal diplomacy she'd shown before long gone.
Master Veon-Zih patted Shon's back as he passed, whispering, "Relax. They obviously don't care about her lack of decorum." Shon had to wonder if anyone had ever even tried to teach Lily proper decorum, or if they had, and she'd disregarded the lessons.
As they approached the leader's circle, Lily made a sweeping gesture towards them. "My name is Lily, this is Shon of the Temple of Hengist, Tuth of the Mages Guild, Masters Velona and Veon-Zih of the Kensai and Ryukyu Monasteries, and Yua of the Southernwood."
Shon and the Monks all bowed, resting their dominant fists in their opposite palms. Yua gave a formal bow at the waist, and Tuth jumped in surprise then gave his own awkwardly formal bow. Lily just giggled.
To the left of the chief sat an elderly woman with swirls of blue paint on her cheeks in the shape of horses. Living flowers hung about her neck and in her hair. Their senior Shaman and a Druid -a practitioner of divine nature magic and servant of the wild god Cathbad. She hummed, eyeing each of the companions in turn, then said, "It seems the kingdom saw fit to send a rather large group for something as simple as an awakened elemental Shaman..." Her dark eyes settled on Shon for a moment, who bowed again in deference to her rank and position.
In contrast, Lily waved a dismissive hand at the holy woman and shook her head. "Not really, they only sent Shon and Tuth. We just happened to be traveling with them at the time and decided to come along."
Shon straightened, praying silently to Hengist for patience at Lily's informality. As if to directly counter his efforts, she continued casually, "I could not eat if there are too many of us."
The chieftain laughed, the motion making his belly jiggle as he threw his head back and slapped his thigh, "Do not dream of it, Firespeaker! It's not often we get two blessed Shaman visiting in the same season-" Two? Did they know of Shon's magic somehow? "-Please have a seat. Tonight we dine, and tomorrow we may talk more of what brought you here."
Shon turned his face away, running a frustrated hand through his hair as Lily skipped past him and around the circle to plop down on the right side of the chief. She didn't hesitate to reach for the meat, dipping it directly in the broth, and stirring it around before popping it right in her mouth. Tuth and the others followed her more sedately as the chief sat back down. He smiled warmly down at Lily, but the Druid looked up to glare and point at Shon.
"You, Son of Honor, you Paladins are all the same." Shon twitched, "Do not let the girl's innocence disdain you so. Everyone knows the best Shaman are the most outlandish, and you do us no honor in keeping her leashed."
Shon stiffened, and Lily tried to swallow her mouth full, looking angry. The last thing he needed was her snapping the Shaman's head off -particularly on his behalf- so Shon quickly bowed again, stating, "No one living or dead could ever keep Lily leashed. I have no intention of trying."
The Druid studied him for a long moment, her eyes trailing to the sword over his shoulder. However, if she knew what the shifting blues of his pommel meant, she didn't make any indication. He found himself grateful for Ryuuko's absence and wondered if he could pass off the pseudodragon as Lily's familiar if it returned before they concluded their business. The Druid nodded without another word.
Shon followed the others and sat between Yua and Scarletgiraffe, taking a moment to look around the Chief's circle and finding two spots left open beside the Druid. Shon had just accepted an earthenware glass of something that smelled like alcohol when the chief finally addressed the vacancies, asking the Druid around a mouth of food, "Where are Pia and Shaman Arver?"
The Druid didn't have a chance to answer before a girl's voice spoke from beyond the circles of feasters, "Here, Chief Amberyak. Though Shaman Arver is still feeling unwell and begs your forgiveness." She moved towards the circle with a flowing grace that seemed well beyond her teenage years. Her hair was the color of rich earth and long like the rest of the tribe, but with a natural wave the others lacked. Her skin was a dark olive, and her eyes a stunning emerald green. And Shon hated her.
Bile rose in his throat, and his blood pounded like drums in his ears. Drowning out the laughing voices of Veon-Zih and Velona as they spoke across the circle to some of the barbarian elders. No one seemed to notice. Except Pia. The girl turned her head as if he'd called her name, and as their eyes locked, Shon could tell that the feeling of loathing was mutual. Her lip curled in a sneer of disgust, and Shon felt his skin crawl as if covered by moving filth.
"So that's the Sorcerer?" Tuth muttered, once again scanning the rooftops, "No sign of the pseudodragon though..."
Shon wrenched his eyes away from Pia and focused on loosening his fingers -which had tightened dangerously around the clay cup. Its contents frozen solid.
The talk continued around him. Scarletgiraffe shivered -but it was nearly winter- and no one had noticed anything amiss yet. Slowly, Shon set the cup down, keeping his hands from shaking with pure discipline, and tilted his head ever so slightly to look at his sword. Its pommel was clear as glass.
Closing his eyes, Shon prayed and took a deep, steadying breath. That, Yua noticed, "You alright?" she whispered. Without opening his eyes, Shon nodded. Blocking out sounds around him until he felt centered. He pulled his power into the level of his skin once more and felt the shift as his sealing item started working again after being overloaded beyond its capacity.
"Did you hear that, Shon? Interested?" Veon-Zih's voice floated into his calm as Shon blinked his eyes open. His Master was looking curiously at him, but past him, Lily was leaning in front of the chief and Druid to shake Pia's, hand.
On Shon's other side Scarletgiraffe, son of Chief Amberyak, snorted. "If the Son of Honor does not wish to embarrass himself, we will understand. Bjarki respects those warriors who know their own weakness."
He'd missed something. Shon arched an inquiring eyebrow at Master Veon-Zih, who explained, "Scarletgiraffe and some of his warriors have challenged us to a friendly tournament. Wrestling. In the name of Saint Bjarki." He leaned forward past Yua, "It would be rude to decline, and more so if we were to lose on purpose." Veon-Zih smiled wickedly, and Shon shook his head, though not to deny the challenge. It would be impossible to hide his cold skin in a wrestling tournament. But Veon-Zih was right. The Temple of Hengist was the military might and law of this province. As a fighter and their representative, he couldn't refuse.
"It would be my honor," Shon answered Scarletgiraffe with another Monk bow. "It has been many years since I participated in a Saint Bjarki tournament," thirteen in fact.
"He speaks! You do honor us." Scarletgiraffe announced and made to pat Shon on the back. Instinctually Shon shot the man a look that froze his hand mid-air. The proud warrior recovered quickly, hitting his own thigh instead, a motion reminiscent of his father. Though his laugh had a hint of a quiver to it. Shon turned his attention back to Lily and Pia. Straining to hear and missing Ryuuko -who could have sent the conversation to him as it often did images.
Lily was speaking animatedly to Pia while the Druid and Chief leaned back to try and stay out of their way, both grinning as if watching two children and not grown -or at least nearly grown- women. "Really?!" Lily called loudly, "a horse?" she stood, walking in front of the tribe's leaders -carefully stepping between their plates- to take the empty spot beside Pia. Once she sat down, however, she shouted back to Tuth -who had been next to her- "Hey, Tuth! She has a water horse familiar!"
Tuth looked more shocked than if he'd been told the girl had a tree as a familiar. "A hippocampus?" he shouted back.
Pia shook her head, but it was the Druid who answered, once again serious, or perhaps nervous, "Kelpie." Tuth blanched, and Shon felt his jaw tighten. The Druid glared at each of them in turn, the representatives that would decide the fate of her new acolyte, "A Sorcerer does not choose their familiar, do not judge Pia, or the tribe, by this alone."
Shon forced himself to nod to the woman, and when she turned away, Yua and the Monks all leaned forward to confer together, "A Kelpie?" Yua asked, "Aren't they evil?"
"Can an animal really be considered evil?" Velona asked.
Veon-Zih shook his head but added, "They're more intelligent than normal animals, like Ryuuko."
"They are carnivorous water horses that drown their victims... Often slowly..." Tuth said, tapping his lip in thought, "But that doesn't necessarily change anything. We're just supposed to register and document unless the Sorcerer herself seems unable to control her power."
Shon narrowed his eyes at the back of Pia's head. As if she could feel it, she turned just enough to meet his gaze and sneer again.
"She seems to be in control," Veon-Zih pointed out, "and the tribe has clearly taken her as their new apprentice Shaman."
Shon shifted his gaze to Lily -smiling behind a huge yawn but undoubtedly enjoying herself. Whatever he felt about Pia, it was clear that Lily at least liked her. And Shon had reassured her that he would do nothing to interfere with the tribe unless asked directly.
Lily rubbed her eyes and yawned again, waving away a concerned Pia and climbing to her feet with a huge stretch.
"Scarletgiraffe," Chief Amberyak called to his son, "Please show the Fire-Speaker to her yurt."
"Lily..." Lily mumbled, her eyes half-closed, "My name is Lily."
Scarletgiraffe rose, and Shon heard him whisper, "After that fire horse, I'm surprised she lasted this long..."
Velona heard him as well and grinned up at him, "Lily could do much more than that good warrior." Scarletgiraffe nodded respectfully down at her and Lily made her way around the outside of the circle towards them, still steady on her feet but stifling another yawn.
Scarletgiraffe gestured for her to follow, but Lily dropped to her knees and rested her chin on Shon's shoulder, saying clearly, "Come to bed with me." Tuth and Pia both spluttered into their drinks, Yua tried to hide her grin behind her hand, and Veon-Zih and Velona both stiffened.
Velona cleared her throat. Reaching for another helping of vegetables and not meeting Shon's eyes, she said, "Please remember that we're all sharing a yurt."
Veon-Zih rested a hand on her knee and spoke for Shon, "Don't worry, we're on mission. Shon is nothing if not professional." Then he leaned over and whispered loudly over another yawn from Lily, "And I don't think Lily has the energy."
Velona snorted, "You presume much, Master Veon-Zih..."
"It's fine," Shon interjected before the conversation could go any further. "We're on mission." He nodded appreciatively to Master Veon-Zih, then pat Lily on the cheek until she leaned back and let him stand. She just doesn't want to go alone. He tried to convince himself.
Shon shouldered his pack, and Scarletgiraffe led them to the second row of yurts in silence. Until they passed into the shadows of the first row, then he glanced over his shoulder and asked, "Do you need a private..."
"No." Shon answered shortly while Lily snickered, bumping him with her hip but stumbling with the motion.
He caught her arm, and she giggled, "You're no fun."
Shon arched an eyebrow at her, catching a whiff of something other than cinnamon on her breath, "Have you been drinking?"
"It was a feast!" Lily answered, then giggled again and whispered, "Only a little,"
"This is yours," Scarletgiraffe announced, holding the flap open. He scanned Lily again, then Shon, still holding her arm, "We could provide a second if..."
"No." Shon stated again, then nodded in thanks to the warrior and steered Lily inside. Shon was surprised to find no central pole holding the building up. His fingers twitched with suppressed desire to draw out the design. From the latticework walls, to the wheel spoked roof leading to an opening in the middle, and all the intricately woven designs on the rugged floor.
The flap closed, and Lily spun on him, standing on her toes and kissing his nose. "I'll try not to be insulted..." She said, turning again and unbuckling her belt, dropping it and her bags of holding to the ground.
Shon stooped to pick up her bag and fished inside for her bedroll, "You're tired, drunk, and we're on mission," he tried to explain, but looked up to find Lily slipping her pants off. He turned around as fast as he could and stared at the wall with all his might.
"And if I was neither drunk nor tired?" Lily asked, her voice sober.
Shon swallowed, "We still have a job to do, Lily." But the tribe clearly didn't care. It wasn't anything to be ashamed of... Lily's hot hands trailed up to his shoulders, pulling the pack off his back. He heard it hit the ground, and she returned, threading her arms under his and pressing her chest against his back.
"I understand," she whispered, resting her cheek between his stiff shoulder blades, "I just don't want to sleep alone." she sighed, turning her head so her other cheek was against him, "If this is all I ever get I'll still be happy, Shon."
Shon's breath shook on the exhale, and he turned in her arms, bringing his hands up to cup her cheeks and keep her from stepping away from him. Her eyes searched his face, and he leaned down to brush his lips against hers, light as a butterfly's wings. Whispering around the kiss, "After this is over, Lily. I promise. I don't know if I could stand to wait much longer." He let his fingers trail back through her hair, and she shivered under his touch -and not from his cold, "I want to give you everything you want, but I have a job to do here. I swore an oath, and it's all I have."
She sighed, tilting her head up as she had on the first night on the plains. Shon's fingers curled in her hair in his effort to resist kissing her neck as he had then. Lily laughed, soft and low, "Okay, Shon. I can wait. If you'll still want me, I can wait forever."
Shon's mouth brushed the skin of her neck, and his breath shook again. She was so warm, he could feel her pulse beat in her throat under his lips, "Lily..." he breathed her name, his hands pulling her hair ever so slightly, tilting her head further back.
Lily's hands came up between them, and though she clenched his shirt as if to pull him closer, she breathed another sigh and pushed instead. It broke the spell, and Shon stepped away. Letting her go as she too stepped back to put him at full arms distance before she laughed. "You make it very, very difficult to respect your wishes. You know that?" she asked, smiling up at him.
Her shirt was long enough to reach her bare thighs. Still, Shon turned his head away, dipping again to grab her dropped bag and bedroll, "Tonight we sleep, and tomorrow we finish this mission."
He laid out her bedding against the wall opposite the door and found his own while she shimmied into it. Shon laid his own beside hers, listening to her slow even breathing -if not asleep then soon to be. When he looked, her eyes were closed, but then he slipped his sword and shirt off only to find her staring at him as he brought his arms down, "I could watch that all day..." she mumbled, closing her eyes again with a sigh.
Shon felt himself blush and managed to get into his own -separate- bedroll, when Lily's hand reached out to brush his. He stared at her fingers before turning his hand to clutch them as she slept. Hoping that the contact would be enough to stave off any future nightmares.
Sitting up in bed, he fumbled with one hand to grab his journal and get some notes and sketches down before sleeping himself. This job couldn't be over fast enough.
***
When Pia's power had awakened, they'd moved her to the Shaman's yurt. But when her familiar showed himself a few days later, they'd set up a small dwelling outside the encampment on the bank of the river -a third of the circular home set on stilts in the water and reads.
The kelpie, still a colt and dubbed Dekishi, waited for Pia in the shallows, raising its head and whinnying in greeting as she entered. Pia waded into the water to pet him, humming softly that she'd missed him over the long dinner.
The flap to her yurt opened then closed again, and Dekishi bared a mouth full of sharp teeth at her visitor. "You met the representatives?" Arver asked, sighing as he took a seat on her bed.
Pia ran her fingers over Dekishi's plant-like mane and shrugged, "Unimpressive," she said simply.
Arver pat her blankets, and she pulled herself out of the water. The Sorcerer took a moment to run her hands down her sides and banish the liquid, leaving her dry when she sat down beside him. "Tell me," Arver said in common, giving her permission to answer in kind.
"There is a Ranger woman, and two elders -tagalongs- the Mage representative is young, not that much older than me, and the Temple man..." She paused to sneer and spat into the water. Just the thought of that man with his cold eyes brought bile to her throat.
Arver chuckled, "It's not surprising you dislike him. Your true mother was an enemy to his god and an ally to Hengist's nemesis, Horsa." He pat her hand, and afterword didn't wipe the wetness her skin caused from his fingers, "Tell me about the fire Sorcerer. I saw only a glimpse in my scrying."
Pia perked up at the thought of Lily. She had no idea why, but she'd liked the woman right away, feeling a kind of kindship she couldn't explain and didn't bother trying, "She's very powerful! You can tell just by looking at her. She wears her element on her skin. It's burning hot to the touch, though I could feel my own magic dissipating the heat..." Arver was nodding, his expression indulgent, which only served to annoy her. She wasn't a child. Pia continued, wishing to shock him, "Her hair is golden, like the metal, and she has ruby scales across her face-"
Arver clasped her wrist hard, digging his nails into her flesh. His eyes went wide, and he interrupted, "Truly? Do not lie to me of this Pia."
Dekishi neighed angrily, and Pia pulled her arm free, rubbing her wrist while the kelpie once again bared razor-sharp teeth at the Warlock. He didn't seem to notice, sudden madness swimming behind his gaze.
"Yes." Pia answered nervously, "The stripes on her face aren't paint, they're scales, overlapping like armor."
"It's her..." Arver hissed the words between clenched teeth, "The Firewyrm..." He stood and began pacing around her yurt, ignoring Dekishi as he snapped at Arver's legs from the water. "Of course, they would keep her with a Mage and Paladin. Give her just enough freedom to keep her from running, while also holding her captive for constant samples. The others are probably also powerful... to keep her in line..."
Pia could understand nearly every word, though the sentence structure had her struggling to decipher his mumblings. She took too long to respond and Arver spun in the middle of her yurt. Framed by the light of the moon through the opening in the roof, he pointed at her. "I must speak with her. Privately. After tomorrow's feast..." He tapped his lip, talking more to himself than Pia, "If I can free her from her guard, I can bring her back... We lost the Earthwyrm, but those fools had been needlessly cruel... Surly after the storm she will want to return..."
"What are you talking about?!" Pia finally shouted to interrupt him.
Arver blinked, then settled a confused look over the young Sorcerer, "The fate of the world, my dear..." He shook his head again and sighed, "Never you mind, bring the Firewyrm to me tomorrow night, alone, after the feast, and all will be made clear."
