A Girl and Her Monster (Rune Breaker) (8 page)

He gave Taylin a guilty look, making her know where his loyalties currently lay. “They're hiding other things as well. Nothing dangerous to us, in Taylin's case, I'm certain.”

The etching stopped. Grandmother sat the urn aside and laid the rod in her lap. The kindness drained from her eyes, leaving only steely seriousness. She pointed to the dusty ground in front of her. “Sit.” She ordered.

She'd said or done something wrong, Taylin knew. Even not knowing exactly what it was, she felt terrible about it. So she dropped slowly into the posture she normally took when allowed to sit; crouched on the balls of her feet, elbows on knees.

“All the way.” Grandmother said firmly. Almost without her own consent, Taylin complied. The halfling woman fixed her with an appraising look and clasped her hands in her lap in front of her.

“Now. You have come to me asking that I trust my family to your hands. Every one of the
nir-lumos;
who you would call 'halflings', you see here is my child in spirit before the Green Maiden and the One Dice Rolling. They are precious to me in ways that your most precious possessions will never be to you. And that is why I will brook no secrets from you.”

She leaned forward, making it clear that in no uncertain terms that between them, size was no object. “I respect that some things cannot be said, but now you must look me directly in the eye and answer truthfully: is what you conceal a danger to my family?”

Taylin considered this seriously. She hadn't considered it and wanted now to be sure that she wasn't endangering anyone.

Her origins were simple enough; everyone that would know to come after her was dead. The question of her true nature was a bit more murky. Never had she attacked anyone who wasn't clearly identified as an enemy, even as far gone as she'd ever been. The real question was Ru.

There were no illusions that Ru enjoyed violence and destruction; that he was cruel and manipulative. But at the same time, he wasn't a rampaging, indiscriminate monster. He knew how to choose his battles and after the initial confrontation, seemed to accept that Kaiel and Bromun were off limits for his aggression.

Something deep inside, a voice she refused to accept as a part of her, added that he was also fully restricted by the link. A single word, or thought from her and he would be forced to obey. She fought down that voice, wrapped it in chains of will and resolved not to even consider that.

But it was true. Could she honestly say that she wouldn't use the link's control of Ru to protect others like Bromun's children?

Very slowly, she raised her eyes to Grandmother's. The elder halfling's hair wasn't the only thing lightening with age. Her eyes, once likely the same near-black brown that the other halflings showed, were hazel. “Yes, Grandmother. My secrets are not a threat to those you care about.”

Grandmother looked up at Kaiel, who nodded almost imperceptibly. Suddenly the kindness and warmth returned to her all in a rush. One small, work-calloused hand reached out and touched Taylin's forehead. “Then I welcome your help, Taylin. And if you protect my family well, I promise to share with you Sylph's gift and make you whole once more.”

By Taylin's reckoning, everything had happened all in one day, And over the course of that day, her entire world had been swept away in a storm of welcome chaos. She had gone from the broken agony of punishment to lung burning weariness in her desperate fight to escape, to the euphoria of a powerful healing spell and the desperation of suffocating in stale air. Even the giddiness following her discovery of where and when she was couldn't top what she was feeling now.

It was finally all too much for even she who was born to withstand the harshest treatment and conditions. She fell forward on her arms before Grandmother and was wracked with incapacitating sobs of joy.

The cascade of positive emotions was so great that it startled Ru out of his own explorations. Without preamble or warning, he appeared, hovering over her.

Kaiel jumped at his arrival, but Grandmother was not startled in the least.

“Ah, the companion. I wished to meet you as well.”

Ru glided sideways so that he wasn't directly over Taylin. Both he and the link weren't entirely sure what to make of what he was seeing. Crying usually implied the harm had been done, but his mistress was very clearly ecstatic about whatever was making her cry. The link split the difference by only punishing him lightly with a sharp, pulsing pain between the eyes, which he patiently ignored. He raised his chin when Grandmother addressed him.

“That is mutual.” He gestured to the tubs and then the urn. “Assuming that you performed the spellwork here yourself.”

“Aye.” She said, a small prideful smirk upon her lips. “For the battle tomorrow. I intend to give us the best possible advantages.”

“Your structures are exceptional.” He said. “Connecting all five vessels to the urn simultaneously with that number of variant triggers and effects. My only criticism is that you neglect the value of fire conjuring in your evaporation array. Using solely water and wind control makes it slow; you will not be able to react as quickly as you would if you added
flaer
arrays.”

By now, Taylin had collected herself and was looking up at him, trying to figure out what in the world he was talking about.

Grandmother gave this some thought as she pulled the urn back onto her lap, starting her etching again. “I see what you mean. Alas, Sylph does not favor flame in her blessings. Nothing I can conjure could heat that much water.”

Ru's oddly colored eyes were alight with the spark of inspiration. “Then with your leave, I should like to integrate my own into your structure.”

“I thought you didn't want to help.” Taylin said, forgetting to relay that mentally.

“Yes, Miss Taylin. But that was before I saw these workings. A people capable of this is a people worth risking blood to protect.”

Kaiel folded his arms, disapproving. “But if Grandmother wasn't an expert spellcrafter...”

“I still would have fought. But only because Miss Taylin was foolishly intervening and I cannot allow her to come to harm which I can prevent. Now I feel that I shall put some effort into this.” He looked back to the halfling woman. “Do I have your permission to act?”

“By all means.” she replied and turned her attention to the old men, who had watched the entire conversation in silence. “Good men; I trust that you've heard now that there are two more come here to see that your homes do not burn. I ask that they receive the hospitality you've shown to the Winter Willow.”

The man closest to them, tall and broad shouldered with skin like leather and hair like so many wool threads, grunted his ascent. “Right ya are, missus. By ash and flame, we owe all ya more than we can pay.” He looked to Taylin and Ru. “What is it ya need, we'll see if we can provide.”

“Oh, we don't need anything.” Taylin said automatically, but Grandmother was already talking over her.

“You can save your food, good men. Our wagons can provide for them, but neither we, nor you have space to spare for sleep, so they will need good, thick blankets and the young woman needs clothes.” She eyed the pair again before saying, “And judging by her sword, it wouldn't go amiss if you saw fit to scrounge together whatever armor you can, or a proper sword.”

“A sturdy scythe would also be welcome.” Ru added in a low voice the rumbled just across the register into something unsettling.

Grandmother turned back to him with a vaguely interested look. “You know, Keese Kaiel has refused to put his word in your favor with me.”

“I wouldn't expect less from a charlatan.” Ru said evenly. “But he is right, given what he knows and does not know. But as you have heard, my attitude on this endeavor has changed.”

She cocked her head and gave a half nod, but it was no indication of agreement. “I also heard that before you were so impressed with my workings, you were fully prepared to give your bare minimum while those I love died.”

Ru's face split in a less than stable looking grin and Taylin could sense both irony and an echo of his earlier blood-lust. She braced to try and stop him if he did anything untoward. “No one ever said I would give my bare minimum. I'm told that a mounted century is bearing down on this place with an eye to burning it to the ground. When they come, I will kill them. And I never do my bare minimum when it comes to destruction.”

Now the nod was agreement. “This I do not doubt.”

Suddenly, she looked bored with the entire thing, pretending to catch the two old men watching the exchange. “I say good men, did I, whose people risk their lives tomorrow in your defense, not make a quite reasonable request?”

The two shifted uncomfortably and the one who had spoken before led the other off in slowly rising and shuffling away from the fire, presumably in search of blankets and clothes for someone a head taller than either of them.

Without watching them go, Grandmother then made a dismissive gesture to Kaiel, Taylin, and Ru. “You all may go as well. I still have much work to do before I take my evening meal.”

“Might I begin the work on incorporating the fire conjuring and resultant triggers?” Ru asked, clearly eager. It was surprising for Taylin; feeling Ru's interest and excitement at the prospect of such work.

“Aye, do as you will. No sense in dawdling.” Grandmother said, bending over her task.

Used to Grandmother's dismissals, Kaiel turned and waited for Taylin to do the same. “Follow me. Instead of sleeping out in the open, you can use the wagon the clan lets me use. I like to sleep on the roof most nights anyway.”

“No...” said Taylin, distracted. Even though she'd managed to marshal control of herself outwardly, her mind was still wired with thoughts of what had happened and what was coming. Ru wasn't helping with his unabashed enjoyment of his spellwork. Every part of her felt alight with energy, as if another fully powered healing spell were being cast on her over time.

She blinked, remembering what Kaiel was saying. “Sorry. I meant that I wouldn't want to put you out. Plus, I prefer sleeping next to a fire anyway. I get cold easily.”

The chronicler nodded amiably and they walked in silence until they found themselves in the barren expanse between where the village stopped and the line of wagons began. Some of the halflings were already gathering around fires there.

Kaiel led her to an as yet unlit fire pit not far from a red and green painted wagon that was decorated with fern patterns up near the roof. His horse had been left hitched to the dash board with a ration of hay and a folding trough made of oiled cloth and filled with water.

“Welcome to my home of the past few days.” He said with a small laugh. “If you wouldn't mind getting the fire started, I'll see what I can do about dinner. If you're sick of Allbuk's, I'm sure someone did some fishing today.”

She had no idea what Allbuk's was, but food was food to her. She'd never been given the opportunity to develop a finicky palate. “Thank you.” She said lamely and turned toward the fire pit. It was already piled with dry reeds and chunks of rotted timbers. It was probably Rolfas's work, as Kaiel's horse hadn't been tied up there.

With an embarrassed cough, she added. “Do you have a flint?”

Kaiel looked a bit surprised, but after a quick inventory of his pockets, handed her his flint and steel. It was as pristine and unused as the day he had bought it. “I didn't expect you not to have one; being a traveler and all.” There was an unspoken question in his tone and he made no efforts to hide it.

“Ru knows magic.” It wasn't an answer to his question, but it was the truth.

At this, Kaiel pursed his lips. She was clearly evading, but he didn't want to corner her if he didn't have to. “Yes. Yes he does. Forgive me for saying, but he doesn't strike me as someone you should trust with something as vital to your survival as fire.”

“I know that.” It just came right out before she could stop it. There were so many thoughts and emotions clashing in her head, it was only just a matter of time before some of the negative ones emerged. Still, she dropped her volume before repeating it. “I know that. But... neither of us has a choice in the matter right now.”

Her common sense told her to stop there, but regardless of all the great things that had happened to her in the relative day since she woke up as a slave on a warship, she also found herself bound to a sadistic monster, forced to feel his delight in destruction and constantly reminded that she now held the same power over him that she hated all her life. Once a flaw appeared in the dam, there was nothing to keep it from growing.

But even with that, she didn't know how to explain it; how to make the chronicler or anyone else believe her. The entire story would sound like madness.

“From what I overheard, you already know that a vastly powerful spell binds us together.”

Both of them jumped at the intruding voice. It didn't take them long to spy Ru standing in front of the wagon. The villagers had furnished him with the scythe he requested, which he now held by the shaft above the handles so that the reaping blade curved so as to just miss shearing his topmost hairs. In the dying light, he and his yellow eyes looked all the more intimidating.

Satisfaction at startling them redoubled when he saw the expression on Taylin's face at sensing it.

“If Ms. Taylin permits, I can explain.”

She glowered at his phrasing and replied automatically. “It isn't only my secret to tell, Ru. If you feel like talking about it, I won't stop you.”

“Hmm.” Ru said. The satisfaction was eroded away by his old standbys, confusion and a mild frustration. “I will tell him what needs to be known then. And only concerning the link.” He made it clear, mentally, that her own past was not his responsibility and that he would resent it if she insisted. She didn't.

That settled, Ru leaned back against the wagon. “Very well. For your own knowledge, charlatan: I am afflicted with a complex working; a curse the binds me. I am only allowed freedom if another willingly accepts a bargain that binds me to them via a command spell-array I refer to as 'the link'.”