The Elder's Path (10 page)

Upset, Lyn tu
rned to him and snapped, “What are you thinking? What are you doing out here?”

The giant wolf looked idly over to the girl and her bird, and seemed to dismiss them, sniffing the air with
fervor. After a moment he said, “It has been some time since I have tasted the outside world. My space was sealed by more than this snow, girl. Somehow you broke through my barrier to find me.” He inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, his breath coming in a great cloud in the cold air. “Yet another curious occurrence. Especially for one not versed in the arcane, as you claim.”

Lyn huffed at his implied accusation and said haughtily
, “It’s not just me, demon; magic has been gone from the world for as long as anyone can remember. There aren’t even documents from the old age that would give us any information. Just legends and rumors. Word of mouth, you know?” No response was forthcoming from the demon, but he seemed to have heard her.

Alir shifted uncomfortably, his head twitching to and fro as he took in his surroundings. L
yn could only imagine what he was thinking, but she felt similarly; the sudden appearance of the creature unnerved her, and she was not completely convinced yet that she was safe. If nothing else, it felt strange to have him here, in her camp, instead of back in recesses of the cave. She wondered if she could possibly convince him to return to his cavern, and then take Alir and go. A unique and unheard of experience it may be, but she had her fill of the black wolf and was ready to continue on to the more mundane problems of her journey. The weather, for example, which seemed now to be letting up somewhat. Perfect timing, Lyn thought.

“Your th
oughts betray you, World-Walker,” Marcho said without emotion. “I believe I mentioned it before; my quest is tied to you. I must see it through, or I shall never return to my world.”

“Why did you come here in the first place, if you were so concerned about not being able to go back?”

The wolf looked at her with what Lyn suspected was minor amusement, and said, “I was called for a purpose. I knew the risks, but it had to be done, and I am loyal to my vows. This is how those in my world operate; they are called to a task, and they put themselves to it willingly. Even if it is dangerous. You are not unfamiliar with this concept yourself, from the story you have told.”

Lyn opened her mouth, and promptly shut it again. He was right! Strange though his appearance and mission may be, they weren’t entirely dissimilar; both had been called from their
homes to complete a purpose, and were giving all they had to do it. Both were on unfamiliar ground, with unfamiliar people. Both feared they would not return home again.

What a strange thing, Lyn thought, to come from such different worlds, such different pasts and end up in such s
imilar circumstance. A rare lesson indeed, to be put in such drastic perspective. With such thoughts in her head, how could she deny Marcho? Shaking her head slowly, she asked, “Alright, what do I need to do?”

The storm let up later that day, but Lyn insis
ted on waiting until the following morning to set out. After all, it wouldn’t do to get caught at night with no shelter, and Lyn did not know how far they had to go out this point. Hopefully Marcho and his nose could provide them some additional direction in the low visibility. And so it was that Lyn found herself traveling through the mountain snow with a nervous hawk and a giant demon wolf.

“What a life,” Lyn breathed to herself. Marcho glanced over at her, but said nothing.

The wind was low that day, so Lyn and Marcho got a chance to have more back and forth. Lyn learned that he was very, very old by her standards. In fact, as Marcho told it, he had visited this world before Velheleon had even existed. The idea that the world had changed so much startled Lyn. It made her wonder if her people and culture would simply be wiped away by history and time, only to be replaced by a whole new people who knew nothing of those that came before them. How transient life seemed by Marcho’s telling. If nothing else, it certainly made Lyn appreciate being alive and having a chance to experience life as she understood it. But that appreciation was colored by sadness that she would never see what came before or after her. What grand things the world would produce as it went on without her.

Marcho seemed to pick up on her thoughts, and said “Such is the nature of the mortal plane. That is one aspect of which I find myself jealously curious.”

Lyn made a face and looked over to him incredulously. “Jealous, why would you possibly be jealous of that fear? The fear that you will simply cease to exist and no one will ever know that you lived at all? That the world will just keep turning without you and that you had no effect on it at all?”

“It is that desperation and fear which
drives mortals, particularly humans it seems, to such great lengths and passions. Even in such a short time as your lifespan, you humans seem to live full of such wonder for the world in which you exist. Human life is so rarely passive. There is beauty in its violence and uncertainty. The Astral Plane is rather boring, for the most part. Entire human lifetimes can pass without a single event in my world. To be alive, but stagnant, that is not living. To wait in seemingly endless space and time for a chance at an experience, that is not peace.”

Lyn and Marcho were silent for a time, while Lyn processed his response. “I think,”
She finally said, “I think I can understand that, too. My whole life has felt like waiting for something more. I always had this voice inside me that whispered about a different life. Then I am selected for this journey and I see the world is so much bigger than I had thought. Going back now seems almost...” Her sentence drifted into silence as she came to a terrible truth within herself; she didn’t want to go back.

Chapter 7

8
th
day, 10
th
lunar cycle, 700
th
age of Arc

“I will admit, I was uneasy at best about traveling with a demon. I was literally walking side by side with a monster that is told of only in childhood stories and campfire tales. The really crazy part? At night he curled up and let me sleep against him for shelter. Effective though it was, it was also incredibly unnerving; he was just sitting there, awake the whole time. Not blinking, not speaking, just...sitting. I guess a few hundred years of nap time will do that do you. For all of that, he provided an excellent guide. The visibility was so low that even Alir couldn’t help much, but Marcho seemed to know exactly where we should go. When I asked how he knew, he simply said he ‘could sense it’. Creepy. At first I doubted, but now I’m sitting in an actual inn after a warm, heavenly bath and some thankfully hot food, laying on a real bed. Looks like he was right! Luckily for all three of us, Marcho has a penchant for staying out of sight, and vanished just outside the city limits. I don’t know where he’s gone but I have a feeling he is close by. I’m sure I’ll see him again, and while part of me has enjoyed his company, I certainly want no part of his hunt. One demon in a life time is quite enough, thank you.

On the other side of things, I am pleasantly surprised at the character of the people here. Strangely enough, the harsh weather and seclusion hasn’t made these people unfriendly; in fact they are much more
hospitable and good-natured than the people I met down in the city. This is strange to me. Not that I find my own people inhospitable but it simply seemed to me that those places that were more accustomed to travelers and strangers would be more accommodating towards them. This place has proven that thought false. I am in a city, if you can call it that, called Brightpeak. Interestingly this feels much more like home than I would have thought; it has a very open design to it. No wall around the city, no gates. Just a community of individuals living and making their way. Moreover, it is absolutely beautiful up here now that I’m finally past the storm belt. I can finally see blue sky above me, and the air is clear and wonderful. Still no looking out on the rest of the world below, but having the open sky above us has done wonders for Alir and I. I think we’ll stay awhile...”

Hot
baths, warm food, and soft beds really did wonders for a girl. And a bird, it seemed. Alir was back to his regular self and the two of them were finally getting some good time together to work on their bond. However, Lyn was running unfortunately low on coin. Wonders the baths, food, and beds might do, but it didn’t come free, and Lyn was loathe to go back to camping outside. The weather was much calmer and level up here at the peak, but Lyn was not ready to face it just yet. Offhandedly, she wondered what she could do around town to make her way and put off having to sleep outside as long as possible. But she wasn’t overly concerned about it; she was sure she’d find a way. As luck would have it, the opportunity came to her.

Though, Lyn wasn’t sure she’d call it luck. As chance would have it, fate had delivered Satora and his band of thieves to Brightpeak as well. Whether it was chance or not, Lyn c
ouldn’t avoid greeting them, so with a shake of her head and a small smile she went to meet the eccentric bandit. Satora and his men were tying their horses to a post as Lyn approached.

Satora, catching sight of her, feigned surprise. “Well well, here I c
ome to the Northern Province for some solitude and respite from my reputation, and who do I see but my most adoring fan?”

Lyn rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “How did you know
I was coming up here, Satora?” she asked, secretly amused but refusing to give the bandit the satisfaction; people like him thrived on a responsive audience.

“Oh, what are you implying dear girl? I knew no such thing. I was simply about my business; fate saw fit to bring us back together again. Thank the stars, lovely, not I.”
He winked at her and finished securing his mount. He gave some orders to his men that Lyn couldn’t quite make out, but it seemed like it was generally well received. As his men joked and prodded each other on the way to the tavern, Satora dusted himself off and motioned for Lyn to follow him. “Come girl, let’s get a room for Satora.”

Following him back inside the inn, she watched as he bargained good-humoredly with the keep for a room. “Well,” he said to Lyn conspiratorially, “for a hotel in the middle of
nowhere they sure charge kingly prices, no? But I suppose they don’t often get travelers, let alone for longer than a day or two. Plus I’m guessing they charge more for suspiciously masked folk. By the by love, how long will you be staying?”

Lyn narrowed
her eyes at him and replied, “For a time, I suppose. I am a traveler after all, who knows? I could be gone tomorrow. Or next week. Or maybe I’ll stay forever.”

Satora chuckled at her and sat down at a table, motioning for her to do the same. He ordered e
nough food to feed four people. Lyn gave him a strange look, but said nothing.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked,” he said with a smile in his voice. "In fact, I am not even sure of your name, my young Druid. In my swoon over you when we last met, I was unabl
e to remember to ask the favor of your name."

Lyn started to say something, but couldn’t think of exactly what. She had never had a man pay her this sort of attention. And while she knew money was no particular object for Satora, she was flattered that he
was going out of his way to please her. So instead of something witty or flirtatious, she awkwardly replied, "Lyn."

The bandit's eyes pulled up, revealing that he was indeed smiling. “Anyway,” Satora continued, “I simply couldn’t leave you up here unchap
eroned! A beautiful thing like you around all these rough mountain men? I wouldn’t hear of it!”

Lyn found herself blushing and tried her utmost to suppress it. “I’m quite sure I can handle myself. Not that I’m complaining; for as eccentric as you are, you
’re good enough company.”

Satora gasped in mock indignation. “What, me, good
enough
? Lyn, dear, I am the absolute epitome of good company. Look at this garb, would you? Stylish, functional, and lots of pockets besides.” He reached in to a hidden pocket and procured a key. “A key to the lady’s room. I am the proverbial key master!”

Lyn’s eyes widened and she patted herself down frantically, not finding her key. “Hey!”

Satora laughed to himself again and slid the key idly across the table. “You don’t become bandit extraordinaire without learning how to pickpocket. It’s a very useful skill. I could teach you.”

Lyn snorted. “Right, me a pickpocket. I hate to destroy your image of me Satora but I don’t have the
grace to avoid tripping over a rock, let alone the grace to pick someone’s pocket. Not to mention the moral objection to picking someone’s pocket.”

“Moral objections, right and wrong; the world isn’t so black and white. Don’t mistake me, I don’t fault you for your virtue in the least. Just be sure the
virtues instilled in you don’t blind you to the way of the world. Some men’s pockets should be picked, some secrets let out.”

Lyn smiled and said, “Why, Satora, did you just say something serious? I might die of shock!”

He rolled his eyes at her. “Yes, it’s an unfortunate character flaw of mine; every once in a while I do something of substance, despite myself. Such a drag. Luckily I have you to keep me grounded in insanity.”