Chapter 22: Journey To Onder

The Three Builders:

Tamon, The Architect, who created buildings capable of bending space and time.

Loseta, The Smith, who crafted weapons capable of felling the greatest of Archdemons

Imanata, The Artist, whose imagination led magic into the most beautiful of creations.

Each Angel blessed the craftsmen of our cities so that they might create the wonders we use every day.

– “The Acolyte’s Guide To The Divine” An introductory text gifted to all acolytes of the temple.

I rub Jasper’s snoot, and feed him a long branch that he happily chews down on. Most of the crew is asleep, leaving only Keve, who stares into the embers of the dying fire.

I scratch Jasper’s chin one last time, then stand up and walk over to the pensive Vishten.

He’s hard to read, but after having spent the last couple of weeks with him, I think I’m starting to understand his expressions.

“What’s on your mind?”

Keve looks up at me with his large eyes, the pupils reflective in the darkness, then back to the fire.

“Home.” He grabs a nearby stick and pushes some moss into the embers, creating a brief flame. “From long ago.”

I sit down on the log next to him, pulling my cloak tight to ward off the chill of approaching winter. “What was it like?”

He stays quiet for a long moment, then turns to Shar who is sitting on a nearby branch in her bird from. His home language flows out of him, filling the small glade with lilting and harmonious sounds. Shar turns to him, then responds in the same language, occasionally speaking a word that I do understand.

Keve finally turns to me, and repeats the words Shar’d told him “Harmonious. Vibrant. Every stream was part of the Seer’s vision.”

“That sounds like a nice place.”

“It was.” Keve turned one of the logs over, causing the fire to crackle and spark. “Our new home is beautiful too. It changes with our people.”

I think back to how the place had changed in the short time between my two trips. Now that he mentioned it, his people looked less lost. Smiles were more common, and their people had been warmer. “Next time we visit, it’ll be better than ever.”

“Your words are kind, Leo.”

I smile at him, then stand up, and walk over towards my tent. “Get some good sleep. It’ll be a long day of travel tomorrow.”

Keve’s mouth moves into a small smile, “Sleep well. Our swords will be sharp for the morning.”

***

Shar keeps watch overhead as we walk through the undergrowth. Multiple times we’re forced to stop and adjust our route, the monsters of the wild unsettled from yesterday’s earthshakes.

I lead them through the old road, the Rock-Lizards packed to the brim with items.

I carry the angel-forged sword on my belt, opposite the sword that my mentor had given me when I was learning to fight.

We take it slow through the undergrowth, and I constantly look back at the older mage. Lorn’s body is weak from so much time healing, but his face stays strong as we make our way forward.

Broken stones stick out of the ground, marking the old road that led to the ruin of the Archmage’s old home.

I spot some wild chives on the side of the road, and lean down to grab one. The flavor is sharp in a way that I like, and I chew on it as Shar is forced to lead our group off the road again. Through the trees, I spot the movement of a monster covered in vines, nearly as tall as the tree it rests against.

“Incoming!”

I look up, following Shar’s voice to see a bird the size of a carriage diving at Tanya. She ducks under one of the Rock Lizards, and the birds claws dig into its new target as it attempts to take it to the sky.

Jasper, the unfortunate lizard, chews on a large branch as he refuses to move, the bird’s wings flapping frantically.

A blade of fire cuts through the neck of the bird, and its wings flap twice more before it crashes to the earth.

Tanya peaks out from under Jasper, then immediately gets up to look at the marks where the bird’s talons had attempted to pierce the Rock-Lizard’s skin.

Our whole group moves quickly, as Daron looks to the forest for predators attracted to the smell of blood, and the others quickly pick up and move the bird off the path. It’s talons are harvested, and a few feathers are grabbed, but we’re forced to leave the rest at a sharp call from Shar.

I set a hard pace away from the corpse until nightfall, when Shar leads us to a small clearing next to a stream. The first flakes of snow start to fall, landing softly on the trees above us.

I look up at the dark clouds covering the sky, and hope that a full blizzard doesn’t hit.

Our fire is a small one, with the ground cleared around it for us to sit, and the Rock-lizards set in a circle around us as a break against the wind. Tanya hands out simple jerky for us to eat as Libby heats some water over the fire, then pours it into a teapot she’d brought herself.

“I’ve never been so scared.” Tanya gives a small hysterical laugh as she collapses to the ground next to Jasper, “But Jasper didn’t even blink.” She reaches over and pats the lizard’s snout.

“He’s been through worse.” I smile at the big brute. “Not much fazes him.”

A large smile spreads across Tanya’s face as she continues to scratch the Rock-Lizard’s chin.

“I’ve been thinking,” Daron starts, drawing our attention to him, “I’m going to spend my money on a nice long bath when we get back.”

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The group chuckles, and Libby pours Lorn the first cup of tea, handing it to him with a soft smile.

I catch something in the old mage’s expression and pause as I look between the two of them. Grildor catches my eye from across the fire and gives me a knowing smile.

Huh, wasn’t expecting those two…

Libby hands me a cup next, following an unspoken etiquette. Even though I’m the leader of the party, as a mage and an elder, Lorn gets first tea, and I get second.

Then it goes from oldest to youngest, Tanya getting her cup last, before Libby serves herself.

I sip at the tea as Daron continues to talk about the soft bed he’s going to sleep in when we get back.

Eyla laughs at something he says, then catches my eye.

I look down at my tea.

It’s good tea, made with Libby’s personal herbs.

I look back up, and Eyla is still looking at me. I give her a small smile, and she smiles back before looking over at Daron who’s practically tipping over as he describes his favorite meal from one of the shops in the frontier town.