Chapter Sixteen: Moonlight

Chapter Sixteen: Moonlight

The afternoon sun hung in the sky like the angry eye of Goddess. It was hot, just shy of stifling. The wind had for once relinquished its ubiquitous hold on the Grounds. An intermittent, light breeze stirred around them. Crickets sang a chorus from the roadside. Smoke drifted low across the ground.

In the Deep, after such a large and noisy fight, you could always hear distant screeches and howls, barks and shrieks. Other predators were inevitably drawn to the sound of conflict, hoping to take advantage.

The only noise now was the song of the thousands of insects who made the Proving Grounds their home.Their incessant, monotone chirping was grating.

But that was not to say that other predators had not taken note of their fights. Three, back to back, against the wind sprites, then the sharks, and finally the orcs, had surely caused enough of a commotion that others had noticed. And noticed, they had.

Tom, Rosa, Darius, Markus, and Tanya stood together. Huddled on their lonely stretch of the trade road, a thin band of dirt splitting an otherwise perfect quilt of green. Through Sus and Sol, Tom could make out hints in their surroundings of the approach of more beasts, drawn to them like flies to honey.

Here, a flash of chitin as the wind pulled the grass aside. There, the grass pushed unnaturally against the winds grasp. All around them, converging.

They were all at a loss. The deaths of Eli and Meri had hit them hard. This was life in The World, a world where stepping outside the safety of walled fortress-cities was always flirting with death. Eli and Meri had known the costs. It made the loss only marginally easier to bear.

Eli had been stoic, but good natured. Thirty years as a Guard had left him rough around the edges, but he had a good heart. Meri was shifty, always seeming just a little sly and evasive, but she was incredibly loyal to those who had proved themselves to her, and Tom had never met a better scout.

Their loss had created a kind of inertia that was difficult to overcome, at least with any speed. They moved with lethargy, aware that they needed to get moving, but unable to muster the energy for it just yet.

There were some few silver linings. Markus was alive, and his lion, Coro, had even miraculously survived. He had subbed it so that it could recover. It meant he had no familiar to ride, and would have to double up with Rosa or Darius. But it would slow them, and they needed to be fast.

As far as Tom could see, there were no more orcs in the area, even if there were plenty of other creatures.

After a few minutes of aimless idling, Rosa summoned Coal. With a monumental effort, she mounted up. Sesame, who was still sore, but uninjured after Darius ministrations, allowed Tom to do the same. Darius hopped upon Granny, and Markus wedged his feet into a small cleft on the back of her shell and held onto the peak of it.

Tanya summoned Dusty, her mule, and mounted up too. After she was settled in her saddle, she accessed the spatial storage tied to the familiar and passed around bottles filled with vibrant green liquid to each of them.

As he tipped the potion down his throat, energy poured through him, warming his muscles, loosening them, clearing his thoughts. It tasted like bottled springtime, and felt like it too. Feeling much more refreshed, though not totally recovered, they began to ride off slowly down the trade road.

Within minutes, they were under attack.

The familiars had barely gotten up to travelling speed when Darius gave a wordless cry. Some kind of small, tan wolf launched itself from the grass, skidding onto the road in front of them. It snarled and snapped, feinting at them, leaping right up to the familiars before skittering away again, just out of reach.

Watch the mounts! Watch behind! Darius called. They have poison!

But now that Hunters were respected? Not that he had true freedom to enjoy? Now that he had friends, a partner, who he loved, who relied on him, and who he relied on in turn? His own death had taken on a different meaning, just as his life had. The same was true for his companions, but especially Rosa.

Without the fiery woman by his side, pushing him, expecting him to do better, to be better, challenging him, and expecting him to challenge himself, he would be lost.

He had grown fond of Markus and Tanya. He had even grown fond of Darius. Even though the man was oblivious and arrogant and a little selfish, he was also kind and loyal and fearless.

Tom sighed, placing the last wardpole just so. He checked and double checked their positioning, ensuring they were all placed correctly. He forcibly settled his thoughts. There was no use in worrying. What would be would be. He would do his best to enjoy his time, and the company he kept, while he had it. Anything more was in Goddess hands.

The five of them settled down to eat, saying a few words here and there. They were mostly silent, and quiet when they were not. They ate their dinner, a meal of cold, preserved meats, thick, crumbly cheese, fruit and vegetable preserves, and crusty bread, at a languid pace.

No food had ever tasted so good in Toms life. He didnt think he had exerted himself so much since the siege, and his fight with the Smith, and before that, his drake hunt. He relished every bite.

When they were done, and cutlery and crockery were stowed, Tanya brought out five tall, thin glasses from a spatial ring. Tom spent a moment admiring it in the moonlight. He had never seen such delicate work.

Tanya cocked her head, and Dusty paused his meal of hay with a disgruntled snort and ambled over. Tanya retrieved a small cask from his spatial storage. She turned it about in her hands, reading something on the side of it in the moonlight.

This is the one, she said, her voice low. The finest vintage I own, bought from Horizon the first time I visited. Seems appropriate.

She tapped the cask with a small spigot and poured them all a glass. The liquid was red, red as blood and redder still, and smelled like a fairy had their way with an orchard. Tom took a deep breath of it, then passed in under Sesames nose. The bear gave it a curious sniff, then a small sneeze at the alcohol in it.

Whats that? Sesame asked him.

A drink for fallen friends, he replied.

It smells good and bad. Like the woods, but also sharp, somehow. I dont like it. Id rather have honey.

Tom took the hint and produced a small pot for him. He was glad hed bought as much as he could before leaving. He thought the Wayrest honey supply probably ought to be recovered by now after his purchases. Mostly recovered, anyway.

They drank in silence, watching the moon slide across the sky, listening to the grass shiver occasionally in the wind.

Eventually, they packed it in and went to sleep. They had, by some unspoken agreement, left all talk of what happened, any talk of what to do, any adjustments to be made, any skills or uplifts they had gained, til the morning.

Tom smiled to himself. For once, he had nothing to share on that front, and was perfectly happy with it. He fell into a deep, dreamless, sleep.

He had not, of course, seen his wisp pulse black against the velvet night sky.