We piled out into the busy streets from The Sea Witch, Bromm leading the way. Old habits seemed to take hold as we exited, following the patterns we had set for travel and scouting. Floki scanned the area, standing by Bromm who walked forward with confidence. This was his town, after all.
Rana looked to Floki's position, wanting to be out front and ranging, but hung back against her nature, clinging to the stoic Danin. Sig was still perturbed by the reason for this trip. He had said that he would go with whatever Robyn desired. I had personally lost the appetite for the encounter after he explained the breadth of the impact. I felt more and more sheepish as I thought about it. Silah cradled my arm as we walked.
"While Siggy is right, it sounded like fun to me." Silah whispered aloud with a grin.
I shrugged. With everything I had learned from Duncan, I was seeking opportunities to frighten people into submission, however inappropriate those situations might be.
We moved down some side streets and ended up in front of a simply decorated two story cottage. There was a balcony that hovered above the street over the entrance. Bromm waited for us all to gather around, then scrutinized his surroundings, watching for other foot traffic before knocking on the door.
A few moments passed and a quiet click at the door. It opened a sliver without a word, then swung open further as Robyn saw Bromm. As the door opened further, her eyes widened at seeing the entire gaggle looking expectantly on.
"Uh, come in, I guess?" Robyn was both bewildered and annoyed. She looked out, combing the streets with her eyes—like Bromm had done just earlier—before shutting the door behind us.
"To what do I owe this visit?" She said tersely, then nodded around the cottage living room, pointing out seats. She took a seat, herself, in an overstuffed chair in the corner, at a hard angle to the door. I wouldn't be surprised if there were multiple weapons within her reach where she now sat.
She crossed her legs with a refined motion, putting her arms on the armrests, tapping the wood with her fingernails in rhythm, cycling between both hands. Her eyes were firebrands, weighing the individuals in the room.
I suddenly wondered if any of this was a good idea, and looked toward the door. Silah squeezed my forearm gently, reassuringly.
Bromm spoke, feeling confident. His relationship with Robyn gave him the voice we needed. I hoped he could put things more eloquently than I had.
"Hakaar had a thought he wanted to run past you." Bromm said, in a matter of fact tone, then looked to me.
I gulped, wide eyed, casting a glare at Bromm. I saw Sig suppressing a smile.
"I wanted to have a chat with the, uh, man who's working with the Salamanders."
She glowered at me, furrowing her brow.
"And … why?" She said, her tone flat.
"We," I looked around the room and caught Sig shaking his head at me, "Er, I wanted to make sure that this is what it appears to be? We wanted to make sure you're safe."
"I'm not sure why you feel this intense need to get in my business, Hakaar. I can see you mean well, but, know this, I tend to my own matters." She levelled her gaze at me, "I don't need saving."
She broke her gaze with me, and looked around the room.
"Is this why you all came?"
Bromm shrugged and smiled.
"What if I said we missed your sparkling personality at The Sea Witch?" Bromm's smile widened with his words and a look passed between them.
"I'd say you're a liar. Sweet, yes, but still a liar." She said with a pained smile.
There was a tiredness in her eyes as she looked around, mulling over the trappings of her cottage. Her eyes shimmered as emotion rose in her.
"In there," she pointed to a well made cabinet with a rich dark lacquer and dotted with silver pulls on the far side of the room. "Grab the bottle with the black label and glasses around."
Bromm moved to stand, but Floki stretched out a hand, keeping him in place. He fished out several glasses, handing them down both sides of the room and then pulled the bottle.
Robyn smirked, looking over the expectant eyes.
"This is not for the weak." She warned as the bottle made its way around, everyone took a moment fill their small glasses with a little of the red liquid.
I smirked, raising the glass to my nose smelling the fermentation. The rich red color made it look like wine, which belied it's potency with the way it took your breath away as you inhaled it.
Robyn raised her glass in a toast, "To change and where ever it takes us."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the small group as we collectively tossed back the shot. It felt like fire rushing through me. Silah looked at me, concerned.
"This … feels like that poison. Are you poisoned?" She whispered in my head.
Heh, no. Well, yes. Let's just say that this is a whole lot faster than ale.
"So, you're drunk." She said flatly, her visage looked annoyed. "Great."
I nodded as it settled in, feeling my heart start to thud at my temples within mere moments.
The bottle went around again. Some waved it off and a concerned Silah saw me take another glass and toss it back. She grimaced at me and I shrugged in response
"You are the closest thing I've had to family." Robyn said, showing only minor signs of feeling the effects of the beverage, "Who knows where I'll be in the coming week, but at least you'll know my story."
I pinched my face at Robyn's dark outlook, but didn't feel capable of expressing why that seemed worrisome. Silah was in contact with me, she was reassuringly stable, even with everything else moving so much.
Robyn talked of her past at length. I was bleary eyed, finding myself getting lost with her story. I looked to Silah who sat attentively, consuming every word. My head swam as I squinted up at Robyn telling her tale.
It was moments later that I had realized Robyn had settled into her seat quietly, mulling over her thoughts in silence. I looked to Silah who was now standing, I tipped my head, and watched her image swim in front of me.
She lifted me to my feet, and we pressed out with the others. The chilled air snapped me to attention even while rocking to and fro, with Silah righting me wearing a frown. Walking broke through some of the haze. I heard conversation around me and I clung to those words, the scene slowly taking shape in front of me as I became more coherent.
There was some consternation about what to do with the rest of the night.
"How about a game?" Sig said, "The rangers hunt each other!"
A wry smile spread across Rana's face as he eyed her brother.
"That could be fun." She stepped away from Danin, moving in close to the conversation.
"So, how does this work." Floki said.
Sig tapped one of Floki's quivers and it began to shine brightly. Floki looked at Sig, annoyed.
"How is that even fair?" He said, scowling at Sig.
"How about this," Bromm said, "Floki, you get a ten second head start and you try and lose your sister. Whoever shoots the other one first wins."
Rana and Floki looked stunned at each other then both turned to Bromm.
"Have you thought this all the way through?" Rana said with a snide tone.
"Danin's here. No one will get hurt that badly, right?" Bromm shrugged.
"I don't want to get shot." Floki said, eyeing his sister who mirrored his expression eerily.
"That's when things become not fun." She followed on.
Rana, who looked the most sober of the group, looked to Floki seeming to have made her decision.
"You run, I track you. If I can't find you, I lose. But if I even see you, I win. If you run, I have to shoot you. Don't make me shoot you." She said, dangerously. "Ready?"
Floki grinned in the starlight and tossed the lit quiver to the ground, speeding off into the darkness.
She started counting down, her bow drawn and an arrow nocked. She looked like she meant business.
I was leaning on Silah, while watching the proceedings. I was trying to make sense of the rules, but it was all a blur. I rolled my head toward Silah, pulling her into focus at close range.
"Hey." I said, blinking against the jarring darkness that sparkled with bright points as I rolled my eyes around.
"Hey yourself. Are you going to be able to stand on your own soon?" She gave me an annoyed look. "I can only do so much from down here."
"Heh. I can stand." I straightened up, and stepped back from her support, taking a few more steps than I anticipated.
She held her hands up, ready to catch me. I wobbled slightly, but managed to stay standing. She eyed me cautiously, slowly putting her hands down by her side.
"Yeah. I'm … good. Thanks." The world swayed with each breath. Each time I turned my head I had to wait a moment for the scene to catch up. A headache was off in the distance, waiting for the numbness to wear off so it could jump all over me. For now, I felt good. I smiled at Silah's concern.
"You're beautiful." I said, trying very hard to keep myself from slurring then smiled widely at her. "You know that?"
She grinned.
"I don't think I can trust a word you're saying right now."
"Oh, oh… yes. Yes you can." I waved a finger at Silah, then watched it's ghostly residue with fascination as it caught up to my finger. "Being drunk reveals your true nature."
Rana had finished her countdown and scanned the ground, moving off into the darkness. Bromm, Danin, and Sig followed loosely behind, giving Rana plenty of space. I walked behind them, feeling the ground shifting under my feet. Silah remained skeptical at my prowess and stayed within arm's length.
I waxed on as we walked, trying to keep my voice low with all these secrets going on in the darkness ahead.
"A man who's drunk, or, in my case, a half-Orc, not a man. Maybe a little." I pinched my fingers to demonstrate how much. I had to elaborate, it all made perfect sense, "Anyway, if he's all buttoned up and calm, but then gets angry when he's drunk, that says something about his true nature."
I thudded at my chest, trying to think where my heart was.
"If dishonesty is at the core, then, yes. You can't trust 'em." I smirked at her, leaning up against one of the buildings. "But you can tell. You can tell. No scruples. Not. A. One."
There was a scuffle in the next alley just down from where we were at. I watched with wonder as Bromm somehow floated away on the darkness. I pushed off from the wall, sailing past Silah, following this mystery.
"Gotcha," Rana said.
Floki was face down on the cobblestone bricks, there was blood coming from his face. A single arrow stuck through his cloak to the ground. He looked flummoxed.
I wracked my brain, trying to figure out what happened, but Rana piped up, talking to Floki.
"I wouldn't have seen you up there and I didn't even think to look. I would have walked right by," she chuckled, "At least, it was a good spot ... until you fell."
Sig looked up and cringed. There were two balconies on adjacent buildings. Apparently, Floki thought he could fly. He couldn't. Even I knew better than that.
Danin squatted down next to Floki as Rana moved over and pulled her arrow from his cloak. There was a pulse of light and the bruised gouge on Floki's face from hitting the street below sealed up.
"Thanks, Danin. And, good job, sis." He gave her an affectionate tap on the shoulder. "I think after that I'm pretty much done for the night."
He glanced at the balcony.
"I should have made that." He mused aloud.
His sister patted him on the shoulder as they moved together to walk back to the street. We wandered a bit more, I was following, but felt like no one had a thought to what was next. I was sobering slowly, keeping the pace, but feeling that looming headache was creeping ever closer. No longer seeing the need to steady me, Silah clung to me, tracing her fingers along the inside of my arm while watching my thoughts slosh around in my head.
A warm breeze pushed from the bluff out to the sea, channeling down the streets and washing over us, welcoming. It was very late, but the sun had drenched plains inland were still warm.
"Where are you all planning on sleeping?" Sig asked around.
I shrugged. Danin, Bromm, and Sig had beds if they wanted to attend to them. Floki and Rana would have to take a jaunt out of town, but the group clung together, the camaraderie was thick tonight. Then it was Rana who piped up.
"They turn the dining room into a common room at The Sea Witch, right?" She asked Bromm smiling, looking at the eyes around her.
I shuddered at the thought. Sweaty bodies, clumped together.
Bromm shrugged, "It's available. I'm sure it has thinned out a bit since a couple days ago."
"I hope so." I muttered.
Silah stopped, her brow furrowed. I had to stop, too, since she was locked on to my arm.
"The light is out at the Priory."
At this angle, down one of the lanes, there was a tall dark building in the distance. It was just below the road that descended into Hlofreden from where we stood. The Priory of Kols, yet another of the temples that I hadn't spent much time around.
Floki looked down the street and nodded, musing over it.
"They always have a light on at the shrine. It's part of their worship of Kols." Silah said.
I looked at her, curious how she knew this, but then, realized that she was positively ancient. Still, her worry was especially concerning.
"We should check it out," Floki nodded to the group and looked at Rana giving her a nod in that direction.
Rana smiled and they moved quickly into the darkness.
"Those two," Sig grumbled, shaking his head, "You can't take them anywhere."
We stopped at the walls of the courtyard. The towering building was foreboding, both silent and dark. Silah looked up, rubbing her arms seeming to ward off a chill.
"Something is not right here. Not at all." She looked pained as she said it.
"This might have something to do with the storage break in. Er, break out." Floki spoke, scouring the building with his eyes. Danin looked especially grim as he did the same.
"Are we going in?" I asked, a smile creeping across my face. I glanced at Bromm who looked back, he also had a grin on his face as he looked up at the darkened tower.
"No. Not right now." Sig sighed at our exuberance.
I looked back to Silah who seemed irritated, but, apparently, not at me. Her eyes locked onto the tower and she looked haunted.
"Either we go in now or we leave now. We can't stand here." She said, striking a very serious tone that caught me by surprise.
Sig looked to Silah's bristling and motioned with his head back down the street. I took her arm and we walked away. She seemed to relax by degrees as we put some distance behind us.
"We should go back first thing in the morning," Floki had taken point again and was leading us through the streets to The Sea Witch, "That way the lot of you won't be so damn drunk."
Sig nodded and Bromm chuckled.
"You guys are horrible at celebrating." I said, still unfazed by what had everyone so worried.
Silah was agitated. She kept glancing back as we moved away. I felt her worry start to sink into me, which, usually, was the other way around. I felt her anxiety crawl over me like ants. My head was clearing enough to recognize that there was something very dangerous going on.
We moved into The Sea Witch which had already moved all the tables from the dining room. A handful of men were scattered around the floor. We found a corner that only had one other grumbling man to contend with. He obliged, with a glare, leaving for another corner of the room as we settled in. Silah had relaxed at this point, although, not quite returning to her normal self.
"Promise me that we will return tomorrow." She squeezed my arm gently as I removed my breastplate and settled in next to her on the floor among the others.
"I go where your heart goes." I said, feeling inebriation slipping from me, with only just enough remaining to attempt poetry.
She responded by smiling faintly then curled up next to me.
We had filled the common room. There was low conversation as the excitement from the day and the coming day grew and then waned as the weariness tugged at each one of us. Rana had settled in by Danin. I wondered what Danin had decided at this point? It wasn't my place, so I continued to watch the goings on at a distance.
Sig and Bromm talked plans for the remaining tasks to get alchemists to work with them to make gunpowder. They spoke about a man who they hired, someone who got in a fight with a half-Orc at Kellas House. My face pulled into a sneer. I could feel Silah's menace loom, but she didn't visibly react.
Sig looked at me, though not exactly surprised, "That was you, then?"
"He tried tried to claim Silah as his own." I shook my head slowly. "I told him that I knew who was hiring and I could keep them from getting jobs."
Sig looked at me sideways, letting me know I was treading on his business again. It seemed to be happening more and more lately.
"He's the most qualified alchemist who has come through here." Sig said seriously.
I snorted.
"It figures that the most offensive person I had met in recent days ends up being your golden boy." I shook my head, "I'm not sure why he'd need a job. He had a bag of gold the size of my head."
Bromm looked at my head, sizing it up.
"That's a pretty big bag." He said, a smile tugging at his lips.
I grinned briefly, then rocked my head back and forth from my reclined position.
"Do what you will, but I wouldn't trust him. Of course, I'm sure I could help with putting the fear of the Gods in the man. Heh, you should have seen him." I grinned with the memory, then remembered the cheap shot he took at me. "Just be aware, he goes for the crotch. That's the kind of person you just hired."
Bromm leaned in and spoke quietly, "We should get to sleep. They clear out the common room early. Very early."
Sig and I nodded.
I turned toward Silah, who was cuddled up to me. I ran my hand along the hand she'd placed on my chest. She had settled, but there was an persistent ache that she seemed to set her vibrating.
"Tomorrow, my love. We'll fix this." I whispered through her short dark hair.
She nestled closer to me in response.
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