It was a dream.  Callindra knew it was a dream because Glarian was standing at her side, one hand holding that monster Sakar over one shoulder and the other resting on hers.  Even though it wasn’t real she felt like she could really talk to him and damn if she didn’t have some things to say.  She opened her mouth to give Glarian the rough side of her tongue for running off or maybe to beg him to come back to her but he spoke first.

“How do you feel?”  He asked, his voice rough with … was it concern?

“What do you mean Master?”

“You’ve had to defend yourself apprentice … you’ve killed and not just monsters now either.”  He said, “So I was wondering how you felt.”

“Scared.  Tired.  Devastated.  Exhilarated.”  She turned and looked up into his face, her eyes sparkling, “Dangerous.”

“Oh you’re dangerous all right.” The concern was clear now, “Has the Weave been behaving?  You’ve been keeping up with the Korumn?”

“Master … it’s OK.  I’m OK.  I practice every morning with the sunrise.  We’re on a quest for-“

“Yes, I know.  You’re looking for Gode.  We’re all looking for Gode.  If you find him, let us know.”

–

“Callindra?” She tried to focus on the voice, her vision swimming. “Hey, welcome back.”  It was Tryst she realized.

“Thanks.”  She was lying on the ground and staring up at a perfect sunset streaking across wispy clouds.

“You had me worried there for a moment.  Usually the healing prayers work with more alacrity.”

“How long was I out?”  She struggled to a sitting position, testing her limbs for stiffness and smiling at Tryst, “I feel as good as new, or almost anyway.  It’s a miracle for real!”  Most of the cuts she had gathered during the fight were healed to faded scars and her hands had a growth of new pink skin.  Re-growing the swordsman’s calluses on them was going to be murder but at least she didn’t have to wait for the blisters to heal.

“You have only been unconscious for about ten minutes.  Don’t push too hard yet, the euphoria is only temporary.  Only half of the healing comes from prayer, the other half comes from your body.”  He gave her an encouraging smile, “The real miracle is that your body knows how to heal itself in the first place; I just help it along.”

The clearing they were in was a sheltered bowl at the top of a tall hill.  From here they could see the village of Vonlar below far in the distance.  They could also make out a winding trail that made its way down the hills steep sides.  The men had made a few rude buildings that blended into the landscape, one housed a few rather tired looking horses, another rough looking accommodations but the third and largest one had piles of boxes and stacks of supplies.  Unless she missed her guess, Callindra believed they had found the missing goods stolen by the Kobolds and perhaps more.

“We should return to Vonlar and tell the villagers where they can go to recover their things.” Tryst said.

“Yeah, the sooner we clear our debt with these backwards muckdwellers the better.” Cronos muttered.

“I feel like we should get back to Tyreen.” Said Vilhylm, “She’s a Dryad, if anyone knows about legends like Elves she would.”

Callindra levered herself to her feet with a reluctant sigh.  “I suppose we should at least get back to Vonlar… or maybe we could just stay here tonight.  I mean it’s not like there’s anyone left to mess with us right?  Besides, I don’t know about you but I’m exhausted.”

“No, we are all tired and that’s exactly why we must return to Vonlar before dark.” Vil said, “There we will be assured of at least some rest whereas here we would be forced to post a rotating watch.”

“I can see the village from here, it won’t take long.” Cronos said with unusual kindness, “He’s right, and the faster we get there the sooner we can all sleep.”

“Ok, ok…”  Callindra sighed again and settled Brightfang more comfortably on her back, “Let’s go then.”

–

The sunlight blinked and flickered on the surface of the pool in what Callindra now thought of as Tyreen’s Grotto.  Callindra was having a hard time staying focused on the conversation at hand, it was just too beautiful out.  She couldn’t believe how fearless the wildlife was when the Dryad was around.  Before, butterflies had landed on her, but now there were deer drinking from the pool and a mountain lion had even spent a half hour letting Tyreen pick burrs out of its coat and rub its belly.

“If you are looking for the Elves, you must go to the Grandfather Tree in the High Forest.” Tyreen said to Tryst.  The big man sat in his gleaming white surcoat, not seeming to notice the small birds that were flying around him and occasionally landing on his shoulders.  “I know very little of the things you seek, but I know the mistress of all Elvenkind resides there.  The Goddess Jorda herself is there.”

This made Callindra sit up and take notice, “What?  You say an actual Goddess lives there?  I thought the Gods were…”

“Myths?  Tryst asked, sounding amused.  “Where do you think the magic that healed your wounds came from?”

“I… “ She didn’t have an answer that wouldn’t make her feel stupid, “I haven’t met a God before so it’s hard for me to think about them.  Besides, knowing my upbringing it’s not too unusual.  Either peasants like me believe absolutely in the Gods or we don’t.  I happen to be of the second kind.”

“You don’t speak like a peasant.” Tryst replied, his eyes twinkling.

“You don’t seem like a priest.” She retorted, annoyed.

“Fair enough.” Said Tryst, laughing merrily, “I don’t feel much like those stodgy old codgers either.”

“So we’re going to the High Forest then?” Said Vilhylm with his usual abruptness.

“That’s a helluva long trip.” Cronos said with a frown.

“Well in that case, we should leave today.  The sooner the better right?”  Callindra said, standing and brushing the dirt from her pants.

“You seem to be restless young one.” Tyreen said, smiling at Callindra’s indignant look.  “Why are you so hesitant to sit still?”

“I need to keep moving.  The more I travel, the more likely I am to find my Master.”  She said, not wanting to admit her fears, her feeling of abandonment or how useless she felt.  To cover her consternation, she took her pipe from its water tight case and packed the bowl with tac, lighting it with flint and steel.

“Who is your Master?”  Tyreen asked, and the others gave her confused looks.  Callindra hadn’t brought him up before.

“He… taught me the Sword.” She mumbled around her pipe stem, “He wasn’t supposed to and now he’s in trouble because of me.”

“Ah, and you think you can help him?”  Tyreen asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well… I can’t…”  Callindra blew out a cloud of smoke, frustrated that she couldn’t organize her thoughts better, “He’s out there with nobody to watch his back.  I can’t just let him face the Inquisitors on his own.”  Realizing what she had just said, she shut her mouth with an audible snap.

“By the nine hells…” Cronos said, looking at her with wide eyes.  “You’re a rogue weaponmage.  Do you have any idea what the price on your head is?  The Order pays platinum for information on …” He trailed off, looking embarrassed.

“Of course we wouldn’t dream of turning a comrade in without knowing the whole story.” Tryst said, giving her a penetrating look.

Callindra sighed, why hadn’t she just kept her mouth shut?  “He found me injured in the woods, took me in, cared for me and showed me nothing but kindness and respect no matter how often I showed him the rough side of my tongue.  One day I saw him practicing and all but demanded he teach me.  Of course it took me a long time to recover from my injuries, but he took me seriously and didn’t let me off easy.

“Then I guess I began to manifest powers he said I had to learn to control before they killed me.  I didn’t know… but he did and he never asked me.  He knew they’d come and try to kill us, but he taught me anyway.  I owe him, and damn it he owes me!  He should have told me.”

“Why was he exiled from The Order?” Vilhylm asked, looking dark and dangerous in spite of the brightness of the day.

“Because he wouldn’t kill someone I guess.  I don’t care.  If you could see him with his sword… there is no way someone who can dance that beautifully can be bad.”  She knew there was a look of hero worship on her face and she forcibly hardened her features.  “Besides, he saved my life.  It doesn’t matter what someone says he did.  When you face someone over a sword blade you get to know who they are.”

“So you expect us to just travel with you?”  Cronos asked, “You should have told us.”

“Now Cronos, many of us have things in our past we would rather not reveal to certain authorities.”  He raised an eyebrow, “Right?”

To Callindra’s surprise, Cronos blushed and looked away.  She made note of that information for later use.  Just in case.

“Look, I didn’t want to expose you to danger.  That’s why I haven’t told you about it… I mean I had enough trouble keeping my own mouth shut.  Secrets shared aren’t secret anymore.”  She exhaled a stream of smoke from her nostrils, enjoying the rich flavor and letting the scent bring memories of her Master to the surface.  “Glarian was a harsh master but also a real friend.  I can’t bear the thought of him fighting for the both of us by himself.”

Cronos made a choking sound and even Tryst seemed shocked.  “Glarian?”  Tryst said, “You apprenticed to the Sol’Estin?  The Master of the North Wind?”

“Um…. yes?”  She had known that Glarian was extraordinary but hadn’t really thought much of it beyond the trouble she was causing him.  “Is he really that famous?  He seemed just like an old man living on his own in the woods…”

“He was the only member of The Order to ever escape their full punishment.  The only member to ever leave their ranks with his title.”  Vilhylm paused, “You really didn’t know?  He fought in hundreds of significant battles and was credited for the victory on his side in almost all of them.  Many of them were nearly bloodless with him simply defeating the general of the opposing army or his champion in single combat.”

“He’s a legend.”  Cronos said, finally recovering.  “My… teacher even mentioned him sometimes.”

“Where is he now?”  Callindra asked, curious.  “Your teacher I mean.”

“Dead.” The boy said flatly.  She wisely decided to drop the subject.

“I think the girl is right though.  We should leave today, there’s still plenty of daylight and we have a long trip ahead of us.” Said Vilhylm, standing and drawing his cloak about himself.

With that, they seemed to come to an agreement.  The rest of them stood as well and Callindra felt her pulse rise, they were back on the road.  Their time of rest was over, and she would be able to get back to fighting, training and getting stronger.

As the tunnel twisted deeper Callindra could feel the air beginning to get warmer and an acrid stink of something burning made her eyes water.  She glanced at her companions and saw their expressions grim.  Something about the smell of the smoke was bothering them, but she didn’t know what it was.  Just as she was opening her mouth to ask what the issue was Vilhylm, who was in the lead, raised a hand for them to stop.  Ahead she saw flickering firelight and could barely make out some sort of rhythmic chanting.

She slipped up next to Vil, pausing for a moment before peering around the corner.  The scene below made her heart skip a beat and her stomach roll.  A group of humans were huddled naked and filthy in a ring of wooden slats surrounded by a group of well-armed Kobolds.  Beyond them, a stone altar with a black stain running down the side stood and on the other side an open hole in the cavern floor bubbled with molten rock.  A large bonfire blazed around which a motley assortment of Kobolds seemed to be working themselves into a frenzy.

A short, twisted creature with a head of stringy hair stood next to the altar, pulling the beating heart from a body that still twitched and convulsed on the altar and held it aloft.  The assembled Kobolds raised a shout of triumph and hunger and the priest barked a few words, shaking the heart and showering the assembled monsters in a shower of hot blood.  Two soldiers dragged the corpse from the altar and threw it to the shouting mob.  They fell on it in a frenzy of snapping jaws and razor sharp claws.

The heart was deposited in a golden box hanging from the end of a steel pole on an iron chain and carried to the crack in the floor.  Here the priest began a guttural chant and lowered it slowly into the lava where it burst into a greasy flame.  The acrid sweetish smell burned in her nose and she was filled with an uncontrollable rage.  This ended now.

Before anyone could stop her, Callindra stood and leaped off the high ledge in one smooth motion.  She landed in a rush of air that blew the surrounding Kobolds off their feet.  With a scream of anger, the creatures closed in on her but she was a whirlwind of magic and steel.  Every time one of them tried to strike her, she managed to dodge out of the way and deal a devastating blow in return.  By the time her companions arrived the crowd of Kobolds were all laying on the ground, bleeding and moaning.

“Bloody stupid thing, running off like that girl!” Vilhylm said.

“Don’t listen to the old stick.” Cronos laughed, “Nice work.  Couldn’t have done it better myself.”

“We have bigger problems.” Said Tryst, pointing toward the phalanx of Kobold guards who were moving away from the slave pen.  They were holding their weapons like they knew how to use them and the chainmaile they wore was polished to a mirror finish.

“You take care of the small fry.”  Callindra said with a determined grimace on her face, “That shaman is mine.”

“Wait!” Tryst shouted, but it was too late.  She had already ran straight at the guards, but instead of trying to cut them down, she dodged to one side at the last minute.  Taking three quick steps up the wall of the cavern, Callindra sprang off and ran lightly over her foes using heads and shoulders as momentary foot holds.  Turning a neat flip off the last one, she landed with a flourish in front of her intended opponent.

“Foolissshhh chhhild.” The shaman hissed and waved a hand at her, hissing more words in a sibilant language she didn’t recognize.

She readied Brightfang to spring for his throat but before she could, he vanished and re-appeared on the other side of the raging bonfire.  Her sword hilt quivered in her hand, almost feeling too warm.  It was strange but she focused on the scene instead, trying to find a way across the flames to her quarry.  A quick glance showed her a possible route.  With a short sprint Callindra slid between two approaching Kobolds, digging her toes into the ground and regaining her feet as the monsters smashed into each other.  With a grin she covered the remaining distance between her and the shaman easily.  It was only then that she noticed the pain in her hands.

Steam was coming from her thin leather gloves and the skin beneath was close to blistering.  The shaman fixed her with a gleeful smile and opened his mouth to taunt her.  This was almost nothing compared to the pain of her training.  The smile faded off the creature’s face as she tightened her grip on Brightfang in spite of the sizzle of burning flesh.

“You think this is going to stop me?” She asked, twisting her face into a smirk in spite of Brightfang’s hilt now glowing red hot.  “All it’s going to accomplish is that my blade will hurt more when it slices through your flesh.  You’ve taken the blood of innocents.  Now it’s time for you to bleed.”

“Sssso be it.” The shaman raised a spear tied with bones and totems from his side and swung it in an arc.  Black wood met shining steel in a shower of sparks.  The two fought back and forth over the floor, neither able to find advantage.  Callindra found herself with her back to the lava pool, the shaman raised his spear for a strike that would surely send her into the molten rock.

“Callindra down!” Cronos’s voice rang out behind her.  Without thinking she dropped to her knees and a wave of flame seared the monster before roaring over her head.  It didn’t seem to have much effect on him, but the momentary distraction was enough to create an opening.

Brightfang slashed across the monster’s thighs in a left handed swipe and she followed up by grabbing the spear with her right hand and pulling back with all her strength.  She allowed herself to fall backward, planting a boot in the shaman’s chest and flipping it over her head into the lava.

“Thanks Cronos.” She said rolling smoothly to her feet.  They looked in satisfaction at the burning remains of the shaman.

“Yeah.  Nice job on that one.” He said, nodding at the lava.  They turned and looked at the remains of the battlefield.  Tryst and Vilhylm were cleaning their weapons and binding some minor wounds.  All the Kobolds were dead.

The few remaining human slaves cowered in the slat sided pen, not even moving until Tryst spoke to them at length.  Eventually they regained enough confidence to follow his directions on how to escape the tunnels.  The likelihood of them running into any more of the monsters after the number that had been in this cavern seemed slim and they would certainly have a better chance of escaping that way than following along.

“This was bad, but I don’t think it could account for all we’ve seen.  There must be someone else behind their organization.  I don’t think this… priest… would have the resources to provide them with armor and training.” Tryst said grimly.

“Perhaps we should follow these stairs then?” Vilhylm pointed to a steep set of steps that twisted up the side of the cavern.  “They’re bound to lead somewhere important.”

“I’ll lead.  I think I’m the most surefooted.” Callindra said and started up the stairs two at a time, not waiting to see if the others followed.  As she got close to the top her pace slowed.  Sunlight shone down from above and she could smell fresh air but more importantly there were voices up there.  Human voices.

“I tell yeh, we gotta run.  There’s people down there killin th critters left an right.  They’s gonna make it past th priest any time an then they’s gonna come fer us.”

“We got plenny a loot boss.  We should split while we can.”

“Yeh cowards, I say let ‘em come.  Get yer bows ready.  As soon as yeh see a head come up th stairs fill it wi arrows.”

She was going to leap out before they could draw their weapons, but Vilhylm’s hand came down on her shoulder. “Wait for Tryst to catch up.” He whispered, “He and Cronos are up to something.”

The other two came up quietly and put their heads close.  “We all come out at once and scatter.  There will be less targets that way.  Callindra, you go for their leader since you’re the fastest.  Cronos, see if you can distract them.  Vilhylm, you and I will take care of the archers.”

“Just a second.  If I’m fast now, I can double that speed with a touch of magic.” Callindra said with a wide grin.  She whispered a few arcane words and called the North Wind to speed her feet.  “All right, let’s go kick some ass.”

As one, they all leaped from the staircase and ran in separate directions.  An arrow buzzed past Callindra’s neck, the loose fletching causing it to buzz like an angry wasp.  The winds whirled around her as she ran, sending up clouds of dust and dead leaves.  The men she saw were dressed in a variety of armor, but in spite of being slightly mismatched it was all relatively new and in perfect repair.  She saw the only one who didn’t have a bow drawn and made for him as fast as she could.  He calmly drew a scimitar and waited for her to approach with a smile of anticipation on his face.

They met in a clash of swords, but no matter how fast Callindra struck, he was faster.  After a few moments she was covered in a myriad of small bleeding wounds, none of them were dangerous on their own but combined they slowed her down.  She pushed harder, waiting for him to misstep, trying to find an opening but only succeeded in earning a few more cuts.

The ferocity of her attack had driven him back to the edge of a cliff but now he was on the offensive.  They danced close to the precipice as he slammed blow after blow down on her, a series of strikes that ended with a massive overhand stroke that drove her to her knees.  A confused expression crossed his face, and she saw an arrow stuck in his chest.  His sword blow had saved her from being shot in the back.

With a complicated motion of her sword, Callindra summoned a blast of wind that knocked her still surprised opponent over the edge of the cliff.  She spun on her knees to see her friends dispatching the last of the men.  Sitting back with a weak laugh of relief she wiped Brightfang on the hem of her cloak and sheathed him.

“That was too god rotting close.” She said, wiping the blood out of her eyes.

Tryst was pulling an arrow out of Cronos’s arm with a grim expression on his face.  “I couldn’t agree more Callindra.  Far too close.”

She laughed in relief finally able to relax, but as the adrenaline wore off she realized she might have overdone things a bit.  “Gods and demons.  Tryst when you get a moment I could really use some of that healing magic of yours.  I think I’m going to just … if it’s all right with you I’m going to rest my eyes for a second.”

Callindra awoke with a jerk, having slept so deeply she forgot where she was for a moment.  Her eyes adjusted to the morning light that streamed into the room from an open window and she remembered.  Tryst and Cronos were still asleep; they hadn’t had the benefit of drinking the spring water.  To her pleasure, she found that the dirt, sweat and blood of the prior day had somehow been cleaned from her skin during the night. She knew she should find it strange, but it was such a relief to be clean that she didn’t think about it too much.

She unwrapped and re-wrapped her breast band before pulling on her loose cotton breeches and making her way outside with Brightfang’s baldric slung over one shoulder.  While she practiced, clouds of butterflies swirled and dipped around her, even landing on her hair and arms.  Their probing feet tickled unmercifully and after losing her concentration several times, Callindra gave up.  She ran and laughed amid the thousands of brightly colored creatures, feeling like a little girl.

There were trees with apples and pears growing on them, vines thick with grapes and edible mushrooms growing on fallen logs.  She picked enough for her friends to break their fast and nearly skipped back inside, singing a bawdy tune about what kinds of mischief the wives of sailors got up to while their men were out at sea.

Her companions were all sitting around a low table. Even Vilhylm was there, looking no worse for the wear other than some dark circles under his eyes.  Callindra set the fruits she had harvested down with a smile.

“I already ate as much as I could hold.  Dig in boys, we have a long day ahead of us!”

“You’re unaccountably cheerful this morning.” Tryst remarked, although he couldn’t keep the smile from his face.  Even Cronos looked almost happy, or as close to happy as Callindra could remember seeing him.

“How are you feeling?” Callindra asked, looking at Vilhylm and pouring herself a glass of spring water.  “Looks like our trip to Vonlar wasn’t wasted.”

“I owe Tyreen my life.” He said in glowing tones, “It sounds like I owe this Jasmine as well.”

“We can pay Jasmine back by routing those Kobolds from whatever hole they are hiding in.” Tryst said stoutly.

–

The horses trotted like colts, their good humor restored after a full night’s rest and good meals of grass.  The water from Tyreen’s spring probably helped too, Callindra reflected, remembering how it had made her feel.  They made good time back to Vonlar and arrived just before the midday meal.

Tryst almost had to fight off a crowd of anxious people before they would allow him to go and search for their belongings and loved ones.  Callindra was grinding her teeth audibly before the crowd took the big man’s assurances that he would do what he could at face value and let them get on their way. He handled it with an aplomb that would have done a king proud, promising any aid that could be given and explaining that the first priority was to find the monsters and deal with them.

“I know all of you are anxious about your families.  I can promise you that we will do everything in our power to restore to you what has been taken.  For now please remain in your homes and care for your wounded and grief-stricken.”

It was child’s play to follow the trail of the Kobolds back to their lair.  During the day, the creatures would likely stay inside their caves and hadn’t even bothered to post guard.  After all there had been so little resistance in this area that it didn’t make sense to waste the effort.

They snuck inside, even Tryst managing to be quiet in spite of his heavy armor.  Initially the tunnel slanted downward, but eventually it widened and branched into two.  On the left, a wide ramp sloped slightly up and on the right the tunnel grew even wider.  Down the right hand side, they could see rude mud huts built against the side of the cave dimly lit by torches.

Small kobolds, likely children, played between pens of filthy human slaves and others carried out menial tasks of daily life.  It was almost surreal to see that the monsters had young.  Beyond the village, more tunnels gaped like empty eye sockets, absent gods only knew how deep they ran.

“I will not be party to the slaying of children.” Tryst whispered, his jaw set.  “They have done no wrong and I will not see innocent blood spilled.”

“I agree, but how will we frighten them off?” Vilhylm asked.  Callindra exchanged glances with Cronos and she could tell he had been thinking the same thing she had.  They might be children but innocent was in the eye of the beholder.  Those slaves didn’t look too tenderly cared for.

“I have an idea.”  Callindra said after a moment.  She knew a whisper carried further than a simple low tone of voice and kept the sibilant sounds that carried to a minimum.  “If we all go up that ramp back there I think I can make a distraction that will get most of them out of the way.  Then we can rescue the captured humans and see them safely away.”

“Are you sure it’ll work?” Cronos asked, eyeing her dubiously.

“Well… no, but if it doesn’t we can always run away.  The cave entrance is right over there and there’s nothing between it and us right?”  At the other’s nods, she followed Tryst up the ramp.  When they reached the top she worked Brightfang in an intricate pattern and pulled the runes of power from his flat, one spell swiftly followed by another.

A low moan echoed through the Kobold village and a fog began creeping from the dark tunnel openings on the far side.  Flickering shapes showed amid the fog as it rolled toward the huts, indistinct but suggesting something horrible with powerful arms and hook-like hands.  She wasn’t sure what it was, but the idea had been pulled from the imaginations of the creatures she was trying to frighten and the effect was nearly instantaneous. Mothers grabbed children and fled shrieking past them, out toward the mouth of the cave.

It only took moments to free the prisoners, but to Callindra’s dismay they refused to listen when Tryst told them they had to run.

“Please, my wife.” One man choked, “They took her… I need to rescue her.” He pointed a trembling finger toward a tunnel that sloped down on the far side of the cavern.  A girl who must be his daughter clung to his leg and stared at Callindra with wide, fearful eyes.

“I aint leavin till I get some back.” One man said, folding his arms over his chest.  “Them critters got somethin comin and I’m gonna give ‘em.  Jest gimme a knife and-“

His tirade was cut off by a deafening shout.  A line of Kobold warriors wearing good chainmaile and carrying well-made short swords stood at the mouths of the caves.  At the sight of so many well-armed foes, the villagers finally took to their heels and ran.

Callindra and her companions were too busy preparing for the charge of their enemies to give them more thought.  With defiant screams the small green monsters ran towards them, waving a motley assortment of weapons.  With a smile, she ran to meet their charge and was lost in the ring of steel on steel.

She slid under a precise slash and disemboweled the creature on her way past.  These were much better fighters than the group she had faced either in Vonlar or on the road to Gomreed, not to mention better equipped.  It didn’t matter though, Brightfang parted the chainmaile the monster wore as though it was made of paper.  Spinning on her knee, Callindra brought her blade in a smooth arc that took another of the creature’s legs from its body.

Pain erupted down her back as a sword’s edge was deflected by her armor, but she knew the bruising would take days to subside. Snarling, she reversed her blade and stabbed blindly backward, feeling the tip dig in and smiling in satisfaction at the squeal of pain.  Wrenching Brightfang free, she used the momentum to slash the throat of another kobold and then there were no more opponents left to face.

“It is disturbing how well armed and armored these are.” Tryst said with a frown creasing his face into a pretty study of consternation.

“They weren’t much better trained.” Cronos remarked, wiping his sword on one of the corpses.

“Judging by how clean their equipment is, I’d wager they haven’t had it for long.  Kobolds are notoriously filthy.” Said Vilhylm, gesturing at the general state of decay of the huts and the muck of excrement on the street.

“Something feels wrong about this.” Callindra said, “Who would be funding them, for what reason and why would the little monsters agree?  Regardless, from the size of this settlement I’d say there will be a lot more of them.”

Even as those words left her mouth, the sounds of armor-shod feet and the guttural barks of the Kobold tongue began echoing from the other side of the cavern.  Tryst and Cronos each grabbed a torch and, they all moved down one of the passages that led deeper into the ground.  Perhaps they could avoid being ambushed and perhaps not, but staying here was asking to be overwhelmed.

It was a half-day’s travel to Vonlar, even though they pushed the horses as hard as they dared.  When they were emerging from the forest at the edge of town they knew something was amiss.  The sounds of fighting reached Callindra’s ears and the screams of terrified people split the air.

She dismounted and ran headlong into the town square, drawing Brightfang as she ran.  There were dozens of kobolds in the street, hacking at villagers with rusted blades while the people attempted to defend themselves with sticks and pitchforks.

The battle was short and brutal, Callindra and her companions hit the monsters from behind like a thunderbolt.  Trapped between the townsfolk and their makeshift weapons and the experienced fighters the kobolds were slain in moments, only a few escaped with their plunder.

“Please sir, please help us!”  The villagers all gathered around Tryst, some of them even touching the hem of his cloak in supplication.

“Our families!”

“The supplies we laid up for the winter!”

“My little boy!”

“They took my daughters!”

The clamor was deafening.  Finally Tryst raised his hands and smiled down at them with an aplomb that only he would have been able to summon.  Callindra was almost wondering if they were going to have to defend themselves from the mob.  Looking at the expectant look on their faces and the way they calmed down, she carefully cleaned Brightfang on one of the Kobold’s corpses and sheathed him.

“Please good people, do not worry yourselves.  We shall certainly assist you in your time of need.” He paused and fixed them with that absurdly beautiful smile again.  “A friend of mine is ill and we must first see to him, but you have my word we will not let your plight go unnoticed.  If you can help us find the herb woman Jasmine so that she can supply us with the herbs we need to bring him back to health we shall return forthwith and ensure your lost family and belongings.”

Callindra didn’t believe for a moment that this crowd would just let them walk away during their time of crisis but she had vastly underestimated Tryst’s powers of persuasion.  In less than a quarter hour they were riding from the village with the herbs they needed in their saddlebags.

“We aren’t really going back there are we?” Cronos asked.  He glanced over his shoulder with a smirk on his face, “They really fell for it Tryst.”

“Of course we are going back.” He replied immediately fixing his brother with an indignant look, “I gave them my word.”

While this made perfect sense to Callindra she could see the significance was lost on Cronos. “We also owe Jasmine for this medication.” Tryst continued, “She wouldn’t take my coin, saying our attempt to save the village was payment enough.”

Cronos rolled his eyes and opened his mouth for a smart remark but Callindra cut him off, “I agree with Tryst.  We hit a dead end with Tyreen anyway.  You aren’t scared of a few Kobolds are you?”

“Scared?  Me?” Cronos spluttered, and she knew she had him.

“Well yeah.  What other reason would you have for ditching out on a village full of people who need you?”  She shrugged innocently, “Especially people who we owe a favor to.  If you aren’t frightened what’s your excuse?”

“We already saved them once, we drove off those green skins like they were nothing.  That should be good enough for anyone.”

“Not good enough for me.” Tryst replied, his mouth set in a firm line. “Now we are wasting daylight.  Let’s ride!”

–

The sun was down by the time they made it back to Tyreen’s tree.  Now that she welcomed them, entrance was as easy as opening the door and walking inside.  Callindra stayed outside to tend to the horses.  The poor beasts had been asked for a lot today and she wanted to look them over.

While she was walking them to cool their bodies down before giving them water she saw a face appear in a bole of the tree. “Young sprout!  You may water your animals in the stream without fearing for their health.  It shall refresh them.  Perhaps you should water yourself also as you look a bit disabused as well.”

Callindra did her best not to bristle at being called a sprout.  The implication that she looked dirty, tired and worse for the wear didn’t really bother her though.  It was the plain truth.  She had sustained a number of small cuts and bruises during the fight to save Vonlar that weren’t deep enough for her to bother Tryst with and nearly ten hours in the saddle was a lot more than she was used to.

Leading the horses toward the sound of trickling water, she found a perfect crystal stream that erupted directly from the side of the cliff that Tyreen’s tree grew against.  Usually the water from a spring like this was bone chillingly cold, but when she tested it Callindra was delighted to find it was the perfect temperature for drinking.  The animals needed no encouragement, they dipped their muzzles into the small pool and guzzled greedily.

While the horses slaked their thirst Callindra did her best to wash some of the day off her face and arms, taking care to do so downstream from the drinking pool.  The water restored her vigor and even seemed to be a balm to her minor injuries, leaving her refreshed and alert.  Thinking her companions would likely be thirsty she filled a water skin and brought it inside, leaving the horses tethered to their saddles and cropping the thick grass.

To her surprise, both Tryst and Cronos were asleep.  Before she could comment overmuch on this, she too was feeling drowsy.  The place was cozy enough she supposed, the thick mat of moss that grew on the floor was softer than any carpet.

Tyreen hummed a beautiful song that seemed to have a three part harmony in spite of coming from only one throat as she ground herbs with a mortar and pestle.  Even though they were inside a fresh spring breeze seemed to be blowing.  Callindra found herself removing her armor and lying down on a bed of moss, curling around Brightfang as though he was a favorite toy… or a lover.