Chapter 4

  The Road to Oberton

  Eldric woke the next morning to the rhythmic sound of a chopping axe. He rolled onto his side and groaned. He could already tell that he was in far better shape than he was yesterday. The burns were less angry, and some of the stiffness had eased, but he was still far from perfect.

  "Oooh." A familiar voice purred. "Good morning, E~." A moment later, Nia leaned into his peripheral, hovering over him, peering down into his eyes. A wide grin spread across her face. "Did you sleep well?"

  He inhaled sharply as she leaned in, her face suddenly far too close, and he jerked upright on instinct. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Eldric blinked, forced himself to steady, and noted that it was Harlan cutting wood nearby, most likely preparing a bit for the next time they made camp. He felt another gaze and found Vestara in the wagon, paused mid-task to watch the exchange between him and Nia.

  Their eyes met. The dark elf held his stare a beat too long before returning to whatever task she was doing.

  “You could’ve woken me sooner. Sorry I didn’t wake up to help break camp,” Eldric said.

  Nia opened her mouth, but Harlan answered from across the remains of the fire pit. "You should be grateful. Little Fox wanted to wake you before the sun was even peeking over the horizon. I nearly had to tie her down."

  Nia's eyes narrowed at the older adventurer. "You didn't have to tell him that."

  "Oh, I most certainly did," Harlan said and swung the axe down and split another log. "Watching you squirm around, all eager for—"

  A low growl rumbled from Nia, and Harlan's mouth clamped shut with a snap.

  "Are we planning to stay another night?" Eldric asked, looking between Harlan and Nia.

  “No.” Nia softened immediately at his question and blinked her big eyes. "Why do you ask?"

  "Well, Harlan’s cutting wood, so I thought he was preparing for another night," Eldric explained and rose to his feet. "I’d be happy to help, sir." He continued. Nia rose with him then snorted.

  "Sir…" Nia giggled. "If Old Man Har is a sir, then I'm a princess."

  The older man let out a weary grunt and rubbed his temple. "I’m not planning to do much more. This is for tonight, but I'll be putting it in the wagon to take with us. Little Fox says we’ve got rain coming," he gestured to Nia, who just twitched an ear with a smug look still plastered on her face, "so having some dry wood under the tarp will be a big help later."

  "I see." Eldric said and then looked to Nia. "That's a really useful skill. If you want help with the fire tonight, I can make it quick, I think," Eldric offered, causing the foxkin to raise a brow.

  "Didn't know paladins could cast fireballs…" Her voice edged in awe.

  "Oh, I can't do anything that impressive, but I can pray over the fire and start a flame," Eldric responded, waving his hands.

  "You can pray over the fire?" Nia seemed to think about it for a moment and then she just shrugged.

  “You’re worried about starting a fire,” Vestara cut in as she climbed out of the back of the wagon and walked toward them, "when you should be asking how he is nearly healed."

  Nia stepped in and tugged a bandage down on his shoulder. Her eyes widened a bit. "Wow, that's amazing, E."

  "Nia." Vestara's exasperation cut through as she pulled Nia's hand away from Eldric's bandage and pushed between her and Eldric. "You need to be more wary."

  Nia's tail went rigid, and she looked about to retort when Harlan spoke up. "Alright, you three—help me carry this wood to the wagon so we can get a move on."

  Eldric wrapped his arms around a stack and lifted, effectively hugging the wood against his chest as he carried it to the wagon. Three times he went back for more, not noticing that the others had stopped to watch him.

  Finished, he gathered up his own things, Tolsten’s broken sword, and the Ashen testament and put it on the front bench where he would sit with Harlan. Finally he picked up the pot from Nia’s stew the night before and with a bit of water began to clean it.

  “You just kind of keep going don’t you E?” Nia asked, sitting next to him, she was watching him as he cleaned out the pot. “You should be really hurt…when I found you, you looked like you were dead.”

  Eldric frowned a bit as he tried to figure out how to respond to that. Nia was staying close to him, it was probably agreed by the others to watch him closely, Vestara certainly didn’t trust him, but Nia always seemed to want to know more. “I just want to be useful to you all.” He said at last. “I am hurt, but I can do at least this much.”

  “And also carry an armful of wood like you’re lifting a chicken leg…” She said with a certain nonchalance that it made Eldric look up from the pot. Her long white tail swayed behind her as their eyes met. “I don’t think Harlan could have lifted it all like that so easily.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “I don’t know what to say, I just wanted to help.” He replied as he scratched at his bandaged arm. The skin itched from the rapid healing.

  Harlan rolled up his bedroll, tying a belt around it before carrying it to the wagon. Eldric noticed his slight glance at the two of them as he passed. Vestara had taken to writing something in a book, her lips moving without a sound as her quill scratched across the page.

  “Could you pick me up that easily?” Nia asked suddenly.

  “Nia!?” Vestara interjected with an exasperated sigh, suddenly snapping her book closed.

  “What?” Nia spun on Vestara matching the warlock’s tone. “It’s a valid question! If E is traveling with us, I need to know how strong he is.” Harlan laughed as he tossed his bedroll into the back of the wagon and Nia growled as her tail slashed behind her.

  “You’re impossible…” Vestara groaned, and Harlan guffawed before he slapped a hand over his mouth.

  Nia jumped up in a flash and walked over to her own bedroll. “You two are impossible.” She huffed and angrily went about cleaning up her things.

  Eldric looked between them and thought it best not to say more, but he answered her question in his head. Yes—he could have, easily

  The rest went quickly, and the morning sun had cleared the treeline when they set off. Eldric sat on the front bench beside Harlan, while Vestara sat in the wagon bed behind them, an old-looking tome open in her hands as she read in silence.

  Now and then, Eldric caught flashes of white between the trunks. It was Nia weaving ahead—then vanishing—then reappearing across the road. Her short swords gleamed on her back, unmistakable as she checked for threats along the path.

  Eldric strained to follow her movements — flashes of white hair darting between trunks like a ghost in the underbrush. One moment she was scaling a low branch for a better vantage, ears twitching at some unseen sound; the next, she vanished into shadow, only to reappear across the road later, her nose lifted to the wind. Her tail flicked once, before she melted away again.

  "She’s…” Eldric murmured, more to himself than Harlan. The veteran nodded without breaking stride.

  "Impressive,” He finished Eldric’s thought. “Little Fox has a nose for trouble. And ears that hear a pin drop from a mile off." Harlan's voice was low, eyes scanning the treeline.

  Nearly three hours later, a heavy thud hit the wagon bed, causing Eldric to startle and jerk to look back. Nia had landed in the wagon, and he was the only one who had jumped. "Oberton isn't far now, maybe an hour out," Nia said, drawing Vestara's gaze away from the page. "I need a breather. Could you help, Ves?" She plopped down on the wagon bed next to Vestara and dropped her head onto the dark elf's shoulder, breathing heavily.

  "If it's only an hour, I’ll summon a familiar to take your place until the village comes into view." The elf agreed and shifted just a bit to get comfortable under Nia's added weight.

  Vestara put the book aside and inhaled a deep breath; then she began to whisper a quiet chant. Neither Harlan nor Nia reacted to the summoning circle that flashed in the bed of the wagon— a brief flare of fire appeared in the air, and a single one-eyed winged demon appeared and settled onto the tarp that covered the wood.

  "Imonek," Vestara said—what Eldric assumed was the little demon's name—with casual authority. "Scout ahead and alert me of any dangers to the wagon or myself." The demon didn't move for a moment, and Eldric noted the little thing didn't have a visible mouth, a body of wings and limbs wrapped around a single oversized eye. The eye then slid to Eldric, and Vestara frowned before her lip curled into a knowing smile. "At least we agree on that. Now go."

  Half an hour later, Imonek returned and landed without a sound in front of Vestara. She frowned a bit but said nothing as she focused on it. Eldric noted that Vestara didn’t shift an inch so as to not disturb Nia, who kept her eyes closed as she lay against the elf.

  "Harlan," Vestara said quietly, her red eyes shifting from the demon. "There’s a group of ogres holed up in a cave not far from here. Not moving at the moment—at least three, maybe more."

  Harlan hummed low in his chest and looked over at Eldric.

  "There were ogres at Cinderholt,” Eldric recalled when he met Harlan's gaze.

  "Ves would have been throwing fireballs already if they were scribed," Harlan responded, and the dark elf nodded that Harlan was correct. "Her demon can spot the script. The question is, do we deal with them anyway?"

  "Nia?" Vestara asked, nudging her awake. The foxkin grumbled a bit, and one eye peeked open as her ear twitched. "Are you up for a fight?"

  "If Harlan says it’s okay, how far away are they?" Nia blinked a few times and stretched as she spoke. "What are we fighting?"

  "Ogres, about fifteen minutes away from the road. Sounds like they are holed up in a cave," Harlan explained.

  Nia cocked her head a bit and seemed to think about it for a moment, her tail flicking behind her before she finally nodded. "Have Imonek point the way, and I'll scout ahead. Should E stay with the wagon?"

  "No. He comes with us," Vestara spoke up, looking at Harlan pointedly.

  Eldric nodded, not wanting to be left behind anyway. He was still hurting, but the blisters had mostly subsided. He took up Tolsten's broken sword that Vestara had given him at the monastery. It wasn't much, but better than nothing.

  Harlan pulled the wagon off the road and hitched the horses to a tree. "Little Fox, follow Imonek ahead of us. No further than two hundred yards ahead. Ves, Eldric, the two of you will be with me."

  Harlan then looked at Vestara, who said, "My mind will be connected to Imonek's, so I will know what he sees and hears. So, tell him whatever you need."

  Nia nodded and hopped out of the wagon, Imonek flying just ahead of her as they darted off into the woods. Eldric caught the glance that Nia threw back over her shoulder, their eyes met for a flash before she disappeared into the foliage.

  "She's fast," Eldric muttered as he pulled his last piece of armor on over his bandages and tightened the buckles.

  "Obscenely," Harlan agreed with a nod. "She was able to outpace the wagon for hours, so this is nothing for her." He led them after Nia, his gait steady as he walked in front of Eldric and Vestara. They pressed through the thick undergrowth of the forest as they stepped off the road, thorny vines grabbing at their clothes. "How much experience do you have in the field, Eldric?"

  "A bit. Most of my training was within the monastery, but I occasionally went with the other apprentices—" He frowned a bit as he remembered the others he had grown up and trained with. Most had fallen during the first moments of the Scribe's attack, cursed and controlled within moments. “Most of my youth was spent learning the prayers and tenets of the order.”

  "Typical paladin," Vestara said. “At least I know your prayers are good in a pinch.” She walked past Eldric as she talked and took a place at the front next to Harlan. The older man sighed at her words but didn't say anything about her comment.

  Eldric slowed a step, Vestara passed him and a frown fell on his face as he stopped and listened. It was quiet here. The forest around Cinderholt had been full of birdsong, but here it seemed even the leaves of the trees were silent.

  “Hey,” Eldric’s voice came out distant as he turned in place and looked around the trees with a frown. “Is Nia alright?” Eldric asked as an odd sense of foreboding crept into his chest.

  Vestara looked at him for a moment, the corner of her mouth pulled down as she looked down and her eyes became distant. “We —” Her expression hardened. Then her eyes darted back and forth before she seemed to come back to herself. “They found Nia!” Vestara cried out.

  Eldric had already blown past both her and Harlan, his heavy steps thundering through the woods, the burning in his torched lungs forgotten as he rushed ahead.

  Chapter 4 End