Fiction

I concentrated on the Key of Water and what I had done to plug Undir’s wound. I couldn’t keep it up forever in its current state, eventually I would need to sleep and that would dispel it. I spent a couple of minutes toying with it until I got something that I liked. It was now bound together so that it wouldn’t instantly dispel.

It wasn’t quite the work of are we had made for the base but it was sturdy enough. My rough estimation was that it would last a day or two before it would need repair. Good enough for amateur work with a power that I was inexperienced with.

I looked over at the pile of gear to make sure that her conduit was sitting over there. I still didn’t know the consequences of trying to use the powers of an Apostate with those of the Keys. Once I had confirmed that she did not have it I turned to Undir with the dagger.

“Because of your arm?” Asked Undir. I hadn’t really told anybody but I figured I must be obvious with the way looked or grabbed at my arm when I talked about in.

I nodded, “Yes, however attempting something weaker and on a smaller scale might work. I’m willing to try if you want me to. Although it might attract some attention so we should not do it at the base.”

“However I do have the next step planned.” I had their attention as I spoke. I pulled out the two things that I had hidden away in my belt pouch. A golden bracelet and a golden necklace that I had taken from two of the Apostates at the rebel camp. I could see the Slayer smiling out of the corner of my eye and Undir gasped.

“No, you can’t possibly going to…” She looked afraid and horrified, “You can’t try to use the powers of another god. An Apostate can’t use the powers of two gods or they will die.”

An hour later I was seated in the meeting room of the Loyal’s base. My injured arm had been properly bandaged and I was nursing a light ale that was helping me keep my mind off the pain. I had changed out of my bloody and mud covered clothes and had put on something clean, although not as fancy as the old clothes had been before they had been in a swordfight. In the chairs around me were the other members of the Loyal. They were watching me, waiting.

“Was the mission tonight successful enough?” I asked to begin the conversation.

I curled up near a tree and then looked over at Undir. “I’m going to rest for a little bit here. Wake me when Risgar and Drarak arrive.”

Undir looked concerned at me. “Are you sure you want to rest now. You look fairly injured. If you don’t wake up then we might not be able to bring you back with us. If that happens then you might die.”

I shook my head, “No there is something important that I need to do now. If I don’t do it now then it might be too late.”

“Too late? What do you mean?”

It was silent as the snow fell on the battlefield. I looked over to see the Apostates all still stopped and looking at me. I was chilly, not frozen but cold from the snow falling around me. I could still feel the pain in my body with the cracked bleeding skin but compared to before it was almost pleasant. Empty of the power I had held I could finally move again. I pulled myself to my feet and looked off into the camp. Things were quiet there, everybody still taking in the disturbance that I had caused.

I was forced to release the sword and push with both of my hands and with one leg to break free from her grip. I managed to stumble away and turn back to the man in red robes. He was charging me with his sword pressed forward. I had to run backward and escape his reach. It brought me father and father way from my sword. The woman gurgled and I could tell that she was still live. She held at the sword in her wound. The blood wasn’t flowing however. She must have been holding it back with her power.

The outskirts of the city was chilly at night. I say in the dark bushes with Risgar at my side. In front of us we could see the light of the camp. It was large, very large. The rebel nobles had a lot more soldiers then I thought they were going to have. They should have had reduced forced because they too very effected by the attack at Demon’s Road. They must have deliberately kept their troops out of harms way in preparation for this attack.

“That is a lot of troops.” I whispers in the darkness.

I stood at the edge of the road pondering thoughts about Lady Kindeily for a while. Finally I resumed my run. There was a couple of detours where I stopped for something to eat and to take a break in a small wooded plaza. Eventually I had gotten bored and it was getting latter in the day. I headed back through the streets toward the Loyal’s base. I approached where it had been before but when I looked around for it I saw nothing.

‘Do you see it. The ward must be preventing me from identifying it.’