Faerling

Book 1, _Crystal_Mirrors_

Part XVI

The sharp sound of a cracking branch nearby woke Donal from his sleep. He glanced to where the panther had sat guard, but the beast had apparently left during the night. Another loud crack and the sound of something large crashing through the bushes brought Donal to his feet, hand on his sword, spinning to face whatever beast should appear.

He heard a muffled groan, then the thump of a body falling to the ground. Then silence. Donal drew his sword and cautiously moved towards the sounds, scanning the ground before him. He found his quarry, feet tangled in long roots, prone and trying slowly to sit up.

Donal approached carefully, then more quickly as he recognized the man. "Alec?" he called out.

Alec turned towards the voices, his eyes blank of recognition. Blood flowed freely from scratches on his face and more heavily from a deep wound over his ear. He blinked once at Donal, then his eyes closed and he fell over.

"What is it?"

Donal spun at the voice, the tip of his sword coming to rest just beneath Gil's chin. He lowered the blade slowly, his expression dangerous. 'Do *not* sneak up behind me, or you may find yourself without something you consider important."

Gil's eyes narrowed. "I was *not* sneaking. *You* must not have been listening." She raised her eyes to look over Donal's shoulder. "Christ! Is that Alec?" She pushed past the half-elf to kneel beside the warrior. She peered at his face, checked his eyes, felt for a pulse. Finally she sat back and shook her head. "The big lug's *asleep!*"

As if in answer, Alec moaned and rolled over, curling up, his movements revealing a deep gash along his arm. Gil bit her lip as she saw this wound. Glancing back up at Donal, she commented, "This doesn't look good. I'd say go get Genna since she's easier to carry and maybe we can rig something up with the horses?"

Donal shrugged. "Why not? Yesterday I spent the day holding you upon a horse I can hardly ride myself, today we can carry Alec. I've always wanted to see the world in this fashion." A grim look on his face, he turned on his heel and headed back to get Genna and their equipment.

"Mowaru..."

Gil bent over Alec's still form, unsure if she had heard him correctly. She leaned close, her ear only inches from his lips and heard him whisper again, "Mowaru..."

She sat back and thought, but couldn't place any meaning for the strange sounding word. It certainly wasn't magic, or elven either - at least not part of the elven she knew. She glanced back at Alec, but the man was quiet again.

When Donal arrived back, gently laying Genna on the ground next to Alec, Gil instructed him to go fill their skins with water and then boil it for her. The half-elf looked at her strangely, but when she glared back he decided it might be better to do it than to argue. Gil then pulled a spare shirt from her pack and tore it into long strips. The shirt was still clean, luckily. When Donal had the water boiling, Gil dipped a strip of cloth into it and began to gently wash Alec's wounds. Already the wound above his ear and the one on his arm dripped puss and looked infected. She cleaned it as carefully as she could, pouring Donal's ale over it before she bandaged it. She was more worried about the wound above his ear, for it looked as if the ear were practically ripped from the body. She had no thread with which to stitch it though, so she merely bandaged it tightly against his head and hoped for the best.

Once done with Alec, she moved on to Genna's wounds. The faerling was already running a fever, shivering and shaking, her fist still clenched around some object. Gil pried the girl's hand open, slipping the stone from her palm and placing it in her own pocket for safekeeping. She glanced back over her shoulder to see Donal's speculative gaze on her pocket. When he felt her gaze, he met her eyes, his expression carefully innocent. Gil made a face and turned away from him again.

She reached out to catch Genna's right ankle in her hands, quickly stripping away the dirty bandages covering it. The wound was a deep, raking wound, several stripes of skin peeled away by some creatures teeth. The wound was warm to the touch, and Genna flinched when Gil touched it. Gil touched the warm cloth to it, and puss oozed with an awful stench. The young mage's nose wrinkled, and her stomach turned. She turned her face away, trying hard to keep her stomach well.

"Is it bad?" Donal asked, moving closer.

Gil looked up at him, guilt in her eyes. "It's bad. Deep, and infected. She's running a fever, in much worse shape than he is. She's unconscious. At least he's only asleep." She turned away, unable to meet his eyes. "We have to get to a village... no a city, with a healer. And if we don't do it soon, it looks pretty awful." She sighed and then wailed, "Damn it, *why* did I have to muck up Tansy's spell! Everything's a mess, you three were all hurt because I was so stupid. I feel like such a fuckup." She turned back to Donal, tears running down her cheeks.

Donal looked at her helplessly, never too certain what to do with a crying female, and knowing he couldn't employ any of his more usual methods to cheer her up. "Um..." he said slowly. "Perhaps 'tis not so bad as you think. If you clean the wound, and bind it, we can tie her and Alec upon the horses and make our way back to the village, and from there to the nearest city. I'm sure the village knows where the nearest healer might be."

Gil sniffled and turned back to cleaning Genna's leg. She was silent as she worked, bathing the wound, then binding it tightly with the clean strips from her shirt. She then unwound the bandages from Genna's forearm. This wound was much better than the other, already healing with only the slightest indication of infection. She cleaned it as well, also bathing the large bruise on the girl's shoulder. She left the arm wound open to the air, hoping fresh air would help the fresh healing.

Finally she sat back, wiping a hand across her forehead, spreading grime across her face. "That's the best I can do. I'm going to go wash my face and hands, then we can get ourselves on the road." She looked back at Donal. "Do you know the way back?"

Donal grinned a quick grin. "I always remember where I've been. Makes for quick exits."

Gil smiled wanly back at him. "Good. I'll try not to pass out on you this time."

When she returned, it took both of them to push Alec's body upon the horse. Gil braced him there while Donal wound ropes around his prone body, tying him firmly onto the horse. Genna was next, and as they propped her on the horse, Gil heard the girl whispering something about a magic stone. She fished the stone out of her pocket and looked at it carefully. It was worn smooth, but was no more special than that. Still, when she placed it against Genna's palm, the girl clasped her fingers about it and quieted.

Donal took the rest of the ropes and fastened links between the horses, then climbed up onto one of the empty horses. He held a hand down to Gil. "If I remember correctly, you love these beasts as little as myself. Would you care to join me?"

Gil looked up at him, then back at the one horse left. Placing her hand in Donal's, she climbed up behind him, holding on around his waist. "Let's hit the road."

The journey back to the village took only a day, and from there they were given directions to a larger town only another's day's journey from there. They passed the night in the blacksmith's stable, with Gil and Donal taking turns watching over Alec and the faerling. By morning Genna burned with fever, and her leg was hot to the touch. Gil cleaned the wound again before they set out, and worried again as she saw the darkening skin around the edges of the wound. Alec, now awake, looked worried as well. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, his expression concerned. He was still running a slight fever, but when Gil made him sit still while she checked his wounds, she was pleased to see that they looked to be healing well, the infection lessening. When she asked about where he had gotten injured, his expression darkened, and he refused to answer.

By midmorning they set out for the town to the north, Alec upon his own horse, Genna's body curled up again him. Donal was silent as they traveled, but he kept looking back at Gil, as if he were about to say something, but then he'd turn away without speaking.

"What?!" Gil finally shouted. "What is it?"

Donal looked back at her in surprise. "Nothing."

She urged her horse up to his. "You keep looking at me like something's my fault. And I know this whole thing has been messed up because of me, but really now you could just get it out of your system rather than just *looking* at me like I have two heads or something!" She paused for a deep breath, and Donal cut her off.

"'Tis just that we had a job to do, and it bothers me that we are not doing what we came north for."

Gil glared at him. "And tell me, do you happen to know just where the Crystal Palace is? Hm? Can you guide us there?"

Donal grinned and sniffed the air. "It's near. I can smell it in the air."

Alec chuckled. "That is not surprising. Money calls to the greedy." He glanced down at the girl curled up in front of him. "However, much as I also wish to complete our mission, I think Genna's health is more important at this time."

Gil looked ahead, down the road. "We're traveling farther north," she mused softly. "And if we find the Palace, what else will we find?"

She sat quietly then, half-formed images floating through her mind. A man with a bright smile looking at her, making faces behind his older sister's back. Mirror's rising high around her, her image stretching off in all direction. Someone screaming, screaming until the walls shook and terror rocked the air. A wrenching feeling, blackness, fright.

"Who goes there?!"

The group drew their horses to a halt. "Alec Ravenwood and his companions, looking for a town to pass the coming night," Alec called out.

Two men stepped out from the trees along the sides of the pass. Donal glared at them, angry at himself for not having spotted them ahead of time.

One man glanced at his companion. "Search them."

The second man moved up to the horses, his sword drawn. "Dismount. Place all weapons on the ground before you. All weapons must be peacebonded or relinquished to the guard before entering Tyrial. Drawing a weapon or engaging in any sort of brawl within the town borders will result in your arrest. Once you have met our requirements, you will have a week's pass to spend in the town."

"Pretty strict, hm?" Donal whispered to Gil. She glared at him, her eyes trying to tell him to keep quiet. She slid off her horse, slipping her dagger from its sheath and dropping it on the ground before her. Grimacing, Donal also climbed down from his mount and began the lengthy process of removing his weaponry. Each time he stopped, he saw Gil glance at him and raise an eyebrow, and he'd remove another weapon from his person. Until finally, when she looked at him, he just shook his head and raised his empty hands.

Alec was last, as he slid carefully off the horse, carrying Genna with him. He set her limp body gently on the ground and gave the guardsmen a look that dared them to search her. Then he unbuckled his scabbard and lay it on the ground, followed by the bow and arrows from across his back. Finally his hunting knife was dropped as well.

"What ails the girl?" The man gestured with his sword, and Alec stepped protectively in front of her.

"She's been hurt, and is in need of healing," he said, his voice deceptively low. "We were told there is a healer in your town...?"

The man nodded, his eyes still on Genna. "Is it a faerling?"

Alec glared at him. "Yes."

Seeing the dangerous expression in his eyes, the stranger didn't ask any more questions, but simply knelt to bind the weapons to their scabbards before handing them back to their owners, while his companion stood guard with his own sword drawn.

When the last item had been returned to its owner, the two guardsmen stood aside, leaving the path open before the small group. "Welcome to Tyrial," one man said, bowing slightly. "You may stay the night at the Blue fox, and you will likely find one to heal your wounds at the temple to Kala. May you enjoy your stay."

The men waited expectantly until the group began to move down the path towards the town.

"A temple to the goddess of Fertility and Harvest and no brawling." Donal grimaced. "Probably no gambling or wenching either. It's going to be another great experience."

To be continued...

Faerling is copyrighted by Deb Atwood.

Copies may be kept for personal use but may not be redistributed without the expression permission of the author.

Tryslora Eloran (deb_atwood@fac.com)