Discussion thread linked here. Comments and criticism always welcome.
This story takes place a few years after the events of the story in Evermore. The main characters are all the same, and this can be considered part of the same story, and may be combined in the future, if I can manage to write the parts in between.
Hope you enjoy.
======================================================
Meeting Iggy
Luca’s head jerked upward as he started awake. He chastised himself for nearly nodding off again. “I wasn’t even tired until I decided to take the first watch." He smiled to no one in particular at the irony. Shifting back and forth as he sat, he tried to scratch the one spot on his back he could not reach. The rough bark of the shagwood tree he sat against did the job.
He looked across the small camp where he and his companions had stopped for the night. Crissa lay with her back facing him, her white robes showing some evidence of where they had been sleeping lately. This was their fourth night in Nachten Wood, and they could expect four more. Near Crissa’s feet slept Galen, a fellow mage, albeit a gray, one who dabbled in all branches of magic available to him.
Luca never knew why Galen chose to journey with Crissa and him. While Crissa and Luca had been nearly inseparable during their childhood in Sor’lel, Galen was always off by himself on the prairie doing whatever it was he did out there. The other kids told stories of Galen sacrificing small animals to help strengthen his magic. Luca never thought that was true, but Galen never denied the accusations, perhaps in order to gain some sort of respect out of the other children’s fear.
Hardly visible from the shadows cast by the flickering flames of the bonfire slept Guelph, the only non-Sor’lelian in the group. They had met the relatively young dwarf as they crossed through dwarven lands in the Riscindor Mountains a year ago. Luca, Crissa, and Galen had been providing company to Vaughn, another of their childhood friends, as he traveled to the Asteran capital to enlist in the King’s army. Guelph, possibly more headstrong and hot-tempered than most of his kind, had fallen into a dispute with an elder over something having to do with relations with the local elves. As stubborn as the dwarves were, it was enough to drive Guelph into tagging along as the Sor’lelians headed for Tezzio’lel. As distrustful and xenophobic as dwarves were, Luca knew Guelph wasn’t with the group because he enjoyed their company so much as he was to spite the elders he had fought with. Nevertheless, the group had come to appreciate his solid logic.
As Luca reminisced about when their paths first crossed, his eyes betrayed him again. He began to slip into that half-asleep yet half-awake nebula where the surroundings become part of the dream. The creak of the trees swaying in the night breeze becomes the creak of a door opening. The rustle of leaves becomes the rustle of someone sitting down next to the fire-… Luca’s hand instinctively went to his sword laying on the ground next to him. He saw a small figure silhouetted against the flames, warming itself. It was impossible to tell what the creature was, as it was shrouded in a dark cloak.
Luca silently got to his feet and crept up behind the cloaked figure. Just as the point of his sword came within inches of the creature, it spoke in a soft, raspy voice saying, “You may put your sword away. I mean you no harm. I only wish to borrow the heat of your flames for a moment.”
Luca froze, shocked that the figure had heard him, let alone had known Luca held a sword to its back. After several moments, the hood of the figure turned slightly. “I still mean you no harm. If I had, you and your friends would already be dead. It is difficult to be an effective sentry when one is half asleep.” Luca could detect a slight laugh in the voice. He lowered his sword, and moved to the stranger’s right, sitting with some distance between them, for safety’s sake.
They sat in silence for a long while. Luca kept waiting for the stranger to explain himself, but no words came from the hooded figure. Luca took it upon himself to break the silence. “What is your name, friend?”
The stranger continued to be silent for several more moments, seemingly contemplating the question. “You know nothing about me, and yet you call me friend. Have I earned that trust already?”
Luca gave a wry smile. “It was just a simple question.”
The stranger gave a clipped laugh and quickly turned toward Luca. “Was it? All one has for certain in this life is their name. By giving you my name I am risking much. Recognition. Safety. By giving you my name I am giving you evidence of my existence. That is not simple.”
Luca could see the fire reflected in the stranger’s eyes. They were black, as black as the night sky. “You talk like one of the philosophers in the gardens at Peripa. You are a thinker.”
Luca saw the stranger’s eyes smile, then he turned back to stare into the flames. As he responded, there was a hint of sadness in his grating voice. “I have often been told I think too much.” The two sat in silence for several more long moments, until the cloaked figure spoke again. “My name is Ich’thuanalach.”
Luca nodded, then smiled as he replied. “Then you are safe my friend. I don’t recognize that name at all.” Ich’thuanalach nodded as Luca continued. “That’s Crissa, Galen, and Guelph. My name is Luca.”
“He is a dwarf, yet he travels with you?”
“Yes. Strange for his people, I know.” Luca went on to explain how Guelph came to join them. “Speaking of Guelph, I should wake him. It’s his turn to take watch.”
He crawled on all fours over to where Guelph lay. Just as he was about to shake the dwarf, a thought came to him. “You know, you might want to-” He turned around and the stranger was gone, leaving no trace of his presence.
“You might want to leave then.”
This story takes place a few years after the events of the story in Evermore. The main characters are all the same, and this can be considered part of the same story, and may be combined in the future, if I can manage to write the parts in between.
Hope you enjoy.
======================================================
Meeting Iggy
Luca’s head jerked upward as he started awake. He chastised himself for nearly nodding off again. “I wasn’t even tired until I decided to take the first watch." He smiled to no one in particular at the irony. Shifting back and forth as he sat, he tried to scratch the one spot on his back he could not reach. The rough bark of the shagwood tree he sat against did the job.
He looked across the small camp where he and his companions had stopped for the night. Crissa lay with her back facing him, her white robes showing some evidence of where they had been sleeping lately. This was their fourth night in Nachten Wood, and they could expect four more. Near Crissa’s feet slept Galen, a fellow mage, albeit a gray, one who dabbled in all branches of magic available to him.
Luca never knew why Galen chose to journey with Crissa and him. While Crissa and Luca had been nearly inseparable during their childhood in Sor’lel, Galen was always off by himself on the prairie doing whatever it was he did out there. The other kids told stories of Galen sacrificing small animals to help strengthen his magic. Luca never thought that was true, but Galen never denied the accusations, perhaps in order to gain some sort of respect out of the other children’s fear.
Hardly visible from the shadows cast by the flickering flames of the bonfire slept Guelph, the only non-Sor’lelian in the group. They had met the relatively young dwarf as they crossed through dwarven lands in the Riscindor Mountains a year ago. Luca, Crissa, and Galen had been providing company to Vaughn, another of their childhood friends, as he traveled to the Asteran capital to enlist in the King’s army. Guelph, possibly more headstrong and hot-tempered than most of his kind, had fallen into a dispute with an elder over something having to do with relations with the local elves. As stubborn as the dwarves were, it was enough to drive Guelph into tagging along as the Sor’lelians headed for Tezzio’lel. As distrustful and xenophobic as dwarves were, Luca knew Guelph wasn’t with the group because he enjoyed their company so much as he was to spite the elders he had fought with. Nevertheless, the group had come to appreciate his solid logic.
As Luca reminisced about when their paths first crossed, his eyes betrayed him again. He began to slip into that half-asleep yet half-awake nebula where the surroundings become part of the dream. The creak of the trees swaying in the night breeze becomes the creak of a door opening. The rustle of leaves becomes the rustle of someone sitting down next to the fire-… Luca’s hand instinctively went to his sword laying on the ground next to him. He saw a small figure silhouetted against the flames, warming itself. It was impossible to tell what the creature was, as it was shrouded in a dark cloak.
Luca silently got to his feet and crept up behind the cloaked figure. Just as the point of his sword came within inches of the creature, it spoke in a soft, raspy voice saying, “You may put your sword away. I mean you no harm. I only wish to borrow the heat of your flames for a moment.”
Luca froze, shocked that the figure had heard him, let alone had known Luca held a sword to its back. After several moments, the hood of the figure turned slightly. “I still mean you no harm. If I had, you and your friends would already be dead. It is difficult to be an effective sentry when one is half asleep.” Luca could detect a slight laugh in the voice. He lowered his sword, and moved to the stranger’s right, sitting with some distance between them, for safety’s sake.
They sat in silence for a long while. Luca kept waiting for the stranger to explain himself, but no words came from the hooded figure. Luca took it upon himself to break the silence. “What is your name, friend?”
The stranger continued to be silent for several more moments, seemingly contemplating the question. “You know nothing about me, and yet you call me friend. Have I earned that trust already?”
Luca gave a wry smile. “It was just a simple question.”
The stranger gave a clipped laugh and quickly turned toward Luca. “Was it? All one has for certain in this life is their name. By giving you my name I am risking much. Recognition. Safety. By giving you my name I am giving you evidence of my existence. That is not simple.”
Luca could see the fire reflected in the stranger’s eyes. They were black, as black as the night sky. “You talk like one of the philosophers in the gardens at Peripa. You are a thinker.”
Luca saw the stranger’s eyes smile, then he turned back to stare into the flames. As he responded, there was a hint of sadness in his grating voice. “I have often been told I think too much.” The two sat in silence for several more long moments, until the cloaked figure spoke again. “My name is Ich’thuanalach.”
Luca nodded, then smiled as he replied. “Then you are safe my friend. I don’t recognize that name at all.” Ich’thuanalach nodded as Luca continued. “That’s Crissa, Galen, and Guelph. My name is Luca.”
“He is a dwarf, yet he travels with you?”
“Yes. Strange for his people, I know.” Luca went on to explain how Guelph came to join them. “Speaking of Guelph, I should wake him. It’s his turn to take watch.”
He crawled on all fours over to where Guelph lay. Just as he was about to shake the dwarf, a thought came to him. “You know, you might want to-” He turned around and the stranger was gone, leaving no trace of his presence.
“You might want to leave then.”