Knight Errant

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

Tae grinned at his companion. How very unique. Dwarves were a rare sight in his current residence of Rethkrul, and the few Tae had encountered stubbornly kept to themselves. Recalcitrant down to their very core. The handful of meetings Tae had with dwarves over his three hundred years made him almost unbearably curious. And here was a rather open one, bless the Brightness. What luck!

On top of that, Tae never turned up his nose to making a friend. Einith seemed very at ease with him. Smiled at him, even, broad and happy.

If pressed to describe the dwarf, broad and happy would be the first words that came to mind. True, Einith was a head shorter than himself, but what he lacked in height, he made up for in the impossible width of his shoulders and an overall sturdiness. The weathered tan of his face was reflected in the skin of his wiry forearms, rolled sleeves baring them to the world. Eyes like sunstone flickered in his direction every so often as they wove through the crowds, Einith’s mischievous nature plain to see in his gaze.

“Have you travelled through Alahanai before?” Einith asked suddenly. A long twist of his brown hair fell out of the intricate knot work that rested at the knob of Einith’s spine. The dwarf tucked it behind an overlarge ear in absent-minded habit. It pulled Tae’s eyes to the three fragile amber hoops that pierced through cartilage at the upper curve and the sapphire speared through the dainty lobe below. Were they of cultural significance or simply an aesthetic choice?

Tae jerked his eyes away with a guilty little start, to avoid being caught. “I have had occasion to pass through.”

Einith twirled his big, calloused hand in the air in front of him in an obvious prompt to know more about Tae’s journeys. What was there to tell? So long as one took proper precautions, Alahanai was like any other forest. Maybe Einith had never travelled through so many trees? As a stone dweller, perhaps that was his concern.

“T-there are a great many trees,” Tae started with a quiet hitch. “Too many to count in a lifetime. Of course, one must contend with bandits, as would anyone whose route takes them through such a place. Ambushes are common.” A sidelong glance at the dwarf next to him bemused him. Einith looked as though Tae had not given him whatever answer he sought. “There are dragons in the Divide,” Tae offered foolishly. “You can see them in the foothills during their mating games.”

“But why are so many actually afraid to go through the forest specifically?” Einith wondered.

“Ah.” Tae brought his hands together in front of himself and twisted his fingers together. “It is enchanted.”

“Enchanted?” Einith focused fully on Tae. “What do you mean?”

Tae tightened his fingers until they nearly hurt. This story always made him grateful that he could dampen his senses when it came to magic. “A very long time ago, a great mage battle took place in that forest. The power was so overwhelming, the very ground absorbed enough of it to warp all of Alahanai.”

“So the magic turned it evil? And what about the mages?” Einith asked.

“Not necessarily. More like how a pebble tossed into a calm lake will distort the surface,” Tae tried to explain. “One never knows what the distortion will be until one sees it. With regards to the mages, only a few know who they were and they are not telling.”

A pensive silence settled around Einith even as the ambient noise from the street they walked down hemmed them in from all sides. Why would the dwarf ask such questions? As far as Tae knew, the curse that lay on Alahanai was well known and documented for any being that opened their ears for a moment, especially this close to the forest in question. “Have you never walked through it?”

“Not really.” Einith shrugged his wide shoulders. “Just the very edges and I’ve never gone a distance as great as the venerable Archmage wishes to take. I want to get a feel for the type of dangers we may face and if I need more than my mattock and knife.”

“A sling would not go remiss,” Tae pointed out politely. “Nor would extra blankets. The ground is quite hard in Alahanai and can be cold.”

The dwarf frowned. “Is the Archmage not an Earthsinger?”

“He is, but that means he can work it, not change its nature. Some places have stone very close to the surface and no amount of magic will make stone soft enough to sleep on comfortably.”

They continued on without words for a while, long enough to leave the relative order of the street shops and into the open market. Savory aromas filled the air from the food vendors laid out in two neat rows that flanked the entrance. Tae was not particularly hungry, but he spied the sweet vendors after that and a bright thought sparked to life. “Candy,” he blurted out.

“I like those sweet, red dragon drops. Why?” Einith asked and ambled to a stop. Einith crisply pivoted on his heel, which surprised Tae. Such a nimble move from a very stout creature.

“Well, I’ve always found it’s the first thing I miss on these long trips.” Tae answered as he stepped around the dwarf and up to the seller’s stall. A rainbow array of treats were placed with delicate precision, from soft squares of nearly black chocolate to hard golden brown honey drops. His favorite, glistening red-purple blackberry cubes, drew his eyes first. Then he let his gaze roam across the rich piles of tiny candies to the dragon drops.

There were plenty to be had, more than necessary for a larger purchase. As soon as the stall’s attendant came to his service, Tae murmured his order while his companion watched bemused. In no time at all, Tae was handed two hefty wax pouches of sweets.

Einith took the package with wide eyes. “This is very generous of you.”

“You seem to need some help preparing, if your questions are any indication.” Tae smiled at the dwarf, to lessen the potential sting. It wouldn’t do to insult his new companion by implying he was ignorant. “I’ve gone this distance before and it is quite a bit different than travelling through more civilized territory. Allow me to assist you.”

Those big hands closed gently around Tae’s offering as Einith continued to stare at him with a vaguely lost expression. Finally, Einith nodded. “I am not too proud to reject help when I need it. Thank you.”

Tae smiled. “Think nothing of it.” He pointed out a stall a bit farther down on the other side of the avenue. “If it pleases you, that is the next vendor we should see.”