NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Carnifex" data-source="post: 719344" data-attributes="member: 227">Burl remained silent as the other questioned Ak'mun'tep, contenting himself with helping load the donkey. He was pleasantly surprised when he heard the answer to his question from Ak'mun'tep, “Cancer’s spellbook is in his residence” Now why didn’t I think of that. I guess I must have assumed he lived down here. Well, how do I find his home before it becomes common knowledge that he is not coming back? wondered Burl. He hadn’t really shown much interest in the conversations, until he caught Wyshira looking at him and then start whispering in Ak’mun’tep’s ear. If I was paranoid, I would wonder what she was asking about me. then noting him whisper an answer, And more importantly, what did he tell her. Spike, remind me later to ask her what’s going on. Wyshira tried to wrap her mind around the words of the seer. It wasn't easy. She was a plain-spoken girl, not often given to long hours spent in deep contemplation or the pondering of riddles. And yet she did seek wisdom. would taking Burl give the Toranites an advantage? she wondered, frowning. He seems so...... unremarkable. He's a necromancer, yes, but there must be many of those. What is it about him then? The words that came after - in her mind - seemed to echo there, mixed in with her own thoughts. What? Burl's bloodkin? Who would they be? She could not tell if it was the voice of Ak'mun'tep in her head, or something else altogether. She was grateful for the information and yearned to ask more, but she was reluctant to impose on the great one's generosity. Then he flashed her a smile so disarmingly gracious that she was encouraged to speak up one last time. She returned his smile, if less broadly, then went on again. "My lord, if you will, answer one last question for me." Wyshira spoke in a normal tone of voice now, and all her attention was focused eagerly on the seer. She seemed less poised and a little more wistful suddenly, more like the naive wanderer Kale and Wolf had first met coming down out of the mountains a season ago. "Can you see as far away as Cryosia? Tell me about my mother and my sister. Are they well? I've been away so very long now!" * * *Behind the flame of her intense fascination with Ak'mun'tep, Mel felt another burning--a shameful blue heat in her ears and cheeks. As Wyshira pushed past and started hogging the seer, Mel was left alone with the cruelly echoing "Bloody chicken-brained woman... Bloody chicken-brained woman... Bloody chicken-brained..." Beyond her, a donkey brayed. A brief, satisfying image of the sound emitting from Sebastion's mouth soothed some of her discomfited blushing. On the one hand she wanted to make some scathing snap about indeed being chicken-brained enough to waste her last healing potion on a pig-headed male; and on the other, well, she wanted to cry. She bit her bottom lip to prevent either of these from happening in front of Ak'mun'tep, who was looking at her--or through her--with eyes that seemed to stretch backward like impossibly distant horizons, as if she could ride for days or months straight across their azure landscape and never find the end, never reach the oasis of great knowledge beyond them. To see the jackal-brow twitch with surprise and uncertainty frightened her a little. "God-child...?" he'd said, reminding her of aasimar, but he did not seem sure. Then, "Shadows?" Her arms came up to hug her sides even though the heat of her chapel fire had quite dried her clothes by then. The taunting voice in her head gave way to another more sinister whispering: "Shushurek..." There were a million questions she needed to ask Ak'mun'tep then, but Wyshira was now idly asking him for news of her family. Not that Mel couldn't relate--she'd often thought of her mother since she'd been on this trip, and sometimes even tenderly--but when you had an ancient seer for no more than a couple more minutes you had to make your questions count. Trying to be as polite and un-pushy as she could even though she was actually interrupting, she stepped up and waved to divert the seer's attention her way. "I'm sorry, I beg your pardon, I know you're in a hurry sir--we just have a couple of pressing questions if you don't mind." She glanced a quick apology at Wyshira but went on anyway. "Have you heard of the Great Prophet, Shushurek? Do you know anything about what we call the Elder Gods or why their cults seem to be stirring up more trouble than usual? We're caught in the middle of something it seems, but we don't know what it is. Can you tell us anything helpful?" Seeing Sebastion looking at the crates, Burl offered, “Do you think it would be possible to tie the large pot to the donkey’s back and then load as much as we can into it?" Sebastion eyed the donkey with understandable scepticism, walking slowly round it to place his scabbarded sword against the wall, and sizing up the saddle-bags in comparison to the first crate of blackpowder. Great seer, but his knowledge is limited by captivity, huh? he thought, dragging a hand slowly across the wood of the crate for a moment. Knew enough about us before you got out, though, didn't you? More than a little suspicious of the jackal-faced figure - Is that a dog or a rat? - he kept his eye on Ak'mun'tep as he tested the crate's weight to see if he could lift it, then manhandled it across to the donkey. Here goes nothing... he thought, as he watched Wyshira whispering furtively with the creature. Making ready to move, Kale listened nonetheless very carefully to what was being said. Melisande asked an excellent few questions, and glancing up from a rope harness Kale was impressed by her inquiry. It seems her curiousity has a practical side... Smiling briefly at this current assemblage of talent, Kale was pleased at the progress he'd seen in his life- It's a long way from the Fuldarians </blockquote>

Verification