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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7452633" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 178The morning sky was overcast and a cool breeze blew as Glori, Kosk, and Embrae made their way along a lightly wooded path on the western outskirts of Tal Nadesh.  They were far enough from the core of the elvish city that they could have pretended that they were alone, save for the light tread of the three soldiers who shadowed them from ten paces behind.  The leaves in the trees rustled in the soft wind, and occasionally an insect buzzed by, taking a brief interest in them before continuing on its business.“I still say that this is a bad idea,” Kosk said.  “These elves know more about what’s happening than they’re letting on.  No offense,” he added in an aside to Embrae.“You won’t get any disagreement from me,” the elven monk said.“We’ve already covered this,” Glori said.  She adjusted the strap holding her lyre as she walked.  She was back in her full traveling kit, including the chain shirt that Bredan had given her as well as her bow, sword, and dagger.  It was a bit awkward carrying it all, especially after a few days spent in more normal attire, but she felt better having her usual adventuring gear on her person.Kosk had no difficulty; he carried just his staff, the bracers holding his throwing knives, and a small leather satchel.  “I know we’ve talked about it, but it’s suspicious.  Why would the elvish council suddenly be so interested in letting us go on this expedition?  They went from stonewalling us to suddenly being eager to have us go into this sacred forest of theirs, where conveniently there’s no way to contact anyone…”“They weren’t lying about that,” Embrae said.“It doesn’t matter, either way,” Glori said.  “I agree with everything you’ve said, and yes, it could be that they just want us out of Tal Nadesh, and out of their hair.  But even if they’re lying about the key, we still need to find the Druid, for Javerin’s sake.  And if there is something deeper going on, I’d still rather be doing something than staying in that cozy little cottage in Tal Nadesh, waiting for something to happen.  You don’t have to go, in fact it might be better if one of us were to stay, just in case…”“You can stop that right there,” Kosk said.  “Bredan and Quellan would each kill me if I let something happen to you.  And I have my own reasons.”Glori glanced over at him, but it was clear from the look on his face that he was not going to elaborate.  She looked past him at Embrae, who was carrying even less gear than Kosk, without even a simple knife at her belt.  At least she’d traded in her flowing robe for functional traveling clothes and actual boots.  The elven woman remained something of an enigma to Glori.  After the meeting with the Advisory Council she’d confronted her about her knowledge of the Druid and the Reserve.“Why didn’t you say anything about all this before?” Glori had asked her.“To be honest, it did not even occur to me,” the monk had told her.  “My apprenticeship to become a Tender was brief and took place many years ago.  It was even a different Druid back then; the man in the position now was a senior Tender back then that I barely met.  You have to understand, I only ever thought of the position as ceremonial.  The Druid isn’t really even part of the government, he’s something separate and isolated.  I certainly never thought of him as possessing magical power beyond that of the clerics and wizards of the court.”“But he controls the Reserve,” Glori had persisted.“Not in the sense that you are thinking of it,” Embrae had replied.  “It’s not something that can be controlled like that.”But someone was controlling power behind the scenes, Glori thought as she returned to the present.  There was something off in Tal Nadesh; she’d felt it even before the anonymous strike against Javerin.  Whatever it was, she doubted that they were finished.  She would have to trust her instincts, going forward.The trees around them thinned ahead as they came to a broad clearing.  The path ended in front of a pleasant-looking house.  It looked quite ordinary, although it possessed the same intricate features and decorative touches that they’d seen elsewhere in Tal Nadesh.  A walk of uneven stone steps led past a small pond to a raised deck and the front door.  Advisor Lendelaine was waiting for them there on a covered bench beside the pond.  He rose to greet them as they approached.“Princess,” he said first to Embrae.  “Ambassador,” he added with a nod toward Glori.  “Master Stonefist.”Glori’s surprise must have showed on her face, for Lendelaine said, “Oh, did you not know?  You were indicated as the second-ranked emissary on the paperwork that we were sent from Arresh prior to your arrival.  With the Ambassador… incapacitated, you assume that authority.”Glori resisted the urge to grit her teeth.  The Advisory Council had elected to leave that bit of information out of the conversation during their meeting yesterday.  Embrae sent her a knowing look, as if to say, I told you so.  “Thank you, Advisor,” Glori said.  “I appreciate you waiting for us.”“Of course.  Shall we meet your escort?”  He gestured toward the front door of the house.  “We have arranged for a group of Rangers to accompany you on your mission,” Lendelaine said.  “Their leader is somewhat… assertive, but she has experience with the Reserve.”“I thought that only Tenders were allowed inside,” Glori said.“For the most part that is the case, but there are occasionally there is a need such as this one… and sometimes something makes its way to the border that the Tenders cannot handle, but which needs to be dealt with before it can escape.”“That sounds rather ominous,” Kosk said.“Such occasions are infrequent,” Lendelaine said.  “The whole point of the Reserve is for us to minimize our interference.”The interior of the house contained an odd juxtaposition of styles.  The door swung open onto a broad foyer, with natural light pouring in through tall bay windows and a pair of narrow skylights.  An open arch carved to resemble flowering vines led into a long chamber where a number of people were moving about.As Lendelaine escorted them into the room Glori could see that the house was currently serving as an armory.  Racks along the walls held a wide assortment of weapons, including small and large bows, swords of all shapes and sizes, a matching variety of knives, and some more exotic items that Glori had never seen before.  There were also suits of armor arranged on wooden mannequins, and shelves that contained enough goods to fill a considerable general store: packs, leather harnesses, pouches, cloaks, tents, rope, waterskins, and packets of what Glori assumed were various kinds of supplies.A portion of the gear was spread out across three large tables that dominated the center of the room.  Most of the activity was there, where five elves clad in dark green and brown clothes were checking their equipment.  As they turned to regard the new arrivals Glori could see that there were three women and two men.  One of the women came over to greet them.Glori could tell at once that the elven woman was not pleased.  She had a look to her that Majerion would have called “hard-edged.”  Faint scars were visible along the line of her jaw on the left side of her face.  She wore her pale hair cut very short, an unusual style for elves.  She gave the three of them a long, evaluative look, then gave Embrae the slightest nod of acknowledgement.  Her lips twisted into a frown as she looked at Glori, but that deepened into a scowl when she shifted her attention to Kosk.“You can’t be serious,” she said to Lendelaine.“I was not aware that there was any ambiguity to your orders, Patrol Leader Shreskra,” he returned.  The official’s tone was stern, but the elven woman did not yield anything to it.  The other four elves were all quietly watching, Glori noted.Shreskra sent a meaningful look at Glori’s lyre.  “This is not a stroll through a forest glade,” she said.  “The Reserve is dangerous.  It will be a difficult journey, and there aren’t any inns along the way.”“We’re used to roughing it,” Glori said.  She was tempted to show her, conjuring some magic with the lyre the woman was so quick to dismiss, but resisted the urge.  Majerion had taught her when empty gestures were necessary and when they only complicated a situation.  This was clearly one of the latter instances.  A woman like this would not be impressed with magical tricks; the only thing that could win her over was actions that proved their mettle.“I hope so,” Shreskra said.  Turning her attention back to Lendelaine, she said, “I want it understood that in the Reserve, I am in command.  I don’t care who these people are, or how important they are.”  At that last statement her eyes flicked briefly to Embrae, telling Glori that the Patrol Leader knew exactly who she was.  “I won’t risk the lives of my team if one of them does something stupid.”“That’s enough,” Lendelaine said.“The Patrol Leader’s statements are reasonable,” Glori said.  “I would likely say the same, if I was in her position.  I’ll just say that we’re not here for a casual visit.  A woman’s life is at stake, and probably more than that.  We’re here because of that, so we’ll follow your lead, as long as you get us to the Druid.”“Is that acceptable, Patrol Leader?” Lendelaine asked, in a tone that indicated his patience was nearly at an end.“We’ll see,” Shreskra said.“All right,” Lendelaine said.  “Transportation to the border of the Reserve has been arranged and should be here shortly.  You will meet up with your guide there, a retired Tender who knows the best route to the Green Tower.”  He looked around the room.  “Where is the final member of your expedition?”Shreskra let out a snort.  “He went to avail himself of the washroom some time ago.”Lendelaine nodded.  “Then I will leave you to introduce your team and see that our guests have everything that they need.  I will take my leave of you now, Ambassador,” he said to Glori, before turning to Embrae.  “Might I have a brief private word, first?”  Glori could see the effort he made to avoid using her title.  Embrae shot her a quick look before nodding in agreement.  They didn’t leave the building, but retreated back to the foyer where they conversed in low voices.“Well, come on then,” Shreskra said.  She took them over to the tables, where the Rangers were waiting.  Starting from her left, she gestured at each of them in turn and said, “That’s Darethan, Loriellan, Razelle, and Tenaille.  Darethan is our archery specialist.  Razelle is our best scout.  Tenaille is a climber and knife-fighter.  Loriellan just looks pretty, for the most part.”“And I do it so well,” the Ranger said.“I am Glori, and this is Kosk,” Glori said.  “I’m a bard.  I can heal, conjure illusions, and cast fear into the minds of our enemies.  Kosk is a monk of the Open Fist.  We’re here to get to the center of the Reserve and find the Druid as quickly as possible.”The elves just nodded.“All right, let’s get you geared up,” Shreskra said.  “Rangers, help our new friends get what they need.  On this trip, everyone carries their share.”  She shot a meaningful glance at the foyer, but Embrae was still engaged in a heated exchange with Lendelaine in low voices.“We don’t have a problem with that,” Glori said.Shreskra looked past Glori just as she heard footsteps coming from the hall that led to the back of the house.  “Finally,” the Patrol Leader said. Glori turned to see Majerion standing there.None of the Rangers happened to be looking her way, so none of them saw her flinch.  He saw, however.  Kosk, standing beside her, must have sensed something, for he said quietly, “Are you okay?”“Fine,” she said.  “Go on, I’ll be there in a moment.”She walked over to him.  She could feel her neck and cheeks coloring and imagined that the eyes of everyone in the room were on them.  But she forced herself to stand calmly, or at least as calmly as she could manage; she had no illusions that she was fooling her former mentor.“Could I have a word?” she asked.Majerion made a short formal bow and allowed himself to be led back into the hall.  When they were out of sight of the others in the armory she spun to face him.  “What is this about?” she asked.“I have always wanted to visit the Reserve…”“This is not some casual trek into the wilderness,” she said, wishing that she wasn’t just aping Shreskra’s words from earlier.“I am aware.”“If this is about… if you think this will change what’s between us…”“My dear, not everything is about you,” he said.“I could ask the Advisor to forbid you from coming,” she said.At that some of his practiced ease faded, and a hard look came into his eyes as he fixed them on hers.  “I do what I want,” he said.  “Since you seem to have forgotten that about me, let me be clear.  No one tells what I can or cannot do.  Not you, not the King, and certainly not the Advisory Council.”He stepped closer for a moment.  “I hear our ride is coming soon, better grab something for the road.  Remember what I taught you: always be prepared.”He headed back into the room, casually strumming the bars of a traveling song on his lyre.  It was one of the many such songs that he had taught her.Glori lingered a moment to take a steadying breath, and then followed him.The others were checking their packs.  Embrae had rejoined them; Lendelaine was gone.  The elf monk looked up as Glori came over to the tables.  “Is everything all right?” Embrae asked.Glori refused to look over at Majerion, who was telling a joke to several of the Rangers a few feet away.  “Wonderful,” she said.  “Just wonderful.”</blockquote>

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