Surely this Oaken Wood cannot be that great a distance yet if I can feel the ebb of my brother so strongly?”
Lartien let out a grunting sound. “I imagine it may well be that we might have arrived in Oaken Wood by sundown, or perhaps shortly after, under normal conditions. But it is as you say - there are many already upon the road, and I cannot say what the valley itself shall display. If the words of the family leaving could be honored, the town has been consumed by the camps of those traveling to see proof of your Sires' divinity, which would make our approach highly questionable. Even presuming that these pilgrims are gathered peacefully, there will be a great many people through which we will need to pass, and that will take time. This quiet walk may be the last we see for some time, for we cannot say what lies over the next hill.”
The man spit upon the ground. “Even at the best of times, darkness is never the time to approach a foreign camp, My Lord. I recommend we wait for morning.”
Avery made a visible sign of considering his guard's words before turning to Viola. “What do you think, my love?”
The lovely maiden let out a sigh. “I am tired, Lord Avery,” she said simply. “Saddle sore and tired. I would sleep in a normal bed if I could, but Lartien is the master of your guard. I am sure his words are wise, in spite of my feelings.”
Avery could barely contain the smile of pride that nearly burst from him at that moment. Viola had once been a simple bar maiden, but the months traveling at his side as the newly-minted God's paramour had brought out a great deal in the young woman, not the least of which was a natural feel for speaking profoundly yet with clear intelligence. Even without Avery at her side, this woman would be one to admire - and each time he saw this side of her, his heart only grew all the more for his love of her.
“And you, Hamil?” asked Avery, not turning his eyes away from his lady love. “What say you?”
The scribe road up to be closer to his liege before speaking. “Like yourself, I feel an urgency to see this journey done. But one more night will surely not do any of us harm, will it?”
The would-be God of Vengeance reflected upon those words for several moments before responding. Avery knew that Hamil was not the simple scribe he professed to be. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, still the little man budged little in his role as a loyal servant to the self-proclaimed God. In Levitz, Hamil had confessed to perceiving the wall of water barring the fishing town from the rest of Na'Ril differently than anyone else, and more than once, Avery had caught a hint of power in the little man that defied his simple pretense. Yet there existed an unspoken agreement between the two not to press the scribe for his true identity, and so long as he continued to demonstrate an unflagging loyalty to his own ambitions, Avery had no intention of disrupting their alliance.
Still, being aware of Hamil's secret power also let Avery see in the little man the potential for an equally unspoken wisdom. Simply put, Hamil knew things - things no mortal man should. Though Hamil would never divulge all he knew, or even that he knew it, still his advice would always be tempered with this covert wellspring of information. Regardless of what Hamil's true purpose might be, he was dedicated to Avery's well-being, and that meant that if there were some kind of danger along a specific course, Avery could rely upon the scribe to at least provide caution.
Yet still, for all Hamil knew, he did not know what Avery did. For instance, Avery alone had intimate knowledge of the true plans of the Nine, as the nine mystical swords called themselves. He had been in communion with... what? Their hive mind? Their shared consciousness? Two had disassembled his body so that the sword could communicate directly with his soul, and he
Lartien let out a grunting sound. “I imagine it may well be that we might have arrived in Oaken Wood by sundown, or perhaps shortly after, under normal conditions. But it is as you say - there are many already upon the road, and I cannot say what the valley itself shall display. If the words of the family leaving could be honored, the town has been consumed by the camps of those traveling to see proof of your Sires' divinity, which would make our approach highly questionable. Even presuming that these pilgrims are gathered peacefully, there will be a great many people through which we will need to pass, and that will take time. This quiet walk may be the last we see for some time, for we cannot say what lies over the next hill.”
The man spit upon the ground. “Even at the best of times, darkness is never the time to approach a foreign camp, My Lord. I recommend we wait for morning.”
Avery made a visible sign of considering his guard's words before turning to Viola. “What do you think, my love?”
The lovely maiden let out a sigh. “I am tired, Lord Avery,” she said simply. “Saddle sore and tired. I would sleep in a normal bed if I could, but Lartien is the master of your guard. I am sure his words are wise, in spite of my feelings.”
Avery could barely contain the smile of pride that nearly burst from him at that moment. Viola had once been a simple bar maiden, but the months traveling at his side as the newly-minted God's paramour had brought out a great deal in the young woman, not the least of which was a natural feel for speaking profoundly yet with clear intelligence. Even without Avery at her side, this woman would be one to admire - and each time he saw this side of her, his heart only grew all the more for his love of her.
“And you, Hamil?” asked Avery, not turning his eyes away from his lady love. “What say you?”
The scribe road up to be closer to his liege before speaking. “Like yourself, I feel an urgency to see this journey done. But one more night will surely not do any of us harm, will it?”
The would-be God of Vengeance reflected upon those words for several moments before responding. Avery knew that Hamil was not the simple scribe he professed to be. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, still the little man budged little in his role as a loyal servant to the self-proclaimed God. In Levitz, Hamil had confessed to perceiving the wall of water barring the fishing town from the rest of Na'Ril differently than anyone else, and more than once, Avery had caught a hint of power in the little man that defied his simple pretense. Yet there existed an unspoken agreement between the two not to press the scribe for his true identity, and so long as he continued to demonstrate an unflagging loyalty to his own ambitions, Avery had no intention of disrupting their alliance.
Still, being aware of Hamil's secret power also let Avery see in the little man the potential for an equally unspoken wisdom. Simply put, Hamil knew things - things no mortal man should. Though Hamil would never divulge all he knew, or even that he knew it, still his advice would always be tempered with this covert wellspring of information. Regardless of what Hamil's true purpose might be, he was dedicated to Avery's well-being, and that meant that if there were some kind of danger along a specific course, Avery could rely upon the scribe to at least provide caution.
Yet still, for all Hamil knew, he did not know what Avery did. For instance, Avery alone had intimate knowledge of the true plans of the Nine, as the nine mystical swords called themselves. He had been in communion with... what? Their hive mind? Their shared consciousness? Two had disassembled his body so that the sword could communicate directly with his soul, and he
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