Origins: A Deepwoods Book - a Collection of Deepwoods Short Stories (Deepwoods Series 0) by Honor Raconteur Page A

have
slept for more than an hour or two. It wasn’t enough rest for him after
traveling all day, but the thought of rolling over and trying again didn’t set
well with him.
    He moved on instinct, gravitating toward the one thing that
always squelched the nightmares. Taking the quilt and sword with him, he moved
on silent feet, easing out of his room and down two doors. Putting his ear to
the wood, he listened for the soft, steady breathing of his guildmaster. His
tremors eased, the nightmare fading, as he listened to her breath. She was
deeply asleep, not a concern in her world.
    Comforted by that, he sank down to the floor, putting his
back against the wood. There he stayed, wrapped up in the quilt, and just
listened.
    An interminable time passed before the door directly across
from him opened. Grae, looking mussed and half asleep, stepped out. He took in
the sight of Erik sitting there, leaning against Siobhan’s door, but oddly
enough didn’t look surprised. Erik felt self-conscious in this position and
somewhat trapped on the floor, but Grae didn’t even ask a question, just
crossed to him and turned so that he sat next to him, shoulders brushing.
     Erik did not understand this situation one bit. Why would
the man not be surprised to see him like this? In the middle of the night, no
less.
    In a hushed tone, barely audible, Grae spoke. “Ever since I
was a child, when something went wrong, I went to Siobhan. Because she can face
anything without flinching. Even if she can’t fix the problem, I found that
being next to her is comforting.” Finally, he turned, facing Erik directly, a
lopsided smile on his face. In the dim lighting of the hallway, it was barely
visible, but Erik could still see it. “You and I are alike that way.”
    He also felt that way? That everything in the world could be
overcome as long as Siobhan was with him? In that moment, Erik felt a stronger
connection to Grae than he ever had before. “I didn’t think we were anything
alike.”
    Grae found this funny, as he chuckled, the sound breathy and
low. “Me neither, at first.”
    A comfortable silence fell between them. For once, Erik
didn’t feel any tension coming from Grae. He decided to just enjoy the moment,
and went back to staring blankly at the opposite wall.
    “You don’t do this every night,” Grae ventured, tone
cautious. His tone invited a response, if Erik felt comfortable giving him one,
or not.
    “No,” Erik agreed, still not looking at the other man. He
struggled with what to say for a moment, finally settling on, “I have no good
memories of this city.”
    “Ah. Siobhan mentioned to me that it was here you lost the
hand.” Grae, bless the man, left it at that.
    “Aye.” After contemplating that for a moment, he asked, “Is
that truly all she said?”
    “That and it was your own guildsmen that did it. If they
were still around, she’d go hunt them down and do the same. She’s that mad
about it.” Grae shook his head, snorting. “As fierce as a lioness, our Siobhan.
But the thing I don’t understand is why?”
    “Jealousy. Fear. When I was younger, I was new to fighting.
Oh, I’d been trained in using the sword, we all are in my hometown. I was far
from defenseless. But actual battle experience, that’s what I lacked. Over
time, I got better. Stronger. Faster. I think it scared them.” He let his head thunk against the wood. “They weren’t sure if there was anyone in the guild strong
enough to stop me, if I wanted to leave.”
    “So they crippled you instead?” Grae shook his head, mouth
tight. “That makes no sense to me.”
    “Little does in a dark guild. Fear rules there. Fear and
jealousy.” Almost without his permission, his mouth added, “It’s a miracle to
belong to a guild as good as yours. You’re a blessed man, Grae.”
    “Oh, I know it, trust me. The whole guild was created for my
sake.”
    “Have you thoughts of growing larger?”
    “Certainly, now that we’re making enough money