didn’t make him stupid by any means.
Diran nodded to Leontis and stood. He turned to Tusya and asked, “Will you be joining us?”
During their travels through Thrane with Tusya, they’d had occasion to encounter evils both mundane and supernatural. But while the young acolytes had assisted their teacher in whatever capacity he required, Tusya had always been the one to take the lead when dealing with anything otherworldly.
The priest appeared to consider for a moment. “I’m a bit tired. I believe I’ll just stay here and warm my old bones by the fire.”
Diran and Leontis exchanged glances. Their teacher’s message was clear: he wished them to go alone this time.
“We’ll be back as soon as we can,” Diran said. He nodded to Leontis, and the two acolytes began walking away from the silvery flames of the campfire and into the dark of the night. When they were almost out of earshot, Diran heard Tusya speak in a voice close to a whisper.
“Go with the Flame, lads. But be careful not to fly too close.”
Baroness Calida took her time examining the letter of introduction from Baron Mahir. Not, Ghaji thought, because she had trouble understanding the missive’s meaning or doubted its authenticity. Rather, because she was uncertain how to respond to the words before her.
Ghaji, Diran, and Asenka stood quietly in front of Calida while she thought. Calida’s chamber was nothing like what Ghaji had expected. There was no throne on a raised dais to put the Baroness above her audience, no large open area for courtiers to gather, gossip, backstab, and generally attempt to curry favor with their ruler. The chamber resembled nothing so much as a private sitting room, with chairs and couches that looked almost
too
comfortable. Paintings of placid landscapes hung on the walls, and a woven rug of gentle sea-green covered the floor. As elsewhere in the palace, flowers and hanging plants were located throughout the chamber, their aromas mingling with the smells of the scented candles that lit the room, the combined odors keeping the air pleasantly perfumed.
Calida herself didn’t look particularly regal. In fact, if Ghaji had to pick a single word to describe her, it would have been
tired
. At first glance, he guessed Calida to be somewhere in her forties, but on closer inspection he realized she was likely ten years younger. The Baroness’s weariness added years to her appearance. Her eyes were red and sore, the flesh beneath them puffy and discolored. Her long flowing brunette hair was shot through with strands of gray, and she was so thin she looked as if she might be suffering from malnutrition. Calida’s simple yellow dress hung on her emaciated frame like a blanket someone had tossed carelessly over her to keep her warm.
She looked up from the letter and attempted to focus her gaze on them, though she seemed to have trouble doing so. She kept blinking as if to clear her eyes, and her head swayed from side to side slightly, as if she were having difficulty staying awake Ghaji wondered if Calida’s condition was entirely due to weariness, or if perhaps, living so close to the center of the Fury, she was forced to take narcotics simply to function. Perhaps both were true, he decided.
“Others have tried to remove the curse on the House of Kolbyr. What makes you think you can succeed where so many have failed before?” Calida’s voice was surprisingly strong, and Ghaji’s estimation of her went up a notch. It was the voice of a woman who was used to ruling, a woman whose inner reserves of strength, while depleted, were not yet exhausted.
Ghaji looked to Diran, expecting his friend to make their case to the Baroness. But to the half-orc’s surprise, it was Asenka who spoke first.
“I’m Perhaten, Baroness, and a faithful servant of Baron Mahir. As a Sea Scorpion, I have fought against your Coldhearts on numerous occasions, and I’ve slain more than my fair share. I think it safe to say that I hold little
Diran nodded to Leontis and stood. He turned to Tusya and asked, “Will you be joining us?”
During their travels through Thrane with Tusya, they’d had occasion to encounter evils both mundane and supernatural. But while the young acolytes had assisted their teacher in whatever capacity he required, Tusya had always been the one to take the lead when dealing with anything otherworldly.
The priest appeared to consider for a moment. “I’m a bit tired. I believe I’ll just stay here and warm my old bones by the fire.”
Diran and Leontis exchanged glances. Their teacher’s message was clear: he wished them to go alone this time.
“We’ll be back as soon as we can,” Diran said. He nodded to Leontis, and the two acolytes began walking away from the silvery flames of the campfire and into the dark of the night. When they were almost out of earshot, Diran heard Tusya speak in a voice close to a whisper.
“Go with the Flame, lads. But be careful not to fly too close.”
Baroness Calida took her time examining the letter of introduction from Baron Mahir. Not, Ghaji thought, because she had trouble understanding the missive’s meaning or doubted its authenticity. Rather, because she was uncertain how to respond to the words before her.
Ghaji, Diran, and Asenka stood quietly in front of Calida while she thought. Calida’s chamber was nothing like what Ghaji had expected. There was no throne on a raised dais to put the Baroness above her audience, no large open area for courtiers to gather, gossip, backstab, and generally attempt to curry favor with their ruler. The chamber resembled nothing so much as a private sitting room, with chairs and couches that looked almost
too
comfortable. Paintings of placid landscapes hung on the walls, and a woven rug of gentle sea-green covered the floor. As elsewhere in the palace, flowers and hanging plants were located throughout the chamber, their aromas mingling with the smells of the scented candles that lit the room, the combined odors keeping the air pleasantly perfumed.
Calida herself didn’t look particularly regal. In fact, if Ghaji had to pick a single word to describe her, it would have been
tired
. At first glance, he guessed Calida to be somewhere in her forties, but on closer inspection he realized she was likely ten years younger. The Baroness’s weariness added years to her appearance. Her eyes were red and sore, the flesh beneath them puffy and discolored. Her long flowing brunette hair was shot through with strands of gray, and she was so thin she looked as if she might be suffering from malnutrition. Calida’s simple yellow dress hung on her emaciated frame like a blanket someone had tossed carelessly over her to keep her warm.
She looked up from the letter and attempted to focus her gaze on them, though she seemed to have trouble doing so. She kept blinking as if to clear her eyes, and her head swayed from side to side slightly, as if she were having difficulty staying awake Ghaji wondered if Calida’s condition was entirely due to weariness, or if perhaps, living so close to the center of the Fury, she was forced to take narcotics simply to function. Perhaps both were true, he decided.
“Others have tried to remove the curse on the House of Kolbyr. What makes you think you can succeed where so many have failed before?” Calida’s voice was surprisingly strong, and Ghaji’s estimation of her went up a notch. It was the voice of a woman who was used to ruling, a woman whose inner reserves of strength, while depleted, were not yet exhausted.
Ghaji looked to Diran, expecting his friend to make their case to the Baroness. But to the half-orc’s surprise, it was Asenka who spoke first.
“I’m Perhaten, Baroness, and a faithful servant of Baron Mahir. As a Sea Scorpion, I have fought against your Coldhearts on numerous occasions, and I’ve slain more than my fair share. I think it safe to say that I hold little
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