with a sweetly curving smile. Dairy flushed beet-red.
"See? I promised." Loch pointed again. "Icy Fist. Contortionist, acrobat. He's our man on the walls."
"Do you radiate cold magic when you punch people?" Kail asked.
"I do not engage in physical combat," Icy replied, taking a bite from his vegetable plate, "and I possess no elemental magical ability."
"Then why Icy Fist?"
"It is short for 'Indomitable Courteous Fist', which is my full name.
"That's significantly less cool, Icy."
"Tern. Lock-man and tinker."
"Lock-person."
" Lock-person and tinker." Loch rolled her eyes. "She recently took out a dwarf-made safe in Ros-Aelafuir, and blew out a jailhouse wall to boot."
"That was you?" Desidora asked. "That was really impressive!" Tern smiled and lifted a wineglass in thanks.
"Sister Desidora," Loch went on. "Death priestess." Tern dropped her wineglass. "She'll be working with Hessler on magical defenses, and she's got an ancient warhammer that will help if it comes to a fight. Which is not the plan."
"Besyn larveth'is," Ghylspwr declared.
Hessler leaned forward, looking from Ghylspwr to Desidora. "Could I maybe see your talking warhammer for just a minute or two?"
"Kutesosh gajair'is!"
"Maybe not right at the moment," Desidora said.
"And this is Dairy," Loch finished, watching as the boy went beet-red again. "He's here to... well, he's here." She looked around the table. "That's it. Eight of us."
"Nine," Desidora corrected, holding up Ghylspwr.
"Nine?" Hessler asked incredulously. "It's a warhammer."
"If your little brother counts," Desidora said, dark eyes narrowing, "Ghylspwr counts."
"Besyn larveth'isr
"I'm not his brother," Dairy mumbled. "I'm an orphan."
"As each petal, gently curving in satin embrace, is valued by the rose, so should we count the sweet virgin among our number." Ululenia paused. "He should definitely count. Definitely."
"Nine it is," Loch said, rapping the table with her fork. "The nine of us are going to get this job done."
"And that job is?" Tern asked.
"We're going to sneak up to Heaven's Spire, break into an Archvoyant's palace, and steal back something he stole from my family, something expensive enough for us all to retire on." In the stunned silence, Loch took another bite of the catfish. "Gods, this is good."
"Yes, sir, I've seen them," Merigan said to Pyvic as they walked the freshly-laid streets of Woodsedge. "They passed through a few weeks ago." He looked back behind them. "Does your assistant need help? We could get him some soothing herbs."
"Your assistant?" Orris shouted from behind them. "I'm the warden for Heaven's Spire! I'm in charge of—"
"He's in charge of assisting me, at the moment," Pyvic said mildly. "And he's not accustomed to hard riding. Can you tell me where they went?"
"Yes, sir," Merigan said promptly. "They asked where the largest and wealthiest temple in the nearby area was, and then left for the regional temple of Ael-meseth on the westward trail."
"My thanks, Mayor Merigan," Pyvic said. "I appreciate your help." The young man ducked his head, and Pyvic looked curiously at the massive humanoid figures at the edge of town. "And you really made peace with the ogres?"
Merigan smiled. "Yes, sir. Just have to show them you're not going to back down. I think they'd rather talk than fight, too, when it comes down to it."
"Glad to hear it." Pyvic chuckled. "Good day, Mayor." He gestured for Orris to follow.
"Pompous little... he thought I was your assistant!" Orris shouted once they were a safe distance away. "That little boy should have been taught a lesson!"
"More flies with honey, Warden," Pyvic said, not turning. "It seems the young mayor learned that. Perhaps you should, too."
When the shouting died down, Loch finished off her catfish, pushed her plate away, and said, "Questions?"
"Are you insane?" Hessler's eyes actually opened all the way, he was so excited.
"Not as of yet," Loch said calmly. "Tern?"
"Why Heaven's Spire?" The tinker
"See? I promised." Loch pointed again. "Icy Fist. Contortionist, acrobat. He's our man on the walls."
"Do you radiate cold magic when you punch people?" Kail asked.
"I do not engage in physical combat," Icy replied, taking a bite from his vegetable plate, "and I possess no elemental magical ability."
"Then why Icy Fist?"
"It is short for 'Indomitable Courteous Fist', which is my full name.
"That's significantly less cool, Icy."
"Tern. Lock-man and tinker."
"Lock-person."
" Lock-person and tinker." Loch rolled her eyes. "She recently took out a dwarf-made safe in Ros-Aelafuir, and blew out a jailhouse wall to boot."
"That was you?" Desidora asked. "That was really impressive!" Tern smiled and lifted a wineglass in thanks.
"Sister Desidora," Loch went on. "Death priestess." Tern dropped her wineglass. "She'll be working with Hessler on magical defenses, and she's got an ancient warhammer that will help if it comes to a fight. Which is not the plan."
"Besyn larveth'is," Ghylspwr declared.
Hessler leaned forward, looking from Ghylspwr to Desidora. "Could I maybe see your talking warhammer for just a minute or two?"
"Kutesosh gajair'is!"
"Maybe not right at the moment," Desidora said.
"And this is Dairy," Loch finished, watching as the boy went beet-red again. "He's here to... well, he's here." She looked around the table. "That's it. Eight of us."
"Nine," Desidora corrected, holding up Ghylspwr.
"Nine?" Hessler asked incredulously. "It's a warhammer."
"If your little brother counts," Desidora said, dark eyes narrowing, "Ghylspwr counts."
"Besyn larveth'isr
"I'm not his brother," Dairy mumbled. "I'm an orphan."
"As each petal, gently curving in satin embrace, is valued by the rose, so should we count the sweet virgin among our number." Ululenia paused. "He should definitely count. Definitely."
"Nine it is," Loch said, rapping the table with her fork. "The nine of us are going to get this job done."
"And that job is?" Tern asked.
"We're going to sneak up to Heaven's Spire, break into an Archvoyant's palace, and steal back something he stole from my family, something expensive enough for us all to retire on." In the stunned silence, Loch took another bite of the catfish. "Gods, this is good."
"Yes, sir, I've seen them," Merigan said to Pyvic as they walked the freshly-laid streets of Woodsedge. "They passed through a few weeks ago." He looked back behind them. "Does your assistant need help? We could get him some soothing herbs."
"Your assistant?" Orris shouted from behind them. "I'm the warden for Heaven's Spire! I'm in charge of—"
"He's in charge of assisting me, at the moment," Pyvic said mildly. "And he's not accustomed to hard riding. Can you tell me where they went?"
"Yes, sir," Merigan said promptly. "They asked where the largest and wealthiest temple in the nearby area was, and then left for the regional temple of Ael-meseth on the westward trail."
"My thanks, Mayor Merigan," Pyvic said. "I appreciate your help." The young man ducked his head, and Pyvic looked curiously at the massive humanoid figures at the edge of town. "And you really made peace with the ogres?"
Merigan smiled. "Yes, sir. Just have to show them you're not going to back down. I think they'd rather talk than fight, too, when it comes down to it."
"Glad to hear it." Pyvic chuckled. "Good day, Mayor." He gestured for Orris to follow.
"Pompous little... he thought I was your assistant!" Orris shouted once they were a safe distance away. "That little boy should have been taught a lesson!"
"More flies with honey, Warden," Pyvic said, not turning. "It seems the young mayor learned that. Perhaps you should, too."
When the shouting died down, Loch finished off her catfish, pushed her plate away, and said, "Questions?"
"Are you insane?" Hessler's eyes actually opened all the way, he was so excited.
"Not as of yet," Loch said calmly. "Tern?"
"Why Heaven's Spire?" The tinker
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