First Light, page 20
“With all that in mind, sir,” Anna stated, “we should probably think about canceling your trip to Hilden. I know you promised to meet with Master Jacob and Karl, but…”
“Ah, nonsense!” Vincent laughed. “I’m sure it’ll be just fine!”
“I wouldn’t tempt Fate like that,” Anna mumbled.
“Hey, I knew you had been hanging out with that Volari worker at the cafe down the street, but I didn’t know you were converting to the Path for him!” Vincent chuckled. “Handsome fellow, though. Kind, too. I’m sure he will treat you right.”
Anna’s face turned red and before she could stop herself, she slapped Vincent upside the head. “Shut up, Vincent! It was just a figure of speech!”
Vincent could not help but continue to laugh while he rubbed the sore spot developing. He was almost certain he felt his brain rattle. The man’s glint vanished the moment he went back to reading additional reports. The source of his shock was a letter notifying him that the fourteenth prince, Lestreus Faradin, was going to be transferring to the Vanguard Academy. Vincent was the Hall Master of the Jelmoore Vanguard Hall and by extension, the Headmaster of the Vanguard Academy. It intrigued him that no one had informed him of this change before now, but figured that it was simply because of external involvement. Probably by the chubby priest, Lord Henner.
So that’s what we can expect this year, huh? Strange, the prince is not coming with any sort of entourage to the academy but he’s being accompanied by a… Vincent paused because he thought he misread the document.
“Anna?” he asked with a measured tone. “Please tell me the name you see on this form.”
“Prince Lestreus Faradin, then a few random priests. Then—” she said aloud while reading. The last name on the list gave her pause. “Sir. Is this correct?”
“I think so,” Vincent answered, his measured tone wavering. “Father Gelroy, formerly of Rosendale.”
“Sir?”
“Get me a courier at once. I have to send a letter to Lord Jelmoore’s estate. He needs to know immediately.”
Anna placed the papers she had been holding onto the desk before snapping to attention. “Sir!” She then left to go fetch a courier while Vincent penned a letter to the old man.
The headmaster recalled memories of Father Gelroy, formerly Inquisitor Gelroy. Inquisitors were a loosely kept secret of the church. They held no standing army, but they provided intensive training to people they claimed to be guards. These ‘guards’ would protect the church’s assets and pilgrims. The truth of the matter was the church used these guards to find exceptional individuals whom they granted the rank of Inquisitor. Gelroy, in particular, was a nasty specimen among these intensely religious warriors.
Rumors held he was the reason that Guldin Castle had lost its noble household after the Lord publicly denounced the Cruicidian Church. Once it fell, both the castle and Guldin Village, a day’s ride from the castle, had become a religious haven of sorts for the most ardent worshipers. Gelroy’s fanaticism knew no bounds, and this fact made Vincent suffer from a cold sweat. The city was barely holding together beneath the surface as it was. Demonstrations by followers of the Crucidian faith marched through the city on almost a weekly basis and incidents of missionaries stowing away on ships to Volar had increased to almost a daily occurrence. Vincent had even received a report of a fanatic who made landfall on the island nation and caused a public incident by spouting off nonsense about “heresy” and “abandoning the Path” right as he got off the boat.
Volar was a self-isolating country, politically and religiously speaking. This was because their people’s Path of Volar and the Crucidian Church’s faiths were diametrically opposed when it came to the afterlife. At least, that was what it was like on the surface and in the public eye.
In reality, the leaders of the church were power hungry bastards who did not like that there was a large group of people they could not bring to heel. The same could be said for the southern nobility. However, this was also what had led to the animosity between the southern and northern halves of the continent. Volar was not much better, as the pride most of its nobility had in their people’s bloodline caused much friction with outsiders.
“Sir, I have brought the courier,” Anna announced when she returned.
“Excellent. Girl, take this to Lord Jelmoore’s estate. He is most likely on a hunt, so leave it with his steward. I have stamped the letter with my seal, but inform the guards that this delivery is on my behalf. They will direct you to the steward without incident.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
“Go. Here’s ten gold for your trouble. Keep the change,” Vincent added with a wave. “Anna, get preparations started on our trip to Hilden to meet Jacob and Karl. Add to the guard detail…let’s say, we double it. Trouble is brewing. I feel it in my bones. We will leave in two weeks’ time.”
“By your command, sir.”
Chapter Nineteen
Teryn
Teryn was used to being alone growing up. Despite being surrounded by family at nearly all times, she still faded into the background. So many people in their home coupled with her father’s business needing so much attention, it was rather easy for anyone to be forgotten.
After joining the Vanguard and spending time with the twins, those feelings had waned slightly. Unlike her family, they paid attention to her, valued her opinion, and did everything they could to include her in nearly every activity. However, they still had a connection with each other that she would never be a part of. There was still something that made her feel left out once again. Was it probably just in her head? Sure, but that did not change how she felt.
Things changed once again when Rune joined the group. He was a party member, just like the twins, but he came with no pre-existing relationships within the group. His family and friends were far away, and despite them being much closer than her own family, she felt like he could understand her situation. The fact he was a genuinely kind person who cared about the feelings and opinions of his friends also helped.
In truth, it was no wonder that Teryn got along well with him. After several missions together, she had grown ever closer to him. He was kind, smart, and talented, yet he let none of that go to his head. Most of all, though, he made her feel important. Whenever they talked, he paid attention to only her. Teryn felt like the only girl in the world that mattered. On more than one occasion, their talks lasted until sunrise. Nothing felt forced.
Teryn sighed. She knew he was unlikely to reciprocate or even notice her budding feelings. At least, there was no way he would while he still had Tara back home. For now, being friends was enough. Then, a terrifying thought occurred to her: if she wasn’t careful, then Rune might make her feel left out again.
“Teryn,” the man in question knocked lightly at the door to her room. “Are you ready to head out?”
It was first thing in the morning, and she had not even bothered to get dressed yet, wearing only a thin set of pajamas slightly worn out from use. Normally, she was on top of such things and would be the one who woke Rune up for the day, but this was not one of those days. Instead of complaining, she quickly donned her armor before opening the door to let her friend inside. She gestured for him to sit while she completed putting belongings in her bag.
“Um, Teryn?” Rune said without entering, “Why are you dressed in your armor? We don’t have any plans to go on any jobs today.”
Teryn froze in place for a moment. Distracted by her early morning thoughts, she had prepared herself for a quest instead. Rune stood in the doorway with his two swords sheathed on his hip while he wore normal, everyday clothing. A plain shirt clung to his form. It had been a gift from her. When she had realized he only had a couple of shirts and pants from home, she felt the need to expand his options, if only slightly.
Today’s plans mostly included them running around town and doing some shopping for the party and taking some time to enjoy themselves. A lot of the missions they had taken lately were scouting jobs requested out of Jelmoore. This meant they spent a lot of their time lately fighting against and tracking down humans.
As members of the Vanguard, fighting against people was not a rare occurrence. However, a majority of their efforts were put towards keeping people safe from monsters. Fighting off bandits and criminals was within the purview of guards and the kingdom’s military, but that was up north, where they could dedicate the resources to it. Down here, the Vanguard picked up the slack.
After their frequent conflicts with bandits, everyone agreed to take a day or two of rest. There was a mutual agreement amongst the party that rest was something they desperately needed. Teryn had not been sleeping well lately because of the blood-filled jobs and from what she could gather from conversations with Rune, he was not resting well either. Fighting was still a fairly recent addition to her life, all things considered. Spilling the blood of others gave her poor dreams, many of which left her in a puddle of sweat upon waking.
She sighed deeply before slowly removing her armor. Rune turned his back to her. Since she had on normal clothing underneath now, it was not a big deal if he watched. However, for appearances, it was better that he did that. Not that he has to…
Such behavior was typical of the charming young man. He always tried his best to keep her best interests in mind even through the simplest actions. Were he to really try for it, Teryn knew that Rune could have been quite the ladies’ man. She had already heard that he somehow broke through the tough shell that was Venraya. Though she had never really spoken with the girl, everyone had heard about Master Jacob’s daughter and her abrasive personality. Yet Rune had conquered that, too…
“Alright, I should be ready now,” Teryn said finally while she secured her saber to her side. Keeping a weapon with you at all times was good practice. Even inside of a settlement, one could never know when danger would strike. While wearing armor or a shield could be unwieldy in such situations, a weapon did not suffer such a fate. Besides, a weapon on her hip often kept the missionaries and church acolytes away from her.
Rune nodded simply and smiled before he jokingly offered his arm to her. Not wanting to miss a prime opportunity to gain some closeness, Teryn called his bluff and linked arms with the young man. Rune’s eyes opened wide in slight panic before he cleared his throat.
“Let’s go then, I suppose.” He coughed. “Where to first?”
“The market!” Teryn giggled. She was thankful that Rune had turned his face away from her because from that angle, he could not see the reddish hues that her cheeks took on.
The hall was experiencing its normal hustle and bustle of the day. No one gave the pair of them a second glance either as they stepped off the stairs and headed out to the town. A few hundred feet from the door to the hall was the first of several stalls that made up the market, but the ones they were interested in were in the market proper.
This did not stop the venders of these smaller stalls from trying to seduce them into browsing their wares. Because they had just left the Vanguard Hall, however, not a lot of effort was put into trying to make customers out of the pair. Vanguard members were used to their position and tactics. By this point, they were just trying for the sake of trying, but had no heart in it. Many of them preyed upon newer members or guests.
Teryn could not help but imagine that they looked like a proper couple to everyone they passed. Such thoughts made her rather happy, even when she knew it was not something that could happen. Still, she enjoyed what time she could have in such a scenario.
In fact, it was her idea that they spend their day off together. Dannon and Jeruul had shared they would spend the day alone. Everyone knew that at some point the twins would end up together again because of their shared interests, but it left things open for Teryn and Rune. With Dannon out of the picture, she wondered how much time she could get with Rune with none of the annoying interruptions or mocking statements from their friend.
Rune had been open to the idea from the start, even smiling upon her recommendation of spending quality time together. Teryn felt something warm form in the pit of her stomach that she could not describe, and it made her curse herself for almost forgetting about it when he had woken her up that morning.
Walking only a few minutes further into town exposed them to the actual marketplace. Merchants of all kinds were completing their setup or were in the process of starting it. Many of the food vendors had long completed their preparations, sending smells of every sort into the air. Several inns had also conveniently aired out their dining halls in the morning, which would send the aroma of fresh breakfast and breads into the streets. Each scent was a temptation to Teryn’s senses, each assaulting her sanity. Before long, her stomach betrayed her inner desires.
Rune laughed at her for a moment and made her realize he had been looking at her. “I take it you are hungry?”
“No, I promise that I—” Teryn tried to object, but a loud gurgle once more coming from her belly defeated any chance she had to disagree. The blush that had faded from her face returned with great fervor.
Rune continued to chuckle as he playfully nudged her shoulder. “Come on, let’s get something to eat. I could go for a coffee too, I think. Master Jacob introduced me to it a few weeks ago and there is a place in the market that serves a sweet version of it. The way they make the bitterness of the coffee play with the sweetness of whatever it is they add in is remarkable.”
He eagerly dragged her through the stalls before they stopped at a small tent with steam rising from a makeshift chimney poking through the roof. A warm and delightful odor wafted through the flaps of the tent. Teryn was not a fan of the drink itself, but that did not prevent her from enjoying the aroma. Attempting to impress the young man she was with, she ordered the same drink as he did. When Rune separated from her to retrieve the items they ordered, Teryn frowned. Her arms suddenly feeling empty.
The coffee was served to her inside of a cup made of cow horn. Instead of the normal black color that she was familiar with, this drink had a much lighter hue. Sitting atop it was a small layer of foam with sprinkles of crumbled pastry. A bright, beaming smile plastered on his face portrayed how happy he was that she was enjoying his favorite drink with him. The tent also sold simple pastries that the two of them happily enjoyed. They were likely the same ones crumbled atop the coffee foam and paired together excellently.
“Time to check out the rest of the market,” Rune stated with a satisfied sigh once they returned their cups to the vendor’s dishwasher.
Teryn nodded excitedly as they exited the tent to return to the main thoroughfare of the market. Once more, she clamped onto his arm, not waiting for him to offer it on his own. Most of the stalls had finished their set up by the time the duo had left the coffee tent. Dozens of vendors had rows of different types of jewelry and various knick-knacks. Most of the other stalls were filled with produce from the different farms around the outside of the city.
Many of the products were also from Dorn and Locke with caravans stopping to join in on Hilden’s daily market before moving on to Jelmoore, where the larger trade would occur. Similarly, any groups traveling to the mining town of Locke from Jelmoore would do what they could to offload excess product to ensure they had less to carry on a return trip.
According to Rune, Locke did not want for much. The population there were simple folk who usually were only interested in food goods. Any of the extra things, like jewelry, were not something that interested them. As a town of miners and smiths, they were a hardworking group of people. Rune also laughed and mentioned that many of the smiths in town would panic if their partners brought home jewelry. It was a mark of pride in their own skill that they did not want someone else’s craftsmanship decorating their home or family members.
Teryn smiled along with the joke, but did not really agree with the sentiment. Smithing a weapon was a vastly different skill than crafting décor and necklaces. As a merchant’s daughter, she had seen several ‘artistic’ pieces made by weapon and armor smiths, who thought they could perform the delicate craft of a jeweler, and none of them were pretty. Weapons and armor required a different set of skills than artisan goods. Both required great skill, just of a different kind.
Their day together was full of laughter and joy. Many of the farmers who were selling the produce had heard their names circulating through the rumor mill by this point. Each conversation was pleasant and entertaining, helping ease much of the burden on Teryn’s mind. It felt nice to slow down for the simple joys. Being a Vanguard warrior was everything she thought it was, but there were still moments that she wanted to slow down.
Karl had also stressed to them during several of Rune’s treatments that Vanguard warriors needed to de-stress and find time to “smell the roses,” as he put it. He cautioned them that if they did not, then it was possible one or all of them would end up like Karl one day. Dannon questioned how that was possible if they all stuck together. In his mind, as long as they remained a party, then none of them would let the others fall into a semi-permanent drunken state like Karl.
Jeruul failed to shut his brother up before the comment escaped his lips, but instead of getting frustrated, Karl simply gave them a sad smile. He warned them, “Not everything in life is permanent and someday those close to you won’t be anymore.”
Those words echoed in Teryn’s head repeatedly as she watched Rune joke back and forth with an elderly man selling cabbages. His silver hair stood out against the surrounding people. While he spoke, she found herself mesmerized by his well-defined jawline and nearly perfect lips. To claim he was the most handsome man that she had ever seen would be a lie, however he was certainly on the upper end of the spectrum. His face was soft and noble in a way that drew people’s attention. Of course, the fact he had such a kind heart only added to the charm. That was what had won her over. Had it won over Tara, too? Venraya?
