“What do you mean?” asked Gewey.
“What I mean is, although she may know the true nature of Lord Starfinder, yours is something quite different. From what I understand about her kind, it may become a problem.”
“I don’t follow,” said Gewey. “Why should my ‘nature’ be a problem for her?” Until then, Gewey hadn’t been sure how much Millet knew about him, but clearly Lee had confided everything.
“What Millet means,” said Lee “is that your kind is not exactly held in high regard by hers. When she finds out, there’s no telling how she’ll react. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t want her with us.”
Gewey looked confused. “It would help if I knew what you are talking about.”
“When I told you about the war, I left out an important detail,” said Lee. “Man was losing until the gods intervened. They gave mankind the means to turn the tide; needless to say, this left a bad taste in the mouths of the elves where your kind is concerned.”
“I see your point,” Gewey said thoughtfully. “How do we handle it?”
“With great care, I would think,” said Millet. “She may be dangerous, but given her current choice of traveling companions, she may not take it as poorly as we fear. Frankly, I’m surprised she let me live.”
Lee contemplated the situation. “For now we need to keep things to ourselves,” he said, finally. “Short of killing her, there’s no way to be rid of her. Besides, she may be of use in the days to come.”
“We’re not killing her,” Gewey snapped. “I gave my word.”
“Calm down, boy,” said Lee. “I have no intention of killing her, and if I did, I doubt it would be easy. She said she killed at least fourteen bandits before she was captured, and I believe her. I tried to catch her myself for two straight nights and couldn’t, and I’m not someone you can easily avoid. No…I think killing her is out of the question. Still, we need to be careful until we find out what she really wants.”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Gewey asked. “We saved her life, and she feels she owes us.”
“I don’t think it’s as simple as that,” Lee replied. “Traveling openly with our kind is risky enough considering the way humans feel about elves. However, should her people discover it, I don’t think they would be happy-and that’s putting it mildly. If she simply wanted to return the favor, she could follow us unseen and wait for an opportunity. No…I don’t think it’s a matter of a simple debt.”
“We could just ask her,” Gewey suggested. Lee and Millet both laughed.
“Yes, young master,” said Millet. “That may be the solution, but I doubt she will be very forthcoming.”
“Millet’s right,” said Lee. “She won’t tell you until she’s ready. But do ask if you feel the need. You never know; she might surprise us.”
The conversation steered toward more pleasant topics as the warm stew filled their bellies and lifted their spirits. When they were finished, they retired to the room. There were only two beds, and Millet insisted on sleeping on the floor. Gewey protested, but Millet wouldn’t listen.
“I may look soft, Master Gewey,” said Millet. “But let me assure you that I am not. Besides, you are still injured, and Lord Starfinder is far less able to deal with hardship than I.”
Lee smiled, rubbing his eyes. “Don’t try to argue with him, Gewey; the man will stay up all night badgering you if you try.” Lee stretched his arms and yawned. “If he says he’s sleeping on the floor, that’s what he’ll do, and there’s nothing on earth that can stop him. Believe me, I’ve tried to change his mind before, and you saw how well that went.”
Millet looked displeased. “If you’re referring to me following you and master Gewey, need I remind you that I had told you even before you left that I had no intention of letting you go off and get yourself killed. I daresay that you are quite incapable of managing without me.”
“I wouldn’t presume to dispute you,” said Lee. Millet smiled. “Very wise, my lord.” Gewey decided it was best to let Millet have his way and went to sleep. The morning came, and for once Gewey had risen before Lee.
However, Millet was nowhere to be seen.
“Wake up,” said Gewey, shaking Lee.
“What is it, boy?” he asked groggily.
“Millet’s gone.”
The door opened. “I’m not gone,” Millet said, carrying a platter with three bowls of porridge and three cups of fresh milk. “While the two of you have lazed around wasting the day, I procured us a wagon and two fine horses to pull it. And I’ve restocked our provisions and had them delivered to the inn.”
Lee rolled out of bed and took the milk and porridge. “You see, Gewey? The man’s a freak of nature. Who else could get all that done before breakfast?”
“Indeed,” said Millet, and offered Gewey his breakfast, which the boy took gratefully. Gewey noticed that their gear had been packed, and three sets of pilgrim’s robes had been laid out for them. He could see why Lee held Millet in such high esteem. The sun was barely up, and he had already done a day’s worth of work.
Millet was the first to finish his breakfast and put on his robes.
“I’ll remove the gear to the wagon,” he said. “Do hurry. We don’t want to keep our elf friend waiting.”
“Wow,” said Gewey as he watched Millet walk out the door with their gear over his back.
“You got that right,” said Lee. “He may look like a soft city dweller to you, but that man is as tough as a spring bull.”
Gewey nodded in agreement. “I can’t believe you wanted to leave him behind.”
“I fear for his safety,” Lee said, looking pained. “I don’t know what I would do if something were to happen to him.”
Gewey got up and put his hand on Lee’s shoulder. “We’ll protect him.”
“Until you’re ready, I’ll be doing the protecting,” said Lee.
Gewey frowned. “I just meant…”
“I know what you meant,” Lee interjected. “And don’t think I don’t appreciate it, but now I have two people to watch out for-not to mention an elf.”
“Don’t worry,” said Gewey. “I’ll be ready when the time comes.”
“I know you will,” Lee said, rising to his feet. “And speaking of being ready, it’s time we got going.”
They put on their robes and left the inn. Millet was waiting out front with the wagon, an impatient look on his face. The wagon was covered and had two benches running along either side. Gewey examined the new animals Millet had bought. They were of good stock- strong and solid, fit for the long journey ahead. Gewey climbed into the back of the wagon with the supplies as Lee climbed up next to Millet, who insisted on doing the driving.
When they reached the outskirts of the village, they saw someone in pilgrim’s robes standing alongside the road.
“I see all went well.” It was Kaylia. She hopped in the back of the wagon across from Gewey without waiting for Millet to stop.
“I don’t remember you taking robes with you,” said Gewey. Kaylia gave a mischievous smile. “You should pay more attention, young one.”
“We’re headed to the city of Kaltinor,” said Lee. “At our pace, it should take us at least six days to get there. Remember, should anyone ask, we’re pilgrims from the Eastern Temple of Ayliazarah, on our way west to worship at the Temple of the Far Sky.”
Gewey had heard of these places from the stories his father had told him when he was a child. Ayliazarah, the Goddess of Fertility and Love, was worshiped in almost every city and village. Even the towns too small to have a temple usually had a shrine or two in her honor. The Temple of the Far Sky was on the coast of the Western Abyss, atop the Cliffs of Heaven, where all of the nine gods were worshipped. It was by far the oldest temple in existence, and thousands of pilgrims journeyed there each year. As Gewey saw the disgust on Kaylia face, he remembered what Lee had told him about the way elves felt about the gods.
“Tell me about yourself,” Gewey said to Kaylia.
“You know all that you need to know about me for now,” she said brusquely.
“Fine, then tell me about the elves,” he pressed.