Seeking the Veil, Part 1

Blisters, Rain and Purpose

Night approached with a shower of sleet and rain, Hestea pulled his cloak tight as he huddled closer to the meager fire. "You don't want to build it larger?"

Gunter looked up from his journal, sketches and notes filling the pages, and shook his head. Water and ice seemed to flow around him, none striking, as if he stood in a center of calm, serene night. "We are looking for someone, but we do not necessarily want to be found."

Hestea peered into the Beckenburg night, a stand of trees swayed like great towering shadows, water pouring from their branches. They had been traveling along a forest that had grown thicker and taller with each mile walked. A wolf howled a lonely cry in the sodden night, his howl echoing across the plain, the origin hard to place. Hestea frowned, a lot could hide in that forest. "So, how much farther?"

The magus paused the scratching of the charcoal stick and Hestea wondered yet again what he wrote on those bound pages. "We are making good time, but we will need to increase our pace if we are to reach them before another two days."

"Two days." Gunter had said three earlier, but that had been before they had walked the whole day. Hestea pulled at his boots, wanting to release his throbbing feet, but he dropped his hand away - it would do no good to get his stockings soaked.

The magus nodded. His feet seemed fine. "When we find them, Hestea, don't use your father's name."

"What?"

"It rings too much of the South."

Hestea frowned. "Why would I want to use that?"

Gunter tapped his page. "I'm just giving you advice. Now, these mercenaries won't much care for your name. They probably wouldn't bat an eye if you named yourself Shiny Hammer." The magus looked to Hestea's hammer with pursed lips.

"How do you know this?" Hestea shifted on the rock.

"I've...done my research."

"You went into the Archives and read about mercenaries." Hestea laughed, then sputtered to silence on cold rain that slid down his face.

"Yes, well. There are some things you can learn from a book."

But making the rain fall around a man was not one of them. Hestea wiped his lips and pulled his cloak tighter, adjusting the hood. "Why mercenaries, Gunter? Why not join a lord's house. What do they call them here? The nobles? Edel?"

"Simple. And the reason has not changed since I first noted it on the ship."

The magus seemed in a cheery mood. Hestea swiped away water from his face."Will we at least find them before I drown?"

Gunter looked up from his page and shrugged. "Before you jump into the ocean, you should make sure that you can swim."

The mud that left Hestea's hand to splatter across Gunter's invisible shield may or may not have been on purpose.

Gunter barely glanced up and the rain continued. Hestea shook his fingers and scowled at the sky. "Why did you pick Beckenburg, Gunter?"

"What?"

"I said, why did you pick this forsaken place? Cold, dreary and I don't think we've seen a proper road yet."

"I did not..." Gunter shifted on his seat. "The captain told you." Hestea nodded. "Hm. Inquisitive."

Hestea figured he should be offended, but to do anything other than cower in the misery of the rain seemed a worse endeavor. Of course he wanted to know where they were going. "Well?"

Gunter dropped his eyes to the fire, staring into flames that sizzled as drops slid past the second shield that covered the little campfire. He laid one hand on his knee, firm and still. "As you said, I did my research. And Beckenburg had its appeal."