Katerin was content with her quiet life of studying the arcane, and wanted for nothing in her life. She had friends, family, and plenty to do.
But life has a way of changing people--a way of pushing them to do things far outside their comfort and ex...
She had not ever spoken to the big man, but since Fykes' first meeting with him, they saw him every time they traveled through the forest. He had even camped with them once. He never had much to say, but he was not unfriendly. His only true companion was a large brown bear, who was far friendlier than he.
"Auglier! Are you alright?" Katerin said in a harsh whisper, landing on her feet, stopping in front of him.
He was bloody and bruised, covered with chips of rock and dust. Large swollen cuts covered his arms. His face was anguished as he spoke. "Help. Help Kura," he pleaded.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the bear that he laid at her feet. Kura's fur was matted with blood and her back leg was stretched out at an odd angle, and she was breathing in shallow fast pants. "Sa'leid, get—"
Sa'leid was already moving for the camp, calling Arjiah's name in a low tone.
Katerin dropped to her knees and laid a tentative hand on Kura's head. The bear let out a soft growl, as Auglier pointed out the worst of her wounds, an agonized expression on his face. She worked what healing magic she could, talking soothingly to both Auglier and Kura.
Arjiah was there in another second, with Fykes close behind her. Arjiah took over the healing, finding each injury she could and sealing them to the best of her ability.
"Auglier, what happened?" Fykes asked, watching as they healed the heavily wounded bear.
Auglier frowned. Cuts and wounds covered him, and he looked exhausted. "Group of orcs followed you. We watched them. Threw their bodies to the rocks." He took a deep breath. "Kura protected my back. They hurt her. It was a choice they did not live to regret." He looked down at the bear again, compassion in his eyes.
Katerin looked up at him, cleaning blood from her hands. "You were trying to protect us?"
Auglier nodded uncomfortably. "You didn't need trouble, with the young one. You make an important journey." He smiled at Ra'liel and the young girl asleep in her arms.
"Why don't you and Kura stay with us tonight?" Fykes offered. "I might even have some smoked fish for her."
Auglier grinned, shaking his head. "You spoil her."
"It's the least we could do," Katerin said, "You need to be patched up, too. Come here." She gestured to a boulder off to the side.
"Just help Kura," he said. "I am fine."
Katerin gave him a skeptical and stern look. "Kura will be fine with some rest. You look about ready to fall over. Sit." She pointed to the boulder with a stern expression.
He obliged, giving her a strange look. It was a rare thing for him to be ordered around, she supposed. His size and attitude alone would have usually dissuaded any such notions. She did what little she could with magic to heal his wounds and bandaged the rest. Even she was surprised by how well she could bandage up an injury, after such a short time here. His were not serious, but an infection was still dangerous and possible.
After both he and Kura were cleaned and bandaged, they welcomed them into the camp, and the night passed in silence. While Auglier said little, he expressed his interest in traveling with them from this point forward. And in his silence, he cast more than one furtive glance towards Fykes.
Fykes and Arjiah returned from their watch later that evening, both wearing perplexed expressions.
"What's wrong?" Katerin asked, half standing up, looking at Fykes with a crease across her brow, tired and uneasy.
"Nothing's wrong," Fykes said. "Just strange... there's a tower across the peaks from us." He sat down, looking out the exit of their camp.
Everyone's eyebrows rose except for Auglier, and Sa'leid was already on his feet.
"It's quite far away from us," Arjiah assured. "No threat."
Katerin frowned. "There was no tower yesterday," she said, skepticism in her tone.
Fykes sat down with a shrug. "I was scanning the ridge-line, and it just appeared."
Auglier grunted, nodding. Kura's head was laid across his lap, and she was snoring soundly, large paws kicking every so often. "It has a pattern," he said. "Sometimes visible from this side. Sometimes not."
"Buildings don't just move," Katerin said, a hint of worry still present in her tone. "Do you know the pattern?"
He nodded, "It will move closer for two more nights, and then travel to the other end of the range. Then the cycle repeats. I watch it often."
"That's pretty easy to track," she said. "It follows the mountain range?"
"Always," he said.
Ra'liel and Sa'leid both left the camp, scurrying to the lookout to see this spire for themselves.
"The bounty board in Ky'lei'mei mentioned a moving spire. Think this is the one?" Katerin asked.
"I doubt there's another one," Fykes said, wiping a hand across his face. "Feeling adventurous again already?"
She let out a tired sigh. "No. But it could be important."
Arjiah gave her a concerned look. "Think that's where Byron is?"
"What better hiding place than a moving tower," Katerin said, a knot of dread in her stomach.
"We'll learn more in Uhm'trimbhya," Arjiah reassured, reaching out and patting her arm. "Don't worry, dear."
Fykes settled next to Katerin, resting an arm on her shoulders. She looked at Auglier. "Do you know anything else about it?"
"It glows, sometimes. Always moves at the same time. Never changes its dance."
"Thanks," she said, chewing on her lip. She lay awake for some time that night, considering what went into a building like that. How it was created, and the magical ability required to move it. She could not figure it out, yet. If it was not connected to Byron and her dreams, then why was it here on a tiny, unknown frontier?
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