Immediately the two of them went to work building the camp. First thing first, Sol walked around inspecting the immediate area for danger, when he found none, he went to work on the fire. Sol gathered wood while Rainnah scrounged up the kindling, and when they had it all set, Sol, using his magic, set them ablaze. The fire licked at the wood happily tasting the minerals and burned brightly in thanks. The two of them, then, took out the supplies for the tent, and spent the rest of the hour placing it in order, once set, Rainnah spread out blankets to sleep upon. Once done, Sol inspected the area for the second time. Satisfied that there was no danger at hand, he went to work on making the much needed Mana Tea.
Mana Tea is made from a rare purple root that grows only in a few locations in the whole of the planet of Parthas. Doh'vane happened to be one of those places and so the Les'fure family capitalized on it. Yes, there were other teas and other potions that were like it, but none were the same, the potency was as if mana itself took the form of this plant, and so it was that this Mana wrought quite a large sum of gold from neighboring cities, which accounted for over half the Les'fure family's wealth. Sol would see none of it now, but wealth wasn't everything.
Sol went down to the river and retrieved a cauldron of water and brought it back to the fire, at which time he put into the cauldron ten purple leaves. Since they had not the supplies needed to properly hold the cauldron above the fire, Sol once again resorted to using magic. He levitated the cauldron so that it floated just inside the fire, and held it there suspended until it began to boil. The smell of the tea floated into his nostrils and he breathed it in deeply, the magic was already beginning to work. Rainnah who wasn't a magical being enjoyed the aroma but couldn't quite grasp the power behind it, all she knew was that when Sol used too much magic it drained him, and when he drank the tea it restored his strength and alertness.
Rainnah watched him drink. His tired face began to lift almost instantly, a new life visibly grew across his face.
Magic was a mystery to her. How did it work? she had read many books and listened carefully to Sol whenever he'd tried to explain it, but could never fully grasp the concept, and perhaps she never would. The world was a scary place for someone like her, being stuck in a world of magic without the ability to use it was frustrating. She tried not to let it get to her and most times she was successful, but on nights like this, it was very difficult.
She closed her eyes and relaxed her mind, she thought of her new life a family of her own and tried to interact with the magic as he did, but it was of no use, she was only human. The only thing she could sense was the fading warmth of the dying fire and the chill of the night creeping back with vengeance.
Her frustration rising, she opened her eyes. Why was she born human? A witch would have been more acceptable but she was nothing of the sort. She just could not understand why Sol cared so much for her.
Stop that! She scolded herself. She disliked when she fell into this line of thinking, it depressed her, and she did not like being depressed. She lowered her head letting her hair fall passed her face like a veil. For a long moment, she stared at the ground as if it were going to reach out and fix everything, then with a sigh she blew her frustration into her bangs and watch her hair dance in the wind of it.
She remembered what her father taught her: Dream big, never give up, never lose faith in yourself, work hard and the impossible just might happen. Sol was the proof her father spoke the truth; so was the fact that they were headed to Herein. She should be happy; so why wasn't she?
She wanted more than anything to scream, and perhaps that would ease the tension building within her skull, it could also bring them unwanted company so she decided against it.
###
Laimon walked along the riverbed tussle resting upon his shoulder. They had been out all evening scouting the area for potential travelers, and now that night was drawing near, it was time to turn back with nothing new to report. Travelers never stopped anymore, not for four weeks, people had caught on. Laimon thought it best to just move to a new location and catch a new set of people unaware, but that was not his decision to make, and so they stayed.
"What you say, Tuss, Hungry?" The bird chirped and Laimon's belly gave off a low audible growl. "Me too." He was dreading telling Ta'nnah he had failed yet again and so he was happy to postpone his return and curb his appetite. He glanced around. Spotting an old and fallen tree, He walked to it and sat, adjusting himself so he would not sit on his tail, then he reached into his purple messenger bag and retrieved a rotten apple. Tussle chirped happily at the sight and Laimon licked his lips. For you see, he did not think of the apple as rotten, to him, it was softened, blackened and ripened to perfection, and as he ate, the juice of it, ran both into his mouth and down it. He wiped his jaws with his hand then licked his hand. This one he thought was a particularly good one, and when he had finished it, he was sad that it was gone; luckily, however, he brought another one with him.
It was a bit chilly, but Laimon did not mind the cold. His brown fur was plenty thick, and his purple cotton hat kept his ears warm. The cold had little effect on him. He pulled from his bag his second apple. The smell was strong, just as he liked it. His tongue begged for it. How could he say no to his own tongue? It was impossible to resist, so he did not even try. In two bites, the apple was gone. He then reached into his bag and pulled from it yet another rotten apple. This one he ate more slowly sharing it with his friend.
The night waned on and Laimon and Tussle talked together, an hour or so must have passed before Laimon finally stood and said, "Tuss. It is high time I face the fire. You don't have to come. I'll see you in the morning." The bird chirped and pecked him on the cheek then took off into the night passing over the crescent moon.
Laimon looked about, one last time, hoping beyond hope that he would spot something that would spark his interest; and as if by magic, he did. A flicker of firelight loomed off in the distance. Campfire meant campers. Campers meant merchandise. Laimon's ears perked happily and his tail flicked with excitement. He smiled ominously and his whiskers twitched. It was time to pay Lox a visit.
###
Somewhere south east of where Laimon was and just northeast of sol and Rainnahs camp stood a small cabin, whose original builders died years ago and now was claimed by its new owner: Lox from the house of Hornell.
Lox despite his full-blooded appearance, was only a quarter Orc. His grandmother a human witch named Nora, raised him until he was old enough to be on his own. Which he was for a while and learned many things, most of which was how to steal. He became quite good at it, as a matter of fact, built quite a reputation for himself, so much so that the Mangori had taken interest in him. He sort of became an un-official member helping them out when needed. Only a rat could become a real member. He didn't care. He never wanted to become an official member and was thinking about leaving soon anyway; for now, however, he dealt with them. It had its perks, he was standing in a cabin of his own full of nice things he and they had previously stolen.
In the far right corner stood a bookshelf, full of books hardly read. Lox was not much of a reader, though he did occasionally find one that interested him. He would steal one, read it front to back, then put it on his shelf. There it would sit and gather dust. Lox hardly ever read the same book twice, he did not see the point in it. He remembered every word he had ever read, an ability he inherited from his grandmother.
Next to the bookshelf was a large wooden crate that held his firewood. Lox reached in, pulled from it a healthy sized log, and tossed it into the fire. That should keep it burning for while.
The stone fireplace stood in the center of the far wall, the mantle of which held a lantern, some Lantern oil, a rusty key and an assortment of odd blue stones his grandmother gave him. They looked valuable, but lox's did not know how valuable they were, or what they were for.
In the far left corner, he hung his quiver, which he always kept full of arrows, and his bow. An ax and a hammer leaned against the wall. A set of knives lay sheathed in a pile on the floor. It would be difficult for anyone to get to them because they would first have to lean across his bed.
His bed took up most of the right wall, leavening only room for a small dresser that held his lighter clothing. On top of the dresser lay a rolled up belt, an unsheathed hunters knife, and at the back leaned against the wall, was a mirror.
On the other side of the room, pushed up against the left wall, was a wooden rectangular table. Two chairs sat at either side - one for him and the other for a guest; that is if he ever got one.
In the middle of the room, closer to the fire then the door, was a rocking chair. The Mangari originally stole it, but he owned it now. His last chair was roughly made, as were most of his things, and was horrible on his backside. This chair, however, had soft cushions and was very comfortable. He walked over to it, as he did on many cold nights, and sat.
The day had been a busy one for Lox, busy but productive. He had stolen from a company that stealing from was supposed to be impossible. The Great Sparrow had plenty of exotic Items, they would not miss one little dagger. He smiled to himself. He was proud of his accomplishment.
Although he wanted to stay awake and replay the events in his head. He was worn out and tired. When he thought about it, it did not seem like he did very much hard work, but his body felt as he had been hammering pointlessly for hours? He closed his eyes, only for a moment he thought, but instead, he fell asleep.
A sudden knock at his door awoke Lox from his sleep. Even before his mind had a full grasp of what was happening, he was on his feet, dagger in hand, staring questioningly at the door. "Who are you?" Lox commanded, his voice deep and imposing. "State your name and why you've come." For a second he had thought it The Great Sparrow come back for their dagger, but why bother knocking? If it were him he'd just burst through the door.
"It's me, open up!" came the voice of Laimon. Lox eased the grip on the dagger but didn't put it away. He didn't much care for Laimon, he didn't exactly know why, but something about him irked him. "You going to let me in or what?" It didn't matter what he thought of him, Laimon was a part of the Mangari and for now at least so was he. Reluctantly he crossed the room, sheathing the dagger as he did so, and opened the door, regretting it almost immediately. There stood Laimon hunched over, as was his build, with his tail flickering impatiently.
"Hurry up then," Lox growled holding open the door, "You're letting out the heat." Laimon brushed passed him rudely and looked about the room. Lox close shut the door.
"Where is it?" Laimon asked his eyes still wandering around the room.
"Where is what?" Lox eyed him questioningly. Did he know about the dagger?
"You know the mirror?"
Lox was relieved. Strictly speaking, he wasn't supposed to steal without the Mangari, it was forbidden in their code. Did it even matter he wondered? It wasn't like he was a full member or anything; still, he didn't want to sever the relationship just yet.
"It's over there," Lox pointed to the mirror atop his dresser. "lost your ability to observe, I see."
Laimon glared, did Lox really think he was that stupid? "I just didn't think you were stupid enough to keep something so valuable in plain sight," Laimon retorted. "I guess I was wrong."
"You always are Laimon," Lox snapped. "Plain site is the best place to hide a mirror, besides no one, had dare steal from me."
"I don't have time for this, I have news for Ta'nnah," Laimon said harshly. "Tell me how this thing works."
###
Meanwhile back at the camp, Sol tried to search the darkness for signs of danger but found it difficult to focus his mind while it dwelt on his own inner struggles. The moment he met Rainnah he knew she was the one, but his parents refused to accept her. Why did they have to be so difficult? Why did it come to this? Why did they not just accept her? Why did they have to be so backward? Couldn't they see that he was happy? It just wasn't enough for them.
"What is it?" Rainnah said sitting up and brushing her hair out of her eyes; she always knew when something was wrong. "What's out there? Is everything okay?"
Sol blinked, letting his mind return to him, and exhaled. His breath floated from him like a smoky ghost drifting off to haunt some unexpected stranger. He lingered for a moment longer watching it trail away before turning his attention to her. "Everything is fine" he lied, "I am just being watchful is all."
Rainnah smiled and tried to relax but it was so difficult. The night air was harsh and the shadows gave no sign of parting; Each time a cloud blew passed the crescent of the moon the shadows would stir and a chill would wind its way up her spine. "That's good," she said," I was afraid that something might spoil our plans."
Sol scanned the darkness one last time before taking a seat next to her. His warmth enveloped her almost instantly. "I would never let that happen," he said to her, "everything will turn out okay."
"I know," she sighed trying to ease the tension building within her skull. "I worry, a side effect of being human I guess."
"I'm anxious also Rainnah," Sol said truthfully, "It's going to be this way until we get there. We've talked about this."
"I know, I remember." Rainnah defended, "But talking and doing are two very different things and now that this is actually happening it scares me a little. I am only human and this forest is ... I feel like I am stepping into a starving dragons den."
"I will let nothing come between us and our future," Sol promised. "It's too late to turn back now."
"I know you will, I believe in you and I believe in us." She smiled relieved talking about it was just what she needed, and stating it so confidently made it true. "We will be okay. It will be great."
"It will be perfect." Sol declared with confidence.
"Sol?" She whispered lovingly, as she did when she wanted something.
"Yes my dear?" replied Sol glad to see her happy again.
"Your fire is dying."
Sol waved his hand over the dying fire commanding it to rise, immediately it obeyed and burned with a renewed frenzy. "There you go." he said," All better now."
"Thank you," said Rainnah leaning over and laying her head upon Sol's shoulder; she felt his rigid body relax almost at once. She smiled, It brought her joy to think she, a mere human, had that effect on him. Who would have thought it?
He then put his arm around her holding her lovingly. She was the most beautiful woman and he alone was holding her. He did not care what anyone thought of them, he was proud and unwavering in his love for her.
As he held her, her body became warm and the chill of the night had no effect. She did not know why sol loved her so much, but at that moment, she didn't question it.
###
Somewhere in the dwarven mines, Ta'nnah was pacing back and forth, back and forth. She was frustrated. Her men were growing restless, they wanted action--wanted blood, and she wanted to give it to them; but there was no word from Laimon. She needed to find him and hear that there were some unlucky travelers headed there way.
She walked over to her fancy desk, which had a vanity mirror, and sat upon a fancy stool. She stared into the mirror hoping it would spring to life and as she hoped she got her to wish. She gasped at the sudden appearance of Laimon's head within the mirror, then quickly consoled herself. "Laimon, where's Lox? Why did you contact me this way?"
" Sorry about that, I know you don't like me using the mirror but Lox was close. I have some good news for you."
"Well?" she said impatiently.
"I've spotted campfire light."
Ta'nnah's bad mood ended in an instant. " Wonderful Laimon, I just knew you'd pull through. Don't tell anyone this, but you've always been my favorite."
Laimon felt his cheeks grow hot, he was suddenly very happy he had fur to hide his blush.
"So," said Lox's head abruptly replacing Laimon's. "The usual."
" Yes," she answered, " distract them, find out what they have and report back to me."