— Outskirts of Kiverryn, Iskendryn, Andavaran —
Of all the worlds she had traveled to, this one was, most often, her favorite. Filled with rich nobles ever eager to flash their gold, corrupt leaders, and constantly feuding kingdoms, Andavaran was never short on entertainment. And Kiverryn, Andavaran's capital city, never failed to provide Lulu with a sufficient distraction. To date, this might've been her biggest distraction, and the damage she caused—well, she was certain the guards would be talking about her for ages.
The thought made her smile as she limped slowly through the forest. It had been an excellent chase, complete with angry guards, the rush of blood pounding in her ears, and at the end of it, she had gotten to entertain an incredibly beautiful woman for the entire night. Granted, they had been stuck inside of someone's barn, curled up together on a pile of hay, but as far as nights were concerned, Lulu had much, much, worse.
Lady Teressa had been delightful company, a sufficient distraction, exactly what she had needed. Lulu had planned to leave her new companion there in the pile of hay, slumbering and dreaming of the adventures her newfound freedom would bring her. But just as Lulu had been slipping on her clothes, the telltale sound of guards had drifted over the hill. And so, Lulu had grabbed Teressa and ran again, the gilded carriage easy enough for the guards to spot. Despite the chase, she had managed to find a sufficient location in which to leave Teressa with the incredibly convincing promise to return to her the moment it was safe to do so.
Not that she would. Teressa was safe. Mostly. Probably. But that didn't matter anymore. Lulu had gotten what she wanted. There was no more reason to stay here. And so, regardless of how entertaining Kiverryn was, it was time to move on.
There were far more important adventures to be had.
A smell caught her nose. Lulu came to a stop, tilting her head up just enough to catch another whiff. This time, she breathed deeply, allowing the scent to fill her lungs. She knew that smell. Snow-willow boar. Her favorite.
Feet turning in a northern direction, Lulu followed the scent, already knowing exactly what she would find before she crested a steep incline and caught sight of her friend through her trees. Not too far ahead, Idelle waited for her in a small, secluded camp, warded by magic to conceal its presence from everyone except her. Lulu's stomach rumbled loudly as she neared the camp. The smell of dinner wafted through the trees, tempting in its delicious promise of satisfaction. Idelle's cooking was the best she had ever tasted, and her stomach growled in its impatience.
As she drew nearer, her friend glanced up from her careful work, the soft morning light kissing Idelle's russet skin. White markings curled along her body, soft sinuous lines that always looked as though they had been painted from her jaw, down along her neck, and extending down to fingers and toes. Though many mistook them for tattoos, they were markings she had been born with, something that Idelle was always self-conscious of. A few loose strands of hair dangled freely, escaping the carefully constructed braids that were gathered in an elegant bun. Violet eyes looked at her knowingly, communicating with gentle humor that Idelle knew exactly what she had been up to with Lady Teressa these last few days. She never broke the gaze, even as her nimble fingers kept working diligently on the food she prepared.
"You crashed the carriage, didn't you?" Idelle finally asked as she handed Lulu a small wooden bowl of the stew she had prepared.
"Not that one," Lulu shrugged as she lowered herself to the ground, her bruised muscles pulling uncomfortably with the movement. "I...may have borrowed one from Brandy-Bran."
Idelle rolled her eyes, kneeling at her side. Lulu ate quietly as her friend raised a hand, her magic reaching out to gently begin healing her of her wounds. Idelle was one of the most talented mages she had ever met, and she had learned her healing arts from her Aunt Teryn, a legendary hero in her own right. In a few minutes, her pain faded away to a distant memory.
"So, is that where you left her, then?" Idelle asked when she was finished and filled her own bowl. "With Brandon?"
Lulu nodded. "Made sense. So, how much did that dowry turn out to be? I assume you went back for it as soon as Teressa and I left? Can we retire and live in the lap of luxury forever? Oh! Maybe we could buy our own kingdom. I'm sure we could find a king or two who'd sell."
Idelle smiled playfully. "Well, maybe if you weren't in debt to everyone we've ever met, we could retire somewhere. Not that I believe you actually capable of that."
"Why not? Farmer Lulu could be a thing. I can be as lazy as the next person. What about the time we visited Agira in Valdornne? That was a nice change of pace."
Her friend leveled a hard stare. "We were there for two days, and you started a civil war because you slept with Lady Rella on her wedding night before her husband could make it to their chambers."
Lulu giggled. "Oh yeah. That was fun."
"But, to answer your question, the dowry is sufficient enough to pay off a few of your debts and go home."
That perked Lulu up, the mention of home filling her with warmth even as she frowned slightly. "We don't need the money to go home. We could just..."
"Lulu, I'm tired," Idelle sighed. "It was a lot of work throwing the guards off your trail, sneaking into the duke's estate, stealing the dowry, and transporting it all out of the city. We have the money to pay the Black Gathering. I'd rather an easy journey home than trying to manipulate the veil myself."
"You act like interstellar magic is difficult or something," Lulu teased softly. Idelle rolled her eyes. "But fine. We'll pay them this once. But only once. Highway robbery, if you ask me."
"I didn't."
Lulu stuck out her tongue teasingly. "It's been...what...seven months since we were last home? Shit. Aunt Teryn's gonna kill us."
"You," Idelle pointed her spoon at her. "She adores me."
"I can finally ask her to translate the text we found. What was it called again? 'Riding very slowly?'"
"Are you serious?" Idelle laughed. "Aunt Teryn raised you. A very famous elven queen raised you, and you still can't pronounce anything elven. The book is, Rydoran Vir'Sarelle."
"Yeah, that. And hey, she might have raised me, but I'm still just a human, you know. My kind is notorious for knowing nothing about the other races. What's your excuse? Your father's elven, and I don't see you reading that book."
"It's an ancient dialect. I can sound out the words, but I can only translate a few of them. I don't want to risk mistranslating something and sending us on a wild goose chase. If anyone can read it, it's Aunt Teryn. She'll know what to do."
"I hope so," Lulu mumbled quietly, setting her bowl aside now that it was empty. Idly, her hand raised to play with the necklace dangling loosely there. A small silver star hanging on an ordinary silver chain. In the center of the star there was a small blue stone that pulsed gently with aether. By rights, Idelle should have worn it. It belonged to her family. Aunt Teryn was Idelle's family by blood. Lulu bore no blood connection, but Lulu wouldn't have parted with the necklace for the world.
It was the last link she had to her dad.
"Stop it," Idelle's gentle voice broke the somber silence that had settled over their camp.
Lulu blinked sharply, unaware that her thoughts had wandered so far. Quickly, she shook off the melancholy mood, flashing her friend a mischievous grin instead. "Stop what? Being incredibly sexy? Can't. The gods made me this way."
"Lulu...I know what this means to you, but you push yourself too hard sometimes. I think it might be better if..."
"I'm fine, Dell. Really. Last time was a fluke. Elusia Vale and her faithful companion Idelle Ralia laugh in the face of danger and thwart every villain in their path."
"You almost died, Lu."
It wasn't an over-exaggeration. Even now, she could feel that man's hands around her throat, squeezing the life from her. Idelle had never said as much, but Lulu knew regardless. For a moment, however brief, she had, in fact, died. Everything had gone black, warmth had enveloped her, and then, it felt as though she was drifting away. But Idelle had been there to bring her back before any real damage had been done. If she hadn't—Lulu shook her head. It did no good to dwell.
"But I'm here, and alive, and more fabulous than ever! Besides, it'll be another grand adventure. Nothing wrong with those."
"You know he wouldn't want this."
"If this lead doesn't go anywhere, I'll let you pick our next destination. But I, at least, want Aunt Teryn to look, okay? I've got a good feeling about this one. It's supposed to talk about the Garden of Starlight."
Idelle nodded, setting her own bowl aside. "Alright. But if it doesn't go anywhere, then I think we should take a break. At least for a little while."
Lulu smiled. "Deal."
It was a lie. They both knew it. Her dad had disappeared nearly twenty years ago, and from the moment Lulu had been old enough to begin traveling, she had searched for him. Every lead. Every world. It didn't matter how far she had to go, how many old ruins she had to search, or how many enemies and monsters she had to face. She would track him to the ends of the universe if she had to. And even though Idelle encouraged her to slow down, to rest, Idelle had never abandoned her in her search. Each lead, each world, Idelle was always right there beside her.
And for now, that was more than enough.