Hounds Rising

“Well, why don’t the rest of you get some sleep?”

Ana looked at the rest of the party. While she was still tired, she knew she could start making an early breakfast, and after a few more hours, they would all be able to wake up and eat.

“I’ll stay up with you,” Rhokhishi stated while looking at the elf. “Someone should keep an eye on her in case she needs more healing.”

“Good thinking, Rhokhishi,” Ana responded.

Ana watched as each member of the group lay there silently for some time, unsure of what to do. She had learned from her parents, though, that keeping your hands busy was the best way to think through things. Ana moved some wood next to the fire. It would take a bit to heat it back up, but she had more than enough time. Helena leaned against one of the trees roughly five feet away. Ana saw Rhokhishi slowly making rounds, walking in a tight circle around the party.

“I’m sorry to hear about your friends,” Ana told Helena.

Helena had been staring into the fire while she worked, but being spoken to seemed to take her away from her trance. She blinked a few times, then looked up at Ana.

“Thank you. I’m sure some of them made it out alive, but it’s too early to know anything.”

“Well, you can rest here with us, and I have more than enough food to share,” Ana gestured to her bag.

“That’s very kind. I think I’ll take you up on that offer,” Helena said as she moved closer to the fire.

She pulled twenty-five gold pieces from a pouch on her left side and placed them near Ana’s little station on the cart. Then, she drew from another pocket and set a variety of herbs that looked to have been dried.

“Here, for your troubles,” She said, returning to the tree.

“I offered as a courtesy. You don’t owe me money,” Ana said shyly.

“Still, I don’t like to owe favors. Please, take it. Kindness is rare in this world.”

Helena sat back for some time, and Ana tried to work but kept looking over her shoulder at her. It wasn’t that she was worried, but something about her robes that held her attention. When her curiosity had gotten the better of her, she spoke up.

“Helena? I don’t mean to intrude, but I noticed those aren’t normal robes.”

Helena looked down at them, pulling it away to show the small patch on the front.

“These? I suppose not. They were from a time long ago for me.”

“You mentioned you were digging under the Church of Freyja, yet you have one of their patches?”

“A keen eye, you have. I traveled a lot in the past. I was a part of the clergy at one point, but things pulled me away.”

“Science?” Ana asked, confused.

“You could say that,” Helena’s eyes moved to the fire again, and Ana could see she was thinking deeply about something.

“Some time ago, I had lost a child at birth while at the church. It was hard for me to handle, and I needed time away to deal with my anger and resentment. Then, I met other Gods.”

“You met a God!?”

“Enough of them to not be too fond of them,” She laughed. “Powerful beings with bigger egos. I’ve lived over five hundred years. You learn that not all deities are what they seem.”

“Five hundred years? You must have tons of stories.”

“I do. If you’d like, I can tell you about them sometime.”

“That would be amazing!” Ana exclaimed.

Ana worked in silence for a bit, focusing heavily on the preparations for breakfast while Helena sat and watched. Rhokhishi would make her way back through every couple of minutes, her tired eyes looking off into the distance as she kept watch.

“I don’t think I received any of your names. In the haste of things, I forgot manners, it seems,” Helena smiled as she looked at Ana.

“I’m Ana. That’s Rhokhishi,” She pointed over.

“And the rest of them?” Helena gestured to the rest of the party.

“They… can introduce themselves when they get up.”

“No worries. Thank you, Ana.”

As the hours moved, eventually, everyone had awakened. Slowly, they made their way over and received a plate of food. Helena sat with the rest of them, her back towards the fire.

“You might need to be careful there. Too close to that fire, and you could get engulfed in flame,” Mr. Muffins pointed over to her.

“Not to worry. I’ve been granted some immunities throughout my years of studying and learning,” Helena stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

She reached toward the fire and placed her hands on one of the burning logs. After a moment, she pulled her hand away and showed them. Ana saw no burn marks at all! She knew some animals and creatures were resistant or immune to certain things, but fire?

“Is that something Freyja gave you?” Ana asked.

“I think it was something that I was born with. I’m sure some gifts came from the Gods, but some I already had.”

“Also, not to pry too much, but my mom taught me a decent amount about elf lineages, and I don’t remember Harkspell. Is that a newer name?”

“It’s more commonly known with the wood elves of the northern heavens of Alfheim. Most people in the main cities didn’t travel there unless they were on a pilgrimage to the temple of Luthais. While the Harkspells are considered High Elves, they had made a home with them in the past as temple keepers. I had chosen to leave religious duties to travel the world and learn more, but I ended up at another temple as if it were always a part of my life. I guess it was hard believing in a deity that never answered. But in Midgard, deities walked regularly.”

Helena looked out over the party, lost a bit in her thoughts again. Ana could sense a weird tension in the air.

“So, what are your plans now? Are you going to go back?” She asked Helena.

“I haven’t given it too much thought yet. I’m still wounded to some degree, and it will take a day or so to get back to form, but I will probably head back to the main office and gather volunteers to help.”

“You have a main office?” Mr. Muffins questioned.

“Yes, back at Kalavasi Farms. It’s Southwest of Ekholm but still a part of Migandi. I’m sorry. I didn’t get some of your names last night.”

“Mr. Muffins.”

“It’s rare to see a tabaxi in Migandi, but I know that your race is pretty condensed to Nothon and Cecela. Are you from here or there?” She asked him.

“More or less, Cecela. Westford area.”

“And you?” Helena asked Leaf.

“I’m Leaf,” He stated quietly, then returned to the book he was reading.

“I see those robes are fancier than I would expect of travelers without a carriage. I see the book in your hand as well. Are you studying the arcane?”

“Yes.”

Helena moved closer slightly, taking a moment to speak before getting closer.

“May I?”

Leaf held his book out carefully, keeping a firm grip on the cover. Ana watched as Helena looked over a few pages, then stopped to point at something.

“My my… I imagine this one hasn’t been working well for you. Here.”

Helena waved her hand, and Ana saw the ring on her finger glow slightly. As she did, an illusion of the script appeared an inch above the parchment. Carefully, she moved some of the equation to another place and fixed a spot on the sigil, and then they all watched as the symbol glowed a faint purple. She carefully brought the illusion to the paper to show the differences.

“This is the proper version. If you’d like to rewrite it, it should work better for you now.”

Leaf hastily pulled the ink and quill from his bag and started fixing the mistakes he must have had on the paper.