Private Tales Upriver

[Eislyn Gray]

Arm drifted down so her fingers squeezed his own. A small shrug along her shoulders. She didn't know as much for the intricacies between species. She'd stolen a read in that forbidden section of her father's library but there had never been much. Enough to, at least, not be as ignorant as her father.

It didn't take them long to find the stall. Eislyn did not miss the few dirty looks a few outsiders sent the orcish woman working at the forge. But the items that dotted the walls were impressive. At least to her eyes. Were the dwarves jealous?

And this woman reminded her a bit of Geelyn.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"Good morning, or afternoon. I'm never quite sure here," Rayth admitted. He had yet to work out the water clocks that the dwarves used to tell the time.

The orc didn't reply. She leaned forwards over some leather, finishing with the metal studs. Eventually she stood up, wiping her hands down with a cloth and turning to face them.

Rayth slowly looked up at her.

"What?"

"We were looking for armour. For joining the deep roads. She's a mage and I..."

Thelma leaned over the counter and looked down at his sword then over at Eislyn. She seemed to be sizing them up.

"Perhaps leather for her, maybe mail for..."

"Not mail. You use a light sword. Navy? Not cavalry? You want brigandine. Leather with steel plates. Gives you movement but actually does something. Metal interfere with your magic?" she asked Eislyn gruffly.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Eislyn had to tilt her head slightly to meet the Orc's eyes. She was a little hesitant to admit that. It could be a secret that anyone could use to their advantage.

"Yes," she finally admitted, leaving out what kind. Luckily for her, swords weren't usually made of iron. Nor was the type of armor she was looking for.

"And I'm looking for a light sword as well. Something I'll be able to handle. Unless you have another idea for a weapon that would be better suited for me?"

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"Well you don't have the look of an axe woman about yer, so I'd probably go sword."

Rayth was mildly amused at hearing an orc with a touch of a dwarven accent. The two species were not known for getting along particularly well.

Thelma returned with a basic steel blade. It was light, straight and had a simple crossguard.

"How's that fer weight?" she asked, holding it out.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

"Oh," blonde brows arched along her fair skin. An axe woman. She'd never even thought of that. A part of her felt indignant to have the choice taken away so quickly and the other part of her was relieved.

Fingers enclosed around the sword's handle. It felt steady in her hand. Not too heavy. She inched back from Rayth a bit and held it out as if she were going to lunge at him.

"It feels good. Better watch out swashbuckler," her smile at Rayth was the most nonthreatening thing ever. She swung the sword through the air, a bit sloppily.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

Rayth made a very deliberate step backwards to put some distance between himself and Eislyn, holding up his arms in feigned surrender.

"Is that much metal gonna mess up yer magic then?" the orc asked. She had her hands on her hips, apparently unimpressed with their antics.

"It'll be fifty silver for the sword. Same again for the leather, but one gold for the brigandine."

Rayth chewed on his lip. "Don't have that much, I'll have to try and get some payment up front for the expedition."

"Hah!" laughed Thelma. "Payment in advance from a dwarf. Good joke. Leather for you as well or do you want to try the impossible?"

 

[Eislyn Gray]

"No, my magic will be fine." It wasn't an iron sword. And that's all she was say on that.

Eislyn looked to Rayth and frowned. Were they that low on funds already? It had been a long road from the swamps to here. She'd never had to worry about coin before.

How spoiled was that?

Lowering the sword, she held it back out to the orc. "It's beautiful but I'd rather you fit him with what he needs, first." Verdant eyes flickered to Rayth's with a look that said it's okay. If their expedition went well. Then? Maybe she would get a sword of her own.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"Ah now see, this is a fairly basic sword. I can knock out several of them a day. Good coat of brigandine takes a lot of time. A whole day. That's why gold."

The orc looked down at them and cross her arms over her chest.

"Look," she went, despite the fact that they had said anything. "I might..."

She turned around and vanished behind a rack of cooling weapons.

"Here," she said, returning with a sword without a hilt. "Not to my standards. Was going to melt it down. Ten silver and at least you have a blade. Offcuts of the armour will do for a handle but you'll have to wrap it."

Rayth looked to Eislyn and nodded. If he'd known looking pathetic and staying silent would work in bartering he'd have tried it long ago.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Shoulders shrugged back at him. She liked the idea of working with something that needed a little more care to get up to snuff. Too many things had been handed to her because of her title. Perhaps it was time for a change.

"Okay," she responded to the orc and took hold of the blade carefully. "Thank you."

She went back to stand next to Rayth and found she enjoyed the closeness. The brush of his arm and shoulder against her own. She'd never get enough of his touch. And perhaps now it didn't make her blush so much. It still thrilled her but she was no longer embarrassed by it.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

Thelma stepped out of her shop with a length of twine. Used it to take several measurements, nicking the string with a blade each time.

"Right, that will do. Be finished in two days, but I want half the coin before I close up this evening."

"Deal," said Rayth, handing over the coin. Safer on his person than in the room, he figured.

As they walked away, he took Eislyn's hand in his own. His hand flinched.

"You have no idea how painful that handshake just was," he explained, laughing.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

She frowned and looked down at his hand.

Then a glint of humor flashed in her eyes. Fingers gently curled around his own as she brought his fingers up to her lips. "Do you need me to kiss it and make it better?"

A smile in her eyes and on her mouth as she held his hand close. She began tenderly pressing kisses on each of his digits, ending with the back of his hand. "Do you think you'll be up to the task of teaching me to use a blade, husband?"

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"Heh," went Rayth. Apparently all thought fled his mind at the brush of her lips. For one so naive, she seemed to genuinely know what she was doing to him.

Husband. It still resonated in lots of different ways when she said it. It wasn't a word he had ever expected to hear like that. Settling down was something he had put off, in fact he had fled his home and been disowned to avoid it. He adored the sound of it from her lips. No one else mattered, they hadn't needed witnesses for them to make that commitment to one another.

"Teach you anything if you keep kissing me like that," he replied. He was left trying to remember if there was anything else they needed.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Eislyn and Rayth spent another two nights at that inn and barely resurfaced. If it wasn't for the lure of adventure or the need for more coin, she wondered if they'd ever venture outside again. They soon found themselves in the deep roads, lead by the same dwarf who married them.

Was it Grummel?

Eislyn was embarrassed because she couldn't remember his name. She wore the soft leather armor that he'd bought her and the sword strapped across her back. The new weight was strange. And hard to get used to. And a part of her wondered if she'd actually be able to use it. Be able to injure another or end another's life with it. Sure there was the assassin and that beast on the swamps. But still...she'd never liked violence.

"Well, I enjoyed our privacy while it lasted," she whispered to Rayth with a smile. Now they'd be camping along the road. Didn't leave much space or time to enjoy each other.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

The abandoned roads

"You want privacy?" Harram asked, making the point for them. "You're not getting that on the road," he laughed.

Most of them walked, but there were a few pack ponies drawing carts along the old road. It meant that they frequently had to stop and clear rubble from the way so that the carts could keep on going.

"We were just noting that Harram," Rayth replied with a soft chuckle. What he hadn't though of, at the onset of this journey, was how oppressive the darkness would feel. They relit old lanterns as they went, but always they were trudging towards a maw of absolute darkness. The shadows had quickly reclaimed what the dwarves had left behind.

"You two wanna know what monsters yer in fer on the honeymoon?"

 

[Eislyn Gray]

"Well," she stated quietly, looking down at the exposed skin on her hand and wrist. It seemed to glow just slightly. If they were away from the rest of the natural light from the cave's glowing fungus and the torches, she imagined she'd stick out. It was a strange feeling.

Fingers tugged at her sleeve, trying to pull it further down as she looked back up at their jolly dwarf guide and officiant.

"Perhaps the monsters will make the honeymoon all the more memorable." A twinkle in her deep, green eyes. "And yes, I'd like to know." Heart thumbed a little quicker against her ribcage, eyes darting around. To think how many horrors she and Rayth had already fought and witnessed together. She wondered how worse things could get.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"If we're lucky then just goblins. If we're less lucky shadow beasts have been seen in this parts. Cave trolls are common, even in the deeps."

"Does anyone even know what could be in the lost section of the city?" Rayth asked. He looked ahead to the dwarven masonry that kept the tunnel open all this time. Looking back made him feel more confident in the endeavour. Thirty well armed dwarves in chainmail.

"No one's made it that far in many, many years," Hammal laughed. "You know, if you need monsters to make the honeymoon more memorable...we've got this old book in the library that..."

"No, no quite alright thank you," Rayth interjected.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Eislyn did not know what Harram was going on about. But she got the general idea. And the way Rayth hurried time say no. She felt heat rise to her cheeks and was thankful for the semi-darkness of these deep caves....even with the light they carried.

Verdant gaze trained ahead. There was a sparkle of light. A glow of red. Moving along the outer walls of a very old city.

“Did...any of you see that?” Feet took her faster ahead, long strides curious. Perhaps she shouldn’t put so much distance between herself and the party she traveled with. Especially because dwarves took shorter strides.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

Rayth didn't see what she saw, at least not at first. He imagined things lingering in the darkest recesses. The ancient architecture was stunning, but his imagination could still conjure monsters of the dancing shadows.

"Eislyn!" he called out, darting after her.

Now he saw the light. At first he thought it was the reflection of a jewel in the stone. He could hear the column still behind them. Short strides, but heavy boots carrying the weight of chainmail. It was reassuring.

He matched her stride, holding up his torch. The reflection moved a little. Then it moved very quickly through the shadows.

"That's not a jewel..." he muttered.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

"No," head shook. A prickly sensation began traveling up her arms. The back of her neck. There was a rustling in the air. Head tilted to the side.

She found herself within some old outer walls. A maze that seemed to take them deeper. The red light flitted further away just as the wall opened up to an inside, honey-comb shape in the darkness.

She took a step back, into Rayth.

A whisper.

"This doesn't feel right."

 

[Rayth Keirn]

He placed an arm around her, the flat of his hand across her waist. He couldn't see anything moving other than the dancing shadows, but his eyes could still pick up a sense of motion.

"What even is that?" he hissed, holding his torch higher. It was like a nest, built against the wall.

"Harram?" he called over his shoulder. Just beyond the torchlight he caught more glints. Things moving in the shadows around them.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

She was half turned into him. Fingers of one hand tightening along his shirt. She could hear the shuffle if dwarves footsteps behind them. But there was another sound.

A buzzing.

Fingers tightened on his shirt and she stepped back, trying to pull him with her. The glow of his torch caught a small pixie shape with rapidly fluttering wings. Eyes flowed red and when the small creature opened its mouth, tiny sharp fangs glinted.

It dove toward Rayth’s neck.

Eislyn jerked as four more appeared, diving toward any exposed flesh.

“Run!” She yelled.