Chapter 6
"Are you alright?" Chespar asked as Lorn groaned.
Lorn opened his eyes to see the mouse standing over his head, whiskers trembling as he stared at Lorn. Gasping in surprise, Lorn knocked Chespar backwards as he sat up, then rubbed at a tightness in his chest. It didn't actually hurt, but it felt odd. He glanced around as Chespar jumped back to his feet and found himself back in Rondi's house. "What happened?" he asked Chespar.
"You killed those monsters, then passed out," Chespar replied. "Gilead brought you here. It was really odd to see him in a set of knight's armor."
"Rondi told me he used to be one once," Lorn muttered, then remembered something. "Wait, where's Rondi?"
"Being grouchy," Chespar said, climbing up Lorn's back to reclaim his shoulder post as Lorn got to his feet. "She's mostly stuck in a chair right now with that burn on her leg. Not happy about it either. Dad's been coming over to see you both actually."
"Did...Did anyone get hurt?" Lorn asked, worried.
"Nothing major. Mostly there was just a lot of property damage."
Lorn nodded, relieved. Rebuilding would be a bit of trouble, but it wouldn't be the end of the town. He made his way to the door, surprised at what he didn't really feel. He'd been hurt a bit in that fight, but beyond a bit of tightness here and there, all he felt was a bit hungry.
They found Rondi quickly enough, the sheepdog waiting just outside the front door of her home in a chair. Her leg was wrapped up in bandages, and a pair of crutches leaning on the wall next to her filled Lorn in on most of the story. The angry look on her face said the rest. Rondi had always been rather independent, so being injured like this wouldn't exactly help her attitude. "You're finally awake," she said as Lorn stepped outside. She sounded grumpy, but Lorn chose not to comment on the way her tail was wagging.
"Yea, I'm alive I guess."
Rondi snorted. "Those demons couldn't have killed you."
"Lorn's too good for them!' Chespar said, pumping a fist in the air and grinning.
"Shut it squeaky," Rondi said, grunting as Chespar huddled against his friend. "Lorn isn't that good, and wasn't equipped for that fight. Those demons literally couldn't kill him. Rough him up a bit? Sure, but not kill. If they could have, that fight would have had a very different ending." She sighed and looked away. "Don't get me wrong Lorn, you did very well with what you had, but you still only barely won that fight. Hell, I barely won, and that was with you helping watch my back."
Lorn looked away himself. You'll, uh, get better, right?" he asked, waving at Rondi's leg.
"Our resident nurse says it'll heal," Rondi grunted. "So long as I keep putting on that salve of his." She wrinkled her nose. "Damn stuff reeks. And itches!"
"You'll need to deal with it if you want to walk again," Tsivar said, walking up. "Finally awake Lorn? How are you feeling?"
"Better than I thought. My chest feels a little odd though."
"I'm sure it does," Rondi muttered, earning a glance from Lorn. "Bah, the chew toy can tell you," she said when she noticed the look.
"Ch-chew toy?' Tsivar asked, eyes wide.
Rondi chuckled. "Small, cute, and squeaks when you poke it," she said, grinning wickedly. "Chew toy."
Lorn rolled his eyes as Tsivar and Chespar both squirmed. "Rondi," he said, sighing, "leave them be.
The sheepdog huffed and sat back, though the twinkle in her eye remained. "Fine," she muttered.
Tsivar nervously looked back and forth between Lorn and Rondi. "Well, he began, clearing his throat, "I-I'm afraid that the demon left a... Well, I'm not exactly sure what to call it." He frowned, waving a paw around. "Rondi was injured from the fires of one of those things."
"Demons," Rondi interrupted. "They were a kind of demon, and not weak ones either, which means someone powerful really wants to get their paws on Lorn."
"Y-yes," Tsivar said, nodding. "The... demon fire crippled her, which," he added pointedly, "would quite likely be a permanent injury if she doesn't dress it properly, no matter what it smells like." Rondi snorted, but didn't say anything as she pointedly looked toward the horizon.
"Anyway, Tsivar continued. "When I looked at your injuries, I noticed a few things. Your shirt had been severely burned, but you were not. You did appear to have had something like an allergic reaction though, mainly on your chest and stomach, but I saw it over most of your body."
"That would have been the demon's blood," Rondi said. "Nasty stuff. Lorn practically bathed in it."
"Thanks," Tsivar said, annoyed. "The important thing here is that the flame ignited on you, but it didn't seem to actually injure you."
"That's good, right?" Lorn asked.
"I'm not so sure, Tsivar answered. "Take off your shirt. That might help you understand."
"Alright," Lorn muttered slowly, shrugging his shoulder to make Chespar scurry down to the ground before tugging it off. A glance at his bare skin had him gasping at the black tattoo swirling under his chest. "Wh-what is this?"
"When the demon was dying," Rondi said, looking at the swirling lines under Lorn's skin, "it spent the last of its energy to, well, become that."
"This is the demon?" Lorn asked, scratching at the marks.
"Well," Tsivar said, nervously smoothing down the fur on his head. "It isn't exactly alive, and it doesn't seem to be harming you."
"Then what is it doing?" Lorn demanded.
---
"It is helping us keep tabs on his movements, Mistress."
Hemaphet said. "Your command was to ensure his capture after all. Unable to continue itself, the demon was forced to sacrifice itself to best enable those conditions."
Amnia sat silently for a long moment, staring at the pool of water Hemaphet was using to show her her prize. This young man, who held the key she so desperately craved. The markings on his chest were odd, bending and swirling in some obscure pattern that almost made her dizzy to look at. As she watched, she realized it was also, very slowly, moving and changing. Not enough to really be noticeable at a glance, but enough that it was obviously shifting if one paid it enough attention.
"So this will help us capture this... Lorn?" she asked, resting a slender white hand on the edge of the pool. A faint memory stirred of a similar event. She struggled to catch it, a piece of a fragmenting past. Something about a spring day, with someone else. A friend or lover? The memory faded, too broken to say just what it was.
"It will call to any demon that chooses to look for it," Hemaphet said. "No matter where he chooses to run or hide, we will always be able to find him. It will be but a matter of time before he is yours, Mistress."
Amnia nodded, staring at the image in the pool. He seemed like he should be familiar to her in some way. The shape if his nose, the curve of his chin, she felt like she should know something, but just couldn't figure out what it was. "Good," she said finally. "So I can expect him soon then?"
"That is more difficult to determine," Hemaphet said, watching the individuals in the pool. "His allies are cunning, and oddly resourceful. They will know what we are after now."
"And? He can't escape us now, correct?"
Hemaphet sighed, letting the image fade as he stared at the dog. "He can't escape us Mistress, but he can delay us."
Amnia stared at Hemaphet. "Explain."
---
"You'll have to leave," Rondi said.
"Why?" Lorn and Chespar both cried out in unison.
"That mark will call out to whoever is after you," she explained. "Which means you're a sitting duck here, and staying will only put everyone in danger."
Tsivar nodded. "I hate to agree, but Rondi is right. As long as you have that mark, you are a danger to everyone around you."
"So let's remove it!" Lorn said. "Then it wouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Tsivar lacks the ability," Rondi said. "He's tried, and besides, you can't just get rid of it and expect the problem to be gone. They know where you are now. Even if we could remove it, they'd still be able to find you if you stay here."
Lorn sighed, sinking down the wall to sit on the ground, knowing she was right. Chespar jumped up onto his lap and placed a paw on Lorn's chest in a show of support. "I'll go with you," he said.
"I can't allow that!" Tsivar said, squeaking in alarm. Rondi nodded with him.
"I'm inclined to agree," she said. "Maybe if you were more skilled, but right now you'd hurt Lorn more than help him."
"But-" Chespar started, until Lorn shook his head.
"They're right," he said sadly. "You aren't a fighter, and I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt because I couldn't keep you safe."
"We'll need the squeaker here anyway," Rondi said, nodding. "His magic will be vital in rebuilding."
"I-it will?" Chespar asked as Tsivar gave Rondi a confused look.
"I hate to disagree with you," he began, though Rondi ignored him.
"Your dad knows a bit about magic," she said. "I'm just starting to think he's missing some important details. Details," she said, looking at Lorn, "that makes your ability more intriguing."
"What do you mean?" Chespar asked, curious.
"You're trying to learn to do magic like your father," Rondi said, shrugging. Tsivar nodded his agreement, opening his mouth to speak until Rondi continued. "Stop. The basics are the same for you two, but leave the flower power to your father. Your talent lies elsewhere, and trying to do what your dad does will just bring trouble."
"I don't..." Tsivar began, but Rondi held a hand up.
"I've known a few magic-users in the past. One worked with fire, and another had to actually spell out his spells on paper for them to work right. I even knew a self-proclaimed scent-mage whose spells always worked off smells, but I suppose that's a skunk for you. You know what they all had in common?" Chespar shook his head no. "They each had their own, unique approach to magic that worked best for them."
"What's that have to do with me?" Lorn asked.
Rondi chuckled. You never even noticed? When you use the chew toy's magic, you favor plants. That fight with the demons didn't involve a single leaf. You did use a lot of stone though." She looked at Chespar. "Start there. Lorn I think instinctively understands that sort of thing, which is handy for someone who has to use someone else's power."
Lorn nodded, placing a hand on Chespar's head and scratching the mouse's ears. "That makes sense now that I think about it. Your power has a different feel to it too. And if it works like Rondi thinks it does, you could help everyone rebuild in no time!"
Chespar nodded reluctantly. "Fine, but you've got to come back. No staying gone forever!"
Lorn laughed and nodded back. "Don't worry," he promised. "Nothing will keep me from coming back."
"We'll get prepared tonight," Rondi said. "One last night shouldn't hurt."
"I hate that we have to ask this of you Lorn" Tsivar said. "When you figure it all out, we'll be here waiting."
"Y-yea," Chespar said, wiping his nose. "We'll be here, so hurry back."
"He's not gone yet, Rondi muttered wryly. "Now get gone. I've got to talk with Lorn in private." She paused, thoughtful. "Why don't you go get everyone together? We've got enough time left to give Lorn a proper sendoff." She chuckled. "Nothing like a party to bring a traveler luck after all."
Chespar nodded, suddenly excited. "Yes ma'am!" he said before taking his dad and scampering off.
Rondi and Lorn watched for a moment before Rondi sighed. "This isn't how I thought I'd see you go," she admitted. "Your story is starting now though, whether we like it or not, so we might as well accept it."
"You knew this was coming, didn't you?" Lorn asked.
"Well, not quite like this," To do admitted with a chuckle, "but yes. To be yes. To be honest, I always thought we'd go together, but with my leg the way it is?" She shook her head. "You'll have to get by without me now."
Lorn laughed. "You make it sound like you're dying. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it and we'll put all this behind us and go back to me stomping your tail in the sparring ground."
'You wish," Rondi chuckled, holding her arms out. "Come here boy, while I'm still feeling too sentimental to show you an injured leg can't stop me from beating a tail out of just so I can stomp it back in." Laughing, Lorn stepped in, accepting the hug. He felt Rondi sniffing at his hair, and gave her a while before finally breaking the embrace."
"N-now," Rondi stammered, wiping at her eyes. "There's a box in my room. Bring it to me."
Nodding, Lorn went to fetch it. The box was waiting for him on the floor, larger than he expected, but not so much that it was difficult to carry back. Rondi nodded when she saw it, and gestured for Lorn to set it down in front of her.
"Open it up," she said, eyes still wet.
"Alright," Lorn said, pulling the lid off to reveal a set of leather armor. He frowned at it, then glanced up at Rondi, who nodded. Lorn pulled it out and looked it over, then noticed the dagger that had been hidden beneath the leather. "This... This is Little Fang," he muttered.
"You'll need it," Rondi said as Lorn pulled it out. "The armor's fitted, naturally, and you'll find supplies in the box as well."
"Th-thank you," Lorn said, stammering.
"It's nothing," Rondi said. "Now listen. Go to Cirafell and find Walla. Tell her I sent you. She'll help."
"Alright," Lorn said, nodding.
"This is important Lorn," Rondi continued, eyes hard. "Do not, for any reason, let the Council find out what you can do, alright?"
"The Council?"
"A group of wizards that have taken it upon themselves to police as much of the magical world as they can," Rondi explained. "They're all over the place, and we only barely get by without their meddling because I run them off whenever their pointy hats pop up on the horizon. Tsivar just isn't important enough to deal with the trouble. You though? They'd level mountains to control you. Or, if they can't, kill you."
"A-all right," Lorn stammered. "I'll stead clear of them."
"Doubt you'll have much choice, just don't use your power and you'll be fine." Rondi shrugged. "You might be able to use them yourself. It's impossible to have that much influence without being able to provide some benefit to ordinary people. It'll just be a pain to deal with all of the politics they've made for themselves." She sighed. "Now, it's time for you to go."
"N-now?" Lorn asked, looking toward where Tsivar and Chespar had gone.
"Tsivar knows," Rondi said, nodding. "If you wait, Chespar will find some way to follow you. This way, he won't get himself caught up in a bigger mess than he can handle. I'll explain it to him later. You go and give whoever's causing all this trouble a piece of my mind."
"Alright," Lorn said, nodding purposefully. "Just... Just tell everyone I'll be expecting a party when I come home."
Rondi laughed. "Come back in one piece and we'll throw you one big enough to hear in Cirafell!"
