Brian Anderson - The Sword of Truth

Millet nodded. “A very long time.”

“What was he like when he was young?” asked Gewey.

“Rash,” Millet answered. “Very rash.”

Gewey paused, considering what he should ask about next. “Have you been to Kaltinor before?”

“Yes, but not for many years,” Millet replied. “I’m sure you’ll find it exciting. Compared to Sharpstone, it’s a very large city.”

Gewey tried to picture what it would be like. Gath was the largest town he’d seen so far. He’d heard stories of some of the great cities- their tall buildings reaching to the heavens, their wide brick streets large enough to accommodate twenty wagons at once. He wondered if Kaltinor would be like that.

“What’s the biggest city you’ve seen?” asked Gewey.

Millet thought it over for a moment. “That would have to be Baltria,” he said finally. “Though it wasn’t the most impressive city I’ve visited.”

For the next few hours, Millet entertained Gewey with tales of the wonderful places he had seen. He didn’t mind the flood of questions and answered each one with courtesy and patience.

“Stop the wagon,” Kaylia said suddenly. “Now!”

Millet stopped the wagon and Kaylia jumped out to scan the woods. After a few minutes, she got back in the wagon and told Millet to continue on.

“What did you see?” Lee asked, his hand on his sword.

“Hopefully nothing that need concern us,” Kaylia answered.

“I’m concerned, and I’m responsible for the lives of my friends,” Lee said. “So you need to tell me what you saw.”

“There’s a small group of elves traveling south of the road. If they ignore us, we’ll be fine. If not…” Kaylia trailed off, her eyes meeting Lee’s with a mutual understanding.

Lee closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the woods. In the distance, he heard four elves matching their pace.

“They follow us,” Lee said warily. “Don’t say anything to Millet or Gewey yet.”

Kaylia nodded. “Agreed. If all goes well, it won’t be necessary. They may not know I’m here.”

“And if they do?” Lee asked.

“Then I will have to speak to them,” Kaylia replied, clearly troubled by the prospect.

The day passed slowly for Lee and Kaylia. Millet and Gewey knew something was wrong, but after a while they decided to ignore it, and Millet continued to regale the boy with tales of his travels.

When night fell, they made camp. Gewey helped Millet build the fire and prepare the meal. Lee sat on a blanket sharpening and oiling his sword, his eyes fixed on the surrounding forest. Kaylia was leaning against the wagon, her head bowed in thought.

Lee sheathed his sword and walked over to Kaylia.

“They’re still here,” he said.

“I know,” Kaylia responded. “I must speak to them. Wait here until I return.”

Lee sat next to the fire while Millet and Gewey ate, eyes closed, listening into the night.

“What are you doing?” asked Gewey.

“I’m listening,” Lee growled. “So be quiet.”

Gewey noticed Kaylia’s absence. “Where’s…?”

Lee’s eyes popped open, glaring at Gewey. Gewey tried to listen as he had done in Gath, but he couldn’t concentrate. Frustrated, he threw down his bowl and stormed over to his bedroll.

Suddenly, Kaylia reappeared and sat next to the fire.

“Where did you go?” asked Gewey.

Kaylia pushed back her hood; her face was stone and her eyes narrow slits. “I was speaking to my kin.”

Gewey leapt to his feet. “What?”

“Don’t worry,” she said. “We’re in no danger.”

Lee grunted and tossed a twig into the fire.

“That’s good news,” said Millet. “But it would have been nice to know elves were nearby.”

“There was no need to tell you,” said Lee. “At least not at the time.”

“How long have you known they were out there?” Gewey seethed.

“What difference does it make?” he answered. “You couldn’t have done anything about it other than worry. If they’d attacked, we’d all be dead anyway.”

This did little to calm Gewey. “I don’t care!” he yelled. “If my life’s in danger, I have a right to know!”

Kaylia fixed her gaze on Gewey. “Shut your mouth,” she said.

Her voice was steel. “What right do you have to question anything? Those around you are willing to sacrifice themselves to protect you. Isn’t that enough?” With that, she turned and headed off into the night.

Gewey started to follow her, but Lee stopped him.

“Leave her,” Lee advised.

Gewey pushed passed him and chased after her.

“Rash,” said Millet. “Very rash. But I must say, he is handling his situation remarkably well, all things considered.”

Lee sat down. “How am I going to keep him alive long enough to get him ready? It’s been less than a month, and already he’s nearly been killed.”

“Yes,” Millet replied. “But he wasn’t killed, was he? The boy will learn, just as you did.”

“I almost failed,” Lee said. “When I attacked the bandit camp, I chased two of them down. That’s when Gewey got hurt. When I left him alone.”

Millet nodded. “That sounds familiar; you never could stand to let anyone escape.”

“It’s all too familiar,” Lee agreed. “It almost got Gewey killed. If I had just let them go, the boy would have never been injured. I keep making the same mistakes, over and over again.”

Millet smiled softly and placed his hand on Lee’s shoulder.

“You’ve always expected too much of yourself, Lee Starfinder. Your job is one of a protector, but you are also a teacher. The boy survived, and learned from the experience. If you think he can learn without danger, you’re wrong. Even I know that. You can’t protect him from everything, and you shouldn’t try.” Millet stood up and walked over to his blanket. “I believe in you, and I believe in the boy,” he said as he lay down. “You should too.”

Lee remained by the fire, mulling Millet’s words over in his head.

Meanwhile, Gewey wandered aimlessly, hoping to find Kaylia.

“Kaylia,” he called out in a whisper. He repeated it several times, but there was no reply. He was about to give up and start back to the camp when he realized he was hopelessly lost. After meandering for a bit longer, he decided there was nothing to do but sit and wait for daylight.

Gewey heard a voice from behind him. “You’re very foolish.

You know elves wander these woods, yet you venture off alone in the dark.”

Gewey was startled and quickly got to his feet; turning around, he was able to make out Kaylia’s features in the darkness. “I was looking for you,” he said. “And besides, you told us they wouldn’t attack.”

“You continue to take my word on its merit,” said Kaylia. “The word of an elf. How strange.” The elven woman sat on the ground and crossed her legs. “Sit.”

Gewey sat across from Kaylia. After looking him up and down for a moment, she began to speak. “You’re not like other humans, are you? And I don’t just mean your attitude towards my kind. There’s something else different about you. Something that your friends are afraid I’ll discover.”

“Yes, there is,” Gewey replied nervously. “And believe me, I would like nothing more than to tell you.”

“So why don’t you?”

“I can’t,” Gewey insisted. “I don’t think you’d like what you’d find out.”

“I’ll make you a deal,” Kaylia proposed. “We’ll sit here and talk for a while, and I’ll tell you about my people; after that, you can decide the wisdom of sharing your secret. That is what you want, isn’t it? To know more about elves, and our ways?”

“I would love to know more about your people,” Gewey agreed. “And you.”