Anilyia (18 page)

Tathan sat down thankfully as the guards
waited for a signal to approach. He had managed to walk there, but
still felt dazed. Liselle sat next to him, putting a hand on the
side of his neck in concern. When he turned to smile at her
thankfully, he felt energy flowing into him from the hand. It was
like a cool drink of water and a refreshing breeze all at once.
Tathan breathed deeply as his mind cleared a bit more.

There was a great deal of concern in
Liselle’s soft grey eyes. She was looking into his intently, trying
to gauge his condition. He smiled in reassurance, and focused on
her, wordlessly letting her know he was alright. A breath of relief
escaped her lips and she relaxed a bit.

He looked down at his bare foot. It appeared
mostly normal again. In fact, a few scars from past escapades were
gone. Tathan pulled it up and set the leg on his other so he could
take a closer look. Liselle raised a bemused eyebrow and whispered,
“Did I put one of the toes in the wrong place?” Tathan stuck his
tongue out at her and rolled his eyes. She covered her giggle with
a hand.

“No, the scars are gone,” he whispered back.
They
were
gone, even the one on the pad of his big toe from
when he had cut himself on rocks in a stream during childhood.
Tathan wiggled his toes and whispered again. “The skin feels soft
and new. It was tender walking on the cobblestones, plus I don’t
have any more calluses.”

Liselle’s eyebrows were lowered dangerously.
Still whispering, she said, “Well, next time I’ll try to do a
better job of healing your foot when it’s half gone. I will also
strive to do a better job of putting back the calluses and
scars.”

“Peace, cousin. I’m not complaining, only
remarking in fascination at how amazing the healing was,” Tathan
smiled at Liselle apologetically. The glare lessened and she gave a
short nod.

One of the council members waved over the
two Rojuun guard members. “What is it, Captain Henrrr?” the council
leader asked. She was an older Rojuun woman wearing ornate,
olive-green robes filigreed in gold and silver.

“Sergeant Niirrii has new information
regarding the previous matter. He has told me that the humans
behind us,” Captain Henrrr indicated the companions, “may know
something more of the events. I felt it important to bring them
before you.”

“Very well. Proceed,” the council leader
said with a motion of her hand.

Sergeant Niirrii stepped to the podium. His
lower voice was gruff, much in the way Sergeant Soam spoke. The
upper voice rang clearly through the room, providing an
extraordinary contrast that caught the ear. “My squad normally does
not patrol, but did so when the standard watch responded to a
previous disturbance near the lakeside wall” he said in formal
tones. There was a great deal of respect and dignity in his voice
directed toward the council.

“An exceptional amount of magical energy was
gathered in the merchant plaza of the city. Upon seeing the signs,
my squad moved rapidly in that direction.” Tathan noted to himself
that the sergeant did not say specifically what the signs were.
Sergeant Niirrii continued speaking, using gestures to define his
statements when useful. “We reached the plaza to see a crowd of
people gathered in a wide circle. Upon breaking through the circle
we witnessed the human in dark armor with sword out, aimed at
citizens that surrounded him.” The sergeant indicated Sir
Danth.

“The woman and the purple haired man were
kneeling over an injured man . . . who is currently examining his
foot,” he said, indicating each of the companions in turn. Tathan
looked up from his newly healed foot to see everyone staring at
him. He blushed, stopped wiggling his toes, and put his foot back
down on the floor, ignoring Liselle’s giggle.

The sergeant sighed before turning back to
the council. Tathan thought it was the first time he had ever seen
one of the Rojuun sigh before. “I believe the armored human was
keeping the crowd back so the woman could concentrate on healing
the man. He did put his sword away as soon as we entered the
circle, showing peaceful intent.” The council members nodded
approvingly at this. That was one small relief to Tathan.
Explaining Sir Danth would be difficult.

“The woman was the one using magic,” the
sergeant told them, indicating Liselle. “It was strong healing
magic. She had already begun by the time my squad arrived. I
witnessed her completely heal a wound in the man’s side. When she
was done with that, the woman healed his foot, which appeared to
have been eaten away by some sort of acid.”

Tathan noticed that the sergeant didn’t
mention the mending of the clothes and hoped that it wouldn’t be
brought up. If Liselle was too impressive to the Rojuun, they might
want to keep her. He wouldn’t allow that.

One of the council members on the far end
spoke. “Was it the foot he was examining a moment ago?”

“Yes, your honor,” the sergeant confirmed.
“That was the foot. His injuries are completely healed now.”

“Remarkable,” the council member replied. He
appeared to be genuinely impressed, which was not something Tathan
wanted.

Sergeant Niirrii continued with his story.
“As the magic used was for healing, I considered it to be benign
and for the good of another, therefore did not choose to press
charges or execute the woman.” That was a bit of a relief to the
companions to say the least. “Due to the severity of the injuries
and the fact that they looked as though they might have come from
battle, I chose to bring the man here in order for him to
explain.”

“Very wise,” stated the council speaker.
“Yet Captain Henrrr tells us that you have information about the
events of another incident. How does this relate?”

Sergeant Niirrii nodded. “Yes, your honor.
Upon arriving here, I noticed guards outside of these chambers and
spoke to them. They informed me that the injuries of guards in that
incident were of a magically induced acid that ate through skin and
bone,” he explained. Then he turned to Tathan and pointed. “The
injuries fit the description of the damage done to that man’s
foot.” He turned back to the council. “It is possible he has
information regarding the attack.”

All eyes turned to Tathan, including those
of his companions. They seemed just as curious about what had
happened. Tathan sat there, trying to decide how he was going to
explain things and how much to tell.

“You will be pleased to approach the podium
and address the council, human,” the speaker informed Tathan. The
tone was agreeable but commanding. The Rojuun considered humans to
be a servant race, but treated them so well that most humans who
lived with Rojuun preferred them to human kings and rulers.

Tathan moved slowly to the podium. He still
wasn’t too steady on his feet, plus the bottom of his foot was raw
from walking on new skin. It also gave him time to think a little
more about what he was going to say.

“State your name to the council, human,” the
speaker ordered. Her voices were powerful and commanding. It was
easy to understand why she was in a position of power.

“My name is Tathan,” he told them simply. He
wasn’t going to volunteer extra information at any point.

“Do you have a last name in the way of
humans?” the speaker asked. It caught Tathan by surprise because
most Rojuun didn’t seem to care.

“No I do not,” Tathan lied. He
did
have a last name, but made it a point not to tell anyone. Tathan
hoped they wouldn’t push the issue. He also hoped Liselle wouldn’t
give away his lie. Though all the times he had spoken for the
group, she had never given anything away and many times had come to
him afterwards to ask about details of his conversations in order
to learn. It made him feel guilty that he was teaching deception to
his innocent cousin, but at the same time, he knew it could help
her in dealing with danger and people in general.

“The first question I will ask you, Tathan
Human, is how you received your injuries,” the speaker said. “You
will give a brief statement to begin with. If details are needed we
will ask for them.”

“The cuts in my side were from a giant
squirrel. The damage to my foot was caused by a sorceress casting a
dark spell aimed at Rojuun guards.” Tathan did add one more piece
of information. “It only hit my foot because I was at the edge of
the spell’s effect. I jumped out of the way to avoid the worst of
it.”

The council members, as well as the sergeant
and captain, all stared at Tathan. It was as though they didn’t
know what to ask next. The council speaker cleared one of her
throats, causing everyone to turn their attention to her. “Tathan
Human . . . I have decided that we will need details after all. The
first detail we need is . . .” she trailed off, looking at the
others who either shrugged or frowned in thought. “One of the
guards injured in that incident mentioned a giant squirrel. I must
say that I am curious . . .” Other council members nodded in
agreement.

Tathan took a deep breath, considering how
to describe it without sounding crazy. “Well . . . I was shocked
when I first saw the creature.” That part was true, but he didn’t
know how to explain the rest.

“That is understandable.” The speaker waved
for him to continue, leaning forward in her seat. “Go on.”

“It was in a vacant house I passed near the
lakeside wall. The door was partially open and curiosity got the
best of me.”

“What were you doing in the Lakeside
District?” Captain Henrrr asked suspiciously. He was standing on
Tathan’s right with both sets of arms crossed. Sergeant Niirrii was
on Tathan’s left with the top set of arms folded and the bottom set
resting casually on knife hilts.

Sometimes it was better to admit to a lesser
offense to hide something larger. “I was going to sneak up to the
top of the wall to look at the lake awhile.” He didn’t think they
would execute him for going to the top of the wall as it was only
frowned upon, not against the law. If they tried to persecute him
for it, he would use the rest of the story as a bargaining
chip.

“Humans should not be on top of the walls,”
the captain stated officially in case Tathan didn’t know.

“I’m not worried about that, Captain,” the
speaker informed him, waving off the offense. “I realize that a few
humans do so anyway, but as long as they don’t cause trouble I
don’t feel like wasting efforts punishing them.” Captain Henrrr
bowed his head in acknowledgment. “Now, Tathan Human, continue your
explanation.”

“There was a good deal of debris in the
house. It took my eyes a moment to adjust, but when they did, I saw
black fur in the corner. It had a large, fluffy tail like a
squirrel, but I didn’t make that connection right away.” Tathan’s
manner had become less confident. He crouched a little and his eyes
were wide as he explained. Tathan had mastered the ability to make
people believe what he wanted them to. It wasn’t just words, but
expressions, movements, and inflections in the voice that altered
the opinions of those who listened.

“Are giant squirrels common above the
caverns?” a different council member asked.

“No. I’ve never seen one before anyway.”
Tathan turned to his companions who all shook their heads.

“I see. Continue,” the council member
said.

“It was asleep at the time, but a woman in a
black cloak came through the kitchen door and addressed him as
Steve.”

“Steve?” another council member asked. “Is
Steve a common name for squirrels?”

Tathan ignored Liselle’s muffled giggle. She
seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. “No. I don’t think most
squirrels have names, and those that do . . . well, I don’t know if
they’re named Steve.”

“I shouldn’t think they would be,” the
council member suggested to the others. “Steve seems a simple name
for a squirrel, even by human standards.”

The council speaker waved him off. “The
commonality of squirrel names is not at issue here.” She turned to
Tathan. “The woman called the squirrel by name, and then what
happened?”

“The squirrel rose to its hind feet. The
size of it surprised me and I stood there dumbfounded, truly.”
Tathan held his arms out wide. The reactions ranged from disbelief
to sympathetic nods. He continued, “Then the woman and the squirrel
spotted me. I thought about going back out the door, but Steve the
Squirrel attacked!” Tathan crouched down dramatically. The council
members all leaned forward, and even the guards listened
intently.

“I moved at the last second, but it wasn’t
fast enough,” Tathan said in low tones. “Its claws weren’t normal,
they were razor sharp and cut my side. It hurt so much I thought I
was going to die.” The last word was a loud whisper, eliciting
gasps from some of the council members.

“Go on, go on. What happened then?” Sergeant
Niirrii encouraged him.

“The squirrel hit the wall behind me. I
thought it was going to kill me. That’s when things got worse!”
Tathan’s eyes were as wide as they had ever been and a look of
intense fear crossed his face.

“Worse?” the council speaker exclaimed in
wonder.

“Yes. The woman, she began casting a spell.
Steve ran behind her to get out of the way,” Tathan replied very
seriously.

“Steve ran behind her when she began to cast
a spell?” the council member who had been concerned about the name
asked in amazement. “That shows a level of aptitude not commonly
found in squirrels. I have a couple of them in my garden and I’m
certain they aren’t that intelligent,” he told the other council
members. Two nodded in agreement.

“Yes. When I saw that, I realized that I
probably didn’t want to be around for the spell, so I ran in the
only direction available to me, which was the stairs.” Tathan moved
his hand up as though it were going up a stairway. Everyone
followed the gesture. “As I reached the top, the woman finished her
incantation. Green and black tendrils burst out, reaching for me as
I desperately ran, clutching my injured side, but I managed to
avoid them just barely.” He spoke dramatically, his voice taking on
a hypnotic cadence.