Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Heart to Hearth

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Heart to Hearth

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Great. It took me all of four days to make my first friend in the Academy and then torpedo that friendship into oblivion with a single careless action. But I couldn’t just let it go. Not when I’d spent so much time trying to get Liara Lockwood to trust me.

“Listen, I—”

Liara wasn’t keen to hear my excuses, however, and she left me behind the Golden Bow’s tent without giving me a chance to apologize again. Divah didn’t raise a quitter though, and so I chased after the she-elf, but then I lost her again in the crowd of half-drunk party goers and dancing bodies.

“Will!” Dess called for me while she danced with Delphine and Brunhilde in front of a nearby bonfire. “Come join us!”

I was distracted enough by the fact that the half-giant was a much better dancer than either the dwarf or fairy that I missed the signs of Liara’s passage among the revelers. Seriously, Brunhilde was busting a groove to the elvish RnB song blaring from the nearby speakers while Dess and Delphine were shaking in place in a way that made me worried that they might both be having seizures.

“Um, no thanks, but you keep grooving!” I replied, and then I darted away before Morph could pass me another mug of chili mead. “By Thor, these people can party…”

Eventually, after dodging a few more invites to rejoin the revelry, with Lieutenant Doyle being the hardest to shake off, I found Liara sitting alone on a bench furthest from the nearest bonfire where Anal and his fellow red cloaks were singing another rendition of Argon’s famous ballad. She was nursing a mug of chili mead in her hands, although the she-elf didn’t look like she was having fun at all.

“These are the moments I wish Divah was a better teacher in socializing,” I sighed. “Well, time to fall back on Realmsflix lessons.”

According to some of the teenage romcoms I’ve binged, apologizing to your friend doesn’t always work. When that happened, the alternative was to pretend you weren’t in a fight at all. So, deciding that denial was a better tactic than searching for an old-school boom box to carry over my head while I apologized again, I plucked a mug of chili mead from a nearby table and then approached Liara with a smile on my face and my mug raised high.

“Cheers!”

Liara spared me a quivering look that torpedoed my denial plan into smithereens, and then she went back to staring at her drink like I wasn’t frozen in place just a few feet away.

“Oof, brutal,” I whispered.

Alright, tactic one was a failure, but, as Sun Tzu said; In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack—the direct and indirect. Yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers. In layman’s terms, I failed the direct approach. Now it was time to be subtle.

“O~~okay, I guess I’ll just sit here quietly, enjoy my drink, and contemplate life while you keep frowning at me,” I said—and I did just that.

To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t very good at the passive approach, and I might have eventually caved and demanded Liara listen to my apology again, but it turned out the movies were right. Ignoring the opposite sex was the quickest way for them to notice you. Crazy~~y.

From the corner of my eye, I watched the she-elf’s eyebrow shoot up. Then, with my inner Realmsflix professor pumping his fists in the air at my triumph, Liara finally spoke to me again. “What do you want from me, Wisdom?”

“I want us not to fight about what happened.”

“You mean when you attacked me?”

“I wasn’t aiming at you.”

“No, you were aiming at my father, and that’s even worse. Don’t you get that?”

“I… I made a mistake, Liara.”

No, it wasn’t a mistake. Not with Lorias freaking Löwenthal. He was evil. Why couldn’t Liara see that?

“You don’t make mistakes, Wisdom. You’re a planner,” Liara reminded me.

Well, yes, I did fancy myself a strategist, and Liara noticing this without me having to spell it out for her was exactly why I wanted to make up with the she-elf. She got me. Even when I was being secretive about why I was so well-informed. In short, she was becoming the Sam to my Frodo, and a ‘Sam’, according to Divah, was someone you shouldn’t let go of at all costs.

“I never told you how I became Divah’s apprentice,” I began.

Yep, that’s right. The one sure-fire way I could think of to keep Liara in my corner was to share just a bit of my origin story with her. Not all of it. Just the part that would guarantee some sympathy from her.

“When I was eleven, I got kidnapped by a group of ljósálfar…”

I didn’t know how to cry on demand—which I’ve heard was an excellent skill to have for social interactions—but I did know how to look sufficiently downcast. I glanced down at my feet and bit my lower lip.

Predictably, a look of concern flashed on Liara’s face.

“I remember the look you gave me when we first met at Grandmaster Dwalinn’s office,” she recounted. “So, this is the reason you were being so confrontational…”

Cue the heavy sigh. Then the slow nod.

“Why would they…”

Liara bit her lip too, and I figured she could imagine a whole bunch of reasons for why ljósálfar would kidnap human children, with slavery possibly being her go-to suspect.

“Divah was the one who saved you?” she guessed.

This was true. Divah and her companions had indeed arrived to save the day, but too little too late. By the time they found the cult’s hideout, I was lying on a pile of corpses in the dark corner where the cultists had left us. Divah had watched as I rose from the grave for the very first time. Luckily, Divah was smart enough to notice I wasn’t undead, and she probably assumed I’d somehow been spared and not resurrected, which is why my master took me away from that terrible place. And the rest, as they say, was history.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen an adult bright elf… and your dad, he reminded me of the people I hated so much that all I could see was red and… and I didn’t know what I was doing until after you’d thrown me over,” I explained.

I hoped Liara didn’t notice the anger in my gaze. I didn’t mind if she noticed the quivering of my lips though. That was genuine. Because I really did feel bad. Not for attacking Liara, per se, but for exposing myself to my enemy like an amateur.

“Do you hate all ljósálfar?” she asked.

Now was the moment to look straight into her eyes and offer the she-elf a wan smile. “I don’t hate you.”

I know, I know, it did seem like I was being manipulative here, but I didn’t tell Liara any lies, and I was genuine about wanting to make up with her. The acting was just the device I used to get to reconciliation while not having to tell the whole truth.

“That wasn’t what I asked about,” she sighed.

I swear to the gods that I had just caught her trying hard not to smile then and there.

“I saw you staring daggers at my father’s back as you watched him leave. After you’re little discussion about fissures and demon wolves…”

That last part sounded more like a question to my ears.

“He didn’t tell you why he was here, huh?”

“I saw the Golden Bow’s banners when we arrived at basecamp and assumed his guild was inside the dungeon. I just didn’t think he was with them…”

“Your dad’s a busy elf. He doesn’t have time for clearing low-level dungeons. And yet…” I wondered if I could press the issue even at the risk of ruining our making-up opportunity. “But, if he’s here now, then that has to mean something.”

Liara’s shoulders stiffened. “What are you insinuating?”

“Nothing,” I shrugged.

I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t tell Liara a theory I knew she would never believe. That her father might be planning to go into the fissure at the heart of Lugh’s Lament to get to whatever lay beyond it.

“He wanted you to leave the Academy, didn’t he?” I recalled suddenly. “What was that about?”

“I’m not sure,” Liara sighed. “But he was insistent that I leave right away. Tonight even.”

“Like leave basecamp right away?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, Wisdom. I’m not a mind-caster. I’m not privy to my father’s thoughts.”

Another minute of awkward silence passed while the revelries continued around us. It was a silence Liara would break with another question about fissures.

“Where did you get your wild theory about the demon wolf?” Liara asked.

“You mean Fen—”

Liara quickly wrapped a hand around my mouth. “You should know better than to say its name out loud.”

So, my theory about Fenrisúlfr being responsible for the corruption that creates dungeons was wild and farfetched, but the fairy tale about the demon wolf being able to hear and curse whoever mentions its name out loud wasn’t crazy?

Liara pulled her hand away, and, surprisingly, I wish she hadn’t done it so quickly. Her hand had smelled of fresh-cut grass and peppermint and chili mead, and I kind of liked the mixed scents. Oh, gods, I wasn’t turning into some kind of deviant, was I?

“Did Divah tell you about the fissures?” Liara pressed.

“Yep.” I was quite happy to answer and wipe that memory of her hand away from my cave boy brain.

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“She must really trust you to tell you something like that… How long have you been together?”

“About five years.”

“What about your family?”

“Don’t know. Don’t remember much from before those five years.”

Well, if I wanted to bring the mood down even more, then that was certainly the right thing to say. Sheesh, this socializing thing was difficult. Although, admitting that I was also an orphan must have won me more sympathy points from Liara as she’d finally lost the ice in her gaze.

“Divah’s my family.”

“I get that.”

“You’re not going to ask?”

“Ask what?”

“About why Divah and I got stuck with each other?”

Liara fidgeted in her seat.

“I figured you would tell me if you wanted to. But I don’t expect you to. We haven’t known each other for very long.”

Exactly. Seriously, this half-elf got me.

“Aren’t you going to ask?” she prompted.

“About what?”

“About my human mother and my elven father.”

“Well, I figured you would tell me in your own time,” I shrugged. “Besides, Kirk didn’t ask Spock about his past at first either, but that didn’t stop them from going through all their adventures together.”

I wondered if Liara would get the reference, and by the gods, she did!

“I’m not a Trekkie,” she stated, making my heart skip a beat, but then she also added, “I’m more of a Wars fan,” and that’s when I realized that Liara was perfect.

“Fine.” I tried very hard not to look too giddy about our shared love of space dramas. “You can be the Chewy to my Han.”

“What?” she raised an eyebrow at me. “If anyone’s Solo then it’s me.”

“That’s just crazy talk.” I flashed Liara a grin. “Solo’s handsome, daring, a great shot, and witty—he’s me.”

“You forgot cocky.” She stared pointedly at my face. “And you are a very cocky human boy.”

Alright, me and Liara sitting on a cozy bench while vaguely alluding to our shared past trauma and sparring pop-culture references did seem to be the perfect rom-com moment. But, just like in those teen movies of the nineties, our bonding time was also the perfect setup for an undesirable to interrupt us and ensure Liara and I wouldn’t get too close until the movie’s third act. Lo and behold, the Norns had just the right patsy close at hand.

Who could this scoundrel of scoundrels be, you ask? Well, I did give him a nickname that emphasized how much of a butthead he was.

Funnily enough, Anal didn’t ruin our moment himself. That was done by the pretty raven-haired green cloak who’d sung my praises earlier that night. She, along with Anal, was part of a group of obviously inebriated teens who arrived in front of our bench to invite me, the “Crown Killer,” to join them at a table that was closer to their bonfire.

She hadn’t invited Liara though, and when I pointed this out, Anal stepped in to say, “We don’t want filthy halfbreeds hanging around with us.”

He turned a derisive glare on me next.

“I don’t want a smelly human near me either, but,” he shrugged, “my companions think you’ve earned the right to party with the cool kids for tonight.”

“You’re a cool kid?” I raised an eyebrow at him. “Didn’t know cool kids go splat against walls so easily.”

“Oo~oh, burn,” one of Anal’s drunk companions chuckled. The others were quick to join in too.

“You little human shit,” Anal growled. “I’m being magnanimous here and you’re—”

“Annoyed,” I snapped.

This little elven butthead was getting on my nerves.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone. And, although his friends were laughing at him, they were also gathering around us in an encirclement that would have made the coming fight seem unfair—for anyone other than Liara and me, that is.

I was just contemplating how easy it would be to start a new rumor about how a crazy apprentice mage burned the butts of half a dozen drunk journeymen novices, but Liara held a firm hand on my shoulder just as I stood up to challenge Anal to a contest of flyting—as it was the easiest way to start a fight—and almost imperceptibly shook her head at me.

“No need to get worked up, Einarr.” Liara flashed him a grin that made the bright elf’s cheeks flare even redder. “I was just leaving. Wisdom’s all yours.”

Just like that, she turned her back on us and walked off into the shadows before she and I could complete our reconciliation.

I watched her go while the people who drove Liara off gave each other high-fives, and although that royally pissed me off, I didn’t burn their faces because Liara had asked me not to.

“Where are you going?” the raven-haired green cloak asked.

Liara managed to storm off, but Anal’s encirclement finished by the time I attempted it too, and so the bright elf got in my way once more.

“Go away, Anal…” Yep, that’s right. In my annoyance, I’d said his secret nickname out loud. Sue me. “…Or I’ll show you how little your ranking matters to someone like me.”

“Oo~~oh, another burn, man,” said Anal’s same satyr companion. Once more, his friends laughed.

“What did you just call me, you veslingr shit!” Anal stepped closer with bared teeth.

“Anal,” I shrugged. “Rhymes with Einarr.”

Then I pushed past him with my shoulder slamming against his injured one for added effect.

“Fine, run away, little human. Go chase after your halfbreed völva,” Anal yelled after me.

Alright, that did it. Calling Liara a witch would have been enough, but he had to call me ‘little’ too. I turned around to face them and then slammed my foot on the ground, blowing them all away in a shower of smoke, ash, and molten earth.

Interestingly enough, the raven-haired green cloak was the only one who didn’t fall over. She’d ducked out of the way before the explosion could manifest, which meant she must not have been as drunk from elf-berry wine as I’d thought. Either that or she was better than all the creeps she hung out with.

Raven-hair eyed me warily as I stormed away from the scene of the crime, but she didn’t call out or chase after me. As for Anal, well, he was still injured from getting thrown into a wall so I imagined he wouldn’t be getting up to chase after me anytime soon either.

With my plan to reconcile with Liara upended, I decided to call it quits and returned to my tent while feeling a knot get stuck in my throat from the frustration. Too many unplanned things had happened this night that I had no control over, and I didn’t like that.

“No wonder Divah never taught me how to deal with people… There’s no easy trick to the randomness of them.” I changed out of my gear and jumped into my sleeping bag. “Maybe I should reconsider flying solo.”

As an afterthought, I grabbed Divah’s guide from my bag and reread the first page.

Dare to see things not as they are, but what they can be.

These words helped to calm me down, and I drifted off to sleep with the journal lying on my chest. Unfortunately, not a minute had passed since I closed my eyes when I was forced to open them again.

I heard a single scream cut through the ongoing revelry—and it was the prelude to all Hel breaking loose.

 

Glad tidings, fellow novices!

You know, I was really contemplating whether or not to share some of Will's background in this chapter, but I figured the 26th chapter of a novel should be around the right time to give a sneak peak at what had happened to Will. Possibly more in the next chapter too. 

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Obviously, the lull moments about to die down for some dangerous shit happening. Hehe

Also, for LUh fans, next chapter's up tomorrow. Sorry for the delay. Editing issues. 

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