The Eye of Elicion: The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol 1 (46 page)

They moved well together. Lucy felt that the best course of action would be to say something. Talking would break the tension. Well, it wasn’t really tension. It was the tension created when you realize you are so comfortable with someone that there isn’t any tension. It felt good and right to be dancing with Justin, and that was scary. Lucy noticed her mind was spinning in dizzying circles and hoped she wasn’t thinking loudly enough for Justin to read her mind because she was sure it was mental babble. Besides that, she was sure that anything in there that wasn’t babble was complicated, and they didn’t need complicated right now. In the end, Lucy decided to enjoy the moment rather than agonize over it. She smiled and continued to stare into his soft brown eyes while they danced.

The song ended, and another started. Lucy pulled back and smiled.

“Thank you for the dance, but I think I’d like to go. It’s stuffy in here.”

Justin nodded in agreement.

“Definitely stuffy. The breeze off the water helps, but it doesn’t stop the humidity. I’ll walk back with you. I think I’d rather be on the balcony than in here.”

Lucy nodded, and they walked back to the room. Lucy grabbed a strip of leather and tied her hair back with a sigh. Again, she had worn it down to cover her bare back, but with the dancing, the heat, and the humidity, it felt good to put it up. She joined Justin on the balcony and looked out over the city.

“I wish we could leave tomorrow,” said Lucy.

“So do I. I wonder if we could talk Maya into it.”

“It’s worth a try. I’m beginning to think that Kaliea is waiting for the right moment to ask us some more questions. She seems more than casually interested in what we are doing here. I don’t think I want to be around when she starts asking more questions or coming to her own conclusions.”

“I’d like to be gone before then,” added Justin. “I’d avoid using any power here if I were you. The less she knows about us the better.”

“Is it always going to be like this?” asked Lucy.

“Like what?”

“Hiding who and what we are, and what we are doing, and where we are going? Showing up, keeping our heads down, and leaving before too many questions are asked?”

“Most likely,” replied Justin with a shrug. “Generally, we’ll leave politics to Maya and try to help without being a bother.”

“She looked like she was having fun out there.”

“Certainly. Maya likes to dance. She also likes to feel beautiful, and she loves male attention. I wouldn’t worry about her though, she can take care of herself.”

Lucy nodded, and they sat in silence for a while. They could hear the music from the after dinner entertainment they had left and in the distance, music and revelry from other houses as well.

“There is one thing I’ll miss,” said Lucy.

“What’s that?”

“The baths. They are wonderful. I intend to take another one tomorrow morning. Then I’ll help with scrolls.”

Justin smiled. A bath sounded much more enjoyable than helping Maya dig through obscure scroll references. Lucy stood up, stretched, and sighed.

“I think I’ll go to bed,” she said.

“Lucy,” said Justin, standing up too.

She turned and looked at him with a questioning expression. He was very close. Part of her wanted to know what he was going to say, and the other part of her didn’t want to deal with whatever he might say. Justin opened his mouth to continue, but Maya entered the room.

“Ok, whether or not I agree with this crazy theory you have, I think we should leave tomorrow. I think we should figure out the best time to do it with as little exposure as possible.” She finished saying this and then noticed how close Justin and Lucy were. Her face got that look on it that could often be interpreted as ‘oops’. Whatever she might have said next was cut short as Gavin came into the room.

“Ok, I don’t care if we leave to find another library or to try out Lucy’s idea, but I think we should leave tomorrow. Or tonight for that matter. What are you doing in about five minutes?” Unlike Maya, he was oblivious to the fact that he might have interrupted something. They stepped into the room and everyone sat down.

“Both of those similar announcements have to be related to some kind of story, so figure out which one of you is going first and start talking,” said Justin.

“Ladies first,” said Gavin.

Maya shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, and perhaps I’m making more of it than is really there. I was dancing with a man who turned out to be Kaliea’s cousin. Kyphen asked if I wanted to take a walk to cool down, and I accepted. As we walked, he started asking questions. His questions seemed innocent enough, but considering how interested he was I got suspicious. He wanted to know who we were, where we were from, why we were here, what we were looking for in the library, when we were leaving, and where we were going next. He asked the questions casually as if he only wanted to learn more about me, but he kept wanting more details and when you look at all the questions together, he was searching for information. He seemed frustrated when I sidetracked his questions and his advances.

He wasn’t making small talk. He made me nervous and uncomfortable. Kyphen didn’t threaten, but he has a coldness about his eyes that implies things I don’t want to think about and I think he has a habit of getting his way. He was too interested in our plans in a general sense and much too interested in my plans for tonight for my taste. We aren’t finding much here anyways so I feel like it might be best to leave as soon as possible.”

Justin, Gavin, and Lucy all nodded. Then, Gavin told his story.

“You may have noticed that Kaliea has been giving me some attention,” he started casually. “Tonight she also started asking questions. She was subtle about it, and it was hard to answer carefully.” At this Gavin blushed.

“It is difficult to concentrate while someone is kissing your neck,” commented Maya casually, and Gavin’s blush deepened.

“Her questions were similar to the ones Maya was asked, but they also concentrated on my training. She noticed my physique and wondered what I was trained for, asking about my skills with weapons. She also wanted to know where Maya learned to sing. She asked if Justin had skills similar to mine or if he had different interests. Magical interests perhaps? Her questions wanted to know more about us, but I also get the distinct impression that she sees me as a possible stud horse to put it bluntly.”

The rest of them laughed, but couldn’t help agreeing. Kaliea had been blatant in her admiration of Gavin’s body.

“She might be looking for information, or she might be looking for enjoyment, but I’m most worried that she’s looking for someone with an acceptable gene pool for her future children. If that’s the case, I think we should leave tonight. I’m not comfortable with a woman pursuing me when her hobbies include assassination.”

Again, they laughed.

“I think leaving tonight would look suspicious and make them more inclined to follow us. I think we should sleep tonight and look in the library tomorrow. Then, we should either say we’ve found something and leave in the afternoon, or say we need to look in another library and leave tomorrow afternoon,” said Justin.

Everyone agreed, and they all went to bed. However, it took them all a while to fall asleep. Each of them had personal concerns. Gavin was trying to figure out how to stay away from Kaliea all morning. Maya was wondering what their story would be and where they should head next. Lucy was worried about getting out of there without any problems, and how she was going to manage to call Kleth to them. Justin was worried about Lucy.

The next morning, they acted as if they had no intentions of leaving, although Lucy did have the suspicion that they were being watched. Gavin checked on the horses, like he had the day before, and then went to a practice yard to spar with anyone who was willing. Maya and Justin went to the library to read through scrolls. Lucy took a bath. She had offered to help Maya and Justin, but they thought it best if Lucy appeared comfortable here. Lucy deeply enjoyed her luxurious bath. She wasn’t sure when she would get to experience a bath like this again so she took full advantage of it. Then she packed all her things.

They met back at the room for lunch. At this point the others packed. They wrote a note to Kaliea. It thanked her for her hospitality and noted that the information they had found led them to look in another library, one they specifically did not name, and Maya wanted to get there as soon as possible so the information was still fresh in her mind. It almost seemed plausible. They left the note in their room, went to the horses, saddled them, and rode out of the city. It was surprisingly easy and thus unsettling.

Maya led them north. When asked what city she was leading them to, she said she hadn’t decided yet. They traveled north because it was the quickest way out of the jungle. Considering how much fun the journey in had been, she opted for the shortest distance to travel and decided they could choose a direction once they were out again.

It didn’t take them long to lose the breeze off the water, and the oppressive air hung about them again. Justin periodically got a far off expression on his face. Lucy didn’t feel like talking so she tried to puzzle out the reason instead. Finally she surmised that he was sending out his thoughts and searching to see if anyone was following them. It seemed like a good idea. They had left in a hurry without officially saying goodbye to their hostess. People were starting to ask questions, and this gave them more questions to ask. Lucy hoped that they were less inclined to pursuit and more inclined to move on to the next momentary interest.

That night they slept in the tent again. Despite the fact that it was less comfortable than the beds they had slept on in Kennemt, Lucy was glad to be back in the tent. Kennemt had made her feel constantly apprehensive.

It was midday on the second day of their travels that Justin announced that someone was following them. He couldn’t tell them who, but he was sure there was at least one person on their trail.

“Couldn’t it be someone else leaving Kennemt?” asked Gavin.

“That was my first thought, but they seem to be gaining on us, and I don’t think any casual traveler would be inclined to hurry through a jungle. Also, they stopped to rest last night, but long after it got dark. That implies someone familiar enough with the area not to worry about traveling at night,” replied Justin.

None of them looked forward to finding out who was following them and why. Gavin suggested setting a trap, but Maya thought it was a waste of time. They decided to continue on and deal with whoever was behind them when they caught up. Justin knew there was someone back there and could monitor their approach so they wouldn’t be surprised.

The person following them caught up with them that night. It was Kaliea’s cousin.

“You left in a hurry,” Kyphen said casually, stepping out of the trees and into their camp.

“Not in a hurry, simply when we were ready,” replied Gavin in an equally casual voice, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

“Where are you off to?” he asked.

“What business is it of yours?” asked Maya.

“I thought we could travel together if we were going the same way.”

“Where are you going?” asked Justin.

“North,” he replied.

“You may join us as long as we are going north,” said Maya.

“Actually, I’m looking for Kleth. You wouldn’t have any idea where that is would you?” Kyphen said, dropping the pretense and getting straight to the point.

“Many, but that doesn’t mean any of them are accurate,” said Justin with a shrug. He didn’t like this man. Maya was right about him.

“Kaliea is sorry you left without saying goodbye.”

“It was time to leave, and we didn’t know where she was. We left her a note,” said Gavin.

“We’d like for you to come back. You could tell us what you know, and we would be glad to help you on your journey provided we can go with you.”

“Thank you for the invitation, but we are not interested in help or company,” said Maya.

“What if I were to insist?”

“You might find that to be the last thing you insist upon,” responded Gavin lightly, as though killing him would be a minor inconvenience, but nothing more.

Lucy decided she didn’t like where this was going. She took a deep breath, concentrated, and watched as the man closed his eyes and fell asleep. Justin gave her an inquiring look.

“I decided we might like a chance to decide what to do before he left us no choice in what we had to do,” she said somewhat defensively.

Justin shrugged. They laid the man in a more comfortable position and examined his pockets. They found a number of small weapons hidden upon his body, which they removed. It was uncertain what his intentions were. How did he hope to keep all four of them under control? After much discussion, Lucy and Justin worked some magic. They set a spell in his mind to forget this meeting. Then, they set one that would make him sleep for two days. They put wards around him so that he would not be disturbed by wildlife and also made him invisible for the duration of his nap. They didn’t want him to come to harm, but they did want him to stop following them. Hopefully, he would wake up and think he overslept, but wouldn’t know by how much. He might still pursue them, but it would give them a greater head start, and a chance to cover their tracks better. It was worth a try.

They continued on through the jungle. Justin scanned the roads around them and reported back that no one was following them. Maya was giving thought to the direction they should head when they got out of the jungle. They needed to stop and purchase supplies at the next available town. They were running low on food. The journey out of the jungle was better than the journey in because they knew it was going to end soon rather than wondering how long until they reached the city. Also, they had learned a few things in Kennemt and knowledge gave them something to think about on the way out besides how humid it was.

The next few days passed without incident and without much conversation. Gavin wanted Lucy to try finding Kleth. Lucy wanted to wait until they were out of the jungle. No one wanted to spend more time than they had to among the oppressive suffocation the jungle provided so there wasn’t much disagreement about that. There also was not much talking. The traveling wasn’t difficult, but the environment was. There was no break from it when you rested. At least in a desert, it cooled down at night or you might be able to find some shade. In a colder climate, a fire for the night was comforting. Here, it was uncomfortable and humid no matter what you did and stopping only made things worse, because it was a lack of progress out of the jungle. Thus another reason Kennemt was safe from invaders. Who would ever want to bring an army through this?