Elfborn: The Quest

Dueling Bishops

Still, despite the man's friendly speech and warm smile, Jase hesitated. He didn't know if Kira's earlier feeling of doom, death and evil was rubbing off on him, or if it was just his imagination, but he was getting the feeling something was about to happen. Gillian, however, didn't have such reservations. Seeing obvious wealth, she quickly equated it to power, as it meant to the nobility of Tranth.

Power the young blonde woman understood. Understood and trusted. With an answering smile appearing on her wan face, she stepped around Heather, who stared at her with a look of astonishment. On legs still shaky from her long bouts with seasickness, she carefully began to walk towards the gangplank. Down on the quay's deck, the man Eje had called 'Your Grace' nodded in satisfaction.

"Gillian!" Heather hissed tightly, anxiety abruptly replacing her astonishment. "What do you think you're doing?" Her Ekossan burr thickened as her emotions began to charge.

Hearing the tension in Heather's voice, the others turned to stare at the slender young woman as she walked by them, barely keeping her footing as she attempted to put on her haughtiest air and walk with her most arrogant step.

"Doing what you all should be doing," Gillian rasped in return, her voice still froggy despite her attempts at sounding noble. "Greeting our gracious hosts, who have thankfully saved us from the Dark Companions and the orcs, that's what!"

"But we don't know this man from a farmer in the field!" Kira exclaimed. "Perhaps you should show a little more caution, Gillian."

"And what do you know, Kira?" Gillian snarled in reply, her face twisting into a mask of anger. "You're nothing but a farmgirl from Luthon. You couldn't recognize nobility if it reached out and slapped you!" She quickly turned to take them all in with her hot stare.

"None of you would!"

"And again we see her true colors," Brice dryly noted in an almost bored tone, looking as if he was about to fall asleep as he gazed heavy lidded at the snarling young woman.

"Shut up, Brice," Jase snapped. "You're not helping matters any with barbs like that."

"Am I not, fearless leader?" Brice abruptly barked in reply, the heavy lidded look vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. Stalking up to the muscular Elfborn on stiffened legs, he leaned close enough to almost press his nose to Jase's.

"So what?" he husked softly, the bitterness in his words making Jase's eyes narrow dangerously. "And here's something else for you to think on, you illiterate moron. I'm going with her." A thumb jerked towards the glowering Gillian. "If just so I can get off the same boat you're standing on, big man. So much for your premonition!"

And with that he spun away from Jase to stalk to the gangplank, not waiting to see if Gillian needed any help down before he quickly stepped onto the quay deck. Quickly Kira stepped in to put a soothing hand on Jase's arm as his fists clenched and unclenched, his jaw working in silent rage and his eyes staring daggers into Brice's back as he went to join Eje and the man in the crimson robes.

"Be still, Jase. The boy isn't worth it," she said softly, hoping her touch would calm her friend.

"Burn me to ash," Jase managed to grate after struggling to calm his surging rage. Brice was hard to get along with at the best of times, as Jase had learned much to his chagrin aboard the Dolphin. But that was almost the last straw.

"I swear, if that skinny book-eating bastard so much as looks at me wrong, he's getting those damn glasses down his throat!"

"What are we going to do now?" Heather asked softly, stepping close as her words broke the tension.