The Song of Loss

Chapter Twelve - Heroes for Hire

Peyton slammed her hand down on her drum with the last beat and the song ended on the final dying note of Reyner's harp. The pair had been elected to entertain the crowd in the small fishing village along the bank of the Sleeping River. Two people clapped politely, the rest walked by without a word.

It was a good thing they didn't need to entertain for money quite so desperately, thanks to the generous reward from the mayor in Xather. Generous was an understatement for the unlimited access to the town treasury. Their pockets were loaded with coins, or what was left after resupplying. It should have been enough to last them for weeks.

The problem they were facing now was simply one of supply and demand. The size boat they needed was on the larger side thanks to the cart and the horse. There were three of those in the entire village and all three were in use. On top of that, only one of the captains seemed likely to take a bribe to allow the nouyip on board. It put them in a tight spot with a finite amount of coins to spend on lodgings, the boat, and the bribe.

Kasi leaned against her side, arms crossed tightly over his chest. The village was surprisingly cold considering its close proximity to the Moonstone Dunes. "It smells like fish. I smell like fish, I'm going to smell like fish for the rest of my life," the boy whined. He snapped his fingers and grinned at the small flame that appeared for a millisecond.

"Stop doing that," Darcy scolded him gently. She reached out and pushed his hand down into his lap. His training had intensified since his successful tracking spell. Casting without a focus so early into training was a feat not even Darcy could claim any sort of mastery over. It wasn't surprising to Darcy that he was desperate to learn more.

On the short trip from Xathe to the Bellmare, the small fishing village only two days away, Darcy had ramped up her tutoring. It was easiest to throw the basics of elemental magic at him. Water manipulation was as easy as breathing to the boy and he'd gained a bit of respect from the troupe by collecting rainwater from a sudden downpour. Darcy moved onto fire, trusting the nearby river to keep the air damp enough to lessen any damage he might cause.

The only problem was his desire to show off the flashier aspects of his teachings. It was such a contrast to Darcy's subtle manipulations.

Cedric looked thrilled with the boy's quick mind. He kept trying to pull the boy aside or tempt him with more knowledge that Darcy didn't have. The only thing he hadn't done was manipulate the Kasi the way they so often did with others they passed. The troupe had already dealt with a furious Darcy when she'd gained the mental clarity to be upset that Kasi was anywhere near the cultists.

In Xathe people would have tossed coins their way even for a performance as small as Peyton and Reyner's. No one looked impressed enough to spare even a silver coin, let alone gold. The bench creaked under Percy who dropped into the space next to Darcy.

Since the kidnapping and rescue, the thief had stayed close to her. At every meal time he made sure she ate her fill. In the mornings he was there to check that all of her limbs were there. During their one encounter with a bandit on the road, she'd only seen his back when he put himself between her and danger. If he were any more attentive she'd have to start paying him for his protection services.

"Still no sign of the boat," he told Cedric. "They said he went downriver towards the Andon Crossing. At this rate we'd have better luck taking the cart to meet him on his way back." Percy pulled a white feather from his pocket and tapped it against Darcy's nose. It was from one of the seabirds that followed the river from the Straight of Granatal and invaded Bellmare like leaves in the forest.

Darcy swatted the feather away from her face. "Do you even know where that's been? Those things could have fleas," she muttered.

"Don't worry, I washed it off," he tried to assure her, but her narrowed eyes were anything but accepting of his gift. "Don't you trust me, dear bard?"