Page 18 of The Wand of Lore

“Gwenneth, where are you?” he shouted into the forest.

Vaylor worried that the sound of his beating heart would drown out any response, but then he caught a muffled noise coming from the west. He ran. His lungs felt as if they would explode, but he didn’t slow down.

There she was, tied to a tree with a thick rope. Her long skirts were secured against the trunk, and he could see the outline of her body under her dress in clear detail. Her legs were so much smaller than his, though they were muscular and curvy. Her purple eyes were wide and her long red hair loose and draped over her shoulders. She had been gagged, but her eyes pleaded for help.

Vaylor rushed to untie her. The rope was thick and the knots tight, but with one simple motion, he sliced the ropes with his sword and let her fall into his arms. She lay there momentarily, draped against him like a piece of cloth before she steadied herself on her feet and removed the rag from her mouth. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.

“Goblins,” she said with a steely voice. “They came all at once, fifteen of them, maybe more. They were all over me before I could get my wand out, and there was a man with them.” Her voice wavered at this, but she held her body tall, clenched her jaw, and squared her shoulders before she continued. “He wore all black and had a long, angular, blonde beard. If I had noticed him coming, I would have fought back, but I didn’t notice him until he was taking me from the goblins and binding me to the tree. Those disgusting creatures gagged me before I could scream.” Her voice was icy cold as she spoke, only a faint quiverin her chin betraying her distress, but she held Vaylor’s gaze as she recounted the story.

“If goblins were involved, this was an attack ordered by the king himself.”

“What does the king want with me? I’m just a boring healer who’s never done or said anything interesting at all.”

“Maybe.”

“What in the goddesses’ names is that supposed to mean? What do you know that I don’t?”

“If King Eger has intel that there’s a witch wandering the countryside of Innsbrook, there’s no telling what he’d do to capture her.”

“So the rumors are true then about what they do to witches in Gorenth?”

Vaylor looked away.

“Tell me.”

“Gwenneth, you should go home. Gorenth isn’t a city so much as a cesspit of misery and poverty, full of cutthroats whose only chance to survive is either serving the goblins or selling other humans in their stead. There’s not a person in that dung hole of a city who wouldn’t murder you in your sleep for a loaf of bread. Go back to your sister and your village and keep yourself safe.”

“I’m not turning back.” Her purple eyes hardened, and any sign of a quiver was gone. “My sister’s life depends on me, and so does yours, lest you forget. You’d better work a little harder to keep me alive.”

“Maybe you could work a little harder at not traipsing alone into the dark woods while loudly announcing yourself as a witch everywhere you go. You may as well stick a price tag on yourself and ask for the highest bidder. At least then you could earn some compensation for your life.”

“You’re a real worm, aren’t you?”

“I’m alive, and if you are too at the end of all this, it won’t be sheer luck. Apparently my life depends on you, so no more walking around alone.”

She glared at him for a long, quiet moment, then nodded. “Fine, but that goes for both of us. We stay together, scout together, and investigate any disturbances together. I’m not leaving my tinctures either, and one of us needs to stay on watch while we sleep. If an entire army of goblins could sneak undetected right up to our camp and abduct me, we’re sleeping with one eye open.”

“Good, it’s about time you got wise.” Vaylor kept his sword in his hand as they walked back through the woods, but they encountered no threat. For all his bluster, Vaylor had no idea why anybody would come for Gwenneth when King Eger knew Vaylor was escorting the witch right to his front door. Why complicate the delivery when everything was going according to his plan? Obviously, the attack was targeted, and the only reason they would abduct her, tie her up, and leave her on high alert was to send him a message. Though he could provide a litany of victims across the countryside who would be eager to send him a message, this one could only have been from one person. Greyson had warned Vaylor he would be watching, and that sinister excuse for a human would be looking for an opportunity to remind Vaylor that this witch had already been claimed by King Eger. The implications were clear. Though they had managed to leave Loews Hollow together without drawing any attention, Greyson was following them. This was but one of many reasons Vaylor shouldn’t be getting close to the witch. His job was to deliver her to captivity. Even if they found a way out of it, Vaylor would spend his entire life under the watch of the king and his spies. He heard her breathing shallowly next to him and felt her hand tremble in his. He squeezed.

“I’m sorry, Gwenneth, I shouldn’t have been so harsh. You are not in this alone, and we’re going to figure this out, all right? We will take better precautions and get you to Gorenth Castle to find the relic you’re looking for.”

She nodded but didn’t look convinced.

Of course his father would have his advisor follow him, antagonize him, and threaten the woman he was charged with delivering! Par for the course for his miserable family. Truthfully, between yesterday’s birth and the long road they had traveled, he had all but forgotten his treacherous plot to deliver Gwenneth to his father. He wanted to forget again and continue pretending that they were on a journey together, perhaps even as friends. He had heard a story once from one of the many backwoods villages he frequented of a married couple with grown children who made a habit of traveling the countryside every springtime just to see the world together. As far as he could tell, every village was more or less the same, full of rows of houses in varying states of disrepair, local churches with some quack preaching about the gods and the king, villagers who were friendly enough until they learned he was there to collect taxes, and the occasional local witch who kept to herself unless the village needed her skills for healing or birthing. Unexplored villages were hardly novel or interesting anymore, but it was still stupidly charming that there were people who traveled together just for the sake of the experience.

“Come on, I think I know who is behind this attack. Let’s get back to the fire, and I’ll keep first watch.”

They returned and found their fire untouched. As Gwenneth sank to a log on the forest floor, the steel in her purple eyes was replaced with a frantic, caged look as she clutched her arms and swung her head sharply to peer around the fire.

He sat down at a respectable distance, wishing he hadn’t been so harsh on her. “Sorry, Gwenneth, I should have beenkinder. It must have been harrowing to have been captured and tied up like that, without your wand, and with no ability to speak. I should have been there to help you fight them off, and I should have waited a few minutes before telling you what a fool you were.”

She laughed, but it was a thin sound, and Vaylor realized her entire body was trembling.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

“Please, sit with me. I’m really shaken.”

He felt a tug at his heart from the unexpected admission and moved closer to her, so their legs were touching through their clothes. He put an arm around her shoulder and held her as she suddenly started to cry.

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