"I, uh, why?" Raxus says, utterly confused and embarrassed.
With a shake of his head he continues without waiting for an answer, something inside him picking up momentum like a charging bull. "I'm not special. I'm not smart. I don't understand any of this. The sickness, this mission we've been sent on, why Thalia is so awful, the vokrok gods..." Raxus' jaw twitches like an animal trapped under his skin, beginning a slow rise to anger.
"I don't know anything about it except that it's complicated and pointless. The gods are made out to be these important things, and their commands are so simple. Shelyn says love others and make beautiful things. Gorum says fight for the right reasons and don't hurt the weak. Lammashtu says kill the weak and destroy anything that is not making you stronger. They are like children. So simple. Or maybe they think we are like children and would not understand the truth. Maybe not. I'm not smart, but I am smart enough to know it isn't any of the things we've been told by them, or anyone else. I'm tired of being lied to. It's like a net, all holding you down and all I want to do is fly away from everything..."
He looks up at the sky for a moment and runs his hand over his bare scalp, then shrugs awkwardly.
"Sorry. I'll shut up now. It's..uh..nice to meet you too."
|
"You don't have to be quiet if you don't want to be. The words you speak are the words of one seeking the truth, rather than accepting someone else's version. That's a wonderful thing."
She then turns her attention to Cyean. She breathes.
"Speaking of seeking the truth, what mission is it you blokes have been sent to undertake?"
"No mission, just off to fix some local problems." Cyean says as they go.
"We are supposed to get rid of all the bandits."
|
|
Katie stops walking, just for a moment. She puts her right hand on her hip, and laughs.
"Well, I'm glad somebody's finally doing something about these despicable hoodlums. It's not safe for a girl like me to even walk through the woods at night, like I should be doing, with all these hooligans about. Granted, I'm no warrior, but if there's anything I can do to help you blokes, you need only ask."
Katie resumes walking.
The mention of danger in the woods gets Mikam thinking again.
"Um, Katie, not to be a stick, but we just met you today...where are you leading us?" Mikam asks tenetivly. "I think that we would be a bit upset if you led us right into an ambush or bandit encampment."
|
|
Katie is startled at Mikam's words, and but she gently offers him her hand.
"I am leading you to a place I know where I can collect some roots. With the roots, I can make a medicine that will nullify that plague. As far as bandits and ambushes, I fear there may be bandits on the way, but they're no friends to me. Though I have no means of giving you proof of my good intent, I have nothing to gain by leading you into a trap. Quite honestly, though, I do have a bad or rather selfish intent in my joining. I am using you men as my protection. On my own, I wouldn't make it. Not with the bandits lurking about."
Katie snaps her fingers, reaches into her sweater jacket pocket, and removes a beautiful deck of cards in a cloth pouch. She hands them to Mikam.
"This may help you trust me. To show that I mean you no harm, I freely yeild as collateral something I prize greatly. My tarot cards. You may keep them as a safeguard. If I lead you into an ambush, or a bandit encampment, you may claim them as your own. But if I get the roots I need with no harm to us, I get them back. Are we agreed?"
She will wait to see if he takes her cards or not. If not, she will repocket them.
Knowing the stories of the Vishanti and their cards, Mikam has no interest in taking the cards...much less touching them, and the look on his face underscores his words.
"Uh, thank you Katie...that won't be necessary, I don't need to hold your cards as collateral. I am fine...I was just, um, asking a question because I was concerned, I wasn't questioning your motives, more like postulating that you weren't actually certain where you were going..."
"Bad idea to put yourself in the middle of the ambush you're leading people into. Also a bad idea to start a plague just to arrange an ambush. I think we can take her at her word."
Mikam sputters a bit more, uncomfortable with the attention.
"Yes, that is true. But I obviously wasn't accusing her of anything...I was just concerned that she didn't know where we were going...really! Hey, I think I saw somthing moving over there!", Mikam points with great animation towards a copse of aspen crowning the top of a hill nearby.
Raxus doesn't change speed or pace, he just veers toward the trees, as implacable as a thunderstorm and twice as gloomy.