Wish

Chapter 16

Sasha

I walk into the bar hesitantly. This might not have been a good idea. I've never been in a bar before tonight. But I have to be brave. I have to get Idris home.

I look around, rapidly loosing hope. This is my third bar, and I haven't found any elves. Maybe dad was wrong and they aren't any good. Idris says dad is never right. But Idris was wrong I DID like eating an entire jar of treacle without giving him any. And dad was right it did make my stomach hurt.

There! I see, in the corner, a group of elves talking. They stand out because elves don't wear cowls like mages do. I walk up, hesitantly pulling my coin out of my pocket.

"Excuse me," I say, tugging on the sleeve of one of them. He jumps, then looks down at me and relaxes.

"Yes?" the elf asks, a little amused.

"I need to hire you. My dad says you're the best at tracking and finding people----I need to find my brother. I think he's in danger," I hold up my coins, "I only have two hundred and three dragmas, is that enough?"

"Yes-----that's quite enough," the elf picks up just one of the coins, "I would be honored, to help you find your brother."

"You can't be serious Liam---"

"Shut up, he's adorable----what is your name, small one?"

"Sasha Remy. My brother's Idris."

"Where are your parents, Sasha?" he asks, nicely. 

"They're looking for Idris, but I'm afraid they won't find him before he dies," I hang my head a little, stifling a tear. 

"Well, we'll make certain we help you find your brother."

"We are actually---"

"Yes, we're actually helping this completely lost child for one dragma."

"I'm not lost!" I say, folding my arms. 

"Do you know where you are?"

"Well---" I did get turned around a bit, "I guess not."

"No matter, we'll find your brother, and get you home safe. It's not like we had anything BETTER to do," the elf sort of growls at his friends before taking my hand.

"Fine, ten dragmas says we'll be back here before sunrise."

"You're on."

Idris

I've never been to the temple before. I've never walked this far before. My legs are actually tired from use, an ache I don't mind. The ache in my bones is still there, but it's so faint I barely notice it. Tonight is my night, even if I don't live to see the morning.

Soft, mysterious Asha, leads me up the temple steps, though she too looks a little in awe of her surroundings. The temple looms large above us, blocking out the moonlight.

"Are you ready?" Asha asks me, her fingers sweaty on mine.

"Pretty damn," I say, "I need to end this."

"We will," she says, confidently, walking up the steps.

"If we don't---Asha----if we don't, and none of it works---thank you for tonight, I'm glad I got to walk around and---everything," I say, following her a little slowly.

"We will. I promise. I told you. I've never failed a quest before."

"Okay," I say, as we walk up to the large wood doors, twice the size of normal ones. I can't imagine Bash working here every day. But this is where he and the other monks and nuns live. "Do we knock?"