Of Heroes and Happenings

The Perfect One, Chapter 16

It was Askil who showed the watch captain in, a short time after rising. Bleary-eyed but awake, the Wilderwalkers listened as the watch captain handed Windy a piece of paper. No one thought to wonder where the staff had gone.

"The governor has ordered this street evacuated until we get the city back under control. I recommend you avoid the city square at all costs. You have twelve hours to get out, before we can't protect you anymore."

"Where are we supposed to go?" asked Windy. With the Moonshadow Crescent not due in port for another two months, Gareth briefly wondered the same thing.

The watch commander only shrugged. "You have a vacation home, don't you? A place outside the city? Go there. Visit relatives. Just don't stay here." He turned and left.

Windy looked terrified. Gareth couldn't blame her. What was happening, just then?

Talya was paler than usual, even for a half-elf, as she struggled to right herself from the ungainly position that she'd fallen asleep in. Heth flapped in helpless circles overhead. "By Rillifane Rollathil, what happened?" she groaned, clutching her head. Gareth had rarely, if ever, heard her take her deity's name in vain before.

Voni handed her a cup. "Askil says, 'just a sip,'" cautioned the little girl. "It'll help." As soon as she'd been obeyed, Voni moved on to the next, groaning victim.

"Askil says?" echoed Ash Tor'eth in surprise. "That's new. When did . . ."

Askil himself spoke up. "Please listen to me, all of you. I spiked the wine last night so you'd stay here.  The city is in flames, or burnt entirely by now. It isn't safe for you in the city right now. No one is safe there. You should go back out into the wilds, or on a boat. Anywhere but Cinderlands! Please, I count all of you as friends; you'll get hurt if you stay. None of you are Cinderfolk."

Balin Darkforge, the dwarf bard spoke up. "I say we head to my place, Greyholm. I ain't laid eyes on her blessed halls in a century, almost." He glanced over at Talya. "I guess we ought to introduce you, sometime."

"It beats my place, no matter what," grinned Ash.

"Or mine," agreed the human rogue, Bloody Hale.

Their tomfoolery made Gareth grin. Ash's tall tales of his wife's evil deeds over the years had left a decent understanding that no one would be visiting there, anytime soon. A vagrant before joining the group, Hale generally claimed the streets as 'home,' no matter which city he was in.

"In-laws beats step parent by a mile," Talya decided. "Father's family has never been pleased to see me." That, in itself, was yet another understatement, Gareth knew. Given her father's love of human women, the number of half-elven children who'd arrived at his door to seek sanctuary over the centuries of his marriage was a point of contention with his elven wife.

The four Wilderwalkers joined hands. Balin muttered something in Dwarvish. The group disappeared.

"Our turn," Gareth said firmly, as soon as they were gone. Whatever Voni had given him had worked wonders, clearing his head and calming his rolling stomach almost immediately. Whatever Askil has given them all had been potent, indeed!

"Where?" cried his mother. "This is our 'place out of the city!'"

"Mother, this uprising has been brewing for decades. We've all seen it." Gareth crossed the floor to hug his mother. "Rowan and I planned for this, a long time ago. There's a teleportation circle in my room, one in the shop, and one on Rowan's Island. Pack up what you need and pile it on the rug in my room. We can move the most important things first, and come back for the rest as we can. Start here, and I'll head for the shop, to pack up there."