In the Dark of the Night

In the Light of the Day 3

The next day, the three Rangers headed out to the M'adukar camp, which some guardsmen told them lay just to the east of the Ditch. They were warned to watch their purses, as those types were all tricksters and thieves. It took some time to get out of the city, and they chatted about their theories on the way.

"Trayps an' Harry are totally partners, right?" said Del. "You guys got that vibe too, aye?"

"Yes," said Eis'Libe. "Business partners, that's what he said."

"C'mon, he's much too worried fer it to just be a business partner."

"I'm with Del on this one," Sparrow said. "Most travelling companions don't settle down and run a tavern together. Harry said he'd just come of age, and he looks like he's in his thirties now, so that's, what, ten to twenty years? Yeah, they're basically married."

"You're both fools," Eis'Libe said harshly. "An eldakar and an orc – it's utterly impossible."

"Oh, come on," Sparrow said. "Star-crossed lovers, total opposites – what could be more romantic than that?"

"Romance has nothing to do with it! And before you say it, it's not prejudice on my part, either," Eis'Libe said. "We elves are creatures of Life and Light. This is not metaphor, I speak of the primal Powers that shaped our world and its denizens. The goblinesh – whether orc, goblin, or ogre – are not native to Shaintar. They were brought here by the powers of Darkness. That's not their fault, and in fact I respect them for transcending their origins and becoming part of the world instead of trying to destroy it as was their original purpose. But even the best of them still carries that taint of Darkness inside them, and all elves feel an instinctive revulsion to them. Perhaps, at the most generous, an alakar could manage it, as their connection to the spiritual world is more tenuous. But an eldakar could not."

"Yeah, you eldakar are so perfect and incorruptible," said Del, knowing he was about to enrage Eis'Libe and not caring. "I wonder what the shayakar would say aboot that."

Eis'Libe's face flushed and his lips tightened, and he took a deep breath before continuing. Del knew by now that this meant he'd struck quite a nerve. "The shayakar are no longer eldakar. They embraced the corruption of darkness and let it consume them. My statement stands. No eldakar could sustain a romantic relationship with a goblinesh."

"Maybe this guy is a shayakar, then," Sparrow said. "Then Darkness wouldn't bother him. It also explains why he doesn't keep ties with the Elvish Nation."

"Perhaps, but I hope not," said Eis'Libe. "And so should you. If he is, that would mean he's most likely a spy for Shaya'Nor. Our duty would require us to capture, or more likely, kill him."

"Uh, let's hope it does nae come to that," said Del. "Besides, if he is one, then he's probably long gone back ta his home country. But, let's hope that's not it. It'd be a pretty sad endin' to our first assignment."

"You know, Eis," said Sparrow. "They could just be in a relationship that doesn't involve physical intimacy."

"That was always my understanding," said Eis'Libe, though Sparrow felt that he didn't really understand her meaning at all.

The trio passed through a copse of trees that seemed to mark the edge of the settled town, continuing east. The road was deserted at the moment. Eis'Libe perked up his ears first, then the other two noticed what he had – faint yells, screams, and the unmistakable clash of steel. Coming to swift agreement with just a glance, all three broke into a run. A few minutes later, they approached a clearing just south of the road, where a number of painted wagon circled a makeshift camp. They weren't too late – the battle was still ongoing. The M'adukar were being attacked by at least five bandits. The bandits were readily identifiable by their weapons and full-body armor, while the M'adukar nomads defended themselves with simple tools and knives. They were holding their own for the moment, but several of them had already been felled. As they watched, an elderly man wearing a colorful headscarf took a blow to the head and collapsed. The remaining defenders were clearly outmatched by the bandits, who all wore masks over their lower faces.