The Jewel of Orlegon

Chapter 29: Reunion

Alteria's voice blended with those of all the others gathered around the table to cheer on the participants in the contest taking place in the middle of the tavern. Facing each other were the two finalists who had spent the evening defeating their opponents one after another without the slightest mercy. On one side, towering over most of the participants while remaining seated, was the local champion, unchallenged in the tavern. The man was, from what the young woman understood, a worker from the tanneries not far from the docks, by the lake. Built like a rock, the odor he emitted would have been enough to knock down more than one seasoned soldier, not to mention his arms with the diameter of tree trunks. His face displayed a satisfied smile as he assessed with a clearly drunken gaze the one standing in the way of his new victory. Leaning nonchalantly on the back of her chair, encouraging the reactions of the crowd gathered around them, Saosa savored every second before her grand battle.

Upon her return to their lodgings, Alteria had come to apologize to her comrade, who was still busy feeding her meager protege. The Enartian with jet-black hair had dismissed the speech that the Nimean had matured during her entire journey back.

"It's not because we have to find a way to live together that we always have to agree," she declared in a playful tone. "Rymian and I managed to survive until now. And believe me when I say that our exchange is far from what I call a real dispute."

The Thenean woman had then hastened to place the just-fed kitten in the small wooden box that currently served as its sleeping place before gathering her belongings, putting on her rain cape, and starting to call for their departure to the city.

Alteria admired Saosa for many reasons. The Enartian was a formidable warrior and possessed a mastery of her gifts that still made her companion envious, but remained someone of great humanity. For example, she could see in Princess Eliryn a potential and sensitivity that always eluded her comrade, and this only increased Alteria's respect for her. Her temperament was fiery, and some might even say that she did not know how to control her emotions, but the young warrior did not pass the same judgment on her character. She took pride in her ability to express her feelings without restraint, confident in her ability to bear the consequences of her actions. This same ability led her to easily forgive the excesses of others because she believed it was the simplest and healthiest way to resolve differences of opinion. And tonight, it was with unrestrained confidence that Saosa expressed all the assurance she felt in the face of the behemoth standing, confident, in front of her, while her comrade tried to blend into the hysterical crowd around them.

"Gentlemen!" shouted above the cries of the spectators the voice of the man who had improvised himself as the organizer, commentator, and referee of the tournament, "it's now time for our grand finale! Will our unstoppable title contender manage to dethrone the unbeatable? To move the immovable? After defeating all their opponents, here they are finally face to face! Are you ready!"

"Go, Saosa!" shouted a transcendent voice that Alteria had difficulty recognizing.

It was, however, Dyros, whose face, usually so gentle, was transformed by a fanatical mask with cheeks flushed by alcohol. The young man stood next to his novice companion to encourage their comrade in her battle. Behind them, in a quieter corner of the tavern, Rymian, Rev, and Zao'wi were in deep discussion around a table where the remnants of a meal were laid out.

It was the first time all six of them had been together since Alteria and the twins had to leave Agathil prematurely. The other novices had stayed in the city for an additional month before discovering the members of the Sapphire Division assigned to them as nahoris. Zao'wi and her companions had thus been placed under the protection of Gunto, a middle-aged man who had trained many generations of novices before them. While many of the other novices had then been assigned to sedentary positions serving the numerous governors of the imperial territory, they had been tasked with protecting the caravan of merchants that regularly made stops in Agathil. The activity was not truly perilous, as Dyros had explained to them, because the caravan was so large in number that its size itself deterred any attempts at brigandage.