Written in The Stars

The Twelfth Scroll: Lydia

The guys reached the city soon enough and were surprised to find that Artmael was waiting for them right at the entrance to the tavern. Upon seeing his companions, the bard immediately rushed towards them, suspiciously looking around. Lydia and Jhaar exchanged puzzled glances before he caught up with them.

"Here you are, thank the gods," the dwarf needed to catch his breath.

"Why are you standing outside?" the girl was perplexed. "It's terribly cold in here."

Lyre took a step forward, but her companion was in front of her in an instant, blocking her path. It made her frown. Jhaar was now looking around the area, trying to find the answer to the question before Artmael gave it.

"What are you doing?" Lydia asked, confused.

The bard pursed his lips and hurried to look away – he seemed very nervous:

"You shouldn't go in there."

"And why is that?"

"Rumors are spreading fast," he said pointedly, looking into the girl's face.

Lydia was confused:

"Are you talking about the grimoire? But who cares..."

At the same moment, morph noticed how the unknown people who were at the tavern were looking in their direction, talking enthusiastically.

"Lydia," the cat interrupted her, grabbing her slender wrist. "It seems to Jhaar that the little bard is referring to the attack on Koert...."

Lyre immediately caught her breath – for a short time she even managed to forget about this nightmare. And about what it entailed.

"How can they be sure it's me?" the girl was indignant.

"Lydia is only a head taller than her dwarf friend," the morph persisted, "and has an unruly red mop of hair. Jhaar thinks they've figured it out."

His companion glared at him. However, so as did Artmael:

"Yes, and you are accompanied by an overgrown cat."

Jhaar gave the man an annoyed squint.

"Oh, gods, stop it," Lydia exclaimed wearily. "What do we do?"

"Sooner or later, it will become known to everyone," the bard shook his head. "But there's still a chance that the city a little further from here hasn't heard about it."

"Then let's go," the morph said calmly, adjusting his bag and weapons.

"Let's go?! I'm tired, I want to sleep...."

The dwarf looked at the girl with sympathy.

"Jhaar and Lydia will have to set up camp along the way," the cat gently pulled her in the opposite direction, and then turned his gaze to Artmael. "The little bard should hurry if he wants to go with them."

"Wait at the gate, I'll be right there," the dwarf said decisively, rushing into the tavern.

After such an exhausting adventure in the tomb, another trip seemed like a real nightmare to Lydia. As promised, Jhaar gave them a short rest when they were far enough away from Brutto. And although the morph had a constant uncontrollable desire to scold Artmael for any reason, the dwarf did not bring any trouble to the couple – he walked quickly, did not complain, helped as much as possible. Half asleep, Lydia heard Jhaar bragging to the bard about the folio he had found. Artmael was delighted.

During the next day, the two even found an understanding, although they continued to hurl insults at each other from time to time. Artmael, like a true knight, did not question Lydia about what happened during the attack on Koert. He never uttered the word "chosen" all the way, unlike Jhaar, who recalled this story every time the girl started complaining about fatigue. You could hardly blame him for that – he was pretty tired, too, after all. And then there's listening to the whining of someone whose unwillingness to stay away has driven them into this situation. Thanks to such eloquent feuds, Artmael very soon realized how fate had brought Jhaar and Lydia together, and why they were still companions.