Soulbonder

Chapter 12 - Soulbonders

"Come on," Ezil said, as she held open the front door of the Blackbird Inn. "I doubt they'll follow us into town, but there's no sense in staying out in the cold."

Shale nodded, although she felt no cold. She wondered how it was possible to ever feel anything again after what she'd witnessed tonight. There was so much to take in, but her mind shut it out, like a window drawn against a battering storm. Just as when she'd left the monastery, she tried to focus on the simpler steps without worrying about the greater task. She started by walking through the front door, following the Orian girl into the common room.

The fire in the hearth was down to its final embers. The tables and booths were empty. She thought they were alone, until her heart skipped at the sight of a man lurking in the shadows. He was behind the bar, polishing a tankard with a cloth. The pockmarked man must've been the innkeeper, Casodin. He watched them. His lips were pressed together as if to suppress his questions.

Ezil gave him a knowing nod, which he returned, indicating they had an understanding. Then, Shale followed the Orian girl as she darted up the stairway.

At the end of the third floor hallway, the green door to their room lay ajar.

When they entered the dusty room, they found Karlar, with his hands behind his back as he paced up and down. He came to a halt when he noticed them. "Mistress Ezil, is everything alright?"

"They were out there, on the road." Ezil strode past him and lay her sword upon the table. It looked like quality, castle-forged steel. "Three of them had her surrounded, but they've been dealt with."

"Three of them? Eleven above, it's a good thing you acted quickly."

"Indeed. There are more out there too, by the sounds of it."

"Will we be safe to sleep here tonight?"

"I think so. One of their best advantages has been secrecy, so I doubt they'll reveal themselves to an entire town. It takes time for them to build a force, so they probably don't have the numbers to overrun us yet."

"Let's hope so." Karlar's shoulders visibly relaxed, then he glanced at Shale. "What about the item? Is it safe?"

"Yes."

Frowning, Shale came forward to stand between them, demanding their attention. "Okay, you've caught up. Now, can one of you please, for the love of Bragan and his holy armies, explain to me what's going on? First, there were hedge monsters, then there was a wolf, wielding a sword, and then I saw a sp-"

The door gently closed of its own accord.

No, not of its own accord. Shale's teeth ground together. She stood on alert as she saw it. Just as it had appeared in the woods, the watery spectre was barely visible in the dim room except as feint ripples. The forest spirit had followed them all the way back to their room.

Shale backed away and raised a feeble hand, pointing. She wanted to alert the others, but the words were caught in her throat.

"For Kah's sake," Ezil said, swinging around to see what she was pointing at. "Would you put on some clothes, Bandor?"

Did she just call it Bandor? As in her brother, Bandoragua?

The spirit crossed the room, scattering the dust on the floorboards. As it passed between Shale and Ezil, she saw that he was a man, the same colour as the wooden slats. He approached one of the beds, where there lay a bundle of folded clothes. Then, deftly, he unfolded them and put on first the small clothes, then the breeches, and finally the tunic. This gave the rest of his body context, until Shale could make him out clearly, right down to the fingers and toes.