Certain major characters are not mine, though Lon is mine, among others. Language and other stuff warning, just to be safe...

x x x

Crossroads Keep - - -

--Bishop

After our morning sparring, I decided to visit the Keep weaponsmaster. I needed to find out who made or provided targets for training. I wanted three different skill targets. He said he trained them in the basics, but any promising students now got advanced training from Daeghun if he was in the Keep. Daeghun provided the targets as they were needed.

I should have guessed that, Lon was pretty good for a generalist. I'd been avoiding him, but I couldn't much longer.

Do you want me to come?

--Yes. He makes me feel like I'm twelve

I think you are to him...

That made me feel no better. I went first to the Keep archery range. I needed to see if there was enough space for spectators or if we... I would need to lay one out somewhere else. The range was too cramped, and there was neither room for more than a few participants, nor good access for spectators to come and go. I would have to find another location.

The other ranger was not here. Karnwyr arrived, and I scratched his ears while I thought.

He's out near the gate.

I'd better go. But I stayed on one knee beside Karnwyr, scratching. It was so much easier to find the right spot to scratch now.

Bishop...

I turned, and there he was. With his feline companion only partly visible under a bush. I didn't even know its name, I had seen it so rarely.

"You are planning the archery event." His voice had no inflection.

I nodded, wary. I was not that confident I was a better fighter, and he'd had decades longer to learn. And probably real mentors instead of my own haphazard training.

He was waiting. Waiting for me to panic or speak or act prematurely. I bit my tongue to keep still. And I realized, despite there being no blood relation, Elondra had the same way of still patience when was truly listening. She had gotten me to say things I hadn't meant to, either revealing or stupid, but didn't pass judgment, whatever I'd said to her sometimes annoying questions. And sometimes I got the signs of arousal I'd been fishing for, when she set her bait in her questions.

Elondra would have been a good ranger. Or holy warrior even, but I felt an unexpected pang at that thought. Did she even know it?

I was surprised to find myself saying, "You must have been disappointed when she did not love nature as you."

"A tree grows as it wills, wishes have no value. She does value nature, but not that way."

I would have to think on this later. "Yes, I am planning a three round event, with crossbows a separate contest from other bows. The range will have to be elsewhere, as there doesn't seem to be enough room for spectators here."

"When will the rules be posted?"

I admitted, "Sometime today, hopefully this morning."

He stood there waiting again, but I wasn't sure why.

The elf nodded and asked as if I had said something, "Do you have targets?"

"No. I only found out a bit ago that you provided them for training. Can you do the same for this? I will pay whatever is appropriate," I didn't think he had that much need for money, but I didn't know what to offer him.

"I will teach you tomorrow morning." Daeghun said, before leaving.

My stomach was churning, though it was an innocuous encounter. I would need to find out where there would be enough space, and get it reserved before someone else did or they started building something on it. I hurried, first to her work room where I caught a glimpse of Shain hard at work, before leaving quickly. Then I checked our room, the Shrine, the library, the great hall, and the shops, I finally asked Karnwyr where was.

With one armed man.

Avoiding him would be good, so back to the room. Once there, I found my one drawer was conspicuously ajar, and that there was a book in there. Must have been Elondra, Casavir would have just given it to me.

Looking at it, I could guess why she passed it on quietly. It was an old and well used volume of names, covering human and elven names. Maybe I'd read it later. I put it back in the drawer, and went down to the armory for lunch. I got some string, poles, and cloth strips, and used them to mark where I wanted to set up the range for the tournament. I'd have to check with Elondra or Casavir to see who was tracking locations.

I went back to our room again, hoping one of them would be there. They both were, asleep. Lon had a book open and half propped on her. A nap seemed a good idea at that, so I curled up with them, too. I drifted off easily, as it was good to smell home.

Casavir woke us, saying, "It's nearly dinner."

Dinner in the great hall was already festive, and Zhjaeve was no longer giving me the eye as much. I wondered if Cas would ask her to officiate if Ivarr was unable. His feelings aside, he was too much the strategist, to not demonstrate Tyr's blessing, even if he did not do it consciously. Of course, Elondra might still be ticked with her...

After dinner, I thought we were going to settle down early for the night for some fun, when Lon apologized that she wanted to do a surprise inspection. Cas volunteered to come along, but I'd rather have a fingernail pulled off.

So I wished them luck, and settled in a comfortable chair, and looked at the book. Browsing through it was unexpectedly interesting. Some version of many names I knew were in there. Elondra's was such a mismatch, I could see why she disliked to use it, if she knew. I looked at the book again, the bookplate said it had been in the Keep library for some decades. I skipped through sections, not finding any I liked, when the book was plucked out of my hands and put aside.

Grey and blue eyes were shining with good spirits, and I could feel myself grinning too. Karnwyr was outside the Keep, hunting, so we wouldn't be interrupted this time.

I woke up after drowsing off, and realized Lon wasn't there, and I shifted so it would be easier for her to return and drifted off again.

Waking again when I heard the watch bell, Lon was still not back. Her spot was cold now.

Sitting up, I saw that Cas was still asleep. I checked, and her robe was still here, but some clothing was missing, though her armor was still here. I saw a new set of clothing, but couldn't tell which she had with her.

I dressed quickly.

--Pup. Where is she?

Too far. Coming.

I checked the armory and the audience chamber by the time Karnwyr found me there.

She's beside the roof.

--What does that mean?

He couldn't explain better. Check the roof?

I went up our usual ladder access, but no one was there.

She's clinging to wall like a tick.

At night? With the watch on patrol?

She's not hurt.

There was no general alarm. I bit my lip as I waited.

She's moving on the roof now, towards the east.

I went off in that direction, and finally caught a glimpse of her. She was running and leaping along the crenelations, in the dark. I could barely see her, more as only a darkness against the stars in the sky. I tasted the copper of blood.

If she kept running, I could intercept her on the other wall. There was a cross wall on the roof that would get me a bit higher. When I heard Elondra coming towards me, I snatched at her and twisted as we fell towards the roof tiles.

We landed, hard. While I was getting my breath back, she took a deep breath and began to kiss me and wriggle her arms under my clothing. My fear became something hotter, and we didn't take long.

But then my fear returned. "Are you crazy? That's a stupid risk! With no one to help if you slipped! What would happen if your troops attacked an intruder? Have you lost your mind?"

Patrol.

"Well, that makes it easier to avoid them," she said, too smugly. "Drink half this."

Elondra was fading away as I did so, leaving only pieces of clothing on the tiles.

The patrol didn't notice the additional debris, and continued on their route.

"Pick out whatever's salvageable, and I'll finish off the potion, and take it down," she said calmly.

"We're not done with this!" I hissed.

It'd always been the three of us. He wouldn't cheat on us. Did she really want me, or was I a convenience? Whenever the paladin was off doing some vigil. Why was she up here, was there some other tryst I intercepted? Casavir was back there sleeping.

My stomach hurt. I should have followed her, not thought she was at ris... She commanded so many troops here, there could have been anyone at the end of her route.

She was done sorting, it was all tied into rough bundles. She drank and disappeared with the bundles.

I took a breath to start again, when I felt her hand on my stomach. She felt around and got my wrist and towed me towards the access stair.

I sputtered, "How could you do this?"

"We'll continue in a more private location, but we don't have that much time left, especially you," Lon said flatly.

A nighttime breeze reinforced that suggestion, so we hurried back to our room. Once there, I saw that Cas was still asleep. It couldn't have been an hour since I left, probably much less.

Once there, she let go of my wrist and I saw one of her drawers open.

"How could you do something so fucking stupid? That old stonework isn't designed for running! You had no spotter. If you got hurt, you would have been... long gone before we found you. The patrols or a visitor could have killed the enemy intruder without even waiting to identify you!" My accusations just flooded from me, as images of all this happening kept filling my mind.

My words kept getting louder, "Have you lost your mind! Where were you running? Was there some meeting planned? And what about Cas? I can't believe you did that to him, to us all! This is so wrong, I can't believe it. Are you even listening to me, you idiot? There was no profit to that kind of risk! No reason worth it, no war, no target! This isn't the Mere, where you can awe the locals. This isn't Neverwinter where you can walk over everyone because of your rank or titles. You can't arrange or control everything around you, and we're not all your fucking puppets." I was yelling now, but didn't care.

She made a small sound, as the drawer began to slowly slide shut.

I reached out and found her shoulder and turned her around towards me.

"You are such a manipulative bitch!"

And slapped her. Everything stopped.

She pulled away with a sob and I heard a few running steps and then nothing. The door had never opened, but I thought she was gone.

When I could think again, I turned and saw that Casavir was sitting up in bed. His face was blank, though his eyes were glistening.

I folded down to the floor and tried to hide.

Cas pulled me upright and over to sit on the edge of the bed.

She wanted you to do that? I could smell tears before you barked at her.

Cas had heard that too.

He said quietly, "We were very worried after the incidents with the golem. You were losing your... teeth? In pruning away the deadwood, you were losing more than just your mean streak. But we had no ideas on how to help. Karnwyr was even ticked at the time of our last 'workout'."

She was enjoying the run and the air.

"Where is she now?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

She's away again.

What? Casavir and I looked at each other, and he quickly threw some clothing on.

"Is she alive? Can you trail her by scent?" Casavir asked, sounding bad.

Yes, but I can't follow her away.

Karnwyr led us to the armory.

She left from here.

I couldn't tell if there was any extra food missing, I didn't know who was here earlier. I noticed a slit at the edge of a carved panel behind an ancient war ax and broke it open. There were several vials inside, but room for at least a dozen more, or maybe scrolls.

I asked him, "Did you know this cache was here?"

"No," he shook his head. "I wonder how many more she has squirreled around the Keep."

"This explains why she kept buying more every time we went shopping. But where did she go?" My heart was heavy, now that my anger had burnt to ash.

Cas said encouragingly, "I doubt she went far. She probably used planar magic of some kind so you could not follow. She has been studying planar things since got back. She has always been too grounded, even during the battle with the shadowking, to do something as monumentally stupid as go off without weapons or armor..."

Karnwyr, could you go to our room, and let me know if she returns for her stuff?

He left.

I got a jack of ale for both of us and we went back to our room. I didn't think I was going to sleep anymore tonight.