A Curse of Life and Love

Chapter 10: More Meetings With Friends

Nash, Albert, and Sarah walked back to the inn in silence, all lost within their own thoughts. Nash, himself, was wondering whether they were correct in assuming that Luc was alive. It was a long shot, but this Lady Leknaat would probably know. Sarah did not seem too keen on going, however. She walked the entire way in silence, her nose wrinkled in thought.

Upon reaching the inn they saw Karana sitting at a table in the tavern. She got up to greet them.

"So," she said. "Any new leads?"

"Yes," Nash said. "We heard that Lady Leknaat may be able to help us. We do not know exactly of her whereabouts, but I think Sarah does, am I right?" Sarah looked up and nodded and then went back into thought.

"Oh," Karana said. "That's good… Um… I do suppose we are leaving tomorrow?"

"That is the plan," Albert informed her. "If you don't want to go we'll understand."

"No," she said. "I'd like to go. Where is it?"

"Magician Island," Sarah said suddenly. "Is off the coast of Toran. We'll need a boat, probably, to get there."

"Well," Albert said. "That is a little problem, seeing as we don't have a boat…"

"I can work something out," Nash said. "Don't worry, I'll have a boat by tomorrow afternoon."

"You sure are confident," Karana noted. "Do you know these parts well? How do you figure you can just get a boat?"

"I guess I know this place well," Nash said. "Though, I'm more familiar with the Dunan area. Just don't bother me with technicalities right now; all I can tell you is that I can get a boat. Karana, which one is our room?" She held a key out to him with a number on it. He snatched it and walked upstairs.

~*~

Nash woke up early the next morning so he would not have to deal with the street vendors that now littered the Toran area. He met with a merchant that was selling boats and managed to convince him to let him rent the boat for a day and was back to the inn before Karana even woke up.

"Did you get the boat?" Albert asked as soon as Nash walked in the door. He was sitting with Sarah at a table in the tavern. It looked as though they had both just eaten breakfast.

"As a matter of fact," Nash told him. "I did. We only get it for twenty-four hours, so we have to be as quick as possible, or I am going to owe a lot of extra fees and a huge explanation. I'm lucky this guy didn't ask too many questions in the first place."

"Well," Albert said. "I must say, you continue to amaze me, Latkje."

"Thank you," Nash said, raising his arms in accomplishment.

"Hm…" Both men turned to look at Sarah.

"What is it?" Albert asked. "Is there something wrong?"

"Yes," she said. "I feel a strong force, someone's here. Probably looking for one of us…"

"Could it be Yuber?" Nash asked her.

"Who else could it be?" Albert asked, placing a hand on his sword. "Let's get back up to the room." Sarah and Nash nodded and walked upstairs.

Karana was still fast asleep, but they paid no mind to her. Albert stood by the window while Nash and Sarah took two of the chairs. They waited for ten minutes, but there was no sign of any chaos outside.

"If Yuber were here we would hear screaming," Nash noted. "People in Toran know what he looks like, even if they don't, he would wreak havoc among the citizens until he finds what he needs. He's not very discreet about things."

"I agree," Sarah said. "I do not think it is Yuber. It's someone else…"

"Could it be…?" Albert trailed off, but Nash knew what he was thinking.

"It might be," Nash said. "But we can't know for sure."

"It's worth a shot," Albert said. "Sarah, stay here. If it is Yuber then somebody's going to need to protect Karana." Sarah nodded.

Nash and Albert, keeping their hands on their swords, walked outside into the bright sunlight.

"There's no sign of him," Albert said.

"Which can be bad or good," Nash told him. "Depending on how you look at it."

"What?"

"Well," Nash explained. "If he's not here, it's a good thing. If he's inside the inn and killing off people in rooms then it's a bad thing." Albert looked nervous, but Nash held a hand up to halt him. "I doubt that's the case, however. Don't worry."

"How can I not?" Albert asked. Nash looked around and found nothing out of the ordinary. Albert, after a while, seemed satisfied as well. "Do you think she might have felt something about Luc?"

"Maybe," Nash said. A split second after he got the word out he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned sharply to see a young boy dressed in brown clothing.

"Can we help you?" Albert asked.

"I have been looking for you for a while now, Latkje," the boy replied.

"Lord Sasarai?" Nash asked. "What are you—?"

"I've no time to explain here," he said. "I had a bit of trouble getting in here."

"Then come to the room we have at the inn," Nash told him. "It seems as though both of us have quite a bit of explaining to do." Bishop Sasarai nodded and followed Nash and Albert to the inn.

Nash stopped in front of the door to their room to give his superior a fair warning about what was to come.

"In this room," Nash began. "Are some things that are, um, undesirable to you. Though, hold your attacks until we have finished the explanation."

"Now you have me intrigued, Latkje," the bishop said. "Lead the way, I shall attempt to restrain myself." Nash nodded and opened the door. Sasarai's reaction was not quite what Nash expected it to be.

"Who is she?" he asked, nodding towards Sarah.

"The person we do not want you to attack," Nash explained. Sarah rose from her seat and bowed before Sasarai. She offered him one of the chairs, but he declined.

"I'd like you to begin with him," Sasarai said, nodding towards Albert.

"He is helping me find the True Wind Rune, he and his girlfriend," Nash began.

"So is that who she is?" Sasarai asked. Albert shook his head.

"No," he said. "Her name is Karana. Where is she anyway?"

"She woke up," Sarah explained. "She is taking a shower." Sasarai then frowned, he seemed now to guess who the mysterious woman was.

"Sarah," he said with a grimace. "I believe."

"Yes sir," she said, bowing once more. "I wish to find the True Wind Rune as much as anyone else does. For my own reasons, however."

"I guessed that," Sasarai said. "So is he here?"

"We don't even know if he's alive," Nash said. Sasarai looked thoroughly confused so Albert explained more.

"We found Sarah here, who teleported away from the ruins and parted with Luc," he explained. "Not even she knows if he is alive."

"I see," Sasarai said. "Do you have any more clues to finding the rune then a hunch that the previous bearer may still be alive?" Albert, Nash, and Sarah, simultaneously, shook their heads.

"We do have more than an insane guess, however," Nash explained. "I investigated the ruins and found no human remains. There should have been skeletons."

"I see," Sasarai repeated. "So, instead of completing the mission I assigned you, you decided to change it to 'Search for the dead man', am I correct?"

"Yes, sir," Nash said, feeling somewhat sheepish.

"Also, instead of reporting back to me your findings you go on a search with an outlaw and a supposedly-dead criminal for someone you do not even know is alive. Correct?"

"Yes, sir," Nash said again, feeling Sasarai bear down on him. The bishop was not known for anger, but Nash was one of the few people to ever see him angry, and he hardly wished to.

"Please," Sarah said. "If anyone is to blame it is to be me." Nash and Albert looked at each other in confusion.

"Why is that?" Sasarai asked, also seeming confused.

"They are searching for me," she said. "I doubt they would be searching as far as this if it weren't for me…"

"I see," Sasarai said. "So this is your fault?" She nodded. "This is what I figured. Well, then, there is only one thing for me to do."

"May I ask what it is?" Nash asked, beginning to feel afraid of the consequences.

"I shall join you on your quest." If Nash was expecting an answer it was not this. Seemingly, neither were Albert or Sarah. All three of them stared at him in disbelief.

"You'll what?" Albert asked. "I thought you found this idea preposterous."

"Don't make assumptions, Silverberg," the bishop told him. "It may get you into more trouble someday. I never said I found this idea preposterous, I merely inquired about your reasoning behind it."

"Then," Nash said, still confused. "We shall accept."

"Notice that it was not a question," Sasarai told him. "Basically, I am joining you whether you like it or not."

"You seem more stuck up then when I last saw you," Sarah said boldly.

"People change in time, my dear," Sasarai informed her. "You, also, seem to have changed."

"Obviously some people do not change for the better," she spat.

"Yes," Sasarai said, testily. "Just like your master Luc."

"Don't you dare speak of him like that!" she yelled, slamming her fist on the nightstand.

"I can speak of him how I wish," he retorted, more calmly than her.

"Hey, guys," Nash said. "We're going to be traveling together for a while. Why don't we try to resolve our differences, hm?" Neither Sasarai nor Sarah looked all too keen on the idea, but turned away from each other and said no more. Karana chose that moment to come out of the bathroom, her long hair still wet from her shower.

"Who's this?" she asked. "A new companion?" Nash shook his head; this was just not his day…

END CH. 10

A few more chapters to go, I am almost done! I hope you all liked this. It took me a while, I just totally ran out of inspiration.

Love always,

Lily