Chapter 3- Aurora Receives A Prediction

Dorna sat on the arm of master Drogan's favorite chair, polishing her left boot. She had been consumed with the task for nearly a quarter of an hour, ever since she had finished gathering and preparing her equipment.

Drogan still lay on the floor where he had fallen. Ayala had refused Dorna's offers to move him somewhere more comfortable, reasoning that until the effects of the poison were nullified it would be best not to jostle the poor dwarf about. Dorna was not pleased about leaving her master's welfare to a stranger, but Ayala seemed to be doing a fine enough job of it. Still, Dorna watched the weak rise and fall of Drogan's chest and felt as if a cool hand clutched at her belly.

Mischa flitted from place to place with the aimless direction of a butterfly, pausing here and there to dab at something with a dustrag or place one of Drogan's knickknacks back where it belonged. Dorna knew that the girl's nervous energy was her way of responding to shock, just as focusing on simple tasks like getting her gear in order kept Dorna from dealing fully with everything that had happened that morning. Even so, the muttering and ceaseless moving about was quickly wearing on her nerves.

"Sit down, Mischa, you're making me dizzy," she said, rather more bluntly than she had intended. Mischa flushed pink and gave Dorna a sad sort of smile.

"I'm sorry. I suppose dusting the mantle shelf isn't helping anything just now, is it?" She set down her dusting cloth and sat at the window across the room from Dorna. She stared out at the falling snow, and when next she spoke her voice was soft and thoughtful. "But that's the problem, isn't it? There's nothing we can do to help."

Although Mischa was a paladin in training, Dorna was still caught off guard whenever the girl said something insightful.

"Indeed. You've found the crux of it," she replied, and set about attacking the spotless leather of her boots with renewed vigor.

"Don't feel as though you have no place in this undertaking," Ayala said, dabbing at Drogan's face and throat with a cool rag. "None of us can know if the school will suffer a second attack. And beyond that, if Aurora and Xanos are unsuccessful in their attempts to recover the artifacts, the task will fall to the two of you. "

Mischa flinched at the words. Dorna was unsure if it was the thought of the responsibility that frightened her, or the unspoken ramifications of Aurora and Xanos "failing." Surely the girl had realized by now that this was not one of Drogan's training exercises. It was a simple truth: in a real adventure, sometimes people died.

Apparently, Mischa's train of though was clear to Ayala as well.

"Don't worry, Mischa," the elf said in soothing tones. "They have been well trained. And should one of them be badly hurt, I am certain that Drogan's rings will protect them."

"I understand," Mischa said, raising her chin. "I. . . I'm not a child, you know."

"No," Ayala said, and smiled. "You're Drogan's apprentice, and that is something worthy of pride."

Dorna's ears caught a faint sound. She sat forward, catching the attention of Mischa and Ayala.

"Do you hear that?" she said.

Ayala listened, then nodded. A moment later, it was loud enough that even Mischa could hear. Far off, but coming nearer, Dorna could make out the familiar sound of Xanos' voice. As usual, he seemed to be complaining.

"Xanos must once again rebuke you for your poor judgement, Aurora! Surely there was some way to get me out of range of that madwoman's wrath without dragging me by the ankles!"

Aurora's answer was too quiet to be heard. Xanos' gasp of rage, however, was perfectly audible.

"How dare you imply such a thing!" he shouted. "Xanos is no plumper than he is meant to be!" He sounded close now, and Dorna could hear the sounds of two pairs of boots crunching in the snow as well.

Moments later the door opened, and Aurora and Xanos entered the front hall. The half-orc was holding a handkerchief to his nose, which had already dribbled blood down the front of his shirt. Beneath each eye was a darkening crescent bruise.

Mischa gasped.

"Xanos! What happened to your nose?" she asked.

"That is none of your business, little girl," he said, glaring down at her over the handkerchief. "Xanos has merely learned that certain women are prone to unprovoked acts of violence."

"I think Haniah is likely to disagree with your definition of 'unprovoked,'" Aurora said.

Dorna snickered, more than able to imagine the provocation in question.

"Xanos does not recall requesting your assessment of the situation, scarecrow girl," Xanos said. "And your laughter is ill-timed and unappreciated, dwarf."

In response, Dorna only laughed harder.

"Fine. Laugh if you wish," he said, and then added in a lower voice, "Xanos knows you mock him only to cover your jealousy of his superior facial hair."

Dorna stopped laughing abruptly as the fall of an executioner's axe.

"Leave the beard out of this, half-orc."

"In any case," Ayala said loudly, "the two of you came back here for some reason, didn't you?"

"Yes. We've found the herbs you need." Aurora reached into her belt pouch and took out a cluster of berries, to which Xanos added a lump of charcoal and an oddly shaped plant. Ayala took them, arranged them in a silver bowl above Drogan's head, and cast a spell.

"There," the elf said when the incantation was complete, "he should rest much easier now. Thank you, Aurora. And you as well, Xanos," she added in response to his indignant snort.

Aurora knelt and grasped Drogan's slack fingers for a moment, then stood.

"Take care of him," she said softly, before going back out into the snow.

"Now, Harper," Xanos said as the door closed, "will you stop wasting time and heal me?"

"Very well," Ayala said with forced evenness, and cast a spell. The bruises beneath the half-orc's eyes faded and disappeared. Xanos lowered the handkerchief, revealing a nose that, while still quite ugly in Dorna's opinion, was no longer bleeding. "There you are," Ayala said. "Now, shouldn't you catch up with Aurora before she gets too far ahead?"

Dorna restrained herself from laughing. Apparently, even the rigorous training of a Harper was no match for Xanos' grating personality. Xanos, however, failed to notice the thinly-veiled hint.

"Certainly," he said. "The gods only know what sort of trouble she could get into without Xanos' guidance and protection." With an unnecessary flourish of his woolen cloak, he turned to leave, only to be stopped by Mischa at the door.

"Xanos, wait," she said. The large half-orc glared down at the pretty girl with the peculiar mixture of dislike and fascination he reserved just for her. Mischa lifted his hand and placed something on his palm. Dorna craned her neck, and could just make out a pair of focus crystals.

"Take these," Mischa said, closing Xanos' fingers around them. "I hope they keep you and Aurora safe."

The imperious expression on Xanos' face slackened into one of dumbfounded surprise.

"Xanos is certain he will have no need of such things," he said with only a fraction of his usual gusto. "But . . . I thank you for the thought, nonetheless." Hastily tucking the crystals into his pocket, he left.

Dorna chuckled.

"Well done, Mischa," she said. "You surprised the arrogance right out of him, for once."

The girl looked away.

"Nonsense. It was simply something I thought I should do."

Still smiling, Dorna looked down at Drogan. Color was reappearing in his pallid cheeks, and his chest rose and fell more deeply. Nearby, Ayala was rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands.

"Everything all right, my lady?" Dorna asked her.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," the Harper answered. "I'm merely trying to come to terms with the fact that the recovery of the artifacts lies in the hands of those two . . ." She took a deep breath, held it, and released it slowly. "Drogan must have selected them for a reason, however. And speaking of Drogan, why don't you two help me get him upstairs to bed?"

As she kneeled to help lift her master, Dorna felt some of the tension within her relax. Who knew what lay ahead of her fellow students in their search for the artifacts? Despite their faults, Drogan's apprentices would do the best they were able. For now, at least, it was enough to know that Drogan would be all right.

There was nothing but uneasy silence between Xanos and Aurora as they walked back through Hilltop. Xanos had decided that there was no pressing reason for Aurora to learn of Mischa's gift, which now rested securely in his deepest pocket. The thought of the earnest concern in Mischa's eyes as she had looked up at him gave him a warm and prickly sort of feeling that was as pleasant as it was unfamiliar.

With effort, Xanos forced himself to concentrate on his current circumstances.

Aurora moved at a brisk pace that Xanos, to his utmost displeasure, had to jog to match. Her mouth was set in a determined line, eyes narrow and somber.

"This so-called adventure is a waste of Xanos' precious time!" he said, tiring of both the silence and her expression. "This is little more than running Drogan's errands for him. Soon, Xanos will embark on his grand search for wealth and power!"

Aurora half-shrugged and said nothing. A minute or so later, as the two of them reached the gate leading out of Hilltop, he tried again.

"If there was any justice in the world, Xanos would be the one in charge of this little outing," he said. "But as master Drogan's pet apprentice, I suppose you think that you should be holding the reins?"

This time, Aurora at least glanced in his direction.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"I am warning you not to make the mistake of ordering me about as if I were a lowly henchman!"

"How would you like me to order you about, then?" Neither Aurora's eyes or voice betrayed the slightest hint of sarcasm.

"You test my patience!" Xanos puffed up his chest and stood as straight as he could, taking full advantage of the inch or two he was taller than Aurora. "Xanos will not be told what to do by an incompetent, dull-minded, scrawny little girl with a big mouth!"

"Fine." Aurora crossed her arms. "What do you suggest we do next, then?"

"Truly? You will do as Xanos says?" he said cautiously, then realized that he had just won the argument. "Of course you will! Xanos was born to lead!" he shouted, brandishing his dagger proudly. Aurora ducked out of the way.

"Yes, well, stabbing me in the face is not a good way of establishing my confidence in your leadership skills." She sighed. "Now calm down. I said I'd listen to your suggestions, not get down on my knees and swear fealty. But if you start making a mess of things, I'm taking back the 'reins,' Xanos."

"Ha! When the time comes, we shall see who ends up rescuing who, Aurora. Or who ends up leaving a certain arrogant wench to clean up her own messes, more likely."

"Yes, we'll certainly see."

Xanos was on the edge of replying with another insult, but stopped himself. In time, she would come to accept that he was simply better suited to lead than she was, but until then, he would have to be careful not to make her too angry. Not angry enough to try to take control from him, at least. This was going to be an interesting test of his abilities, to be sure...

Aurora waved her hand in front of his eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt your blank staring, but weren't you going to tell me your suggestion?"

"Of course! We will, ah..." He cast his eyes about until they found the scuffed tracks still visible in the snow. "We will follow the tracks the kobolds left until we catch up with them!"

"And then?"

"And then..." He drew a blank. "Xanos will reveal the rest of his brilliant plan to you as necessary. Now fall in line, we have thieves to catch!"

Muttering something under her breath, Aurora followed him through the gate.

The tracks led them on for about a hundred yards, until the path split in two. Xanos peered with growing irritation at the muddle of tracks that continued out of sight in both directions.

"What now?" Aurora asked. "I hope you're not going to suggest we split up."

"Of course not! You would die in a moment without Xanos to protect you. I will simply determine the path that the kobolds we are looking for would have taken. Those of us with superior intelligence have ways of deducing such things." He turned away and reached into his pocket.

"Those ways of yours wouldn't happen to involve flipping a coin, would they?" Aurora asked. Xanos returned the gold piece to his pocket with a muffled grunt. Thinking quickly, he dropped to one knee and poked at one of the footprints in the snow.

"Quiet," he said. "Xanos must concentrate as he inspects these tracks more closely."

"You do that. I'm going to talk to the people in that caravan over there." She pointed. Xanos could just make out the brightly colored fabric of a wagon over the crest of the hill. "Maybe they can tell us a little about the kobolds that went their way."

"That goes without saying," Xanos grumbled, but after a moment he got up and followed after her.

As they neared the caravan, it became quite clear that its owners were well acquainted with the kobolds that had menaced Hilltop. Several halflings lay unmoving on blankets, watched over by others with swords.

"Hello, there," one of the watchers called as they approached. "Looking for something?"

"What can you tell me of the kobolds that attacked you?" Xanos asked as Aurora went to speak with a female who was tending to the wounded. The small man put a thoughtful finger to his chin.

"Well, they didn't have a very pleasant demeanor, for one. Terrible manners, what with the stabbing and the thievery and all."

Xanos scowled. None of this could be easy, could it?

"Very clever, little man. How about a straight answer, now, before Xanos does some stabbing of his own?"

"Fine, fine, but the name's Torias. A group of the little lizards surprised our camp, here, wounded some of our boys, and made off with most of our supplies. That straight enough for you, friend?"

"Yes, yes, but where did they go after that? Xanos must know, quickly!"

The halfling craned his neck to see behind the half-orc.

"Er, where is this Xanos fellow, anyway? He sounds like a brute."

"Idiot! I am Xanos!"

Torias gave him a very strange look, followed by the same uneasy smile people wore when Piper ranted at them about his god.

Aurora chose that moment to join the conversation, arriving just in time to prevent Xanos from popping Torias' head off of his body like a cork.

"Well now, who's this?" Torias grinned up at the girl.

"I'm Aurora. You're Torias, aren't you?"

"Indeed I am." He winked. "What could I have done to get a pretty girl like yourself asking after me?"

Xanos waited for Aurora to run Torias through with her swords, or at least slap him across the face. For some reason, she only looked away quickly, ran her good hand through her cropped blonde hair and hid the other in a fold in her trousers.

"Katriana said you followed the kobolds after they attacked," she continued, stuttering slightly. "Would you mind telling us where they went?"

"I'd be pleased as pie." Torias winked again. "I chased them until they holed up in a big farm north of here. For all I know, they're still inside."

"You didn't keep after them once they hid themselves?" Aurora asked.

"Sorry to disappoint, m'lady, but I wasn't about to go tromping inside all by myself. I came back here to make sure everyone was safe, and here I stayed."

Xanos laughed derisively.

"You were too much of a coward to finish them off yourself. Why is Xanos unsurprised?"

Torias rocked back on his heels and gave Xanos a brief once-over.

"Well, some of us don't need to run about killing things with big swords to make up for what we're lacking, if you catch my meaning." He shook his head gravely. "Terribly sad when one of the big 'uns comes up short."

"Halfling. . . boiling water. . . pointy stick . . ." Xanos sputtered incoherently. He felt a tug on his wrist and realized Aurora was literally dragging him away. He allowed himself a final fist-shake at the halfling as Aurora said goodbye.

"Thanks for the information, Torias. Maybe we'll bump into each other again sometime."

"I can only hope you mean that literally, m'lady." He waved. "Have fun out there."

As they took the path north, Xanos calmed down enough to notice something interesting.

"Are you blushing, Aurora? Ha! You are!" Xanos snickered. "Over a halfling, no less! But someone like you has to take what she can get, yes?"

A blush that had been barely visible deepened to crimson.

"I must have missed the part of your life where half-nude maidens flung themselves into your lap," she muttered.

He frowned.

"Bah. The pockmarked farmer's daughters of Hilltop are rightly aware of their unworthiness to warm the lap of Xanos!"

"And I suppose Haniah was just too intimidated by your natural charm and bulgy muscles to admit her undying love?"

She started to walk backwards as she talked, managing, to his utmost disappointment, to avoid tripping over anything.

"Xanos does not care for what you are implying, girl." He flexed and gave his arms an appraising glance. "My muscles are rather bulgy, though, now that you mention it."

"And covered in beast-hair."

"Aurora!" He pointed a finger at her accusingly. "Have you been spying on Xanos as he bathes?"

With a cry, she flung her arm across her eyes.

"I don't think my brain will ever be clean again," she groaned.

Xanos saw the snapping bowstring and ducked in time, but Aurora, eyes covered, back turned to the assailant, was not so lucky. When Xanos looked up, the arrow had already drawn a vivid red slash across her cheek.

He launched himself forward, but the kobold archer, standing in the doorway of an old farm house, simply ducked inside and closed the door.

"Hold on," Aurora said through gritted teeth. Blood was welling from her wound, but it seemed more painful than truly dangerous. "Let me check it out first."

She stepped into the shadow of a nearby tree and disappeared from sight. Soon after, he saw the slightest movement next to the farmhouse and knew that she was looking into the windows.

When she had finished, she moved back into the sunlight and waved Xanos over.

"I think they're downstairs," she said. "If we move quickly, we can probably trap them in the basement. It will be easier to kill them in a confined area."

"It will be easier for them to kill us as well," Xanos reminded her. Even so, no alternate plan came to mind.

Together, they charged through the front door, down the stairs, and into the basement. The size of the room made it difficult for the kobolds to maneuver their crossbows, giving Drogan's students the advantage. The fight was over before Xanos had even worked up a decent sweat. He glanced around at the myriad barrels, jars, and sacks that littered the floor.

"If we're lucky, they hid the artifacts somewhere in here," he said, upending the first sack. He was rewarded with nothing more than withered potatoes. Aurora began to search as well, and after a time they had looked nearly everywhere with no results. Finally, Xanos opened the last remaining barrel and reached inside. At the very bottom, his fingers brushed something that felt quite different from an onion or a radish. "Aha! I've found something!"

Aurora looked on eagerly, but what he pulled from the barrel turned out to be nothing more than a deck of tattered, ornately decorated cards.

"Oh. . ." Aurora said, the hope fading in her eyes. "I think Katriana mentioned something about a missing deck of cards."

"Wonderful," Xanos said without enthusiasm. "The artifacts of unknown power remain unaccounted for, but at least a group of scruffy halfling Vistani will have their playing cards." He fanned the cards and picked one at random, then took a closer look as something caught his eye.

The card was hand painted, depicting a tall structure of brick being struck by a bolt of lightning from the heavens.

The Tower.

Without realizing it, Xanos must have spoken the name aloud.

"What did you say?" Aurora asked, leaning in to peer at the card.

"These are no ordinary playing cards," he explained with some reluctance. "They are tools with which someone can attempt to divine the future." He straightened the deck and covered the images with his hands, hoping Aurora would pester him no further.

It was not to be.

"You recognized one of the cards by name," she said. "Have you ever used them before?"

Xanos considered denying it outright. The amount of time he had wasted on the damnable cards in his youth was not exactly something he was proud of. Yet there was something about the way she was watching him, a certain canniness to her gaze that made it very difficult to lie.

"Maybe. . ." he admitted cautiously.

Aurora didn't laugh, or even smirk, as he had feared she might. Instead, she only nodded slowly.

"That's interesting."

"What's so interesting about it?" Xanos snapped. It had been stupid of him to allow the conversation to progress this far at all. Information was a risky thing, only to be shared with those you could trust implicitly. And Aurora, with her unreadable expression and sharp edged words, certainly didn't fit that description.

"I never imagined you being uncertain of the future," she said. And then, softly, "did the cards help?"

"That is none of your business!" he shouted. With a growl, Xanos flung the deck at Aurora's feet. The cards scattered around her in a riot of shape and color. Xanos watched them fall and felt the rage slowly drain away. When next he addressed her, it was in a much calmer tone. "Here is a prediction for you, Aurora: meddle in things which do not concern you, and you will quickly discovery the peril of being on the bad side of Xanos Messarmos."

Throughout his outburst, Aurora had remained as still as stone. Now, to his surprise, the corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly into a smile.

"Does that mean I've been on your good side all this time?" she said, then put out her hands to ward away another bout of harsh words. "Xanos, relax. If I had known if would bother you so much I wouldn't have said anything. I'll give your past a wide berth from now on. Let's just forget about it and get back to finding the artifacts, okay?" With that, she knelt and began gathering the fallen cards together.

After a moment of deliberation, Xanos did the same.

If you liked it, if you hated it, even if it just made you say "eh," please leave a review and let me know!

Next Chapter: 'The Claw that Rocks the Cradle.' Sometimes, just knowing you tried your best isn't enough.

Author's Note: I would have gotten this chapter posted a lot sooner if my laptop hadn't suddenly decided it didn't feel like turning on anymore. I blame Mephistopheles.

I'd like to thank angelic-ky for reading over this chapter before I submitted it. I recommend reading her story, "Shadows and Darkness."

And in case anyone thinks I'm way offbase with Xanos' familiarity with the tarot cards, remember that he not only recognized Daschnaya's Tower card during the reading, he defined what it symbolized. ;)