Chapter 4: The Claw that Rocks the Cradle
Daschnaya pulled her brightly-patterned scarves more tightly about her shoulders. The cold in this part of the world was something she could never get used to, no matter how many times she was forced to endure it. It was a chill that cut right to the bone, making every ache in her poor old body twice as painful as usual.
There was one thing that ached more than all the rest, and that was the loss of her precious cards. They had been handed down from mother to daughter for ages, a tradition even older than the trading route they followed every year.
Still, there was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that the loss of the cards would not be permanent. Things had a way of working themselves out, after all. For now, she would wait, bundled into her scarves and blankets, and do her best to nap.
It seemed she had scarcely shut her eyes when there was a knock at her caravan door.Daschnaya sat up, yawning.
"Come in," she called out in a voice made thin by sleep. The door opened, and a half-orc climbed into the wagon, stooping to avoid knocking his head against the low ceiling. After him came a human girl.
"What has brought you to Daschnaya's wagon?" the halfling said once the door was closed behind them. The girl came forward and knelt, reaching into her pack.
"We found these," she said, laying the cards on the table before Daschnaya. The halfling smiled and ran her hands lovingly across the cards.
"Thank you, dear," she said. "You must be Aurora."
"Yes," the girl answered, clearly surprised.
"And you are Xanos, her obnoxious half-orc friend." The halfling smiled at Xanos, earning a scowl in return.
"Yes, yes," he said. "I'm sure we are all very impressed by your abilities, you old prune."
That particular information had been procured not through the arts, but because of the conversation Daschnaya had overheard earlier. Still, it never hurt to keep an air of mystery about one's self, particularly if one was a fortune teller.
"The quest you have undertaken is a difficult one, but it is good to know that you are willing to take the time to help others along the way," she said to the pair. "Seeing these cards again gladdens Daschnaya's old heart so."
"Wonderful. That and a gold piece will buy Xanos a mug of ale at the Bubbling Cauldron."
"It was really no trouble," Aurora said, shaking her head. The movement swung the hair away from her face, and Daschnaya saw the bloody slash on her cheek.
"You're been hurt," the halfling said. Aurora started to protest, but Daschnaya said a few words in a singsong voice and touched the wound. It closed almost instantly. "You see?" she said, grinning. "These old fingers hold some magic still. And now that I have my cards again, I could give you a reading if you wish."
"You want to tell my future?" Aurora asked. Daschnaya could sense the trepidation behind her words and wondered at its cause. Most girls her age were eager to see what the cards could reveal.
"Whatever small part of the tapestry I can see, I can share with you," Daschnaya said encouragingly.
Aurora was silent for a long time. She seemed to be engaged in some sort of internal debate, the subject of which Daschnaya could only sense bits and pieces. There was curiosity in Aurora's thoughts, along with faint undertones of hope and, strangely, fear.
"No," the girl said finally. "Thank you, but no. The future has no hold on me."
Daschnaya nodded, for this was the answer she expected.
"But what of the past, my girl?" she asked. "Can you dismiss its hold as easily?"
Aurora looked up sharply, anger flashing in her eyes.
"Give the reading to Xanos," she said curtly. "I'll wait outside." With that, she left the wagon. Daschnaya did not call after her.
With Aurora gone, Daschnaya and Xanos were left alone in the wagon. The half-orc stared at her for a moment, then sat cross-legged in front of her and shrugged.
"Very well," he said. "Xanos might as well see what your little cards say of his grand destiny."
With a small grin, Daschnaya shuffled the cards. When she was finished, she placed the first card face up on the table. The card was upside down, depicting a man, brow wreathed in laurels, riding upon the back of a grand stallion.
"This first card depicts the crux of the matter," Daschnaya said, tracing the edge of the card with a worn finger. "This is the six of staves. It is triumph, power achieved. And yet it is reversed. There is something impeding your progress, my friend."
Xanos' ears pricked up immediately, and Daschnaya knew she had chosen the right words to peak his interest. She laid another card crosswise across the first. This one showed a blindfolded woman crossing her hands tightly over her heart.
"The two of blades," she said. "There is something you are avoiding, friend. You keep you true feelings and emotions well hidden, and it is holding you back." She stared thoughtfully at the two cards on the table. "Perhaps we should have a look at what is causing this, yes?"
The third card was placed beneath the others. The woman on this card was blindfolded as well, but her bondage did not seem self-inflicted. Her hands were tied behind her back, and she stood imprisoned in a field of swords. Daschnaya saw Xanos shiver when he looked upon it.
"The eight of blades reveals much," she said, brow crinkled in concern. "There was a time when you felt helpless, was there not? You were a victim, trapped and unsure where to turn."
Xanos swallowed hard, and Daschnaya felt a twinge of pity for the half-orc. He had lived a hard life, of that she was certain.
"Go on," Xanos urged. Daschnaya nodded and laid out two more cards, one to the left and one to the right. One depicted a man lying broken on the floor, impaled by countless swords. Noticing the expression on Xanos' face, she tapped the card and chuckled.
"You will be glad to know that this in an influence that will fade from your life in times ahead. You may feel as if you have been to the very depths of misery. You see life itself as a hostile force. But remember: when you have reached the bottom, there is nowhere to go but up. In days ahead you will find yourself overcoming your past feelings of antagonization and hopelessness." She moved her hand to the other card she had dealt, one whose face was filled with the painting of a bright, chaotic wheel. "Your life shall take a spin on the wheel of fortune soon, very soon. It is a card of destiny, a turning point in your life; it is a card of travel."
She paused, giving him a chance to take in her words before continuing. It was important that he hear what she had to say next.
"You seek power, that much is very clear. But there is another possible outcome of all of this, another goal which you may not yet have acknowledged."
Daschnaya dealt the next card at the top of the arrangement. It shimmered in the wavering light of the candles, an eight-pointed star edged lovingly in gold leaf.
"The Star," she said, and smiled. "If you find the star, you shall regain hope and find a long-sought peace. A goal worth considering, is it not?" She gazed at him steadily. Xanos did not look away.
"I shall not be swayed from my path, old woman. Peaceful resolution is no match for the comfort that true power can provide."
The old halfling chuckled to cover her disappointment.
"I suppose it is just a part of who you are, Xanos. Speaking of which. . ." She dealt another card, this one separate from the main spread. "This card is you."
"That card. . . Xanos recognizes it. The Knight of Staves." He grinned. "Xanos is a man with confidence, passion, and a thirst for adventure."
"Yes," Daschnaya said reasonably. "Or, looking at it another way, you are egocentric, hot-tempered, and reckless. It is all a matter of interpretation, after all."
His grin faded.
"You, of course, are the central figure in this destiny of yours," she continued. "But others always play a part. One, in particular, will have impact upon you." Another card went below the first. It showed a man glancing furtively over his shoulder, carrying a burden of heavy swords.
"The seven of blades is a furtive card. He is concealing something shameful, running away rather than confronting it. All this he seeks to hide beneath a veil of aloofness and isolation. He is, as they say, a lone wolf." Daschnaya steepled her hands. "I cannot say if he will aid or hinder you, only that you should seek to recognize him as in some way vital to the transformation that lies ahead."
Xanos crinkled his brow, obviously thinking hard, but after a moment he motioned for her to hurry up.
"And now, the final card," she said. "The final outcome of everything else we have seen." She placed the card on the table with her hand atop it, then revealed it slowly. "Judgement. A day of reckoning awaits. With it comes the opportunity to take a stand, to be reborn. And in the end, perhaps, absolution?"
At those words, Xanos stood, grinning.
"You have confirmed what Xanos has known all along," he said. "Farewell, tiny woman, I have a destiny to claim!"
"Wait!" she called out before he reached the door. "There is one more thing."
Xanos paused and looked back at her over his shoulder.
"Yes? What is it?"
Daschnaya collected her cards, then stared him straight in the eye.
"A little politeness would go a long way for you, Xanos. Remember that, if nothing else."
"Ha! Keep your preaching to yourself, old woman. Xanos does not accept advice from mummies."
He left, closing the door behind him.
Alone, Daschnaya shook her head and settled back into her blankets. She sincerely hoped that his bluster and bellowing would help him in the hard times to come, for the cards had been clear in their message. Soon, Xanos was to be tested. Would his trials teach him the folly of the path he now followed before it was too late? That, Daschnaya thought with a smile, was something even the cards could not reveal.
Aurora sat on the steps that led up to Daschnaya's wagon as she waited for Xanos. She was rather ashamed of the way she had snapped at the old woman, who had offered to read her future out of nothing but kindness, but the glint of uncanny knowledge in the halfling's eyes was far too similar to one Aurora had seen many years before. And the memories of the fortune she had received back then were anything but fond.
Even now, she could remember well the feeling of the old woman's papery hands on her own, the milky blue eyes peering out of the white face with a strange intensity, the smirk of the knifeslash mouth as she told Aurora what the future held. . .
Xanos' heavy footfalls shook the steps, and Aurora stood to meet him, glad for the interruption.
"How was the reading?" she asked.
"It was nothing special," he said dismissively, though the way he avoided her eyes as he said it suggested otherwise. "And we've wasted more than enough time here. Let's go."
The kobold tracks that passed by the caravan had led them nowhere. They turned now to follow the ones that led the other direction into the hills and forests.
"Aurora," Xanos said as they walked, "why did you not wish to have your fortune read? You could have heard all the depressing details of your imminent spinsterhood."
That comment stung a little, not that Aurora was about to admit it.
"I don't like the concept of fate," she said honestly. "If everything is predetermined, then there is no such thing as free will."
"But the future is rarely so straightforward as you suggest. There are many outcomes, and many paths to choose along the way." Xanos tugged at his mustache, deep in thought. Aurora had assumed he had brought up the topic for no reason other than to insult her, but he seemed to actually want to have a conversation.
"Perhaps you're right," she said carefully, wondering how long the discussion could last before deteriorating into yet another argument. "But I have heard some prophecies that don't exactly leave a lot of room for choice."
"It is all in how you look at it, Aurora. For instance, someday soon Xanos will achieve true power. This is a simple fact. But will I become worshiped and feared because such a fate was written in the stars, or because I have striven for it and crushed all obstacles in my path? Which is the cause, and which the effect?"
Aurora smiled.
"I think I see your point. And it works well enough for the kind of prediction that someone wants to fulfil." Her smile faltered. "But what about the kind of prophecies that someone would do their best to prevent coming true?" Rather to her own surprise, Aurora was quite curious about what Xanos would say.
She never had the chance to find out. A woman's scream pierced the air from somewhere just
ahead, and without a word the two of them rushed to find its source.
They reached a small farmhouse, in front of which was a woman named Nora Blake. She was still screaming, though when she saw Xanos and Aurora her wordless shrieks became cries for help.
"What happened, Nora?" Aurora asked breathlessly when they reached her.
"Oh, thank the gods you're here!" Nora cried. "We were attacked by kobolds. Adam and I managed to escape, but little Tynan was still inside! Adam's gone back in to save him, but he hasn't come out again yet! Please, make sure nothing has happened to him!"
Aurora nodded.
"Stay here, Nora. We'll go see what's going on."
Xanos followed her to the door of the farmhouse.
"Do we really have time for this?" he asked as she slowly pushed open the door and walked inside. "We can't stop to help every single person who has gotten themselves into. . ."
His sentence trailed away when he got a good look at what was inside the house, but Aurora didn't notice. She was too preoccupied by the sight of the torn body of Nora's husband lying motionless on the floor. She knelt at put her fingers to Adam's throat, but there was no pulse to find.
"Poor Adam," she said, closing his staring eyes. Poor Nora, she added mentally. She wanted to do more, but the thin cry of an infant from upstairs reminded her that Adam wasn't the only one they were supposed to save.
In the room at the top of the stairs, she was met with another horrifying sight. Tynan was there, and alive, but he was in the scaly arms of a kobold. The lizard-like beast bared his teeth when he saw Aurora and Xanos, and motioned at the infant's throat with his dagger.
"Stay back! Me gots child!"
"Put the knife down," Aurora said in as calm a voice as she could muster. "Just leave the baby be and we'll have no reason to hurt you."
"Ha! You tries to trick me, but me no is stupid, yip! You wants baby, you gives me shiny."
"A. . . shiny?" Aurora said blankly, then realized what the kobold meant. "You want a gem? Okay. Here." She reached into her pack, then pulled her empty hand out in a fist. The ruse worked; the kobold's eyes gleamed as she took a step nearer, holding her fist out in front of her. He reached for it, loosening his grip on Tynan for just a moment, and Aurora seized her chance.
Quick as a hawk, she snatched the baby from the kobold's arms and flung herself back out of harm's way. The kobold growled and snapped its teeth.
"Stupid human!" it shouted. "Now me have to kill you!" It rushed her, but Xanos was faster. With an enraged growl, he seized the little beast by the neck and lifted it from the floor. The dagger fell from its hands as it writhed in his grip. He reared back, then hurled the kobold as hard as he could through the window.
Seeing as the window wasn't open, that was very bad news for the creature. It fell through the air in a shower of glass, landing with an audible thump on the ground below. Aurora waited until Xanos' chest stopped heaving and his rage disappated, then got to her feet.
"Thank you, Xanos," she said. Tynan was crying, so she held him close to her chest and comforted him as best she could. She felt good about rescuing the child, but any pride she felt in that drained away as they returned to the lower floor and once more beheld Adam's corpse. Aurora lingered there, trying to think of something she could do to help, putting off the inevitable moment when she would have to inform Nora of the fate of her husband.
"You're wasting your time, Aurora," Xanos said, and although the words were unkind his voice was grave. "There's nothing we can do for him." Nodding, she went outside to face Nora.
"I saw what happened to that kobold, did you– oh, you found Tynan!" Nora took the baby from Aurora and stroked his cheek, tears of relief streaming down her face. "Oh, my precious little boy, how I feared for you. . ." Then she tensed and looked sharply up at Aurora. "Adam isn't with you. Is he. . .? Oh, please don't tell me I'm a widow!"
"Nora," Aurora said softly, "Adam is dead."
"No! Not my Adam! Not my husband!" The horrified disbelief in Nora's eyes cut Aurora to the quick, and she tried hard to swallow back the lump rising in her throat.
"I'm sorry, Nora," she said. "We were too late."
The woman visibly fought to regain control of herself, and when she spoke again her voice was remarkably calm.
"Forgive me, Aurora. I don't mean to sound ungrateful for what you've done today." She wiped away her tears with her free hand and tried to smile. "Thanks to the two of you I've got my house, and my child, and if I sell my wedding ring I'm sure we'll have enough gold to survive until I can find a job."
Aurora took out the pouch of gold Lodar had given her and handed it to Nora.
"Here. Take it. Keep the ring to remember Adam by."
Nora opened the pouch and peered inside, then looked up with a shocked expression.
"But there must be at least fifty gold pieces in here! You've done enough for me already, I couldn't possibly take. . ." she trailed off as Xanos pressed another twenty pieces into her palm. "I cannot believe that anyone could be so generous," she said, wide-eyed. "Thank you, both of you! Rest assured that Tynan will be raised to know who his saviors were. I'll never forget what you've done for me this day." She looked towards the house, and her eyes clouded. "Please, don't waste any more of your time on me. I. . . I must attend to my husband."
Aurora and Xanos left her, turning back to the trail of footprints in the snow. Aurora found herself staring at Xanos. She had been just as surprised as Nora at the half-orc's uncharacteristic generosity. Xanos noticed her attention and scowled.
"What?" he snapped.
"Nothing," she said, turning her attention back to the trail. Even so, she found herself wondering if Xanos was really as cruel and selfish as he seemed.
Author's Note: I always thought the whole Save My Family quest was pretty sad. Especially since if you talk to Nora about Adam later, she'll tell you that she's doing okay, but she still misses Thomas. ;) How many dead husbands does the woman have?? Thanks to RogueWitch, Penname Wa Silver B (Author of the awesome Dependence: Heartsinger), and SnackFiend101 for their reviews of the last chapter. Xanos is glad to know he is appreciated. Of course, he's know that all along. :P