Usual disclaimer: The characters are owned by a whole lot of people and not by me except an occasional NPC and a bear-lovin' ranger.
Note: This is a revised version after some very helpful suggestions. My thanks to Rhia and Niche for all their help.
No, you haven't missed a chapter, unless you have. I prefer to focus on the time between events of the OC, so this chapter is set the night before the party confronts the fire giants, a a couple of tendays after the last chapter. I also took liberties with a couple of the spells used in this chapter, which only those who play tabletop DnD would notice. Call it dramatic license, and certainly no worse than a godless ranger who nevertheless is able to cast clerical spells.
Chapter 31 Just a Diplomatic Mission...
Dee leaned against a boulder peering down the mountain at the fire giant camp that morning, not realizing how precariously it was balanced on the ridge. The boulder gave way and went crashing down the mountain, sending others with it. If Ammon Jerro hadn't caught her arm, she might have tumbled down the mountain with it. "They have to know we're here now," she grumbled. "So much for sneaking up on them."
Neeshka returned from scouting further up the trail and made her report. "Once you get over the top, there's a canyon below. It looks like we might be able to take the trail to get into the giants' camp from the other side. And I also spotted a cave up the trail up on that ridge. It could be a safe place to camp. Think we have time to check it out?" She grinned at Dee hopefully.
It seemed like a bad idea at first, but after Dee thought about it for as long as it took to take a drink of water, it seemed like a good idea to take a look inside since they were there and make sure they wouldn't have anything nasty following them from it to the fire giants and boxing them in between two enemies. Dee sent Cillian in ahead of them. Cillian raised up on his hind legs and sniffed the outside then gingerly stuck his head inside. "The most sensitive nose in all nature, right there," Dee whispered with pride to Casavir as she beamed at the bear. Cillian ambled inside and quickly sent Dee a message that the cave was uninhabited, at least as far as he could tell, and considerably bigger once he got past the entrance. So she stooped and went in after him holding Sand's magic light tube and discovered that about six feet in, the cave floor sloped downward before leveling off and widened to form a chamber big enough even for Casavir to stand up in and stretch his arms over his head.
The others joined them for a brief exploration. Dee, Neeshka, and Cillian explored further and found another chamber in the back of the first one connected by a short tunnel. This one was very large, and Sand speculated as he knelt to examine a glowing purple fungus and collect a sample of it, "I wouldn't be at all surprised if there was a passage leading into the Underdark somewhere in this cavern." But there were no other tunnels that they could find, though Elanee pointed out several large rocks that appeared to have once been stalactites blocking what might have been another passage.
There was even sweet water running down one wall from the surface, forming a stream wide enough to wash in before disappearing into a fissure across the chamber. Dee announced, "If this canyon turns out to be a dead end, we'll come back here and make camp for the night before we take the other trail and approach the giants directly." She quickly designated the rear chamber for sleeping and resting, while those on watch or who weren't ready to sleep would take up positions in the first chamber. With that settled, they got back on the trail and tried to make up for lost time.
They straggled back that evening exhausted but elated after their unexpected battle with the red dragon Tholapsyx, whose lair turned out to be hidden in the canyon. The cavern became cozy after Sand cast a few mage lights on pebbles and placed them behind large rocks and stalagmites, which gave the illusion of warmth and provided diffused lighting. Dee and Casavir claimed a private corner for themselves mostly concealed behind a large stalagmite before they began the first watch shift. Dee announced as her companions were setting up their bedrolls that they would take an extra day of rest and healing before approaching the giants. She felt they needed at least a day, and half of that was going to be spent figuring out how they were going to get a dragon's treasure hoard down the mountain.
It was quite a hoard, not that she had any experience with how big a dragon's hoard should be other than what she had read in books. She recalled that they had all been in shock that they were still alive, and how once the initial shock wore off and it sunk in that the dragon was truly dead, and once they had done what healing of their most serious injuries they could, only then had they given in to temptation and explored its lair. She had stuffed her bag of holdingwith gems Sand could use to enchant things for them while he was also filling his own bag. Neeshka had taught her to appreciate gems. They were much lighter than carrying a bag of gold and easier to hide, though their drawback was you often lost some of the value when selling them. And the dragon had plenty of them, even a few rare gems that nearly made Sand swoon thinking of what he could enchant with them.
By now all of them had enough experience with the energies of enchantment that they could feel the magical vibrations swirl around them like waves at the ocean shore, and just as capable of knocking them off their feet. A pile of things was started that seemed to radiate magic for Sand to identify later, though he often could read the enchantments by simply holding the object without having to cast the spell. Dee had felt giddy and chuckled with relief as she looked in awe at the treasure. "At least I won't have to worry about where we're gonna get the coin for the Keep and my 'Cloaks after this. That's a huge load off my mind. Think I'll have Veedle build those guard towers along the road he wanted."
After Sand had taken what he wanted, he had examined the corpse for anything he could use for crafting or spell components. Casavir sorted through the weapons in the hoard while at Dee's request Khelgar and Elanee examined the creature's hide to see if there was enough of it undamaged to have crafted into armor. Neeshka shoved several gems Sand couldn't use and as much gold as she could into her own magic bag. Eventually everyone took what they wanted from the hoard, even Elanee, who hesitated then shyly took a pendant with a sky-blue opal that she thought was pretty.
They returned to the cavern where Neeshka used her ring to make herself invisible again, and Dee reluctantly sent her back down the mountain alone before she lost the light after a bear hug and a stern admonition to be careful and an final hug. She was headed back to where the Greycloaks who accompanied them were camped with the horses to send two of them back to the Keep for all the wagons, miner's carts, and pack mules Kana could send and another squad of Greycloaks to help move it all to the Keep.
Dee watched the faint stirring of dust that was the only evidence of the tiefling's movement down the trail until Neeshka reached the limit of her vision. In addition to the danger Neeshka faced going back to the Greycloaks alone, it would leave them short handed for watches, and Dee cursed herself for not prying Grobnar away from his beloved construct and decoding the Relentless Poet's journal or Zhjaeve from her research with Aldanon (not to mention her new hobby, tending Elanee's garden). They could really have used another cleric today. She had brought Wolf along, still trying to make a ranger out of him, but she left him behind with the Greycloaks and the horses because she decided he was too young to accompany them to the giants' camp even though he wasn't much younger than Qara. He was learning quite a lot, but he wasn't quite a ranger yet. And the ranger...she cursed under her breath and reminded herself she used to be the ranger before he joined them.
At the time it seemed like a good idea for Bishop to stay behind at the Keep too. They thought this was only going to be a diplomatic mission after all, and when she approached him about going while he was into his third ale at the tavern Bishop had snorted and muttered, "Yeah, I'll become a diplomat right after I marry a fat farm wench and settle down to have a house full of brats with her." Dee had rolled her eyes and agreed they didn't need him this time. She would have her hands full with Qara's lack of tact as it was. But since then she had regretted not having him along to scout. If he had been there, she would have sent him ahead to scout it out that canyon and he could have alerted them to the dragon's presence, which Neeshka missed. On the other hand, if they hadn't gone into the canyon and walked right into the dragon's lair, they wouldn't have its treasure now. "Would've, should've, could've..." she muttered with disgust as she went back inside the cavern.
Dee assigned watch shifts for the night with herself, Cillian, and Casavir taking first watch, then Ammon Jerro and Khelgar, and finally Sand, Elanee, and her beloved badger, giving Qara the night off. In the aftermath of the battle Qara had been sullen as usual but uncharacteristically silent, still in shock (which didn't deter her from doing some looting for herself, however), but it wasn't long before she saw Neeshka glance at her while whispering with Elanee and began to accuse them of mocking her, and Casavir was hard pressed to calm her down. The others were used to her fits by now and let her vent, but she only interpreted this as further proof. Dee thought Qara just needed rest and told her she didn't need to take a watch shift that night, which Qara interpreted as a further insult to her competence. Suddenly she had balled her hands into fists and began shouting angry accusations that Dee only invited her along to humiliate her and that Sand must have put her up to it.
Ammon Jerro cursed and muttered about the foolishness of bringing children with them and cast a protective spell. Dee strode across the chamber until they were face to face and growled, "Now you listen, little girl. You don't like me, and I'm not too fond of you either, but I sure as hells don't hate you. Besides, even if I did, I would never risk your life or the others' lives, not to mention the mission, just to humiliate you. What kind of idiot would do that? So stop acting like a spoiled brat and shut up before you bring the giants down on us!"
Sand, Elanee, and Casavir immediately rushed over to break it up when Dee looked like she was about to slap her, with Khelgar right on their heels. Sand wisely intervened to avert the disaster he felt was coming as he felt Qara summon what energy remained to her to cast a spell and rendered Qara unconscious with Hiss of Sleep, one of the few memorized spells he hadn't used and the first one that sprung to mind.
Being closest to her, Dee blinked in surprise and reflexively caught her as her body went limp. Everyone relaxed visibly now that the crisis was averted for the moment, though Ammon Jerro still had a look of utter disgust as he watched Dee and Casavir, followed by Sand and Elanee, haul Qara into the rear cavern where they gently laid her in her bedroll. Casavir blushed and hastily returned to the front cavern as Dee and Elanee loosened her robe and tucked her in, with Dee forgetting she had been ready to beat the hells out of her only a few moments before.
Sand remained and looked down on the sleeping sorceress, puzzled that the spell had worked, but keeping that knowledge to himself. For that particular spell was designed to only affect enemies in order that the caster's companions wouldn't be caught in it accidentally. It was something he would have to think about before he mentioned it to anyone else, but he didn't like what it implied about Qara. He whispered, "The spell will give way to natural sleep. I cannot guarantee she won't be doubly angry when she awakens, but that should hold her for now." He pursed his lips slyly at a sudden thought about his available spells then thumbed through the scrolls in the back of his case. "Actually, I can. I can make her completely forget those ugly words ever escaped her lips. Let her think the dragon's attack caused her to faint. I knew this spell would come in handy someday. But time is of the essence if the spell is to have the desired effect."
Dee peered at the scroll over his shoulder and whispered, "Forget? Now that's a scary thought!" Elanee looked horrified as well for a moment until she saw Sand's logic and simply whispered, "Yes." Dee swallowed hard and nodded at him to go ahead, so he cast the spell then claimed a corner in the front cavern in which to study his spells for the next day while Elanee moved her bedroll over and entered her reverie beside Qara as Dee went to join Casavir and Cillian on watch.
Dee looked at him and considered the adventurers' mantra, "What the paladin doesn't know won't hurt him, or us," but she decided she couldn't lie to him now then lie comfortably in his arms tonight, so she told him about the spell while they were still on watch. She was finding that she didn't want to keep anything from him anymore even if it led to disagreements, but she was also learning to pick the time when he couldn't argue and he would be forced to think before they continued the discussion.
They were relieved in time by Khelgar and Ammon Jerro. Now they could take the time to examine their armor for damage and each other for injuries and get what rest they could. Dee sighed tiredly as they settled into their little corner where Cillian was already drifting off to sleep and grimaced as she unfastened the straps of her brigandine to set it aside next to her sword belt. She pulled off her gambeson then her shirt, the sleeve stiff with dried blood though the wound had been to her head, and leaned back against Casavir. He was already lying on their bedrolls, having just removed his armor and weapons. He was watching her with that set to his jaw that informed her he wasn't going to put off the discussion.
Dee sighed again as she thought about dealing with the sorceress when she awakened. She tried to justify their actions, speaking softly. "You probably don't agree, and I don't want to argue with you, but I sure hope Sand's spell works. It seems wrong, stealing someone's memory like that but that's a memory I'm guessin' she wouldn't argue about giving up."
Casavir was silent for an unbearable moment then sighed and kissed her cheek. "Sand seemed confident the spell would work, correct? Don't fret, my lady. I didn't approve of the spell when you first told me of it, and I still don't like it, but once I thought about it, I saw that his actions will spare Qara further humiliation. So...a white lie to save her pain is justified this time. I cannot lie to her, but...I don't have to tell her the truth either unless she asks."
Dee looked a bit relieved and leaned close to whisper, "I don't know Cas, mayhap 'tis time to send her away when we get back to the Keep. She's grown powerful, but I'm no longer sure she's not more of a liability than an asset. I was hoping she would outgrow her temper, but she's gotten so full of herself. I don't know where to send her though. She doesn't have any family except her father, and there's no love lost between them. I don't want to send her off to Waterdeep alone no matter how powerful she thinks she is. But I will if I must, with enough coin to live on for years unless she spends it all payin' for repairs after she loses her temper and starts throwin' fireballs like she did at The Flagon." She glanced over again to where the sorceress was snoring softly. "'Tis true I'm not too fond of her though. Is that coloring my judgment?"
Casavir kissed the top of her head and whispered, "It might very well be. Yet I agree. She's very willful, but perhaps she will be chastened by this experience. My suggestion is to let us see how she behaves when we return to the Keep before you decide to send her away. Be patient with her, my lady. Perhaps we should try harder to befriend the girl."
She smiled broadly and squeezed his hand. "Thank you for understanding, love. Perhaps I should try harder with her you mean, and you're right."
He sat up and offered her a healing potion then picked up her brigandine to examine it. "I'm thankful we can afford costly enchantments that protect our armor as well as our bodies. This armor would have given out long ago otherwise, and it will eventually once the enchantments have absorbed enough damage. Perhaps we should get you a replacement."
She smiled and shook her head at the offered potion as she kicked off her boots and leathers and stripped down to her small clothes. She picked up his breast plate to examine the straps by Sand's light. "Elanee saw to my worst injuries, but I almost puked when she set my shoulder. Gods that hurt, worse than when I hit that rock. Seems almost good as new though." She raised her left arm and rotated it to show him. "We probably should save those potions for later anyway. Over half the potions we brought with us got smashed. I told Neesh to have the 'Cloaks bring us more, but it's gonna be days before they get here."
Dee laid his breast plate back down with his armor, satisfied that he wouldn't have a failure at a critical moment in the next fight, and picked up his greaves. "I want to have new armor made for you. I think you would look very handsome in dragon scale armor, if Edario is up to crafting it. And what about your injuries, hmm? Don't give me that 'tis but a flesh wound' line of yours . You have to take care of yourself too, that's an order as your captain. And next I'll have to nag you like I was already your wife."
He grinned at her sheepishly. "Yes, my Captain, and yes my dear, I shall obey, though I was also healed enough to finish healing my ribs and stop the bleeding at any rate." He frowned at the state of her shirt even as he pulled off his own, gasping in pain as he tugged it free from a wound, which caused it to open again. He pressed his shirt against the wound and held it in place for a few moments. "It's a good thing there's an abundance of fresh water here so we can wash. I believe I'll take the opportunity to shave in the morning too as long as we're here."
She responded with an exaggerated pout as she laid his greaves back down and picked up his pauldrons. "Shave? I like you with some fuzz on your face. It tickles when you kiss me, especially on my more sensitive skin." She chuckled as she saw him blush even in the dim light. She laid the pauldrons aside and took a drink from her water skin then handed it to him. As he drank she shook her head and whispered, "Gods, Cas. What are we doin' here? In my wildest dreams, I never would have guessed it would have been easier to negotiate with the Lizardmen than with the Ironfist dwarves. Lizardmen! What's the world comin' to? I'm sure the gods got a good laugh at that one."
He set the water skin down then rubbed the back of her neck and murmured, "I know, I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't been there." His mind turned to the events of that day back at Highcliff. The lizardmen's shaman had seen that he was being manipulated by the King of Shadows once Dee had sat down with the creature and allowed him to probe her mind. They had all been on edge as they faced off against the lizardmen, and Casavir knew all it would have taken was the slightest movement on either side that the other interpreted as treachery to spark bloodshed. He was proud of her for remaining calm and submitting to the shaman when it would have been all too easy for her to give the order to slaughter the tribe or beat them into a tenuous submission, and they would have lost them as allies. Afterwards she patiently explained her story and what they knew about the King of Shadows to the fascinated shaman, even showing him her shards and the scar on her chest at his request.
Casavir pushed her hair aside, which was just long enough now to pull back in a short pony tail. He kissed the back of her neck and smiled at the way that always made her shiver before he started massaging her shoulders, noting that the left shoulder was still tender despite Elanee's healing spell. "I love that your skin is so sensitive to my kisses." He chuckled lightly as he thought about their return to Highcliff. "I think if I live to be a hundred, I'll never forget the look on Elder Mayne's face when you escorted the shaman and his guards into the village. That's a story to tell our grandchildren some day." They had shared a feast that day with the strange allies then made the arrangements for the villagers and the lizardmen to travel to the Keep together, with the lizardmen warriors providing protection during the night and the villagers during the day.
She smiled wistfully and murmured, "Grandchildren? You're planning ahead. I don't even think I'm ready children for a while yet." But even as she said that for the first time she realized she did want children with him, and she wanted one sooner rather than later if they didn't have the King of Shadows to face.
He chuckled. "Someday, when we're old and gray then. You're becoming quite the diplomat, my lady. Perhaps Lord Nasher will appoint you as a roving ambassador some day, and it will give us an opportunity to travel."
She chuckled and leaned forward to give him better access to her shoulders and thought for a moment before she answered. "Lady Deidre Farlong, roving ambassador...An excuse is more like it. Yeah, someday mayhap. It's probably not as exciting and glamorous as it sounds though. Too much of being stuck all day in negotiations, and likely all evening too. I'm sure I'd need another bag of holdingjust to carry my wardrobe for all the balls and formal dinners. And I'll never remember what to do with all those forks and spoons. Besides, we both know I have to work on my temper before I'll make a proper diplomat. Sure, I negotiated with lizardmen, but I wasn't able to negotiate with Keros at all, and I still haven't figured out where I went wrong with the dragon."
He worked his way down her back, noting she still had some large ugly dark bruises on her hip and thigh he would insist she have healed in the morning. For now he kissed the bruises softly and tactfully avoided the topic of her temper, though in his opinion, she had come far since he first met her when she was prone to settling all disagreements with her fists or her swords. "You did what you could. I don't believe the dragon would have honored any agreement we made with it, just as I don't believe Clangeddin himself could have negotiated with Keros. It was all I could do to hold my own temper at how obstinate and short sighted he was being."
They found when they arrived at the Ironfist stronghold that Khelgar hadn't exaggerated the animosity that the Ironfists' ruler, Keros, bore him, though no one believed it was only for leaving his clan. Dee had rarely seen such a display of raw hatred and scorn, and she believed that Keros had always hated Khelgar whether there was a comely dwarven shield maiden at the root of it or not. So instead of returning to Crossroads Keep with them as allies and preparing for war, they were on a difficult quest to take on a tribe of fire giants on Mount Galardrym to retrieve the belt of Ironfist and earn the Ironfists' alliance.
The very idea had seemed impossible then when they set out from the Ironfist stronghold, and as they approached the mountain she had willed herself not to think about it anymore after she offered up desperate prayers to Meilikki, Tyr, Clangeddin Silverbeard, and any god she thought would listen. But now after taking on a red dragon, it didn't seem as daunting. She frowned and chided herself not to get too cocky—she was convinced that was how she lost Shandra—and reminded herself they were still no closer to finding a way to defeat the shadow reavers or reforge the sword.
Dee glanced around to make sure they could talk freely then turned to face Casavir and whispered, "I thank the gods that Sand decided to come along at the last minute. I shudder to think what we would have done today without him, though I gotta admit Jerro pulled his own weight. I don't begin to understand how his magic works, but it looks like he can call his spells at will like Qara does. But he's more thoughtful about his spells. They're...efficient. And Elanee's getting scary powerful too. I sure wouldn't want to take on a whole grove of druids with her knowledge. But Sand...I've got to find out what that spell was he used."
She replayed the battle in her mind, which she would do every night until a worse memory took its place. Sand had anticipated that the dragon would attack and removed the dragon's magical defenses with a couple of well-timed spells then shouted at Qara to hit it with everything she had after it attacked and she retaliated with a Fireball. To be more precise, he had shouted, "Use all your lightning and ice spells now, stupid girl! Can't you see fire spells are useless against it!" Elanee and Ammon Jerro were already casting their own spells. Dee, Casavir, and Khelgar rushed in to attack once the spellcasters had finished and they didn't have to worry about getting fried, baked, or frozen by their own companions, but the beast still attacked with tail sweeps, wing buffets, claws, and its fiery breath.
They almost all had spells or enchanted items that protected against fire, but she had been sent tumbling by a swipe of its claw, and Casavir was sent flying by its tail after their first successful attack. Khelgar deftly avoided the tail but was nearly caught by its breath. If he wasn't bald already he would be now, but he lost some of his beard. Qara wasn't so lucky and screamed in fury to be on the receiving end of a fire attack for once as she was caught in the full force of the dragon's fiery breath. She would have been reduced to a cinder if not for the enchantments on her robe. Neeshka, who had been circling around praying to Tymora the dragon couldn't see through her invisibility, escaped serious injury due to her lucky coin (or so she would insist later) and sprung from its leg to its back and proved that you could backstab a dragon if you could get close enough to its back. By then Khelgar, Dee and Casavir had recovered enough to finish it off, though Dee had lost another pair of spectacles and her left arm hung uselessly. As she thought about the battle now she said reverently, "Cas, we might all be so much dragon shite right about now if not for Sand's spell stripping its magic."
Casavir sat back and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Indeed. That spell is called 'Mordenkainen's Disjunction,' if I'm not mistaken. It has quite an interesting history. The archmage Mordenkainen who created it didn't live here on Toril. He was from another world in the multiverse called 'Oerth.' Some scholars believe that a mage found a portal from Toril to that world ages ago and spent some time there learning from its masters—you may have heard of them, Tenser, Bigby and Rary too—then brought the knowledge back to Toril. Some say it was Elminster. But others say it was the goddess of magic before Mystra who brought the spells to Toril."
She shook her head at him and chuckled. "You're always surprising me. How did you know that?"
He flushed in embarrassment, looked down and shrugged then replied, "It was something I read when I was a boy for a class. I thought it was interesting, this notion of other worlds parallel to our own, and that portals exist that would allow one to travel between them. So I read further."
She kissed his hot cheek. "Something you read and you remembered it all these years? You amaze me, Cas, you really do." She lay her head on his shoulder. "We don't have time for any of this, but we need the Ironfists' help if we can get it. Pity 'tis not the dwarven way to go against their ruler or I know they'd be with us. As we left I could see it in their eyes to a man. Or a woman. It's kinda hard to tell with some of the women." She glanced around again to make sure Khelgar wasn't within earshot.
She sat up again thinking aloud so Casavir could provide a sounding board. "Pity we couldn't have made an alliance with the dragon too. And what if we could reason with the fire giants as easily as the lizard people? Imagine them as allies, smashin' skeletons to dust! After all, the King of Shadows is as much a threat to them as to us. I just need to convince them of that."
He caressed her cheek softly but looked skeptical. "True, but fire giants cannot be trusted not to turn on us when the battle is finished. Unlike the lizardmen, they're evil creatures by nature, as was that dragon. In fact, they couldn't even be trusted not to turn on us on a whim before the battle or the second we let our guard down. No, your best hope with the giants is to offer them something in exchange for the Belt of Ironfist. You may have to part with some of the dragon's hoard, but it will be worth it. Now...I believe it is my turn. Would you work on my shoulder?" He stretched out on his stomach so she could work out the stiffness, the result of an old injury from the war that still bothered him years later.
She straddled him and kneaded his shoulder with her thumbs then dug her elbow into it. "Mayhap we should see if this could be magically healed. A restoration spell? I'll ask El and Brother Ivarr what's involved, and don't argue that you don't need it. Our challenges seem to be getting' harder, and I need you in top shape in case we come up against another dragon." She snorted. "What are the chances that would happen."
He grunted from pain as well as relief as she worked. "I'm not getting any younger either. Perhaps I will consider it, if the spell isn't too costly." He turned his head and smirked at her. "But then I wouldn't need to have you massage it."
She chuckled as she resumed kneading with her thumbs. "Oh, like that would stop me. I love the feel of your taut muscles moving under your skin. Now how's your knee? Take off your breeches and let me rub it too. I saw you limping even after you were healed, like you do when you're really tired. Was that an injury from the war too?"
He turned his head give her that sheepish look that she found so endearing. "No, it wasn't the war. That was from an old Hurley injury from when I was in school. I stepped in a gopher hole running to score a goal. But I made it, and my team won." He grinned triumphantly then blushed again seeing she wasn't impressed as she muttered, "Men." "It seems to flare up from overuse from time to time, and it's bearable if I wrap it. We used to make a poultice for pain out of the root of a yellow flower that grew around Old Owl Well that helped immensely. Elanee might know what it is."
She took out a strip of clean linen from a healer's kit and poured some wine onto it then cleaned the wound he had opened up again when he took off his shirt. "Might be arnica. I'll ask her if any grows around the Keep." He shuddered and bit his lip, and she felt a twinge in her heart at causing him that necessary pain. "Mayhap after another day of healing and rest...It's too bad we had to leave the horses with the Greycloaks down the mountain. Since the dragon's canyon was a dead end, we'll have to take the trail all the way around the mountain now to reach their main camp, and they have to know we're coming after we...after I started that avalanche." It was her turn now for an embarrassed blush now.
He watched her wrap another strip of linen around his torso to hold the bandage in place. "I'll be fine after a day of rest. Elanee should be able to heal most of our injuries, and we can rest again before we enter their camp if need be. Besides, that avalanche of yours sent some pretty big boulders in their direction. Perhaps we got lucky and we'll find that they finished the giants for us." She put the healer's kit aside and snorted again in a way he didn't find attractive, but he could live with it, as he realized she must also find some of his habits annoying. "Come my lady, we must get some sleep." He lay back on their bedrolls and extended his hand to her.
She lay beside him trying to get comfortable on the hard ground by finding a way to lay that didn't press on a bruise, and he was doing the same. They had placed her bedroll on top of his for extra padding but found it wasn't enough. She pulled their cloaks on top of them to serve as blankets and replied, "Right. We couldn't get that lucky, could we?"