Chapter 3 - Respite

"What", roared the dwarf? "By Moradin's Hammer, I jest fixed the damn thing! If ye think some sneaky, snivelling servant of this piddlin' little kingdom is goin' to arrest Garlt Gemfinder, then you have another think comin', elf!"

Stomping over to his gear, the dwarf pulled out two hand axes. Brandishing the weapons, the irate dwarf stood defiant.

"So. Come an' arrest me! An' as yer unarmed, I'll give ye a chance to grab a weapon", sneered the dwarf, as he glared, one-eyed, at the Herald.

The elf laughed. It was sound of pure enjoyment with no hint of rancour or anger.

"Master Gemfinder", she replied. "I am never 'unarmed'. But you stand alone against me? Your companion does not seem so anxious to dispute my charges."

Stefane looked from the tall Herald, who seemed unperturbed at facing an angry, axe-wielding foe, to the dwarf, who was almost carelessly swinging his axes to and fro.

"Um, er. We do not know each other, Herald." Said Stefane, pointing at the dwarf. "We only happened to arrive at this place at about the same time. Ah, the well was in need of repair?"

"Was that a question?" Asked the Herald of Stefane, casting a look of disdain at the young man.

"No, Ma'am." The man crossed his arms over his chest and straightened up. Stefane delivered his next words in a far less tentative tone.

"We repaired an already broken well. You're mistaken in your charges, Herald. And I will stand with the dwarf in any court to dispute them, if so summoned."

"Summoned? I said 'arrest'. I'll not waste my time with Bailiffs and warrants! Surrender now and accompany me back to Capitol!"

"I… I am heading north. Capitol is days away. I… I cannot delay", stuttered Stefane.

"And I'll be damned if I'll go back south an' waste days or weeks pleadin' to some poncey magistrate", shouted the dwarf, clashing his axes together. "Me business takes me north."

The Herald looked hard at Stefane.

"You stand with this dwarf and defy me, youngster?" She snapped.

Taking a deep breath, Stefane uncrossed his arms, letting a few small tools that he had been holding fall to the ground. Using his left arm, he made a dramatic sweeping motion over his head, and thrust his right arm forward.

A bright ball of orange flame filled his cupped right hand.

"If you insist on acting unjustly? Then, yes."

"Good lad!" Chortled the dwarf. "Now, back off Herald!"

Smiling, the Herald nodded to the two men and waved an arm in dismissal.

"Very well", she replied. "You are both free to go."

The elf stepped over to her horse, took its reins in hand, and led the beast a little way from the well, stopping at some logs and rocks that formed a rough circle around an old, much used firepit.

Over her shoulder she addressed the two dumb-founded men. "I have a brace of rabbit with me and have collected some herbs. I am a poor cook but you are welcome to join me for dinner."

"What? Aren't ye goin' to arrest us?"

The dwarf looked at Stefane, whose puzzled face mirrored the dwarf's own.

"Hmm? No", replied the elf. "And the King thanks you for your service. You did a fair repair job."

"Fair?"

The dwarf was about to say more when Stefane shushed him.

Extinguishing the ball of flame in his hand by a soft word, the young man approached the Herald.

"Could you explain your change of heart? We didn't mean to frighten you…", said Stefane.

Chuckling, the elf turned to meet the young man. Although she was tall, Stefane was still a half-head or so taller. The Herald looked up at him, smiling. He noticed a thin, white, jagged scar running from high on her right cheek down to her jaw.

"You did not. I apologize to you, good Mage. And to you too, Master Gemfinder. My words were a ruse. Banditry has increased in the Northern Territory. I wanted to learn your purpose here along the Borsa Road, and if you were honest workmen or robbers."

"An' us challengin' ye to a fight made us honest men an' not thieves? I'd a thought it more t'other way 'round", shouted the dwarf, as he put his axes away and started trucking his gear over to where the mage and elf stood.

Damn it, he fumed. That was the best spot for a camp site and the newcomer had claimed it!

"Let me unsaddle my horse and I will explain", said the elf. "Oh, Mage, you will find some wild onion growing down by the creek at the far end of this meadow. Collect some for dinner? And Master Dwarf, we could use some more wood. That small pile will not last the night, which will be a cold one."

The mage and dwarf started off on their assigned errands when the dwarf stopped suddenly, turned and glared at the elf, who was busy unsaddling her mount. The compulsion to follow the Herald's Suggestion, or order, still pushed gently at his mind, but it was becoming easier to ignore.

"That's a neat little trick" growled the dwarf, with an edge to his voice.

The elf turned and smiled at him. "Yes, it is. But someone still needs to collect more wood."

After a few breaths the dwarf almost smiled. "True", he replied, and moved off to scrounge kindling and branches.

The elf placed the dressed rabbits on a rock and set about making the campsite more orderly. The young mage seemed eager to please and ran about picking up that or moving this. Garlt was not sure if the young man's eagerness to please was due to the 'Suggestion' the Herald had cast or because the lad had a genuinely helpful nature. The fact that the elven Herald was female, lavender eyed and not unattractive, which a young human male might find appealing, did not enter the dwarf's mind.

Having collected sufficient wood for a good-sized fire to last them the night, the dwarf started arranging the material in the firepit. First, duff then kindling with small branches on top of that, followed by larger ones.

"Time for steel and flint", shouted the dwarf. "Let's get this fire going. My midday meal was a long time ago!"

"I can start that fire for us", stated Stefane.

The young man walked over to the firepit, knelt, and made odd hand gestures over the wood. A few sparks flew from his fingertips and settled on the pile of wood.

Nothing else happened.

"Let me try that again."

Stefane's second attempt generated more sparks but the duff and kindling, although dry, would not catch fire.

"Never mind, lad. I'll get me fire-starter". The dwarf started to stand but Stefane assured him that he could get the fire lit.

With a furrowed brow and clenched jaw, Stefane tried casting Candle Flame a third time. This attempt resulted in a yard's wide sheet of flame shooting from his outstretched hand. The flames, expanding quickly, washed across the firepit, covering the camp site, and engulfing the dwarf and elf.