Patrol 2: Lost & Found

Chapter 8

The smell of manure and livestock assailed her nose and the sound of horses snorting and stamping greeted Vania as she regained her senses.

"Oh, good. You're awake. I was about to drag that snob Rand'din out here to make sure his armbands hadn't backlashed into your mind when that wizard attempted to put a spell on you." Eddin sat down at her side. "How are you feeling? I imagine pretty terrible."

"Well, I'm alive, if that counts for something." Vania sat up slowly, fingers automatically feeling the back of her head. She winced as she encountered a large, tender spot at the back of her skull. Her vision swam and grew hazy, finally clearing when she pulled her fingers away. Her head didn't stop throbbing.

"Yeah, you're growing quite a bump back there."

"Why... are we in the stable?"

"Far fewer magic users." Eddin smiled. "Thought it'd be good to give your mind a break. Bergin wanted to send you home, but this was closer. He didn't take the time to argue with me—he was too busy organizing groups of enforcers to try to track down the wizard." He swung a water bag by its strap into her lap. "You're probably thirsty."

"Did they catch him?" She picked up the bag, carefully tipping her pounding head backward to collect the water into her mouth, then returning upright to swallow.

"Not yet, that I've heard. Can you tell me what happened?"

"He ran up to me, shouting that he needed help. While I was walking your horse around the building. He—"

"What'd he look like?"

Vania sighed, rubbing her forehead for a moment before answering, "Generic wizard robes. Uhhh... blue, I think. Maybe grey? Um. Drab. Nondescript. His hair, though. Dyed many colors, but sloppy. Brown roots growing out. Longer hair, with a beard to match." She indicated slightly below her shoulders. "It was kinda... dirty? Stringy, like. Greasy. Unkept."

"Could you tell what race he was?"

"He... looked... human."

"Anything else about his appearance stand out or anything that you can recall?"

"No. Um. Wait. When he grabbed me. He... he had... a. Um." She stopped, thinking hard as her pounding head brought her memories in and out of focus. Dammit. Think. She remembered the dirty hand on her arm and how she shuddered at his touch. His sleeve had fallen away from his wrist, towards his elbow. Metal glinted at his wrist. A color caught the sunlight and flared. "Brass armlet. Thick." She opened her fingers to indicate the width of the metal. "Around his wrist. Right wrist. It had... a crystal inset. Clear... with... blue? In it. It was reflecting the sun, so it was hard to see it clearly."

"It was cloudy then, Vania," Eddin said quietly. "The clouds were coming as we went inside. It was cloudy when we came back out. It's raining now."

Vania blinked, staring at him, her throbbing head slowly absorbing what he'd said. In the silence, amidst the sound of the horses, the sound of rain drumming on the roof percolated into her ears. Oh. Then, why...? She bit her lip and frowned, brows furrowing.

"If you thought it was glinting in sunlight, maybe it was glowing, or emitting some sort of light," Eddin supplied helpfully. He watched her frown and sighed. "Sorry for interrupting you. Please continue telling me what happened. He walked up, calling for help, while you were taking Tarva around back...?"

"He kept saying he needed help. He... wanted me to go with him. I asked him... what the problem was. What he needed help with. He... grabbed my arm. I... felt the armbands from Rand'din go... cold. Then, your horse went crazy."