The Sword and the Flame: The Forging

Chapter 6

The sun rose high overhead, its light filtering through the curtains and onto the young mage's face as if to mock her for the few short hours she allowed herself to sleep the previous night. Tired and trusting Janessa to handle any negotiations, Viola read through her new books until she couldn't see the words anymore. Grateful she remembered them after everything they endured, she picked them up before she cast the spell bringing her and Janessa back over the wall without notice. Now the books sat in the center of her small writing desk, after proving to be far more fascinating than she could've dreamed. It was a pity Janessa didn't know what she was missing, but her friend was never the academic type.

As if Viola's thoughts called to her, Janessa entered the room they shared with her spirits lower than normal. Viola watched her move about the room, looking like she hadn't slept much. The young mage thought she knew why. She heard her friend crying at times during the night. Viola knew the incident with the bandits haunted her dreams, she couldn't imagine what it was like to kill someone with her bare hands. Still, despite what Janessa claimed to be like, Viola knew her friend to be sensitive at times and she was trying to cope with the blood that stained her hands. Although Viola could see the progress her friend was making, she couldn't help but wonder why Janessa hadn't felt that way during the pit fights. She assumed it was different than watching someone else die in a fight. Janessa would be all right; at the very least, their plans for that evening would help get her mind off of it.

Janessa was, as her friend thought, dealing with the previous night's events. Halflings, as a rule, have upbeat natures, thus it hadn't taken her long to get over the shock of what happened. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the bandit's misshapen face and the rush of blood covering her hands and most of her clothes. She heard others talking about those they had to kill. They all said the same thing: you learn to handle it in time. She was handling it. At least, when she was awake. She pushed those thoughts aside and focused on their upcoming adventure. Her mind filled with the possibilities of finding a treasure. For that reason, she didn't notice Viola was awake until after she was in the room for a brief time.

"Oh good, you're awake." Janessa's face brightened at the chance for her mind to focus on something else. "You slept through breakfast, but I saved you some." She handed over a piece of linen wrapped in a ball.

Viola smiled, shaking her head. She knew better than to ask how Janessa acquired the sweet cake wrapped inside the linen. Viola, for her part, had no qualms about it as she took a bite. She found it strange that she felt so hungry. The last time she remembered eating anything was before they left for the pit fights. She only fasted for brief periods of time when studying magic, particularly the more advanced spells she wasn't supposed to know how to use yet, but she only read some of the herbology book she purchased the previous day. Her eyes grew wide when she remembered her promise to the kind old mage, Mern. She planned to visit him and help move him into one of the rooms the inn they were staying at had available.

Janessa recognized the wide-eyed look and placed her hands on her hips while taking the tone of a parent or teacher scolding a neglectful child. "You didn't study your magic last night, did you?"

Now, Viola saw the same look many times before — mostly from her master at the magic school — and she came to enjoy seeing it on Janessa. It added an air of responsibility most Halflings seemed not to have, thus it gave Janessa a great deal of joy to be the "responsible" one. That day was no exception. At least, in part. Viola smiled. "Partly, I also have to meet a friend. We promised to help Mern, remember?"

Janessa's face scrunched together for a moment as she tried to remember what her friend meant. After a second's thought, her expression changed and brightened. "I almost forgot. He's staying behind his stand, right?" Viola nodded, she knew what was coming. "I'll go and get him. No sense in us both going. You have to study your spell book anyway." Janessa paused, thinking everything was settled, but when Viola opened her mouth to argue, she continued rebuking the argument before it got started. "Remember what happened the last time you didn't have your spells ready? What if Berek and his friend try to betray us? What'll we do then? See? I knew you'd understand."