Chapter 3

With a bit of looking, they were able to find a stream. It was fast-moving, deep, with ice only at the very edges of the bank. "Here," Adara said. "Cold, though. You should hurry."

Obediently, the girl waded into the water, teeth chattering, and washed as best she could. When she climbed out, her hair hung around her, the curls stretched out by the weight of the water, hanging to her knees like an icy blanket.

"Cold?" Adara asked.

"C ... c ... cold!" came the chattering agreement. "M ... m ... my f ... father would s ... sell me to a necromancer in the m ... middle of w ... winter!"

Adara grinned and held out her hand, palm facing the girl, and heat streamed from her, warming and drying the water from her hair. Rhishandri shivered and leaned towards the warmth, a look of bliss on her face. "Ooooooohhh!"

"Better?" Adara asked.

"Worth it to be clean. But we can't stay out in the open all night ... we'd freeze."

Adara nodded. "Town's not far. Come on."

It was just a couple of miles. The nearest small town owed fealty to the now-deceased wizard. In theory, this meant that he was responsible for protecting it. In practice, it surrendered happily to the invading troops days ago, welcoming them as saviours. Currently, it was full of very ... celebratory ... soldiers. They could hear the noise well before they could actually see the town.

Rhishandri hung back as they approached, unwilling to leave the shadow of the trees for the open road into town. Adara looked back at her with a thoughtful frown. "Stay with me. Don't get out of my sight unless I tell you it's okay. Understand?"

"Um..." The girl bit her lip nervously. "Maybe I should wait here?" she asked, almost pleadingly.

Adara shook her head. "Then you'd be helpless if they found you. Don't worry ... I can protect you."

Her assurance didn't do anything to soothe Rhishandri's nervousness, but a life of conditioned obedience made her follow Adara into town, however reluctantly. Torchlight flickered in the cold, misty air, and raucous laughter drifted in loud bursts through the chill night. The town was filled to overflowing -- one huge party.

Fortunately, Adara knew of a nice little inn on the edge of town, easily approachable from the cover of the forest. It was a clean, well-priced place, often over-looked and fairly empty because of its distance from the road. Tonight, though, it was brightly lit and as loud as any of the others. Rhishandri stared at it with an expression of horror.

A pair of mercenaries stumbled from the door, wrestling with each other. Several others gathered at the door, loudly shouting encouragement, two with scantily clad women tucked beneath their arms. The victor roared, lifting his opponent high and tossing him in the horse trough, to the cheers and laughter of the others.

Rhishandri cringed, taking a few steps backward. Adara cocked her head and asked, "Problem?"

"Ah ... You want me to go in there?" she asked, eyes wide with disbelief. "With them? Naked?"

Adara grinned. "They'll leave you alone -- you're with me. Or else. I probably won't have to kill even one."

"P ... probably? Oh, my," the girl said weakly.

Adara smiled. "Come on." She stepped out of the trees, walking unconcernedly towards the inn. Rhishandri followed closely, blatantly hiding behind her as she approached the door of the in. They were nearly to the door when a voice came from behind them, from the horse trough.

"Well, I dinna think tha bastard hit me that hard, but obviously, he killed me! For what have I 'ere but a very Singer sent down from Eryn to claim me soul?" The man crawled from the trough and staggered towards them. "Come, lovely Singer, and give me yer kiss o' death."

Adara stiffened, fixing the man with a look that had caused grown men to gibber and wet themselves. "One warning," she said coldly, "Back off."

He stopped, a perplexed look on his face. "What ho? A demon sent to guard my Singer?" He looked down, to where Rhishandri had ducked behind Adara and was now peeking from around her with wide eyes. "But for such a prize, a fight wi' a demon isna such a great price, eh?" He smiled. "Gi' me some hope, pretty lass, and I'll take on yer great keeper for just tha sweet taste o' yer lips."

She shook her head frantically and darted back behind Adara, obviously terrified.

The man frowned, shaking his head with drunken confusion. "Why have ye the little lass out in tha cold, keeper, and her wi'out a stitch? Could it be she's not wi' ye by her free choice? Is it ye she be so afrighted of?"

Adara looked at him thoughtfully before choosing to answer. Something about him prodded her instincts, made her hesitant to simply dispose of him. "I saved her from that ... ass ... in the tower," she said at last. "There wasn't time to go back and get her clothes before--" She jerked her head towards the multi-colored glow on the horizon, still flickering as new magical explosions occurred, "there wasn't any back to go to."

He blinked, some of the alcohol clearing from his head. "Didja now? None o' us know how tha monster met 'is fate, and rumor has it, the high muckety mucks don' know any better 'n us peons. If ye're willing ta share yer tale, I'll buy ye both dinner and room for tha night, though, to tell ye true, ye take her in there, like that, and there'll be a riot such as ta keep anyone from getting food or rest. Not all o' me comrades be gentlemen like meself, ya see."

Adara considered, then nodded. "Deal, if you'll ask one of the bar-girls inside to send out clothing for her."

He bowed extravagantly ... far more gracefully than he should have been able to manage for his apparently drunken state. "It'd be my pleasure, lady demon," he said cheerfully, then sauntered into the inn. He returned shortly, after changing his own clothes for something dryer, and presented Adara with a small bundle. "None o' tha maids had aught to spare, but me lord's squire is a small lad, and likely closer to her size than any o' that overblown lot. Likely cleaner, too, truth be known. Will this suit?"

Adara unfolded them to reveal loose trousers, gathered at the ankle, a long-sleeved shirt, and a small, belted vest. She nodded. "Yes," she said, and passed the clothes to Rhishandri who took them gratefully and dressed behind her.

The man grinned and turned partially away, pointedly resisting peeking. "Sorry to say, tha lad has huge feet, so no shoes, but if ye've coin, ye can find slippers or boots for her readily enough in tha morn."

"I think I can manage that," Adara said with a slight grin.

"Well, come then, and we'll see what this fine establishment has t'offer, aye?" He held the door open with a flourish.

Adara stepped inside, but the girl following her stopped, taken aback by the wash of noise coming from the opened door. Rhi took a deep breath and followed Adara in, the warmth of the place beguiling despite the noise. Adara paused by the doors, looking around for a suitable table. The atmosphere inside was as wild as the noise from outside hinted, and most of the tables were occupied. As they walked in, though, a pair of men occupying a corner booth stood, one of them scooping the barmaid from the tabletop and carrying her towards the stairs as the other followed, laughing. Rhi watched them wide-eyed, but Adara smiled. The table was secluded, nestled safely in the corner, and had a good view of the door. She lay her hand on the girl's shoulder and led her to the booth, placing her on the inside and sliding in beside her.

The man caught a barmaid and talked with her a moment, snagging the pitcher of ale and three mugs off her tray. She looked outraged, then laughed as he batted his eyes at her and said something teasing. She shook her head as he walked away. He slid into the seat across the table from Adara and Rhi and plunked down his 'catch'. "She'll bring plates soon. Have a drop ta wet yer throats," he said cheerfully.

Adara nodded, taking a mug of ale. "Thanks," she said, and looked down to see Rhishandri sniff the ale and turn vaguely green as she stared down into the cup. "Don't drink it if you don't want," Adara said quietly. "Gods know what that bastard did to you."

The girl nodded just a bit, and whispered back, "I don't think I can."

"So," the man said, brightly. "There's no room ta be had, but I'll gladly let ye have me own, if ye don't mind sharin' a bed w'each other. Grateful I'd be for a spot on the floor by the fire, though, if ye're of a mind, but required it isna. Just yer tale is all I ask."

"We'll see," Adara said, taking a drink. "Story's fairly simple. I hired on as a bodyguard to that ass. Paid well ... most people wouldn't work for him, of course. He bought Rhi here as a sacrifice for some ritual or another. Maybe to use her soul to create another monster, or maybe something more powerful. Anyway. I'm outside, when I hear chains snapping, him screaming. Rush in, he's trying to hold the creature off." She smirked. "Apparently, he broke the spells that allowed him to control it, or something. Rips his heart out and crushes it." Another satisfied smirk. "Powerful as he was, he couldn't survive that."

The man raised an eyebrow and his eyes flicked briefly towards the girl hiding in the shadowy corner of the booth, then away. "And what manner o' creature was it that killed him?" he asked, his voice carefully casual.

Adara shrugged. "I'm honestly not certain."

"Well, what did the beastie look like, eh? I've a bit o' experience in that sort o' thing. Maybe I could shed some light on the subject."

She grinned wryly. "It was covered in blood, so I didn't get a really good look. I think, maybe, it was intended to be some kind of variant on a vampire, but it didn't try to drink his blood ... it just wanted to kill him. Once it'd done that, it just wanted out of the tower -- went out the window."

"Uh-huh," he said, skeptically. "Flew, did ... it?" The hesitation was small, but she caught it.

She shrugged again. "Maybe. I wasn't really looking -- being a bit more concerned about getting out myself. Being at the top of a tower that's collapsing isn't high on my list of things I like to do, you understand?"

"Aye, I can see how that might be tha case." He settled back in the booth, lifting his glass and peering at it thoughtfully. "I hope, though, that tha beastie doesna take a mind to continue h ... its master's work."