“What? What do you mean?” Triss asked. “How did she save my life?”

  “The demon hit the trap and you walked straight for the portal.” Naiela said. “Like an idiot.”

  “Excuse me?” Triss replied heatedly. “I couldn’t see anything! I was trying to get away from the demon.”

  “You did a terrible job of that.” Naiela replied. “If I hadn’t grabbed you you’d have been sucked right off to hell like that demon.”

  “What part of I couldn’t see was hard to understand?” Triss snapped.

  “Enough.” Reginald said firmly. He stared at Triss. “She saved your life, just be grateful.” Naiela smirked, but then Reginald turned to her and the expression faded. “I appreciate you saving Triss. More than you can know. But don’t waste any goodwill you have earned by being a pain in the ass. Now. We’re leaving, and I don’t want to hear any complaints or arguments or anything. Mount up.”

  Triss and Naiela glanced at each other briefly before walking to where the horses were tied further down the road. “Thanks for saving me.” Triss said quietly.

  Naiela waved a hand dismissively. “It was nothing.”

  “No, it wasn’t.” Triss replied.

  They walked in silence until they reached the horses, each tied to a tree near a patch of grass beside the road. Buttercup whinnied softly when Triss approached, and she couldn’t help but smile. She still wasn’t a fan of actually riding the animal, but she was growing fonder of the animal day by day. A sudden thought struck Triss, and she reached over and grasped Naiela’s hand. “What are you doing?” Naiela asked, pulling her hand away.

  “What in the world is wrong with your hands?” Triss asked. “Your skin is colder than ice! I thought it was a demon grabbing me when I was on the ground because it was so cold!”

  “It’s cold outside!” Naiela replied.

  “Not that cold!”

  “You’re insane.” Naiela said as she untied Nightfang’s reins.

  “My hands aren’t nearly as cold.” Triss replied, untying Buttercup from the tree. “You should get some gloves or something in the next town. You’re going to lose your fingers to frostbite.”

  Naiela just shook her head and swung nimbly onto Nightfang’s back. Triss clambered into Buttercup’s saddle, not nearly as graceful as the council wizard. They urged their mounts forward and quickly caught up to Reginald, who’d already started down the road. “So, where to now?” Triss asked as she pulled Buttercup up beside the draconic. “Vilunta?” Triss was quite proud of herself for remembering the name of the next town.

  “I think we’ll pass by Vilunta and keep travelling until we reach Solinta.” Reginald replied. “I think Vilunta will probably be safe, I doubt he expected us to get past his demon, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. We should have enough supplies to get there.”

  “Who’s demon?” Naiela asked. “You still haven’t said who this mysterious demon summoner is.”

  “Correct. And I won’t until I am sure.” Reginald said.

  “Why would he leave a demon here?” Triss asked. “I mean, he seemed really strong back at the castle, it’s not like we could have defeated him.”

  “We couldn’t, no. But if we can reach Percival there’s a chance we could help him. My guess is he summoned the demon as insurance, just to make sure we were delayed enough to keep us from helping. He likely doesn’t know for sure we’re following, but he’s the kind of man to have contingency plans in place.”

  “Why didn’t he just kill us at the castle then?” Triss asked. “I mean, I’m glad he didn’t, but you would think he would have done it then if he wanted to make sure we weren’t going to help Percival.”

  Reginald shrugged. “I’m just making an educated guess. I can’t say for sure why he did what he did.”

  “It could be unrelated.” Naiela added. “Just because the demon was here doesn’t mean its for us, or even that it was summoned by the same person from the castle.”

  “That’s partly true.” Reginald said. “We don’t know for sure it was for us.”

  “Except he was looking for you.” Triss said. “The demon, I mean. He asked where the draconic was.”

  “What do you mean, partly true?” Naiela cut in.

  “I mean it was certainly the same man from the castle.” Reginald replied. “Of that, I have no doubt.”

  “You can’t know that.” Naiela said.

  “Really?” Reginald regarded her with one arched eyebrow. “These murders you are investigating, what’s the unifying element?”

  “That’s none of your business.” Naiela replied firmly.

  “All wizards who research demonology?” Reginald asked.

  “I said it’s none of your business.” Naiela said, a defensive tone in her voice. Reginald shrugged and kept walking. “How do you know?” Naiela finally asked after a few minutes of silent travel.

  “You’re not the only one with a message book.” He replied without looking at her. “We dark wizards stick together.”

  Naiela glared at Reginald with narrowed eyes. “How do you know about my message book?” Triss felt her heartbeat speed up. Was Reginald really going to tell about the message she’d found?

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  He laughed, shaking his head. “You argued with Yurnash about it, remember? You told him someone had obviously stolen it’s twin.”

  Naiela’s mouth hung open for a second before she suddenly snapped it shut. She urged Nightfang forward, heading further up the road and away from Reginald and Triss, a haughty expression on her face. Reginald chuckled as she rode ahead.

  It was a week and a half of nearly silent travel before they finally reached Solinta. It turned out to be a fair sized village surrounded by farmers fields. They’d skirted the town of Vilunta by going through the woods, travelling at night and sleeping during the day to avoid being seen by anyone in the town. Triss was exhausted from journey, more than ready to sleep in a bed and get a hot bath. She was sure they’d need to change the water three times with all the dirt and filth she’d accumulated from their long trip. “We are staying in an inn tonight, right?” She asked Reginald as they approached the town.

  “For at least the tenth time, yes.” He replied with a chuckle. “I won’t make you sleep outside again. At least, not tonight.”

  “I just needed to make sure.” She replied. “I don’t think I could stand another night in the woods.”

  “I once spent an entire month on the road without staying in an inn.” Naiela replied, riding beside Triss.

  “That sounds terrible. Why would you be proud of that?” Triss said. “I wouldn’t spend a single night in the woods if I could help it.”

  “Spoiled.” Naiela replied, though her tone said she was joking.

  “I prefer to think of myself as being cultured.” Triss replied, affecting a prim tone.

  “If you’re cultured, I’m the king of Polanta.” Reginald replied with a sharp grin.

  Triss bowed deeply from her saddle. “Your majesty.” She grinned. Then they all burst into laughter.

  The town of Solinta wasn’t anything special, just a few dozen houses clustered along the main road. Halfway through the town they came across a larger building with brightly painted sign hanging above it. The sign had a carved picture of a badger on it, with the words ‘The Badger’s Hole’ carved below in block letters. The paint must have been done recently, as there was no chips or fading on it. The inn itself was in good repair, all well cut stone with wooden shutters on both the ground and top floor. Naiela and Triss dismounted in front of the inn as Reginald hopped up the two steps to the front door and disappeared inside. Naiela was just getting her saddlebag off of Nightfang when a young girl burst out the door and hurried up to them.

  The girl couldn’t have been more than twelve, her long dark hair pulled back in two tight braids that hung down her back. She wore a bright green dress with a small badger embroidered on the front, and she her eyes were wide with delight as she took in the magnificent black warhorse.

  “He’s a beauty, he is.” She said in awe as she stared up at Nightfang. Then she shook her head, as though clearing it. “Sorry, miss. I’m Lorina. Dad-he’s the inn owner- dad sent me out to stable your horses.” She spoke in a rush, as though trying to recover from her initial reaction.

  Naiela smiled, a warm genuine smile that Trisss hadn’t ever seen from the council wizard before. “He is a beauty. Thank you, Lorina.” She reached into a pouch at her waist and produced a small silver coin, which she handed to the girl. “Take good care of him. He’ll behave himself, and I think he’d appreciate a good rub down if you’re willing. His name is Nightfang.”

  “Yes miss!” Lorina squeaked, grabbing the rein in one hand and the coin in the other. “I’ll take good care of him - I mean, Nightfang, I promise!” Naiela nodded, then headed in. Triss stepped up to Lorina and handed her Buttercup’s reins. “Oh, she’s pretty too!” Lorina gushed, looking past Nightfang at Buttercup. “What’s her name?”

  Triss couldn’t help but smile at the girl’s enthusiasm. “This is Buttercup. I’m sorry, I don’t have any coin. But if you could brush her down as well, I’m sure I could grab one from Reginald.”

  “No worries, miss. I don’t need no coins. I’ll brush them both down good, you’ll see.” She beamed, then began leading the horses away as Triss headed inside the inn.

  The inn was warm and cozy, with a large open fireplace at one end of the room filling the air with the sharp smell of wood smoke. Reginald stood at a long, bar made of greying wood worn smooth by the arms of countless patrons. A dark haired man with touches of grey at his temples stood behind the bar talking quietly to Reginald. About half the tables scattered around the room were occupied, mostly farmers Triss assumed from their clothing. The dull murmur of conversations buzzed though the air, too low to make out what anyone was saying.

  “Over here.” Naiela called, and Triss turned to see her sitting at a table in the corner. Triss made her way over and took a seat. “Reginald already got use some rooms, and they should be bringing out some food shortly. I wouldn’t expect much from a place like this, likely just stew and bread.”

  “That actually sounds wonderful.” Triss replied.

  Naiela shrugged. “I’m sure after Reginald’s cooking it will seem a delicacy, but I’d much prefer steak or a roast. With potatoes and roasted root vegetables.” The council wizard suddenly had a dreamy look in her eyes. “With gravy, and fresh cream bread…mmmm.” She blinked several times, seeming to come back to reality. Then she smiled sheepishly. “I guess I’m hungrier than I thought.”

  Triss laughed. “I guess so. What’s a cream bread? It sounds amazing. Right now anything hot sounds amazing though.”

  “It’s a soft, sweet bread. Halfway between regular bread and a pastry. Master Gelm used to make it on feast days.” The faraway look was back, Naiela staring off into space as she spoke. “He had his own special recipe, wouldn’t tell anyone how he made it. Except me. He let me help him make it once for the Sun Day feast.” A quiet chuckle escaped her lips. “I was only ten, and I accidentally went to the wrong bin for ingredients. Put in two cups of salt instead of sugar.” She shook her head and laughed. “You should have seen his face when he bit into one.”

  Triss laughed, imagining the expression. “At least you didn’t serve it to anyone else.”

  “Could you imagine?” Naiela laughed. “Serving that to one of the council members?” Her smile suddenly froze on her face, then slowly fell away. “Anyways. Food should be out soon.” She said in a muted tone, sliding back further into her seat.

  Triss’s heart suddenly ached for the other wizard. She didn’t know why she was so distant, so hard on herself and others. She was always suspicious, not just of Triss and Reginald, but of the council and other wizards too. Then the corners of her mouth turned up in a small smile. “It was baking soda for me.”

  Naiela looked at her, a cautious but curious expression on her face. “Baking soda?”

  Triss nodded. “I was twelve, and I wanted to make pancakes. Mom said if I made the batter she’d help me cook them. But I misread the recipe. It called for two teaspoons of baking soda. I put in two cups. Thats like, ten times what it needed.” She paused, waiting for Naiela to respond.

  “What happened?” Naiela finally asked.

  “It started to bubble, and then it started growing like it was alive. I ran to get mom, and when we got back it had overflowed the bowl and was running down all over the cabinets and making a big bubbling pile on the floor, like, as big as this table. Of course, that was only half the problem.”

  “Half? What was the rest of the problem?”

  “The rest of the problem was when I panicked and ran over to try and clean it up, and stepped in the pile and slipped. I smashed my foot into the cupboard and broke it. My foot, I mean, not the cupboard. Mom had to take me to the hospital before we could clean up the mess, and by the time we got home it had dried to the cabinet and floor. It took us like, three days to get it all cleaned up.” Triss laughed as she told the story, and Naiela slowly joined in, hesitant at first but more enthusiastically as the story grew wilder and more outrageous. When she finished they were both laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes.

  “What’s so funny?” Reginald said, stepping up to the table.

  Triss wiped a tear from her eye. “Just swapping cooking recipes.”

  Reginald raised an eyebrow. “You? Cook? Last time you tried you nearly burned down the castle. And it’s made of stone.”

  Triss and Naiela shared a glance, then both woman burst into laughter once more.