Kolte led the villagers as they gathered in the square. And by then Olean had untied the three into the ground from the poles. The older woman was squatting down, tending to Nicola and Lepin's wounds.
"What do you think you are doing?" Growled the big man. He had pushed back his hood and scarf, revealing a dirty face full of dark beard. He sneered at Lepin and Nicola. the former winced as their eyes met but the latter returned a dark glare toward him.
"Were you planning on burning them?" Ava asked ignoring the little stare-down and pushed on her knee to stand.
"...No." Admitted Kolte and came to stand face to face with Ava. Him towering over the older woman who looked tiny beside him. "Just going to leave them for the monster." He hissed and shoved his face into hers, almost touching her nose with his.
Ava didn't back away and casually tilted her head to look at the crowd behind Kolte, "Your monster is dead." She called out and then turned to him. "So there is no point in keeping them tied anymore."
There were gasps from the crowd where most had already removed their hoods. Kolte too looked struck, eyes wide and jaw dropped in shock. "Are you-you better not be lying, woman." He hissed again but much of his fire was taken by what he had just heard.
She ignored him and instead step by him to address the crowd directly this time.
"I am Ava Anlauf, a Liaison of Blue Pearl of Sharak and I have meat and flour that I am willing to share with you." She said her voice loud and booming. Tristan felt concentration of magic gather at her throat. She then went to Majteer and untied a wooden box form her back. It was black box two feet long and one and half feet wide with smooth corners with two handles at its end that she struggled to hold. Olean came to her and to take it from her hand right away and Ava signaled her to the villagers. "Here!" She said as Olean placed the box in front of the stunned villagers.
Kolte was the first one to approach it. Suspicion clear on his face as he frowned and stared between the box and Ava. Grabbing the two handles he tried to lift it but only managed to do so little bit.
"It's heavier than it looks." Ava warned and Kolte put it down with a low grunt.
He looked back at Ava and opened it instead as if to prove that she was lying. He froze as soon as he did so.
"Bigger in the inside too." And Ava said with slight amusement in her tone. Tristan didn't see what was inside but he did smell it. Meat, dried and salted but it still made his mouth water. It was the same for everyone there was well if the glazed eyes of the villagers standing there were any indication. Kolte closed the box latched it and stood. He looked shaken, like he was confused as to what was happening. But then Ava had another smaller and lighter box in her hand, square this time and she handed it directly to Kolte. "Also ale, the best kind." She said and Kolte finally smiled.
"I have some more I will bring them to you." Ava boomed loudly again. "For now, take these inside and start preparing what you will. And after you are done eating... I need to look at your ...sickness."
Everyone stared at Ava as if she had grown a second head.
"What are you waiting for? You, you-" Roared Kolte suddenly and pointed to two men in the crowd. His voice was full of energy that was not there before and lacked the touch of constant anger he always seemed to have. "Take these inside and tell Reta what had happened. And that we are going to have a feast today."
The men grinned at Kolte and nodded. They lifted the bigger box with some effort and began walking toward the temple. Three more joined them.
"And you three go too. I think you have had enough death here." Ava said to the three that were tied up in the square and slowly turned to the villagers. "And if anyone has anything to say about that, you can come and talk to me."
No one did, not even Kolte. He did glare at them but he seemed too occupied with the small box in his arms. He almost seemed ...possessive of it. He nodded at the villagers and one by one they also started walking toward the temple, shortly followed by Nicola, Lepin and finally a confused Nina.
"Can you really cure us?" Kolte asked when they were alone.
"I am a healer. This is what I do." Ava answered without a pause and stepped by him following the villagers. Kolte too joined in after two beats, his longer legs quickly reaching up to her. Tristan and Olean walked with Majteer after them.
"Is everyone here sick?" Ava asked Kolte suddenly and Trisatn ahd to try his hardest not to jump at that. Olean eyed him curiously but didn't speak anything. Tristan stared at the back of the old woman.
Did she know?
Ava didn't give any hint that she did. He kept waiting for her to sneak a glance toward him but it didn't come.
"Yes." Kolte answered with a sigh. "You should speak to... my master, the Elder."
"Yes I should." Ava answered as they walked by the dead village again. "I also need to talk to the...priest that lives in the temple."
"Him?" Kolte asked and turned to stare at Tristan with a brow raised. "Why him?"
"I heard he is the reason you all are alive." Hearing Ava's answer Tristan barely could stop himself from speaking out. He had said no such things... Instead he looked down and just listened.
"Oh? He always was ...strange. But if you want to talk to him, Tristan is the one to ask. He is the one taking care of him after all." then the man shrugged and glanced back at Tristan again. "A month ago we didn't even know he existed. Take ...Madam Ava to him okay?" He yelled at Tristan.
"Yes." Came a pitched reply.
***
The bed laid empty, unmade and a slightly tussled. As soon as he saw it, a sudden sinking feeling settled in Tristan's stomach but he quickly ignored it.
Maybe his master had felt better and went for a walk, may be someone helped him...
Anything that would make sense to him he thought of.
"Olean." Ava uttered from behind him breaking him from his thoughts. He hadn't known how long he had been there standing stunned.
Olean walked by him and neared the bed, she frowned, sniffed and then looked back shrugging.
"Someone was here and then not. No one had gone through the door recently." Olean said as she got back to stand behind Ava again.
"Thought so." Replying with a nod Ava turned to Tristan, "Did he ever disappear like this before?"
Too shocked to reply he only shook his head.
"And why, pray tell, you are the only one not sick?" Ava asked finally, the question he had been dreading for a while ever since Ava talked about the sickness.
Should he answer?
He didn't know. He didn't know if it would mean breaking his promise to his master. There were not a lot things he cared about any more and his promise was one of those few that he did.
"My master-" he paused as soon as the word left him and glanced up at Ava, who looked somewhat eager. "My master did so, he... took it from me..."
It was the best way he could describe it, that his master took it from him. Ava's eyes narrowed but she nodded. She accepted it far quicker than he thought she would.
"To do something like that, your master was powerful wizard then?"
Was he? Tristan wondered again.
After seeing what Ava could do Tristan didn't know what qualified as powerful anymore. Not waiting for his answer she asked again. "The ward around the temple is his doing as well?" This time Tristan could nod without thinking.
"Do you know where he could go? Any secret place that he knew of, anywhere you were forbidden to go..." Ava asked again, lips pressed eyes distant in thought. "Look, it is important that I talk to him, if I am to help the people here."
"I... don't know ma'am. He was too weak to even move... where could he go?" Tristan answered truthfully and thought if he could think of any place where his master would be.
"Go then, ask around and look into places he had been, Olean will help you. She has a very good nose."
"Come." Olean said holding his hand and pulling him toward the door. Reluctantly Tristan followed.