The night before the trip to the Oracle, Ed and Ashra sat in their space in the loft area alone like a couple. It was awkward because everyone treated them like a loving young couple.
Ed looked at Ashra while she combed through her hair. She started on her head and worked her way down. She was losing weight, he thought to himself and still faced away from him.
Inside Ashra was screaming at herself for the feelings she was having. She was sad, she knew that he had done nothing to her. Erust treated her well, he was respectful, kind, and gave her whatever she needed to feel comfortable. And she still wanted him to leave or be able to come to lay next to her.
They sat awkwardly and waited for the chance to sleep. The silence was killing them both, Ed wanted to talk to her about everything. He wanted to ask about stories her mom had been telling him about her youth. Ashra wanted to tell him stories about childhood friends, and places she had visited when she was little. And she wanted to try and fulfill her mother's wish for grandchildren before time ran out for her to do so.
Rennish was in his room, he had tucked straw and a blanket up to give himself a very comfortable place to lay. He was playing with his bag of instruments. Over the last few days, he had started asking people what other kinds of instruments could they think of?
They knew that the bag could pull smithing instruments and even the cloaks. But where did the limits of its power lay?
So he started small. So far he knew he could pull several different things out and he had a small pile of "stuff" lying next to him. To anyone looking around it would have seemed like kind of magical hoard.
Rennish put the bag in his lap. "Instrument of Desire?"
The bag wiggled a little and Rennish reached in to pull out a bottle of wine. Not what he was expecting. He added it to his pile.
"Let's see, so far I have musical, war, painting, surgery, cooking, distraction, concealing, and desire."
The pile had all kinds of things in it, weapons from realms far different from theirs were laid out around him on the floor. He had all kinds of other items in this pile too. And if he was keen to sell it he was sure this pile along would make him a very rich man. He wondered with Ed's powers what kind of items it would pull out.
"I need to tell Ed about this," he said opening up the top of the bag and putting these items back inside. He felt each one go into the bag and sort of disappearing back into the nothing it came from. Maybe with something like this he could help fix Ashra. And who knew what would happen at the oracles house.
Back in the Glass Capital Priya was in the office of the head of the Jorgenson Family house. She was sitting in a chair across from a huge desk. Ryegor sat across from her leaning back in a chair with a binder in his hands. He was tapping a finger on the front of the binder and looking at the girl in front of him. His office wasn't dimly lit like most dwarven offices but the light was subdued enough to be called almost mood lighting.
"Are you going to insist that you know nothing about the origins of this camp still?" He looked at her face, watching her face for any sign that might betray her intentions.
"I told you, I was captured. I was a slave and tortured and threatened with violence. Why would I protect them?" She said still dumbstruck that she was having this conversation. It was maddening knowing that she wasn't trusted.
"We found many things that corroborate your story but the accuracy and detail of the events lead me to believe you fabricated this whole thing." He said slamming the binder down and rubbing his temples.
Priya was trying to keep her cool... She was broke, homeless, and had no way to make her way back across the border into the human lands. She was afraid she wasn't wanted here but also going to be kept locked up as a possible traitor in a strange land.
"Look, do you need to see the scars on my body to see what I have dealt with?" She asked again for what felt like the 50th time. So many had insisted that the scars were self-inflicted. What kind of world did these bureaucrats live in that people planned that hard to deceive others?
Ryegor held up his hand. "That is quite alright... Can I be frank with you?"
She nodded and leaned back relaxing just a bit at the honest tone of his voice.
"I don't think you're making this whole thing up. I hate that you got dropped in my lap but your possible ties to the family make that a necessary fact of life. You are from the north and it may not be obvious to you but each group takes care of their own. It helps us maintain law and order and keep bandits and slave traders from preying on our family members." He leaned forward and used a tissue to rub the sweat from his forehead. "What do you really want Ms. Jorgensen?"
She didn't hesitate. "I want to go home eventually. I wanted to see the world and hopefully run into an old friend of mine. I know he is out there somewhere but I just don't know where."
"Travelling as a merchant for an old fling?" Ryegor said with surprise.
"NO! I was barely of age when we met, he was just a little bit older than me and traveling. My folks are honest to a fault and therefore broke as they come. My dad saw how much I liked him in my awkward adolescent way and tried to convince him to stay.
He promised to come back and hasn't. So I decided to go look for him. He was the only one who treated me with honesty and respect. Most men just look at me and think of what I can offer them. He actually acted as he cared about who I was and what was going on in my life."
Ryegor was curious about what the man must have been like to drive a woman to travel the world to find him. "Oh, and who was this young man?"
"His name is Erust. I heard stories that he was involved with something at the church and fled south after he left us. He was was a merchant and seeing the world. I was afraid of what might have happened to him and I want him to come back with us. My sister-in-law is a merchant and I was tired of working the farm. I asked if I could travel with her caravans. It was a good excuse to leave home and also to see if I could ever tell what happened to him."
"You couldn't possibly mean the Pilgrim could you?" Ryegor asked.
"Is that what you call him?" She looked at him in surprise. "You know about him?"
"All people of the south know him. We are very much against the church's actions because they discriminate against us so with their gods and goddesses. He is the one who expelled the spirits from their own holy cathedral and chased out the wicked using Rat-men. He is a hero to most of us."
Ryegor shook his head and chuckled. "What would you do if you found him? I have already signed the paperwork declaring you a member of the house of Jorgensen. You are free to stay and live as a citizen in the south or to try and get work heading north. Your life is entirely yours."
Priya looked at him. "First what happened at the house? Did you recover survivors?"
"Yes, a few. Many were returned to their homes. The humans were sent to Northern Gate to be sent across the side. The farm was burned to the ground and the people responsible were chased from the land."
"So you didn't get them and kill them did you? How did they escape?"
Ryegor leaned forward and opened the folder on his desk and lifted up a page. "It was a small force of only 3 men holding the building together and the managed to escape onto the river where we weren't equipped to follow. Plunder was taken and you will be given a share as a family member and a reward for the tip that sent us to shut it down."
She frowned but nodded. "I am glad they are all safe. Thank you for the reward. Okay, so what do you know about this man you call the pilgrim?"
Ryegor leaned over and looked out a window. "I know you just missed him. He was here just a few days ago. He and his three companions. They left a while ago and headed to a city to the south on his way to meet the oracle. He was supposedly using magic to disguise himself and we didn't find out he had been here until the news made it from the town he is at now."
"What? You mean he was here?" She got frustrated that she had missed him.
"Do you know where he stayed? Maybe I can get a hint of where to find him?"
"He stayed in city center. At an inn over by the eastern gate. I know you hang around there, maybe you saw him and didn't recognize him. Or he saw you and didn't recognize you." Ryegor put the jab in there to try and help the girl give up on childhood love and move on with life.
"Wait, Eastern gate? Friends. That can't have been the pilgrim. I met that man, his name was Ed and he was traveling to see the oracle."
Ryegor shrugged and looked at her. "Believe what you want but I know he was here. If you met him maybe you just don't remember because of the time passed. Either way, what are you going to do ElPriyam. You are a citizen of the south now. Will you stay or will you leave?"