Gerald managed to go to the odd jobs shack, despite the pressures of the crowd to give an account of himself on the Ashen Plains, and he delivered the tongues of the Zombies and the ring to the manager. The manager pulled out a jewelers glass and took a look at the ring in much closer detail. "It's legit." He said at length. "I can't believe it." Fortunately, the man was a good man of business and the coins were soon jingling in Gerald's purse from completed jobs. "A pity you're leaving." The man said. "A man who is good at killing the undead is always prized here." Gerald bowed, smiled at the man with a wide toothy grin, then left. The creaking hinge grating, but welcome.
The jingling of the money in his coin purse was nice, but one that made the man nervous. 'What a happy sound.' Gerald thought, stashing his coin purse deeper into his trousers so that the noise would cease. 'It's just a pity it attracts thieves.' Fortunately, he didn't run into any of those today. The increase in the number of boys and men running around in armor or seeing the smithy made it obvious that even those with evil intentions still had a home to take care of and a desire to protect it.
As Gerald approached the inn, he noticed that it was incredibly busy near the front door. People were standing around, some talking loudly, some whispering in huddled groups, and still others quietly listening as though the news from another group would be worth their time and effort. He didn't want to answer questions right now. He was certain that the interrogation that he was going to get from Lydia would be difficult enough. He snuck in the back doorway, which had additional people gossiping with the serving girls but he ignored them giving polite excuses, even when one of them offered him a pint, and simply hurried to his room. He closed the door and leaned against it, his brain tired from all of the activity of the past couple of days, but it wasn't the time to relax.
On the bed sat Lydia. Her arms were folded, and her back was to the door. She obviously was meditating and searching for some measure of peace in all of the havoc that had occurred through the previous few days.
"You're late." She said at length, and Gerald could feel the power emanating from her and her meditation. She turned and looked at him coldly.
"You never gave me a time to be back. Just 'As soon as possible' if memory serves." He countered.
"You're late." She stated again. "You obviously took your time getting back."
"I wish I had." Gerald said, a smile growing on his face. "I think this will be a harder questioning than I have had for a long time."
"I'm going to cast Livro. The spell that forces its caster and subject to only speak the truth. Is that alright with you?"
"Unnecessary for me." Gerald remarked. "But I accept the terms." The magic flared around her, the universal spell grabbing onto his source and twisting it. A finger of it grabbed onto her source and twisted it as well. "The contract is sealed."
"Good. Because I have questions for you as well." The look of anger on her face shocked the man.
"You d... shouldn't get to ask me questions." The magic of Livro forced her to change her wording.
"But I can." He insisted. "Might I suggest an exchange? You will get three questions, while I get one. Would that be a fair deal for you to do?" He held his hand out to her.
She thought about it for a minute, then took his hand. "Fine." The magic took a new form and pinched both of their sources a little more. He moved to the wall and sat against it, leaning his back on it for comfort. "Very good. Please ask your first question."
"Is it true that you can't lie?"
"Yes." His blunt answer caught her off guard. "It is a curse from Tressed herself to help the other races of this world. We can even die if we lie intentionally."
"What do you plan to do with me?" She asked, her voice a little shaky. It was obvious that this had been bothering her for some time.
He grinned. "I have no serious plans for you." He answered. "Honestly, I had hoped that I would never own another human again in my days, but here we are. What I have planned for you... I honestly hadn't thought that far ahead. Maybe teach you some things that you are obviously ignorant of, and show you the world besides around the Green? That doesn't sound like a bad plan."
"Why aren't you dead?" She asked. "All of the other" A silence fell as her face mouthed 'Necromancers', "are dead, so why not you?"
At this he paused and considered his words carefully. "Because I am not every... person like me." He answered. "My priorities after the great war were to survive and keep my people's memory alive in a more positive light than the Wizards have made it. Maybe even rebuild if I could find the right woman and allies..." He frowned, that dream showing itself again and this time it floated longer than usual in his brain. "That was a hard question to answer. But it is my turn now." He cleared his throat. "Why are you scared of my race?"
"Because of what I've heard and read." She responded. "The stories of your kind are filled with death and despair. Often you are the harbingers of death and destruction on the world." A silence filled the room. 'So that is what she's heard.' He thought. 'It's a pity.' He motioned for her to begin again with her questions.
"Do you have any plans other than to head north?"
"Nope. I have no idea where we are heading next on this little journey of ours."
"Why won't you release me from my slave pact?"
"Because I can't without another's help." He answered truthfully. "We would need the help of either a Sorcerer of incredible power, or a Wizard with a high knowledge of lore. And to make matters worse, I would be exposed to the one who did it."
"So I'm trapped." She muttered to herself, her eyes looking down at the floor. She finally looked at him. "Do you have any plans to take advantage of me while I'm a slave?"
"I have no intentions of taking advantage of you except in the manner that Masters have advantage of their slaves." He said, again choosing his words carefully. "There is an imbalance of power between master and slave after all, and there is nothing I can do with you that will not be taking advantage of it." He noticed her look and he continued. "If you are talking about more 'perverted' interests, I must admit that the more... 'interested'... parts of my brain have considered such things, but I have no intention of ever acting on them without your consent and open and honest permission." He smiled at her. "You have no reason to believe that you will be taken advantage of sexually."
"Thank you." She breathed a sigh of relief.
"I honestly thought I answered that earlier though... My turn." He said. "What rumors have you heard about the location of Warlocks before you found me?"
The question caught her by surprise. It wasn't a question that he, himself, had been wanting to ask but it came out as though the magic itself were wanting him to ask. "I... I heard the rumors of small troubles on villages inside of Wizard territory. I followed up with traders, bar patrons, and even thieves in many of these towns and came to the understanding that they were all performed by the same person only a scarce twelve years previous. From there, I followed the clues near the borders of druid territory until the trail went dark. I believed I'd lost everything until I heard that a person matching the description had been seen in a small town at the border of the world." She frowned at the Necromancer. "Apparently I'd been chasing you for years."
"I'm not sure you began chasing me, honestly." Gerald replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "It's possible, of course, and the clothing that you first found me in is the traditional travelling clothing of a Warlock. I actually got it from a Warlock I'd met on my travels."
"That... that is hopeful for me. I was concerned that there were no Warlocks left."
"Your queen has reason to hope. But unless the Wizards revoke the curse, the Witches will become extinct within a few decades." He shook his head. "Such a waste for one of the most important and powerful magi."
"I was under the impression that the Witches were the weakest of the magi."
The Necromancer chuckled. "Many of the Witches I've met could best you without breaking a sweat. Even I had a harder time with you than they would." He smiled at her. "Don't misunderstand me however. You put up a fight that would be placed in the annals of Druidic history if others were aware. Your power connection is truly something that your enemies should fear."
"My turn for questions." Lydia said. "Should I fear you?"
"Yes and no." Gerald laughed. "Foolish question in my opinion. You should fear anyone with magic my dear, and you should fear those without magic as well. Don't forget that more and more of our races are being born without magic. I am dangerous, as you are. You should fear me as... one of my kind, and I should fear you as one of your kind." His smile continued and he chuckled a little more. "But if you meant to ask if I would be putting you in line to be killed because of our slave pact... no. I will do all that is necessary to ensure that you never are in danger while travelling with me if I can help it."
Lydia leaned back on the bed, then finally laid on it with a soft thud. "I need a moment to think." She finally said towards the ceiling.
"Please do not take too long." Gerald replied. "Questions are thirsty business and should always be answered with either alcohol or some tea present." He chuckled and leaned against the wall, slouching and relaxing himself. A thick silence filled the room. "You have two questions." He said, several minutes into the silence. No answer awaited him. "I'll get us some drinks while I wait, if you'll allow it."
"Please." Lydia said. "Wine if they have any." The man smiled and stood, exiting the room.
It was all he could do to even get any of the serving girls, or any of the innkeepers' attentions. Especially since he wanted to keep a low profile. That didn't stop others from noticing him and offering him drinks if he would tell them about what he saw. He politely refused and told them and his companion and him were having a very private conversation. Some got the wrong idea and rolled their eyes at the thought, others kept pressing him until he finally told them that he'd be back later in the evening to answer a few questions if they could wait. Finally, with two bottles of wine and two mugs, he made his way back to the room and opened the door.
Lydia was standing and pacing, looking troubled in her face and actions. Her muttering quickly stopped as the door opened and her eyes looked at Gerald with almost a look of fear.
"I didn't hear anything." He reassured her, closing the door with his foot and then sitting and placing the tray with the bottles on the floor near the bed. He opened the cork and poured out the mugs of wine. "To your good health." He toasted, and quickly took a drink.
"I have my next question." She said, pouring a drink herself and sitting across from him on the floor. He smiled and motioned for her to continue. "If you don't like slaves, why did you suggest the slave pact during out duel?"
It was obvious that she was looking to catch him in a lie, but the Necromancer was much older and wiser than he looked. And there was no reason to lie in the first place. "There are two reasons why." He stated. "I've thought of more since, but there were only two when I came up with the idea." He raised a finger. "One, I was raised in a culture and period of time completely different than your own. My kind are natural warriors, and noted for our abilities against all humans. Magi and non-magi. As such, I was taught that if I were ever in a one versus one duel, I was not to leave the battlefield alive except in triumph and over the blood or humiliation of my enemies. A slave pact was... not the only one I could have picked in that moment, but because you had made me angry, my other choices would have destroyed your connection to the magic. And that leads me to reason number 2." He raised another finger. "Because I..." He swallowed, the magic making him say it. "Because I wanted to find out more about you. Your connection to Magic is truly powerful, especially in these latter years. I honestly had, what felt like, a thousand questions." He paused, his face burning red from the embarrassment. Lydia's face showed a little shock, but then was quickly over it.
She frowned at him. "My final question for this interview." She said, her face serious. "Would you ever leave me, as your property?"
He frowned at her, the embarrassed red slipping from his cheeks. "I... I may have to." He remarked. "I cannot make promises and lie without severe repercussions. I cannot promise to always take you with me. Especially when I know that you will be perfectly fine on your own." He smiled at her. "You have a passion in your heart that seems to drive you forward. Something that a great many people in this world lack. Your power would keep all but the most determined at bay, and even most of them would not be able to harm you." His smile was genuine and it shocked her just how kind and understanding he looked in that moment, in the light of the window just before he took another drink.
"I have one last question for you, my little Druidess." Gerald said, putting down his mug, but keeping the same face.
"Sure."
"Why does the Queen of the Druids want a Warlock?" He asked before interjecting: "I want all of the reasons. Not just the one that you gave me back in Woodstand."
The magic compelled her, despite her wishes. "It... it is true what I told you in Woodstand." She said, haltingly. The magic was obviously pushing her to say more, but she was fighting it. Suddenly, she started choking, as though she couldn't breathe, and lay on her side, still struggling.
"You have to tell me everything." Gerald remarked, taking another sip of his wine in an almost unconcerned manner. "Livro is not a forgiving spell for those who attempt to cheat it."
"Fine!" She barked, and immediately took a gasp for air. Shortly after gaining control of her breath, she quickly drank most of the mug of wine and stated quickly. "We're doing experiments."
Gerald's eyes widened. "You're WHAT?"
She looked crossly at him. "We're doing experiments on them. Trying to find the source of the curse and to... to breed them with our own in addition to the Witches we have under our protection to try to avoid their extinction." Her words were quick, and she continued. "There is also a prophecy about a Warlock who will rise to power from the north and will come to the Green and 'cure the Queen of her eternal malady', whatever that means." She finished and pulled away. "Can we be done now? I would like to get out of this spell."
Gerald, for his part, simply sat in shock. 'So that's why she was so desperate to find a Warlock.' "I am finished as long as you do one thing for me."
She shot him a harsh look. "What?"
"Promise me that you won't lie to me directly again."
She rolled her eyes, "Fine." And with that there was a loud shattering sound, like that of glass, and the two of them felt the spell break.
"That was... interesting." Gerald said, pulling himself off of the floor with difficulty as his leg had fallen asleep. "I hope that I satisfied your immediate questions anyways."
"Not even close." She replied. "I think... I think I need to relearn what you are."
"You never even bothered to find out WHO I am." He said with a large grin. "I am glad you have sincere questions about my race. I also would also like to hear what crazy ideas you have about me and my kind. There is even an area about a month's journey to the north where we can even talk plainly."
She nodded. "I'll... I'll write down some of my questions. Maybe then this whole thing will start making some gods blessed sense."
He smiled. "I am certain that there are people in the main room who are ready to burn down the inn in order to talk to us, so I'll end with this. I expect you to learn some things since we'll be together for a while."
She shot him a weird look. "Really? Me, learn from you?"
"Absolutely. You need to relearn what I am, and I'm happy to teach. It's also obvious based on how you fight that you don't understand many of the depths of magic that I could teach you. Perhaps you can get me up to speed on other issues and things as well. I've been moving around for quite some time before settling down in Woodstand after all." With that he bowed, and exited the room. The drinks tonight would be free, and Gerald felt like he deserved them all...