"What's so interesting about such a base animal?" A low voice carried through the large hall. Tate looked up, still trying to catch his breath, and saw that a large male with black hair, green eyes, and a huge physique was looking down on him with increasing animosity.
The Elder looked at the man and frowned disapprovingly. "You should be careful what you call base, Mort. You might find yourself being referred to as such one day."
He snorted. "With all due respect Elder that will never happen. My bloodline has been in the great families since the dawn of time. I could never and will never be considered base," He sneered in Tate's direction, "but this creature. I can smell the filth from here."
The Elder shrugged her face becoming a neutral mask. "Well, he can hardly be blamed for marks put on him by another creature."
"Why not? Ignorance leading to such defilement is just a form of weakness."
Tate mentally balked at the words, which could be a dangerous sentiment depending on what situation it was applied to. Besides that what did they mean by calling him "base" and saying he smelled of filth? He knew based on the reactions of Wyla, Wyen, and the Elder that his black marks might have a smell to them, but it had seemed like they needed to get close to him to smell it.
The Edler just chuckeld. "Bold words, Mort. Again, I say that I hope you are never on the receiving end of such harsh words. This young man knows nothing of the barrier or our land. He is as human as human can be."
"Are you sure, we've never had a human come through in all the time the barrier has been active? Can you prove that they are not a danger, Elder?" A woman commented. She was tall, looked to be in her twenties and had vivid red hair and eyes.
"I know you don't mean to question my abilities, Nalana, so I will ignore that you made such a comment. I can assure you that this boy and his companion have come here quite by accident. Now as to the more important question of will their presence be good or bad is a question harder to answer. We could be safe and do away with them now, or give them a chance."
"A chance to what exactly?" Nalana said sceptically. "What would these two creatures be but a waste of resources?"
The Elder looked at the four before her and motioned for Wyen and Lou to rise at last. Wyen sprung to his feet, but Lou stood more slowly and inched closer to Tate until he stood next to him.
"Wyla, Wyen, thank you for going out of your way to bring them here. I know it has delayed you and you need to be on your way. You are both dismissed. Give your father my greetings when you see him. Remind him that I expect to hear from him soon."
Wyla bowed her head in a quick nod of respect. "I will relay your hope to hear from him when I am able."
Tate didn't miss the way she reworded an order into a possibility. He wondered what dynamics were at play here. Although Wyla had brought them here, he knew that she had not wanted to come, nor had Wyen.
The Elder just smiled brightly despite her words. "Until we meet again, daughter of the Viyan Sea. I hope you find what you are looking for."
The two looked at Tate and Lou. Wyen tilted his head in farewell before walking away without looking back. Wyla did the same but then paused for just a moment and looked at Tate.
"Elder?"
"Yes, is there something else?"
"May I have a moment with this human?"
The Elder seemed to consider it and then she actually smiled even wider. "Of course, you may take him outside the chamber to say your goodbyes. This one," she gestured to Lou, "will remain with me until he returns." She looked meaningfully at Tate. Even though he was almost certain no harm was going to come to Lou he understood that she was using him lightly as a hostage. He nodded at her, letting her know that he understood the subtle threat and was not going anywhere. Where would he go? She might also know that he would not leave without Lou. This Elder seemed to know a lot of things.
Wyla grabbed his wrist and led him from the room. Once they were outside she closed the door and looked at him seriously.
"What did you want to say?" He asked after she seemed to be at a loss for words.
She took a deep breath. "Just be careful. If you don't know what to do or say ask. I'm not saying this because I have any attachment to you but I do feel a little bit of responsibility for bringing you here. I don't think the Elder plans to harm you, but I do suggest you do whatever she says."
His chest felt heavy at her words and he chuckled humorlessly. "You don't have to worry, doing what I'm told is what I'm best at."
She cocked her head and it looked like she was curious to ask what he meant but then she decided not to. "Like I said, I'm not saying these things because I care about you or that other male. I just don't want you to die if you can help it. Keep your head down and your mouth shut and perhaps the Elder can find some use for you. She might even be able to find someone to help you get home."
"She knows someone who can do that?" He asked in surprise, wondering why this possibility was just now being mentioned.
She chewed her bottom lip for just a moment then shrugged. "Who knows, someone from the mage city might be able to do it. I've heard there's a powerful mage becoming popular these days, it's possible he is powerful enough to manipulate the barrier, but I don't know for sure."
He nodded and was already planning on what he wanted to say to the Elder when he returned to the hall when she did something completely unexpected. He felt her hand on his shoulder. He didn't know where the black stopped and started but he assumed she was touching just outside the edges of it. Her hand slid away from his neck and into the collar of his shirt, her eyes were intent on the markings and her eyes were unfocused.
He couldn't breathe. "Wyla." He rasped.
She jumped back and shook her hand as if she really had been burned. To his shock, her face turned red. He'd come to see her as a stoic and unmovable figure. This action and her red face flew in the mental image of her he had built. He was so confused. Confused by her actions, her reactions, and his own thoughts. He had a strong impulse to grab the hand that had fallen away. The one she was shaking as if it was in pain, or maybe like she was trying to shake off dirt.
"It was a female who marked you wasn't it?" She asked suddenly. Her face was still red but her expression was serious now.
He nodded.
"What was her name?"
"Aquana."
She blinked at him owlishly after hearing the name. "She must have been beautiful."
"Why do you say that? I mean of course she was, but why are you saying this?"
She shook her head as if confused by herself as well. "I-I don't know." She laughed and took a step back but there was no humor in the sound only self derision. "I don't know why I want to know, or why I care. I don't like you. I don't care what happens to you." She said it bluntly as if talking to herself more than him.
He nodded. "I'm aware. I'm sorry that we inconvenienced you and Wyen. I understand that we got in your way, unintentional as it was."
She gritted her teeth. "I don't care what happens to you." She repeated. "But those marks offend me greatly. Looking at you makes me sick." She stated but she was still looking at him.
She shook her head again as if trying to shake away her confusion. Finally she succeded and before him was the dragon he'd gotten to know over the past few days. She stood as tall as she could and looked down her nose at him. They locked eyes, "Let's not meet again, Tate. I wish you health, but if I return here on business do me the favor of staying out of my sight."
"I will if that is how you feel, but why?"
She looked at him a few more moments and without answering she turned on her heels and walked away as fast as her feet would carry her.
He stood and watched her go. He wondered if her strange behavior was rubbing off on him because he couldn't stop watching her leave no matter how much he wanted to turn away he couldn't.
At last, when she turned a corner he was able to look back at the door to the hall. He grabbed the handle and with a great deal more effort than he would have thought, given how Wyla had just slung open the door earlier, he managed to return to the hall.
"Come here. I have a proposition for you." The voice of the Elder called him back.