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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/DrBlackJack21 on 2024-07-26 17:25:40+00:00.
Of Men and Dragons, Book 2, Chapter 38
An Image of Em’brel
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Sare’en watched as Em’brel stabbed her practice dummy with a little too much enthusiasm before the herder reloaded her belly bow to continue her own practice. She couldn’t understand where the young noble found the drive to learn all those complex lessons from Lady Angela, oversee the construction of yet another groundbreaking structure that she designed with only minimal guidance from the dragon, and still have enough energy to train more than anyone other than the guards whose job was to stay in peak combat readiness.
As the herder girl aimed and let fly, she reflected on her own accomplishments since arriving. She was still mostly in charge of preparing meals for their household but also had her hands full training Grim while also tending to the arlack. Sare’en was amazed to realize how much she’d also been handling. In her own way, she’d already come a long way since arriving at the Outpost.
Of course, her lack of focus on her current task showed as the bolt flew wide of the intended target, reminding her that she was still far behind even the average worker in some areas. Of all the workers here, she was the worst shot, and by a noticeable margin.
Grim looked up at her expectantly before Sare’en sighed and nodded. “Alright, boy, fetch!” With that, Grim bounded off with eager abandon. Maybe he was a little too enthusiastic…
Sare’en shouted after him. “Gentle! Be Gentle! Fea’en will throw a fit if you maul another bolt so soon!”
Grim retrieved the bolt with a gentleness that would have surprised anyone outside of the Outpost before bounding back and dropping a well-slobbered but mostly intact bolt at Sare’en’s feet.
Slobber she could handle. Sare’en picked up the bolt and was cleaning it off when she caught a chuckle from behind her. Looking back, she could see Em’brel laughing while trying to catch her breath by leaning on a spear. “He’s come so far in such a short time! I never would have believed it if I didn’t see it for myself!”
Sare’en sighed as she examined the bolt for teeth marks. Since she was also using them to train Grim, she only used the worst and most worn bolts. Even so, if she went through them too quickly, it would only earn her the ire of the woodworkers who had to replace them. “Yeah, at least one of us is showing improvement. I’m starting to wonder if he’s not the smarter of the two of us.”
Em’brel grinned as she leaned. “Now, you’re not being fair to yourself. Look at Grim and the arlack herd! Both have come such a long way so quickly!”
Sare’en smiled sheepishly and nodded. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I was actually just thinking kind of similar a minute ago. Still, it’s frustrating that I just can’t seem to get this.”
Ger’ron chose that moment to walk around the bend and catch the two women at rest. “Well, if you want to get better, might I recommend you actually practice, instead of merely talking about it?”
Sare’en’s tendrils flattened in shame while Em’brel chuckled guiltily and stabbed her dummy again, though Sare’en noticed a little of the wild edge that had been there before seemed to have faded.
To’brel had been uncertain just how long he’d have to wait to find out more, but apparently, the answer was not long at all. S’haar, Jack, and Lon’thul walked into the cell, and S’haar unceremoniously plopped a large flat-faced stone onto a rough table. The stone had an odd symbol carved into it, consisting of a circle surrounded by a triangle with three lines connecting the two.
The intimidating woman turned to the noble with an indecipherable expression. “So I hear you’d like to get out of this place and get a breath of fresh air. That’s fine, but you’re gonna have to swear an oath first.”
To’brel nodded hesitantly. “Well, yes, though I suppose it depends on the oath… I was thinking…”
The noble was suddenly cut off when S’haar took a knife and quickly cut a slash into her own hand. “He who swears on my blood this day will stay within the bounds of the Outpost, seek not to harm any of the guests or residents herein, either directly or indirectly, and will obey any reasonable command he is given in return for greater privileges and freedom, until such time as his release is negotiated by myself or Jack.”
S’haar placed her hand on the stone, leaving her bloody mark before flipping the knife to catch it by the blade’s tip and extending the handle to the kid. “That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”
To’brel looked up at the warrior woman before looking down at the knife, whose design was totally at odds with the pragmatic attitude of its wielder. He’d seen several oath knives before. Their quality varied based on the status of the parties involved. They were always far finer than most of their more common counterparts, but this was something else entirely. The blade itself was made of simple but obviously high-quality steel. The edge was so fine he couldn’t imagine how many hours went into sharpening it. The handle was carefully wrapped in supple leather that almost looked like it was grown from it rather than cut to fit. At the end of the pommel was a sizable clear rock, cut in an odd way to show sharp edges and flat-surfaced that shone brightly in even the dim light of the cell.
The knife was worth a small fortune. This was a blade worthy of the leader of a great city, not the son of a replacement leader of a backwater village struggling to survive.
To’brel looked back at S’haar. Her words echoed around in his head, though her face betrayed none of her thoughts. The noble couldn’t find any flaw or trap in her words. On the contrary, it had been more generous in its simplicity than any of the more complex oaths he’d been contemplating. True, the term “reasonable” held the potential for complication or misunderstanding, but his gut feeling was that its ambivalence was meant more for his benefit than harm. Although, that made him wonder why he trusted these people so quickly and easily in his current situation?
Realizing he’d been standing lost in thought for more than a minute, To’brel reached a decision. He grabbed the knife. He paused a moment at the absurdity of them letting him be armed when their hands were clearly empty, but he didn’t even have to glance at S’haar to realize that if he was foolish enough to try something stupid right now, she was more than capable of handling anything he would attempt.
Instead, he slashed his own hand and applied his blood to S’haar’s. “On pain of death, I so swear.” Then it was done.
S’haar merely nodded while Jack spoke. The warrior woman looked at the tiny male before turning her cool gaze back to To’brel. She took a breath to translate when Lon’thul spoke up first. “He says, ‘Welcome to the Dragon’sOutpost.’”
To’brel cleared his throat. “Ummm… So what now?”
Lon’thul grinned. “Now we go out and get you into trouble!”
Jack spoke somewhat sharply in response, to which Lon’thul’s grin only widened. “Yeah, go out and see some more of the Outpost. That’s what I said!”
S’haar glared at Lon’thul with enough heat that To’brel was certain the hunter would finally be cowed. But, instead, he shook his head, looking for all the world as if she was an overbearing parent rather than a dangerous warrior and the leader of this outpost. “Yes, fine, I’ll keep him out of any real trouble! I know you’ve got some bodyguards set aside for him, but since I’ve got the rest of the day free and he already knows me, I figure I’d give him a brief tour. At least that way, he’ll have some idea where he’s trying to get to while being escorted by total strangers in an even stranger place. I think you all forget just how weird this place really is!”
S’haar glanced at Jack, who merely shrugged before turning back to Lon’thul. “Alright, but you will be responsible for any trouble he causes or gets into while in your care!”
Lon’thul’s grin never wavered. “That’s perfectly fine. What’s the worst that could happen? I have to clean a few more dishes after dinner tomorrow? Maybe clean a latrine or two as well? That sounds like every other day, anyway!”
S’haar’s glare lost some of its edge, and she looked exasperated as she turned to Jack. “Maybe you should go too. You might be able to keep Lon’thul from getting into trouble while he’s keeping To’brel from getting into trouble.”
Jack developed his own grin as he answered. To’brel didn’t know what he’d said, but from Lon’thul’s laughter, it was evident that it had appealed to his own unruly humor.
S’haar evidently had enough because she heaved the world’s most defeated sigh before gathering the stone and knife and turning to leave. She stopped momentarily to speak quietly to Jack before, much to To’brel’s astonishment, she leaned in and gave him a quick affectionate nuzzle before continuing on her way.
To’brel remembered they’d referred to each oth…
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