| Isengrim's wife made a great supper for the five of them, surely enough to eat to provide enough energy for Clara and Keilich to travel further. After a period of grace, Erma served herself and everyone else at the table. Salem sat to the left of Clara; he seemed to be taking an interest in her beauty and charm, even though he didn't even say a word to her. "So," Isengrim said, "what brings you to the Valley of Fate in the first place?" "I am a guide to Clara," Keilich said, "for she undertook a truly dangerous quest, one for only the purest followers of S'Allumer." Isengrim looked up with an expressionless face. "The winds came, didn't they?" he asked. "Clara, did they destroy your home?" Clara put down the fork with which she was eating. "Yes, they did," she said, softly. "Only one other person was spared: my dear friend, Kat, a pantheress a few months younger than I." "Where is she?" Erma asked. "There is much to eat and she is welcome." Clara began to cry. "She would be with us if she could, I swear," she said, tears running down her face. "She was slain at the hands of other travelers this morning in the forest. She died in my arms, even as we defeated our foes." Keilich comforted her by holding her hand. "But you tried to save her," he said. "Tell them, Clara." "I did that," she said, wiping her eyes. "We found the Orb of S'Allumer, and I--" Isengrim nearly choked, and prompty spit out what he was eating. "You found the orb?!" he cried. "I can't believe it. Show it to me immediately; I may be able to help you." Clara ran to get the brown sack she used to store her clothing and blankets. She opened it up to reveal the green orb to all present. "May I hold it?" Isengrim asked. "Sure," Clara said. "You being a cleric, I trust that you can help us with our quest." Isengrim examined the green sphere closely. "You say that you preserved the spirit of your slain friend inside this?" he asked. "Yes, sir," Clara said. "I did exactly as Keilich asked me; first I coated the whole orb with her blood and put it in my mouth." Isengrim smiled. "And what then, girl?" "Then I put it in my friend's mouth by means of a kiss," Clara answered. "She will then be saved," Isengrim said. "Just be sure you can find the hilt of the Sword of Many Parts, and make sure that the orb is not damaged! Otherwise, her life can never be restored." "Would you care to tell us about your friend, Clara?" Erma asked, as everyone sat back down at the table. "Her name was Kat," Clara said, "and we grew up together, living on the Plains of Clay. Our parents died a few years before the winds came and destroyed our city. We were the best of friends all our lives; we attended the same grammar schools and higher education, and we both attended the Church of S'Allumer. Kat was a very religious girl, always faithful. There was, however, a point at which she dismissed religion. That was the time shortly after which her mother and father died; she thought that there was no god that was good that would take away the people she loved most. But one night, she awoke claiming to have had a vision that her parents had achieved salvation, and once again she wished to be welcomed back to the Penitence of S'Allumer. I used all that I knew of the religion to convert her and bring her back to the faith. She had since been very devout." "Those qualities will certainly bring her back to life," Isengrim said. "Just be sure of your obligation to that orb." "Salem is our beloved son," Erma said. Salem smiled. "We adopted him shortly after we married, finding him anonymously left inside our church in the valley. He had lived her with us ever since." "We are still unsure of what he will accomplish in his life, much beyond his religious education," Isengrim said. "He has never lived outside the Valley of Fate. He has never fought with sword and shield because we have never been threatened. His experience is heavily limited, even at the age of 26 years." Salem continued eating as everyone else discussed him, every so often looking to his right at Clara, still sensing something about her. Clara could see him looking at her from the corner of her eye. "Salem?" his father asked, distracting him from Clara. "What interests you? What do you want to do with yourself?" I know what interests you, Clara thought, unsure of how to feel about him. You're interested in me. "I don't know, father," Salem replied. "I don't really know much of anything except helping with chores and religion." "You are aware that you, me, and your mother are the only three people left in the Valley of Fate, aren't you?" Isengrim asked. "Yes, father," Salem said. "Well," Isengrim continued, "I think that what Clara and Keilich have told me at this table is of great responsibility. Salem, I want you to prepare yourself to join them in their quest. Do you understand?" "But, father," Salem responded. "I know nothing of travel, or even how to fight." "Well, then there is no time like now to learn," he said. "I want you to go with them to save the world." "What about you and mother, father? What will you do?" "I will come with you," Isengrim said, "as will your mother." "I will?" Erma asked. "Absolutely!" her husband exclaimed. "The survivors of the divine winds must undertake this quest, to prove their worth to S'Allumer. But first, I'd like to bring you all outside; we're going to the top of the falls." Next page >> |