Chapter 42

Little birds chirp, insects buzz, and somewhere, a squirrel falls over dead. It's morning in Midway.

Morgan had gotten up early to beat Kvelti to the kitchen. The old warrior saw nothing wrong with oat porridge for breakfast. And she liked variety - either thin and watery or congealed and lumpy. Morgan suspected that it was merely a ploy to subtly threaten other people into cooking for her.

She coaxed a local goodwife out of some loaves of bread, raided the pantry for the sausages she was sure would be in there, and prepared some porridge that didn't burn to the bottom of the pot. Some milk and honey and it would be a decent spread.

The door opened and she looked up, expecting one of the group. It was, instead, a dedraggled traveller. He must have seen the consternation in her face as he explained, "Been travelling half the bloody night." He sniffed the air expectantly. "Would the inn be serving breakfast?"

Morgan blew air up through her dark bangs. "Here, sit and eat, but hurry it up. We're...closing for a private function fairly soon."

"Huh. Local wedding, I expect," the fellow went on, but Morgan just made a noncommittal grunt in reply. She laid out some food for the man before returning to stir the porridge on the hearth.

Jazel heard the early birds singing and wanted to strike them from the trees. She didn't feel at all rested. Also hearing movement from below, she checked to make sure she was decently dressed before heading downstairs. Putting on a face of happiness, she made it to the bottom when she saw the stranger...

"Good morning," Morgan greeted Jazel. "Care for a sausage?"

"It's good!" encouraged the fellow at the table. He enthusiastically waved around a bit of meat he had skewered on his knife. Jazel didn't get the sense that he was a Shadow Hunter, but his eyes did seem to linger on the pendant she wore.

Jazel's stomach rumbled at the thought of food, her mind realizing that she hadn't eaten well since leaving home. Smiling, she accepted a plate of the delicious smelling food and sat across from the man, her relief evident to Morgan.

"Do you always make breakfast, Morgan? Or is this a special treat?" She carefully cut the sausage and placed a small portion in her mouth, savoring the taste. "Mmm, this is good." Glancing at the stranger, her eyes narrowed slightly when she noticed where his gaze went. Was he interested in her decolletage or the pendant? Letting her black hair fall over to cover the pendant, she said, "Merry meet, I am Jazel. Have you been traveling long?" She reached over to shake his hand.

"Uh, hello." The fellow hastily wiped his hand, greasy with sausage, on his trouser leg before shaking her hand. "I'm Gregory. I'm on my way to Riverside, to the north. Ever been? It's a fabulous city... absolutely huge. I've heard far Shariz is supposed to be even more fantastic, but," he shrugged. "I don't suppose I'll ever see it. I mean, I like breathing."

Muttered curses from the top of the stairs heralded the arrival of the tavern's owner. Kvelti was not a morning person. She cast a baleful glare at Morgan, who cheerfully waved a sausage at her. "I knew you wouldn't mind sharing," she smiled.

Kvelti grumbled something unintelligible as she plucked the sausage from Morgan's right hand and gnawed on it absently as she hunted up a bowl for the porridge. Then she stopped, straightened, and turned around. She pointed at Gregory. "Oo's zat?"

He waved back. "Good morning, ma'am. Just a traveller passing through. This place serves a most excellent breakfast."

"He'll be on his way soon," Morgan added, glancing at him.

Several hours earlier, when the sky was just starting to light, Cael had woken. Brushing the straw from his hair, he headed down to the stream, where the others had bathed hours before. After stumbling along the way, Cael cursed to himself then chanted a short phrase. Instantly, his eyes started to glow with an inner light, and (if one could have stared into his eyes at this point) it seemed as if flames flickered behind his irises. With the renewed confidence of step brought on by his summoned infravision, Cael finished his way down to the stream for his morning absolutions.

Light from the newly risen sun started to fliter through the trees surrounding the stream just as Cael was finishing up his morning bath. He scrambled from the stream and dropped to his knees in a grassy path, paying homage to his god, returned from his night of warming the inside of the earth. As he knelt praying in the warmth of the sun's rays, he could feel the power of his god entering him, renewing him once again for the long journey ahead.

Eventually Aarron and Feo do get settled in for breakfast after an evening of gambling for Aaron wherein the profits of the local farmers work instead to benefit Aaron's Bordello Purchase Fund. The idea being. 'If you can't find the 'one' might as well own a dozen.

Cael finally entered the tavern shortly after Aaron, his mood much improved over last night's. At Morgan's questioning look and gesture with breakfast meat, Cael chuckled. "Yes, Morgan, breakfast would be good."

Gregory chatted amiably with Jazel for some time before he noticed the other pairs of eyes on him. Finally catching the hint, he bobbed his head in thanks, dropped a silver coin on the table, and departed. The conversation, for any listening, was generic small talk for travellers: where've you been, how were the bandits, did it rain much, and so on.

Kvelti raised her eyebrows in surprise when Feo wandered in with Aaron. "Good morning," she half-growled - Kvelti had a hard time doing anything but growling before noon - "Wha' can I help you with?"

His comment as Kvelti growls out her cheerful good mornings is, "Whatever my sister wants, " indicating Feo to the room and drawing a few looks of consternation as he adds, "it's on me."

Ploping himself down into a chair and slumping bonelessly he glances at the pair of women who have decided to join forces against him in the 'womens conspiracy against men' game and assumes a look of innocence.

Jazel wished a good day to Gregory as he departed, slightly miffed that she couldn't get to know him more. Shrugging, she dug into her food, pleased with the flavor. Chuckling lightly at Kvelti's mood for she remembered how her mother was, she smiled at Aaron who had just sat down, his innocent look making her want to laugh.

"That was an interesting display last night, sir. Oh, not the girl on your lap, but the glowing runes. Did you learn anything new?" She slid over to give Feo some room if she wanted to sit, a look of earnest curiosity on her face.

Feo squeezed in to sit next to her brother, ignoring the curious looks some people were giving her and focusing her full attention on the food. You just didn't find food like this growing on any old bush!

Kvelti laid the bar across the Wombat's door to keep any other "Gregories" from wandering in. "There now," she said, satisfied. "So, do we know what we're about, then? Good. I'll just pack up some - "

"No," Morgan interrupted placidly. "We don't know. You said there's an elf, out on a holy war against those shape-changing dae faroth assassins, right?"

"Yeah."

"What if he's doing the right thing?" Morgan held up her (right) hand as Kvelti's eyebrows drew together like angry caterpillars. "Back where I'm from, 'dae faroth' means 'insane tattooed homicidal maniac.' They've been more of an obstacle from making peace with the Empire than a help. Are the ones out here different?"

"I think so," Kvelti grumbled stubbornly.

"But there's one harrassing poor Jazel and threatening her life," Morgan pointed out. "That sounds more like one of our Obi friends."

Kvelti placed her palms on the scarred, battered tabletop and leaned forward. "Look. They're the only ones that have been able to get inside Ehosia and do anything with any success." Morgan shook her head. "Except the Reform movement already in Ehosia, right? Perhaps we should assist them instead." When Kvelti's right hand came up off the table, Morgan countered with her shorter, left one. "Don't you dare," she added sharply. "We should think about this from all sides."

Kvelti reluctantly grunted and dropped the fist. "Well, hells, ask them," she waved at the assemblage. "They're probably the best authority on the dae faroth and the Ehosian Reformers outside of the Great Forest and Ehosia."

Morgan looked at the adventurers expectantly.

Cael looked up from his breakfast when Morgan and Kvelti started arguing. He listened intently, hoping that something one of the two said could help him decide this matter in his own head. He was a bit dismayed that they turned expectantly towards the rest in the room. Ach, so much for any guidance from them. Time to walk the sands alone.

"Morgan, there might be a Resistance up in Ehosia right now, but they are still weak. Any help we can get is not to be ignored. I have worked with an enemy of humankind, the dark elves, to further the freedom of my people. I will do most anything to free my people from the false Patriarchy. I cannot let this, this... Blue Champion... destroy one of the few allies we have in this fight."

Morgan turned her head slightly, a smile playing about her lips. To her ears, Cael couldn't decide if the Reformers were "they" or "we." Interesting. "So there's a strong vote to support them, from someone with a keen interest in the matter. Jazel, what do you think? You seem to have some experience with them."

Jazel nearly choked on the sausage she'd just placed in her mouth as Morgan asked her what she thought. She'd only been here for a few hours and already she's being requested to give an opinion? Amazing.

"Well, I'm not quite sure of the Ehosians, since I've never met any until now," she said with a smile to Cael. "The thought of them wiping out the elves makes my skin crawl. I do know, however, that the Obi can be quite difficult to deal with, their violent ways known to most of the world."

She knitted her brow, trying to think honestly of what to do. "Mother had friends among the Euli. I could see if we could get inside to discuss things." She shrugged her shoulders and took another piece of sausage. It was a lame idea, but she couldn't think of much else to do at the moment.

Morgan nodded and smiled evilly at Kvelti. "Wanna go back to the Euli?"

Kvelti leveled a finger at her. "Don't. Even. Think. It. If I never see those religious nuts again, it will be too soon." Adding something under her breath, she dropped her arm and turned to seek out the ale-cask.

Morgan shrugged smoothly. "Well, I don't think she was planning on questing, anyway. Actually, Jazel, I was hoping you knew more about the local dae faroth, here in the Great Forest. I'm fairly convinced the ones in the Obi are bad apples. But Brother Cael thinks we can work with the ones out here. Now, one's trying to hunt you down and kill you, right? Is this typical behavior for these Great Forest dae faroth, do you know?"

Normally, ale in the morning would turn Jazel's stomach, but for some reason, she felt the need for it today. As she pondered Morgan's question, she lifted her hand and stared at the bar. A stein lifted from the shelf then moved to sit under the spigot, the ale pouring into the stein before floating to Jazel. Without so much as batting an eye, she grabbed the stein and took a hearty swig.

Setting it on the table, she grinned at Kvelti, throwing her a gold piece. "No, this is not typical behavior," she answered as her gaze swung to Morgan. "The Great Forests dae faroth are extremely honorable in their dealings, only killing those that they were ordered to kill. It's amazing, actually, that one is chasing me. If I didn't know better, I'd think my father ..."

She shook her head to clear the bad thoughts. "The dae faroth study their quarry extensively, making sure that there would be no error. They place people sympathetic to their cause into Ehosian society, so it is important that those who replace the dead ones are actually better than those they kill."

Stopping to scratch her head, she wondered if that made any sense. No matter ... "I think we should contact them, since they seem to be hunted at the moment. Cael, have you met any of them before?"

Cael was in the middle of washing down the last of his breakfast, and had truthfully forgotten that Jazel had not even seen 'Leaf, so her question caught him by suprise, causing him to choke on his ale.

Finally, after a fit of coughing, he wiped away some tears and looked bleary-eyed at Jazel. "But didn't you...? Oh, no. I am sorry m'lady." He grinned a bit ruefully. "I forgot that you have just met our happy little band. But, yes, I have... met one of the Dae Faroth." He quickly went on, trying to avoid have to tell how he well he knew this particular Dae Faroth. "Her name is Falling Leaf, but I think she will be little help at the moment. She parted ways from our group shortly after we left Ehosia, and we have not seen her since." He shakes his head a little. "Besides, it is she who seems to always find me, not the other way around."

"That was a dae faroth?" Morgan asked, obviously surprised. "Huh. Not that I saw her for more than an hour or so, but... well, I have to admit that she didn't seem like a tattooed homicidal maniac. And she was working with you?" she asked, glancing between Cael, Toshiro, and Aaron. "With humans? All right, I will admit that they're definitely different from their western cousins."

"Did I mention," Kvelti added drily, "that I put them in contact with her?"

Morgan's head swiveled around. "You did." It wasn't a question, as Morgan digested what she knew about her old friend. "All right," she sighed. "If Jazel can speak well of them and they're trying to kill her, I suppose I can be swayed into investigating the matter."

"Thank you, Morgan," Jazel said quietly as she pushed the empty plate away. The statement was for both the food and her help. As she finished the last of her ale, she looked at the others, wondering where to start.

Knowing that Cael had been with a dae faroth didn't seem all that farfetched to her. Her thoughts turned to the rune display she witnessed the previous night. What did Aaron see?

"So, like I said before," Kvelt grumbled, "we all know what we're about, right? Go knock some sense into our little elven crusader."

Morgan sipped her drink. "Or maybe talk some sense?"

"Bah."

"So, know where we're going?" Morgan asked the room at large. Kvelti gestured vaguely in the direction of the forest. "That's helpful. Directions? A city? Landmarks? C'mon, give."

"Never heard of a city in the Forest. Well, the elves tend to the southern reaches. Little scattered villages, I understand. Some of 'em have to have heard of this Champion or the dae faroth. My guess is that if you find one, you'll find the other." She spread her hands at the glare Morgan leveled at her. "What? It's an adventure! You're not *supposed* to know where you're going til you get there!"

"Whatever," the half-elf sighed. "Southern parts of the forest, start asking questions. Fine. Shall we away, then?"