"It's just one night," Lee chuckled. "You've survived being kidnapped by agents of the Dark Knight; I'm sure you can survive one night alone in a room with a beautiful woman."

"You mean to make me go through with this?" Gewey asked, incredulously.

"Amusing or not, Kaylia makes a good point. We don't want to raise unwanted questions. Better for you to leave with people thinking that a young couple was just pa.s.sing through. But that's not what you wanted to talk to me about, is it?"

"No, it isn't," Gewey said. He proceeded to tell Lee about the details of their encounter with Felsafell and what the old man told him on the porch.

"He is a strange one," Lee remarked.

"You've met him?"

"Many years ago," Lee answered. "I had heard of a crazy old hermit who lived in the Spirit Hills. It was said that he could speak to the spirits and that they told him the future, so I sought him out.

I must have wandered those hills for five days before I found him.

Well, to be honest, he actually found me."

"What did he tell you?"

"To get out of his hills and never come back," Lee remembered.

"Of course, he didn't say it like that, but the message was the same. I approached him, but he vanished before I could get close. I tried to find him, but I ended up lost for days. He did leave behind some roast pork and bread for me, though."

Gewey laughed. "He gave us the same. But what do you make of his words?"

"I don't know," Lee admitted, frowning. "I need to think on it for a while." Then he slapped Gewey on the back, forcing a smile. "You shouldn't worry about it for now. There's a few hours before bed, why don't we join the others for a while?"

Gewey's eyes brightened. "That sounds like a wonderful idea."

"You should invite your wife to join us," Lee quipped. "I'm sure she wouldn't want her dear husband unattended."

Gewey scowled. "I'll see if Kaylia will come too."

"Good luck," said Lee. "I don't think merry-making with a room full of humans is her cup of tea."

As Lee predicted, Kaylia refused to join them, but Dina was more than happy to keep an eye on Gewey. They listened to the music and even joined in the dancing. Dina pulled Gewey to the floor during one of more energetic tunes. Unfortunately, knowing how to dance was not one of the skills that came along with being a G.o.d. It was all he could do to keep from stepping on Dina's feet, and he nearly fell twice.

"One of your lessons is going to have to be how to dance with a woman," Lee announced, doubling over with laughter.

Gewey was not amused. "I'm a farmer. When would I need to dance?" he said defensively.

"Your father was a farmer," said Lee, "and he could dance very well. Let me show you."

Lee walked over to Dina, who was laughing and talking with Minnie. He extended his hand, and Dina accepted, smiling as she bowed her head.

Gewey felt a tinge of jealousy as he watched Lee spin Dina around the room. When the song ended, Lee could see it in his eyes.

Lee put his hand on Gewey's shoulder. "That's why you should learn to dance, my boy."

"I don't know what you mean," Gewey lied.

"Of course not," he laughed.

They made merry for a few more hours, until the party started to wind down. Minnie was busy cleaning up, while her husband was helping those who had drunk too much wine to the door.

When they went upstairs, Lee gave Gewey a blanket and went to his room. Gewey nervously followed Dina into their room and placed the blanket on the floor.

"Don't worry," Dina said rea.s.suringly. "It's no different than when we were in the Spirit Hills. Just get some sleep."

Gewey gave her a tight smile and stretched out onto the floor. He knew she was right, but it felt like something had changed since then-at least in his mind. He wondered if it was the same for her, but he couldn't build up the courage to ask. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, wanting to sneak a look at her but not daring to take the chance.

Chapter 16.

It was two hours past midday when the covered wagon carrying Millet and Maybell pulled up in front of the inn. Millet was hunched over, looking very unhappy. Maybell was complaining about Millet's driving, claiming that he was not fit to drive a plow horse, let alone a wagon or carriage. Even so, Millet helped her down from the wagon and opened the tavern door for her when they arrived at the inn in Vine Run.

When they entered, Lee and Dina were talking casually at a table in the common room, while Gewey sat in the corner, getting marital advice from Minnie. Lee saw them come in and motioned for Millet to join them. Gewey excused himself and walked up to Millet, embracing him.

"It is good to see you, too," said Millet. "I see you're unharmed."

Gewey beamed at the sight of the man. "I'm glad you're here," he said. "So much has happened." He led Millet over to the table where Lee and Dina waited. Maybell followed close behind.

"How was your journey?" asked Lee.

Millet scowled. "Interesting, my lord," he said delicately. "And long."

"That's an understatement," Maybell huffed. Her eyes widened when she saw Dina. "Sister Celandine! I'm surprised to see you. You must be this mystery woman they spoke of."

"Good to see you, Sister Maybell," Dina said, bowing her head.

"I am indeed the 'mystery woman'."

"I knew there was more to you than meets the eye," Maybell remarked, "but I certainly didn't expect this. Explain yourself."

"I don't think..." Millet began.

"Of course you don't," Maybell cut in. "I will hear the story. There is no one here to spy on us."

Indeed, the inn was empty with the exception of Minnie, who was well out of earshot and busy adding up the profits from the party. Lee nodded in agreement and recounted the events of their travels. When his story was finished, Maybell began to chuckle softly.

"What's so funny?" Lee asked.

"Here I thought my adventures were over," she explained. "To think an old woman like me gets to see the temple of Valshara. Is it true that the Knights of Amon Dahl are trained there?"

"It is," Dina answered. "But this temple is not the original. That was destroyed fifteen years ago by the Dark Knight. To my understanding, the current Temple of Valshara was once a monastery where members of the order went to retire. Only the elders knew its location, so we were able to keep it hidden. Even now, its location is only known to a few."

"Even so," Maybell said, "I'm excited to see it."

"I really didn't expect you to come that far with us," said Lee.

"We'll be pa.s.sing by several temples where you would be much safer."

"Nonsense," she replied. "My years in this world are nearly done. I would rather them spent making a difference. You may think me just a worthless old woman, but I am not without skills."

"And what might those be?" Millet asked sourly.

Maybell shot Millet an angry glance. "For one, I know the laws and customs of every city and town from here to the abyss. For another, I have connections with temples everywhere and can gather information we will need."

"Still, it's a long journey," Lee warned. "And conditions will be harsh."

"I'm tougher than I look," she countered. "I may have been locked away in a temple for many years, but I'm no stranger to hardship."

Suddenly, her expression became desperate. "Please. Let me go with you. I need to go with you. I thought I would spend the rest of my days watching the decay of the temples. Now I have a chance to be useful again."

Lee looked at Gewey and shrugged his shoulders. "I leave it up to you."

Gewey thought for a moment. "I would be very happy if you accompanied us," he declared.

Millet sighed loudly.

"You just mind your manners," Maybell said to Millet. "Or I'll teach you why novices fear my name in every temple from here to the northwestern steppes."

Lee laughed loudly. "Millet my old friend, I think you may have finally met your match."

"Indeed," Millet grumbled.

"So, where to now?" Gewey asked.

"With such a large group, we might try to find a caravan headed west," Lee suggested. "Delhammer is four days from here. It's large enough for us to go unnoticed, and we might be able to hitch onto a caravan there."

Dina thought for a moment. "While we're there, we should see what information can be found at the temples. Maybell, you can help there."

"Won't Salmitaya be expecting that? She might have sent word ahead," Gewey noted.

"She has more pressing issues," Maybell replied. "She may have been a High Priestess, but I have been in the Order since before she was born-certainly long enough to have my voice heard. If she were going to move against me, she would have done it in Kaltinor. Now that I'm out of her reach, she wouldn't dare show her face in another temple."

"Still, we should be cautious," Lee advised. "Even if she can't hinder us through the temples, she may have sent word to other agents of Angraal."

"I'll be discreet," Maybell a.s.sured him. "But that is something that can be discussed later. For now, I would like to clean up."

Dina brought Maybell to her room so she could wash and change. This time she did not complain about the lack of a proper bathtub.

Lee told Kaylia to gather her things, and had Gewey check the wagon.

It was nearly dark before they were all ready to leave. Minnie scolded them for leaving at such a late hour and insisted that they eat before they left; she even packed them each a meal for the road. Lee gave the woman five silvers, enough for them to have stayed for an entire week. Minnie thanked him and, despite Lee's objections, gave him a case of their best wine.

"You seem like a man who can appreciate it," she said as her husband loaded it into the wagon. "Most of the folks that pa.s.s through here wouldn't know good wine from well water."

Lee bowed graciously and climbed onto the back of the wagon.

Millet and Maybell took the front; should they run into any curious strangers, they would say that Millet was her younger brother and they were headed west to resettle. Lee jokingly suggested that Gewey and Dina maintain the guise of a married couple, but Gewey fiercely refused.

They continued down the Old Road of Santismal through the night, stopping a few hours before dawn to make camp. Kaylia told Gewey it was time they continued with their lessons and took him into an area of tree-covered hills. By the end of the lesson, he was able to find Kaylia in the shadows, and he even managed to avoid being found for more than five minutes. The lessons with the knife advanced to include more complicated tactics and maneuvers, which Gewey took to right away.

"You've improved," Kaylia noted. "Soon you'll be ready to start actual elven training."

Gewey's heart swelled with pride. "I practiced in the Spirit Hills."

"Those hills are dangerous," she warned. "As is the hermit who lives there."

"He didn't seem dangerous. A bit crazy maybe, but not dangerous."

"He speaks to the spirits that live there," she said. "And not all spirits are harmless. We elves have ventured there many times to speak to Felsafell and gain his knowledge, but we knew our peril."

"What peril?"

"It is said Felsafell feels all that the spirits feel," she answered.

"Their joy, their fear, their anger, but mostly their loneliness. They yearn for the souls of man and elf to join them. Should you have stayed too long, they might have trapped you there forever."

"Is that what happened to Felsafell?"

"No one really knows who or what he is. He's old, though-some say older than the elves. Some say he's really a spirit in human form. No one knows for sure, but what is known is that seeking his wisdom means risking being lost in the hills forever."

Gewey shuddered at the thought that he had spent the night in the old man's house, and eaten at his table.

"I wonder why he let me go," Gewey said, almost inaudibly.

"I've never heard of anyone who has seen where he lives, save you. Whatever he had to tell you must have been important. But beware of his words. They aren't always what they seem."

Gewey nodded, thinking about what he had been told about his own death and the death of a friend, hoping he had merely misinterpreted Felsafell's words. "Believe me," he said. "I hope I find more meanings than what I have now."

Kaylia took Gewey's hands and looked into his eyes. "I know you value the council of the half-man," she said sincerely. "You trust his judgment. But he is not all knowing and cannot give you all the answers. I would help you if you let me. If you trust me with what you were told, I will help you decipher its meaning, if I can."

Gewey thought for moment. "Yes, I would welcome it," he said. "But not tonight. I'm too tired."

Kaylia placed her hand on his cheek. "Of course," she said softly.

"When you're ready, I will help if I can."

Gewey felt more at ease when they returned to camp. For some reason, the thought of being able to confide in Kaylia made him feel as though a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He noticed her watching him with a look of compa.s.sion as he lay down to sleep.

They had only slept for a few hours before they packed up camp and started out again. Gewey was concerned that Maybell hadn't rested enough, but she seemed full of energy and eager to get going.