Sword and Sorcery
Chapter 8

by D.Fire
phongb9@idt.net

	Raeni was laying on something soft, she realized, as
she slowly regained consciousness.  A soothing voice
murmured in her ear as someone placed a cool, damp cloth
over her forehead.  As she opened her eyes, everything was
a blur but slowly came into focus.  A face loomed over,
initially hidden in shadows, but as the head moved, a
kindly face was revealed.  It was a woman's face, someone
with long, dark hair tied in a bun.

	The woman removed the warming cloth from Raeni's brow
and turned to wash it a small basin beside the bed.  As
she turned, the dancing light from the fireplace on the
other side of the room revealed a familiar face.

	Bolting up straight, Raeni shouted, "Ukyou!"

	The woman, startled, jumped back a ways from the
bedside.  Regaining her composure, she quickly returned to
Raeni's side, saying. "Hush, little one.  You are safe.  I
know not what this 'Ukyou' you call for is.  But if you
tell me what it is, I may be able get it for you."  As she
spoke, she gently pushed Raeni's shoulder, urging her to
lay back down on the bed.  "You must rest.  You must have
had quite a scare today."

	Shrugging off the soothing hand, Raeni shook her
head, "No, no," she said, vigorously shaking her head. 
"Ukyou isn't a thing.  It's ...  I mean ... she's a
person.  You."  She pointed at the woman.

	Blushing, the woman answered, "Oh, my.  Little one. 
You must be mistaken.  I am not Ukyou.  My name is Keili. 
But you must rest."  With a firm hand, the woman pushed
Raeni back down.  "Lie down and I will answer your
questions."

	Indeed, after taking a close look, Raeni could see
that the face the woman wore looked very similar to her
old friend, but the face looked ... older.  Now that she
had a chance to take a good look, this woman actually
looked like what Ukyou's mother might look like.  No
longer lithe in build, this Keili had a somewhat plump and
motherly figure.  The face, which Raeni had only known in
its young visage, now had cracks lining the skin from age.
Crows feet lined the startling green eyes that peered
down at Raeni, and the woman wore a simple, dark dress.

	"My pardon, Madame," Raeni spoke softly from her
prone position.  "The Ukyou I knew was my own age.  I see
that you could be my own mother's age."  Remembering her
manners, she introduced herself, "My name is Raeni."

	"That all right, dear.  You must have had a horrid
experience, trapped in that sand boggle's pit," Keili
reassured her.  "Let me extend my family's hospitality to
you tonight.  Now that I see that you will be fine, I
suggest you get some sleep."  When Raeni did not respond,
she continued, "You must be exhausted and confused.  Sleep
now and we will talk in the morning."  Keili rose from her
sitting position, and saying, "Sleep well, little one,"
she left the room.

	Raeni lay there, eyes closed, furiously thinking. 
'Man, that was such a shock!  Seeing Ukyou twice in a row.
But if that woman wasn't Ukyou...  Then that guy I saw
earlier...  He was my age.  Could it be that he's Ukyou?' 
Shuddering a little, she wondered, 'What happened then? 
Ukyou didn't have a man-curse.'

	Although Raeni was sure that the older woman had left
the room, she still feigned sleep, just in case Keili came
back to check on her.  She thought, 'I can't stay here
though.'  Even with Keili's resemblance to Ukyou, staying
did not feel right, and judging from the woman's motherly
demeanor, she was not likely going to be allowed to leave
without a scene, which Raeni didn't feel she was up to
dealing with at the moment.  Calling out mentally, she
asked, ::Azure, are you close?::

	<I'm right outside the window, Raeni.>

	::Did you follow me here?  What happened?  Where am
I?:: she asked.

	<Uh.  I'm not too sure.  I had left the pit to find a
rope or something, like you told me to.  A couple minutes
later, I came back fearing the worst, but you were long
gone,> Azure answered.  <I caught your scent trail
through, at the edge of the pit, and I tracked you several
miles to this town.> Azure paused in thought.  Then he
continued, <I also caught another scent, Raeni.>

	::Why so hesitant?  Was there something wrong?:: 
Raeni let worry creep into her mind-voice and she began
shifting around.  She still kept her eyes closed so as to
maintain her illusion of sleep.  She kept her ears alert
for any sound coming from beyond the doorway.

	After a moment, Azure continued speaking.  <The scent
was the same as before, Raeni.>

	::Before.  Before what?::

	Frustration slipping into his mindvoice, Azure
reminded her, <From that big mistake you made this
morning.  The scent was the same.  That fiasco by the
river.>

	Involuntarily, Raeni's eyes popped open at the
revelation.  ::What?!  You mean that guy that saved me
this morning saved me again?::  She peered around
frantically to see if her ruse had been pierced.  She
sighed in relief.  It looked like she had not been found
out.  Once again she closed her eyes and slowed her
breathing.

	::You mean that pervert from this morning pulled me
out of that pit and carried me here?::

	<Uh, Raeni.  Aren't you being a little harsh here? 
After all, the guy did save you twice.>

	::Don't give me that!  I'm a guy!  I can save
myself!:: she replied forcefully.  Her facial expression
twisted up without her conscious control.

	Azure broke into the middle of her rant.  Forcibly,
he stated, <No, Raeni!  You couldn't save yourself the
second time.>

	::What?!  Whaddaya mean I couldn't save myself?::

	<Don't you remember your studies?  What's the one
special property of boggle sand?> Azure patiently asked,
taking on a lecturing tone.

	As the answer came to her, she calmed and she blushed
though no one was in the room to see her.  In a tiny
voice, she recited, ::Sand boggles are very dangerous to
those trapped in their pits.  Mages are especially
endangered because the sand, imbued with properties by the
creature hidden within the sand, prevents the casting of
all magic.::  Reluctantly, she admitted, ::Okay, Azure.  I
can see that I owe this guy.  Twice.  But I can't stay
here cowering like a girl, regardless of how grateful I
am.::

	Cracking her eyes open, Raeni slowly scanned the
room.  Seeing no one, she slowly sat up and crept over to
the window.  It was a simple affair, basically just a hole
in the wall.  Glass had not made much of an impact on the
lives of this world, or else people lacked the ability to
manufacture it.  The metal shutters covering the opening
were a different matter.  Beautifully engraved, they had
mythical animals running and playing across them.

	Unfortunately for her, the shutters were closed tight
for the night, and an intricate latching mechanism
completed them.  At least the metalsmiths of this world
were advanced and masterful.  Puzzling at the latch, she
managed to undo it after a moment's time.  Pushing at the
shutters, she slowly pried them apart.  CREAK!  At the
unexpectedly loud sound, she quickly stopped her efforts.

	Sucking in her breath, Raeni paused as she listened
for any signs of movement behind her.  She made ready to
thrust open the shutters at any noise whatsoever that
indicated that someone had heard the their loud squeak. 
Luck was on her side, though, and no one came to her room
to check on the noise.

	::Azure, I'm not going to be able to get out this way
without alerting the rest of the house.  Meet me at the
front door,:: she decided.  Turning away from the window,
she tiptoed over to the doorway leading out of the room. 
'I'm on the second floor,' she realized as she spied a
staircase leading to the first level of the house.  Unable
to make any details in the darkness, she took the steps
one at a time, as she slowly made her way downstairs,
testing each step for creakiness before placing her weight
on it.  Although she was careful in her steps,
intermittent creaks and groans accompanied her down the
stairs. As each sounded, her imagination amplified the
noise to an incredible degree.

	Raeni made it without mishap to the bottom of the
stairs.  Two doors adorned the room at the bottom of the
steps.  The whole house was shrouded in darkness, with no
light sources evident.  Choosing the sturdier of the two,
she glided over to it taking graceful, silent steps. 
Another intricate lock greeted her.  The similarity to the
one she faced upstairs allowed her to make quick work of
this one.  Fearing another squeaking hinge, she slowly
pulled the door open.  The door had barely moved six
inches before a hand snaked through the opening and
grabbed onto her wrist.

	Raeni nearly shrieked in surprise when the hand
clamped down.  She barely swallowed the scream in time. 
Forming a fist with her other hand, she noiselessly kicked
open the door and punched at her unknown assailant. 
Rather than waiting for the person to throw another
attack, Raeni leapt through the doorway, vaulting over the
figure before her in an attempt to break the hold on her
arm.  Her tactic succeeded, separating her from her
attacker.

	From the shadows, a feminine voice growled menacingly
at her, "What have you done to my mother!?  What are you
doing sneaking out of my house like a thief?"  The voice
was familiar and tickled the back of Raeni's memory, but
the anger in the voice forestalled any attempt at
recognition.

	Dumbfounded at what the questions revealed, Raeni
could only wave her hands in denial and stutter out
gibberish in reply, the connection between her brain and
her mouth having been temporarily severed.  Her lack of
clarity seemed to only incense the unknown figure further.
"How dare you?  Attacking a defenseless woman!" the voice
continued.  "Die, murderer!"

	Raeni clearly heard a sword being drawn from a
leather scabbard.  The next move came so fast that, in the
darkness, she could barely see the sharp edge as it came
down to cleave her skull.  Blindly leaping backwards, she
landed in a battle stance as her long ago training took
over.

	"I see you know how to fight.  I wouldn't want you to
die so easily.  Hiyaa!" screamed the cowled figure as she
charged at Raeni.  The figure ran at her with sword at the
ready, held in a two-handed forward slash position.  As
the girl reached her, Raeni jumped straight up, neatly
avoiding the horizontal blow delivered at her.  Landing
lightly on the blade as she came down and pushing the tip
into the ground, she forced the wielder to retreat as she
delivered a retaliatory leg sweep at the arm that held the
sword.  Letting the blade go, the dark figure jumped back
and, reaching down to her boots, withdrew two daggers and
made ready to continue the fight.

	Suddenly, a loud voice rang out from behind the
mysterious figure.  "Uerris, you put those weapons down,
NOW!"

	The figure, now a silhouette in the light coming from
the doorway, stopped short at the command and immediately
dropped the daggers she held.  The daggers slowly tumbled
to the ground, bouncing a short distance and landing with
a double clang on the stone path.  Turning sideways but
still keeping one eye on Raeni, the hooded girl identified
the person in the doorway and yelled, "Mother!  You're all
right!"  Raeni could tell that the mother stood a few
inches taller than her daughter.

	Raeni, in the meantime, started slowly backing away
from the house and the pair at the door.  Her slow
backwards shuffle halted as she ran in something soft and
furry laying in a disorderly lump on the stone path. 
Looking down, Raeni gasped as she saw Azure laying at her
feet, apparently unconscious and hurt.  "Azure!" she cried
as she bent down to pick up the silent panther.  Tears in
her eyes, she turned and fled with the panther held gently
in her arms.  Blurred shadows and silhouettes battled in
her way as she sought an exit from the town.

	In her distress, she did not hear Keili behind her
calling out to her, "Wait, stranger!  Please come back!"

	***

	"Oh, Azure," Raeni whispered to the unconscious
panther.  "Hang on.  Don't die on me!"  She could feel
wetness on the panther's fur.  Taking to the treetops when
she reached the edge of the little town, she paused to
examine her familiar.  In the moonlight, she could see a
deep cut on his shoulder, and it seemed like the wound
still bled.

	Propping him securely on a tree branch, she used one
hand to keep him balanced, while with the other, she
reached down and tore a strip from her shirt to field
bandage the wound.  Comparing the wound and the piece of
cloth in her hand, she clearly saw that she needed a much
larger bandage, so disregarding her own modesty, she
quickly shed her entire shirt for use.  Besides, in the
darkness, no one would see anything, if there was anyone
around to see at all.

	Before she bandaged him, she cast the only healing
spell she knew.  Holding her hand mere millimeters above
the wound, she closed her eyes and concentrated. 
"Ubiderus," she whispered with care evident in her voice,
hoping that her magic would be enough.  Her hand glowed a
soft green which spread to envelop the wound.  After the
glow faded away, Raeni looked at the wound again.  Sighing
with relief, she saw that though the wound had not closed,
at least it no longer bled.  Finishing it up, she used her
shirt to bind the shoulder tightly, hoping that it would
hold until she got away.

	Once again gently lifting Azure to her arms, she
began her retreat from the area.  As she hopped from
treetop to treetop, she cushioned Azure from each landing.
Tears blinded her as she jumped away.

	***

	Miles later, Raeni found a clearing large enough for
her purpose.  Feeling that she had lost any pursuit, if
they had even bothered to follow her, and deeming this
spot a location safely far enough away from the village,
she laid Azure gently down on a patch of clear ground and
searched for dry firewood.  Her task a success, she
gathered the sticks into a pile and ringed them with
stones.  Quickly clearing the immediate area of flammable
objects, she pointed at the firesite and said, "Orus,"
and, putting some power behind the command, she soon had a
strong fire going.

	Pulling a pot and a full waterskin from her cache in
the pocket dimension, she filled the pot with water, and
after creating a makeshift rack, she hung the pot over the
fire and waited for it to boil.  Minutes later, the water
sizzled and bubbled.  She removed it from the fire and
cast a spell over the water.  Again using her healing
spell, she spoke, "Ubiderus."  Unsure of the what effect
it would have, she could only hope that further healing
would work.  Again, the soft green glow emanated from her
hand.  The glow then traveled from her hand and sunk into
the water, quickly disappearing.

	Knowing that the water was too hot to use, she then
cast another spell.  "Kirus.".  The spell cooled the
water.  Holding her hand near the pot, she felt no warmth,
but she made sure by quickly testing the water with her
forefinger.  Icy coldness greeted her, and she smiled in
satisfaction.

	"Now to wash that wound out," she spoke to no one in
particular.  Taking great care to not jostle her friend,
she laid him out so that the wound would be accessible. 
Removing the makeshift bandage, she saw clearly for the
first time the wound on his shoulder.  In the light of the
campfire, she saw that it wasn't as bad as she had first
thought.  The wound was clean and didn't look like it
reached any organs or pierced deep enough to damage bone,
but in her hasty escape, despite her care, the wound had
begun to bleed slowly again.  

	'I've never seen purple blood before,' she thought
wryly to herself as she cleaned the wound.  Using a stack
of clean, white cloth she pulled from her cache, she
carefully wiped away all the blood.  As she gently removed
the clotted blood, she could see the wound visibly
knitting itself back together.  'Hmm, it looks like
Azure's taking care of himself.  Or maybe that healing
spell is working.'

	Azure stirred as the cold water brought him to slow
consciousness.  <Ow,> he moaned.  <What happened?>

	Greatly relieved that her familiar was well enough to
speak, Raeni weakly joked, "Ha, it looks like I'm not the
only one who gets hurt."  Then throwing her arms around
him, being careful to avoid the wound, she whispered in
his perked ears, "I'm glad you're all right", as a tear
slipped free.

	Straightening up and flipping the tear away, she
commanded, "You didn't see that.  Let me finish bandaging
you up.  So don't move."  After that, she worked in
silence, cleaning and then finally binding the wound, this
time with a real bandage pulled from her pouch.  She had
paused mysteriously once during the cleaning, but she
finished quickly, saying, "You look pretty good, Azure. 
You should be up and about soon, I think, from what I saw
of your regeneration."

	Standing up, she gathered up all of the used,
bloodied towels as well as her bloodied shirt.  In picking
up her shirt, she realized that her top was still bare. 
Blushing a little and feeling self-conscious, she chanted,
"Uir Regalis," conjuring up a shirt from her endless
store.  Feeling a little better, she picked up one of the
used towels and waved it in front of Azure's nose.

	"Hey, Azure," she pointed out, "look at your blood." 
She gleefully waved the purple encrusted rag at her
familiar.  Grinning, she said, "Now it really looks like I
can't call you Azure anymore.  You're purple inside AND
out."

	In a pained tone, Azure replied, <I thought we
settled this already.  My name is Azure and if you don't
call me that, I won't answer.  Hmmf.>  Azure sniffed
delicately and looked haughtily away.  Glancing back with
twinkling eyes, he added, <Besides, purple is the color of
royalty.  You should bow to me, slave.>

	"I don't think so, Azure," Raeni joked back, happy
that he was feeling well enough to make jokes.  After she
checked once again for any bloodied scraps she might have
missed, she gathered all of the material and made her way
to the fire.  She tossed each piece in, one at a time,
making sure that each burned away completely before
throwing in the next.  The effect of the first piece on
the fire surprised her.  When she had thrown it in, the
fire had roared to life, and while the cloth burned away,
the flames danced with a violet tinge.  Each subsequent
rag had the same effect.

	"Geez, Azure.  Look what you did to the fire.  My
advice would be that you not sleep too closely to any fire
from now on.  You might explode," she said with a smile. 
"Hungry?"

	At his nod, she pulled out a piece of raw meat from
her stores and laid it before him.  "Eat up," she
encouraged him. Pulling out a bowl and filling it with
water, she placed it beside him in case he was thirsty. 
Then she just sat there, hunched over with her knees
clasped to her chest, watching as he ate.

	<And what about you, Raeni?  Aren't you hungry?>
Azure asked her while tearing off chunks of meat from the
slab before him.

	::Not really, Azure.  I've sort of lost my appetite. 
Besides, I have a little pest to deal with,:: she replied
mysteriously.  ::Close your eyes, Azure,:: she told him.

	Puzzled but obeying, her familiar stopped chewing
momentarily and squeezed his eyes shut.

	Raeni, too, closed her eyes, and chanted, "Mirus
Pocanus Miranus," and pointed to something in the woods. 
As she finished her spell, a beam of bright, white light
shot out of her finger and traveling a short distance into
the forest, it exploded silently into a giant ball of
light.  Even with her eyes closed, the light was still
bright enough to temporarily blind her.

	The effect of the light on her target was even more
marked.  Raeni heard something crashing to the ground in
the forest from the direction she felt the intruder
perching.  Smiling with satisfaction as the light died
away, she called out, "I know you're out there!  Come to
the edge of the clearing when your sight clears, but don't
come any closer than that!"

	Muffled crashing answered her call, moving away from
their location.  Shrugging, she said, "Oh well, I guess
he'll be back whenever his sight clears.  Or not.  I don't
care so long's he ain't dangerous."

	***

	Raeni didn't have to wait long for the return of the
stranger.  She sat in meditation, eyes closed, levitating
and facing toward the fire, as she felt his presence in
the woods.  Same aura as before, she was sure, but
approaching from a different direction, this time coming
at her back.  Azure lay across from her on the opposite
side of the fire, the day's events having been too much
for him.  He slept the sleep of the dead.

	The figure crept toward their camp, going from tree
to tree as he got ever closer.  Twenty feet from the edge
of the clearing, the figure paused.  A little worried, but
not showing it, Raeni did a closer scan, checking to make
sure no ranged weapon was being aimed at her back, but she
readied herself to move at a moments notice.  Although she
found several weapons on him, none were currently held in
his hands and trained at her.  Relaxing slightly, she
allowed the stranger to proceed at his own pace.  She
acknowledged to herself that she was dealing with a
skilled woodsman, because, although she had detected him
magically, his silent movement would have caught her
unawares, otherwise.

	Finally, hesitantly, the figure reached the edge of
the clearing.  It was at this point that Raeni slid
herself via levitation around to the opposite side of the
fire, so that she faced the unknown person.  This action
startled the figure but didn't spook him into running.

	Opening her eyes, Raeni saw the figure for the first
time with non-magical eyes.  She wore a hooded cloak,
drawn over her head to cover her face, and it was
definitely a she.  Rounded curves in all the right places
betrayed that fact.  Wearing splotched green and brown
clothes, the figure stood before her, in a stance that
showed her fear of the sorceress, as well as ...
penitence?  A bow slung over her shoulder, and a sword
hung by her side.

	Suspicious of the coincidence, Raeni looked for two
daggers, and she found them tucked neatly in the girl's
boots.  With a voice like fire, she sneered, "So have you
come to hunt me down?  The murderer of your poor, old
mother?"

	Wincing from the words, the girl answered in a small
voice, "Please forgive me, mighty sorceress.  I did not
know that you were a guest of my mother's, and I attacked
you wrongly."  The girl threw herself to her knees and
begged, "Please.  My mother was very angry with me for
attacking you.  Please come back with me to my house,
where she offered you hospitality."  The girl showed
definite unease and fear at Raeni's seemingly casual use
of magic.  Hesitantly, she added, "At the very least,
please let me heal the animal at your feet, since my
thoughtless action caused it injury."

	At this, Raeni's anger erupted, and the fire before
her flared in conjunction.  The other girl cowered in
response.  Raeni yelled in anger, "Azure is not an
animal!"  Her eyes glowed red, too bright to be a
reflection from the fire alone.  She breathed heavily but
soon managed to calm herself.  As did she calm, so did the
fire subside.  Softening her tone slightly, she continued,
"But you didn't know that, so I don't blame you for that
... too much."  The frightened girl winced at the last
part of her statement.  "Come closer and show me your
face."

	The girl slowly rose to her feet and walked ever so
hesitantly toward the fire.  When she was about five feet
away, Raeni called out, "Stop!  That's close enough."  The
girl did.  "Now show me your face."  The girl pulled back
on the hood of her cloak.  Half expecting it but still
somewhat shocked all the same, Raeni stared at the girl as
the features revealed her old friend Ukyou standing before
her.  This time, Ukyou was the right age, about her own,
and ice blue eyes stared fearfully at her.  "Your name?"
she demanded.  "Your mother called you, I think, Euryce?"

	Speaking so softly as to almost not be heard, the
girl answered timidly, "No, milady.  My name is Uerris."

	"Don't move.  I'm coming closer to take a better
look," she commanded Uerris.  The girl flinched as she
floated closer.  Raeni concentrated on the jewel hidden
beneath her shirt while floating slowly around Uerris. 
Throughout the whole time, she felt the gem pull towards
the girl.  Without a doubt, Uerris was Ukyou.  "So you're
the one," Raeni softly said.

	Confused, Uerris asked, "Milady?"

	Floating back to her previous position on the
opposite side of the fire, much to the relief of the girl,
Raeni snapped, "Nothing!"  Her heart still angered, she
continued, "Know this, Uerris.  For now, I'm still very
angry, for the attack upon me and my friend."  She
indicated Azure at her feet.  Her eyes softened as she
continued, "But, it'll pass in time."  'As it must, my
friend, Ucchan,' she added silently.

	Relief evident on her face, the girl hesitantly asked
again, "And my offer of hospitality and the healing?"

	In a wearied voice, Raeni answered, "I'll stay here
for the night.  Give my thanks to your mother, but I am a
stranger to these lands.  I don't feel comfortable staying
with strangers.  And the healing ...  My friend heals well
enough on his own.  He should be fine soon."

	To this, Uerris, with sudden backbone, surprisingly
objected, "But I know the wound I dealt it, er, him, back
outside of my house.  And I saw the wound as you dressed
it!  Surely, such a wound needs attention!"  Suddenly she
remembered her fear and added demurely, "I am sorry,
milady, for my outburst.  It is just that I can not stand
to see anyone, or anything, in pain if I can help."

	Laughing a little, Raeni answered, "That's all right.
Compassion is an endearing trait, but in this case,
uncalled for.  Azure will heal quickly; I saw this myself.
And as for the pain, he should feel none after the herbs
I gave him."  She added after a moment's pause, "Please,
Uerris.  Don't fear me.  My anger will pass.  After that I
should be quite reasonable.  Even ... lovable."  She
smiled as she jokingly said the last, although Uerris
didn't get it.  That out of her system, she continued, "I
will come to town by tomorrow.  Tell your mother that. 
But, for now, go home."

	Not quite reassured, but feeling much better than she
did when she entered the clearing, Uerris bowed in respect
and slowly backed out of the campground.  At the edge of
the clearing, she said, "Please be careful tonight,
milady.  The area has been recently overrun with raiding
orcs, but my family and others have driven them out of the
immediate area.  They might come back."  Turning, she
swiftly disappeared, taking to the treetops as had Raeni
earlier.

	Sure that Uerris had left the area, Raeni said, "Poor
Ucchan.  Alas, I think I scared my cute fiancee out of her
wits."  Feeling guilty, she tried to justify herself, "But
attacking me like that -- and Azure, too!"  She seethed
but quickly brought herself back under control.  Sighing,
she added, "Maybe tomorrow will be better."