"You’re early,” Maxine observed Mortimer with a yawn. Her Barghest companion loyally trotted at her side. "You do know there’s no light to waste during Cylus?”
”No light to waste, but there is time to,” the dying man countered cautiously. He smiled at her arrival. ”I admit I was afraid you’d be a no show.”
"Told you,” Max reminded him with a shrug. "I ain’t got shit else to do. This one mine?”
”Aye.”
The horse of muddled color Mortimer hoisted himself up onto stamped its feet. Beside it stood a dark horse. It looked down at Maxine with its beady eyes, snorting at the sight of Maith.
”Belongs to the stables here. A rental. If I can’t, be a good woman and return them for me?”
"Uh-huh.”
Both of these could fetch a fair coin. I could get another couple season’s of fun fencing these.
”Right then! I’ve got us all packed.”
Mortimer gestured to the saddle bags and bed rolls neatly tucked behind the saddle seats. Max raised a brow at him. She popped the saddle bag of her horse, peering inside and rifling around with her hand. Her new mount didn’t seem to mind. Mortimer sat proudly on his own.
”Dried meats, fruit, the whole lot. Extra layers for when we hit the cold, and plenty of water for when we hit the heat. Couple bottles for a good night, too.”
"Hm.”
”What do we think?”
"Looks good to me. Should we get ahead of Vri then?”
”Nothing would make me happier.”
Max reached up for the saddle horn and tugged herself up. Once she was seated she got a good grip on the reins and steered the animal in place a bit, getting a feel for the new companion. He seemed to listen and Mortimer was already starting down the path to exit the city. Max gave a whistle and Maith bounded beside them.
Most of the riding was in silence. Mortimer had a big beaming smile painted on his face. Maxine seemed to zone out on the path ahead, occasionally bringing the flagon of rum to her lips. Neither of them seemed to mind the biting chill that stirred outside their coats, but the resilience came from very different places.
It wasn’t until Korlasir was well behind them and the journey was truly afoot that Mortimer broke the proverbial ice.
”You know I was born and raised in the city,” he pointed out, peering over at the rider beside him politely. ”I can’t quite place your accent on the other hand.”
"No one can,” Max replied stiffly. "I get told I have an accent everywhere I go.”
”Oh? Why is that? Aren’t you from anywhere?”
"Not really. I’ve moved around so much my whole life, for as long as I can remember.”
”But you’re from somewhere.”
"I’m not from anywhere.”
”Everyone is born somewhere.”
"I don’t know where I was born.”
”Not even the region?”
"Not a single fucking clue.”
”Your parents?”
"Nope. Don’t know a thing about them.”
”Really just popped into existence, did ya?”
"Feels that way.”
”A blessing.”
"A curse, I assure you.”
Mortimer chuckled. He looked down to find Maith continuing to trot behind the horses, tongue still lolling like he was enjoying the adventure as much as the sick man. His attention moved from the ever elated Barghest to its darker partner.
”Do you care?” Mortimer stole a glance as he began to pose his questions. ”That you don’t know where you come from?”
Max looked at him and scoffed. She took another sip from the flagon. Something told her there wasn’t going to be enough rum in Idalos for this trip.
"No,” Maxine answered finally, perhaps forcefully.
”Come on…”
"I was passed around a bunch of orphanages and homes growing up, Mortimer. I never saw a kid that was better off for torturing themselves over who their birth parents were, where they were, and what reason or lack there of there was for them not being around.”
”Fair point.”
"I hope they’re dead.”
”Do you mean that?”
"Wouldn’t change my circumstances one bit, would it?”
”Harsh, but probably true. I dunno. I had a lot of questions about myself growing up. Y’know, the whole ‘who am I’ or ‘why am I like this’ type of nonsense. Sometimes when I looked back at where I came from, and who I came from, it helped explain some things about me.”
"Lucky you.”
”You never wonder that? That knowing who they were, where you come from, and what they were like might inform you about yourself?”
"Figure there’s no point. I am what I am. I can wish and want, but I don’t think there’s a mortal explanation for the questions I have about me, who I am, and where I come from.”
”You’re not one to be slowed down by sentiment, are you?”
Max laughed darkly at that. She shook her head and glanced about the tree line behind the road they rode on.
"Were that the truth…”
The road immediately out of Raskalarn’s seat was easy. Far too easy. Max was not sorry for it. It beat the road in from Rharne, between the corpse forest and the bandits. She could see feel the ache of her wound hidden beneath bandages and clothes.
It would be some time before the going got tougher. She expected the closer they got to the Volcanic Range the more interesting things would get on this ride toward the sea. Until then she enjoyed the peace of a well-protected countryside.
”Here we are!”
Maxine looked at Mortimer in the dark, her expression growing a bit bewildered. She tugged at the reins to bring her stallion to a halt while his crossed in front of her. Without a bit of explanation Mortimer veered them off the beaten path down a hill toward a small home with smoke wafting from its chimney.
Mortimer brought them right to the front door just about. He bounded off his horse like a younger, healthier man and set to hitching both their mounts before Max was even off hers. He whistled, grinning with a glee she hadn’t explained quite yet. Maith looked up at him, head tilted but matching the energy per usual.
”Jae!” Mortimer called out, using the knocker on the wooden front door of the sleepy abode. ”Jae! It’s Morty!”
The door burst open, light flooding out to envelop the strangers standing outside in the Cylus dark. A small, skinny figure stood in the doorway. He all but launched himself forward with such ferocity Maxine nearly decked him.
”Morty!” Jae exclaimed as the pair embraced. He released the sick man and stood back, getting a look at him. ”I got your letter! We’re so pleased! Come, come!”
Jae ushered the pair inside. Max awkwardly stepped in at Mortimer’s heels and Maith was quick at hers. Jae didn’t seem to mind the imperial Barghest in his home, and his attention was quickly occupied elsewhere.
”Mia!” Jae called out before a slender woman with round cheeks poked her head out from the kitchen. Jae gestured to the travelers. ”Our guests are here! Morty and…”
”Max,” Mortimer whispered.
”…Max! They came hungry I’m sure!”
”We’ve plenty,” Mia assured him. While Jae led the pair hastily to seats at their table, Mia was already placing bowls of hot stew and bread in front of them. ”Eat, eat!”
”Mort, it is so great to see you, old friend,” Jae admitted with a hand on his seated friend’s shoulder. ”Truly. I feel honored you came this way.”
”Like I said in my letters,” Mortimer reminded him. ”It was about time I left the city and saw something. Even if I only manage to lay eyes on your lovely little home here.”
”Ah, you dog! You flatter us!”
”No kids?”
”Jenny is in school at Viden. We miss her but we are proud.”
”As you should!”
”This your guide?”
"She is,” Max answered with the spoon in her hand digging into the hearty meal.
”Not quite what I expected,” Jae admitted.
"That right?”
”Don’t misunderstand, I just figured he’d have more than one body with him. This isn’t the kindest season after all.”
"Right.”
”This the type of one that grows on ya, Morty?”
”Er, something of the sort,” Mortimer shrugged and started shoveling the food into his mouth like it was his final meal.
Mia poured wine into their cups. Max had alcohol past her lips no sooner than the last drop fell into the container. Mia watched with a raised brow but was quickly enamored by the Barghest staring up at her. Maith was won over with some pets and well deserved attention.
”You’re a little later than expected so we already ate,” Jae admitted sheepishly. ”We got the fire going and brought some extra chairs out. You two enjoy while we freshen up. We’ll enjoy some glasses together and we’ll have you set up by the fire for the evening.”
”That sounds just great, Jae, thank you,” Mortimer bowed his head in thanks.
"Yeah,” Max tried on her manners hat, following Mortimer’s lead. "Thank you. Everything is very good.”
You two are more than welcome,” Jae said earnestly. He took his wife’s head and the pair vanished to clean the kitchen, gather some linens for their guests, and change their clothes from the trial.
Max looked over at Mortimer. The man smiled guiltily and shrugged his shoulders.
"Could’ve mentioned the planned stop,” Max pointed out while she popped a heavy spoonful of warm food in her mouth.
”Aye, sorry,” Mortimer decided to relent with raised palms. ”A last minute thing. Jae and Mia were always good to me growing up. When they moved out here to farm and work the land, I only saw Jae when he came into town for business. Thought now is as good a time as ever. While there’s any left.”
"It’s fine. Figure I’m not mad about a comfortable place to sleep before that’s over.”
”We covered good ground to-trial. Figure we might as well have someone else to chat up before it’s just the two of us, too. They’re good folks.”
"It’s your last ride, Mortimer. I’m just here to walk your horse on.”
”Thank you.”
Maith chomped noisily on the bread Max was feeding him from the table. Before long, after she cleaned up what she could from her second helping, she eased the bowl down and let him have a proper meal. Mortimer laughed quietly from across the table and shook his head. Max smirked, putting a finger to her lips while Jae and Mia’s muffled voices could be heard behind a door.
The pair could feel the weight of the first riding trial beginning to fall on them. Their stomachs were full. The horses were hitched. Even Maith was yawning from where he loyally sat beside Maxine. They cleaned their plates and took their drinks to meet Jae and Mia in chairs before the fireplace.
Continued here.
Dialogue|Thoughts
