Learn ducked into the thicket of trees, panting, lungs burning. He wasn’t dull enough to believe that he had really managed to evade the man who was tailing him, but he had bought several moments. He was using them to frantically plan.
Who was after him? Why were they after him? He didn’t have anything of value on him. Hell, he didn’t even have enough food to see out the rest of the week.
In all likelihood, the person chasing him was doing so because he was an orc. Disappointing, but not unexpected. People were very closed-minded, in his experience. That meant that Learn would have an advantage in a hand-to-hand fight, though. Orcs were generally stronger than the smallfolk.
He looked around for any advantages he could see, the rustling getting closer. There! A low-hanging branch, thick and covered in vines. Learn grabbed it with both arms, pulling it back tight.
He waited for a count of three breaths, forearms bulging with the effort he was putting forth. As the rustling came to a stop, Learn breathed out and released; the branch flew forward with a snapping no
Perfect. He had hit. He came around, fists up, ready to fight. But the person, a shortish, thick human with a scraggly beard, did not rise. There was a large gash on the human’s forehead from where the branch had hit. Learn looked down with a bloody rush of red satisfaction, and an even larger rush of discomfort.
Awash in shame, he squatted to the ground and rifled through the human’s possessions for anything he could take. He checked the man’s pulse; alive, but barely, and he would have one hell of a headache when he arose.
The man had a satchel full of copper coins, a short knife strapped to one hip, and a skin of water. Learn took these, and continued on his way, hoping that there would be a time when he didn’t have to use brute force to get what he wanted.
Learn waited patiently until the woman had left the area, tracking her with his eyes. When he was certain that she had gone — as certain as he could be under the circumstances, he got up and went to one of the nearby restaurants, in an alleyway just off of the square. He pulled out one of the small chairs and forced himself into it, wincing as the arms bit into his sides.
He ordered a drink from the nervous waiter, a young human, balding, who had been given the unfortunate task of taking care of the orc, and paid the human in full, with a hefty sum extra. Then he waited. Sipped at his drink. It was fruity and sweet, and he wasn’t sure if he liked it or not. Too much sugar, he decided.
Finally, Celeste approached, Lgthpt dangling from her shoulder like a length of chain, long bony arms flapping in the wind. The goblin had grown out her short shock of hair since Learn had seen her last; it was now long enough to pull back into two uneven tails that stuck up and brushed Celeste’s cheek.
“Sorry, big guy. Had to make sure that she was really gone.” Celeste sat at the free chair, crossing one leg lazily over the other. She reached for the drink, and looked at Learn. He shrugged and shoved it toward her with one finger. May as well have someone enjoy it.
The goblin scampered over the table and perched in front of Learn. He grinned and patted the goblin on the head; lightly, she was tiny compared to him.
“She knows more than she should,” Learn started. “Things she shouldn’t be able to know.” He surprised himself with how outraged he felt; she had violated his privacy severely. It was something he hadn’t even noticed himself beginning to grow used to. His quarters were his alone — sacred, untouched. She came in without his permission, learned things he was not comfortable sharing; then threatened to spread them publicly. He clenched his fist, and took a deep, calming breath.
“She probably has a Command,” Celeste answered. “They’re rare, but not that rare. The last census of the Hawks showed that one in ten ensigns knew their Command. We think that holds true for Shrike’s population at large.”
“But not sure?”
“But we’re not sure.” the slight human acquiesced. She held her hand out, palm down, on the table, and Lgthpt scampered up and onto her shoulder. “So what is she holding against you?”
Learn pursed his lips, wishing – not for the first time – that he had his tusks. It was so hard to properly form expressions without them. He didn’t know whether he could trust Celeste — she clearly had secrets. He could be fairly certain the goblin would be trustworthy; if nothing else, she would either not pay attention, or she would forget shortly after.
He didn’t think he had another choice.
“Orcs are coming to Shrike.” He admitted. “For me.”
There was a long, strung-out moment of silence.
“For… for you?” Celeste asked. Learn nodded.
“Father wants me back. Can be… insistent. Don’t trust this woman, but seemed to know that.” He was tense, nervous. He noticed that he was gripping the arm of his chair tightly, the cracks in his skin pulling tight around his knuckles. He forced himself to relax, clasping his hands together.
“Well, I don’t mean to brag, but we’ve dealt with a band or two of orcs before. Shrike isn’t exactly a small target.” Celeste bragged. “The Hawks are prepared for a raiding party, or two, or even three. Besides, they have no claim on you. Once you’re an apprentice in the Forum, that outweighs every other consideration.”
Learn hadn’t actually learned the rule until about a week into his apprenticeship. People with Satisfaction’s ability were rare, so the city had special accommodations for them; the largest of which was a public wiping of the slate. Apprentices were Mages first and foremost. Minor crimes and misdemeanors were wiped clean, and debts were forgiven in full.
They were even offered a chance to change their name. Learn had chosen not to. His name was important to him, despite the myriad difficulties it caused.
“Don’t think that will hold up,” he said. “What they say, not what they’ll do. But an orc army, coming just for me? All else fails, I’ll go myself. Not worth the bloodshed.”
There was silence for several moments, punctuated by surrounding conversations, chattering people filling the air.
“Listen, big guy. You need help here.” Celeste said. “You asked me to come with you. It sounds a whole lot like you could become the target of something nasty, real fast. Let me get you a watch. Let me post someone to make sure you’re okay.”
Learn didn’t answer. A thought was brewing in his head. He held up a hand, and shook his head.
“Don’t need guarding, not yet. Trust that she won’t tell — she can get more out of me. Won’t stop with this. Problem won’t go away, will only get worse.” He clenched his fist, mouth widening into a tight grimace.
“Don’t follow me.” He said with conviction. “Follow her. Turn it around, make her the target. Find something she doesn’t want known.”
The human and goblin both looked at him with confused expressions.
“Duh!” Lgthpt said. “I sneak and sneak and she won’t be able to find me! Lots of fun, lots of fun.” She chuckled to herself, then clapped.
“…Yeah, Learn. Of course we’re going to tail her. We already have one. Lgthpt volunteered as soon as you came to me last night. She’s real good at it, too.” She patted the goblin’s head, scratching lightly with her fingers. Lgthpt’s face scrunched up in a satisfied expression, a wide smile spreading across her face.
“We managed to get a tail on her before leaving — Reston, one of my best. If she manages to drop them, then we’ll figure it out from there. But we know what she looks like. There are very few Commands that let a person change how they look, and we have regular patrols through the city. When she shows up again, we’ll know.”
It was good, to have a plan. Learn was disappointed that he wasn’t involved in it — aside from enchanting the clothing, of course. He would have to ask Lrfshmn to help with that, or Gawain; the elf was skilled in a way that Learn was scathingly envious of. Everything that Learn had to spend hours practicing, Gawain would be able to do simply, with a wave, a word, and the requisite toll. The only thing Learn wasn’t envious of was the sparkles that erupted whenever Gawain cast; nobody could quite figure out why they happened, though the elf himself claimed it was an inherent part of his calculations.
Lgthpt put her hand on top of his, her long, thin goblin fingers intertwining through several of his. Her other hand came up to his face, and she gave him a gentle pat. Learn flinched slightly before allowing her to continue.
“There, there.” The goblin said, lacking any emotion behind the phrase. Learn couldn’t tell if it was meant in seriousness or not. He looked at Celeste, who was stifling laughter behind her hand across the table.
“Thanks.” Learn said plainly. He wasn’t sure if he was being the target of a joke or not. He didn’t think the goblin would be that harsh. Or that smart, the less charitable part of his brain supplied.
The three sat in silence for some time. It seemed like none of them quite knew how to proceed. Finally, Lgthpt broke the silence.
“I know what you need!” She chirped. “Best! She has good songs that make you happy. Go talk to him, she’s playing music at taverns. He’ll be happy to hear from you.” The words poured out of the goblin’s mouth like smoke, so quickly that Learn could barely keep track.
It took him some time to remember who she was referring to. The elf, from back in the caravan. Of course he would be a performer, here in Shrike.
“Sounds like a good idea,” Learn answered. “Haven’t spoken to Best since we arrived. Good time to catch up.”
Celeste put both hands palm-down on the table and stood. Lgthpt turned and scampered up back onto her shoulder and perched, this time opting to lay across both shoulders, limbs flopping down loosely. She let out a satisfied grunt, and scratched one elbow with her other hand.
“Okay big guy. We have a plan of action. You work on the clothing, we’ll work on catching this woman, whoever she is.” Her face softened. “We’ve got this, Learn. You can trust me. You’ll be fine.”
The pair walked away, and Learn was left sitting in the too-small chair, staring across the table at the empty chair. He stayed until the chill was too much to bear, and when it was, he rose and went to find Best. He didn’t have time to waste.
