Derash Outlands
“Should we go into town and look for Mavrik or should we wait?” Mada asked Lon.
“And risk missing each other. We should wait. Derash keep is much bigger than Tamrip keep.”
“But we could be waiting for hour spans! One of us should go and look for them and the other stays with the karakee.”
Mada was eager to see the attractions of Daresh keep during the day. But could not in good sense leave Lon alone with the karakee. How much was taming and how much was the control she still held its mind that kept it calm she did not know. Even more important there was a mystic out here who was trying to hurt Lon or all of them.
Had it been her display last night that had drawn this mystic to them? She was sure it was. This was going to be difficult. She had never encountered a hostile person or mystic before. But then Sar was the only mystic she had ever met.
Lon did not want them to separate for fear of leaving her alone with Cas-hé.
“Then we should go together.”
“If we both leave the others could come back.”
“If the others come back and only find one of us here it still requires more walking and searching.”
“Yet looking for them could save us a lot of time. We could leave sooner Lon!”
Leaving Derash keep and warlord Cas-hé sounded very good to Lon.
“Very well,’ Lon agreed, ‘You go and I…”
“No! I mean I would rather stay here with the karakee.”
That just would not do. Leave her alone with a strange man on the Derash outskirts. True it was partly jealousy and possessiveness but also practicality. There were no people around. Even Cas-hé’s men were gone. Who would come to her aid should anything happen?
“Okay I will go’ Lon said smiling at Mada, and turning to Cas-hé, I have a favour to ask of you, if you are able and… willing.”
“Cas-hé was more than willing. He was sure Lon was going to ask him to stay and protect his sister. He would get to be alone with her and win over her rather oddly protective brother.
“I am free at the moment. I am at your service.”
“Thank you. But you do not even know what it is I want.” Lon said evenly but growing all the more suspicious of Cas-hé and liking him even less.
“No no I am happy to help any way I can.” Cas-hé said happily.
“Very well. Thank you again. We should move closer to the keep and I was hoping that maybe you,’ looking at Cas-hé, ‘could help me look for the others.”
“Me. Help you…, oh, ah, ah, oh, okay.” Cas-hé stammered.
Mada barely stifled a giggle upon seeing the look on Cas-hé’s face. It was all Lon could do to suppress a smile himself.
Ha! Lon thought, he had hoped to be left alone with Mada. Not on his watch he would not.
“This is a fantastic idea Lon. Thank you Cas-hé. Remind Mavrik about a carriage or something and please hurry.”
And so they made their way into the keep proper. Cas-hé left his trat with Mada. She was left alone scanning the area. She soon gave it up as the place was full of people and their thoughts. All that mattered right now was to get as far away as possible from Derash keep and who ever had entered Lon’s mind.
Should the person follow she wondered if she had it in her to fight. She had never used her power to harm another person. Would she have it in her to kill if it came to that? She was who she was and she rather liked herself. She feared she would not walk away from this unchanged. If only Sar were there. She had to discover the source of the threat first, if it really was a threat, before she called on Sar.
Sar was a dryad and they liked their privacy. She would not risk bringing Sar into the open for nothing.