Chapter 19 The Journey Ahead
This time, when Rowena opened her eyes, she found herself moving beneath a thick canopy of trees, and not just mangroves, either. She raised her head and realized she was in the arms of the Dissolver, who stopped in his tracks the moment he saw her face.
"Rowena! You are awake!" He exclaimed excitedly.
Hearing the boy's words from the front of the pack, Gareth spun around and all but threw the elf he had been carrying on his shoulder.
Silverfox's still, sleeping body fell to the ground with a thud as Gareth hurried to Rowena.
The Dissolver set her on the ground and Gareth helped her sit up, immediately offering her a drink of water.
Rowena took only a few small sips, noticing that the canteen was almost completely empty.
"It is alright. Finish it." Gareth said gently.
She held his gaze for only a second, feeling relieved to see him in better condition, then tore her eyes away, reminding herself of her resolve. Reluctantly, she finished the last of the water then took a moment to examine their surroundings.
"We are still in the swamp." She rasped.
"Yes." Zephyrah said, joining them with a smile, "But we must be nearer to Tide Gate now. The forest is not nearly so dense."
The Dissolver blurted excitedly over the others, unable to contain himself. "Rowena! I can channel the Ancient Power now! I wish you had seen. I killed so many Gremlins!"
Rowena managed a weak laugh, and looked to the others, expecting to see rolling eyes or shaking heads. But to her surprise, they only smiled and nodded, confirming his claims.
"You—He can?" She asked incredulously.
Zephyrah smiled, "Yes. He is quite skilled. We are very proud of him."
"How long have I been asleep?"
"Two days! I thought you would never wake up." The Dissovler said.
Rowena could barely believe it had been so long. She drew a deep breath and tried to stand, wincing at the stiffness of her limbs.
"Here, let me help you." Gareth said, gently taking her hand.
Rowena snatched it away from him, more rapidly than she had intended.
"No—I—I am fine." She murmured, not meeting his eyes.
When she was back on her feet, she teetered and her legs shook, but she refused to accept help from anyone. She staggered weakly for several paces, then her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground.
"Rowena, please," Gareth urged, crouching beside her, "Just rest here for a moment. Get your bearings. I will go try to find you something to eat."
She opened her mouth to object, but he was already walking away, followed by the Dissolver.
"But—What about the elf?" Zephyrah called after them, but they ignored her, disappearing into the trees.
Zephyrah sighed, then knelt and gently rolled Silverfox onto his back. Rowena limped to join her, curiously eyeing the unconscious stranger.
"Who is this?" Rowena asked, crouching down beside them.
Zephyrah shook her head slowly, "We are unsure. He gave us an alias when he helped us escape the prison."
Rowena raised a brow, "He helped you? Then why are his hands in shackles behind his back?"
Zephyrah paused, shifting uncomfortably, "Gareth feels he may be untrustworthy. He appears to have a connection with the General and Tide Gate, though we do not know the nature of those connections."
Rowena considered this, gently brushing his dark hair away from his brow, "He is quite..."
Zephyrah blurted, "I know. He is handsome, is he not?"
Rowena gasped, jerking her hand away, her face flushing as she stammered, "I-I meant to say pallid."
Zephyrah's face became just as red as Rowena's. "Oh—right—I only meant..." She trailed off, glancing away.
Rowena gulped, her face growing warmer as she examined his features. "I suppose... He is handsome—but—" she cleared her throat, attempting to refocus the conversation, "His complexion. Is he ill?"
Zephyrah sheepishly shook her head, "I do not believe so. He was like this before, and he seemed well enough then."
Rowena considered this, noting the deep gouges and dried blood stains across his dark, leather chest armor.
She murmured, "He is injured... Is it his wounds? Will he survive?"
Zephyrah hesitated a moment before admitting, "I am unsure of the extent of his injuries. Gareth has not allowed me to look at them, or heal him. But I am beginning to worry, since he has been asleep since the fortress."
Rowena gasped, "That is absurd! If he helped you escape, then you must do something to help him in return."
Zephyrah glanced around nervously, "Well, perhaps... Since Gareth is not here... But first, we must remove his armor..." She gulped, feeling suddenly nervous as she reached for the buckles of his armor, then froze and yanked her hands back.
"You do it." She whispered, her eyes wide.
"M-me?" Rowena stammered, recoiling, "Why me?"
"Because it is your idea," Zephyrah murmured shyly.
Rowena blushed as she glanced again at the sleeping elf. "Perhaps we should do it together?" She suggested.
Zephyrah nodded, then the two of them awkwardly removed his leather armor, peeling it back to reveal his torn, bloody shirt beneath.
"I suppose we should..." Rowena mumbled, gesturing for Zephyrah to unclasp the buttons of his shirt.
Zephyrah reluctantly obeyed, fumbling clumsily with the buttons until finally yanking the shirt open.
Zephyrah and Rowena gasped, staring down in a mixture of awe, confusion, and embarrassment. His lean, muscled physique appeared to be in perfect condition, with no sign of a wound... or even a blemish.
They were so taken aback that they did not notice the elf's eyes flutter open or when he lifted his head and eyed them curiously.
He raised his brow and murmured sleepily, "Do you like what you see, ladies?"
Zephyrah and Rowena jolted, shrieking loudly and reeling back, their faces awash with both horror and embarrassment.
Silverfox chuckled, flashing a crooked grin, "Would you believe this is not the first time this has happened to me? Although..." He twisted his wrists in the cuffs and shifted uncomfortably, "The restraints are a nice touch."
His eyes flicked between them, his brow still raised as he waited for an explanation, but Zephyrah and Rowena remained frozen, speechless with jaws slack and cheeks bright red.
Silverfox sighed, then eased himself up, slumping upright with a pained groan.
Then he cocked his head and managed a weak, but charming grin, "Not that I am objecting to—whatever this is—, but I would appreciate it if you released me now.
It is nothing personal, of course." His arresting, silver eyes darted to Zephyrah, "It is just that I am not inclined to indulge in...
interspecies relations—least not with beast races—you understand. "
Then he turned to Rowena, eyeing her up and down with pleasant surprise, "On second thought... You look as though you have a dark streak. If the restraints were your idea, then by all means, please continue."
Rowena's embarrassment disappeared in an instant, drowned out by a flash of anger as she snapped, "Excuse me, sir! How dare you speak to me as if--"
But before she could finish scolding the brazen elf, Gareth and the Dissolver bounded through the tree line, crashing through the brush with weapons drawn, searching wildly for the source of their screams.
Gareth froze, nearly dropping his sword at the sight before him. His wide eyes bounced between Rowena and Zephyrah's flushed faces, then to Silverfox in his partial state of undress.
He stammered, "W-what—what is happening here?"
Rowena blurted, "Gareth, this is not what it looks like!" but Silverfox cut her off.
With a perfectly straight face, he replied, "I believe I was getting a warm welcome—that is, until you came and spoiled it."
"We were tending his wounds!" Rowena protested, scrambling to her feet and backing away from the elf.
Silverfox feigned surprise, glancing down with mock concern. "Injured? My dear, if you want him to believe that, you might have tried a bandage. Now it is obvious you just needed an excuse to look."
Gareth growled, "Do you think you are funny, elf?"
He snickered, "Not at all. Though, I find your frustration slightly amusing."
Gareth shot Zephyrah an accusing glare. "I told you—this elf cannot be trusted."
"He helped us!" Zephyrah shot back.
"He helped himself," Gareth spat.
Rowena interjected, "Maybe we should let him speak for himself."
Silverfox chirped, "Oh, there is no need. He is right." Then, with a pained stretch, he rose to his feet.
Zephyrah eyed him, baffled. "What are you saying?"
He shrugged. "I saw an opportunity. Gaining your trust was simply a means to an end. And thanks to all of you, I am alive and free of that wretched place. My plan has paid off handsomely—save for these restraints, of course."
Gareth removed the ornate scabbard that he had been carrying and shoved it into Rowena's hands, stepping toward Silverfox with narrowed eyes. "I would still like to know how you ended up in the dungeon to begin with."
"Perhaps I will tell you, but first—" Silverfox leapt, twisting his cuffed arms beneath his legs and swinging them forward.
He landed lightly, extending his wrists, his eyes meeting Rowena's before flicking momentarily to the weapon in her hands.
With a sly smile, he continued, "Release me.
And, if it is not too much trouble, I would also like my crossbows back. "
Rowena shrank back, and Gareth stepped between them, crossing his arms. "I would sooner kill you than see you walking free."
"Except you will not kill me, will you?" Silverfox challenged, "I know how this works. You would not go to the trouble of keeping me prisoner if you did not want something from me. Information—answers that I might be inclined to give... for the right price. As a start, you can release me."
Gareth scoffed, "Do you really believe you hold the upper hand?"
Silverfox smiled, "I know I do."
Then he gestured to Rowena again, holding out his cuffed hands expectantly, "Now, if you please..."
Rowena recoiled in confusion.
Silverfox pressed, "Well? You do have the key, do you not?"
She glanced nervously at Gareth, who sighed and pulled the elf's lock picks from his pocket, handing them over reluctantly.
The elf cocked an eyebrow at Rowena. "Oh—seems I misjudged you, little mouse. That does not happen often."
Rowena noticed as his eyes flicked quickly again to the weapon before he snatched the picks from Gareth and swiftly unlocked the shackles, rubbing his wrists as the chains clattered to the ground.
"Start talking, elf. How did you end up in that prison?" Gareth demanded.
Silverfox's lips curled into a faint, unreadable smile.
"Work, of course. I was hired to locate a certain person of particular interest, and I have a knack for finding people who do not wish to be found.
The trail led me into the swamp—though I admit, I had not expected to find a fortress... or such inhospitable hosts."
"Who was this person you were tracking? Who hired you?" Gareth pressed.
"Forgive me, but discretion is part of the job— you understand."
"What are you? A bounty hunter?" Rowena asked uneasily.
"No, nothing as self-righteous as that. I prefer to think of myself as a facilitator of difficult solutions. Or rather— an assassin. It has a better ring to it, do you not agree?"
Gareth's eyes narrowed. "You are a mercenary, then? From Tide Gate?"
Silverfox's expression soured. "Tide Gate? No, absolutely not. It has been years since I stepped foot in that wretched city."
"The General seemed to recognize you. If I am not mistaken, he referred to you as something—the Ghoul of Tide Gate? Sounds like there was a lot of history between you."
"Ghost. And yes. He was one of the many, more irritating reasons I have never returned."
"Are you quite familiar with Tide Gate?" Gareth asked, hopeful.
"Familiar with it?" Silverfox snickered, "You haven't the faintest idea... There was a time I knew every inch of that city by heart. Both above ground and in its underbelly. But that was long ago, hardly of consequence now."
Gareth and Zephyrah exchanged glances, as if knowing what the other was thinking.
"Do you know of a way to enter the city without being seen?" Zephyrah asked cautiously.
Silverfox smirked, "There are many more ways than just one."
She gently pressed him, "Do you think you might... Could you take us there?"
The elf threw his head back and laughed dryly, but the next second, his face became ice-cold. "No."
"But—please—you do not understand—" She blurted, but he cut her off.
"I do not need to. There is nothing you could say that will ever persuade me to enter that city again.
" He began fastening his still open shirt.
"In fact, I can see where this is going, and I have no further interest in remaining here any longer.
You may keep my crossbows. I will purchase new ones when I find a town. "
He turned on his heels to leave, but Rowena called after him, "Wait! You—you said you are a mercenary. That means you can be bought."
He turned and smirked, his eyes flicking to Gareth amusingly before settling back on Rowena, "Are you offering an exchange of services? As tempting as that is, I must respectfully decline. I am only interested in gold, and my price is far higher than you could afford."
Rowena curled her lip, but fought through her disdain and said through gritted teeth, "Name your price."
"You cannot be serious." He said, his eyes narrowing as the corners of his lips turned up slightly.
"How much?" She demanded.
His eyes flashed as he approached her slowly, then with a triumphant grin, he murmured, "Alright. I will take you into the city, but it will cost you... this."
Rowena gasped as he pointed at the weapon in her hands and raised his brow.
"That is my price, and the only way you will get into Tide Gate."