Chapter 14 #3
As Layothlee led her toward the troupe, Rylana considered the white-haired female onlooker.
Valesena was slender and leaned on a staff, her face lined with age and a droop to one of her pointed ears.
She was the first elf that Rylana had seen who truly looked old.
Of course, it hadn’t been the grandmas who’d been sent out to battle the joint kingdom troops during the war.
When Valesena lifted her staff and snapped a correction at a youngster who landed awkwardly, Rylana decided she might be old, but she wasn’t infirm.
“Lady Valesena?” Layothlee asked. “Do you have a moment? A visitor to the enclave has a question.”
“I’ve heard about that visitor.” Valesena’s thin white eyebrows twitched.
“I never wanted to be famous,” Rylana murmured.
“Oh, you’re infamous. There’s a difference, girl. What do you want?”
“I’m trying to alleviate the troll-god curse to the city.”
“Are you a priest?”
“I’m a bookkeeper. The curse is affecting our diner’s bottom line.”
“She’s trying to learn about the founding of Tranquility and the period when the new god first came to the world,” Layothlee offered.
“To resolve a troll-god curse?” Valesena asked.
“The person who caused the curse to start—I’m not entirely clear on what he did to accomplish that—seems to want to blackmail the gnome leaders into admitting that the new god is…
might be… a farce.” Even though Rylana had never considered herself a devout follower of any of the gods, she struggled to get the accusation out, feeling it might be blasphemous and she could be struck down by divine magic.
“I gather he thinks he can gain power and prestige for his family through his blackmail, though I’m not sure exactly how.
He hasn’t been as faithful in updating his diary as you’d hope. ”
“This person has unleashed a curse on the entire populace of this area to seek personal gain?” Valesena asked.
“Apparently.”
“He must be human.”
“Goblins would cheerfully do such things as well,” Rylana said.
“Yes, but they don’t keep diaries, preferring instead an oral tradition.” Valesena smirked.
“Fair. Do you know anything about the founding of Tranquility and the new god? If you’re willing to share…
” What could Rylana offer a centuries-old elf who probably only worked for the challenge and satisfaction of molding young people?
“I know the winner of the Golden Whisk cooking competition and founder of the now-famous Dragon Diner. I could finagle a free meal for you and your troupe.”
Rylana expected Valesena to scoff, but she and Layothlee both looked at Jildarin. He now had seven elders around him. One had a pad of paper out and was scribbling something with a pen.
“Since we occasionally get elven clientele with vegetarian preferences, he’s perfecting a coffee-rubbed mushroom dish,” Rylana added. “Or maybe the mushrooms will be crusted. I’m fuzzy on when something is rubbed versus when there’s a crust. I just buy the ingredients and handle the books.”
“Oh, coffee,” Layothlee said with interest.
Valesena snorted softly, but she did not scoff. “I do enjoy excellently sautéed mushrooms, especially when it’s a medley of many kinds. There are a variety of species that proliferate in this climate, as I recall.”
“The morels should be coming out now,” Layothlee said. “Oh, and I saw some orc-hats growing alongside the road on the way here.”
Valesena gazed thoughtfully at Rylana. Contemplating coffee-rubbed mushrooms? Or whether she would help an infamous human?
“Having an active curse on the opening night of our performance could result in injuries to my troupe,” Valesena said, “if not the burning down of the entire venue. The troll gods are not to be trifled with.”
“There have already been some fires in town,” Rylana said. “A new-god temple went up in flames.”
“I don’t doubt it. But… Listen, girl. The knowledge you seek could be personally dangerous for you to acquire, in addition to shattering your lifelong beliefs. Do you worship the new god?”
“When I was a girl and my mother was alive, she took us to the new-god temple across the lake for services, but… after she passed, Father didn’t bother.
He was always too busy working, and when I, uhm, served in the south, the human god—Losan—was more commonly worshiped.
We had a chaplain who chanted prayers over us when we were injured and in the evenings before battles read aloud passages from his holy book. ”
“It sounds like you hold your beliefs loosely.”
“I guess.” Rylana shrugged.
“Come with me, then, if you like. And I’ll tell you a story.”
Before following, Rylana checked again on Jildarin and his growing collection of elders.
She was tempted to wave for him to extricate himself and come join her, but he might be gaining information that would be important.
Of course, when he met her gaze, he looked more beleaguered than enlightened.
She held up a finger and pointed to indicate she would go with Valesena, though it occurred to her that leaving Jildarin’s sight while in the enclave might not be wise.
Nonetheless, the possibility that she might learn a profound truth made her walk after Valesena.
As the elder led her away from the practicing troupe, Rylana noticed the guards at the archway and the two elves who’d escorted Rylana and Jildarin to the enclave all watching her. The escort, she noted, had removed the tranquility ribbons from their weapons and were fingering their bows.
“Hopefully, this isn’t a mistake,” she murmured to herself.