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She’s already shown me the path back to the village, but I keep very careful track of every landmark along the path. Even though I know it won’t happen, I can’t stop imagining returning to the forest and not being able to find her little hideout again. The idea of losing her over something as silly as not being able to follow a path worries me, no matter how inane I know the concern is.
What would Zalith say of all this? He knows what it is to care for a human, and for that feeling to matter more than its consequences. But does that mean he’d accept my affection for Lorelai? Would Zalith even trust someone like Lorelai?
I wish he and Rory were there with me to tell me. But they aren’t. I have to manage this myself. I have to make my own judgment.
And my judgment is that I’m falling for Lorelai. She seems to be a valuable ally, but even more valuable as a woman. We’ll deal with Kriseri together. And then…
I don’t know what a life with her will look like after we’ve defeated our common enemy. She may not return these feelings yet, but she will. She’s mine, whether she knows it or not. We’ll make something, I tell myself, a life where there is no more of this separation. Somehow or another, we will.
But I’m also concerned that we won’t. That once we defeat the King, we’ll become enemies, or worse, strangers. She is mine, I feel it in my bones, but I have no desire to be yet another naga to force a human woman into submission who doesn’t want it. Maybe that’s another reason I didn’t want to come to the inn. As long as I was recovering with her, I didn’t have to worry about that. Now, all of it returns to haunt me.
The trees start to separate, and the gates of the village appear in the distance. I quickly run through the path I’ve just walked in my head. I can refind it again. With that, I enter the village once more.
Almost immediately, I see a naga kicking a human slave for dropping something. The human has dropped onto the ground and is making no attempt to defend himself. Clearly, he knows that it will only make his owner angrier.
For a moment, I want to leap in and show the naga what it’s like to fight someone who can fight back. But I can’t.
I wonder whether Lorelai would have stepped in, or whether she would have walked past the same way I did.
There’s something bigger to fight for here than my loyalty to Zalith. I’m glad to have Lorelai with me, to push me to fight it more directly.
I walk into the inn and go directly to the innkeeper, who’s tending the stew on the fire.
“Smells good,” I say. “Tonight’s dinner?”
She turns to me, obviously surprised to hear my voice. “Why, Mr. Slyf! You’re back! I was beginning to wonder if I should relet the room!”
“I hope you didn’t,” I say. The slight variation on my name is something of a calling card for me. It makes me happy to think that people almost know me, but not quite. “I was just seeing if there were sales to be made in the next town to the east. Unfortunately, it took me longer to get rid of my wares than I expected.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay.” She smiles. “I’ve heard there are rumors of worg attacks in those woods!”
I can’t resist smiling at that. “Nothing so exciting in my journeys, I’m afraid. Any letters for me?”
“Well, now that you mention it, there was one…”
She runs up the stairs. A few seconds later, she returns bearing a dusty, brown letter, folded and sealed very carefully. I recognize that seal well. It’s Zalith’s unofficial seal, the one he uses in secret communications.
I smile politely, explain that it’s from one of my suppliers, and retreat up into my room to read it. It’s written in cipher, one I’ve learned to read almost as quickly as plain text.
Some of Kriseri’s forces have slipped past us. We have a confirmed sighting of them in Jalma. It’s clear they’re heading for Lodra. The war is about to be brought to our homeland. I ask that you return to Lodra as quickly as possible in order to lend her your force and wisdom.
The note is signed by both Zalith and Rory. I can’t tell from the handwriting or wording which of them actually wrote it.
This changes everything. I have to return to Lodra now. But what do I do about Lorelai? I won’t leave her, I can’t. I’m falling for her, and I have to believe that if Zalith and Rory knew that, they wouldn’t ask me to abandon her.
I stand up and pace the small, dusty room.
There’s only one answer. She’ll have to come with me to Lodra. But I’m even less sure that I can convince her of that. She has no stake in saving Lodra. All she wants to do is kill the King. The only thing that could possibly persuade her to come with me to fight this battle would be the potential violence that could follow, or perhaps her feelings for me.
But what are her feelings for me, truly? How strong are they? Can they match her dedication to revenge?
I can’t hide this from her. I need to go back and talk to her about it. Maybe she’ll surprise me. Maybe we’ll find some other compromise I can’t think of. Or maybe…
I don’t want to think about that.
I say goodbye to the innkeeper as I head out and assure her that I’ll be back shortly. With that, I go back through the gates and start on the path through the forest back to her dugout.
As I get closer, I slow down. The last time I walked through these woods, I wanted her to notice me, to draw her out. Now I sincerely wonder if I can sneak up on her. It’s certainly a worthy test of my abilities.
