Valerien left the fort walls and sank against a tree. Even through his cloak, he could feel the scraping of the bark against the wounds and winced.
That well-meaning fool should have become a butcher instead of a bard.
His fingers burrowed into the wet soil, and soothing energies spread through his limbs and aching back. Closing his burning eyes, he tried to ignore the rain that worked its way through the dense canopy and thought about the barely coherent pieces of information he had gotten from Taran.
None of it made sense.
"Damn you, brother," he whispered, too tired to think straight.
Through the earth, he could feel footsteps approaching and smiled despite himself. There was only one person hot-headed enough to run after him into the rain. Maybe he had thought of a good insulting retort he needed to deliver at once.
However, the voice he heard was not Kirin's, but a much less welcome one.
"Interesting. I've never seen such pure golden energies."
"What do you want, witch?" Valerien asked, without bothering to open his eyes.
"I am a warlock, you know."
"What's the difference?"
"Witches usually only have one kind of power, but all of them are combined in a warlock. There are maybe a handful of my kind in the whole world, and none of them close enough to be of help to you."
"I don't want your help."
"Not even to get your brother back?"
Valerien opened his eyes. The ridiculous little man stood in front of him with his white barrier protecting him from wind and rain. He looked quite smug as he continued,
"From what I pieced together from the prisoners, only someone from your family can open the Veil, and he seems to be under some kind of spell."
"People tend to make up things under torture," Valerien replied coldly.
The warlock narrowed his eyes. "I have no mercy for those who butcher my witches."
Valerien wanted to argue that Elinor had done no such thing but then reined himself in. Emotional outbursts would not get him anywhere. Revenge could wait.
"What do you propose?"
The warlock came closer, carefully extending the white mist over the tree without it ever touching Valerien.
"As long as you don't harm my people, I will assist you with whatever you need. All I ask for in return is whatever knowledge you are willing to share with me."
Valerien smiled mirthlessly. "Like Seren did?"
The human's eyes lit up with excitement. "You know about that?"
"I know she chose her human lover over her own kind."
The dark, shrewd eyes regarded Valerien for a moment.
"Is that why you resent her?"
"I don't waste my time on resentments, warlock. She returned to the Source a century ago."
The warlock frowned. "Does that mean she is dead?"
Valerien got up and nodded coldly.
"I hope you meet her in some sort of afterlife soon, because you certainly have much in common."
The warlock showed no reaction at the implied insult, just said politely, "My offer stands if you change your mind. I am too old to keep up with you, but Owain has ways of reaching me fast in an emergency."
They walked back to the fort in silence, the white mist floating above them. It made Valerien nervous, but he would rather have died than shown it.
As they reached the stables, the human inclined his head and said, "Ask Kirin to tell you the Legend of Seren and Idris. You may not like her, but she is still beloved in this realm."
Valerien frowned, but the warlock just walked off, whistling some mawkish melody.
A nervous stable boy helped him find Kirin's saddle and all the purchases that had been piled upon it. He changed into dry clothes, burned the old ones, and walked back to the tiny room to find the bard fast asleep, hugging the thin pillow like a lover.
Valerien sat down on the floor, leaning against the wooden bedframe. Kirin tossed the pillow away and rolled closer to him, breathing into his neck.
"Not again," Valerien sighed and rolled him back toward the wall.
Kirin didn't even wake, just wrinkled his nose as a wayward lock of hair fell over his forehead.
Valerien smoothed it back. Looking at the youthful face, he found himself wondering if that was the kind of innocent beauty Idris had possessed for Seren to fall under his spell.
He smiled bitterly at the memory of amber eyes burning with pain and madness.
"I hope it was worth it, Mother."