Rise of the Runelords Interlude: Raising Spirits

“Tell it to me straight, no messing around,” Vale said. “Do you really think the Commander is alive?”

“I . . . I don't know,” Jakandros answered, well aware of how feeble that sounded. “I have hope, which is more than I've had in a while. It's a small thing. It's . . .” he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. At his feet, Kibb purr-growled and thrust his head under Jakandros' free hand, demanding scratchies.

“What?” Vale asked, after watching in silence for several moments.

“It's in my head to think that Old Deadeye wouldn't take such a small hope from me, after he's let them take everything else.”

“You know better than to say things like that, Jak. The gods really are that cruel.”

“I know, Vale. No one knows that better than I do by now. But-”

“Some of us might.” Vale's tone was bitterly hard, the anger that was never far away these days breaking through. Jakandros tried not to wince. The worst part was that a piece of him relished that anger and wanted to meet it with anger of his own, to shout, you stupid kid, you think you know what loss is, you think you have any idea . . .

It would feel very good indeed to let himself get angry, but he feared very much what would happen if he did. Kaven likely wouldn't live out the night. Hell, burn the whole fort down, let that be a last funeral pyre for his Black Arrows, and walk into the woods to kill and kill until he was killed in his turn. It would be so easy, much easier than looking at Vale's fury and hurt and saying yet again that he had no answers.

“It's late, Vale. We have a lot of work tomorrow,” he said, finally.

“Like running off to the swamp after some love-poems? Are you gonna leave me here with the mess because you're desperate for someone who ain't you to take over? Is that the work you're talking about?”

“Should I just abandon Lamatar without knowing? Vale, he could be alive and in who knows what kind of trouble, like we were before those kids showed up.”

Vale frowned as Jakandros' face took on the thousand-yard stare that was becoming increasingly common and worrisome. Having the girls around seemed to help, as Vale thought of Jori, Shalelu, Melissah, and Nevis. It was small comfort, anyway, as it left open the question of what would happen to Jakandros when they inevitably left. “So why not let the kids take care of it?” he said, trying to break in on that stare. “They're more than capable. Maybe they got another miracle up their sleeves.”

“Maybe. At this point, I wouldn't put it past them.”

Brilliant white light flashed through the arrow slits and both men jumped as thunder boomed, followed by an intense rattling that turned into a sustained roar.

“From the sound of that, nobody's going anywhere much tomorrow,” Vale said. “Oh, well, plenty to do around here.”

If Jakandros had any experience with the weather, Vale was absolutely right. And, sadly, he did. Quite a lot.

XX

In the morning, Jakandros' worst estimates proved conservative. The courtyard was reduced to a sea of muck. An enormous tree had broken loose somewhere upstream and hurtled the waterfall, smashing a section of the palisade and then helpfully blocking the stream so that he water had nowhere to go but into the courtyard. Everything was a mess. One of the outbuildings had even collapsed. The ogres hadn't trashed the place so effectively. Jakandros waded out to survey the damage, shaking his head and swearing under his breath.

Kibb stood in the doorway, his massive cougar paws crammed as tightly together as possible while he glared at the mud, trying in vain to locate somewhere non-sticky to put a paw down. A black-and-white nose emerged next to him and the cougar yowled angrily.

“Down, Kibb,” Jakandros called. The badger sauntered past the angry cat and plopped full-length into the mud, crossing the courtyard in a series of disgusting splashes until it reached Jakandros and thrust its nose into his groin. “I take it your mistress sent you out here?”

The badger simply looked innocent, then turned and flopped its way back to the fort doors, where it stopped and very deliberately shook itself off right next to the furious cougar.

“Pavander!” Melissah shouted from inside. “Don't you DARE track that mud in here!” The badger started to scamper off and a sphere of water formed, turning instantly brown as it swept up the black-and-white animal and whirled across the floor, depositing Pavander in an unhappy but no longer muddy heap in the hallway. Completely unabashed, Pavander sat up, shook his fur into place, and trotted off.

Jakandros, having reached the doors himself, met Jori's eyes over Melissah's shoulder, surprised to find himself fighting a smile. “Rather a harsh way to treat your companion, madam,” he said, and was rewarded as Jori burst into giggles.

“Have you ever lived with a honey badger, sir?” Melissah asked, tartly.

“Can't say as I have.”

“Then I suggest you try it and get back to me.”

“Thanks, but I have enough to worry me.” Melissah's face fell and Jakandros abruptly felt like an ass. “I . . . have to report that we're not going much of anywhere until the water goes down, sorry.”

“That may not be a bad thing,” Melissah started.

“Yeah!” Jori burst in. “It turns out the Kreegs kept a few of your people alive for a few weeks to torture them!”

Jakandros felt his stomach wrench. Melissah clapped both hands over her face as he swayed on his feet. Kibb's weight pressed against the back of his legs, steadying him. “Why . . . are you telling me this . . .” he rasped.

“Oh, that's, I meant . . .” Jori floundered. Melissah reached out slowly and without thinking he grasped her hand.

“We were laying out the dead for burial,” she said gently,” and I noticed that a very few looked only recently dead. I think we might be able to revive them. We were just discussing it.”

“Revive?” His head seemed likely to float away. “You can do that? Isn't it fearsomely expensive?”

“We wouldn't be able to do it at all if they'd died in the initial attack,” Jori explained. “And, yeah, it's expensive.”

“Whatever it costs, I'll pay it.” The sinking sensation in his stomach came again. “Somehow. There's almost nothing left . . .”

Melissah squeezed his hand. “Don't even think about it. I can manage the cost.”

“Yeah, I said we but with the condition of the bodies it's really going to be all Melissah's doing,” Jori added.

“I'm not sure he wants to hear the details right now,” Melissah said.

“No,” Jakandros said, forcing himself to take a deep breath and stand up straight. “Tell me.”

Melissah nodded. “They were . . . dismembered, so Jori can't raise them. But I can offer reincarnation.”

“You mean, they come back in different bodies?”

“Yes, exactly. I can't force them to return if they don't wish to, but I can give them the opportunity. I wish I could do more.”

“No, that's . . . that's amazing. Please. And I'll find the money to pay you.”

Melissah and Jori shared a look.

“Heck, if money is a problem, I'll pay for it,” Jori said.

“No,” Melissah insisted. “I can make most of what I need in my wagon. I'll cover the rest.”

Jakandros shook his head. “I can't let you . . .”

“Oh, stop it!” Melissah snapped, the tartness returning. “I'm a druid, what do I need a lot of money for? Besides, it's my magic and if I want to pay for it myself, I will.”

“So there!” Jori announced, grinning. “You see? It really was good news.”

“I suppose so, although your delivery could use a little work.”

“Yeah, sorry 'bout that. I got so excited I wasn't thinking.”

Jakandros grabbed Jori's shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. He then leaned over and did the same to Melissah, which felt much more daring somehow. “I'm going to tell Vale the good news. If you'll excuse me, ladies.”

Melissah blushed and scrubbed vainly at her face while Jori grinned even more. “I have a wagon to fetch,” the druid said.

“Why so flustered?” Jori demanded.

“I'm not flustered, it's just that I have children almost as old as he is,” Melissah muttered.

“Wait, WHAT?!” Jori yelled as Melissah scurried away.

XX

Two very muddy and exhausted mules stopped outside the fort that night, and an equally muddy druid/cleric team climbed down from the wagon, followed by a pristine and weirdly-smug badger. Vale and Jakandros went out and relieved them of the mules.

“Get inside,” Jakandros told them when they started to protest. “We'll take it from here. There's hot water.”

“Desna bless you,” Jori said fervently, stumping her way across the still-soggy courtyard toward the doors.

“Turtleback Ferry is half underwater,” Melissah said. “If I couldn't turn into an elephant, we'd never have gotten out.”

Jakandros nodded solemnly. “One problem at a time. We'll get to them all.”

“Yes.” She smiled. “First, the hot water.”

“That isn't a problem.”

“Have you ever live with a honey badger, sir?”

“Oh. Oh, dear.”

“Indeed.”

XX

Melissah started work in the morning with Jakandros watching from what he hoped was a courteous distance. The process was surprisingly interesting to watch, and even a little alarming when she stripped down to a knee-length tunic and opened all four of her beehives without bothering to smoke them first. Bees landed all over her, but they didn't seem to be stinging. Pavander took the opportunity to snatch a particularly juicy bit of honeycomb, which he brought over to Jakandros and ate very slowly with extreme relish.

“You're a bit of a jackass, aren't you?” Jakandros told the badger. It sniffed, fluffed itself, and marched off.

Eventually, after much melting, scraping, burning, and brewing (and once almost setting her hair on fire, which Jakandros politely pretended not to notice) Melissah had three wax effigies floating in barrels of honey-scented oil. She closed them up and began her spell, raising the primeval spirits to draw the souls of the departed into new bodies. The barrels began to shake and steam hissed around the lids. An hour later, the druid unceremoniously decanted an elven female, a halfling male, and a human male onto the ground.

“Jakandros?!” the woman squawked, then went cross-eyed in horror at the sound of her own voice.

“I'm sorry, have we met?”

“I should think we've met! What in hells happened?!”

“I swear I've never seen you before in my life.”

“They receive new forms, remember,” Melissah explained.

“I'll say!” the halfling exclaimed. “I've grown a penis! And when did you turn into a giant!?”

“That . . . will take some getting used to,” Jakandros said weakly.