10 days remaining….
"Your question was a trick!" Exclaimed Elhandriel. She was soaking in a pail of warm water. According to Prād, it was time to change her bandages, but the scabs that covered her body had grown into the cloth.
"How is it a trick?" Asked Sanjaya. He was laying out strips of clean cloth in preparation.
"Magic doesn't have a nature. Magic is nature. It's like asking 'What is the roundness of a circle?'" Elhandriel smirked. It had taken her a long time to come up with the metaphor.
"The roundness of a circle is a matter of perception," said Sanjaya without a thought. "If magic is nature, does that mean that nature is magic? But some people can use magic and others can't. I know that magic is part of your nature…."
"Silly!" Elhandriel pouted, having her question answered so easily. "You're just using fancy words to make something simple confusing." She paused with a thought. "Ha! The nature of magic is a matter of perception. There. I answered your question." The pixie puffed up her chest and smiled proudly.
Sanjaya chuckled. "Yes you did, well done. Maybe if I study nature, I will get a better understanding of magic. Now let's look at your bandages…."
Slowly and gently, Sanjaya removed the bandages that wrapped the pixie's body revealing angry red flesh, blood seeping into the water in places where the wounds had re-opened. "You are healing remarkably quickly," encouraged Sanjaya. "The blood root salve really works wonders." His own injury had already completely healed. "How do you feel?"
"It doesn't hurt much anymore, even when I move." Elhandriel looked over her shoulder and wiggled one of the stalks that were the remnants of her wings.
"Let me help you out," Sanjaya gently lifted the pixie out of the pail and handed her a strip of cloth to use as a towel. "I'll go get some more water, then we can put on the new bandages."
"How is she doing?" Asked Prād, who was waiting just outside the door. "Go in and take a look," said Sanjaya. Noticing the young man's hesitation, he continued with a smile: "Don't worry she has a towel on."
"Sprites are like us, except they don't have pixie dust, so they can only go invisible, they can't hear thoughts or do any magic." Prād was sitting in half lotus next to the bed on which Elhandriel was standing, wrapped in a cloth and waving her arms with expression. "You can go invisible?" Asked Prād. The pixie disappeared. Prād's face lit up. "Wow and you can hear thoughts too?"
"Not without pixie dust." Elhandriel reappeared with a mischievous expression and wiggled her fingers. "If I had pixie dust, I could turn you into a hamster!" Prād's face became serious. "I wonder what it's like to be a hamster."
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The tap room was full to overflowing. Tercia had instructed Prād to take the tables outside as the crowd steadily reached the room's capacity. Sanjaya had not expected such a turnout. Word of the strategy meeting had spread like wild fire, and everyone was curious. Additionally, the six soldiers that had come with the supply caravan were present along with Jack Slate and his men. Sanjaya wasn't quite sure how to deal with the situation.
Making eye contact with the faces he recognised, Sanjaya picked his way through the crowd to arrive at Jack Slate's side. "It is time to start but I wasn't expecting this…." Jack grunted and grabbed a chair. Standing on the chair in front of the bar, the ship's wheel behind him serving to highlight his muscular frame and commanding presence. "Time to start the meeting," he bellowed. "Everyone with combat ability who wants to join, step forward. The rest of you step back. Those already on the list go this side. Move!"
He stepped down from the chair as the crowd began to organise itself. "All yours." Sanjaya nodded with appreciation.
Taking Jack's lead, Sanjaya stood on the chair and raised his voice. "Thank you all for coming. Before we get started, are there any questions?"
"Yes!" Called a sturdy, grizzled man near the front. "How do you know there is treasure?"
"I don't," replied Sanjaya. "I know that there is a ruin. I know that it is inhabited by ettercaps and I know that there is no record of people being here before us. Who built the ruin, what happened to its original occupants and what did they leave behind? These things I wish to discover."
"How will we share the treasure?" The man asked.
Sanjaya smiled. "I imagine that it will depend on your contribution. Once we have decided who is going, we will discuss how to share the treasure and come to an agreement before we head out. Any other questions?"
An older woman called from the back: "Why don't you let the soldiers handle this instead of putting ideas into my boy's head that might get him killed?"
"Ettercaps are a menace, " replied Sanjaya, his voice spreading into the crowd. "Prād decided to go to help out with the situation. I decided to support him. The word spread and some people have volunteered to join. I don't know if the soldiers are going. I don't know if Mr Slate is going. I know that we are going, and you can do what you wish with your free will."
"All right. We will divide into three roles. Scouts, fighters and archers. Scouts need to be fast and quiet. Scouts will go ahead to gather much needed information. They should be the first to find the enemy and the last to fight them. Who wants to join the scouts?"
"I will!" Shouted Prād from the back, where he was rearranging some chairs.
"I am a hunter", said a man with sandy hair near the front, raising his hand, "I'll join the scouts."
"Me too," called a woman's voice from the middle of the crowd.
"Scouts join Prād over this side please," said Sanjaya,
"Fighters are those of you who will fight in close combat. Fighters should be good with weapons, maybe have armor and be ready to take down the enemy in front of them. Fighters should be the first to touch the enemy and should work together to defend the archers. Who wants to join the fighters?"
"I will lead the fighters," boomed Jack Slate. He glanced at his men and looked over the crowd. "Don't you don't have to join me but if you do and you run from a fight, I'll kill you myself."
"Ok," said Sanjaya, "fighters please join Mr Slate over there. Now archers. Archers need to kill the enemy before it gets to the fighters. Good archer support means the fighters face wounded opponents. Great archer support means the fighters don't need to fight. If you are a good shot with a bow, crossbow or other ranged weapon, come join me."
Most of the soldiers volunteered along with a fair number of townsfolk. Sanjaya was quite astounded at the turnout, but it seemed that the more people who joined, the more who wanted to join. Safety in numbers and the chance for treasure in the name of protecting the future of the town proved to be a powerful lure.
After discussing the matter of treasure distribution, the volunteers agreed to meet in the morning, an hour after sunrise.
Later in his room, Sanjaya sat on his bed across from Elhandriel, who was propped up against a pillow. "A lot of people volunteered," he said. "We will be heading into the forest tomorrow morning. Is there anything else that you can think of that might be useful?"
9 days….
The following morning, nineteen people were gathered outside the riverside inn with an air of anticipation. A short distance away, Prād was twirling his staff, executing a complex series of jumps, strikes and kicks in a relaxed fashion.
The majority of the soldiers had volunteered along with a number of villagers, all of whom were willing to brave danger, hoping to find their fortune in the ruins.
Although wading through the river would undoubtedly been the fastest and most direct route, many of the men were wearing armor and nobody wanted to get their pants soaked in the icy water, so the consensus was to cross over the bridge by the inn and follow the route that Sanjaya and Prād initially traversed.
Breathe in… the crisp morning air. The cold ground beneath his feet. The faint lingering smell of cooking. Hold… the sound of trudging boots and grating chain mail. Snips of nervous conversation. Release… the tingle of his inner fire fighting the chill on his skin. The gentle tap of his quarterstaff on frigid earth…. 'Today is a good day', thought Prād.