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CHAPTER 45 - A FAvoR

Cold…. So cold.Nyla shivered as she looked up at the blazing sun overhead andpulled the heavy woolen blanket tighter around her. She should have beensweating like a pig, she thought. The sun was high in the afternoon sky,and the wind was as still as could be. She could see the sweat dripping off her sleeping friends, and even the orc shaman lying nearby. In short, it wasthe hottest day of this early summer – the hottest of the year so far – andshe felt as cold as if she had been sleeping naked in a snow bank all night.Her teeth rattled, and she tried to focus on stopping them just to giveherself something else to think about. Since the battle that morning, noneof them had been able to do much of anything but sit and rest. Tarn andthe shaman had both been gravely injured, and it had taken all of both theorc’s and Logan’s skills to keep them both from perishing. Tarn’s shoulder

and arm had been healed, but the newly knitted esh was still tender, and

Tarn was as weak as a newborn kitten. The shaman had healed the worstof his own injuries and then collapsed, leaving only Nyla awake, and therest of them dead to the world.

After Logan nally left her side to heal Tarn, she’d gotten dressed again,

and found shortly thereafter that no matter what clothes she wore, shecouldn’t get warm. She’d put on the heaviest tunic she had with her, then wrapped her bedroll and saddle blanket around her, but was still cold.

She didn’t really care, she had to admit to herself. For the rst time in

weeks, she was herself again. The demon was gone – gone! Her thoughts were her own, her actions were her own. She’d been saved by the love of herfriends. After they recovered, they would deal with the shaman one way oranother, and then they could go home. Home to her uncle, home to MasterUlric, home to the cozy little bed she remembered back at the inn. Siege or

not, she could nally go

home

.As she sat there, huddled up for warmth, the happy glow she felt ebbedaway as she considered all that she had done while the demon had beenlodged in her gut. So many things… All those dark deeds. Tolanthalas wasprobably crippled, and she had killed Tonath, then almost killed Tarn,and…And nearly ran Logan through with her own hands.Shuddering, she somehow managed to pull the blanket tighter aroundher shoulders and sat shivering quietly for a while. Eventually, despite allthat she’d done, she whispered a silent prayer of thanks that all seemed tohave turned out better than she could possibly have hoped; and then sheprayed that the good gods would give her the strength to deal with whatshe had been through.She must have been louder than she thought, as Logan stirred acrosstheir small campsite. He turned over and sat up slowly, yawning, and shethought about what had occurred between them earlier in the morning.

So he loves me.

No one had ever said that to her before besides heruncle. And Uncle Ben – well, his love was begrudging, and while she appre-ciated it, it wasn’t the same.

Not the same at all.

- 229 -She crossed her legs beneath her and felt a smile coming to her face.

He loves me. The question is: do I love him?

She knew that she loved himas a friend, and even as the brother she’d never had, but more than that?She didn’t know. The experience was simply too new for her. Men had

always treated her strangely; at rst because she was her mother’s bastarddaughter, and then, as she got older, because she had a ery temper and

wasn’t afraid to show it. The only person besides Uncle Ben who’d everbeen nice to her before she met Tarn and Logan was Master Ulric, and hisinterest, she thought, had been solely in her talent as a mage.Now, however, everything was different. She wasn’t yet sure, but shesomehow knew things would never be the same.Logan stretched as he came more fully awake. When he saw her, hesmiled, and she was sure her heart skipped a beat. It was a feeling shefound very strange. Unpleasant… yet intoxicating. Swallowing, she foughtto regain control of her emotions, and was thankful that when he did speak,it was about more practical matters.“How do you feel?”She laughed. “Cold.”He started to stand up. “Still? I can get you another blanket, or start a

re…”

Shaking her head, she smiled at him even as she held her laughter incheck. “No, Logan. I’m all right. Really. I just… I just need time.” Logan satback down; she was grateful that he was at least perceptive enough to pickup the double meaning of her statement.He gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment before he started tostand again. “Well, in that case, I know I’m starving if nothing else. Youhungry?”She shook her head no. “I imagine Tarn will be famished, though. Here,let me help you.” She got up and started gathering up any wood she could

use to start a re. “Have you even got any food to make?” she asked, as an

afterthought.“Yeah, there’s some cured beef left in Tarn’s saddle bag. At least I thinkthere is. I mean, I haven’t eaten much over the last few days – I’ve been so worried that I haven’t had any time to think about eating. And you, well,”he blushed, seemingly unsure of what to say again. Tarn’s saddlebag lay next to the tent, where Logan had put it aftertaking care of the horses that morning. She found several pieces of jerky ina leather pouch, and turned around to give them to Logan, who looked ather sheepishly.Exasperatedly, she sighed at him. “Logan, I’m alright. Not good, justalright. But you don’t have to walk on eggshells around me, all right? I’ll…I’ll be better with time. But in the mean while, you don’t have to treat melike I’m some fragile ice princess.” The big cleric looked down and mumbled something to himself. Nyla was about to ask him what he said when she heard stirring noises from Tarn’s bedroll. The knight stretched and smacked his lips as he opened hiseyes, a smile on his face. “Can you two keep it down?” he quipped. “Some of us would like to get some sleep.”

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Logan spoke rst. “Ah, Tarn. Good to see that you’re awake, although I

have to say I’m surprised to see you coherent this quickly.”“Couldn’t sleep.” He chuckled. “Too hungry. What’ve we got to eataround here?”Nyla threw him the pouch and said, “Jerky, for now.” He took the pouchfrom her and pulled out a piece, and was soon busy gnawing on it even ashe proffered a piece to each of his friends. Nyla shook her head, but Logantook a piece from him, and both men quickly started eating the meat withgusto.With a smile and a shake of her head, Nyla stood up. “I think I’ll leave

you two carnivores alone. Me, I think I’ll go nd something else to eat.

For some reason, the thought of eating meat seems… revolting to me now,somehow.”Logan began to get up, making ready to follow her, but Tarn grabbedthe corner of his cloak and shook his head. “Let her go, Logan,” he whis-pered. Reluctantly, the cleric sat down, and she walked away.

* * *

Tarn smiled as he chewed his food. “You need to give her space, Logan.After what happened, she has to earn our trust back. But if we hover overher every waking minute, she’ll never be able to do that and she’ll justcome to hate us.”“Us?”“Yes, us. She tried to kill me too, you know.”Logan nodded his head almost imperceptibly. “I know. It’s not that,though.” He hesitated for a second. “Did you hear what I said that held herback from killing me?” Tarn shook his head. “I was a little busy at the time, you know? But Ican tell something went on between you two.” He pulled another piece of meat from the bag and tore it in two, handing another piece to the cleric.“Do you want to talk about it?”“Yes. Well, I mean, no.” He shrugged. “Tarn, I know nothing about women – human ones, anyway.” He pushed at the dirt with the haft of hisaxe. “I, well, I said some things to her, and I’m not sure how she took them.

How I meant them, for that matter.” He stopped, ushing. “I… feel some

-thing for her, and I’m not sure she feels the same.” Tarn smiled. “Logan, my friend, I am absolutely the wrong person to bediscussing this with. All I can say is give her time, like I said. She’s beenthrough a lot – hells, we’ve all been through a lot.” The cleric nodded. “Thanks – for what it’s worth.” He cocked his headtoward the still sleeping orc. “What do you intend to do with him?“Let him go,” he said between bites.“Let him go? He is responsible for summoning that beast – and if he is who I think he is, he’s leading an invasion of our homes that has alreadykilled hundreds of our countrymen!”