Rise (War Witch Book 1) (12 page)

The warrior pushed Daniel back down in his chair before giving Talbor a warning look. He frowned and tried his very best to behave himself as Diem rose.

"As you wish, then," the old man said. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"My thoughts exactly," Talbor muttered, eying the warrior reluctantly.

Diem returned a few moments later, Kate in tow, protesting being dragged into the common room while she still had so much work to do in the kitchen. Spotting the warrior, her attitude turned even sourer very quickly.

"Kate, we have a special guest," Diem told her. "An Ascended of Ramor."

"So I see," she replied. "We’re honored, of course, but I've a lot to do, so make yourself at home." Her tone was polite, but curt as she pulled free of her husband.

"Kate, was it?" Talbor asked, swooping across the room to gather her hands in his before she could escape. "My, what a lovely creature you are. I used to keep up with your husband, back when he was a soldier, you know. Good man, Diem. To see him again, with such a ravishing wife, and two children, both wonderful, it fills me with joy."

Stunned by the Ascended's rapid fire compliments, Kate hesitated. "Oh, uh, thank you, then."

"You know, Little Sister over there, she's been telling me all about how generous you and yours have been to her," he pressed, slipping an arm around her and guiding her back towards the table. "I simply must express my thanks properly. As she’s my charge, and as you know can't speak for herself, it’s my duty, by my honor, to repay fully the kindness you’ve shown."

"It's quite alright," Kate stammered, feeling dizzy from his barrage of honey-coated words.

"Though, I admit to being somewhat startled," he continued, hugging her tight to his side. "I've only just learned that your abundantly dazzling daughter, what was her name again?"

"Chara," Kate offered.

"Yes, that's it, Chara," Talbor exclaimed. "What a lovely name for such a scintillating young woman, who I understand is soon to be wed. Imagine my surprise! Here we all are, with a wedding around the corner, and a Priestess of Ramor just happening to wander into your lives. It simply must be fate!"

"Oh, well, that's, um," Kate stammered.

"The odd thing is, you see, Kate, my peach, that no matter how I look at her, the comely Chara just doesn't seem to be overly joyous of her pending nuptials. This is very distressing, as you can imagine, and I simply have to ask myself why that would be. Since I don't know, I've no choice but to ask the pulchritudinous Chara here why that would be. So, dear, why would that be, hmm?" Talbor leaned over, smiling and winking at her.

Slowly, hope blossomed in Chara's eyes. "I don't want to marry him. I don't love him."

"What's this?" Talbor cried. "Oh, my, say it isn't so! This can't be! A marriage without love? What a tragic and terrible thing. It breaks my heart, simply breaks it, to think of such a sublime young woman being trapped in a loveless marriage. Doesn't that break your heart, Kate?"

Pulling free of the Ascended, she gave the warrior a hateful glare before telling him, "It's no concern of yours. Do not meddle in my family's affairs. You've no right."

"Indeed, you’re right, I do not," he sighed melodramatically. "It really is no concern of mine, and as an Ascended, I’m forbidden from dabbling in the affairs of mortals."

"Good," she nodded. "Then I expect we'll hear no more of this."

Talbor's expression turned serious as she made ready to walk away, his glare holding her in place as effectively as if her feet had been nailed to the floor. "While I cannot do anything to stop you, my dear lady, and most certainly, never would, I do feel the most urgent need to remind you that the master I serve, the Great Wolf, God of family and war, is in fact married to Altimar herself, the Goddess of marriage. Should he have cause to hear that a loveless matrimony had been forced on the daughter of a man who once raised his voice to the great God of War, he would no doubt feel compelled to share this with his beloved. I shudder to think how she would react to such a thing."

Kate trembled as she felt the full power of an Ascended wash over her. "What are you trying to say?"

"Altimar, the Divine Rabbit, is also the Goddess of children," Talbor intoned heavily. "It would be a shame if she saw fit to strike a man impotent for agreeing to take to bed a woman who did not love him. Wouldn't you agree that such a thing would be tragic?"

Kate cowered before the Ascended as he let the full magnitude of his divine aura wash over her. Normally held in check around mortals, lest they be overwhelmed by the sheer power the demigods contained, Talbor let her feel his anger and majesty for a moment, then pulled it back, leaving her wide-eyed and sweating.

"Just something to think about," he added, smiling. "You'll do that for me, won't you, Kate? Think about it?"

"Certainly," she stammered.

"Wonderful," he declared. "Now, I've kept you too long from your duties. Off you pop. Good girl!"

Kate rushed from the room, desperate to be away from the holy being she knew had just threatened her. As soon as she reached the kitchen, she fell to her knees and prayed to Altimar, the Goddess she revered above all, save Grannax.

"Did you really just do that?” Daniel asked in awe.

Talbor fell into a chair, propping his feet on the table with a smug grin. "I most certainly did. Fear not, dear Chara. I strongly doubt you'll be getting married unless and until you so feel like it."

She sat staring, wide-eyed, unable to believe what’d just happened. Tears formed in her eyes and her face grew ever more grateful, until she beamed. Unable to even form words, she sniffed and stammered, as her father and brother smiled at her and the warrior patted her on the shoulder.

Satisfied with himself beyond measure, Talbor rocked back in his chair, and promptly fell over.

"Ow," he whimpered from the floor.

“SO, THAT’S HOW
Little Sister came to be with us,” Talbor concluded, resting his feet on a handy stool as he pried stray bits of meat from between his teeth with a toothpick. Beside him, the warrior looked a bit uncomfortable, but had made no move to stop him from telling the tale. She figured one might as well try and stop a tornado.

Still, slightly annoyed he'd seen fit to spill her entire life story, she reached out, grabbed his foot, and shoved him over as he rocked back in the chair, grinning. She never looked at him while she did it, throwing the corner a sullen look instead. Her Avatar twittered a flag on that play.

"Ow, my head," he whimpered from the floor.

“So, she’s never spoken?” Chara asked, the very question everyone gathered around the inn’s main room had been thinking, once Talbor had settled back his chair and had stuck his tongue out at the Blessed.

“Not once. There’s nothing wrong with her physically, mind you. But in her head, well, who can say? Hasn’t changed anything, though. She’s Little Sister to us all,” Talbor replied.

“What of her name?” Diem asked, refreshing the Ascended’s wine. “Do you know that?”

Talbor frowned. “No, I’m afraid we don’t. When Ramor found her, she was a slip of a girl. Only twelve or so. Everyone who could’ve told us her name was gone, you see, and Ramor refused to delve into her mind. Such would not have been honorable. We took to calling her Little Sister, and the Great Wolf simply calls her Daughter. It has worked well enough.”

  “Well, I can’t call her either,” Chara stated, having recovered somewhat from the Ascended putting her mother in her place. “And neither can anyone else. She needs a name.”

  “Won’t argue that,” he replied, throwing an arm around the warrior’s shoulders. “So what of it, Little Sister? Shall we let Chara name you, so that we might always have a means by which to identify you? Beyond ‘Hey you,’ I mean, which has its own charm, but gets a little repetitive after a while. Unless, of course, you really want to be Little Sister to the whole of the world, which, just so it's been said, would somewhat detract from the natural awe Blessed of Ramor invoke.”

The warrior merely shrugged, looking elsewhere. She wouldn’t be here long enough for it to matter, and she would never be able to tell others the name the girl would give her anyway. She saw no purpose in it.

Talbor frowned, seeing her thoughts on her face. “It seems Little Sister is indifferent to the notion, my dear girl, so by all means, let us see if perhaps you can awaken some interest in her. Warm her to the notion, as it were.”

Chara smiled and furrowed her brow, thinking hard. A name. A name to call the woman who saved her life, a name to give to the single most incredible human being she’d ever met in her life. A name fit for a Blessed, fit for a Priestess of Ramor himself.

A name for the person who had given her hope.

“Ramora,” she said suddenly.

Talbor stared in open-mouthed shock as did the warrior. “By Grannax, that's actually right brilliant. Ah, mortals, always so creative,” the Ascended murmured.

Chara beamed at this, but it faded quickly when the warrior’s own expression didn’t match her Ascended’s. In fact, she seemed more than a bit angry. Seeing this, Talbor frowned as well.

“Come now, Little Sister, don’t be like this. It’s a fine name, and it fits you very well. I think the Great Wolf himself would be pleased by it, you know,” he said softly.

The warrior pushed him away, rising and leaving the room, much to the surprise of everyone. Chara frowned, her eyes misting over.

“I didn’t mean...”

“Of course you didn’t,” Talbor cut in. “And think nothing of it. She’s always been a bit moody. It’s a fine name and one I intend to use upon her whether she likes it or not. You should be proud, Chara.”

Chara shook her head. “No, she’s angry with me now. I shouldn’t have called her that.”

Talbor sighed. “If anything, she’s angry because it’s a fine name. Little Sister has always been different, Chara. A human living among Ascended, with a God for a father. She hasn’t had a mother, so to speak, since hers died, and wouldn’t even allow any of my sisters near her for many years. Trust me; it’s not you she’s angry with, but herself and those who took so much from her.”

Chara wiped her eyes. “You think so?”

“I know so. Now, I must speak with your father in private for a time, but you dry those eyes and worry not. Come morning, all will be right as rain, I swear to you,” he answered as he stood.

Watching as the Ascended slung an arm around her father’s shoulders and led him away, she still felt as if she’d done some wrong. Looking to the stairs, she tried to think of a way she could make it right again.

"I liked it," Daniel said, resting a hand on her shoulder.

She reached up and gave his hand a squeeze. "Thanks, but it really made her mad. I can see why, when I think about it."

"You heard what Talbor said," Daniel insisted. "She's just different. It could’ve been something else that upset her."

"Maybe,” Chara sighed. "Still, after all she's done for me, I should go and apologize."

"If that's what you feel you should do," he told her. "I'm going to go make sure Mom got the message."

Chara looked over her shoulder at him in alarm. "I can't imagine how she didn't."

"Me either," he admitted as he stood, ruffling her hair. "But you know Mom. Once she gets an idea in her head, getting it out is pretty much impossible."

Chara watched as he headed for the kitchen. Kate hadn't joined them for dinner, too terrified to even set foot in the same room as the demigod. Daniel had ended up doing most of the serving for dinner, the common room packing full with word spreading one of the Ascended was eating there.

After what felt like forever, Talbor had shaken every hand, smiled at every woman, and kissed every baby with the same aplomb he did everything. Contrary to his Blessed, he savored being in the midst of a crowd, and had even regaled them with tales of the wonders of the High World.

When the crowd had finally thinned, heading home, he’d joined them for a meal, telling them the story of the warrior and how she’d come to be who she was. It had broken Chara's heart in ways she couldn't even describe. The only thing that had stopped her from going to the woman had been the rather annoyed look on her face as Talbor had spilled all her beans.

Still, she couldn't help but feel she'd taken it a step too far, daring to dub her with a feminized version of the name of the God who had shown her so much kindness. She knew the warrior had asked Talbor to help with her mother, and the warrior was the only reason there was the slightest hope she could walk her own path in life.

Standing, determination settling across her young features, Chara headed for the stairs.

Outside, Talbor settled onto one of the two benches that the porch boosted, joined by Diem. Digging around inside his shirt, the Ascended produced two cigars, lighting them both with a flame he conjured in his hand. A single puff was all it took to make Diem's eyes go wide.

"Nice, aren't they?" the demigod asked.

"Amazing," the old man murmured. "Are these from the High World?"

"Oh, my, no," Talbor laughed. "They come from Dunnick. I swear to you, Diem that place produces the finest tobacco in any world."