The Beginnings Omnibus: Beginnings 1, 2, 3 & Legend of Ashenclaw novella (Realm of Ashenclaw Beginnings Saga) (37 page)

“Hello,” called a sultry voice from behind him.

Garius spun on the unknown guest and saw a leather-clad woman seated in the shadowed comfort of his chair. Her flowing red hair was framing a face with stunning, yet simple features and her smile was intoxicating. Her tight leather outfit was designed to flaunt her athletic body. She was obviously not a shy woman as she threw her cloak over her shoulder in a purposeful way to allow him that view.

“I am Rose Thorne,” she introduced herself politely, with a smile planted on her face like the cat that swallowed the canary. She sat a little too comfortably in his chair.

She was certainly captivating and seemed able to influence many with her sheer beauty alone—but not Garius Forge. His features remained indifferent, not wanting to congratulate the act, but he silently gave her suitable recognition for the maneuver and its flair.

“Impressive,” Garius admitted, nodding as he gazed upon this woman, who sat with her legs crossed now, smiling in a way that conveyed that she was quite pleased with herself.

“Thank y—“                                       

 “I don’t appreciate it, however,” he interjected.

“Which part?” she asked flippantly. “Having to answer the door or the admission that I’d taken you by surprise?”

Garius turned a serious gaze her way, conveying a look that should convince her that he demanded a certain level of respect. He was a commanding presence to anyone who saw him, yet this woman seemed to be a bit reluctant to give him any immediate deference.

He decided to sit down opposite her in order to restate his position.

“I am Garius Forge,” the armored man introduced himself, speaking slowly and with a purpose. “I am an Inquisitor, as well as a warrior; a Faceless Knight of Order from the city of Safehold.” He allowed the facts to sink in before continuing. “I have many achievements and merits of honor within my faction. I am a seasoned combatant as well as a divine avatar for the entire Pantheon of Order.” Maybe that information would carry enough weight to bend her attitude into one of appreciation and admiration, but he seriously doubted it. “I also do not like to be made the fool,” he warned her. “While the impact of your…
trick
…is impressive—it is also disrespectful.”

She said nothing at first and instead rolled her eyes. “I simply thought—“

“I said it was impressive, did I not?” Garius asked rhetorically, pausing once more to allow her to accept the somewhat backhanded compliment. “Your point was made. Now, you know a bit about me, I need to know a little about you.”

“Aye,” she agreed resignedly, either impressed with the man’s credentials and authoritative presence, or pretending to be. Either way, she was clearly disappointed in the tone he’d used with her. “My name is—.”

“Rose Thorne, yes, you mentioned. Let us begin with a few standard questions,” Garius recommended to the uncomfortable woman.

“Aye. But what exactly is it that
you
want from
me
?” Rose asked. “What is this dire task we are to undertake?”

Garius mouthed a silent prayer to The Harvester, the goddess of nature and wisdom, in an attempt to discern Rose’s aura. He could not sense any masked evil in her using this divine ability, nor was there anything out of sorts with her at all that he could discern. Garius ignored her question and continued his interrogation.

“So…Rose Thorne…first understand that all will be made clear in due time. Suffice it to say that the nature of this assignment will be divulged
after
—
and
only
after—we have chosen the appropriate persons. Now…what makes you think that you are a viable candidate?”

 “I have certain skills and abilities that may come in handy of course, as witnessed by my entrance,” she stated, referring to her ‘
trick’
and gaining slight confidence now as she tossed her long, red hair over her shoulder in a flirty kind of way. And if Garius were not so aware of it, he might have been swayed by it. “Why else might I be here?”

“Do so inform me,” Garius said, gesturing with his hand for her to continue and ignoring the sly comment.

“I am called many things…most are unpleasant. For the sake of answering your question, I can walk through the very shadows themselves, as you witnessed firsthand. At a young age, I found that I was able to walk into and out of them with a bit of concentration. I can also defend myself with these,” Rose declared, pulling a pair of long daggers from her thigh-belted scabbards gracefully and quickly, spinning them about her fingers with an ease that made Garius eye the display intently.

“I am aware of your prowess,” Garius stated in a cryptic way. He was referring to a report of the woman’s fight with a handful of would-be muggers the eve prior. One of Garius’s many emissaries had reported this to him and it stood out in his mind.

This woman seems to be a viable candidate, despite her levity and arrogance,
he thought as he stared hard into her eyes. Rose met his gaze and held it.
She appears to be worthy, capable and may prove useful
.

“Some call me
rogue
or
thief,
but never to my face, for fear of retaliation. I am not dependent on only my special abilities to complete my assignments either, as I have certain…charms…that allow me to get what I want. “

She’d let the words come out in an attempt to incite a reaction from the Inquisitor again. There was a long pause as Garius struggled to maintain his expressionless appearance. She was certainly eye-catching, he admitted and she had a quality that he could not pinpoint that made her attractive to him, aside from her appearance.

“I do not doubt that, Rose Thorne…but that is certainly not what I am looking for at the moment,” Garius explained to her, tugging on his long, braided beard and standing from his seat.

“Who said I was offering?” she simply replied, offering a hint of a smile.

“I do believe that your skills may be of use,” Garius concluded, ignoring her jovial comment once more. “Keep close to your home in the coming hours.”

“What exactly is in it for me?” Rose asked him.

“In order to discourage this continued line of questioning, I can tell you that there will be a better than average sum of coin paid to the claimants of the Covenant of the Faceless Knights, as well as certain lodging benefits within the city,” Garius informed her. “The exact details will be given once the mission has begun.” Garius scratched the chin beneath his beard. “Be assured that the rewards will not disappoint.”

Rose stood and bowed low to Garius, whether in jest or out of respect, he could not tell, though it appeared genuine. As she turned to leave, she winked at him, and strode out of the room. Had she stayed a moment longer, she might have noticed a smile begin to form on his lips that he quickly stifled.  He silently admitted that the woman was not only full of personality, but was quite attractive in so many ways.

He held the door open and watched her exit the room. He motioned to a servant for the next candidate to be summoned. At that moment he realized that, despite her attitude, he could not deny her abilities, especially what his spies told him of her. He would offer Rose a place amongst the chosen, he decided.

He hoped the fact that he found her unusually charming in an odd sort of way did not affect his judgment in any capacity, but he admitted that he could not be sure. He hoped he was making the right choice.

Aeldur called in his next candidate for evaluation. He had initially been reluctant to perform the interviews, but Rolin suggested he should take the dwarf’s place as he was more ‘gifted with words’, which was how the dwarf put it. Aeldur could barely hold back a smile as he thought of how verbally tactless the dwarf was.

He held his breath as a tall, severely muscled, striking woman entered. Aeldur guessed correctly that she was a survivor from the Chansuk tribe, as evidenced by her looks and numerous tribal tattoos, which were unmistakably reflective of a traditional barbarian culture.

“I am Aeldur,” the blonde half-elf stated. “I am a High Council representative and Captain of the Watch.” He tried to keep things professional. He could not deny the immediate fascination that he felt with this fierce and obviously stout woman who, for some reason, wore a haggard set of armor that revealed a lot of her muscular and toned body. He quickly regained his composure and spun away from her to refocus.

“Are you willing to undergo the necessary investigation? It is both verbal and magical in nature.”

“Magical!?”Saeunn exclaimed in a flustered tone. She paused a moment and looked into his eyes fiercely. “I do not trust any magic, elf,” she warned, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

“Not quite magical,” he corrected himself, attempting to defuse her apparent anger. “We need to perform a sort of divination in order to ‘
see’
your aura. It is a simple and normal part of the interview procedure, you understand.”

Seated at the table within the room was a weathered old man, who wore symbols and iconography indicating his link to the Inquisition. Aeldur shook his head as if to tell the man to remain seated while he handled the situation.

“I will not be doing that,” Saeunn boldly stated. “And if it is something I need to do…,” she let the warning hang, unable to finish the sentence. She detested magic of any kind, Aeldur could plainly see, but he could also see that she wanted very much to fight for the cause. But, before he could give the situation any more consideration, she spoke again.

“I shall…yield to your trials… if it is the only way,” she suddenly admitted in a defeated tone. This surprised the half-elf, for he believed she would not submit without further enticement.

She obviously wanted to help and seemed quite capable of handling herself in combat, he considered. He studied this aggressive combatant and weighed the decision whether or not to follow conventions, or to deny the woman altogether, knowing this inclination to be wrong. He knew her to be a Chansuk survivor and he was aware of their legendary prowess and honor. He dismissed his doubts and then made a judgment call.

“Very well. Perhaps we might be able to skip the divination,” Aeldur reasoned. The barbarian seemed to calm a bit with that knowledge. He realized that the recent loss of both her home and her clan must have been devastating and intended to go easy on her.

“I know you are a surviving member of the Chansuk tribe and your deeds are legendary as a people. I feel that there is no further need for interrogation here as I can clearly see where both your allegiance, and your heart, lies.” He explained his thought process aloud as if to justify it to himself, and to the older gentleman who remained silent and listened intently.

Aeldur suddenly spun away from her, hoping he’d made the right decision and thinking himself a bit foolhardy.

“You obviously mean to help?” Aeldur asked her.

“Aye, of course I will help,” Saeunn stated very matter-of-factly. “I walk upon this realm in the name of The Champion, the god of war, with one purpose. And that is to slay any creature or threat to the good people of Wothlondia.”

Aeldur eyed her and nodded in affirmation of her beliefs. She stood and clenched her fists in what was either an agitated or an excited way, he could not tell which.