CHAPTER 12
Azrael and Glint trudged through the forest in silence, painfully aware that they needed to have a chat about where they were going. It looked to Glint as if Azrael had just picked a random direction for them to go on, and so now they were heading north, towards the northeast of the continent. Such a treck would take at least a few months, and that if they could find a caravan to take them a few stretches of the way closer. The bright light and chirp of birds didn’t help either, considering how cold it was this time of year. It had started to snow and his breath fogged. The warrior entertained himself with that for a bit, but just when he was starting to get fed up with the silence that’s been going on for a few hours already, Azrael said, “Stop.”
Glint stopped in his tracks and looked around. They were in a clearing, about twenty feet in length and width, painted white with snow. “You want to stop here?” he asked. “We haven’t covered any real ground, Azrael.” He gestured at the surroundings vaguely, “We should go on for a few more hours, and maybe a bit faster, too. Walking doesn’t fit people like us.”
Azrael chuckled and said, “Exactly right, my experienced partner, although I wouldn’t be able to keep up with you anyhow. I think we have a lot to talk about today, and since we are out of the way of the servants, Tim and the others can forget we exist, since they’ve supplied us with funds and ware.” That was true. The amount of money Azrael had fetched him for the agreement with Quicksilver was still quite dazzling to Glint, although the youth had given most of it to Tim.
“So?” replied the youth tentatively. The chill was starting to annoy him, and he was in no mood for riddles.
“So, I think we should learn a little about each other today, and make goals for ourselves in this trip. It’s hard to trust someone you know nothing about, after all.” The answer took Glint off guard. Was this finally the day that Azrael came clean about who he was? On the other hand, realized the youth as he inspected the bare trees around the two of them, he himself did not want his history scrutinized. However, trust was a must for those who travel together.
“Very well then, we talk. I’ll hunt and you take care of camp for now.”
The next hour was a thrill of exploration for Glint. Prey was hard to come by in winter, but he took the liberty of activating his armour, so catching a couple of rabbits was really no trouble. In his armour, all of his physical strength, speed, and senses were augmented. He leapt high a few times, whirling in the air a few times in glee, before turning his attention to prey. He killed, skinned and gutted their dinner, gathered a few herbs, and headed back with the two carcasses dangling from one hand.
When he arrived at camp, he found that Azrael had not only gathered firewood and started a fire in the middle of the clearing, but had also cleared the floor of most of the snow, strung up a sort of roof out of blankets and ropes tied to trees to shield them from sunlight, and had a pot of tea boiling. In Glint’s old band such a luxury had been reserved for the elite, and the warrior smiled widely at the man in front of him. He could get used to this.
A stew was prepared, chitchat was exchanged, and then, over a bowl of rabbit meat that smelled of lavender, Azrael said, “Tell me about yourself, Glint. I’m curious.”
Glint knew this was coming, but he still didn’t know what to say. How to explain, so that his travelling companion wouldn’t think he was in any danger of having his throat slit while he slept. God knows Glint had done that before. Therefore his answer was, “You first.”
Azrael smiled, the two were comfortable somehow under the shade around the fire, despite a general coarse chill. In fact, the darkness around the two seemed like its own world, thought Glint to himself. “What would you like to know about me?” he heard the man ask.
Yes, the shade did a remarkable job of blocking out the sun’s light, darkening the shadows. It was almost as if...
“What’s your Ability?”
Azrael sat silent for a bit, mumbled something to himself, then said, “What makes you think I have one?” His tone was almost teasing, but hinted at something else, as if he were genuinely interested in Glint’s reasoning.
“Just a feeling, at first,” said Glint. “You smell confidant in a way that only the strong could. But there were other things as well. How you handled me when I got angry at you a month back. How you dealt with my armour melting, Alfjötr-“ he stopped then corrected himself, “Lord Alfjötr. You sure dealt with him.”
Azrael grimaced a bit. “Circumstantial,” he said softly, “These are all things possible for a normal human with keen attention and experience.”
“Yes, but then I realized. Sometimes it’s dark around you, Azrael. Literally. Or at least it feels like it. In other places I wouldn’t be able to tell, but the sun never sets over Shien.” He came up with a conclusion, “It’s darkness based, isn’t it?” he asked.
At that Azrael grinned, “Not quite, but a good answer nonetheless. The answer is complicated, and it hearkens back to the foundation of our society, and the science of power. How much do you know about what we call Abilities, Glint?”