Chapter 6
Covarla woke up late in the afternoon. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in her room at the inn. She didn't know how long she had been unconscious. She looked around the room. She couldn't tell whether it was morning or afternoon, because she couldn't see outside through the window from where she sat. The man who had saved her was slumped in a chair nearby.
She groaned as she sat up. Her head felt sort of light and fuzzy. There were some bandages wrapped around her chest. She saw that one side had blood dried on the bandage and the other felt somewhat sore and hurt where the bandage was too tight. There was another bandage around her arm. Her leg ached where she had been kicked. She wasn't wearing her shirt, but the bandages around her chest covered her from almost her shoulders to her waist. Her long brown hair had been unbraided and now hung loose down her back. The medallion was missing from around her neck, though.
She scanned the dresser and table to see if it had been put there. She didn't see it. She spotted it atop her shirt, both on a chair across the room. For some reason she didn't feel right without the medallion and didn't feel comfortable with just some bandages covering her chest. She didn't want to wake the man just to have him get them for her though. She set her mind and gritted her teeth against the pain as she shifted her legs off the bed. She pushed herself up off the bed before the pain in her side could change her mind for her. She regretted it almost immediately. The room started to blur and she had to grab onto the bed post to keep herself upright.
"I wouldn't recommend trying to go anywhere," the man said. He had moved side before she had actually stood up. He lifted her as if she weighed next to nothing and settled her gently back in the bed. "What's so important that you should be getting up out of bed before being healed?"
The man had a rugged look to him. His hair almost covered his eyes, but not long enough to need any kind of band to hold it back. He was tall by normal standards, but was still only a few inches taller than Covarla. His hair was a dusty bloond and his eyes were sharp and green. He had a boyish grin on his face as he looked down at Covarla.
"I was just going to get my shirt," she said.
The man paused for a moment and then looked to where she had tried to go. It was then that he seemed to notice that both her shirt and her medallion were sitting on the chair across the room. She was rather glad when her brought her both. She carefully placed the chain around her neck before pulling on her shirt. It was only then that she asked her next question.
"Who are you?" she asked. Then she realized how rude it sounded and felt her face grow slightly warm with a blush.
The man's smile broadened. "The name is Keilen. Your friend Adria has already told me a little about you, Covarla. Two women travelling together. You to the sword competion and her with you. That doesn't explain why you were being followed and why those thugs tried to kill you, though."
Covarla blinked at him. She didn't know whether or not to tell him the truth. But how did he know she had been followed?
"You're one of the men that was following me," she said, surprized and suddenly suspicious.
He shook his head. "Not quite. Techincally yes, I was following you, but it's not what you think. I had been following the man that was following you. He seemed rather suspicious and I thought you might be in trouble. Nice job at the competition by the way."
"Thanks," she said happily. "And thanks for helping Adria and I back in that alley."
He smiled back and sat down on the edge of her bed as she leaned back against the headboard. "You probably could have handled thos men easily yourselves if you hadn't been hit on the head earlier and if you hadn't just come from a sword competition. How're you feeling? Not still dizzy from trying to get up?"
She thought for a second, analyzing exactly how she did feel. "No, I'm not still dizzy, but my head is throbbing and my ribs are aching." She laughed. "Next time that I'll have to remember not to take shortcuts down small, deserted alleys. "
Keilen nodded. "The herb woman that Maive brought said you had a broken rib and possibly a slight concussion. The healer was out of town seeing to a birth, but Adria went to get her."
"How long have I been out?"
He thought for a second. "Almost three days. Don't worry, Adria should be back very soon."
Covarla had a thought. "How long have you been sitting there?"
"I've been taking turns with Maive and her oldest daughter, though they wouldn't let me in here to check on you until after the herb woman had treated your wounds."
Covarla blushed slight before replying sarcastically. "Gee, I wonder why they would do that?"
He grinned at her in his boyish manner. Covarla thought she saw a slight blush though. At that moment the door opened and Adria rushed in followed by another woman who Covarla assumed was the healer.
The other worman had curls of blond hair framing her face. She was a short woman with very few wrinkles and hair starting to go grey. She used a staff to help her along and carried a large cloth bag. She had an air of confidence and competence about her.
She moved briskly over to Covarla's bed as Adria shoed Keilen out of the room. Keilen prtested but finally settled for waiting outside the door. The healer ordered her to remove her shirt and then slowly started to unwind the bandages from around Covarla's chest.
Adria said to Covarla, "This is Mistress Miere. She's the Keymar healer. I'm glad you're awake. We weren't sure if you'd wake up today or tommorrow, nor how bad your injuries were."
Covarla nodded absentmindedly.
Adria continued talking to her. "Keilen seems very nice. After he carried you here he wouldn't leave, but insisted on helping watch over you. He's been a real help to Maive. She had to say downstairs along with the helpers and her daughters, so he watched while they worked. He also covered a shift during the night so they could sleep. Even when one of the girls or Maive was in here, he'd come in and check to see how you were doing."
Covarla was amazed. She didn't have much time to think about it however, because Mistress Miere had finished unwrapping the bancages and was examining the cut on her side and the bruises on her back and side. The healer dug in her bag and pulled out a jar of some kind of cream that smelled strongly of herbs. Miere gently rubbed some into the cut. It didn't sting like Covarla expected it to, but instead felt cool and soothing. The healer then rewrapped the bandages and secured them.
The old woman did the same to the cut on her arm before going into some kind of trance. The healer began to softly whisper the words to what must be a spell. Her body began to feel warmer and warmer, while the medallion around her neck grew colder. She began to feel a tingling sensation throughout her body. She tried to move, but found she couldn't move at all.
When she could finally move again she was left feeling as if she had just run to Amaranth and back to Keymar again. She collapsed back on the bed and fought the urge to fall asleep.
"I healed your concussion and your broken rib," she said. "I also sped up the healing on your bruises and cuts so that they'll heal faster. You'll need to rest another day or so, the spell used up a lot of your energy. Take it easy for a few days. You don't have to stay in bed the whole time, but don't do anything too strenuous." Mistress Miere smiled breifly at Covarla before turning to leave.
Covarla called her thanks to the healer as Adria helped her pull her shirt on. The healer left as Covarla was tucking the medallion back under shirt and Adria was pulling the covers over Covarla.
She fell asleep shortly after seeing Keilen come back into the room and sit down and Adria leave the room.
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Keilen didn't know why he was so fascinated with this girl. He was curious as to why she had been followed. Why had she been attacked twice in one day? What was that medallion she wore? He didn't recognize the crest on it as being from any of the noble houses in the area.
There were a lot of things he didn't know about Covarla or her friend Adria. He wanted to know though. There was something going on here that he had no idea about and he wouldn't be satisfied until he found everything out.
Anyways, he thought. They're in trouble and I'm not letting that girl out of my sight until she's safe.
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Covarla awoke again later that evening to find Keilen asleep in the chair. Her head was clear again. She didn't hurt much, but she still felt sore and a bit tired.
She quietly got out of the bed and slipped out of the room. The hallway was empty. The sound of talking and laughing came up from downstairs. She made her way down the stairs and into the crowded common room. She slowly weaved her way through the crowd, careful not to run into any of the servers. She sat down at an empty table in the far corner of the room. It had just been vacated by a group of very large and surly looking men.
She sat down with her back to the wall and looked around the room. She saw one or two faces that looked familiar. One man she recognized as being one of her opponents in the sword competition. She saw another man she vaguely recognized but couldn't remember from where.
The room was packed full of people. Almost all the tables were full and those that weren't were likely to be filled by new people coming in. The servers threaded their way around the tables and past people who were either standing and talking to someone at a table or maiking their way to an empty seat. Boys and girls carried plates piled full of food and mugs that seemed about to spill at any moment. Empty mugs were replaced by full ones and empty plates removed as coins changed hands.
The minstrel in the corner opposite Covarla was getting requests by the dozen and plenty of coin in her hat. One table had a game of cards going. Two old men playing chess at another thable were getting ample help from the men surrounding them. Three or four games of dice were scattered amoung the tables full of animated conversation.
A plate of meat and cheese was set in front of Covarla along with a mug full of cider. It was then that she realized that the man who had seemed familiar was watching her. The man was the only one at his table facing her. The other two men seemed to be in the middle of a conversation. Every so often they would turn to the watcher for his opinion. Covarla kept an eye on the man as she ate her food. When his friends got up from the table to leave, the watcher was reluctant to follow.
It was odd, but the man stayed in her mind throughout the meal. She knew him, but she couldn't remember from where. It bothered her. She finally pushed the thought to the back of her mind. It would come to her later.
When she finished her meal she sat and listened to the music. She needed to talk to Adria. Keilen would want an explanation eventually and she couldn't figure what to tell him. She didn't know much about either Adria or Keilen, but she was sure that she could trust Adria. The woman had already proved that she was there to help Covarla. Keilen could be trusted for the same reasons though. Maive wouldn't want to be involved in their trouble for long. She couldn't afford anything to happen to her inn.
They would have to leave soon. It wouldn't be safe to stay in Keymar much longer. Not after being attacked twice in the same day. It wouldn't be long before they found the Crystal Dove and tried to attack her here.
She still didn't know for sure what they were after, let alone who 'they' were. She assumed that 'they' were connected to her parent's killer. She assumed it was the medallion that they were after. It was important enough to her parents to have Cear protect it for them. The killer had probably followed them to their home while she had been at the Amaranth tournament. He had probably seen Covarla go into the hoouse several times and figured she had whatever he was looking for. That would also explain why she was attacked at the Keymar tournament and followed there. It would also explain why she had been ambushed on the way to the inn. The killer definately had a lot of help. She needed to leave Keymar soon so that they didn't attack Maive. She didn't want to run away, but these people wouldn't fight fairly. They'd just keep coming until she died. She didn't have a strong urge to die, nor did she want anyone else to be hurt if she was attacked, so her only choice was to leave and escape these people.
She didn't really want to involve Adria in it either. She would need the mage's help, but she wouldn't stop her if she wanted to leave now that she knew the trip would be dangerous. covarla wouldn't have gotten this far without Adria's protection. She also wouldn't know where to go if Adria hadn't used her magic to determine that the scrap of cloth had been from Seler.
She expected Keilen to go his seperate way as soon as he knew they were leaving. They had just met so he had no ties to Adria or herself. She appreciated his kindness and help though. She would probably in much worse condition if he hadn't helped them in the alley. Still, he probably wouldn't voluntarily get involved in someone else's problem if there was danger involved.
Covarla really didn't want to be involved herself. She would much prefer for her parents to be alive. She would probably have been in the tournament with her parents in the crowd otherwise. However all she had left to do now would be to find out who was after her.
There was a group of men heading towards her table now. It was the only one left with chairs empty. She rose to let the men have it to themselves. They smiled greatfully at her as she passed them. She continued up the stairs and back to her room.
Keilen was still sitting in the chair, but he was awake now. He watched Adria as she passed in front of the window. She seemed to be lost in thought. Covarla was not sure she was even aware that Keilen was watching her with obvious curiousity.
Adria and Keilen both jumped at the sound of the door closing. Adria turned from the window and Keilen's head snapped up as Covarla crossed the room and sat on the bed. She looked out the window to see that the lights in the surrounding buildings had started to go out.
"Didn't mean to startle you," she said. "Didn't realize you were so jumpy all of a sudden."
Adria gave her a wry smile. "Just thinking about some things."
Keilen grimaced. "And avoiding answering my questions. I asked her what was going on but she just said that you should explain."
Covarla sighed and leaned back against the headboard. "Are you sure you really want to get invovled? I'm not even sure I do."
Keilen laughed. "You've got me curious. A little bit of trouble isn't going to scare me off. So, what kind of trouble are you girls in?"
His humor didn't affect Covarla at all. She stared up at the ceiling for a few moments while she thought how to answer. She wished she could just leave them both here and not have to worry about getting them into danger, but she knew she wouldn't get very far without at least Adria's help.
The other two waited silently for Covarla to answer. Adria's expression was one of worry, but Keilen didn't seem the least bit worried. He just seemed determined to fulfill his curiousity. Finally Covarla looked back at him.
"You're certain you want to know?"
He just nodded solemly.
"It started about eleven days ago when I came home from a local sword competition," she began.
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Keilen listened quietly to the girl's story. He could tell that she didn't really want to tell him. He almost regretted insisting on knowing.
He couldn't help but feel sad for the poor girl. He knew he wouldn't enjoy having two attacks and the death of his family grouped together in little more than a week and a half. Nor would he enjoy facing a nameless and faceless enemy that seemed determined to kill him. Yet, for some reason this girl handled it well. She seemed stressed, but she had a mission for the time being which took her mind off her other concerns.
He listened to her tell of meeting Adria, receiving the medallion she now wore and going to the funeral. She told of her parent's death and their funeral in a voice that was slightly monotone, as if she really didn't want to think about it. She breifly stated that they took the road to the capital and came to Keymar from the crossroads there. He assumed that it was uneventful because she didn't mention anything more about it. That at least gave him an idea of where her village of Amaranth was located. She told him of meeting Maive and then of noticing being followed.
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"Well, the rest you know," she said. "Adria and I will probably have to leave tommorrow morning for Seler. then you won't have to worry about us."
Keilen shook his head. "I'm going with you."
Covarla was surprised, she hadn't expected him to volunteer to come. "Why?"
Keilen smiled at her. "I was headed that way anyways," he replied. "And besides, you'll need help if you get attacked again, especially while you're not fully healed."
Covarla started to protest that she was fine, but it was Adria who stopped her.
"You know you've still got those cut and bruises, even if your head and rib have been healed. If we get attacked again I can't fight twenty men by myself and you would get too tired after more than five.
Again Covarla started to protest. She had fought more than three at once.
"You're still tired from being healed. You've been up barely and hour and I bet you're tired already."
Covarla sighed and nodded. She was tired, but tommorrow she would be well rested. "Alright," she said, "but we leave tommorrow morning."
Keilen nodded and asked what supplies they would need that they didn't already have.
Covarla thought for a moment. There were several small villages along the way to Seler. On the other side of the pass was a large town called Tilen. It would take a day to get through the pass and to Tilen. From there it would be more than a week and a half to Seler.
Adria suggested that they get some food to bring along. They had enough money now to last the three of them a long while with rooms in inns and good food. It would have to last them past Seler though because there was no guarantee that they would find the assassin in that city.
Covarla nodded in agreement as Keilen left to ask Maive about the food. Adria looked at Covarla for a moment before going into her room through the connecting doorway.
She looked around her room to see what needed to be done. Her saddlebags were lying open on the dresser where she had left them earlier. Her sword was proped up against a chair near the bed. Her knife was in its sheat on the belt that was still lying on the chair. She would put those on in the morning. The only thing left to do would be repacking her saddlebags. The supplies were being taken care of by Keilen. Adria still had the gold and silver she had won.
She packed her bags quickly and neatly. It didn't take long, so she was left wondering what to do. She could go back down to the common room, but she didn't feel like being jostled by that crowd again. Finally she decided just to crawl into bed and get get to sleep. She was asleep by the time Adria came back to give her the pouches of coin.
Adria quietly paced the pouches on the dresser before closin gthe door to her room.
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