"I'm afraid."
That's not a statement most people will make, and Linda was impressed by the honesty behind it.
"Afraid of what?"
"Afraid of what he will sense, or of what the elf guard will sense."
"You know about Holli?" Linda asked. The sorceress seemed to know quite a bit, and that was also surprising considering she was a stranger to Burbon.
"She is the wizard's protector and he has trained her. It shouldn't be that much of a surprise for you. Anyone who touches the magic can in someway sense the wizard."
"Well, I can't touch the magic, and I still don't know what this all has to do with Ryson."
"The delver and the wizard are beyond friends. There is a trust between them. If Ryson Acumen will listen to me, he will understand and can relay my message to the wizard."
"Ryson isn't a messenger. Go speak to the wizard yourself."
"Believe me, I would if I could, but…"
Linda sighed with growing frustration. "But you're worried what he might sense about you, or that Holli might prevent you from seeing him. I know you said that, but it doesn't make sense. Enin speaks to spell casters all the time. Why should he avoid you?"
Here, the sorceress was not as quick to make an admission. She paused, as if calculating how to speak of her concern.
"I have made a misstep… a miscalculation."
Linda was not as impressed by this statement. The stranger's hesitation seemed almost to mute the confession.
"You're not helping your cause with me."
"I realize that, but to reach Enin, I first must convince the delver, and to convince the delver, I first have to reach you."
"Why?"
"Because you are immune to the magic. If you understand, then Ryson will know that my cause is true, that I am not manipulating the truth."
"So you want me to trust you?"
"In essence, yes."
"Well, you have a problem there."
"I know."
Linda was baffled and she made it clear. "Look, all I know is that you asked to see me and now you want to speak with my husband. You obviously know more about me than I do about you. What is it you really want from me?"
"Take me to your husband and listen to what I have to say to him."
It was a simple request, but not one without potential risks. Linda was not ready to simply guide a puzzling sorceress to her husband-to the delver who had proven to be a bane to many dark creatures that infested the land. Still, it seemed such a small request in light of the woman's mysterious nature.
"That's it?"
"That's it for now."
And so, alarm bells rang within Linda's core. Just like this meeting, it was all just a first step. The sorceress wanted something from Ryson, wanted something from Enin, and whatever the request ultimately became, it was not going to be simple.
"So there's going to be more?"
"I told you, it is not Ryson Acumen I ultimately seek. I need to get Enin to understand what I've done, so I will need your husband's assistance in that, yours as well."
"And how do I know you don't mean to harm Ryson?"
Heteera looked Linda dead in the eye.
"I cast white magic. Most people who know Enin understand what that means. I have equal power over the entire spectrum of magic. And I do have power, but I don't have the control of the wizard. I cannot cast in one circle, let alone two. Still, I have ability enough to cause damage to this town while Enin is away… if that were my goal. But it isn't. As I've already said, I don't want to harm anyone."
At that moment, Linda saw something in Heteera, something she sees often when people come into a tavern for all the wrong reasons. She saw guilt.
"You're afraid you've already done harm, aren't you?"
"I'm afraid of what it might turn into, yes."
"Can Enin stop it?"
"I believe so, if he listens."
Linda bit down slightly on her bottom lip and made her decision.
"Ryson is out on patrol. He'll meet me here at closing to walk me home. The best thing for us to do is wait for him to come to us."
"Thank you," the sorceress replied, grateful for the opportunity, but her appreciation was muted by the fact that her mission was just beginning.
Chapter 3
Ryson met Heteera and Linda in a back storage room. He looked over the sorceress and then turned his attention to his wife.
"Are you alright?'
"I'm a little worried about what's going on here, but beyond that, I'm fine."
The delver could not deny his curiosity. He turned back upon the stranger.
"And you are?"
"Heteera," she replied.
"You're a stranger here," Ryson stated.
"Yes, and we've never met."
"And you're a sorceress."
"You are as perceptive as your wife."
Linda decided to add information she felt was quite important.
"She says she casts white magic. I don't think she's lying."
Ryson gave the sorceress another look.
"That would be a stupid lie, especially around here."
Heteera agreed without hesitation. "Yes, it would be, but I can cast in white magic. My control is somewhat limited, but my access to all energies is quite exceptional."
"So you're a powerful sorceress, and you're here to talk to me. What is it you want?"
"I have already told your wife this, I need to warn the wizard Enin."
"He's in…"
"Connel, I know. I can't approach him."
"Why not?"
"He will sense a presence upon me. Actually, I believe even the elf guard will sense it and she might kill me before I say a word."
Making his suspicions clear, Ryson considered the statement more revealing of Heteera's character than Holli's. Ryson held nothing but respect for the elf guard. He knew that Holli would not endanger anyone without reason.
"Holli wouldn't kill you unless you were a threat. Are you a threat?"
"No, but I'm afraid I've created one, one that has to be dealt with before it's too late."
"What kind of threat?"
"One that uses the magic for malevolence."
"That's not being very specific."
"That's because it isn't a specific threat, not yet anyway."
Ryson had obtained nothing from the woman, no information that could assist him in any way. It was much like his encounter with the swallit. Yes, he was curious, but he was also growing frustrated.
"Why don't you start with what you can tell me?"
Heteera almost blurted out her fears, but she took hold of them-wrapped them up and swallowed them, as if a bitter herb.
"I'd rather show you than try to explain it."
Ryson and Linda shared a glance, revealing their surprise. Surely, the sorceress couldn't expect Ryson to simply let a stranger lead him off into the unknown without some kind of explanation. The request defied reason.
"So you just want me to follow you?"
"I believe it's the only way."
"I'm not sure I accept that."
Linda added her own clear viewpoint of the matter.
"I know I can't accept that." She then turned to her husband. "You can't just go off with her without more of an explanation. She thinks Holli might kill her on sight. She admitted that herself."
"She's right," Ryson nodded to Heteera. "If you want my help, you have to tell me what's going on. You have to give me something."
At this point, the sorceress appeared prepared for such a response, even from a curious delver. She spoke with a newfound confidence, as if she could make her reluctance understandable.
"Believe me, I would if I could, but my request is not so simple. I do not wish to lie to you because if I do, I can't obtain your help. I can't risk that. And while I have to remain honest with you, at the same time I have to remain credible."