The Scent of Adventure

CHAPTER SEVEN

Divine woke with a start, grasping for her locket. She found it still around her neck. She closed her eyes and exhaled before looking over to the bed. Saph was already up. Divine groaned, feeling like a pile of ursavara dung for thinking Saph would betray her like Madeline.

The tavern owner had packed their bags and left little for Divine to do after returning from Listhinci’s. The evening was full of food, drinks and music. Divine even participated in singing Boats to Borderlands with two Kellas who draped their heavy paws on her shoulders while Saph danced with some rather wobbly patrons. Divine had bristled when one had kissed Saph’s cheek. But the music lifted her spirits.

They had turned in early for an early rise, Saph insisting on sharing the bed. Staring at the ceiling, Divine spent the majority of the night stressing over whether or not to proposition Saph for a repeat of their morning passion but ended up stiffening her body to make sure she wasn’t touching any of Saph’s soft skin—no matter how much she imagined doing just that. She kept remembering their exchanged hungry kisses and caresses over each other’s bodies. Saph hadn’t spoken about their intimacy either. Sure, she flirted, but Saph flirted with everyone and Divine began to wonder if it was all a mistake, just like with Madeline.

Quickly rubbing a lavender-scented thread-cleansing square over the underarms on her sleeveless shirt and undergarments, Divine focused on the task at hand. Her small travel pouch attached to her back contained her necessities. She grabbed her jacket. Chewing a refreshing spinetooth leaf from Saph’s window pot, Divine descended the stairs, her pendant slowly radiating energy within her, and out to the pre-dawn street.

Saph held a familiar mince pie box from The Dragon’s Egg and the pair crossed over to the Palfrey Post.

“We’re here for the mounts,” Saph called into the stables.

Viktor, wearing his wide-brimmed hat, led two tarrow root-beer colored horses out to the street.

“The finest the Palfrey Post has to offer,” Viktor said, handing over the reins.

“They better be,” Saph replied, patting the flank of one.

“Did you say where you were going?”

“Nope. And it’s none of your business.”

“By the Gods, you’re spirited today. Well, you two have fun.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Saph said, turning her horse.

Divine caught her wink and mirrored Saph’s smile.

They exited the west gate as the sun began to peek at their backs, munching on warm breakfast pies.

“Do you pay for the horses when we get back?” Divine asked, eyeing the road in the pale early morning light. The road looked disused, with taller weeds overtaking what used to be a well-worn path, disappearing into foggy mist. Divine wished she had gloves against the chill autumn air.

“We have a trade. He gets free beer, I get horses to ride.”

“Beyond poetry and charity, your free time involves horse rides?”

Saph laughed. “I used to ride toward the mountains”—she gestured widely to the west where the Spine of Trelvania’s peaks were barely visible on the horizon—“I liked to hike.”

“I didn’t take you for a lover of nature.”

“What, because I spend most of my time in the city?”

Divine held up her hands. “I shouldn’t have assumed. I love nature.”

“I like that we have a lot in common.”

Divine’s stomach fluttered and her tongue tied itself in knots.

Failing to find a suitable topic, Divine’s thoughts turned to reflecting on yesterday. Divine’s attempt at healing Listhinci hadn’t given her the confidence that her magic well was working as it always had, so she wasn’t sure she could simply heal any sore legs and hips if they pushed themselves, but she would find ways to test her well as they rode.

The first hour was uneventful. There was no one else on the road as it slowly bent south, and given the black spot cases it made sense. Though they rode side by side, neither woman said much beyond comments on the landscape and weather. Divine wanted to reach out and take Saph’s hand, see if the urgency to press their bodies close was just a fluke. Divine squirmed in her saddle.

“About yesterday morning. After my talisman. I’m sorry if I, uh…” she blurted, then trailed off.

“Wildly pleased me by ravishing my body?”

“Er, umm, yes?” Divine blushed. “I’m not sure what came over me. I’m normally not so bold.”

Saph scratched under her purple eye patch and fixed her uncovered eye on Divine. “You don’t often pin women in alleyways? Or you regret taking me to bed?”

“Yes. No! I have never pinned someone in an alleyway, that’s the thing. But I don’t regret what came of it.” A half-smile tugged at the corner of Divine’s mouth.

Saph whistled. “Good. I certainly don’t regret it. It’s not often that I get to be seduced so earnestly, and I didn’t have to do much of it myself. Our third date was a success. Now, with that out of the way, are you going to be more conversational, or do we have to have a roll in the thicket over there,” she said as she pointed off the road to a clump of trees, “to get you relaxed again?”

Yes? Divine almost replied. The prospect of pleasing Saph all over again was a great temptation but she pushed it down; they had to make it at least to their planned stopping point, otherwise they’d never get to their destination. But, if the pauses were all bodies tangled, Divine wasn’t sure she minded. With her talisman back, she had all the time in Alistraysia for diversions.

Divine looked the woman over from the axe blades peeking over her back, to the billowing pants she’d chosen for riding. There was so much she didn’t know about her.

She cleared her throat. “I didn’t want to ask before as it seemed rude, but,” Divine’s words rushed from her mouth before she could stop them, “why do you wear an eyepatch?” Divine’s eyes widened at her own comment and she hurried to correct it. “And, uh, why did you choose an axe for a weapon?”

“My goodness, she wants physical and mental intimacy. No, don’t look away, darling. I like flustering you is all. It’s refreshing, your questions. Men after the first night generally become very interested in whether I have a husband or otherwise who will be coming to chop their balls off, or want a list of all of my previous lovers and how they compare. I’ll volunteer the latter—you’re the best I’ve had in ages , darling.”

Even though Saph had asked her not to, Divine looked away, trying to hide her red-hot cheeks.

“I think I can bend my rules for you,” Saph said.

“Rules?”

“Certain information requires a certain amount of connection. I can’t be revealing my secrets before we’ve had a bit of fun.”

“You mean our dates?”

Saph nodded. “Childhood memories are at date number four.”

“With the poetry?”

“You got it.”

“Then I guess I’d better hurry and decide on our fourth date so I can hear that composition Sylus mentioned.”

“I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Our third was exhilarating. Alright, your questions. My eyepatch…just a childhood injury. Nothing special.”

Divine felt the disquiet in the air as tingling vibrations. That dismissal was not all fact. She wouldn’t break Saph’s wish and use her empathetic influence, but she couldn’t stop feeling the emotions from others. She signaled her horse to veer off the road to a tall patch of grass and dismounted. Saph followed, watching her with a quizzical stare. Approaching the mounted rider, Divine offered her hand to Saph and the woman dismounted. The horses could graze, as they had been two hours on the road.

Once on the ground, Divine kissed the back of Saph’s hand. “You do what makes you comfortable, but I want you to know that you don’t have to hide parts of you from me. I like all of you. Even if you confessed character flaws, who am I to judge? We are all different. The greatest gift we can give one another is acceptance and support.”

“There’s the Soulshield healer-protector. I wondered if she’d come back to you.” Saph rested her hand on Divine’s cheek. “Well, since you like all of me—would you mind if I rode the rest of the way naked?”

Divine grumbled as she pulled Saph close, “You enjoy tormenting me?”

“A little,” Saph said then kissed her deeply before pulling away. “The axe seemed like a great weapon. Solid weight without being overly cumbersome. Smaller blades than a full-sized battle axe. Larger grip that worked well for my hand. Visibility when I wanted those I was searching for to know I was serious. And it looks breathtaking, doesn’t it? Like bare curves by the moonlight.”

The image sent a shiver over Divine. “It is. But not as breathtaking as you.”

“Keep talking like that and I might delay this quest.”

“Would that be so bad?” Divine squeezed Saph’s hand.

“No, but I’m not a fan of straw in my underthings.”

They held hands as they strolled through the green grass, keeping the horses close as they grazed beneath a tree with a skirt of orange leaves. Divine always thought the grass held on, refusing to admit that cold weather was coming, when the trees celebrated by waving their colors early and high.

Divine swiveled, eyeing the grass, but finding nothing more than the fading of color that would be typical of the season as the grass dried out. The spring would better show if the fading indicated the black spot.

“I do so love this weather,” Saph said, spinning around with her arms wide, her black braid hovering like the end of a kite. “My legs are adequately stretched. Shall we continue our journey?”

Divine noted how the tavern owner still hadn’t answered the seemingly more personal parts of the questions. She understood that. Surrendering your body to another felt easier than surrendering your memories; a window into who you are, or were, open to interpretation like a piece of art out of your control. Divine wasn’t who she was before her mother returned to the Goddess, in more than name. Maybe it didn’t matter. It mattered who she was right now.

“I’m ready. Adventure awaits.”

* * *

They’d had a snack of cheese and bread before continuing, and stopped every few hours after for the horses and for their own legs. No matter what was discussed for the rest of the afternoon, Divine couldn’t stop imagining Saph riding naked, or what she wanted to do with her once they stopped to make camp.

Divine strove to reaffirm the ties of her talisman to her well. If she had been separated from it too long and she could no longer use magic beyond empathetic influence, she needed to know. But most of her practice had been calming the heat that rose at her thighs, which was not always related to horse riding. Saph continued to throw sideways glances and winks her way, which made it indefinitely difficult to focus.

The pervasive scent of roses had been growing in her senses for the last hour. Having never been separated from her talisman, was this its way of reconnecting her to the well of power, or something different? But she felt like she’d taken a strong breath after waking to find the year’s first snow—refreshed and ready to conquer any task.

They found a clump of trees that would provide shelter near a stream. They refilled their water and built a fire, though Divine glanced at the clouds with each brush of a breeze on her neck. Thin tendrils of white flowed across the grey-blue sky in increasingly larger bundles.

“Can I see that map of the clearing?” Divine asked, her mind wandering to what awaited them tomorrow.

Saph withdrew the chest from one of the sacks they took off her horse and handed over the crinkled paper.

“It looks like they need to be placed in order.” Divine pointed to an X with a dot at the bottom vertex, placed near the bottom left of the map on top of a tree, then to an X with a dot in two vertices placed at the bottom right near a well, then an X with a dot in three vertices placed at the top over a…

“Is that a basket? Whatever it is, maybe there’s a recess of some sort and we place the crystals in them to unlock the person who wrote the letter. What did it say? ‘ I have trapped myself inside my house. ’ If the crystals are of a Trickster, I bet they create light in these locations. It would connect them in a shape. And maybe lead us to our next clue.”

“Oh, like that Pocket Secret device in the bazaar.”

“Exactly.”

“How do we know which goes where?”

Divine reached for the chest and Saph relinquished her grasp. Withdrawing the yellow cube shaped crystal, Divine turned it to look at all angles.

“In this light it almost looks like a lightning bolt is inside. There, this one has one dot.” Divine gave the crystal to Saph. “This one should go where the tree is on the map.”

“Do you still think the letter writer is a Trickster?”

“It’s my best guess so far. But the magic they use is often to play tricks on others. We’ll want to be cautious if this person is a follower of the God of Day and Deceit. This whole thing could be a ruse for them to get a laugh.”

“I assume the Goddess of Condemnation doesn’t like them either?”

“They certainly don’t approve of the deceit part. But really the Tricksters’ magic is so inconsequential that the agents turn their noses up and go about their day.”

“I’m starting to think my staying out of the Holy District entirely has been a good life choice.”

They packed up the crystals in a pouch, folded the maps and placed them both in the chest and set to making preparations for the evening.

It seemed natural to let Saph work on dinner arrangements, given her tavern background, and Divine set up bedrolls and returned to the horses, making sure they had water from the river and grass to nibble near the woods. Tasks completed, she returned to a blazing fire and a waiting meal.

“That smells good,” Divine said, sitting up-wind from the fire. No sense adding smoke to her eyes as well as the dirt all over. “Better than the dried meat and fruit I lived off of to get here.”

“It’s rabbit. And crushed peppercorn with a dash of sweet lemongrass.”

“Did we bring rabbit?”

“No.” Saph inclined her chin at her axe propped near the fire.

“Oh.”

Saph brought over a piece on a stick with a roasted apple. “Eat up.”

Divine twisted the stick over three times before setting it down, the image of the rabbit’s demise souring her stomach. How easy it was, buying premade food, to separate the means from the end result.

“How close do you think the turn-off from the road is?” Divine asked, taking a bite from the apple.

Saph took a mouthful from her stick, her words less annunciated. “I think I recognize the lake from a farm not too far from here. It’s shaped like a crescent moon. Your Goddess would like it.”

“So we might be there late morning?”

Saph took another bite but swallowed this time before answering. “I think we might even reach our destination by lunch.”

“Good, we’ll likely get rain tomorrow.”

“Really? How do you know?”

Divine pointed to a clump of trees that hadn’t yet gotten the message that they should be showing orange and yellow leaves. “Those trees. Their leaves are upturned. They are thirsty.”

“They don’t look any different to me.”

“They’re lighter in color. Can you see it? Usually, they’re a darker green.”

“Nope. I see nothing different.”

Divine frowned, searching Saph’s face for a hint of jest.

“But my long distance eyesight is not as good as yours.”

Divine stiffened. The eyepatch, of course. How could she be insensitive to ask Saph to see minute details like that? The slightest touch of wariness came from Saph, and Divine tried to divert the conversation.

“How long ago did you say you were last out this way? You used to get your own supplies, right?”

“Three years. I would save money by coming out to the farms instead of having them deliver to me. Then the black spot hit and, well, they aren’t selling in bulk anymore, as you know.”

Divine nodded, then pried the lid open on the chest between them, pretending to study the maps again. She didn’t trust herself to stray into new topics. Not with blurting stupid questions that involved eyepatches.

The women finished their meal and began settling in for the evening. The fall nights grew chilly, so they let the fire burn through the night, hoping to keep any critters away as well. Their location looked far away from the drawing of the ursavara so it would hopefully be an uneventful night. With the food scraps piled up, Divine excused herself to finally wash away all the dirt. Divine was amazed at how much dust had accumulated on her face and hair from a road semi-reclaimed by nature. She was glad she left her accordion in Arosia and hoped it would still be there when she returned.

The sun was setting at her back as she approached the stream and removed her jacket and other articles. The trees provided a buffer against wind and it felt almost like a washroom at an inn; a giant, private washroom with a gentle fire at her back. She dunked her clothing and scrubbed them with soap before setting them, rinsed off, on a large rock.

The clouds over the trees at the far bank caught the last lights in brushstrokes of pale purple, orange, and yellow. Divine considered how everyone always focused on the sunset before them, but if one would turn around, the reflection is even more beautiful, a secret to be revealed if one paused to look. Zenith almost glowed where it floated among the clouds, an upside-down mountain peak reflecting the sun’s goodbye.

The stream was deep enough that she waded out to her waist and dunked her head beneath the cool water, giving her shoulder-length locks a good scrubbing. Standing, she pushed the strands back from her eyes as water cascaded down her back. Then a hand followed the streams of water.

“May I join you?”

Divine turned toward the familiar voice. Saph looked radiant, the rays of the setting sun streaming out from behind her as if she created the light, her glorious brown skin as bare as Divine’s.

Without hesitation, Divine stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close, kissing her with the hunger that had built throughout the day.

Divine gently bit Saph’s lip and trembled when Saph repeated the action. She lost herself to the dancing of their tongues and caressing hands until finally she pulled away, and staring, Divine saw her own desire echoed in Saph’s eye.

Saph raised an oval block of soap, a crooked grin promising mischief. “We should probably finish this before starting something else.”

Divine’s body wanted to protest but she surrendered. They took turns brushing their hands against each other’s skin, removing the grime of the journey as they studied every inch of one another. By the end, the last light of the day peeked over the horizon.

Divine shivered from the cool breeze and the way Saph’s fingers trailed down her stomach and paused inches away from promises of pleasure.

“Let’s dry off by the fire,” Divine said, her voice hitching into whisper.

“Oh darling, I can’t hope to be dry after this.” Saph spun her around and kissed her hard. Grabbing her hand, she pulled Divine into a rapid walk back to the light of the fire.

* * *

Divine sneezed. Wiping her nose with the back of her hand, she opened her eyes. Everything was that darkness before dawn, where the blackness took on a grey quality and the stars seemed to be fading into the air, as Divine woke to sounds of horses whining and… tree limbs breaking? In their exhaustion they must have slept through the fire dying down; it was barely an ember.

Listening, Divine remained motionless, though her legs ached to be stretched. She’d only awakened twice with stiff limbs, the minimal comfort provided by the blankets beneath her as good as some of the beds she’d slept in on the journey south. At some point, the buzz and chirps of insects had ceased.

Hearing nothing new, she closed her eyes but snapped them wide again with the rustling crack of many wings taking to the sky, filling the silence. Out of sight birds cawed, the sound diminishing further from the tree line.

As Divine shifted, unwrapping her arms from Saph’s bare body, the woman mumbled, “What is it?”

Divine shushed gently in her ear then whispered, “I think there’s something by the horses.”

She pulled the blanket up to her chin as she sat up, a curtain over her exposed skin, and hoped what had spooked the birds from their perch wasn’t bandits. She took a deep breath and stifled a cough, eyes watering, on the rose scent like an entire store had its perfume bottles smashed.

This was definitely new. She wasn’t using her magic.

Horse squeals punctuated the darkness, followed by the rumble of hooves. Divine reached for Saph, but the woman was already crawling from their blankets over to the dying fire. She picked up her axe. The moonlight highlighted her naked curves and the blades flashed muted silver. Divine rose, her skin prickling with the chilled air, and she drew the blanket around her like a cloak.

Beyond the crest of a dark hill, Divine saw a set of glowing yellow eyes inside a towering figure. It roared and Divine took a step closer to Saph as the woman readied her weapon. Shadows seemed to slink along the ground on either side of the figure. Confidence tickled the air from Saph and Divine straightened, the emotion comforting her churning stomach. Her eyes watered as the citrus undertones of her talisman’s scent assaulted her senses. Why was her talisman affecting her like this?

The shadows merged. Eyes focusing, Divine made out a creature that looked like a cross between a bear and a boar, at least eight feet tall with horns and claws. Ursavara . It dropped to its paws and thundered toward them.

Divine gripped a rock by her feet and launched it. It bounced harmlessly against the creature’s side before another rock cracked into its long muzzle from Saph. The ursavara shook its head, loping closer. Saph shouted; curses and insults about the creature’s parentage. But it kept coming.

Saph dove to the side, her bare skin scraping against the dirt in a somersault as the creature roared passed. She righted herself as it rounded for another pass.

Divine remembered she had her talisman again and reached for the mental rope, tapping blindly for her well. She chastised herself for not testing her ability deeper after the months-long separation. Too late.

Saph swung and missed. She angled her head so her eye had a better vantage, then raised her axe again as a clawed arm swung at her. Her axe clattered on stones at her feet as she shrieked and fell to her knees.

Glancing between the creature now baring serrated teeth and Saph, Divine dropped the blanket and raced to the woman’s side. Saph stood cradling one arm against her stomach and gripping her axe in the other like a shield between her and the ursavara. A shield!

Divine dipped into her magic, as if skimming her hand to test the temperature of a bath. The familiar cool weight trickled over her and she dipped again, deeper into her well of power, envisioning droplets cascading to form a barrier around them as Saph struck the creature on its upper arm. It bellowed, took a step back, then raised its opposite arm to swipe at her. Its claws bounced off from the invisible shield and it growled in frustration.

The creature tried again, but failing, it ripped the axe blade from its bicep with a clawed paw, dropped it, and lowered its muzzle to sniff the ground.

Divine thought she felt tremors of anger from it in the air, but that wasn’t possible; Soulshields only felt human emotions. Still, Divine drew magic from her well and envisioned a cup of water turning to cool vapor; a breeze across the creature.

The ursavara pointed its snout to the clouds, sniffed, then dashed away on all fours. It, and a smaller, similar creature, disappeared into the forest.

Divine leaned on her knees, her body trembling. The remains of their dinner scattered over the ground, and she remembered they hadn’t done anything with the scraps. The scent likely attracted the beasts. Or that of the horses.

“I don’t feel well,” Divine muttered, sure she was going to heave from the aftereffects of increased stress. Or her magic. The first major use of her well since regaining her talisman and she was going to lose her dinner over her bare feet. A pain not her own seemed to grip her head and she turned in time to see Saph collapse to the ground.

“Saph!” Divine darted forward and knelt next to her. Then her eyes widened. “By the souls!”

Saph groaned. Blood flowed across her body, black in the gray light, from where her hand used to be. Saph’s eyes closed and though Divine called her name and shook her shoulders, she did not respond.

Divine held her hands over the wound without touching it, and began to pray.

“Goddess of Souls, grant me the strength to heal this wound so that her soul may continue to experience life before it is time to join you.”

Divine plunged into her well knowing she’d have to scour its shallow depths if she hoped to stop the bleeding. Never had she healed a missing body part; major damage needed a partner Soulshield. She reached for every ounce of power, scraping the very bottom of her well. Again, like with Listhinci, Divine heard an echo that should have resounded closer. But she focused and pulled a line of buckets on a pulley, dumping their contest on Saph.

Pausing, Divine examined Saph. Her hand was still missing. Still spurting blood. It wasn’t enough.

She needed more.

Divine roared and dove back into her well. It felt thinner; she had drawn so much magic already. But at the bottom, she touched the edges of her well.

She pushed. And pushed.

A crash reverberated in her mind and Divine felt herself slip deeper, past the walls she thought was the bottom of her pool.

And she pulled, channeling energy like a waterwheel as fast as she could, their loads dumping over and over again on Saph. Each time, Divine reached deeper until all she heard was the echoes of the well walls around her and all she saw was the dark shimmer of magic.

The scent of roses, like a full garden in bloom with every color, filled the air and her vision tinted black. A faint pulsing white light timed to Saph’s heartbeat speckled the darkness like notes on sheet music. As the light grew brighter, stretching a quintet of segments with each throb, all senses faded, and Divine collapsed.