If an invisible eye in the sky had spied on both the spy and the girls, it would have seen that at the same precise second in which Feyra fell asleep, Istaìnn woke.

He moaned and tried to raise, but his head was turning like a spinner, throbbing with pain. Trying to open his eyes was no better; his eyelids were stuck and dry. He concentrated on the signals his body sent to him.

Goodness! How bad is it? Aaaah! My right shoulder is hurting! Damn! Auch, Auch, so much paiiiin! Uuuuuh! A twisted ankle, the left one. I will need a crotch, damn!

To his aches, many scratches on the body and face added the terrible feeling of thousands of little stings. He cursed in his mind, then wailed again.

“You stay still!” he heard a voice nearby. “Drink tea; tea is badass. Bad badass! Beats hurt!” continued the voice, doing a chainsaw massacre on the common-tongue.

Who could this be? An elf, maybe? This is their Forest, after all. But no one saw an elf here in centuries!

He felt a hand raising his head and offering him a small metal cup full of a hot liquid. It was bitter and salty but aromatic, so he took one small sip after another. When the cup was almost empty, he managed to open his eyes.

He choked and spluttered the last sip into small drops, directly in the face of the man who was helping him. It was the archer whose bow he had stolen, the drunk westerner. The spy was coughing badly, so the archer helped him raise and tapped him on his back until the cough passed. Painfully, he rested his back on the tree nearby, looking around.

A small campfire burned in the vicinity, with a minuscule kettle on it. He was lying on an improvised moss mattress; the pants were the only clothing still on him, his shirt and coat were missing, and so were his socks and shoes. Both his shoulder and ankle were tightly bandaged, his right hand tied near his chest by a scarf. He could feel now that some ointment had been applied over his wounds and scratches; it was soothing but somehow amplified his need to scratch himself, which he resisted. He knew that it was not a good thing to scratch wounds. The sun was shining softly, beginning his path to dusk, birds were singing, and in general, the feelings he had were quite pleasing. He had escaped with his life and vanquished a formidable foe.

Huzzah to me! And I did magic! Yeee!

The archer offered some more tea. He drank it all, again with small sips, taking his time to examine the man in front of him. The westerner was a short but well-proportioned man about the same age as Istainn, but more seasoned by the open air's winds and sun. His face was round and pleasant, and he smiled so wide that the corners of his mouth almost touched his ears, the eyes were lively, and he had a rare mustache and goatee beard.

“What’s your name?” asked the spy.

The archer replied something which sounded like Lau Wei-Tsou.

“Well, Lau, I’m Istainn Quevedo, delighted to meet you. Thank you for your help.”

The small man nodded, put some herbs into the kettle's boiling water, and offered Istainn another cup of tea along with some rice cookies.

“This tea real, not medicim. Good tea.”

With a slightly smoked aroma, the tea was fantastic.

“Goodness! This is very good!” appreciated the spy.

This little man has more to him than appears.

The cookies helped the spy tame a little the hunger that was assaulting his stomach. He gathered his courage to ask the critical question.

“Lau, why did you saved me?”

“Me not save you, what you talk about?”

“You saved me when I was wounded,” insisted the spy.

“Not saved. Wound just bitsy itsy, not seriously.”

You’re joking, I hope. This hurts a lot; sure, the wounds are serious! he thought but continued.

“Yes, but why? I’m your enemy.”

The other laughed sincerely.

“You not the enemy. No human enemy of Lau. Lau purfashional mercenary – professional, corrected him Istaìnn – yes, profashional. Lau paid to fight, but Lau did not hate who fights him. The other person still human, only on not the same side. When we not fight, fellow humans.”

“You’re a very noble being, Lau, thank you. I very much appreciate your help. Can you tell me how did you get to the City?”

“Long trip!” nodded the archer. “Very long trip!”

Goodness, this is hard.

“Who hired you?” pushed on the spy.

“Underlingings of boss you kill hired Lau and company. Arrived yesterday after the month-long trip. Lau a little had a drink, happiness of seeing civilization after long years.”

A little my ass, you’ve drunk a ton!

“When Lau wanted to relieve himself, big BOOOOOM! Bad Boss and all colleagues ash were. Only Lau alive.”

“I’ve put a protection spell around the column,” remembered Istainn. “It must’ve saved you too.”

“You powerful mage. Prince of mages! Bad Boss very strong, yet you beat. Lau followed tracks, you found, with bow Lau near. Lau understands, you Prince of Thieves is, steal bow and kill Boss. Powerful Thief you are. Lau could feel fly a hundred yards.”

Not in your state, Mister, you were stoned! thought the spy.

“I just got lucky.”

“Luck even better!”

With those words, Lau sat quietly, looking at him like an abandoned puppy waiting for attention.

Providence! He’s afraid! Yes, of course, he’s all alone in a strange land. He must see me as someone who can take care of him, that’s why he saved me!

This thought gave the spy an idea.

“Lau, do you want to work for me? I suppose you’ll look suspicious if you return to the City all alone and with your master dead.”

Lau’s face showed true happiness.

“Lau suspicious, yes, if return alone. You new Boss I will serve!”

“No, Lau, don’t boss me, let’s just be friends. Would five standards per month be ok?”

Lau's happiness was more significant now, yet he still haggled.

“Fifteen, boss?”

“Fifteen if you cook too!”

Lau spat in his hand and offered it to Istaìnn. The spy shook it. At that very moment, both felt that from now on, they were friend s for life.

“Now you sleep, tomorrow good as new.”

“Goodness, I forgot!” jumped the spy up, then felling back with an aouch. “We have to leave; I have a mission of utmost importance.”

Just with a sigh, but no other objection, showing excellent training in following orders, Lau started to pack the camp. He helped the spy dress, improvised a crutch from a branch, then made him a gesture, indicating the fire.

“You go first.”

The spy understood he had to pee on the cinders.

“Good,” said Lau. “No blood.”

This was even more embarrassing, but it was not the time for pudor. The spy took out his wallet, offering fifteen coins to the archer.

“Let me pay you in advance. Thank you again for helping me; you could have taken my money and leave me there, or worse.”

The archer took the money and shook his head.

“Lau is an honorable person. Not killer nor thief. You thief!” he laughed. “Do boss want to keep bow?”

“No, Lau, take your bow; I just borrowed it.”

With the archer helping the other limp, they sank into the Forest.