Sean sat at the table, toying with his food. Aedon, on the other hand, ate his heartily. These were the times when being Aedon’s friend was the most trying. For whatever reason, there was just no telling him no. It was the same when they served together. He would get an idea into his head, and it was follow along or be left behind. Far more often than not, Sean had followed, and, far more often than not, things had worked out. But this wasn’t the army, and Sean was tired of chasing down Aedon’s ghosts. He had his own demons to contend with, and, despite his words to Aedon a few days ago, there were days when those demons threatened to overtake him.

But here he was on the verge of another adventure. That’s what Aedon used to call his little escapades. Sean remembered most of them as being slightly harrowing to downright terrifying. Since his wife’s death, however, his adventures consisted mostly of terrorizing a few poor deluded souls thinking to find that damn pendant of his. He had gone along with them in the beginning because Aedon had needed a friend. Since then, he went along to make sure Aedon didn’t take things further than they needed to go. This would likely be the same, and it irked him. He thought Aedon had finally turned the corner and would give up these futile forays. Whatever the outcome of this latest waste of time, however, he was done.

“Do you still have it?” Aedon asked

The question brought Sean back to the moment. Aedon had not said what ‘it’ was, but he knew.

“Yes,” Sean said. “I thought you didn’t want it.”

“I don’t,” Aedon replied, “but there is something about those tracks that make me uneasy. I don’t have another one, so I’ll have to make do with that one.”

Sean nodded slightly. “I’ll be right back.”

He got up from the table and walked toward the back of his inn. It was a pleasant place to spend his retirement, he thought. It wasn’t easy work, but it didn’t require the backbreaking effort Aedon had to put into his farm, and he did have stature in the community. No one argued too often with the man that controlled the booze. He regretted not having any children to leave the place to, though. His wife had died before they could have any, and he envied Aedon for his daughter.

He glanced upward. Mika was still sleeping peacefully. She had endured far more torment than any child should. There were times when he thought he could have handled the situation better than Aedon had. He always chalked those thoughts up to jealousy, though. Aedon was a man of action, not words. Expressing himself had never been his strength, and just when he was figuring it out, Seline died. It was natural that he should regress. It was just a shame that Mika had to be caught in the middle.

“Are you going to get it or not?” Aedon asked impatiently.

Sean was standing at the bar, looking around. He had let his thoughts wander and almost forgotten why he was there.

“Just give me a minute,” he replied hotly.

He walked behind the bar and into the back room. There was a row of shelves along the wall that held a large number of items. He called this his Later Shelf. It was stacked with things his customers would give him instead of payment, always with the refrain, “keep this for now, and I’ll pay you later.” He moved some things around and came across the cut saw Scotty had given him a few weeks back. He moved it to the Too Late shelf, and, after a few more minutes of searching, he located his quarry. He grabbed the bundle of cloth and went back to the dining room.

Aedon was still sitting in his chair, but the position of the plates had changed. Aedon’s empty plate was now in front of his seat, and his plate was now in front of Aedon. He attacked its contents with vigor.

“Really,” he asked.

Aedon looked up from his task. “You didn’t look like you were going to eat it, and I’d hate to see it go to waste.”

“Of course,” he said.

He dropped the bundle onto the table, and it made a loud thud. Aedon looked at it as if it was a serpent that was about to strike. Sean could understand his hesitation.

“You don’t have to take it, you know.” He said.

“Yes, I do,” Aedon replied. “I don’t know what it is, but I just have a bad feeling about this trip.”

“You want me to leave you alone?” Sean asked seriously.

Aedon’s eyes never left the bundle. “No, I need you to unwrap it. I don’t think I can bring myself to do it.”

Sean sighed. Aedon was the bravest man Sean knew, and it was hard to watch him cower before a pile of rags. He leaned over the table and began to unwrap the layers of cloth. As he was about to lift the last fold, Aedon grasped his wrist.

“No,” he whispered, “I guess I need to do it.”

Sean let his hand fall and watched as Aedon slowly pulled the cloth away. Inside it laid a sword. It was sheathed in a polished black leather scabbard with brass support rings on the top and middle. The point of the sheath was covered in gleaming steel. The hilt was onyx wrapped with brass wire, and the pommel was carved stone in the shape of a hawk, the symbol of his soon-to-be squad. Aedon pulled the blade free, and it gleamed in the dim room. On the flat, written in gold filigree, were the words ‘Aedon Hall Ná Géilleadh.’ It was the Officer’s Blade, presented to all new soldiers upon receiving their first commission. Aedon shoved the blade roughly back down.

“Two weeks,” he said bitterly. “Two weeks, and this would’ve truly been mine.”

“It is yours,” Sean said. “There’s no way you could have done anything to save him. I know it, the army knew it, and you should damn well know it. Whether you feel you deserve it or not, you were discharged an officer, and that makes the sword yours.”

He watched Aedon unravel the belt that was lying beneath the sword. It was polished black leather and stamped with a hawk on each side. The buckle was simple steel but also etched with a hawk. For a man that hadn’t worn a sword in years, Aedon donned the weapon quickly.

“Do you think I’m making a mistake here?” he asked.

Sean looked in bewilderment. “All the fuss you made last night about going, and NOW you ask that question? Yes, I think you’re making a mistake. But we both know you aren’t going to change your mind, so why don’t you ask me what you really want.”

Aedon was wearing his old clothes but, with that sword at his hip, Sean was reminded forcefully of his former leader. He was looking him directly in the eyes.

“I’m wondering if I should leave Mika right now. We’ve come a long way in a short time, and I don’t want to ruin it.”

Sean threw up his hands. “Let’s pretend for a moment that you aren’t going to go. Do you think you could just let it go? Of course not! That isn’t how you work. It’ll eat at you and eat at you, and, before you know it, you’ll be right back where you were, resenting Mika for something she had nothing to do with!”

Sean watched Aedon flinch. He had never spoken to him like that before. He felt a little afraid. Not many had ever spoken to him like that before; at least, few that were left with no cause to regret it. They stood looking at each other in silence for a while. Finally, Aedon spoke.

“So, you’re saying we should go?” He asked calmly.

Sean wanted to throw something.

They left the inn together and walked to the stable. The sun was just beginning to rise, and the frigid autumn air cut through Sean’s coat. Dark grey clouds were hanging low in the sky, and it looked like it wouldn’t be long before winter was upon them. This was a bad time of year to see clouds like that. There was no telling if they were going to drop rain or snow, but either way, the storms were severe. It made him long for his warm inn, and they hadn’t even been gone five minutes. He noticed Aedon glance at the sky, and he looked concerned.

“You thinking what I’m thinking,” he asked.

Aedon kept his eyes skyward. “If you’re thinking we’re going to be uncomfortable, then yes.”

They were met at the stable by a young man. He was wrapped tightly in a heavy coat and had a scarf covering most of his face.

“You got the horses ready, Glen?” Sean asked.

Glen’s voice warbled with the force of his shivers. “Got em all packed up just like you asked, Sean. They’re over in the first stall.”

Glen was the answer to who would get his inn when he passed. He was a hard worker and, more importantly, trustworthy. He was also not fond of the cold.

“Thanks, Glen. We should only be gone a couple of days. No additions to the Later Shelf until I get back.”

“Yes, sir,” Glen said. He nodded and hurried away. The fire in the dining room was soon going to be big and hot, Sean thought.

When they arrived at the stable, the stable master was bustling about and shouting orders to his two boys.

“No, Connor! Ya, don’t do it like that! You gotta hit em a little harder!”

He walked over to one of the horses and slapped it hard on the flank. It let out its breath, and he tightened the harness.

“If ya let ‘em keep their breath like that, you can’t get the harness tight enough, and the saddle’s gonna slide right ‘round.”

“Hello, John,” Sean said. “Keepin’ the boys on their toes, I see.”

John smiled at Sean and then glowered at Aedon. “They’re good boys, but Connor don’t pay enough attention to what he’s doin’. Your man just left, and we got all the supplies he brought packed up. You’re ready to go whenever you like.”

Sean passed some money over to him. “Thanks, we’ll take good care of the horses.”

“See that ya do,” was John’s reply. He and the boys left.

Sean watched Aedon walk to the horses. The two mares, each solid brown, were saddled and had bedrolls tied to the back of their saddles. Heavily laden packs hung on both sides. There was also a shaggy grey packhorse. He was loaded down with what looked like enough camping gear for a small squad.

“Planning on being gone a while?” Aedon Asked.

“Funny you should use the word planning,” Sean said. “Your plan of ‘seeing what happens’ didn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence. I thought it better to be over-prepared. We’ve got rations for a week, medicine, and plenty of gear.”

Aedon smiled. “I see your point.” He pointed to the bow slung across one of the horses. “Can you still shoot that thing?”

Sean sighed. Aedon had teased him about that bow for years.

“Miss one shot around you, and I’m branded for life,” he growled.

“You can miss all you like. Until one of those misses finds my butt!” Aedon retorted. For emphasis, he slapped his right cheek.

“Just get on the horse,” Sean growled.

Just like that, they had fallen into their old routine. It was good to see Aedon falling back into some of his better ways, and it reminded him how much he had missed the old days. His reticence was fading as they rode out to meet Aedon’s next adventure.

They rode in comfortable silence, two men doing what they had done a hundred times before, and each knowing his role. When Aedon stopped his horse, Sean did the same. He dismounted and followed Aedon to the water’s edge. It wasn’t hard to find the tracks.

“Good thing the ground never truly dries out here,” he said. “These tracks might as well have just been made.”

Aedon stayed silently to one side. After several minutes, it seemed he could take the suspense no longer.

“Well?” He asked.

Sean was just finishing his sixth or seventh circuit of the area. “Well, you were right to be worried. Come have a look.” When Aedon got to his side, he continued. “You see that long wide impression here? Something was definitely dragged from the water, but there’s more.” He pointed to another area. “If you look closely, you can just see two shallow lines moving in the same direction. Someone was being dragged out as well, and I think they were unconscious, and their legs were bound.”

“How can you tell that?” Aedon asked.

“It’s just a guess,” he said, “but when someone is being dragged, the legs tend to spread. These lines are very close together. They are also very straight. An aware person would struggle against his captors, causing the lines to be jagged and broken. That hasn’t happened here, so we can guess the captive was not awake.”

“Captive?” Aedon asked.

“Well, it seems unlikely they would bind a friend, unconscious or not.”

Aedon was tracing his hands along the faint lines. “Can you tell me how many there were?”

“This is where the damp ground isn’t so great. They tramped around this spot quite a bit, and the footprints have been all mixed up. I would guess three or four, plus the prisoner.”

Aedon stood. “Can you follow them?”

“Oh yes,” he said. “They either don’t know how or didn’t bother to cover their tracks.”

Sean remounted, and Aedon looked up at him. “Shouldn’t we walk?”

“I can see the tracks from up here just fine. We can always walk if I start to lose them, but I’d rather ride while we can.”

Sean followed the tracks full of disdain. These people didn’t even rank as amateurs. He could tell now that he was mistaken in his assessment. There were only two captors, but he didn’t tell Aedon. They hadn’t been riding long before they came to an abandoned campsite. Sean dismounted and inspected the area.

“They have a pretty good lead, but they aren’t moving quickly. Unless something gets in the way, we might catch them by tonight.”

Aedon looked around from atop his horse. “You can tell that from just walking around, huh?”

“You didn’t make me a scout for nothing.” He answered. “Besides, when have I ever steered you wrong?” He remembered a particularly embarrassing mission and added quickly, “except THAT time.”

“I wasn’t going to say a word,” Aedon replied. “It isn’t for me to remind you of past misdeeds.” He punctuated the statement by slapping his rump again.

As Sean followed the trail, his disgust grew. The tracks were now easier than ever to follow. There was a wide swath of ground where the vegetation was flattened. It looked like someone was dragging a wheel-less cart. He slowed his horse.

“Why are we slowing down?” Aedon asked.

“They are moving even slower than before. If we keep on, we might catch them sooner than sunset. I don’t want to overtake them before they’ve had a full day of dragging whatever that thing is to wear them down.”

“Well then,” Aedon said as he stopped and dismounted, “what about a warm fire and some lunch?”

It took very little time to make the fire and get the stew going. Sean watched Aedon sitting across from him, fiddling with his sword hilt.

“Is there something you’re not telling me?” He asked.

Aedon looked up. “Nothing you would believe.”

“Please, Aedon. As much as we’ve been through, I think I deserve more credit than that.”

“You do old friend,” Aedon said. “You know how I said I had a bad feeling about this?”

“Yes,” Sean answered.

“It wasn’t because of the tracks. I think I know who went into the swamp, but I’ll be damned if I know who came out of it.”

“Ok,” Sean said, dragging the word out. “Who do you think went in?”

Aedon ran his hand down the scabbard. “A mage…calls himself Reka. He came to my farm, claiming to want to teach Mika.”

“And you let him?” Sean asked.

“He didn’t really give me a choice, but he demanded payment.”

“And what payment did he ask?” Sean asked warily.

“My pendant,” Aedon said simply.

“And you agreed?” Sean asked incredulously.

“Well,” Aedon said defensively, “I thought it was lost forever. What better payment than one I never have to pay? Now I’m not so sure. When I came home, he was gone. Mika said he left the same day I did, and when I come back, I find evidence that someone has been into the swamp. I don’t believe in coincidence.”

Sean sprang to his feet. “You mean to tell me we’re chasing a mage!”

Aedon stayed seated and appeared calm. “I think so, but don’t worry. I don’t think—“

“Don’t worry?” Sean interrupted. “I remember Taian! That man was terrifying, and now we’re chasing after someone like him?”

“No,” Aedon replied. “Reka isn’t like Taian was. He’s dangerous, but not the same way. I have no doubt he could kill us both, but I don’t think it will come to that.”

Sean was in no mood for his friend’s calm words. “You don’t think it’ll come to that?” He said fiercely.

“No, I don’t. Calm down, and I will try to explain.”

Sean sat and listened as Aedon talked. It took some time, and they ate while he told the tale. Sean was a little calmer when he finished. It sounded like Aedon had given the mage plenty of reason to kill him, and he hadn’t. That didn’t seem like the unstable Taian.

“So, what is your plan when we catch him?”

Aedon spread his hands, “We’ll see.”

Gods, nothing changes, he thought. “You better get me out of this mess, or you’ll have reason to grab both cheeks.”

They rode the remainder of the day in silence. A mage? How could Aedon drag him from his inn to chase a mage and not tell him? This was definitely the last time. Sean was stewing in his anger when a smell came to him.

“You smell that?” He asked.

The sun was still high on the horizon, but there was a definite smell of smoke.

“Yes,” Aedon responded. “Smells like they made camp early.”

“I’ll go check it out,” Sean said, getting off his horse.

He sneaked ahead until he came to the edge of a camp. There was little cover, and he couldn’t imagine a worse spot to camp. There was no shelter, and the fire was in the open so that the wind blew the flames about, immediately dissipating any lingering heat. It looked like they simply camped at the point where they could go no further.

There were three figures visible. One was lying beneath a blanket in front of a litter and, even at this distance, Sean could tell he was in bad shape. The other two were near the fire arguing. The smaller of the two dodged a swing from the larger man and then slunk off to get something from the litter. He dropped part of it at the head of the prone figure. Sean didn’t keep watching. He eased back to Aedon.

“Well,” Aedon asked.

“There are three of them, but none of them looked like your mage. One was under a blanket, so I didn’t get a good look, but he looked bad.”

“Any weapons?”

“I didn’t see any, but I couldn’t get close. There isn’t a lot of cover.”

Aedon stroked his chin. “Looks like a surprise charge then. We’ll go at dusk.”