Chapter 53

It turns out I was thinking too much. When Bertrand cleared up the confusion, Derriv had a chuckle at the whole situation and lifted Ilya into his arms before giving me a pat on the shoulder. He looks over at Bertrand on the bed before saying, “You mentioned Isaac’s one of our two newest members and I’ve already met Wraine when he and Angelene came to find us. Who’s this then?” Derriv turns his head towards the mage which frightens him but he can’t do much judging by how exhausted he is and only silently looks to me for help.

Bertrand sees this and looks over at me as well, “Not sure. Why don’t you go ahead and explain what’s happening, Isaac.” I go ahead and tell them what I know about the mage including how he’s a mage hired by Reed, his role in the assault on the compound today, him using magic on me when I was fighting Reed and his guards, and finally how I kept him alive and brought him here to heal Bertrand. I also tell them it’s up to them what we do with him and I don’t really mind either way.

When the mage hears me selling him out, his brown eyes widen as he stammers out, “P-please. M-my name’s Olin and I’m but a simple magic practitioner. I live in the slums with my little sister and there’s no one else who will look after her if I die. I only accepted Reed’s employment late last night because my sister’s ill and needs medicine. I had no other choice but to work for Reed for her sake. I know I’ve seriously transgressed you and your gang by breaking down your compound’s walls, disintegrating your barricades when Reed’s men were chasing after you earlier, and for attacking the young Isaac here, but I must ask you to please spare my life.”

Olin the mage keeps his head down and stares at the wood floor, awaiting our answer. He really didn’t need to include all those things he did for Reed. Honestly it would’ve been better for him if he skipped over them but I think he felt like he had to include all of those. Not because he wanted to be completely honest with us but because he wanted to make sure we had as much accurate information as possible when we made our decision. He’s a funny one.

I noticed this earlier when he kept struggling to give me a clear and concise answer about his healing spell and what it could do. He wanted to be as correct as possible when he was talking about his spell and he took the time to briefly explain his spell to me although he tossed in a whole new slew of terms I didn’t get. I wonder if all mages are like this.

Derriv looks over Olin and seems to be sizing him up, trying to figure out whether he’s lying or not. Judging by the grin on his face, I think Olin just passed his test. “Olin, was it? While I do appreciate you being honest with us, I can’t really just let you go now, can I? I mean, just take a look out that window over there and you’ll see why that’s not possible. I understand you’re not really with Reed and you were only hired for your services, but does that change anything? It doesn’t to me. You did what you did and now you can only pay for the consequences of your actions.”

Derriv’s words turn Olin into a quivering mess. He’s unbelievably lucky he attacked Derriv’s compound and nobody else. If this was anyone else, let’s say Alira for example, we wouldn’t even be here right now. Olin would be locked away in some dark, dank basement getting skinned alive while his agonized screams excite the people torturing him. Look, I’ve heard a lot of stories regarding Alira alright. But it looks like Derriv’s only said all that to watch Olin squirm and maybe to see how he’d respond as he observes him with a smile on his face.

When it looks like Olin’s about to reach his breaking point and start begging for his life, Derriv tosses a rope to him in his pit of despair, “As reparations for what you did to my compound and my men, I’ll be putting you to work for the next few weeks as we repair the compound. Don’t think you’ll be slacking off either, if I hear a single word from my men about you lazing off on the job, I’ll make sure you pay dearly for it.”

Like a man being given a waterskin filled with cold water after wandering the dry deserts aimlessly for a lifetime, Olin looks like he’s been given a second chance at life. Which is true and he has. Like I said before, if this were anyone else, he wouldn’t have his head right now. But this is Candle in the Dark and even though this is my first time meeting Derriv, I’ve seen enough from how Bertrand, Quinn, and Angelene, though to a far lesser extent Angelene, conduct themselves and that tells me a considerable amount regarding Derriv. The people you surround yourself with speaks volumes about the type of person you are.

When it’s all said and done, it’s time to clean up the compound and get to sleep. Ilya’s already fast asleep in her father’s arms and Mary’s barely standing up, swaying on her feet as she nods off every few moments. Quinn helped me wrap a bandage around my cut when he finally noticed it and all of us headed outside with Olin in tow. The battle’s over at this point and all of Derriv’s men are handling the looting and the corpses.

Seeing Reed’s body being carried off by two men tempts me to rush over and claim my kill and whatever he has on him but a semiconscious Mary holding onto my leg stops me. She’s pretty adamant about having me read her a story before going to sleep and I’m surprised she even remembered our promise from last night with everything that’s happened today.

Bertrand and Quinn head over to help out with the bodies, taking Olin with them, while Derriv and I bring the girls back to Derriv’s home, ignoring the corpse with its innards spilled out in front of the building. When we get into the house, Derriv’s surprised by the body with the missing ear at the top of the stairs. Oh, I forgot about him. We decide to let them sleep in the next building over but not before Mary remembers to bring Ilya’s book with her.

After putting the girls in bed and tucking them in, Derriv lights a candle, illuminating the room. He grabs two chairs for the both of us as we settle down and I read Mr. Frog and his Woodland Friends to Mary until she falls asleep. I should go about seeing if there’s any other children’s books at that bookstore we robbed. At least I can pay for a few books now without feeling the sting too badly.

Derriv blows out the candle and quietly closes the door as we head downstairs. “Didn’t get a chance to say this to you before but you did great tonight. When I saw you in that window throwing out hundreds of gold coins and then a few dozen uncut gems, I didn’t know what to think. But seeing Reed’s men scrambling for those coins and turning their backs on us while we were still fighting was a sight to behold. When Angelene told me you were Candle’s newest member along with Wraine, I was very glad to have you join up with us. Though you did give me quite a fright when you swung your sword at me.”

Wincing and sucking in a breath through my teeth, I say, “Sorry ‘bout that. Heard someone on the other side of the door and I just moved. Wasn’t thinking at that moment. Hope you’ll forgive me for that.”

“Of course, I would’ve done the same if I were you. Besides, no one got hurt in the end and you were trying to protect everyone in that room, including Ilya. You have no idea how worried I was when we got back here and I heard the compound was getting attacked. Ilya’s the only thing I have left in this world since her mother passed away and if something happened to her… well, I’m just glad everything turned out alright.”

Oh yeah, what was that Bertrand told me to ask Derriv about? “By the way, is there any connection between Ilya’s name and Itia, Goddess of the Inextinguishable Light?”

Derriv smiles at me before asking, “Did Bertrand tell you to ask me that? He always makes fun of me for naming her that. I’m a devout follower of Itia and her clergy. When Ilya was born, my wife, bless her soul, wanted to name her something that expressed our faith and since we couldn’t name her Itia herself, we changed a few letters and came up with Ilya. But Bertrand doesn’t follow my faith and makes fun of me for it.”

Huh. “If you don’t mind me asking, how are you a bandit leader and a devout follower of Itia at the same time?”

“I don’t mind. I get the same question every day from other members in Candle, though most of them do it to have a laugh at me. All I can really tell you is everyone follows their faith differently. I don’t follow Itia’s teaching strictly like a priest would but I wholeheartedly believe in her teachings and what they represent. I try my best everyday to follow the spirit of those teachings to the best of my ability. No one’s perfect and trying to be perfect in this world is just asking for misery and heartache. I believe that as long as I keep my faith in my heart and strive to be a better person, then that’s good enough for my goddess, and for me.”

“Hmm, thanks for your answer. So what happens now?”

“Now? Me and the other members clean up the place and get rid of the bodies while you get yourself to bed. We’ll figure things out tomorrow after we’ve all had a good night’s rest.” Derriv heads back towards the battlefield while I head back to my room. Hearing my stomach rumble on the way over, I decide to make a stop at the pantry for some dried meat before turning in for the night.

There’s a few lit candles inside the pantry and it looks like there’s a few people inside already. I tentatively walk inside because I’m not familiar with the majority of Derriv’s men and I’m not sure how they treat newcomers. There’s an older man with short graying hair and a matching circle beard that looks well trimmed in the pantry’s kitchen, chopping vegetables before tossing them into a boiling iron pot.

His honey-like complexion complements his gray hair really well and he looks like a handsome worldly man. Actually, I think I recognize his face. When I combine his familiar face with the knife in his hands, I remember he’s the one who killed Reed’s goon who snuck into the house I was tossing Jerome’s valuables from. I hope that’s not the same knife he was using. When he sees me, he gives me a curt nod and points to one of the unoccupied seats at the wooden counter with his knife before getting back to cooking.

“Don’t mind him, that’s just how Uriah is when he cooks. Get a few drinks in him though and he turns into a mimicry bird and won’t keep his beak shut. Come grab a seat next to me. My name’s Torban and the one on the other side of me is my son, Bafal. Bafal’s 12 winters old, 13 after this coming winter. You two should get along fine since you’re about the same age. Saw you at the window earlier tossing out gold and silver chains like you were cleaning out filth from a bedpan and would have thought you were crazy until Reed’s men showed me they’re the crazy ones and abandoned a fight where they outnumbered us at least three men to our one. Good job.”

When I take a seat next to him, Torban gives me a slap on the back but at least he knows how to control himself unlike Quinn. Bafal greets me as well and I greet him back. Both Torban and Bafal have much darker complexions than Uriah, closer to the color of bronze I’d say. They also have medium length black hair that’s meticulously braided but the braids seem randomly placed with one or two hanging over their faces.

Their braids are different from the elven woman’s braids and both types of braids give me different feelings when I see them. The elven woman’s braids looked… dangerous almost. Like one false move and she’d slit your throat without a second thought. Torban and Bafal’s braids seem… creative and full of life instead. I wonder if I can do that with my hair when it gets long enough.

As I’m talking with Torban and Bafal, telling them how I got to Midriver and how I ended up joining Derriv’s outfit, Uriah serves me a steaming hot bowl of stew. Looking at him in surprise, he grins back at me and nods his head at me, seeming to say, “Go ahead, give it a try.” I oblige and have a taste. When the wooden spoon filled with stew entered my mouth, it was like my taste buds all rejoiced in joy at the same time. I couldn’t stop myself and before a minute passed, my bowl was completely empty.

Uriah watched me the whole time with a smile on his face and when I finished, he took the bowl back to refill it. I don’t even know what was in that soup but I don’t seem to care. That was the most delicious thing I’ve ever had in my life. Admittedly the second bowl wasn’t as good and hunger definitely played a factor but damn, if that wasn’t an amazing bowl of stew. After I’ve had my third bowl, I finally feel satisfied and turn in for the night, bidding them all goodnight. When I get back to my room, Wraine’s already asleep in his bed and I don’t linger any longer and fall asleep myself.

The relaxation and comfort I felt before I fell asleep was absolutely wonderful. Too bad my dreams didn’t let me keep feeling that way.