Tymora's Luck - Kate Novak [21]
Emilo tilted his head back and looked straight up. "It's good to see the stars again," the kender said, "even if I don't recognize any of them."
"Yes," Jas agreed. Suddenly she laughed and launched herself into the air.
Joel looked up at the sparkling lights in the black sky. Their pattern was completely unfamiliar, but they were lovely to look at. As he watched, a few of them shot across the sky and vanished. The moon was only a sliver, but bright and silvery as an elven blade.
Jas soared out over the river and arched back. In the peaceful stillness, the bard and the kender watched the winged woman in companionable silence. Jas landed beside them.
"Sorry about that. I just suddenly had to fly. I don't know what came over me."
"Perhaps it was simply the beauty of the place," Emilo suggested.
Jas looked around and shrugged. "Maybe," she said. She changed the subject, as she often did, to avoid discussing her feelings. "So. Where's Finder?" she asked Joel.
"His realm is between here and the town of Brightwater."
"I thought you said the portal led to his realm," Jas said.
"Well, near his realm," Joel said. "It's a nice evening for walking. We should be there before the moon sets."
"We'd better be," Jas said. "We don't have Holly with us anymore to help us live off the land."
"I'm good at that," Emilo said. "I can bring down a bird with a stone. Once I brought down two birds with one stone. And I can fish. I love to fish. And I can trap rabbits. That's almost too easy. If you want to know what berries are good to eat, you can't always rely on the birds because birds can eat poisonous berries, but people can usually eat what the bears eat. Bears also know how to dig for roots. If you're not sure about eating something, you should find a bear. But be sure the bear doesn't find you."
Jas laughed. "Well, we're lucky to have your wisdom because Joel and I are both city folk and haven't a clue about trapping or what berries are safe to eat. And I certainly don't want to find any bears."
"I can create food with a spell," Joel reminded her.
"Bread. You can create bread with a spell," Jas corrected.
"It's good bread," Joel countered.
"When you can create stew and custard and berry pie, then you'll be creating food," Jas retorted.
Joel harrumphed.
"I like bread," Emilo said. "Especially herb bread. Though I'm also very fond of sweet rolls with raisins. Herb bread is good with little bits of cheese baked into it. Though not necessarily with stew. With stew, you want a plain bread you can use to sop up the gravy. One with a lot of bite to the crust, but soft inside. Of course, berry pie is always good. I know some people who won't eat raspberries because of the little seeds, but that's as silly as not eating fish because of the bones. The really good foods always have little annoying things like seeds and bones. Like life, I guess. Of course, bread doesn't have seeds or bones. But I do like bread."
"Well, it won't really matter if we reach Finder's for breakfast," Jas said. "Which way?"
"There should be a road leading from the Gilded Hall to the town of Brightwater. There's a path that heads away from the road that leads to Fermata."
"Fermata?" Jas asked.
"That's the name of Finder's realm," Joel said. "It's a musical term for a hold over a note or a rest."
"So which is it?" Jas asked. "A hold over a note or a rest?"
"Well, either one… both, really," Joel explained. "Finder's life and his music are sustained in his realm, and it's also a place where he can rest."
"There's a road leading off in that direction," Jas said, pointing along the ridge above the river valley. "I saw it from the air."
They made their way along the ridge until they reached a hard-packed dirt road. In one direction, it wound down into the valley to a bridge supported by seven graceful stone arches, then wound back up the valley toward the Gilded Hall. In the opposite direction, it led along the ridgeline into a dark forest.
"How about a light?" Emilo asked.
"I don't have the power to cast another one tonight," Joel said.