Chapter 238 - Table Tensions

This is one of those chapters where I'd probably do another editing pass usually. It has been so long since I've written chapters like this that it took me absolutely forever lol.

“I told you it’s not like that, Nanna,” Celaine said patiently. “We’re party members.”

“You’re almost twenty, dear. You’re too old for parties. No, what you need is to stop these dark pursuits and start thinking about family. Drakalyn’s not what it used to be. We need you back home. Owalyn needs you. And just look at Humphrey here. So young, but he’s already a Dragon Keeper.”

Alir cleared his throat. “That’s not quite right, Mum. He’s not a Dragon Keeper yet, just bonded.”

Hump was getting the distinct impression that Celaine’s uncle had a problem with him. Whether that was because he was an outsider or something else, he still wasn’t too sure. He was a guard in the temple, and from his muscular build, it was clear he was well trained. Hump took him to be one of Owalyn’s Chosen, though he’d need to confirm it with Celaine later. There was just a faint air of power to him that Hump couldn’t quite put his finger on. Something about how he carried himself and moved, even sitting in his chair.

Nanna Kesera rolled her eyes and made a dismissive gesture with her hands. “Myra tells me he passed the first trial already.”

“That’s right, Nanna,” Myra said, smiling. She was sat between Celaine’s parents across the table from them. “Everyone’s talking about it. It’s a rare occurrence for Owalyn to greet visitors.”

“Exactly,” Nanna Kesera exclaimed. “So what do you think, Humphrey? My Cece’s pretty, isn’t she? A fine young lady.”

Hump fixed his smile on his face, desperately searching for the right thing to say. “Well… that’s certainly true.” He glanced at Celiane for help, but she was too deep into her own hand to count on for anything.

The old woman smiled widely. “There!” she declared as if she’d proven a point.

“He’s an outsider,” Alir said under his breath, his face pained. “Come on, Mum. Think about what you’re saying.”

“Perhaps we should all move on,” Seira said tightly.

He chuckled and shifted forward in his chair so that he could look along the table length to meet Hump’s eye. “I mean no offence of course, Humphrey. It’s just our ways.”

“None taken,” Hump said, taking another sip of his drink. “It’s not my place to be questioning how things work here.”

“See, the lad knows it!” Alir said. “We’re just talking. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Celaine told us you grew up as an apprentice on the road.” Celaine’s father said, ignoring Alir. “I’m very interested in what type of activities a wizard’s apprentice gets up to. Wizards and magic is a bit of a foreign concept to us here.”

There was nothing particularly exceptional about Gareth. He was well built, just like everyone else in Drakalyn, though he was smaller in stature than the Chosen of Owalyn Hump had met so far.

“Absolutely,” Seira said. “Tell us about yourself, Hump. You’re a wizard—we know that. And little Nishari is absolutely gorgeous. But other than that, you’re a mystery.”

“Oh, that is so not true!” Celaine said. “I told you loads about him. We literally talked for hours yesterday.”

Seira stared at her over her nose. “Getting information out of you was like taking blood from a stone. You’re always speaking so highly of him though, which is quite unlike you. Forgive us for being intrigued.”

“You spoke highly of me?” Hump asked.

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Celaine said.

Hump laughed. “Well, as for my apprenticeship, I mostly maintained my master’s equipment and the horses,” Hump said, grateful for a topic he could talk about. “Outside of my studies, I was little more than an errand boy.”

He told them a little about his life growing up, explaining that as a hedge wizard, his master didn’t owe fealty to a single lord, instead adventuring around the country in search of quests, dungeons, and people in need of a service. It was a little nostalgic telling them of it. He spoke of a few of their adventures—all stories he’d told Celaine and the others in the past, but he only mentioned them briefly as example of the kind of things they’d do.

“That explains how you’re already so accomplished,” Seira said. “Even amongst our Dragon Keepers, few have reached the fourth circle at your age.”

“Do they not kill wizards in Alveron?” Alir asked.

Seira gave him a look. “Evidently not.”

Alir shrugged. “I was certain I’d heard it was a blasphemous pursuit.”

“They used to,” Hump said. “A hundred years ago and I may have had some trouble. Particularly from being an unlicensed wizard outside of any of the academies.”

“You have no official education?” Alir pressed.

Hump shook his head. “Just my master’s training.” He supposed there was his spellbook to, though he decided not to mention that.

“Lots of hands-on experience though,” Gareth said. “That’s good. Much more like how our dragon blooded are trained. While we don’t expose the children to actual combat, they are brought up learning to hunt and fight. It’s the only way we can survive in the Fallen Lands like we do.”

“You’d be surprised at how little of that there is down south,” Celaine said. “It’s shocking really. One of our party members, Bud—he’s the knight I mentioned—he’d barely seen real combat before I met him.”

“He was definitely a bit of a lordling.” Hump laughed, remembering how green Bud had been back at the start. “Nobles probably shelter their children too much, though I think that’s going to change with what’s going on in the Fallen Lands.”

“Which reminds me,” Alir said. “That letter you brought caused quite a stir, Celaine.”

“Oh yeah?” Celaine’s voice was laced with scepticism.

“There’s been much debate on how we should respond,” Alir said, taking another swig of his drink.

“Do you think they’ll accept her request to open a line of communication?” Hump asked.

“Not if the Trinity have any sense.” Alir scoffed. “Elder Rena is soft on you southerners though. Sure, things are tough out here, but tough times build a tough people. There’s nothing to be gained from relying on outsiders for our security.”

“You’re being stubborn,” Celaine said. “There’s nothing to lose from talking with the countess. She’s a good woman. She’s got no ill intent.”

“And how would you know her intent?” Alir said. “Don’t forget that this is not the first time southerners have come to us with such prospects. It’s always ended the same way. The Pantheon… there’s no way we can work with them.”

Hump sighed, able to relate with the issue. “It’s hard to do business with people that view you as heretics, isn’t it?”

Alir seemed a little surprised but nodded. “Exactly.”

“If it helps, Countess Daston would do what she can to prevent it becoming a problem,” Hump said. “Her priority is saving lives.”

“How would a hedge wizard be so informed on a countess’ priorities?” Nasani’s voice was full of doubt.

“We worked quite closely with her in Sheercliff City,” Hump said. “We were part of her daughter’s squad actually. I’m confident that she’d work with you in good faith.”

“Is she Chosen?” Alir asked.

Hump frowned but nodded.

“Then it doesn’t matter what you say. Talk to one, you’ve talked to them all. The Pantheon is like a poison.”

“Right,” Seira said, sliding her chair back. “Why don’t we eat and avoid the more dangerous topics.”

“I think that’s a fantastic idea,” Celaine said, forcing a smile.

She returned from the kitchen quickly with a number of small dishes that she and Myra spread out across the table. They went back and forth, adding many wooden bowls of various ingredients. Salads, grilled meats and vegetables, saucy stew like dishes of vibrant colours. And then came the larger platters—a spit roasted bird of some kind, far larger than a chicken, a red bean mixture that gleamed with oil, and a pile of flat bread. It all looked and smelled amazing.

Celaine’s younger cousins were seated at the table, and a bowl of meat was given to Nisha nearby which she devoured eagerly.

Seira raised a glass and met Hump’s eye from across the table, warmth in them. “Has Celaine taught you how we toast?”

“I don’t think so,” Hump said. “I take it you don’t just clink glasses?”

“Raise your glass,” Seira said. “Meet my eye and raise it upward. We don’t clink glasses here—too much risk of it breaking.”

Hump did as she said.

“Perfect. Well, Hump, it’s a true pleasure to finally meet you. And Celaine, we’ve missed you dearly.”

Celaine’s smile widened, genuine this time. “Thank you, Mum. It’s good to be back.”

“It’s not been the same without you here, Cece,” her father grinned.

A collective anticipation filled the room as the aromas enveloped them. Seira guided Hump through the various dishes, explaining how to properly eat them. Hump had to admit, he was a little intimidated to be eating without a knife and fork. Instead, they ate using a single stick with two small prongs on the end, mostly relying on the bread and various large leaves to wrap their food inside and eat. The cuisine was a mixture of spicy, sweet, and the heat of chilli, and Hump was sweating by the end of it.

It was more intense than one would typically find in Alveron, but fantastically fresh and delicious. He listened as Celaine’s parents told stories about her childhood—her first successful hunt, how quickly she’d taken to dragon blood, and how she’d always had an adventurers drive to her, curious about everything. It was hilarious to see how embarrassed it all made her. He’d rarely seen this side of Celaine. Usually, she hid this side of her well. They asked more questions about Hump. Some of it about his adventures with his master and what it was like growing up on the road—a concept so distant to the people of Drakalyn—mostly though, they wanted to know more about his and Celaine’s adventures.

The meal was winding down when Alir leant toward Celaine. “Don’t get angry with me, okay? But I have a question.”

Celaine narrowed her eyes. “This better not be about Finn.”

Alir winced. “Have you two made up yet? He was quite unhappy when I spoke to him earlier.”

“Not spoken to him,” Celaine snapped.

“Celaine…” Alir said. “You told me you’d think about what I said.”

“I did think about it,” Celaine said. “Decided you need to stop poking your nose into my business.”

“He’s a Dragon Keeper,” Alir said sternly. “A good match for you. Don’t waste it.”

Celaine gave him an innocent smile. “No idea what you’re talking about.”

“Well you best speak with him soon,” Alir said. “We’ve organised a hunt in three days to celebrate your return. He’ll be there.”

“Oh!” Seira said. “You should invite Hump too.”

Alir’s glanced at his sister, clearly annoyed. “Everyone there will be dragon blooded. It may be difficult for him to keep up.”

“He’ll manage,” Celaine said quickly. “Hump’s a Rank 4 wizard. He’s surprisingly tough, and he’ll be good to have along. We don’t have magic like his in Drakalyn.”

Well brilliant. Thanks a lot Celaine, Hump thought. The last thing he wanted was to be caught up in whatever issue they were working out, and hunting was far from within his skillset.

“I suppose so then,” Alir said, turning to Hump. “What do you say, lad? You up for it?”

“I can hardly say no to an offer to see the Chosen of Owalyn on the hunt,” Hump said. “What are we hunting?”

Alir grinned. “A new dungeon opened in the forest to the north of us. It’s above ground. We’re going to find and slay its guardian.”

***

Despite the constant probing, Hump enjoyed the evening. Celaine’s parents were far from how she’d described. He’d not expected such a warm welcome. After the meal, they’d treated him to some of their speciality alcohols—strong spirits with a sweet, floral taste to them that left him a little tipsy. It was dark when he left the house, carrying Nisha in his arms who was too excited to fall asleep, yet barely able to keep her eyes open.

“Well, that was painful,” Celaine said as they made their way back through the nearly empty streets. “Sorry about my uncle.”

“I got the impression he didn’t like me.”

Celaine laughed. “He doesn’t like Alveronians at all, so don’t take it too personally.”

“I suppose I’ll have a chance to win him over on this hunt,” Hump said. “Which, by the way, I’m so grateful you volunteered me for.”

Celaince smiled guiltily. “In my defence, I really didn’t want my uncle to get his way. Besides, I do think you’ll find it interesting.”

“If I keep up,” Hump said.

“You’ll be fine. Though I do wish I’d taught you how to leaf walk. You may need to wait at the back if you’re too noisy. Or we could use you as bait again, I know how much you like that.”

“I take it it’s too late to teach me.”

Celaine nodded. “The technique takes years to master. Though I can get you a pair of our boots—they’re soft soles, which help. A spring’s the easiest time for this anyway. The grounds hard and there aren’t too many dried-out leaves.”

“I have a better idea,” Hump said. “Can you get me a pair of those boots?”

“Sure.” Celaine frowned at him. “What are you planning?”

“Ado thinks that enchanting will help with my soul,” Hump said. “I’ve got a Echoless Passage spell from the Daston Library that I might be able to make work. This will be fun. I’ve been needing a project.”