After the ritual
10th Cyus 721
Continues from here
Ashling and the stormtouched Nathon sat in a tavern in Fensalir, drinking beer and speaking about the sacrifice they had witnessed. The tavern was only a log cabin in Pinegarden and the other guest looked like lumber jacks and crafters. The light from a fire and several candles played over the walls and made the Alivilda beer in the rustic glass tankards glow like fluid dark gold.
Ashling looked Nathon. He was still wearing the dark eye-shades she had bought him long ago, in Saun 719, to shelter his sensitive eyes from the merciless light of the two suns. It was Cylus now and no sunlight at all. It was fairly dark in the tavern. But, she knew that he had good reason to keep them on. With the shades on, he looked like most men. His perfect haircut and short beard wasn't hair but the brown feathers of an owl. Nobody would notice that it if they didn't have a closer look at it, which they wouldn't, as Nathon didn't look like he would appreciate inspections. But, big red eagle-owl eyes would not go unnoticed, not even in the limited light in this tavern.
Hence, he wore the shades and she couldn't see the expression in his eyes.
"It was bloody cold even for being in Cylus," said Nathon.
"Cold and bloody." Ashling sipped on the beer.
Due to the failed harvest in Alivilda it was last arc's beer. It was expensive that she would never have bought it if not for the need to thaw Nathon up for an examination. She wanted to follow up the progress of his memory loss. But, when they had spoken in the forest he had resisted her questions. She had suggested a beer in a tavern to get a chance to persuade him.
"Yeah, a bit bloody."
Ashling looked Nathon. He was still wearing the dark eye-shades she had bought him long ago, in Saun 719, to shelter his sensitive eyes from the merciless light of the two suns. It was Cylus now and no sunlight at all. It was fairly dark in the tavern. But, she knew that he had good reason to keep them on. With the shades on, he looked like most men. His perfect haircut and short beard wasn't hair but the brown feathers of an owl. Nobody would notice that it if they didn't have a closer look at it, which they wouldn't, as Nathon didn't look like he would appreciate inspections. But, big red eagle-owl eyes would not go unnoticed, not even in the limited light in this tavern.
Hence, he wore the shades and she couldn't see the expression in his eyes.
"It was bloody cold even for being in Cylus," said Nathon.
"Cold and bloody." Ashling sipped on the beer.
Due to the failed harvest in Alivilda it was last arc's beer. It was expensive that she would never have bought it if not for the need to thaw Nathon up for an examination. She wanted to follow up the progress of his memory loss. But, when they had spoken in the forest he had resisted her questions. She had suggested a beer in a tavern to get a chance to persuade him.
"Yeah, a bit bloody."