Chapter 105

Chapter 105<~> Chapter 105

I dropped the [Zone of Silence] around us, bringing us back to the noise of the world. It's always a bit uncanny not hearing anything for a while, it's a rather strange feeling. Maybe only a stone's throw from something like a sensory deprivation chamber.

I squeezed Morrigan's hand again before turning to peek at Bella. She was still comfortably asleep, leaning into me. I gently stroked her head.

"That girl can really sleep, can't she?" Morrigan said with a chuckle.

"She healed Nikka... The uuna I've been riding after she took an arrow in the shoulder. I don't know how much that fatigued her though. She did a good job healing Nikka, removing the arrow wasn't pretty."

Morrigan nodded. "Mana can sap a lot of energy out of you. I'm sure you haven't hit this point yet but if you drain too much of your mana pool it can do things like make you lightheaded, nauseous, sleepy, or even make you black out if you go too far."

"Any long-term issues?"

"Not really, though if you do it too much it'll mess with your ability to eat and sleep of course. Being passed out also isn't as efficient in recovering mana as sleeping properly is. If you push yourself too much for too long, things start adding up, same as your regular stamina."

A signal from the front interrupted our conversation, it looked like we were stopping already. I looked towards the horizon, the sun wasn't quite going down yet but it was getting close. The caravan was led off the road and into the bumpy grass where our caravan was pulled into a tight circle once again. Looks like we were camping here for the night.

Once we got off the coach I noticed Tarklin directing people off in the distance. When I approached he looked a bit nervous, probably still worried about what happened this morning.

"Tarklin, we're stopping for the night already?" I asked.

"Yes. We're getting close to Goldenhearth, the city where the baron lives. Under the circumstances, I thought it would be better if we avoided the city while it's as unstable as it sounds to be. All of the refugees traveling the roads is a sign that the city may not be safe at the moment."

"Right... Er, Tarklin. I'm sorry about this morning, I shouldn't have overreacted the way I did. You've been nothing but kind to me, a friend. I hope what happened didn't sour that."

Tarklin smiled and looked somewhat relieved. "No harm done Lilith. I suppose it may have looked like I had taken you aside to trap you rather than have a private conversation but that wasn't my intention. I do hope we can continue to be friends."

"Great," I said with a smile. "I'll go help everyone set up then."

"Sounds good. Silva, Torien, and Bella are on watch tonight. You should get some more sleep."

I kind of wanted to argue but I had already taken watch last night. "Alright then, I'll go tell them."

He nodded and I walked away to join my friends.

"Are we good still Lilith?" Silva asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, no problems. I apologize for this morning, I got a little freaked out when it probably wasn't necessary. By the way, you, Morrigan, and Bella are on watch tonight."

"Next question. Are any of you working for a demon or anyone who would summon a demon?"

Again all of us took turns saying 'no' and got the confirming pulse after.

"Next question. Do you have the [Demon Hunter] title and if you do, is there anyone that could confirm your statement?"

I was a little confused why extra confirmation might have been required since I thought that was the point of this whole exercise. Now wasn't really the time to argue though, there must have been a reason for that kind of question.

Tarklin was the first to speak. "I have the [Demon Hunter] title and it can be confirmed by the Tamin church."

There was a lot of surprise at the response and the priest quickly had a follow-up question. "Are you affiliated with the Tamin church?"

Tarklin smiled. "No, and I am a follower of Morkinnen." A pulse of truth flowed through the room once again.

The rest of us repeated that we had the [Demon Hunter] title, could be verified by the Tamin church, and were not otherwise affiliated with them.

"Final question. Do you know anything about the murder of Baron Norrin Morrister?"

Tarklin frowned. "I do. They intended to kill his daughter as well but she escaped with a bodyguard slave."

The guards all instantly drew their weapons at the statement but they didn't look like they intended to attack quite yet.

"Do you know where the Baron's daughter is?"

"Do you intend to harm her?" Tarklin asked.

The priest scowled at the return question. "No, my intention is to protect her." A pulse of truth flowed through the room.

Tarklin nodded but looked around the room. "Do any of you?"

There was a moment of silence before the priest eventually spoke. "Guards, do any of you intend to harm or reveal the location of the Baron's daughter to any of her potential enemies?" The question came off as rather intentionally worded.

Each guard said no and the [Zone of Truth] pulsed in agreement each time.

Tarklin nodded. "Thank you, The Baron's daughter is hidden in one of our carriages. I plan to take her to the Northern Greens as she now seeks asylum with the Queen of the Elves and is entitled to it through a previous pact."

The priest of Morkinnen shared a concerned look with one of his guards.