Tim heads for the South Gate late in the morning on Fourday. It's been a nice couple of days for him. Some good quality relaxation time, some training and news from Flamelancer Berian, who is treating Tim more like a colleague than a junior member now, and a night or two in the taverns with Tierney.
Still, it's good to get outdoors. Tim can try out the new spells without fear of messing anything up, and after being in that dungeon, it's just nice to get a look at the trees and the grass and all that every once in awhile. Just to remember what he's doing all this fighting for.
He passes through the gates, the guards nodding at you respectfully -- you don't even have to present yourself anymore. They pretty much know who you are. Outside, you leave the road and, staying close to the wall, tromp off around toward the southwest.
RRRROOOOAAAARRRR!
"Ah, he found him," Tim says, nodding with a small smile, and jogs in the general direction of the horrendous noise.
He finds Aldamar in a clearing. It's actually kind of a nouveau clearing, about ten minutes old and primarily, well, cleared, by the very familiar dire bear who is romping with Aldamar. Tim just looks for a moment.
"You never romp with me," Warthos says in Tim's mind.
"Um, true."
"Thank the Wanderer. Did you see how Callador just batted Aldamar straight through that bush?"
"Hey, Tim, look who's back!" Aldamar calls. He looks just about happier than you've ever seen him, barring the first moment out of the Dungeon of the Perishing Fall. "It's Callador!"
"Oh, really?" Tim squints. "Oh, yeah, there he is. Hey, big guy."
Callador swats playfully at Timus, who dodges frantically and thanks the dungeon for all of his powerful magical protections, which allow him to remove himself from the bush he finds himself embedded in with only minor difficulty.
"So, what's up?" Aldamar asks.
"Well, I was thinking that we've both gotten fairly powerful at this point, and we've been sort of stuck in that damn crypt with Reltajoon, using only the nasty spells. Since Karilon gave us the week off, would you be up for camping out here for a few days? I've got this new spell that I really want to try out, and I could use your help with it..."
"Yeah, that sounds great!" Aldamar says, although Timus detects just a hint of hesitation in the voice. Maybe he wanted more time on his own, or with his animal friends, or something. Weird to back out now, though. Timus decides that he'll hang with Aldamar for a day and then give him some tree-time. "Let's head to the clearing by the South Gate. That's a good spot to practice."
As it turns out, you're not the only ones who have noticed this. When you reach the clearing, you see (and hear) the sounds of motion. It sounds like flying creatures, and some on the ground. There's growling and roaring and the ring of steel. And as you get closer, you see what they are.
"Ah. Paladins," Timus says.
"Holy... wow. I didn't know that Twingate had that many paladins," Aldamar says after a moment. "There's got to be, what, a dozen?"
"Eight of the Foundation -- those are the dire lions -- and four of the Sky Queen, with the Griffons."
They're not entirely natural creatures, but Aldamar can't find it in him to really disapprove. He watches the knights brandishing their swords or lances, dashing around on their lions or wheeling through the air on their griffons.
There's an old stump on the edge of the clearing, from a tree that was removed after a lightning strike. It's hardly noticeable, next to the dire lions and griffons. It takes both Aldamar and Timus a moment to see it, and the figure sitting on it, watching the others.
She's looking up at the griffons, circling and flapping and soaring, and they're a good fifty yards from her, so they can't really make out her expression perfectly, but it's not really hard to guess. She's not wearing her armor, and as far as Timus and Aldamar can tell, she doesn't have that hammer she found in the dungeon. That seems odd. She was so attached to that thing. You'd think she'd carry it with her everywhere, doing cartwheels and backflips and stuff.
"Did you know that if their mount dies, they have to wait a year and a day before they can get another one?" Timus asks.
Aldamar shakes his head. "I doubt she'll do it," he says.
The two stand there on the edge of the clearing and watch the paladins ride through the skies while Leny watches from the clearing. They stand there for what seems like a long time. Who knows how long Leny's been there. Maybe it's her special spot, the place she comes when she wants to be alone and look at the sky. Timus and Aldamar aren't sure.
But they find somewhere else to practice their magics.
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