11 Calm before the storm

"- I can't think of anything but this one man…" Elder Behut paused in thought, rubbing his chin with the side of his index finger. "…but that was about half a year ago."

"We hadn't anyone after that looking to go across and usually they come with the whole platoons …with them, this man… was alone." Kolte added sounding incredulous like he couldn't believe himself. "Then again, maybe he was just mad. He didn't look any sane to me"

A murmur of agreement passed among the people. Tristan had paused on his way up to his bedchamber when he heard a woman's voice coming out of the Elder's base. Tristan wondered what they were talking about but couldn't seem to remember any such mad man coming to the village. At that time, he had cared more about his lessons with Nowsem than anything else.

His hands trailed the parapet as he slowly climbed upstairs, making sure they couldn't see him. He just wanted to retire as soon as he could.

"Aye! His eyes were wild, like an animal. And he often talked to himself when no one was around."

Tristan guessed it was Dobik who said it. Always the one making more drama than there was.

"Bah! Keep your fancies to yourself!" Kolte had the same idea himself but dismissed Dobik's tale as he heard it out loud.

"Don't listen to him, the man looked wild, wore old dirty clothes, not shaved for months, but was a man smart and of very sane mind inside. I spoke to him… and he was someone big tragedy befell upon not too long ago. What do you think, Elder?" Kolte added nonetheless.

"Yes, peculiar as it was, he was the first one to ever come to us for advice to go across our village." Tristan was now at the top of the stairs and paused, suddenly a little curious at Elder Behut's tale. "He was respectful, listened to what we had to say, though the mad man didn't agree to any."

"For once I Thought he'd cease this foolish quest and turn back."

"And he wanted to go across, why?"

Tristan recognized Ava, still cold and sharp and distinct.

"Why would anyone?" Scoffed Kolte and then coughed in embarrassment as he looked at the Elder. "Nirya's Temple... Her legend... One would think after so many failures they would just give up."

"And are YOU certain about this?" Ava asked again.

"We didn't ask, he had a big wrapping with him we think was a body. Gosh! Did it stink! No matter how civil, his eyes were still that of a mad man."

"Is this the only strange thing to have happened?" Ava emphasized her query.

Tristan sat down on the top most step as Ava's voice rang softly from below. He leaned on the cold stone wall and took out the piece of loaf and dried meat. He positioned himself so that he wasn't visible from the ground below, and listened to the voices.

"Strange. There was this… after about a month of this man's departure, Lord Burr sent those guards, four of them, saying there was a bandit activity going on."

Something about those four, what happened to them Tristan wondered. They weren't the ones to die to the monster and until recently they were always there, lurking around the Elder, doing nothing.

"Is that unnatural for him?" Tristan smiled at Ava's question, it was indeed very unnatural."Sending guards to protect us or us needing protection?" Someone asked but he couldn't tell who.

"Both."

"It is, but you don't question your lord when they send you help. And our village is very remote, news usually reach here only after it's already too old." Behut sounded thoughtful and a bit resigned.

When the guards came no one was happy. They just stood there and stared at everyone else, not doing anything good. But then the tavern opened and they started to waste time there, much better for everyone.

"Thankfully Vos and Nina came when they did. Taking over Girvil's tavern and keeping them out of everyone's way." Behut said again thinking the same thought as Tristan.

"Are they not local?"

"Vos was Girvil's cousin from the town and Nina worked for him. I think she is a bit slow. And yet she lied yesterday about me asking for her." Tristan wondered if it was about Olean. Was she also inside?

"I could never tell what went on in that head of hers. Anyway they came few days after the guards. We didn't mind him taking over as none of us were able and everyone wanted after Girvil died to go there and drink I mean, and not to own the tavern."

"Where are they now, the guards?" Ava asked as Tristan took out the second piece of loaf and took a bite.

"Now that you mention it, we haven't seen them since yesterday. They usually keep to themselves, not helping in anything, only there when there is time to eat."

"Kolte!" Elder forcefully warned.

"What? You know it's true. Now they are gone somewhere without notice. They must have left since the thing died. I don't really care, good riddance I say."

They didn't speak for a while after that.

"That night," Ava said softly with a little hesitation, "How did you survive? As I can tell, the beast was not to be stopped at all."

There was another pause and Tristan leaned a little to get a glimpse of them from the irregular cavity in the wall of the size of a dish. They were looking among themselves as if silently assessing their story. Tristan was interested what they would answer, if they would lie.

"It was Tristan." Lepin answered in a sigh and looked at the ones around him, no one denied, "that night he came running, telling us to go to the temple, shouting at us." He paused his eyes looking at the wall at the far side. Tristan ducked. "At first we listened since this temple was the only solid place that seemed safe, the beast tore through everything and everyone. We then took over Tristan's job of taking people to the temple before IT charged on me." He said bitterly and rubbed his leg.

"The monster couldn't come near it, like some invisible wall stopped it whenever it closed. The old gods, some of their charm must be still in this place." Lepin turned to Ava as he finished his tale.

Ava stared at him, rubbing her lips and chin in thought and didn't say anything. "How did he know that the temple was safe?" She asked, making Tristan wince internally.

Kolte scoffed at that, making everyone turn to him and he looked up, humor clear in his face.

"The Temple guardian!" He mocked, uttering every word slowly as to show their ridiculousness. "Another mad man was living there for who knew how long. No one knew he was here, then a day comes and he sends Tristan to call everyone because the temple is safe."

"It is because of him we are safe Kolte!" Lepin chided in a very uncharacteristic behavior, the man who never spoke well about anyone and then he turned to Ava, "He is dead now, may his soul pass the scale, died last night, same sickness as the rest of them. Tristan is the one usually taking care of him, the boy that was with you this morning."

Ava nodded and leaned back.

"Then I shall have to ask him more about It." she said making a wave of panic run through Tristan as he scrambled to get up unseen.

"Madam, we are grateful for what you have done but please wait until later. The poor boy had been up and hungry for the whole night. Let him rest."

Tristan didn't make who it was that said that as he very much ran to his room, not willing to meet Ava and simply too drained to answer any of her questions. Nowsem's death had left him feeling more hollow than usual and now he just wanted some time alone. He silently thanked the man in his heart, whoever it was and hoped Ava listened and left him alone for now.