>>5961188The Darkness had lifted somewhat as you finished, every inch of you was a tapestry of cuts, bruises or worse and even the feather touch of water was a reminder of your own mortality, you wondered again how you had managed to even leave the beach if you had been in such a state. You pondered for a moment the merit of returning to rest near the fire and in all likelihood the realm of waking and pain but discarded that when you spied a figure out of the corner of your eye in the predawn light at the edge of the garden.
It appeared the old man had been the source of your respite, he had neither fled nor robbed you as you might have worried, the Idol that had been given to you had been absent in the hovel and for a wretched time you had worried it had been taken though you chastised yourself that a peasant, an old man would know little of its worth to you or of its fae gifter, still you were surprised upon your approach that the man held in his hand and you had to muster yourself so as to not make to snatch it from him.
He barely moved as you approached, though you knew he heard your approach, the labor of it was such that you doubted stealth was possible if your life depended on it, except perhaps if you played a corpse.
‘’Ye live, I see’’ was all he offered, he turned the idol curiously in his hand, inspecting it with a care you misliked, he had no right to hold it as he did, you alone had been given it and it near made your lip curl to see it in another man's hands.
‘’Was I so bad?’’ the question caused the old man to chuckle.
‘’Aye lad, ye were fevered and shaking and hot to the touch like a dyin’ man and scared my lil and her child somethin’ fierce, I had to send them on to my boy’’ the old man’s tone was light though you sensed a darkness to it, his eyes were shadowed and you could not trust his voice.
‘’You mentioned the crab king’’ you ventured but the old man waved you off.
‘’Aye I did lad, but thats a tale best left te yer kin’’ he clucked his tongue at your obvious bristling ‘’have some patience, no doubt ye’ll live longer than I will if yer a Celtigar and have some sense’’
That did little to assuage you and you could not hold your tongue ‘’You said you would tell me, old man’’ it was hard to keep your tone level and commanding and you sensed he caught the bitterness in your voice, with a rough sigh he turned to you, his eyes were dark but you could see a hint of pain in the dim light.
‘’Sparrow’s grief boy, let the dead be, ye seem to have plundered one grave today, we don’t need more ghosts marching in the night again’’ the look he gave you was hard and you returned one of your own, for a tense moment you thought you saw a echo of the man at arms Rickard in his eyes, with a curse the old man thumped the stone he sat upon and surrendered.
‘’Fine lad I’ll tell ye of him’’ his tone was somber and he bid you sit.
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