Chapter 48: A sea of questions

Irin woke up in a bed. That alone was enough to put a smile on her lips. Then there was the fact that she was surrounded by the body heat from Koth. He had her wrapped up in his arms, pressing her close, and it was very nice. The only downside was a dull ache in her body, not enough to be painful, just a reminder of the night before. The memory made her smile widen. As she had suspected, Koth had never come close to hurting her. She had to admit she had been a little intimidated by his size, but in the end, it hadn't been a problem. She relaxed and let her mind drift as she traced one of Koth's tattoos with her finger.

"You should be asleep for a couple of hours more," he said, gently rubbing one of his hands up and down her back.

"I'm not tired. I would just like to stay like this for a while longer. It feels like a protective little bubble where the world outside and all its troubles don't exist," she told him. He put his finger under her chin to make her look up at him.

"We can stay for as long as you want. Lokhue won't be collecting us until after lunch. I think we have earned a lazy day in bed. I can't remember the last time I had one of those," he agreed and kissed her.

"I like that," she said and snuggled into him. They stayed in bed, thinking and talking and enjoying each other's company. It was the growling of Irin's stomach that had Koth chuckling and offering to get them breakfast. Irin reluctantly agreed, and they got up and dressed. Irin tidied up the room and made a place for them to sit at the table while Koth got breakfast.

"It's lively out there. They are taking this celebration seriously," he told her as he put the tray down.

"I'm looking forward to checking it out," she said as they ate. "How are we on money?" she then asked. After they had breakfast, they did an inventory of their finances.

"Not bad," Koth said. "We will have enough for the cost of passage to Osegas and to stock up on supplies, but if we were planning on getting to our final destination by ship from the capital, we will need to work while we are there to earn enough for the fare," he added.

"Don't worry. When we get to Osegas, we will head for the temple. They will give us free lodging and food. They will also provide us with funds," Irin reassured him. He looked at her with worry.

"Are you sure that is a good idea?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't it be?" she asked.

"If the high priest at the temple has found out what we are protecting..." he trailed off.

"You think he would want to take it from us?" she asked. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind.

"I'm not saying he would have bad intentions. You saw what it did with Jasper, how twisted his logic became," he explained. Irin nodded; he had a point.

"Maybe I can go by myself? I can say we were separated on the way, and I need some funds to get back home," she suggested.

"Would you be comfortable lying to him?" Koth asked. It was a good question. She felt herself squirm at the thought of lying to a high priest.

"Maybe?" she said, sounding insecure.

"We will figure out another way," he decided.

"We will think about it and have this as a back-up plan," she agreed. He smiled at her, and she was happy he didn't argue.

They both decided they would skip lunch as they had had breakfast late, and not long after, there was a knock on the door. Koth opened it, and Lokhue was outside together with Melir.

"We are collecting you so you can come and celebrate with our family," Melir told them.

"We appreciate it," Irin said, and they joined the brothers and left the inn. Irin enjoyed the mood of the town as they walked through it. Music was playing everywhere, people were talking, laughing, eating, and drinking on the streets. Children were running around in packs. She caught Melir looking longingly after a group of younger children. She understood. He was on the verge of becoming a man; his days of playing were over. But he still had one foot in childhood and was probably missing the free playtime. Messilinger was built like a bowl, all areas tilted down towards the harbour. The chief's house was located on the highest part of town, and from the front gate, you could see the entire town.

"Come! My mum and sister have made all my favourite dishes, and father and Lokhue have had a piglet roasting since last night," Melir excitedly told them. Irin, Koth and Lokhue smiled as they followed him.

"Welcome to my home. Make yourselves at home," the chief said as he saw them walking in.

"Thank you, and thank you for the invitation," Koth said.

"It's our pleasure to have you. This is my wife, Mila, and my daughter Tronda," the chief introduced them to his family.

"Koth, is it true that a wizard can use several spells at once?" Melir asked. Koth smiled down at him.

"It is," he said.

"How? When Viturleiki use magic, he can only do one thing at a time," the youngling asked.

"Melir, Koth hasn't even had a drop of ale, and you are already bothering him?" his father asked.

"He isn't bothering me. I don't mind if he wants to ask me questions," Koth told the chief, and Melir's eyes glowed with happiness. Irin smiled as the chief led Koth over to the table to sit down and sent Lokhue to get ale as Melir came along, ready with a sea of questions.

"I'm grateful your husband is letting my son ask his questions. He has always been like this; sometimes I fear his questions will never run out," Mila told Irin.

"When it comes to wizards, this is how they find magical talents. To my husband, it is just as much of a treat as it is for your son. I also know that he is grateful that no one here seems to think twice about his heritage. Thank you for being open-minded," Irin said.

"Not at all. We may look like a bunch of humans with no mix of other races, but our harbour brings all kinds to our town. No one will judge your husband on anything but how he acts," Mila reassured Irin. "Now, go and join the men and rest. Lokhue told us you have been sick."

"I'm all better now. Can I help with something?" Irin asked.

"No, no. No guest in my house will work. Sit, enjoy some ale and honey cake. Dinner will not be for another couple of hours." Irin walked over to where the men sat, and Koth pulled her down on the bench next to him. When Lokhue served her a mug of ale, Koth frowned and took a big gulp out of her mug and then replaced the missing ale with water.

"Did you just dilute my ale?" she asked, insulted.

"I did. Would you prefer I asked them to serve you milk?" he asked. The other men laughed, and Irin joined them and kissed Koth on the cheek.

"Thank you for looking out for me," she told him. A while later, the women joined them, and the following hours were spent talking and laughing. The chief was trying to ask Koth and Irin about the situation in the north, which was made difficult by Melir and all his questions.

"So you can't just use magic?" the boy asked Irin. She smiled at him.

"No. My magic comes from my goddess. I ask her to use it, and she grants me access, or denies me," Irin explained.

"So, does that mean you can only use it when you are acting in the goddess' name?" he wanted to know.

"No. Alesseja isn't small-minded or limiting like that," Irin told him, and to prove her point, she made a flower appear in the palm of her hand. Melir gasped. Irin smiled at him and took the flower and put it in Koth's hair. He rolled his eyes at her, plucked it from his hair and put it in hers instead. Irin saw Mila's approving smile.

"Before I met Irin, I thought her kind of magic was weaker than any other," Koth explained to Melir. "Then I saw what she can do, and I changed my mind. In some way, her magic is freer than mine. She doesn't need a spell or ingredients that limit you. If her mind can think it up, she can make it happen as long as her goddess allows her," he continued.

"But most of my magic needs me to focus on it. If I lose focus, it's gone. Koth, on the other hand, can infuse his magic in things, and it continues to be active even when he moves on to the next thing," Irin explained.

"Oh. So different types of magic work differently?" Melir asked.

"That's right," Koth agreed. "And they all have their strengths and weaknesses." Irin found it sweet how important it was to him to answer Melir's questions.