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anxiously. In his memory, the boy had looked lively enough beneath his
bandage at least before Pavek had fallen on him, whenever, wherever that had
happened if it weren't another dream.
Javed grimaced. "Not him. I'd forgotten him or tried to. He's fine. Says he'll
do whatever you do: stay or leave."
"Who's injured then? I don't remember," Pavek scratched his head, as if
knowledge seeped through his scalp.
"A noisy dwarf from Ject you remember Ject, the village south of
here on the far side of the mountains? And that half-elf friend "
" Ruari? Ruari's alive?" Pavek caught himself reaching for Javed's hands. "He
didn't die on Kakzim's tree?"
"No," Mahtra said, cocking her head. "I
told you. You heard me, Lord Javed, didn't you? I told him first thing, as you
were pulling him out of the water." She turned back to Pavek. "You didn't pay
any attention!"
"I didn't hear." Pavek hid his face behind his hands, unsure if he would laugh
or cry, and did neither as the emotions shattered against each other. He
uncovered his face. "How is he? Where is he?"
Javed put a hand on Pavek's shoulder, holding him down with very little
effort.
"Where he is, is over there " A black arm reached toward the other side of the
halfling village where another improvised bed held another tall man, a
copper-haired man whose copper hair was the only unbandaged part of
him. "How he is, is surviving, mending bit by bit. They damn near
killed him, those
BlackTree halflings. If it had been up to me, I'd've slain the lot of
them even for a half-breed bastard. But, I've taken your measure, my lord, and
I didn't think you'd approve.
If I was wrong, Lord Pavek ?"
Another smile, which Pavek gamely returned. "No, you've measured me right,
Commandant, and you have my leave to take the maniples back to Urik. I choose
to stay here, with my friends."
The commandant nodded. An elf could always appreciate the notion of
friendship, even if he didn't appreciate the friends. "Your
permission, my lord, I'll take the head with me, as proof of what
we've accomplished. Somehow, I think it might be a while before you and your
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friends wander back to Urik. If you listen to that dwarf, you'll waste the
rest of your life looking for halfling treasure!"
Not treasure, Pavek thought, but a lion and a knife...
He said good-bye to them later that afternoon. Then, with Zvain on
one side and a talkative dwarf named Orekel bending his ear on the other,
Pavek took up vigil at Ruari's side.
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