Breccia's Place - A Learning Experience

The young Shin sat up in his bed, blinking. He looked around, surprised to find he was still in the dormitory, and that nothing seemed to have changed.

Except him. His own blithe assumptions about his world had shifted, and he heard the words again. The dream had been so vivid, so real... so True.

Quietly, for it was still very early, and the others were still sleeping, he got up, and got dressed. He made his way out, into the common room, and looked out the window into the practice yard. It was empty, which was surprising. The Shin Master usually awoke before any of the students, to do his own workouts with one of the Dar.

Kadek turned to the door that led from the Shin Trainee dormitory to the Shin Master's study, and passed through it.

Master Arrek was sitting at his desk, writing a letter. His face was wreathed in smiles, and he shared the smile with the trainee, as he looked up and saw him.

"Good morning," he said, cheerfully. He cocked his head, as he saw the expression on the young Shin's face. "Why don't you come in, instead of lurking in the doorway? Sit down. Tell me what's wrong." He indicated a chair beside his desk.

Kadek approached the desk, his nerves jangling. He'd never dared enter the Master's rooms before, but this was important. He only hoped that Master Arrek would believe him.

"Sir..." he began, inexplicably tongue-tied. The paladin guildmaster waited patiently, his green eyes watching the young froglok kindly. "Sir... I have to come with you." Kadek blurted out the words.

Master Arrek blinked, his cheerful expression fading a little. "You do, do you? What makes you think I'm going somewhere?" he asked curiously.

Kadek shook his head. "I had a dream... and He said you were going. I don't know where... but... He said I had to go with you." He lowered his eyes. "I know you don't believe me... but it's true." The silence hung in the room, and his heart sank.

"I do believe you, Kadek," the gentle voice of the guildmaster reassured him quietly, and the Shin Master's hand reached out to rest on his shoulder. "You'd better go pack, since we're going tomorrow. You're excused from practice and duties today. Make sure your armour is up to standard. Go see Zok Drup if you need any repairs done. Have him send me the bill."

Kadek looked up in surprise. His master's smile was again as bright as before. "Sir... may I ask where it is we're going?"

"You may. I'm going to visit some friends out by Lake Rathetear. They just built a house there, and wrote to me about it, so I decided to go visit. They don't know yet." He smiled. "The council has given me permission to take a leave of absence." He turned back, to finish the last line of the letter.

"I'm just leaving some notes for the person who will be teaching while I'm gone. I think she'll do a good job. I'll make an announcement at breakfast, and you will meet her then." He lifted the pen, then paused. "Kadek? Don't talk about this with anyone. I'm not sure why you're coming, but I am sure that if He wanted anyone to know, He'd have told you to tell them."

Kadek bowed, and retreated, recognising a dismissal when he heard one. His heart was pounding with excitement. He'd never been that far beyond the bounds of the swamp...just to the edges of the desert to the north. This would be an adventure!

Kadek was early, waiting at the city gate. The young crimson and black froglok was still excited, but some of it had worn off, and a tinge of worry had crept into his thoughts. If Mithaniel Marr had told him to go, there was a reason. And that might not bode well for his Master. Although, what a mere trainee could do to help one as powerful as Master Arrek was puzzling.

He almost did not recognise his guildmaster when he arrived at the gate. The familiar light armour that the paladin wore for training was gone, replaced with sturdy plate, and a sword in a well-worn sheath hung at his side. He carried little but a shoulder bag slung crossways, and his shield. He nodded at Kadek. "Good morning."

"Good morning, sir," the young froglok replied, and bowed. He straightened, as his Master's eyes travelled up and down his armour, and noted his pack. "I have food, and water for the trip, sir. And a few other things."

Master Arrek nodded. "We'll go the quicker way, I think. It should be safe enough, so long as we're careful." The Shin Master smiled. "Come on."

They set out at a brisk pace, and travelled in silence for a time. Kadek stole occasional glances at his Master as they walked, but did not wish to intrude, for the paladin seemed to be lost in thought.

Eventually, they paused to eat, and Kadek looked up to find his master studying him.

The question startled the young froglok. He looked up at the older froglok with surprise, but saw only friendly curiosity in his face.

"I wanted to fight our enemies... but I wanted to help people too," Kadek said slowly, trying to find the words to explain. "I could never be one of the Kor... I think they know from hatching that He wants them." The crimson froglok shrugged in embarrassment. "And I don't want to spend most of my life in prayer." He couldn't meet his master's eyes. "And the Dar are too much the other way. Sometimes I wonder if they care about Him at all." He finished his lunch, and wiped his hands on the moss beside him.

He dared to look up, to see Master Arrek standing over him, smiling slightly. "So we offer a balance then? Fighting and prayer?" Kadek nodded, and took the hand offered to him to help him rise, and they set off again.

"Balance," he said. "That's the word I wanted." He thought as he walked. "Some of the Shin trainees... they know what they're doing. They were called. I just... kind of... fell in. Nobody called me. But nothing else seemed right." Kadek shrugged, and looked back up to see the clear green eyes watching him. He looked away again, and they continued on their journey in silence once more.

"We get to swim here," the Shin Master said, after a time, indicating a stretch of open water. "Follow me."

"Have you used the portal before?" Master Arrek asked, as they walked up to a strange stone statue. Kadek shook his head. He had heard of it, and even passed by it as he had sought the various odd items his Master had sent him - and his companions - to find in the swamp. But he had never felt the need to use the strange gate that would carry him beyond his world.

"It may be crowded there. Stay close to me when we arrive." Master Arrek smiled at his young student. "Put your hand on the stone book."

Kadek reached out, and touched the statue, and felt the world twist around him. He landed with a lurch, and swallowed hard against the nausea that the sudden translocation had produced. When he had settled his lunch back down where it belonged, he looked up. And up. It was the biggest building he had ever seen. It was as high as the bluff that Gukta had been carved out of. He had been to the top of the bluff... he didn't think there was anything taller in the world...

But this building was two buildings, one on top of the other... and he craned his neck up at it in awe.

He heard the chuckle from behind him. "Kadek. Turn around. That's nothing," Master Arrek said dryly. He turned.... and took an involuntary step backwards. "That is Myrist, the Great Library," the Shin Master said. "And... we should go there. Because you will be needing a spell that we don't have in Gukta. Since we're here anyway."

"Master Arrek... I don't have very much money..." he swallowed. "I... perhaps I can get it later, Sir? I've not long until I'll be allowed to learn more magick, and I can get it then..."

The green eyes of his master regarded him with a hint of amusement. "What have you been spending it on?" he asked after a moment.

Kadek swallowed. Mortified, he stared at his feet. "Spider silk." He looked up, to see an unidentifiable expression on the older paladin's face. "I've been learning how to weave..." he explained lamely, "And the spiders in the desert don't..."

Master Arrek interrupted him. "Kadek... that's fine... just be sure to save for the spells you'll need from now on. There's nothing wrong with wanting to follow a trade. You can't always be fighting." He grinned. "Or praying." He shook his head. "Right. Well, I don't want to make a habit of this, but I don't know why you're with me, either. Come on." He led the way to the building where the graceful span of a stone bridge ended. "I'll get you this one. For all I know, you'll be needing it."

Kadek kept close to his trainer, his eyes growing wider and wider as he saw the people that moved around them. All races - all races, bright and dark - walked about him, talking amongst each other, with no sign of enmity. Or perhaps, that was a fallacy... for once he felt eyes on him, and looked up to see hatred in the gaze of a troll. That one spat, and walked away. He looked at his master, who watched after it for a moment, before continuing on his way.

"Why didn't he attack us, Sir?" Kadek asked quietly. "I could tell he wanted to..."

"This is a place of peace. It is forbidden to draw weapons in anger here. And no offensive magicks will work, either. Peace is enforced by the gods themselves. All of them."

Kadek nodded slowly, and followed his teacher towards the place he had named Myrist.

If the Great Library was impressive from the outside, it was amazing from the inside. Kadek didn't think there were that many books ever written. But there they were, stacked row on row, piled higher than he could imagine, and storey above storey of shelves. He was breathless with the wonder of it.

Shin Master Arrek led him, after several backtracks, and a whispered request for directions, to a tall paladin who was perusing one of the shelves. She looked down on him with a smile, and graciously found a copy of the spell for him, for which Master Arrek paid the fee. He waited patiently while Kadek ensured the spell was ready to use when he needed it.

Once again, they made their way out of the incredible building, and across a bridge, and Kadek realised he was being brought back the way they had come. They emerged from the smaller building, and walked around it.

"Here. Touch the stone. It will take us back to Norrath." Master Arrek walked up a couple of steps, and turned to look at his pupil.

Kadek stared at the lettering on the stone in shock. "Sir... this will take us to the ogre city!"

"I know. It's as close as you can get to the lake. Saves us a day or two of travel across the jungle. Which is nice. The Feerrott tends to be a rather unpleasant place to walk through." The older paladin watched the younger. "Like the stone book in the swamp, this one is far enough from the city that you won't have to worry much about the ogres."

Kadek nodded slowly, and climbed the steps to the stone, despite his fear. Marr wants me to go with him. I must. He reached out his hand, and touched the stone.

Once again, the magicks tore him loose from where he was, and deposited him elsewhere. He staggered a step, and felt a hand come down on his shoulder to steady him.

"You actually do get used to it, eventually," his master's voice said gently. "Hmm. It's later than I thought. I suppose we should set up camp for the night. We should move away from the portal, though. You never know who will come by to use it."

Kadek nodded, realising he was hungry again. He tried to consider the distance they had come, but it was overwhelming. Shin Master Arrek set off, and he turned to follow him. He had only gone a few steps, when a sound reached his ears. He stopped, and turned. His master did likewise, as the sound reached him, as well. Wordlessly, they both headed quickly toward the cry of pain, and the sounds of struggle.

Before them appeared the bulky form of a bear, and it was ripping someone to shreds. Kadek didn't think twice, but drew his sword, and charged in.

The bear roared as Kadek struck it, and turned to its new assailant, dropping its victim and rising to its hind legs in rage. He ducked a blow from its paw, and drove his sword deep into its abdomen. It roared again, and fell back down upon all fours, dealing a wicked slash to the young froglok's shoulder as it went, but the fight had gone out of it, and it turned to flee. He stepped up behind it, and thrust his sword down between its shoulder blades. It collapsed with a final groan.

Kadek ignored the pain in his own shoulder, and turned to the person he had rescued. And stopped dead in shock. He walked slowly up to the sprawled form, and stared down at it in dismay.

"Well. If you leave him there, he'll probably bleed to death before long. It's one of your options." His master stepped up beside him, and knelt down beside the ogre. "What does your heart tell you, Kadek?" The paladin looked up at his student. "Mithaniel Marr speaks to us through our hearts far more often than our dreams. You should listen to yours."

Kadek knelt slowly, looking at the creature he had saved. Saved. An ogre. And it was dying of its wounds. How would he feel if it were him lying there? Would it help him? Did it matter? Just leaving it to die was wrong, his heart told him that much.

He reached out, and closed his eyes. His spell of healing wasn't very strong, but it was better than nothing. He spoke the strange words carefully, and a clear blue light bathed the ogre. He worked his magicks until the terrible wounds had closed, and he was exhausted. But the ogre remained still. The magick had not roused it. He looked at it clearly for the first time. It seemed very young.

"We... we shouldn't just leave it here like this." Kadek said shakily. "What if something else comes and finds it?" He looked up, and saw his Master smile.

"No, we shouldn't, but we were planning on camping anyway. Here is as good as anywhere. Unless you think you can carry him." Master Arrek smiled again, then reached out to touch the young paladin gently. He spoke a word, and the pain in Kadek's shoulder disappeared. "Looks like bear for supper. Want me to do the cooking?" He shrugged as Kadek protested. "I'll get a fire going, then."

Kadek poked the meat with his knife, testing for doneness. A drop of the juice boiled out, and spattered on the log in the fire, bursting into flame. The juice had been clear, though, so the slab of meat skewered on a sharpened stick was done. He reached in to remove it carefully. Two more slabs remained, not yet finished. He moved one to the vacated place, which seemed to cook faster than the others.

"Thank you." Master Arrek handed him an old, lopsided bowl, crudely made of clay. It was chipped around the rim, but still strong. He set the meat into it, and slid the stick out. With the knife he still had in his hand, he carefully sliced the meat into pieces of the proper size for eating, then handed the bowl back. He straightened, and coughed as the errant breeze sent a gust of smoke his way. He turned away, closing his eyes against the smoke. When he opened them again, the breeze had again shifted, and he was in the clear. And the ogre, whom he was facing directly, was watching him.

"Hello..." he said quietly. His nerves were on edge. Would it attack him? Would it be able to understand him? Would he be able to understand it? "Um. This is your bear... are you hungry? There's a piece here for you." He watched it as it slowly sat up, and fingered the cloak that had been cushioning its head, then looked around. It turned back to him, frowning slightly.

"Bear is dead?" it asked, its barrel chest producing a deep bass voice, and its tusks giving it a strange accent.

"Yes... I killed it. Do you ...err... want to eat it?" Kadek pointed at the meat cooking over the fire. He heard a chuckle from behind him, and turned to see his Master vainly trying to contain his mirth.

He turned back to the ogre. It was examining its arm and chest, where the wounds had been. Its clothing was stiffening from the blood that had soaked it.

He stared at it, then struggled to find an answer. "Because... it was the right thing to do." It kept staring at him, but he had nothing else to tell it. He shrugged, and tested the next piece of meat. "This is ready, if you want it." He removed it from the fire, and extended it to the ogre. It reached out, and took it, surprise once again on its face.

"You give food... you fix... what you want?" It looked at him suspiciously. He shook his head.

"I don't want anything." He poked the last piece of meat, and found that it, too, was done. He took it for himself, cutting it up in his own bowl, and swallowing a piece. He made a face. "Unless you happen to have some salt," he added dryly. He looked at the meat, and shrugged.

To his surprise, the ogre laughed. "No salt," it said. "Use wood ash." It pointed at the tree from which the branches in the fire had come. "Tree make salt." It leaned forward, and picked a pinch of the ashes from the fire, and sprinkled it on his bowl before he could stop it. "Eat."

Kadek stared at his bowl in dismay. But unless he wanted to carve some more meat off the bear - and the sounds from the scavengers in the bushes where they had dragged the carcass suggested that was a bad idea - he was stuck with the ash-covered bear meat he had. He sighed, stabbed one of the slices with his knife, and ate it. And blinked in surprise.

"Know that." The ogre grinned widely. "Not stupid." It took a bite of the meat he had given it, chewing noisily. "You right. Need salt." It treated its own meat the same way.

"Do all trees make salt?" Master Arrek asked curiously. He leaned forward, and picked up a pinch of ashes himself, and sprinkled them over his own meat.

The ogre shook its head. "No. That tree. And...." It leaned forward, pointing at a different type of tree farther away, "that tree. Rest just trees." It looked at the frogloks, as it finished its meat. "Why you here? Not good place for you. Bouncers kill if catch."

"This place isn't where Bouncers come," the Shin Master said. "We need to go to the big lake. But first we need to sleep."

The ogre's brow furrowed as it worked its way through the thought. "Bouncers not come here. Or bear not eat Furd." The creature looked at the two and nodded. "Lake far far. You sleep here. Furd owe. Furd watch."

"No, you don't owe anything, Furd." Master Arrek nodded at the ogre. "You should go home, and be safe. Watch out for more bears. They're still bigger than you are… for a little while, yet."

Furd frowned, then shook his head. "Owe frog. Must pay." He spoke a few words in his harsh language.

Kadek blinked in astonishment, as his master replied in kind, asking a question. The ogre's eyes opened wide as he answered. The conversation went on for some time, before the ogre stood up, and bowed awkwardly to them both, a bow which the paladin guildmaster returned.

"Thank you, Furd. We'll remember." The ogre nodded, and trotted away into the darkness.

"Sorry, Kadek. It was easier to use his tongue." The Shin Master sat back down, and finished his own dinner. "It's painful to listen to him in the Common language. It's never been quite so ‘common' as people think."

Kadek stared at his teacher, bursting with questions, but he merely ate in silence, glancing occasionally in the direction the ogre had gone. "Sir, would you like me to stand watch?" he asked after a time. Master Arrek shook his head.

"No, go to sleep. The fire will keep the wildlife away." He smiled slightly. "And I suspect that Furd will be keeping an eye out, despite my telling him to go home. They have a deep sense of pride, the ogres." He picked up his cloak, and shook it out. "We have a long distance to travel tomorrow. Best to sleep while you can."

Kadek's dreams that night were chaotic, and he awoke to the touch on his shoulder with a start.

"It's morning," Shin Master Arrek said, smiling. "We'll leave soon. Best get up and eat something."

The young froglok sat up, and stretched, looking around him. In the early morning light, the jungle was a brilliant green, with birds of amazing hues in the high branches of the trees. He looked up, watching them, breathless at their loveliness.

"Look, sir... look up there," he whispered. "Do you see them?" He looked at his Master, his eyes bright. "They're incredible..."

"The Feerrott is a dark place, but even here, one can find beauty," the Shin Master smiled, looking up at the birds. "Remember that, Kadek. It will serve you well. Use those same eyes to see the beauty in everything." He reached down, to rest his hand on the young paladin's head. "Sometimes you just have to look harder than others."

They ate quickly, and, ensuring the fire was out, set out westward, at a good pace.

"Keep an eye out now," Master Arrek said quietly. "Some of the ogre guards travel this way, and it would be better if we didn't meet them."

Ahead of them, a great stone bridge rose, crossing an algae-filled river that flowed sluggishly through the jungle.

They waited, ensuring no one was on the bridge, before they crossed it. They hurried along, following the road ever westward.

"We have a good long way to walk today," Master Arrek said, and Kadek nodded. "We might make the lake tomorrow, if we're lucky."

"Master Arrek, may I ask a question?" The young froglok asked as they ducked through the arch made by a tree's strange root system.

"Of course. How else do you learn?" The Shin Master smiled. "I don't promise to know the answer."

Kadek nodded solemnly. "Sir, about the ogre... and our Oaths..." He fumbled for the words he sought. "Aren't ogres agents of darkness? Shouldn't we want to kill them?"

Master Arrek remained silent for a minute or two, before answering.
"The best answer to that, that I have ever heard was given by the Shin who is now teaching in my place... She said, to someone who asked virtually the same question, ‘There is a big difference between ‘standing against the darkness' and randomly murdering people you don't agree with'." He smiled slightly. "Black and white don't apply to real life, Kadek. You'll find precious little of that out here." He fell silent again for a moment. "What evil did Furd do? Did you see any? Is he evil just because he exists?"

"But, ogres were made by the god of War…" Kadek said, puzzling his way through the strange concept. "And War is evil… Rallos Zek…"

"War is… not a good thing, no. But is all war evil?" The older paladin slowed his pace as he spoke. "We brought war to the trolls. Were we wrong to do that? Should we have waited until we were attacked again, and only defended ourselves?"

Kadek looked up at his master's face. His guildmaster was looking down at him, waiting. "I don't know," he admitted.

"Neither do I." Master Arrek smiled slightly. "At any rate… Shouldn't Furd deserve to live as much as any other person does? We all have choices in our lives. Maybe you've changed how he will make some of his." Once again he fell silent. "What did you feel, when you looked at him, before you healed him?"

They were well into the mountains when darkness fell, and they stopped for the night. They ate the food they had packed with them, found a quiet spot, and curled up to sleep. Although the night was cool, it was still more than warm enough to do without a fire.

They rose, and ate again from their rations, before setting out. The rain came soon enough, bringing with it thick mud, and knee-deep water in the narrow gorges.

"Let's hope we don't end up in a flash flood," Master Arrek muttered, as he hauled himself free of another mire. "I can't wait until we reach the lake..." He reached out to help Kadek over the mud hole that had ensnared him. "Open water. Open fresh water..." he sighed, and the younger froglok suppressed a chuckle. His master glared at him, then relented, laughing at himself. "Just you wait... sometimes, the small pleasures are the most important."

They struggled on, leaving the narrow canyons, and passing a cluster of buildings.

"We could stop here, if you like," the Shin Master said. "Or we could press on. I think we could make the lake itself if we tried. It may be late, but we could get there."

Master Arrek nodded. "Then let's go on. I'm fine with camping by the lake." They continued onward, following the ridges, as the sun set, until a final incline rose above them. "This is the pass," the older froglok said, wearily. "We're almost there."

They climbed up, and wound their way through the narrow pass, leaving the clouds and rain behind them. As they began to descend, they stopped, to look out at the view. The moon was rising over a vast expanse of water, bathing all that they could see in a bluish glow.

"There it is. Lake Rathetear. Let's head down to the water. I will take a swim tonight, if only to get all this mud off me." Shin Master Arrek smiled at Kadek, and clapped him on the shoulder. "It's all downhill from here. Or it is until we hit the lake, anyway."

The morning dawned clear, and they arose stiff from the heavy travel of the day before. Master Arrek dug in his shoulder bag, and pulled out a letter, which he re-read as they ate their breakfast.

"Alright... according to this..." he pulled out a compass, and checked it, "they should be part way around the lake, that way." He pointed. "Ready for a long swim?" He grinned at his young companion's groan. "It won't be that bad. The water was nice last night. It should be even better now." He put the letter back away, and carefully did the seals up on his bag, after squeezing out the excess air. "Let's be off." He walked down to the dock that stood at the foot of the path they had travelled, and dove into the lake.

Kadek followed, and found himself revelling in the clear, crisp water. He dove down, and was amazed at its clarity, for he could see as well below as above, and he kicked out strongly, catching up quickly to the more sedate pace of his master, and shooting by with a jaunty wave.

Master Arrek grinned at his student as Kadek passed him, and picked up his own pace, until the younger froglok was hard pressed to keep up. The Shin Master kept the pace up just long enough to show that he could leave the much younger froglok far in his wake, before relenting, and slowing again. He laughed as Kadek surfaced, and rose up to join him.

"Out of breath already, youngling?" he asked with amusement, and ducked as the trainee splashed him. "It's a trick that comes with age, I'm afraid. You'll learn it in time." He smiled. "We're making good time. We should be there well before noon." He took a breath, and dove again beneath the surface, and continued on his path, with his student at his side.

The next time they surfaced, it was to regard a small cottage set high up in a meadow on a gently sloping hill. A dock jutted out into the lake, with a small boat tied up to it. Slowly, they approached the landing area, swimming still mostly submerged.

"Master Arrek!" Kadek reached out, to grasp his trainer's arm. "Sir, look to your left. There's a troll on the rocks." He paused in the water, sinking still lower, until just his eyes and the tip of his nose were above the surface.

"So there is," the Shin Master replied, and his voice had a note that puzzled the trainee. "Here is what you must do, Kadek. Go to the dock, and surface underneath it. Watch to see what happens..."

Kadek stared at his master, for the laughter in his voice came through, but the instructions had been plain. He nodded, and dove down, swimming strongly under the water to the dock. He surfaced beneath it, and found himself in a good spot to watch the troll.

It was fishing. It seemed to have been having some luck, for a decent sized string of fish sat beside it, on one of the rocks. A bucket floated in the water, tethered by a cord, and from this the troll would rebait his hook when he needed, and remove a greenish bottle to take a swig from time to time. It seemed relaxed, and content.

Its line jerked, and it hauled it up, to find its bait missing. It shrugged, then rebaited its hook, and cast with an expert flick of its wrist, and settled back again. But once again, the line jerked, and the troll hauled it up to find nothing. The troll peered into the water, but eventually shrugged again, and rebaited its hook. It flicked the line off in a slightly different direction, but didn't even have the chance to get comfortable before the line once again began to dance. This time, the troll waited, then gave the line a sudden jerk, only to haul up... nothing.

Kadek was dumbfounded. That his master was playing the trick on the troll was obvious to him, but why would he do such a thing...? He shifted uneasily in the water, trying to understand.

The troll was cursing to itself as it rebaited its hook yet again. Once more, it peered into the water, waiting, until finally it cast its line, in still another direction away from where the strange fish had been stealing its bait. This time the line lay quiet for a while, and the troll had the chance to lean back, before it began jerking madly.

Once again, the line was hauled up, and this time, a flash of silver shone from the hook. Frowning, the troll drew in the line, and reached out for the strange object that hung from its fishing hook. It closed its fingers around the object and removed it from the hook, then raised it up to its eyes. An inarticulate cry came from its lips, as the fishing pole was cast aside, and the troll leapt into the water.

It swam around fruitlessly, and emerged again, to stand on the rock it had been sitting on, arms crossed, waiting. It said something in an angry voice, but its face wore a huge grin.

And, to his surprise, his master surfaced beside him. "Oh, this is going to be fun," he said, laughing softly. Once more the troll dove into the lake, and stayed under for some time, before emerging, gasping, to stand on the rock. "Although he'll probably end up drowning himself if I don't show up soon..." Master Arrek grinned, and swam off in the opposite direction from where the troll was still surveying the waters, now holding the shiny object out as if trying to tempt the froglok from the water, and speaking in a low, guttural tongue, that Kadek recognised as the troll's own language. He concentrated on the words, although his grasp of the language was less than perfect. His master had insisted the students learn it. With the number of the creatures in the swamp, it was only intelligent to be able to understand their speech. You would never know when it could come in handy, and save your life.

"Your god-rune will be gone, frog. Come out, or I will eat it." The troll's grin grew wider, and it held the shiny object up closer to its face. When this failed to get a response, the troll folded its arms again. "Arrek, you are a khrakh. Where are you hiding?" it asked, peering into the water again.

But his master had come up behind it on the shore, and crossed his own arms, watching the troll with a smile that shone as bright as the sun.

"Who's hiding?" he asked innocently, and the troll spun so fast it fell into the water again. His master doubled over in laughter, and the troll hauled itself back out of the lake, and took several long strides towards him.

In alarm, Kadek climbed ashore, his hand going to his sword-hilt, but stopped in amazement, as the troll fell to its knees, and wrapped its long arms around his master in a hug. A hug which the Shin Master returned with no small warmth, and the two clung to each other, joy in their faces.

After a time, they released each other, and drew back a little. "You weren't really going to swallow my medallion, were you?" Master Arrek asked the troll, laughing. "I'd hate to have to retrieve it after that..."

The troll grinned. "It would not be good to get stuck, I think. Meri would kill me, anyway." It slowly got to its feet, then stopped, when it caught sight of Kadek. "Arrek, who have you brought with you?"

His master turned to him, smiling, and there was a light in his face that Kadek had not seen before. "Kadek, this is my friend Korgoss. He, and his wife, are the ones we are here to visit." He reached out to touch the troll's hand. "Korgoss and I have been friends for many, many years. Long before I became Shin Master." He turned to the troll with another smile. "Kor, this is Kadek. He's one of the young Shin I've been training. I'm afraid he had to come along with me this time. I hope it won't be a problem. Especially since I didn't tell you we were coming."

"We have enough room," the troll replied. "I built to make room for Braag and Tiri." The troll grinned again. "But you must share a bed... there is only one for two of you."

Kadek's head was whirling. He sat at the table, apart from the others, who were gathered, talking and laughing, by the fireplace. He was still stunned at the revelation that this troll was the friend that they had come so far to see. The woman who was his wife – not another troll, as he'd expected – was also a friend, and she had greeted his master with love and warmth, that his master had returned, but the sheer joy of the greeting was not as strong as with the troll.

The troll. It had a name. He had a name... Korgoss. Kadek tried to keep that in his head, but it wasn't easy. His only experience with trolls - other than the miserable creatures held prisoner in Gukta - was with the single-minded raiders that stalked the swamp, seeking to slaughter any of his people that they could catch alone. He had had more than a few encounters with those, and bore the scars of them.

His master was speaking again, and he leaned forward to catch the words. "...so I asked the council for permission to take a leave-of-absence. They said, and I quote, ‘It's about time,' and told me to get out before I worked myself to death." The paladin guildmaster grinned, and his friends laughed knowingly. "So here I am. They've told me to make sure I take some time every year from now on. So I'll be back. Probably without notice, depending on when my students are able to deal without me, or I can find Reedip to take over for a bit. She's passed me now, in ability, to tell the truth. I'm not allowed out, and there is only so much that sparring with the Dar Master will do for me... she never lets me hear the end of it." He laughed.

The conversation turned to other things, people and places unknown to Kadek, and he listened for a time, then drifted off into his own thoughts again, refocusing only when the woman took up a cane and limped outside to use the privy. His master watched her with sad eyes, and asked a question of the troll, softly, that he could not hear. The troll... Korgoss... responded with a simple head shake, and they sat in silence together. The young Shin wondered at it, but could not ask.

He looked around the cottage, and noticed, for the first time, the loom that stood up against one wall. He moved over to it, as his master spoke with his friend, and examined the fabric on it with amazement. He clasped his hands behind his back, and leaned over it, gazing at the delicate pattern woven into the fine silk. The piece was not finished, but it was clearly the work of a Grandmaster of the weaver's guild. It was so light that it moved as he breathed on it, and he drew back in awe, afraid he might damage it.

"It is very beautiful. I wish I could do such fine work. Maybe someday..." he sighed, and turned, to see the troll had come up to lean over him as he had inspected the work. He gulped, forcing his fear of the creature back down into hiding.

"It is an experiment. I did not know if the pattern would work." The troll took the loom, and turned it slightly, so that the light fell on the fabric at a sharper angle. "Look. Here I changed it." He touched a finger to the cloth, "And it fits together. Below that, it was ...unmatched? nonmatched?" He shrugged. "It did not fit. You weave?" Kadek nodded shyly, stunned that it was the troll who was the one who did such fine work. As he watched, Korgoss plucked a scrap of parchment from the top of the loom and offered it to him. He took it, and examined it. The symbols were strange, but he suddenly realised it was a pattern. He studied it, then bent to look at the fabric again.

"This is the pattern for the bottom section..." he said, as his eyes followed the strange marks, matching them with the work on the loom. Korgoss grunted.

"Good. Take it. Work it. See if you can find the way to fix it, too." The troll smiled slightly. "Good way to learn." He shoved the loom back into place. "I must finish that soon, and make the piece I was testing for." He glanced around, but his wife was still outside. "I make her a skirt for summer." He smiled, and touched his finger to his lips, then turned back to sit in his chair by the fire.

Kadek folded the scrap of parchment, and put it away safely. He caught himself again looking in wonder at the troll, whose eyes had crinkled in amusement at his reaction. His master, too, wore a smile, but a strange measuring look had come into his eyes, and Kadek ducked in embarrassment. But the moment was broken, when the woman ...Merilee, he remembered... returned, and they picked up their conversation where it had left off. He tried to stay with them, and they tried to include him, but he crept away again when he could, back to the table. He sat down comfortably, and listened to their talk, until he could no longer keep his eyes open, and he fell asleep there.

The incessant call of a bird - that he would have sworn was perched on his shoulder - woke him the next morning. He sat up, to find himself in a bed – a huge bed – with his master sleeping close by him. He had been undressed, and his armour carefully stacked beside the bed, on the floor. Master Arrek's armour was piled beside it, much more haphazardly. He spotted his pack nearby, and got up carefully, to reach it. He was pleased to note that the bed was solid, and his movements did not shake it. He didn't want to waken his master, who had probably spent most of the night talking.

He dug through his pack, and found there a simple tunic, which he put on, and belted with a woven sash of his own making. He was somewhat ashamed to wear it in the presence of one who could make the cloth he had seen the day before, but he had not brought another one with him.

While he dressed, he looked around him curiously. The room had only one door, the bed, and several large chests standing against the walls. Otherwise, it was empty.

When he was finished, he opened the door, and stepped out into the room beyond. He recognised it as the main room, and a second door - besides the one that led outside - presumably led to the room that the owners of the house used as a bedroom. Neither were present, and he walked outside into the dawn.

The sun was rising behind him, still masked by the cliffs that rose behind the hill, and he looked out on the lake. The morning mist still rose from the waters, and a lone gull winged through it, stirring it into eddies.

Almost unconsciously, he was drawn down to the water. Glancing around, he stripped out of his tunic and breechclout, and dove into the lake from the dock. Once again, he was transported by the clarity of the water. The black waters of the swamp were all he had ever seen. The lake was deep, and he hung in the water, gazing downwards, feeling as though he were flying. A powerful kick sent him deeper, but caution stayed him from the true exploration he desired. He knew nothing of the lake and its inhabitants. It would be foolhardy to go alone without at least asking the people who lived here. With an inward sigh, he turned back, and surfaced. He pulled himself up on the shore, and blinked in surprise, for the woman was sitting on the dock, watching him.

"Good morning," he said politely, then remembered he was naked. It didn't bother him any, but he had been taught that the mammals had a problem with it, and he didn't want to upset her. "Err... I should find my..."

"I love this time of morning," the woman said, smiling at him. "How's the water?" He blinked.

"It's so clear... I've never seen anything like it." He shifted, for she was sitting beside his clothes. He would have to pass her to get them. She watched him with a grin. "I didn't want to go too far... is there anything dangerous in the lake?"

"The aquagoblins can be a pain. They can be fairly powerful, you would have a hard time fighting them, even though you're as agile under there as they are. You still have to hold your breath... and they don't. There are freshwater sharks, too, and alligators, but not that many of those."

"You can still go in. Close to shore, it's pretty safe. The goblins tend to stay farther out, and deeper. But I'm afraid it makes exploring not the best idea. Unless someone comes with you." She began to strip off her own clothing, piling it beside his. "I love to swim. The water is good for me. Or so Kor tells me." He watched her with amazement. "And don't worry about me holding my breath... I have magicks that let me breathe underwater... so I can keep up with you. Mostly." She carefully stood up when she was done, and awkwardly dove off the dock. He blinked, as her head rose up, and she looked at him. "Coming?"

She didn't need to ask twice, and he dove back in. Once more, he hung in the absolute clarity of the water, watching her swim. He kicked out toward her, and she grinned, and dove towards the bottom. He blinked, for she was as quick in the water as his master, the stiff movement of the land gone in the freedom from weight that the water gave her. He followed, and they explored the depths.

Eventually, they had to surface again so he could breathe, and he noticed she was tiring. He led the way ashore, and helped her from the water.

Away from its buoyant assistance, she once again lost her mobility, and he led her to a patch of grass, before fetching her cane and clothing from the dock, as well as his own.

"Thank you, my lady... that was wonderful," he said, as she dried herself off with her apron, and got dressed. He tied his breechclout on, and set his tunic down beside him, waiting to dry off before he donned it.

"My pleasure." She smiled up at him. "Why don't you sit down, and we can talk, while we wait for those two to decide to wake up and join us?"

"Certainly, my lady." He seated himself beside her. "This is a lovely spot, but it's so far from everything…"

"We like it that way. There aren't that many places, or people, that will accept the fact that Kor and I are together. Out here, you're judged by your actions, not your face. And it's not ‘my lady.' I'm Merilee, or Meri."

"I'll try to remember, my… Merilee." He caught himself, and she grinned at him.

"So why are you here, Kadek? I wouldn't have thought Arrek would ask someone else to come with him. He's very protective of Kor. Your people have issues with the Trolls."

Kadek shifted in embarrassment. "I'm not sure I can answer," he said. "Master Arrek didn't want me to talk about it, but I don't know if that applies to you or not…"

"Fair enough." She tilted her head, watching his face, and he looked away from her, almost ashamed that he couldn't speak. He fumbled for something to say, to change the subject.

"Not really. And there are other people around. You must have missed the ogres. There's a small clan of them over by the road leading into the mountains. They're nice people. We visit back and forth."

Kadek tried to hide his astonishment. He'd never thought to consider ogres ‘nice people'.

Merilee was continuing. "There are some gypsies down south. A few other folks like us, who just want to be left in peace." She smiled. "And the aviaks, of course. But we don't have much to do with them. They don't speak any language we know, and they're terrified of Kor."

"There's lots to keep us busy, too. Kor's still finishing up the house. He built it, with some help from a couple of our friends. And the dock. Although our friend Braag did a lot of the work on the dock. He can pick up the pilings two at a time." She nodded back up the hill. "Kor wants to put a garden in, for fresh vegetables. I'd like a fruit tree, but we don't know if we can get one to grow here."

A peal of laughter sounded from the hill behind them, and Merilee turned, to look up towards the cottage.

"Sounds like the two lag-a-beds are up. I gave up on them last night, and went to sleep. I don't think they noticed." She gathered her legs under her, and reached for her cane, but it had slid just out of her reach.

"Master Arrek and your husband seem really close," Kadek said, standing, and offering his hostess a hand to rise.

"You don't know the half of it. I doubt there are brothers as strongly tied as those two are. Or crechemates." She shook her head. "It's funny, and I'd heard of it before, but I didn't believe it until I saw it. If two people who hate each other can stop hating each other, they make the deepest friendships. Arrek and Kor did that." She leaned heavily on him as she got up, and he braced himself to lift her to her feet. "You're a lot stronger than you look," she said with surprise.

He shrugged. "I think it's the sword-workouts that Master Arrek gives us. He's a hard teacher. Always fair... we all love him. But he's hard." He made sure she was steady, then bent to pick up her cane, and hand it to her.

"He has to be," Merilee said. He looked up at her with a frown, and saw the sad expression in her eyes with surprise. "To him, every time one of you goes out, and doesn't come back, it's his fault. He could have taught you better. If he doesn't do his best with all of you, all the time, pushing you to be your best as hard as he can..."

"You don't see what he keeps inside... he hides it from you. We see it in the letters he writes. Every young Shin who is killed weighs on him. Every one that disappears takes a little piece of his soul with them. I'm glad they let him have this time away. He really needs it. He jokes about working himself to death, but he's the sort to do that, to give you, and your fellow trainees, that extra chance… to make sure you live through the challenges you'll face."

Kadek stood silent for a long moment, looking up the hill, listening to the two voices rise in some mock-argument.

"You and I will be spending a lot of time together, I think. We'll let them alone, mostly," Merilee told him. "Let both of them draw the hurts out of the other. Rebuild their souls. It's hard on them being apart." She smiled at the young froglok, who nodded up at her. "Shall we go see which one of them burned breakfast?"

"That'll be Master Arrek…" Kadek said, wrinkling his face up. "There's a reason I cooked the bear on the way. Even without salt, it was better than what he would have made."

"You don't have to tell me that," the woman said, as Kadek offered her his arm to climb the hill. "I don't know how he can spend so much time with Kor, and not learn even the basics of how to cook. You should hear some of the stories..." She rolled her eyes.

"You'll have to tell them to me. I'd like very much to hear them," he said to her, and smiled.

The time passed slowly for Kadek, but he knew it passed all too quickly for his master. The days blurred, one into another, as he spent his time listening to the tales the woman told of Master Arrek, and her husband, and their friends.

He, in turn, answered her questions about what life was like in Gukta, the depths of the customs of his people, and the reasons behind them, when he knew the answers. When he expressed surprise at some of the questions, she smiled at him.

"We had so many other things to worry about, Kadek. Things like this never came up in conversation. And I'm always fascinated by what makes my friends the way they are."

They swam often, and fished, and ventured out to the small ogre village to purchase supplies, and always talked. They left the two dear friends to spend their days together, joining with them again in the evenings, when the sun sank into the lake, and they all gathered by the fire.

Kadek watched as the years seemed to fall from his master, as he lost the burdens he had carried. He came to appreciate how much the older paladin had given to him, and the other Shin Trainees. And how hard of a job he had.

"Master Arrek?" he asked one night, as they were getting ready to sleep. "Why don't you have a helper?"

"A what?" His master looked at him with amusement. "Why? Do you think I need one? The Dar Master doesn't have one. Neither do the Jin or Yun Master…"

"No. There aren't that many Jin and Yun. But Kor Master Gloorg does. He has people who take care of the Temple duties, so he doesn't have to do it all himself, and people who teach the fighting, while he teaches the magick. And there are more Shin than Kor." The young paladin folded his tunic neatly. "If you had one, you could do more work with the trainees that need it, and not as much writing and stuff."

He looked up, to find his master staring at him. He looked back down, embarrassed.

"You want the job, I suppose?" Master Arrek asked dryly, as he folded his own clothing, and set it on top of one of the chests.

"No sir. I'm not good enough for that. But maybe the lady Shin who is there now, in your place…" the young froglok said. He looked up again as his master laughed.

"You'd have as much luck in stopping the tides as in getting her to settle down in one place for that long," he said. "She'd go stir-crazy." He continued to chuckle. "And probably end up gutting me some day, out of sheer frustration." The paladin guildmaster shook his head. "We can only hope nothing ever happens to me… right now, she's the most likely one to be taking over my place. And she seems to have gotten shorted on the ‘patience' part of our training."

Kadek's eyes were wide as he listened to his master. "Sir…I heard… isn't she your crechemate?"

"Indeed she is," Master Arrek said, still grinning. "Which is how I know... first hand." He fixed his eyes on his trainee. "You can't tell me your crechemates are all perfect?"

Kadek sat down on the bed. He felt the turmoil in the pit of his stomach, and swallowed. "I have no crechemates." He felt his master's eyes on him, and heard the sound of movement behind him stop. He didn't turn around. "There was a sickness... a lot of pools were affected… and all the tads in them died. Except me."

"I had heard about that," his master said quietly. "They changed the water-flow system after that, so it could never happen again." Kadek awaited the words of sympathy, the kid-glove treatment that would follow, with a sense of dread. He was the first of his people to be raised alone, and was a strange thing to them. An object of pity. He steeled himself. He had dealt with it so many times…

"There've been times I'd have been happy to give you Reedip, let me tell you." His master's voice was wry. "Having crechemates isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes." Kadek heard his guildmaster sniff, and was frozen with disbelief. "We nearly killed each other a time or two. Add the others into the mess…" Master Arrek sighed. "I'm surprised our creche-mother didn't wash her hands of the lot of us. It wasn't until we were all long grown that we figured out how much we actually cared about each other."

Kadek blinked, and turned, to steal a glance at his master. The older froglok was shaking his head, his eyes far away. "You fought with Shin Reedip?" Kadek couldn't believe his ears.

"Well. I was mostly defending myself... she's got a bit of a temper," his master said, laughing again. "And she's always been stronger than me. I thought she was following me to the Shin just to get me, though. That was the worst fight we ever had. Afterwards… Master Grubbus pretty much ended any rivalry… the hard way."

Kadek crawled into the bed, and lay down, feeling the tick shift slightly as his master did the same.

"I haven't been spending all that much time with you. I'm sorry…" Master Arrek said quietly after a few moments of silence.

"Sir. I don't want you to." Kadek winced, realising how that had come out. "I mean… you should be with your friends. I don't even know why I'm here." He stared at the ceiling. "Gods don't make mistakes, do they?"

"I can't answer about other gods… but Marr doesn't… at least not very often, Kadek. The gods tend to know a lot more than they like to tell us. I strongly doubt Marr has made a mistake with you."

The young froglok lay awake for a time, listening to the faint sounds of the building settling, and the breathing of his master. They would be leaving again before long. The thought of the journey back sent a chill through him. There had been no need of him here, no service he could do… why had Marr told him to come?

The last few days were difficult on the young froglok. The thing that really made them hard was the waiting, and the wondering if he would be up to whatever it was he was brought here to do. Furthermore, the sense of being an outsider was stronger than ever – not that he begrudged his master the closeness with his friends. Far from it, he actively tried to keep out of their way, avoiding even his kind hostess, so that she could spend her time with his master as well.

He awoke one night, to look at Master Arrek asleep beside him. Unable to fall back asleep, and unwilling to risk waking the older froglok, he slipped from the bed, caught up his tunic, and crept from the room.

Outside, the night was clear, and the moon was rising over the lake. He pulled his tunic over his head, and once more allowed himself to be drawn down to the water.

The lake was still, reflecting the moon and the stars as if it was a mirror. He stood for some time, simply looking out at it. Eventually, he sat down on the grass of the slope of the hill, and watched the stars wheeling above him.

"Why am I here?" he asked them at last. "Why did you send me, Lord Marr?" The stars held no answer, and he sighed, and got up again, to move down to the water's edge. He bent down, to pick up a flat stone, and sent it skimming over the water, shattering the perfect mirror of the lake with ripples. "How could someone like me ever help someone like Master Arrek?" he asked softly, as he watched the image of the moon shimmer and reform.

Kadek started, and turned at the voice. A shadow among the rocks unfolded itself, and stood up. The young froglok swallowed, and took a step backwards, as the troll approached him, and looked down at him.

"What is it you fear?" Korgoss asked after a few minutes of silence. "Besides me," he added dryly, when the young froglok did not respond.

"The trip back," Kadek admitted at last, trying to calm his pounding heart. "I'm afraid I won't be able to do whatever it is He wants from me. We didn't have any troubles on the way here. And Master Arrek is so strong... if he can't handle something that's going to happen, then how can I?"

The troll grunted thoughtfully. "I do not know," he said, after a time. "But," the shaman said, fixing his eye on the paladin, "if he wanted a defender for Arrek, he sends one. If he sends you, then it is something you can do. Or that you already have done."

Kadek stared up at the troll in incomprehension. Korgoss nodded slowly, and turned towards the water.

"Look." The troll pointed at the ripples that had reached the shore at Kadek's feet. "Here they are small." He pointed off across the lake. "They do not die. They move. Until they hit something."

The young froglok watched as the water lapped the shore, then looked again up at the shaman, who smiled slightly.

"They get bigger as they move. The other side sees them reach farther." Korgoss reached down to touch the young paladin gently on the head. "You make waves with your life. Where will they go?" The troll crouched down beside the water, and picked up a pebble, and flicked it out to make more ripples. "Have you already made the wave that your god wants? You have changed, I think, in coming here. What will you change?" The shaman's eyes reflected the moonlight, glowing green.

Korgoss sniffed. He reached out, requesting with a gesture the young paladin's hand. Slowly, watching the shaman's face, Kadek extended it.

"Changed." The troll said quietly. He spread out the froglok's fingers, and held his own hand up against it. "Look. What do you see?"

"My hand? Your hand?" Kadek blinked. "You have more fingers? Yours is bigger...?"

"I see a froglok gives his hand to a troll." There was a deep amusement in the shaman's voice. He released the paladin's hand. "You have lived in my house two weeks. You have ate at my table. How many of your people would do this?" The troll let out a dry chuckle. "I do not think many."

Korgoss slowly seated himself again, on the grass. He turned his eyes outward, towards the lake that had once more become a mirror.

Kadek stared at his hand, and glanced at the troll again, but Korgoss was not looking at him. He turned, to find another place, and let the troll return to whatever meditations he had been occupied in before he had been interrupted.

"You can sit. I will not eat you." Korgoss's voice was again as dry as his laugh had been.

"I didn't think you would," Kadek said, embarrassed. "I just didn't want to disturb you any further..."

"You did not. I could not sleep." The shaman flicked a glance at the paladin from the corner of his eye. "Like you."

Kadek nodded, and sat back down on the slope of the hill, not far from the troll. He leaned back, to watch the stars above them.

"It's strange being here. And meeting you." He drew his knees up, leaning forward, and cocking his head to study the shaman. He had spoken to his master's friend only a few times, still nervous about the huge creature. That the troll held no enmity for him had been clear from the start. But it had been hard to align that knowledge with the fear that his prior encounters had engendered within him. He searched for something to say.

"You... you really speak the common tongue well..." he said after a moment, and heard the sniff of amusement.

"Meri teaches me. She says it is important." Korgoss sighed. "She makes me say poetry."

The troll's woeful tone set Kadek laughing. He tried to stifle it, but failed. The shaman smiled.

"She is very stubborn," the troll continued. "Do not try to say ‘no' to her, when she thinks she is right."

Kadek rubbed his hand on his face, and shook his head at the surreality of the conversation. "I'll try to keep that in mind," he said. "Not that I would try to argue with either of you, really. And..." he broke off suddenly.

Kadek swallowed. "And... well... we'll be leaving soon. We only have a couple of days..."

"Yes." The single word carried a world of weight. Kadek looked up at Korgoss, to see his head bow.

Mithaniel Marr speaks to us through our hearts far more often than our dreams, his master had said. You should listen to yours.

The troll looked up sharply, as the young froglok's hand touched him on the shoulder. "It's only a year, this time," Kadek said softly. "And he'll be back. I don't think anything could keep him away."

The glowing eyes held his for a moment. "I know." For a long moment the troll studied his face, then grunted. "You wear his touch. He teaches well." Slowly the troll stood up. "Go to bed, Kadek. If you have learned all he teaches as well as this, you do not need to fear."

Kadek nodded, and turned to climb the hill, hearing the sound of another pebble being flicked into the water behind him as he went.

"Have they been biting?" Master Arrek asked, settling himself down beneath the tree the young froglok was leaning against. "Kor says the fishing is better here than in the swamp."

"Some. I've not been trying really hard." Kadek twitched his line. "Um. Why are you down here, sir, instead of...?"

"Well. I have this student who spends his time making my friends think he's a ghost." Master Arrek grinned. Kadek could feel the expression of embarrassment creep across his face. "Besides," the older froglok continued, "they're mammals, remember? They prefer to have some privacy at certain times... and I'd rather not bother them. Why have you been sneaking off?"

Kadek looked up to see the wise green eyes studying him, as his master awaited a response.

"I just... want you to be with them. Anyone who looks at you can tell right off that you're..." he stammered, unable to say the word. But his master waited patiently for him to find his voice again. "That you're lifemates." He swallowed, feeling the words he had held inside bubbling to the surface in a flood he couldn't stop. "You don't get to see them for so long, then they give you permission to go for the first time in years and years, and you end up having to drag me along with you, and I'm in the way, and they're your lifemates..." He stared at his line in the water. "And I don't know why I'm here, and I'm scared I'm not going to get it in time, and that something is going to happen..." He trailed off as the words ran out, leaving him empty. "I'm sorry..."

"For what? For telling me the truth? Never be sorry for that." Kadek looked up, as he felt his master's arm settle around his shoulders. The older froglok smiled at him. "I prefer it to any possible alternative."

Kadek nodded, lowering his eyes down to his toes, which he had clenched unconsciously in the grass. He relaxed them with an effort.

"Besides," Master Arrek said, "I'm the one who should apologise. I may not know why you were sent along for certain – Marr hasn't felt it necessary to tell me, yet – but I can make some guesses."

Slowly, the young froglok raised his eyes to those of his master. The paladin guildmaster was watching him with a solemn expression. "It's okay, sir," Kadek began.

"No, it's not. I've let you stew on this, and I shouldn't have." Master Arrek sighed. "Kor told me he frightened you last night. So I got him to tell me the whole story." The older froglok smiled wryly. "I sometimes need a smack in the head too, to see where I have to go. And that's why you're here, I think. That thing about the ‘helper.' You're right. I need one. But I couldn't admit it. Until I heard the Truth in your words." He smiled again. "I strongly doubt you're here to fight any battles, or anything like that. Unless my thick head counts as an opponent."

Kadek opened his mouth to protest, but his master's hand rose up to stop him before he could speak.

"I'm not perfect, Kadek. I've never claimed to be. So don't try to defend me. Besides, Marr seldom has only one thing going on at a time... so there probably are other things for you to do... but they'll be things within your power. They may be challenging, but not insurmountable." His arm tightened around the young paladin, as he drew him into an embrace. "And I am more than certain you are up to it."

The morning of their departure was clear, and the lake calm, as the four of them walked slowly down to the dock. The real goodbyes between his Master and his friends had been done the night before, but the embraces, and words were no less moving for being repeated.

He ducked in embarrassment as the bard kissed his forehead, and gave him a quick hug.

"Safe travel, Kadek. It was good to meet you," she said. "Make sure you come by to visit sometime."

"Here," Korgoss said, thrusting out a shoulder-bag like Master Arrek's. "Food for both of you on your journey. You will carry it. Keep the bag. It is waterproof."

Kadek took it, and slung it over his shoulder, thanking his host heartily. He extended his hand, watching the troll smile as he took it, enfolding it in his own, much larger hand.

"You will do well," the shaman said to him quietly. "Do not fear." He raised his hand, and muttered a word, and an enchantment settled down upon the two frogloks. "Go. It will last until nightfall."

Kadek bowed his thanks, and stepped back, then turned, and dove into the water. He surfaced, to see his master dive in behind him. He raised his hand in farewell, then dove below, to follow the older froglok.

Their journey home seemed swifter to Kadek, than their coming had been, even taking into account the shaman's gift of fleetness. Perhaps it was that he now had landmarks to watch for, or perhaps because his master spoke little and moved quickly, but the miles seemed shorter as they entered the mountains. His master's silence worried him at first, but when he got the chance to study Master Arrek's face, on a rest-break, he was relieved to find that the paladin guildmaster's normal cheer was present. He still seemed lost in thought, though, and Kadek did not wish to disturb him.

The travel was easier, this time, with good weather on their road, and, despite Kadek's fears, they encountered no dangers.

Kadek found himself thinking about the final days with the strange couple as he followed Master Arrek. He had tried to slip away, again, and leave the others to themselves as before. His master had had other ideas, though, and caught him before he managed to sneak out the door, inviting him back to sit with them around the great table that had dominated the main room.

They had talked for hours, about their youthful adventures, drawing out his own stories of his trials in the swamp. The stories that they told, of the far places they had seen, and their own hard lessons had fired his imagination. He had resolved that some day, he would go to see some of the things they had described.

His reverie was broken when Master Arrek stopped them to rest, and eat. He looked up in surprise to find the sun a little past midday.

"Here, sir," Kadek said, handing the shoulder-bag the troll had given him to his master. The older froglok opened it, and smiled suddenly when he looked inside.

"He doesn't believe in half-measures," he said, shaking his head. The Shin Master withdrew a wrapped portion of food, and handed it to his student. "There's enough in here to last quite a while..." He suddenly fixed his eye on the younger froglok. "You told him I offered to cook the bear, didn't you?"

"I told Lady Merilee," Kadek admitted. "But she was ...um... familiar with your cooking, sir."

Master Arrek put on an affronted expression, but Kadek smiled, and ate the shaman's largesse with appreciation. His master shook his head, but did likewise.

Their journey continued in kind, and Kadek realised with surprise that the shaman's parting gift of magick would save them a good half-day in travelling. They spent that night not far from the place they had slept the first time through the mountains. The next, they slept in an inn, in the city of New Taanan. The next day would bring them again to the swamps, less than a half-day's walk from the gates of Gukta. They had met nothing worth worrying about on their way. Not even another bear in the jungle.

His master awoke him that morning, suggesting they eat on the way, as the inn's food would be unlikely to match that which the troll had provided.

Kadek nodded, not wishing to cause his master to pay for anything else for him. The inn's fee alone was more than he could imagine paying, although he offered to split the cost. Master Arrek laughed when he heard it.

"I have fifteen years of my stipend, Kadek, and nothing to do with it, but feed myself and replace clothing. And buy books. Don't worry about the room. You don't owe me for half!"

They walked through the streets – already bustling with people – towards the stone that would carry them home.

The familiar heavy air of the Innothule settled around them as they arrived, and they swam the channel to the mainland from the tiny island.

Together, they sat down to eat their breakfast, breathing in the scents of home, and listening to the sounds of the waking swamps. Kadek sat, deep in thought, as he slowly broke his portion into pieces, and swallowed them.

"Kadek." The young froglok looked up from his breakfast, to see his master standing over him. Master Arrek's face was more serious than he had seen it since they had departed on this journey.

"Sir?" he asked, setting aside his food, and standing, wondering if he had done something wrong.

The older froglok studied him, then unbuckled his sword. He placed it in the young paladin's hands. "This is it, Kadek. The end of my little trip. And the beginning of yours."

"Sir?" Kadek took the weapon awkwardly, staring at his master. "I don't understand….?"

"Go out into the world, Shin Kadek. There's a purpose for you, but I'm not given to know fully what it is. All I know is this: You must go out and learn. Explore. See the world. You are no longer my student."

"No. I'm freeing you. You've learned what you needed from me." Master Arrek smiled. "You're not the only one who hears His voice, you know, and He had a few things to tell me. It's time for you to go. The swamp doesn't hold much more for you. You need a bigger pond. Take my sword. It will stand you in good stead. Find your way. When you are ready – and you will know – come back to me. I have a feeling that I'll have a job for you."

The Shin Master smiled at his protégé. "Marr has chosen you for something. Be worthy of it." He reached out, and embraced the stunned young froglok tightly, then turned, and headed off toward the city.

Kadek stared down at the sword in his hands, and swallowed hard. He watched with shock as the Shin Master's figure dwindled with distance, then vanished amongst the trees of the swamp. Slowly, he drew the weapon from its scabbard, and stared at the shimmer of holy magicks that surrounded it.

He swallowed again, and felt the stir of something within him. He would be worthy of this sword, before he used it. He resheathed it, and slung it over his shoulder. His own weapon would suffice for now.

He gathered up the remnants of his breakfast, and saw that the shoulder-bag had been left for him as well. He wrapped the rest of his breakfast carefully, and put the food away. As he thrust it into the bag with the rest of it, his fingers touched a larger bundle, and he pulled it out with surprise.

His curious fingers unwrapped it, to find a fine leather cloak, reinforced with studs of a strangely coloured metal. A scrap of parchment was stuffed inside it. He examined the note, finding it printed in the crude runes of the trolls. He sounded out the symbols carefully, glad he had practised. Enough samples of their writing remained in Gukta that nearly all of his people could read them.

West Karana. Seek Tiri. Ask of bandits. He stared at the note, and read it again. He smiled.

He threw the cloak over his shoulders, slung his pack over top, and turned northward. He glanced back, once, before he set his feet upon the first steps of his journey.