Day 18

So, um, some complications, whoo! I felt like Etana and Aleth were getting along too well.

The play went well. Aleth was responsible for background music and some narration to move the story along. Etana had to exercise her rapid-mending skills when Jelane, the leading lady, accidentally tore the hem of her dress on a loose nail. But overall, the audience was satisfied, and showed their appreciation with coin and food--mostly food, since the population wasn't all that wealthy. At the end, though, Etana felt proud for having been a part of such a production, even if it was just behind-the-scenes. Afterwards, the troupe got together and had dinner as a big group. There was a lot of joking and talk about the production. Jelane expressed her gratefulness for the quick fix, and Ma Belda looked over everything approvingly. Etana felt a sense of being part of a rather large family, and she found herself missing home. But she looked over at the smiling Birom, and determined to make the best of this "adventure."

They spent a few more days in Fernholm, giving only one more performance and spending most of the rest of the time gathering supplies and making necessary repairs and modifications. Etana was able to borrow some space at the dyer's to experiment with some of the materials she'd picked up along the journey, and to refresh her stock of dyed yarns. Some of the dyes didn't turn out as well as she'd hoped--there was one flower she'd hoped would give a rich red, but the color was weak and pale. The blue that the dyer had given her turned out as brilliant as he'd claimed, and she discovered that a simple herb rinse after the dying was enough to fix the color in place. She passed this information on to the dyer, who in return gave her some of his own dye recipes.
Soon enough, though, they were on the road once more. Aleth usually rode up with Dacore in the head wagons, while Etana usually stayed with Ma Belda, and sometimes with Jelane. One day, Etana was sitting with Ma Belda when she saw both Aleth and Dacore gesturing towards her, as if they were talking about her. That made her suspicious, so she waited for the next stopping point to join them.
"Were you two talking about me earlier?" She asked them.
"Why, yes!" said Dacore. "Aleth was just telling me what progress you've made with Ma Belda, and he was suggesting giving you a part in our next play."
"Me?"
"Well, why not?" Asked Aleth.
"I've never been in a play before."
"Don't worry, we're not about to cast you as the leading lady. Jelane would have my hide if I did something like that. But something small, to get you more used to performing. Aleth mentioned that you seemed to be uncomfortable with that."
"I don't need to be more comfortable. I really don't intend to spend the rest of my life performing and wandering from city to city without a home."
"Hmm," said Aleth. He looked like he wanted to say something, but did not speak.
"He suggested this because it's often easier to learn to perform as part of a group, in a small role that is non-essential. It gives you experience, but puts much less pressure."
"I still don't see the point."
"Didn't you enjoy our little duet?" Asked Aleth slyly.
Etana flushed a little. "No, not really," she said, as firmly as she could.
"Well then, I suppose I won't push you," said Dacore. "But it's something to think about. After all, you'll never get a better opportunity than with us!"
Etana stalked off, not certain why everybody in the troupe seemed to want her to perform and annoyed that they did.

After a time, Etana noticed that the days were growing chillier, and that they'd been spending an awful lot of time on upward slopes. She commented on it to Ma Belda.
"Well, my dear, the Lady of the Hills lies beyond these mountains. There's a pass that's pretty easy to get through, which is what we're taking. Expect it to get colder, though I doubt it's going to snow. The worst things in these mountains are the giants..."
"Giants?"
"Storm giants. See that peak there?" Ma Belda pointed to the tallest mountain, whose summit was shrouded in clouds.
"I see it."
"Those clouds never go away. Storm giants live there, and by their presence and fights cause the storms. Mostly they don't come down to these parts very often, since it's not cold enough for their liking."
"How dangerous are they?"
"They're large, ill-tempered, and they can throw lightning bolts. Fortunately, they're none too smart and often forget what they're looking for if you hide long enough, but sometimes that's quite a task."
"I hope we don't encounter them. So do we all. This is not their season, though. Too warm."
"Good."

The troupe was surprised on the pass when the crackle of thunder announced a storm.
"What? It's too early in the season for a storm!" Protested Dacore.
"I think it's a giant!" Said Ma Belda.
"What? Here?"
And over the ridge came a giant. He appeared to be a huge, hunched man with blue-gray skin and hair the color of storm clouds. He was dressed in a mantle of crudely stitched-together furs, and carrying a lightning bolt.
"Grargh!" Shouted the giant.
"Run for cover!" Shouted Dacore. The troupe did their best to comply, hiding themselves in the scant trees and underbrush. But Etana was horrified when she saw Birom trip as he dashed for a hiding place and fell, sprawled out in plain sight on the path.
"What is this?" Said the giant, as it leaned over to sniff at Birom. Birom curled up and tried to back away. It looked like he'd managed to hurt a leg somehow, because he tried to stand but it wouldn't support him.
The giant picked Birom up and sniffed him again. "Smells tasty." It sniffed again. "Smells like there's more." It started sniffing around, trying to locate more people.
"Oh no! Birom!" shouted Etana. Dacore clapped a hand over her mouth.
"Shh, he'll hear us!"
"But Birom!"
"He's as good as dead, lass. We don't have any way of getting him back from those giants."
"But!"
"I'm sorry." Dacore hung his head. Etana was about to protest more, but she could see that Dacore already felt guilty.
"There has to be something I can do," muttered Etana. She spied Aleth in the next clump of brush, and while the giant's back was turned, dashed for it.
"Aleth!"
"What?"
"Did you see that? Birom's in trouble!"
"So?"
"We have to do something about it!"
"Well, what do you propose we do about it?" He snapped at her.
"I thought you might have an idea."
Aleth slapped his forehead and groaned. "Oh no..."
"What?"
"Why did you expect me to have an idea?"
"Because you've travelled so much!"
He groaned again. "I'm a hero. Argh. What I mean is... Haven't you noticed I'm not a hero?"
"Fine, then, I'll do this myself." And she ran out of the underbrush.
"Etana!"
"Here, giant!" She jumped up and down, calling to get its attention.
"What the blazes is she doing?" She heard Dacore ask Aleth, but she didn't hear Aleth's response because the giant grabbed her as well. It sniffed her.
"Mm, smells tasty," it rumbled. She could smell foul, rotten meat on its breath.
"I'm not tasty!" She shouted.
"Not... Tasty?" It sounded confused. "But humans are always tasty."
"Well, I'm not a human."
"Not human?" It sniffed her again. "Smells human."
"It's, it's a disguise!"
"Huh?"
Etana squirmed to get one of her pouches free. "Look at me really closely and you'll see."
The giant raised her closer to its eyes and squinted at her. It didn't seem to be able to see very well. "Looks human."
Etana got the pouch free, and she flung its contents at the giant's eyes. Toxic dye powders, a bottle of spirits, and various herbs flew into the giant's eyes.
"Aieeeeee!" It screamed, and dropped her. She managed to grab onto the edge of its furs as she fell, slowing her descent. But she couldn't keep her grip, and soon fell the rest of the way. The wind was knocked out of her as soon as she landed, and she saw stars for a moment before becoming aware of someone dragging her to the side. She thought she saw someone else rush out, grab Birom from where he'd landed, and carry him to safety. The giant continued to scream, and soon began to stab the area with its lightning bolt. The air crackled with lightning, the metal sparking painfully. One of the wagons was destroyed before the giant stumbled off, clutching its eyes. It was some time before the storm dissipated and the group felt safe enough to come out of hiding.
Etana was aware of a pain in her wrist and cradled it. She also found it a little painful to breathe. Ma Belda came over and looked at her injuries.
"Can you move your wrist for me?" Etana did so, moaning at the pain when she bent it too far. "Well, doesn't look broken, that's a relief. Now how about your ribs? Does it hurt when you inhale or exhale?"
"Both."
"Is it more a sharp pain or a dull pain?"
"An 'ow' kind of pain."
Ma Belda smiled at that. "Well, it doesn't look like your ribs are broken from the shape of them, but you probably managed to bruise them."
"Great."
"What were you thinking?!" exclaimed Aleth as he came over. "Do you think you're some kind of hero from the legends? That was --"
Ma Belda put up a hand to stop him. "She's injured. You can rant at her later."
"It's just that --"
She stopped him again. "Right now, you're too distraught to speak coherently. Why don't you go see to Birom? I'm sure he needs some cheering up."
"Fine," said Aleth reluctantly, and left.
Ma Belda in the meanwhile had gotten out some bandages and cut them to size. "Hold out your wrist. No, the other one, the one that hurts. Keep it as straight as you can." She began to wrap the bandage around the wrist, binding it tightly and firmly. While she was binding Etana's wrist, she spoke again. "You know, Aleth does have a point, even if he wasn't expressing it in the calmest manner. What were you thinking?"
"I couldn't just leave Birom to get eaten!"
Ma Belda sighed. "Ah, child, you have not been out in the world much. Sometimes we have to make difficult choices. Birom would not have been the first we lost to the storm giants."
"But how can you be so cold-hearted about it?"
"It's not cold-heartedness, it's just acceptance of reality. This time, by luck, nobody else got hurt, although we lost one of the wagons. It wasn't an essential one, but the rest of our journey will be harder without it."
"You care more about your supplies than about Birom?!"
"Shh, shh. What you must see is that there is always a price to pay, and you must be able to recognize when that price is worth paying. This time, perhaps, it was. Good lutenists are hard to find, as are good children. But what if there had been more giants? You could not have blinded them all. What if you had not caught yourself on the way down? You would likely have died in the fall or in the giant's tantrum, and we would have lost both you and Birom."
"But --"
"Dacore especially has to be mindful of the well-being of the entire troupe, not just any one person in it. If this meant abandoning one person so that the rest could get by unharmed, then he was willing to bear that burden."
"I don't like it."
Ma Belda sighed again. "It is a hard decision to make, but it is necessary to make such decisions. Dacore is a good leader." She finished tying the bandage up. "There, that should support your wrist and prevent you from making the condition worse."
"Thanks." Etana wanted to say more, but she couldn't think of how to say it. Ma Belda rummaged around in her pack for something. Finally, Etana said, "How is Birom?"
"Injured. He broke his leg. I doubt he's going to walk properly for some time. He's also cut and bruised, but nothing that will hinder his lute-playing too much." She saw the disheartened look on Etana's face, and added "And he's thankful to still be alive."
"I'm glad somebody appreciates what I did!"
"We do, Etana." She glanced over her shoulder to where Aleth and Birom were talking. "I'm sure Aleth does too."
"He didn't sound appreciative."
"In situations like this, you can't trust people's first reactions to show what they really feel. I'd say he was concerned and relieved more than anything else." She finally pulled out a small pot and opened it. "This is an ointment for your scratches." She pulled out another pot. "This one is for your bruises." She looked at Etana with an appraising eye. "More bruises than scratches, I'd say." She gave Etana the second pot. "I think I'll wait to apply this until we're in a more... private place."
"Okay."
"Can you get up?"
Etana started to raise herself, and reflexively began to push herself up with both arms. Her wrist protested. "Agh!" She dropped back down.
"Easy." Ma Belda stood, and offered Etana her hand to help her to her feet. Etana swayed a little bit from getting up too quickly, but soon steadied herself. "Why don't we go into my wagon?"
"Okay." They did. Ma Belda had Etana remove her outer garments and began to apply the ointment with a gentle, skillful hand. When she was done, she gave the pot to Etana.
"Keep this, and apply it every morning until the bruises have faded to half their size. You can put your clothes back on now."
"Thanks." Etana did. "And... I'm sorry about being so mad earlier. I think I was still reacting from being so close to death."
Ma Belda smiled. "Yes, you were. I don't hold it against you. Now shoo. I need to get Birom in here and make sure his leg is properly bound."
Etana left Ma Belda's wagon. Someone had rigged up a makeshift stretcher and moved Birom onto it. Two of the stage hands lifted it and carried him into Ma Belda's wagon. Etana saw Aleth talking to a concerned-looking Dacore. She walked up to them.
"Hello."
"Hello," said Aleth.
"Well, if it isn't Etana," said Dacore. He smiled at her wanly. "I'm grateful for your show of bravery today."
"What's wrong?"
"I'm afraid we lost the props wagon to the storm giant," said Dacore. "Including, unfortunately, most of your belongings."
"Oh no!"
Dacore sighed. "It is indeed unfortunate. Aleth says he had nothing irreplaceable, but how about you?"
"I don't think so."
"Well, you can look through the debris if you like. Anything you can salvage would be welcome."
"Would you look through it with me," asked Aleth gently.
"Okay." He led her to where the wagon had been left, and they began to sift through the wreckage. Aleth seemed to feel awkward about something and refrained from speaking to her. Finally, Etana had had enough and broke the silence.
"Was it okay, what I did?"
Aleth looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"I mean... I saved Birom, but now the props wagon is gone, and so is pretty much everything in it. And I've seen damage to the other wagons, too."
Aleth took a deep breath. "Can I lie to you about it?"
"I'd really rather not be lied to."
He sighed. "I..." He paused for a long moment, thinking. "Why does this have to be so easy?" He muttered under his breath, and then he grimaced when he realized what he'd just said. Finally, he turned to Etana. "Don't believe a word I say. Please don't. It would make things so much more difficult if I could just tell you the truth."
"Fine," said Etana, annoyed. "I'll go ask Dacore." She started off.
"Wait!" She stopped and turned. "Will you accept an apology from me?"
"No."