Out of Character:
Madness is rare in individuals – but in groups, parties, nations, and ages, it is the rule.
"Aelva, listen to this," Visla said as she closed the book and placed it back in her traveling bag.
"I swear, Vis, if you read me another aphorism, I'm going to burn that book while you sleep," Aelva moaned.
The two trudged through the thawing Salvic countryside cast in the warm auburn of late afternoon. Spring had brought with it the slightest respite from icy gales and the crunch of snow beneath their boots was replaced from time to time with the sloshing of slush.
"I don't see you suggesting topics for conversation," Visla replied, slowing her pace and putting distance between herself and her newly obstinate companion.
"How about this: What can we do differently with the next baron so we don't have to walk this forsaken land until your legs fall off?" Aelva suggested, coming to a full stop and turning around to allow Visla to catch up.
"Wait to leave until evening is the most obvious answer," Visla laughed a bit.
"I'm tired of flying even, Vis. Why are we still here? Looking for Abaraxx was a disaster. I thought you would be ready to go back to Radasanth or Uiria. For once, I'd be happy to be back on your fourteen-hour sleep schedule," Aelva demanded.
"I thought you didn't need rest. Shouldn't I be the one complaining?" Visla said, still avoiding the issue.
The two were now standing perfectly still in the middle of the muddy road that lead from one fief to another. Neither of them were quite sure where they were. Salvar was more or less 'over there' in Visla's estimation for most of her life. As such, her ignorance of the land, its people, and its customs had frequently put them back on the road.
"Fine, look," Visla extended her hands, a ring on each. "I would probably not have come here for this reason alone, but finding out whether you were summoned for good convinced me. I know that turned out badly, but now we have a chance to make a difference. I was raised to believe in the rights of nobility," she clinched her right hand, which bore her signet ring. "I already watched a bunch of religious fanatics ruin my homeland. What if one of these barons has a daughter who's spent her whole life getting kicked around by the church? I couldn't do anything to help myself, or Uiria, but now I can," she clinched her left hand, displaying the Godshard.
"I realize that I was busy being annihilated when you picked that thing up, Vis, but I really don't understand how you think it's going to turn the tide of a civil war," Aelva explained.
"I don't. I'm not a hero, and I'm definitely not a general. I don't think this thing will crush the Church, but I know I can kill some of them. Well, you can," Visla corrected herself. "When Evalyn died, something happened to the shard. I want to know what that was. But I'll be honest, it's not curiosity or duty that drives me to keep walking down these miserable little roads. The Church thinks I'm a heretic, and if I thought they were going to win, I'd flee back to Radasanth in an instant. But I don't. I think they're on the run, and I want to grind them into the dirt for everything any of the faithful have ever done to us," Visla concluded.
"One has to repay good and ill – but why precisely to the person who has done us good or ill?" Aelva quoted.
"You have been reading!" Visla smiled.
"While you sleep," Aelva admitted.
The two decided to rest their feet and wait by the roadside until the sun fell beneath the horizon. Then they would take wing once more and plead their case to another nobleman. Perhaps this time Visla would have a clearer heart and a stronger message.
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