Jake and the Opals

Morgan knelt before the fire, sprinkling some dried herbs into the fire, for what reason the orc could not fathom, although the orc did note after a moment that the air seemed to be a little sweeter. The orc felt heartened for some reason. With a nod of satisfaction the sorceress pulled out a small cordial and poured a small amount of a thick syrupy liquid from it into a mug she had borrowed from the orc and filled with water. She held the mug near the fire for a few moments before bringing it to her lips for a taste.

Her actions reminded the orc that he had brought neither water nor food with him. Water thus far had not been a problem. Small pools of water, probably from condensation, along their path had proven to be safe enough to drink even if the water was not especially palatable. The orc had not complained about it, but the sorceress had been obvious in her disdain. The problem of what to do about food still remained.

After another sip, she dipped the mug once more into the small pool of water that had collected in a stone basin in their improvised shelter. After filling the mug to the brim the sorceress began chanting quiet words over the mug, swirling it gently as she did so. Three times did she recite her chant while she swirled the mug. After the final words, the sorceress sniffed delicately at the mug and then nodded in satisfaction.

"Here," she said as she passed the mug to the orc, "drink of this."

The orc frowned a little but accepted the mug. A mug of dark ale would have been more to his taste in this shadowed place, something that would ward off the chill and the constant feeling of being watched. Still he took the mug and began to take a small sip. The orc looked up in surprise. His grey eyes locked on the sorceress. "What did you do? It tastes different."

Morgan smiled at Jake. "Nothing too extraordinary. Some herbs and spices to flavor the water and a small ritual to..." she paused as if changing her mind about what to say, "...ensure its effectiveness." The sorceress regained her feet and moved back to the basin of water. Pulling yet another small crystal cordial from a small pouch at her waist she dipped it into the basin and filled it. She raised the cordial to her eye and peered at the cloudy water. By contrast, Jake noticed that the water in the mug was quite clear. Morgan placed the small vial of cloudy water back into her pouch and then knelt in front of the basin of water to begin yet another ritual chant. As her low voice flowed through the sing-songing chant, weaving up and down into a repititive cadence, she brought out a long thin dagger and began to draw a circle in the air above the water. Once, twice, thrice she circled the dagger above the water. Upon the third pass, the sorceress began a different chant and then proceeded to circle the dagger above the pool again.

Three times again she waved the dagger before once more changing the chant. After the third trio of circles over the pool the sorceress sat back exhaustedly and slid the dagger back into its sheath, careful not to allow the point of the dagger to touch anything as she did so.

The orc watched inquisitively. He noticed that the pool of water began to swirl as she chanted. The swirls of the pool had followed the motion of the dagger even though the dagger had never touched the surface. Even now the swirls continued, slowly, lazily circling the basin as if the water were draining away.

The orc considered asking what magic she had been performing, but was hesitant because of his disdain for magic. The sorceress seemed to know what the orc was thinking as she smiled at him and spoke. "I have cast a glamour about us, to help hide us from the eyes that might wander near this place. Again, nothing powerful, it cannot keep them out should they find us, but so long as the glamour is effective, we should remain unnoticed."

The orc shook his head, this was not the sort of adventure he preferred. Still, Morgan had said he was needed and the orc was unable to turn away from her call. The orc reflected upon the circumstances of her call. He wondered if the cabin would be alright while he was absent. He also wondered if his friends from the Outback would wonder why he had disappeared. The orc wished there had been time to send word, but Morgan's need had been too immediate. The orc silently hoped his friends would understand. His greatest fear was what would happen to the brewery while left in the hands of the goblin.

Shaking his head, the orc returned his thoughts to the here and now. Letting himself get distracted was a sure way to wind up dead. That was an old soldier's maxim that he had learned many, many years ago.

And the here and now said food was important.

As the orc thought about food, he was surprised to discover that he was no longer hungry. In fact, he felt as if he had eaten only recently. The orc looked suspiciously at the mug the sorceress had given him. He glanced over to the sorceress, but her attention was elsewhere. Sniffing cautiously at the mug, the orc grew perplexed and took another sip of the water. It tasted spicy, and reminiscent of the herbs she has tossed into the fire, but for all that it didn't taste like it was a stew or anything of substance, and yet his hunger had abated.

The orc decided that asking Morgan about it was something likely to make his head hurt and so resolved to pretend he didn't notice. Instead, he gulped down the water and after shaking the last bits of water from the mug he tied it back onto his belt and settled back against the wall. His watchful gaze once more sought out the dark and probed sign of danger.

For all of his watchfulness, the rest of the night went quietly, with the orc leaning against the wall, lightly snoozing, and the sorceress curled up in a corner, her chin resting upon her knees, and arms wrapped around her shins as she too rested.