Godmaker: A Novel of Lasniniar

Chapter Three-2

“Come on. I have something to show you.”

Iarion led the way deeper into the forest, hoping he wasn’t about to make a mistake. He knew Barlo better than anyone, but he still wasn’t certain how the dwarf was going to react to what he was about to show him. Would he be excited, or would Iarion’s gift only remind him of what was missing from Barlo’s life since his rebirth? The last thing Iarion wanted was to hurt his friend. The one benefit of his growing concern was that it kept his mind off his inevitable confrontation and ensuing argument with Lodariel over Felara’s inclusion in their upcoming journey.

“Where are we going?” Barlo asked, breaking the silence.

They had left the worn, familiar paths of the forest behind for wilder territory. Iarion could sense hidden eyes of various creatures watching them from the bushes as they passed. The forest floor of this area of the wood was not tamed or inhabited by elves. Their only influence was the Sky Elves, who lived in the treetops high above, and maybe the odd former Wild Elf who came here to remember their roots. The greenery sprawled in untamed profusion, making it difficult to navigate.

“You’ll see,” Iarion said, not wanting to elaborate.

“Why are you being so mysterious?” Barlo demanded. “It’s annoying.”

Iarion gave a shrug of apology. “I’m not trying to be. Just bear with me.”

“Story of my life,” Barlo grumbled under his breath.

Iarion ignored him and spotted the clearing he was looking for. Deep claw marks scored the golden flecked tree trunks as a symbol of ownership. He spotted a few faint paw prints in the grass. He stopped, straining his ears for any other signs of the creature he sought. When he heard none, he lifted his fingers to his mouth and let out a high-pitched whistle.

“What is going on here?” Barlo asked, unable to contain his impatience any longer.

“You’ll see,” Iarion repeated, sweeping the foliage with his gaze as he heard a faint approaching rustle.

“You know, between that nonsense with Felara earlier and your secrecy now, you’re really making me want to punch you in that pretty, elven face of yours.”

Iarion waved at him in a hushing motion, his eyes glued on the western edge of the clearing. A moment later, a large form launched from the shadows, bounding toward them.

Barlo’s eyes widened. “What the—”

The creature stopped only a foot away from him, cutting the rest of his sentence short. It was a wildcat with gray fur the color of smoke that glimmered with silver markings.

“Her name is Golhura,” Iarion said. “Golhura, this is Barlo.”

The cat’s head swung from Iarion to Barlo as though she understood. Her tufted ears pricked forward with interest. Her unblinking, golden eyes seemed to root Barlo in place.

“What does she want?” Barlo asked, sounding uneasy.

“She wants to get to know you,” Iarion said. “I’ve already brought her some of your clothes so she could get used to your scent.”

Golhura began to circle the dwarf, sniffing him delicately. Barlo craned his neck to watch her every movement with a wary expression.

“You should talk to her,” Iarion said, still unsure how his plan would play out. “She understands Common.”

“Um, hello, Golhura,” Barlo said in a tentative voice. “Iarion, why have you been bringing her my clothes?”

Iarion bit his lip. Here goes...

He took a deep breath. “Because she’s yours.”

Barlo frowned. “What do you mean, she’s mine?”

“I trained her to be your hunting companion,” Iarion said, the words coming out in a rush. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

Golhura sat primly in front of Barlo, her tail wrapped around her body to rest atop her paws. Her head came to just below the dwarf’s waist. Barlo looked down at her with a shocked expression.

“She seems familiar,” he said, unable to look away. He swallowed. “I suppose I haven’t seen many wildcats in my time. They all must look similar.” Golhura sniffed at his words.

Iarion knew it was time to reveal the rest of his secret. “She’s from Sinstari’s line.”

“What?” Barlo gave him a sharp look.

“You know he used to visit Melaquenya on his own when you were living in Dwarvenhome,” Iarion explained. He wished he knew whether his friend was surprised or angry. “He dallied with one of the female wildcats while he was here.”

Barlo shook his head as if he were trying to clear it. “But that was... She must be...”

“She is Sinstari’s granddaughter. The wildcats born close to the Quenya live much longer than the ones born in the Fey Wood.”

“And Sinstari lived for hundreds of years,” Barlo said, his eyes wide. His gaze went back to Golhura. “She’s a bit smaller, and her coloring is lighter, but the resemblance is there.” Golhura butted her head against his hip in approval, making Barlo stumble backward to steady himself.

“I hope you’re not upset,” Iarion said, wringing his hands. “I know how much Sinstari meant to you. But he’s been gone a long time now, and I’ve seen the way you still look for him sometimes without realizing it, expecting him to be at your side.”

Barlo swallowed again. “You’re right. He always watched my back, and he was there for me during those long years when I was waiting for you to be reborn. That blasted cat gave his life for me. But he’s with Narilga now, keeping her company in the First Father’s Hall until my time comes. We were together for so long, I forget sometimes he’s not here any more. Having Paige around helped for a little while, but she’s gone off on her own adventures now.”

“I was hoping Golhura is different enough from Sinstari that you wouldn’t feel as if I was trying to replace him,” Iarion said. He ran a nervous hand through his hair. “She’s every bit as clever, but I think you’ll find her personality quite different. I thought—” Iarion shook his head and tried again. “I thought it was what Sinstari would want for you.”

Barlo looked from Golhura to Iarion and back again. “I think you’re right.” His voice with thick. “Golhura, would you like to come home with me? It will only be for one night, I’m afraid. We’re heading out on a long journey tomorrow.”

The wildcat threw herself at him, her large paws resting against his chest as she scraped his beard with her rough tongue, almost knocking Barlo onto his backside.

“You’re right,” he said to Iarion. “She really isn’t like Sinstari, is she?” Her dignified grand-sire would never have shown such an outrageous display of enthusiasm.

“I told you,” Iarion said with a chuckle.

Barlo seized Golhura’s front legs and eased her back onto the ground. “Thank you, Iarion. She’s going to take some getting used to, but I think it will be nice to have someone following me around again.”

Iarion let out the breath he had been holding and suppressed a giddy laugh of relief that his plan had gone so well.

“Hopefully she can help me fend off Lodariel when I tell her about Felara,” he said with a rueful smile.

Barlo shook his head. “I don’t know, Iarion. You made this mess. I think you’re going to have to take care of it on your own.”

“Either way, I suppose I can’t put it off any longer.” Iarion squared his shoulders. “Let’s get back to my hut so I can face the music.”

Golhura took her new role as Barlo’s companion very seriously. She glued herself to his side, giving any elf who didn’t make way for him a glare of warning. Many elves who usually looked at Barlo’s presence in Melaquenya in askance were forced to treat him with wary respect, giving him a wide berth as they passed. Barlo chuckled.

“I could get used to this.”

Iarion shook his head in amusement. They arrived at his and Lodariel’s hut to find his mate doling out a hearty, vegetable soup to her brother and Silvaranwyn, telling them all about the ingredients and how they would benefit the baby. The look they shot Iarion when he entered was tinged with relief.

“You’re finally back!” Lodariel greeted them with a smile. “Just in time.” She set another two bowls onto the low table. “Oh, hello, Golhura.” The wildcat bounded over and greeted her with a tongue swipe to the cheek.

“Lodariel helped me track down Sinstari’s line and make initial contact,” Iarion explained.

Golhura moved on from Lodariel to greet Daroandir and Silvaranwyn with respectful sniffs. She gently tapped Silvaranwyn’s abdomen with her large paw, having somehow caught the scent of another life inside. Silvaranwyn reached out to stroke Golhura’s head with a smile.

“What a clever creature you are,” she murmured. Golhura leaned into her touch.

“Vegetable soup?” Barlo said with a groan. His eating habits were not congruent with the Light Elves’ vegetarian ways.

“Don’t worry, Barlo,” Lodariel said. “I raided your larder as well.” She revealed some salted meat that the dwarf had caught and prepared himself beyond the bounds of Melaquenya. “I could hardly serve Golhura vegetables anyway.”

The meal progressed with friendly chatter of Daroandir and Silvaranwyn’s baby and plans for the next day’s journey. Iarion said nothing of Felara, even though Barlo gave him a prodding elbow to the ribs at every potential opening. There was no need to provoke his mate in front of their guests. Iarion waited until everyone had finished the dessert of winter berries and honey, and Daroandir and Silvaranwyn had said their farewells. The second event took a fair amount of time, due to Lodariel’s many pieces of advice and recommendations for herbs that would ease Silvaranwyn’s pregnancy.

“You take care of her,” she said to her twin in a dire voice as she embraced him one last time.

“I will,” Daroandir said with a patient smile. “And you take good care of Iarion.”

Lodariel grinned. “Don’t worry. I’ll have Barlo to help me keep him in line.”

Iarion knew how hard it would be for Lodariel to leave Daroandir behind. Their strong bond made being apart for prolonged periods difficult for both of them. But Iarion knew better than to try to persuade her to stay behind. She would never let him go off on an adventure without him.

Barlo lingered in the hut as Daroandir and Silvaranwyn left. He gave Iarion a meaningful look. Iarion sighed, knowing the time had finally come.

“Lodariel,” he said, trying to steel himself. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Lodariel c****d her head. “What is it?”

Barlo gave an encouraging nod. Iarion took a deep breath.

“Felara knows about our journey. She wants to come with us.”

“What?” Lodariel’s green eyes glittered dangerously. “Did you tell her everything? I thought you were taking Barlo to meet Golhura!”

“Felara already knew,” Barlo said, cutting Lodariel off. Iarion shot him a grateful look. “Iarion didn’t ask her to come with us. She decided that on her own. I don’t like it either, but I don’t think we have much choice. There’s little we can do to stop her.”

“This is impossible!” Lodariel said, throwing up her hands in frustration. “It’s bad enough we have to make a dangerous journey to some place we’ve never been and I have to leave Daroandir behind. Now we have to have that amoral, possessive... creature tag along with us! How could you let this happen?” She glared at her mate.

“She might be helpful to us,” Iarion said, trying to keep his voice reasonable. Surely Lodariel wouldn’t hold him accountable for Felara’s capricious decisions... “She says she might know someone who can sail us to the island.”

“Oh, that sounds wonderful.” Lodariel rolled her eyes. “How can we possibly trust her, Iarion?”

“We can’t,” Barlo said in a flat voice. He held Iarion’s gaze, and the elf felt himself flush. Barlo turned to face Lodariel. “That’s why the two of us will have to keep a close eye on her.” Golhura batted Barlo’s side with her paw, letting him know she would keep watch as well. Barlo rewarded her with a rub behind her ears.

Lodariel nodded. “Thank you, Barlo, Golhura. Will you please excuse us? I believe my mate and I need to discuss this matter. At length.”

“Sounds good to me,” Barlo said, suddenly eager to leave. He gave Iarion an apologetic shrug. Iarion watched him go with a mournful expression.

It really wasn’t fair. It wasn’t as if he had Felara at his beck and call. No one could control one of the Unborn without knowing their true name. Earlier, it had been Felara trying to get him to leave Lodariel behind, as if such a thing were possible. Iarion groaned inwardly, wondering what he had gotten himself into. He turned from the door to face his mate, who was glowering at him. He forced a nervous smile.

“What would you like to talk about?”