There was nothing else for Garinor to do but stay put and wait. He hoped it would be enough time for him to heal a little bit so he could breathe without all the pain. He paced around Merlumo’s house, trying to find a way to build up strength and perhaps to learn to deal with the extra agony.
The herbal concoction he had been given was also working its way through him. Merlumo had left a pitcher of it for him and he sipped at it throughout day. It wasn’t as good cold, but he didn’t dare light a fire when the place was supposed to be empty.
There wasn’t much for him to do except walk around and try to lose himself in his thoughts, which were far from pleasant. He kept thinking of the home that seemed so far away from him now. His friends had worked to defend him, but he didn’t know their fates. Garinor wasn’t sure he could live a satisfied life if his friends had died trying to give him time to escape.
He laughed at himself then, for he doubted that he would ever be able to live a satisfied life, regardless. He kept looking at the door, wondering if Merlumo was accurate in his guesses about Dascal’s return. It was nerve-wracking, particularly when the wind blew and the door rattled.
His host did not return that night and Garinor noshed on the few foodstuffs left behind, though it was all starting to turn bad. He left off the more rotten parts and ate what he could. His stomach wasn’t happy for it, but he had little choice.
The next day passed without incident, except that it rained periodically. He kept himself in the shadows as the sun moved through the day, weaving in and out of rain clouds. The moving shadows gave him a reason to get up and move. He kept breathing deeply as he was told to do and he had nearly finished the entire jug of special water.
It was with great relief that he greeted Merlumo that night when he returned at last. He was in rough shape, though, as if he had been in a fight. His clothes were torn and a swelling bruise marred his face. Wordlessly, he came inside and set down the sack of provisions he was carrying while Garinor rose to approach him.
“Are you okay?”
Merlumo looked at him and forced a smile. “I am, thanks. A little bar fight is all. Part of keeping up appearances.” He sighed. “But nothing I haven’t had worse than before, so pay it no mind. Here, I brought some fresh food.”
They tucked into a hearty meal while Merlumo outlined the basic plan for the next day. “A wagon with supplies from Kallinoria is due in the morning. We’ve got to sneak onto that wagon as it heads for Fellanin. Not an easy thing to do, and you’re hurting, so it’ll be even harder. But it’s that or die here.”
They spent the next hour debating some plans for smuggling themselves onto the wagon. All that remained was to wait for dawn and to give it a try.