Glawinn faced him, a good-natured twinkle in his green eyes but steel in his voice. 'Meaning I insist that you do exactly that.'
'No disrespect intended,' Jherek said, curbing his anger and surprised at his own impertinence, 'but I hardly think you're in a position to tell me what to do.'
Glawinn put the currycomb in one of the saddlebags near the tree he'd claimed as a sleeping area for the night. 'Ah, now there's anger. That can be a warrior's truest weapon, you know, provided he makes it serve him instead of him serving it. A man who's righteously angry ignores pain and guilt and second thoughts, and glories himself in doing the right thing.'
Jherek swallowed hard. 'I'm sorry. I was out of line. After all, you've been nothing but generous with us.'
Glawinn started stripping out of the rest of the armor. 'Actually, you weren't out of line,' he said in a softer voice. 'I know it's the woman that you worry about most. You don't know me, yet you and she find yourselves somewhat dependent on me.'
'We didn't mean any hardship for you,' Jherek quickly said. 'If we're imposing, I know we can make it on our own.'
After the paladin had intervened between Tynnel and him, Jherek had readily agreed to the knight's offer to accompany them for a time, and he'd even lent one of the pack-horses for Sabyna to ride, having to sacrifice some of the supplies he'd carried with him. Jherek had kept up walking, but only just, and he'd had to argue with Sabyna several times about sharing the pack animal. She'd stubbornly insisted on walking beside him a few times, but she didn't have the strength or stamina he did.
'Nonsense,' Glawinn said, sitting down and putting his back to the tree. He crossed his legs and sat with his broadsword resting across both knees. 'If I'd thought you were going to be that much trouble, I'd never have offered.'
Jherek sat across the campfire from the man and lifted an eyebrow in doubt. 'Leaving a woman out in the forest to fend for herself? That doesn't seem very knightly.'
Glawinn laughed, and the honesty of the sound made Jherek feel good, safe despite the forest surrounding them and twilight coming on.
'And what would you know of knights, young warrior?' Glawinn asked.
'I've read about them in books.'
'What books?'
Jherek named some of the books Malorrie had given him to read over the years. For a phantom, Malorrie had always seemed to have an extensive library.
'Ah, the romances,' Glawinn said when he finished. 'I've meandered through some of them myself. I find them very prettily written and good for a few evenings' entertainment but as far as training a paladin how to think?' He shook his head. 'No, young warrior, a knight listens with his heart, the greatest gift his chosen deity has seen fit to equip him with. Have you ever read 'Quentin's Monograph?' '
Jherek nodded. That had been one of the first things Malorrie had put before him. 'It speaks about the virtues a paladin should have.'
'Yes, and it's a very concisely written piece, with some practical information on the care of weapons and animals, and a few of Quentin's own adventures.' Glawinn ran his fingers down the spine of his sword blade, hardly touching it. 'Modestly expressed, of course.'
'Aye.'
Glawinn smiled. 'But you prefer the romances, of course?'
Jherek grinned bashfully. 'Aye.'
'No worry, young warrior, there's no shame in holding to an ideal. I just hope that you aren't too disappointed by the things you see outside those books.'
Jherek nodded. 'I know the difference between the books and real life.' He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice. Almost everything in life was different than what was shown in those books.
'I can tell by the markings on your face and body that you've been traveling the rougher side of life for the last little while.'
'Aye. I was at the battle of Baldur's Gate.'
'Baldur's Gate?' Glawinn sat up straighten 'I am only lately come from Cormyr. I've no news of Baldur's Gate.'
Jherek glanced toward the copse of trees not far distant from them where Sabyna had gone to study her spellbook. He'd been hesitant about letting her go off but in the end he hadn't had a choice. She'd been adamant about not missing her studies, though Jherek also thought she wanted to be alone to deal with what had happened with Tynnel and Breezerunner. He quickly brought the knight up to speed on the events at Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep, and the ships that had been taken in that time as well, because Glawinn hadn't heard of that either.
'The sahuagin are uprising?' the knight asked when he finished. 'Does anyone know why?'
Jherek shook his head.
'Surely no one believes these are unrelated events?'
'I don't know,' Jherek answered. 'Sabyna and I were kidnapped from Baldur's Gate the night of the attack.'
Glawinn gazed into the campfire for a moment, obviously thinking about what he'd been told. 'You and your mates only just escaped the pirates from the Inner Sea who took part in this attack?'
'That's what Captain Tynnel told me the pirate captain Vurgrom said. You could probably ask Sabyna for more in-depth information.'
'Have you ever heard of Vurgrom before?'
Jherek shook his head.
'So he could be telling the truth and he could be telling a lie?'
'Aye, and I wouldn't know the right of it.'
'Then why do you pursue him?' Glawinn asked.
'Personal reasons.'
'With the demeanor and focus you're wearing, I wouldn't have thought it was any less,' the knight said sagely.
Jherek didn't feel comfortable not telling the knight all of it, so he did. He tried to trim down the way he'd felt about being the recipient of the pearl disk, but he found he couldn't do that completely either.
'So you don't think the old priest was right in giving that disk to you?' Glawinn asked.
'No.'
'Why?'
Jherek shook his head and forced a smile he didn't feel. 'If you knew me better, Sir Glawinn, you wouldn't even need to ask that question.' He felt the burn of his father's tattoo on the inside of his arm.
'Ah, the wisdom of youth.'
'What do you mean by that?' Jherek asked.
'To be young and think I know so much again,' Glawinn said. 'That would be properly painful. I'd much rather know for certain there is much I still yet need to learn.' He looked at Jherek. 'Meaning no disrespect, young warrior, but you've hardly put in enough years to give any real weight to the guesses you make about what the gods would or wouldn't do.'
'One thing I do know and am sure of,' Jherek said, 'is that they wouldn't have anything to do with me.'
Still, Jherek remembered the voice that had haunted him since childhood. He almost asked the knight about it, but stopped himself. Once he'd dealt with one fantasy, he didn't need to start working on another.
Glawinn let the topic slide. 'So now you pursue Vurgrom to the Inner Sea?'
'That's where he's got to be headed. He told Tynnel he was from the Pirate Isles, and even claimed to be the pirate king of Immurk's Hold.'
'Oh, I agree entirely, young warrior. Have you ever been to Westgate?'
Jherek shook his head.
'That will be the first city Vurgrom heads for,' Glawinn said confidently. 'He may pass through Teziir, but it'll be Westgate that's his destination. It's a pirate's haven, and he's sure to have men waiting for him there.'
