“Exactly. But any further record of their presence isn’t noted, and that was a few centuries ago.” Vesma toyed with her chopsticks. “Guildmaster Xilarion looked worried when he got the news, and I think it has to do with the fact that this is an enormous development for the guild. Perhaps even for the Seven Realms as a whole.”
“And those who follow the Straight Path,” Mahrai said darkly.
I turned to her. “Did Saruqin or the others ever mention the monasteries?”
Mahrai finished the last of her wine and shook her head. “Saruqin didn’t talk to me about much at all, Ethan. It’s not like I was ever truly part of his inner circle.”
I looked at Kegohr. “What about you, big guy? Know anything about the monasteries?”
He laughed and thumped his fist against the table. “Didn’t you hear Vesma? I don’t read, and I spent most of my life before Radiant Dragon chasing down sheep in the mountains. Couldn’t tell you nothing about no monks or temples, but I can tell you how to breed goats, if you like.” He guffawed.
I took another sip of heady wine and looked at Faryn. She had remained curiously quiet. Did she know something about these monks but wasn’t saying? She met my gaze with a smile, but her eyes shifted uncomfortably. I knew that her past was a murky one, and she didn’t like to talk about it. The elvish lifespan of her people meant that she probably had clearer answers to my questions, but she hadn’t offered anything yet.
“So, we’re going to this monastery?” Kegohr asked excitedly. “When?”
“Tomorrow, after the feast. But I don’t know what we’ll find there. Xilarion said that they wanted to train us.” I fished a plump dumpling out of a steaming bowl and took a bite.
“You’ve been quiet, Master Faryn,” Mahrai said. “Not telling us something?”
Faryn’s smile widened, but I saw the flash of apprehension in her eyes. “Plenty of things, dear. But I don’t know anything more about this than you do. My suggestion is that you do as you always have done. Follow Ethan, support him, and grow in your knowledge of Augmentation.”
Mahrai rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to retort, but I cut her off with a chuckle and leaned back in my chair. I drained the last of my wine, lifted my empty cup, and fixed Vesma, Kumi, Mahrai, and Kegohr with an intentional gaze.
Kegohr thumped the nearest cask and shook his head. “No good. They’re all empty.”
“I’ll get it,” Mahrai said.
She pulled herself up from the bench and went in search of a fresh drink. I tore my eyes away from her fantastic ass and set my cup down on the table beside a plate of grilled venison. Vesma nudged Kumi and pointed up to the dance floor where initiates swayed to the music in traditional dances I didn’t recognize.
“Care to take a turn with me?” Vesma asked Kumi. “I saw you dancing back at Qihin City, and I’ve always wanted to learn your style.”
“It would be my pleasure,” Kumi said with a warm smile. “Come.”
The girls rose and left together in a flurry of blue and red robes. Kegohr finished his leg of boar just as Veltai sauntered up to him. She wrapped an arm around his massive neck and slapped on a playful choke. Kegohr shoved his short tusks into her arm and growled in return until she released her hold and whispered something in his ear.
Kegohr blushed violently as Veltai left and started walking through the tables.
“I think I better go,” Kegohr stammered to me.
I laughed. “Take it easy on the furniture, buddy. There are only so many beds in the guild house. If you’re not careful, you’ll mulch all of them, and Xilarion will wonder if there’s been a hellhound attack.”
Kegohr guffawed, slapped my back, and almost made me faceplant into a bowl of soup. He rose from the benches and pursued Veltai through the throng of dancers.
Faryn lifted an eyebrow at me and leaned forward to take my hand. I let her and enjoyed the play of her fingers against my skin.
“Don’t you think this will just add to the rumors?” I teased.
She brushed off the comment with a shake of her head. “You have good friends, Ethan. How did you manage to send them all off in such short order?”
I grinned. “We’ve learned a lot together in the last few months. If I have an empty cup, and I raise it at a social function, it means that I’d like to be left alone.”
“Is that so? Should I leave, then?”
I shook my head. “You’re normally a lot happier to teach others about things beyond their grasp. But you’re wound up tighter than a spring right now.”
Faryn sighed. “I trust you, but sharing my past is difficult with the others. You’re all so young. After a century, things begin to fall into place, but even then, it can be difficult to heal old wounds.”
“You’re talking about what happened to your guild, right?”
She nodded sadly. “They were slaughtered, as you know. Every time I try to recall anything from that time, it brings back vivid memories. Memories I’d rather not deal with.”
I tightened my fingers around hers and smiled. “I just want to know about the monasteries, Faryn. That’s all. If it’s too much to ask, then it’s fine. We’ll drink, make merry, and figure it all out as we go.”
Faryn took a steadying breath and looked down at a plate of sushi. “The monasteries are ancient, that’s true. And what the others said is correct. Monks are devotees of the Wandering Path and always have been. I think Xilarion intends to send you there to further your training as the Swordslinger. And probably to investigate why the monks revealed themselves only now.”
None of this was new information, but I let the facts swirl around in my mind and realized something. Something insane that should have occurred to me earlier.
“Xilarion said he’d trained with them a
