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The cold of The Blighted Lands was inescapable. It took three times the fuel to keep the fire lit and no matter how close they sat, no one was warm. Tav pulled her cloak tighter around her and yawned.
‘Soldier, take it easy tonight yeah? I’ll take first watch.’ Karlach stood and threw more wood on the fire.
‘I’ll stay too. It’s too cold to be alone.’ Shadowheart purred.
Karlach’s flames sizzled against the night air and she and Tav gaped at Shadowheart. She frowned. ‘As in, you’ll fall asleep. You’ll need a partner to keep you alert.’
Tav smirked as she stood and bade them both good night.
She tramped heavily back to her bed roll. On the floor again. Her back was done in with this cold and bitter dark.
She lay on her bedroll dressed. The candles wouldn’t stay lit so there was no way to keep warm. They didn’t have that many blankets and Lae’zel was not built for the cold so Tav had given hers away. She was grateful for the rabbit boots Halsin had made for everyone. At least with warm feet she only need worry about her hands.
In her bedroll, whatever part of her touched the ground was even colder than the night air. She shivered and reached for her gloves. They stank and she hated putting them back on. She hesitated at the first glove, glancing about for anything else instead.
There was someone outside. Their form cast a shadow against the side of her tent. A robed figure with shoulder length hair.
Tav smiled. ‘I’m still up Gale.’
The shadow flinched and darted for the entrance. Gale dodged inside with an embarrassed grin. He was holding his bedroll. ‘I thought. Well. It’s so cold tonight, I thought that we might, perhaps, share… Well, conserve some heat? Gale scratched at the back of his neck.
Tav smiled and rolled her eyes at his shame. ‘Great idea, let’s lace our rolls together.’
Gale sighed with relief and darted over. He took his gloves and boots off, finding somewhere neat to put them while Tav worked on the new roll. They snuggled down together, entangling their unpleasantly cold feet and clutching the others hands for some warmth.
The air grew cooler as Gale became uncomfortable under Tav’s placid gaze. It seemed as though she was always waiting for him to say something, to perform.
‘Is it true you met a spirit of the woods that Halsin’s friends with?’ He offered.
Tav snorted and blinked as she registered him. Had she been asleep? With her eyes open?
‘Oh he’s a spirit. Looks like a tiefling boy but he’s also a forest sprite or whatever. He was a childhood friend of Halsin's.
Gale rubbed her hands thoughtfully. ‘So how did you rescue him?’
‘We didn’t.’ She yawned. ‘Halsin went off somewhere in a portal by the lake back east and then every shadow corpse and shade in the nearest league tried to kill us.’
‘Shit.’ Mused Gale. ‘Well. I’m relieved you’re safe.’ He squeezed her closer to him and let his lips rest on her forehead. She sighed happily and pressed her hand into his back, keeping him close to her. With her other arm she pushed her fingers in between his thighs to warm her fingers.
He loved the way she treated both their bodies like an extension of the other. He loved how close they could be, how much closer they could become. His chest pinched. Better not to think of the future. Concentrate on the here and now. Her hair smelled of lavender and the pungent garlic from dinner was on her breath. She smelled like his summer garden back home. Gods, he wished he could take her there. They could grow tomatoes and onions. Keep the garden stocked with tallow and millet for the birds. They would sing a cacophony as the sun set in the ocean, and they’d watch together under the plum tree. He’d build a swing for her. However one does that. Maybe he’d hire someone. A man need not try to be good at everything.
His collar bones puckered under the intense pain of the orb. Gale yelped and closed his eyes as hard as he could to shut out the pain.
He felt a hand cradle his face. He opened his eyes to see Tav staring at his chest, her face lit by the purple light emanating from within him. He winced and his breath hitched again. Tav gingerly moved to place her hand over the orb. She looked into his eyes, and he into hers. She nodded and let her hand press against him. It emanated a cooling balm against the blazing agony of the orb. His skin was raw there and he flinched as her thumb began to move. She stopped and kept her hand still. With her other hand, she reached to where the orb was between his shoulders. She began to hum. Gale felt a warm rush of air at the back of his neck that spread down his shoulders and cooled as it reached the orb. He gazed at her hairline, concentrating on the wrinkle in her forehead as she healed him. A couple of hairs at her temple were greying but they still had peach tips. How did she do that? Is there a spell? Did she dye each strand? Is there an alchemical reaction? He remembered a tome on grooming that had mentioned acid tincture for use in lightening hair, but pink? And was it impolite to ask? No doubt. Best to leave it a mystery.
He inhaled and found the air didn’t catch in his throat any longer. He inhaled again, as deep as he dared and exhaled with a sigh of relief. His eyes felt heavy and he felt sleep begin to claim him. He fought it to look into her eyes one more time. He took her hand from his chest and kissed it.
‘Thank you my lady, I am much restored.’
Tav gave a weak smile. ‘It’ll help you sleep at the least.’ she murmured.
Gale closed his eyes and felt Tav stroke his hair. He gripped her tighter. He may not be able to think of the future, but thank all the gods he had right now, this very moment, that he would be able to cherish.