"Asmara´s Bane - Chap. 11" by Anna ( Ångel oƒ †he Ab¥ss ) Zorawski

The six visitors sat at the long oak table in the main hall with the wizard Farniath at the head, helping himself to yet another slice of roasted venison.

"How`s dear Noria doing, Dargorin? I haven`t spoken to her in years. Is she still drying her wormwood only at night?" he asked and smiled as he thought back to the days he spent in Hora. "I tried telling her that the plant would dry quicker during the day, but you know how she gets when she sets her mind to something." He laughed and shook his head. "I could just imagine the two of you together. You must make quite the match."

"She`s doing well, Farniath," Dargorin managed to answer around a mouthful of venison. "Still drying her herbs as usual, although just recently she had decided that when the moon is at its peak that most of the properties would be awoken in the herb. Something about the moonlight and the essence of the plant..."

Farniath laughed. "That`s my Noria alright. Gorgeous woman but awfully preoccupied with those useless weeds. She would spend more time fawning over her herb garden than she did over me." Here the wizard grumbled under his breath as the rest hid their grins. "She even dare to say, once, that it would be to my advantage to drink some of her horrid potions, to give me more potency she said," Farniath said angrily. "Me, a wizard in his prime, needing more potency! What a foolish and impossible concept..." He continued muttering under his breath as he wiped his plate clean with a piece of bread.

Dargorin rolled his eyes and started laughing. It took one look at the scowling wizard for the rest to burst out into laughter. The pouting old wizard was quite a comical sight.

Farniath snook a glance at his laughing visitors and winked at them.

"Of course I put her silly ideas to rest with a rather direct approach illustrating my sufficiency in that area. For some reason she never spoke of feeding me her potions again."

Silk raised an eyebrow at Araia and rolled her eyes. Araia grinned back at her.

Farniath broke into another one of his stories of how he had seduced the village herbwoman and explained in detail his views regarding alternatives to herbal remedies, especially regarding issues of fertility.

As the table was being cleared away by one of the wizard`s servants, the talk had turned back to Dargorin and the village herbwoman.

"Noria tells me that you've been talking to her about spell casting, Dar. "

Nathaniel looked at his friend expectantly now that the topic which he had been ignoring so far was being addressed.

" You should have came to me if you had questions. Noria's is a fine magic worker, but her knowledge of the art is limited to herbal lore and medicine. "

Dargorin flinched and the wizard`s eyes hardened at the sight. The pale man's hand crept to his chest and Farniath`s eyes followed his unconscious movement.

He hesitated before answering. "It wasn't anything important really, Farniath. I didn`t think you`d have to the time to - "

"I always have time for your questions, Dargorin" his eyes softened for a moment as he took in the young man`s embarrassment. "Now tell me about this inquiry of yours. I might be able to clarify it for you. Noria said you spoke of a supportive source for your casting, tell me about this."

Dargorin look up uneasily at the people sitting around him, his gaze lingering on Nathaniel's scowl before answering. If only he could make him understand his need for secrecy. Dargorin had wanted nothing more than to share his news with his best friend, but he couldn`t. Not then. But now, seated before the Wizard of the Keep Dargorin felt motivated to speak.

"About two months ago I had cast a cleansing spell on an ancient amulet Nathan and I had picked up during one of our,ours forays for forgotten possessions, as we call it." The two friends shared a quick grin.