“I will see what we have,” Badback said. He turned toward the village. “Wait here. I would hate to have you startle anyone.”

He returned much later holding a bundle of clothes and supplies instead of his rake and bucket. He handed them to Qurrah.

“The clothes should hide her nakedness,” he said. “The blankets should keep you warm at the night. And the food will satisfy your worldly hunger for a time.”

“I thought you had little to spare,” Qurrah said.

“And we spare it, anyway. You have never understood, have you, Qurrah? Do you think us weak sacrificing meager provisions to a man in need? You know this not to be true.”

“Why do you mock me?” the half-orc asked.

“I do what I do for the sake of my village. Now go.”

He purposely put his crooked back to the necromancer and returned to his town. Qurrah clutched the supplies in his arms, feeling his anger boil. He was being played the fool, he just didn’t know how, or why. And not just that. He was being treated the inferior. He could strike the man dead with a thought, but here he was, made to seem the beggar and the fool.

“What is the name of your village?” he asked, using magic to heighten his voice to a shout, for his throat was too frail to do so on its own. The priest turned and cupped his hands to his mouth.

“I think it best you not know.”

That was the last he saw him. Qurrah swore to return. Once he had the spellbook of Darakken, once his promises were fulfilled, he would burn the entire village to the ground.

“Qurrah?”

Tessanna had ventured from the forest, her naked body a startling oddity among the dying grass and cold air. The half-orc handed her the clothes, which she held out to look at.

“Fairly simple,” she said. “And the skirt is far too long.”

“I’m sure you’ll make it fit,” the half-orc said.

Tessanna slid the dress on. It was rough and prickly, but it was still something. She took her dagger out from Qurrah’s robe and used it to cut a thin strip from the bottom. She then tied it as a sash and tucked the dagger within. This done, she looked at Qurrah and giggled.