by Rain Oxford
We approached the man just in time to see him motion to a bottle of sauce. The bottle shot into his hand. They did magic here!
The man didn’t look at me, though. “Excuse me. Do you know where we can find a tavern?” I asked.
“If you’re not going to eat, get out of here.”
“Should I try something?” I asked in Merlin’s mind.
He shrugged. “I suppose. It is generally safe to eat on other worlds.”
“If I eat something, will you answer my question?”
The man nodded. “One majao for a small plate.”
“I don’t know what that is. Do you take silver?”
He scoffed and finally looked at me. “Yes, Foreigner, I’ll take silver.”
I passed him a silver coin and he accepted it without any haggling. I didn’t know how long I would have to get by with the money I had.
“Do you want rice or noodles?”
“You don’t have bread or potatoes?”
“Do I look rich to you?” When I just stared at him, he rolled his eyes. “You’re holding up the line.” There was no line. “Rice or noodles?”
“I don’t know what those are.”
“What do poor people eat where you’re from?”
“Bread and potatoes.”
“Well, now you’ll eat rice or noodles.”
“Are they vegetables?”
“Only children eat vegetables. If you want vegetables, you can go to a store and buy a can.”
He was clearly getting irritated, but I couldn’t help myself. “What’s a can?”
“You’re getting noodles! What meat do you want?” He dumped a spoonful of something brown on a plate.
“What are my options?”
“Fish or rat.”
“You eat rat?”
Instead of answering, he dumped something in a red sauce on the plate. “Take your fish and sit down!”
I took it hesitantly and found a seat. The substance in red sauce was definitely not fish, and I was pretty sure the noodles weren’t edible. Merlin sniffed it. “I suppose calamari could be considered fish.”
“What is it?”
“Squid. It was probably the safe bet, and it smells clean.”
“Good. You can eat it.”
“Prepared right, it can be a delicacy. Based on the state of this place, I predict the calamari has the taste of dirty water and the texture of rubber.”
“What about the noodles?” I poked them. They looked like thick hairs or long worms in brown sauce. “Are they tentacles?”
“They are pasta, which is more like bread. Wait, have you eaten tentacles?”
“I’ve tried many strange foods from distant lands at tournaments. I’ve never had pasta before, though.”
“Well, you might find them easier to eat than tentacles.”
“He didn’t give me a fork.”
“I believe you are expected to use the sticks that are on the table.”
The sticks were straight with narrowed ends and had no bark. “Eat with sticks? This is a strange world.” I took a stick, but found it impossible to use, so I got a second stick and trapped the noodles between them. I felt more out of place than being blond and blue-eyed in a sorcerer family. I did, however, get to eat the noodles. They were chewy, but not slimy or crunchy, which I was thankful for. Although they didn’t have much of flavor themselves, the sauce was good. It was smoky and meaty with a hint of sweetness. There was nothing like it on Caldaca.
Merlin ate the calamari, but he wasn’t interested in the noodles. “Food on Caldaca is simplistic because your people eat for survival rather than pleasure.”
“We have sweets. Of course, that’s usually only available at festivals or tournaments.”
“You can transform clay into food, yet the most complex substance I have ever seen you create was tofu. You mostly choose bread.”
“Bread is easy.”
“It is also loaded with carbohydrates to give you energy. You were never taught what a balanced diet is, so your natural instinct is survival over flavor, and you only indulge in flavorful foods when they are presented on special occasions. You are not listening to me.”
“What?” I’d gotten distracted trying to eat noodles.
He sighed. “Never mind.”
When I was done with the noodles, I took my plate back to the cook. “Did you enjoy your noodles, Foreigner?”
“Yes. I thought they would be like worms.”
He frowned. “This isn’t a street vendor; this is a high-class restaurant.”
“Where can we find a tavern?”
“Are you looking for information or a person?”
“Information, I guess. How’d you know?”
“You don’t look like a drinker. The closest one is three doors left of here, but I suggest you steer clear of it.”
“Why?”
He pulled out two flyers from under the counter and showed them to Merlin and me. One showed my face and the other was Merlin. It was the strangest painting I had ever seen; it was more realistic than a painting, almost like I was looking into a mirror. When he tilted it to the side, my face on the paper turned.
“You’re wanted by the Honlon. Both of you.”
“We haven’t been here long enough to get into trouble!”
“These were taped to my door a month ago. This is Honlon territory, so when they want someone, everyone in the city knows it.”
“Who’s Honlon?”
“Honlon is one of the strongest dragon tribes of Raksel.”
“Was this a trick?” I asked Merlin in his mind. “Did Erica set a trap for us?”
“Not necessarily. She is only half dragon; I doubt she has the connections necessary for this kind of setup. She is powerful, but dragons are arrogant, so they will find her impure and unworthy.”
“If it’s not a trap, how do they know about us?”
“They could have foreseen our arrival. Maybe they want the heart of Baltezore.
“Why would Cennuth want us here? Do you think he knows about Honlon?”
“It could be that Honlon knows we are involved with Cennuth and wants to prevent us from accomplishing his goals. Or, they might want to stop us from getting the heart.”
“I don’t like the unknown.”
“I feel the same. We need to find a place to hide and switch. Then I will call Cennuth. If we are seen, neither of us should be recognizable.”
“Do you have a place we can hide for a while?” I asked the cook.
He scoffed. “Do I look like a charity to you? I’m not crossing the Honlon. Just the fact that I haven’t called them on you is reason enough for my arrest. I’m sure someone saw you two enter and it’s just a matter of time before my shop is flooded with Keci.”
“Keci?”
“Servants of dragons. They’re everywhere. Most people mind their own business, but when there’s no money or food, being a pet can start to sound like a dream. The Keci are people that spy on others and run supplies for dragons. They do the grunt work that dragons can’t be bothered with.”
“Dragons are supposed to be wise and fair,” I said.
The man scoffed.
“Dragons from our worlds are, but they might have chosen that life,” Merlin said. “Here, the culture seems to be centered on them.”
“Do you know somewhere we can hide?” I asked.
“You’re asking a lot from me,” The man said.
I nodded. “I know. I don’t mean for you to get in trouble. Thank you for the food.”
When I started to leave, he sighed. “You’re lucky I have a soft spot for clueless foreigners.” The scrolls in his hands suddenly erupted in flames and quickly disintegrated into ash. “Go out the back. It’s covered so you can’t be seen from above. The neighbors behind me were kicked out, so you might find some privacy there. If you’re caught, you’ve never seen or heard of me before.”
“Thank you.”
Merlin and I used the door he indicate
d. It was not “outside” by any stretch of the imagination. It was a small space with a door opposite of the restaurant’s and wooden gates to the left and right. There were also a dozen wooden crates of varying sizes and a huge metal bin, so full of rotten food and rubbish that it littered the ground around it. Three of the crates were hidden under a plastic blanket, but they were sealed shut. The only crate we could open only contained some plastic cords, which couldn’t help us.
“Should I call my dragon?”
“No. He probably does not know the rules here and it would get us into more danger.”
Instead, I changed my staff into a sword and we switched.
The painted sigils were still perfectly unmarred. After getting dressed, he grabbed the ingredients he needed out of my bag. “This really should be done outside.” He created a circle of thirteen fist-sized rocks. Then he sprinkled gold flakes inside the circle. He used my sword to draw the dragon symbol in the circle and placed a small pile of dragon’s blood incense in the center, which he lit with magic. “Ógǫrr,” he said. A patch of the stone ground changed into dirt. Then he stabbed the sword deep into the ground, sat, faced south, and said the incantation.
By dragon wing and dragon claw,
my defense is without flaw.
Fly before me, Dragon bright,
and blind my foe with thy light.
Dark and terrible be thy wrath,
Cennuth, protect me on my path.
We waited for a long time, but either Merlin did it wrong (which was unlikely), we weren’t outside enough (which was somewhat likely), or Cennuth was ignoring us (which was highly likely). “He’s not very reliable,” I said.
“He may not be able to help us.” He drew my sword out of the dirt.
“Then he should have given us more information. Why are we here?” He didn’t answer because he didn’t know. “Let’s just go home and we can call Cennuth there.”
Merlin considered it for a moment before nodding. “He owes us a few answers.” Merlin created the portal to take us home. I entered the portal when he gestured for me to, but nothing happened. I didn’t like the worry on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“It is not working.”
“Why not? Don’t you have your magic?”
Merlin held out his hand and said, “Kalr hyrr.” A sphere of blue flames erupted above his hand. When he clenched his fist, it vanished. “My power is intact. The portal should work.”
He repeatedly tried again, but soon, we had to switch back. When I was in my right form, I tried activating the portal. It was like the portal wasn’t there. I knew he had drawn it correctly, though.
“Something or someone must be preventing it,” Merlin said.
“Is that possible?”
“Anything is possible, especially on a world ruled by dragons.”
“Do you think Cennuth knew this would happen when he told us to come here?”
“Cennuth is a tough teacher, but not cruel or heartless. If he knew this would happen, he would have given us some clue to get ourselves out of it. It is possible, however, that it was not him but his magic that sent us here. He separated the scroll by magic so that only we would find them. He may not know why we are here.”
“So either there’s a clue or there’s not.”
“Right.”
Shouts came from inside the noodle restaurant. I crouched beside the door and listened.
“Come away from there, young sorcerer. We need to hide.”
“I want to hear what we’re up against.” And I wanted to make sure the man wasn’t going to get in trouble for helping us.
“They were seen coming in here, Jie.”
“It sounds like someone was seeing things.”
“Harboring a wanted person is cause for arrest.”
“Oh, really? I would never have guessed. It’s a good thing I haven’t seen a wolf or scrawny blond wizard all day. All of my customers today have been tall, dark, and dirty.”
“He’s lying. Check the back.”
Merlin crouched beside me and I held up my wand. “Make us invisible,” I whispered. The wand didn’t waste any time; magic flowed over us and we disappeared.
“I paid my dues, Xyan! That means you can’t trash my property.”
“We’re not going to trash anything; we’re searching it.”
“And if I resist?”
“Your taxes will be raised and you will be detained.”
“What if I did know something that can help your search?”
“There is a bounty. I might cut you in if your lead is good.”
There was a short pause before Jie said, “I heard movement upstairs a while ago. Zane is gone for a week, so it couldn’t have been him. He’s paid up, too, though, so go gentle.”
“Upstairs,” Xyan barked. The sound of heavy feetl on hollow wooden steps followed. A moment later, the door opened and Jie stuck his head out. Run out the front. Turn left out the door. Go to the end of the street, where you will find the fish market. Ask for Seza and tell him Jie Ma sent you. Seza will protect you.”
“Thank you.”
“Just go.”
As he held the door open, Merlin and I ran through it. I maintained the invisibility spell and held onto Merlin’s fur so we didn’t get separated as we hurried down the road. The shop in question had a flashing purple sign that hurt my eyes. It had a glass door with metal bars built in. When I opened it, I gagged at the stench of dirty water and fish. Merlin entered, though, and I didn’t want to be left outside, so I plugged my nose and went in.
The taste of the air was worse.
The north wall was taken up by glass boxes, and each box was so full of fish that I doubted there was any water in them. Only a few of the types of fish looked like what I was used to. Many of them had tentacles with bulging heads, while others were large slugs. Of the fish, some were as long as I was tall, while others were as small as my pinkie nail. All of them were jammed together so tightly that they couldn’t move.
The south side of the room consisted of a long, sloping table with a massive selection of dried fish, fish parts, and other aquatic creatures. There were plastic sacks of colored powders as well. When I spotted a clear sack of fish eyes, I looked away.
Across from us on the east wall was a door and no room for anything else. It was only then that I noticed the man behind the display. He was older, like Jie, with a scowling, wrinkly face, wiry gray hair, and a pudgy middle, despite his otherwise skinny frame. For someone who sold food for a living, he looked awfully malnourished. Then again, I wouldn’t eat anything in the shop. He was wearing orange and black leather just like Jie.
I got the idea it had something to do with Honlon. “What if the color of my robe is making us a target?” I asked in Merlin’s mind.
“That is very plausible, but we are already a target,” Merlin reminded me.
“Right.” When I dropped the disguise, the fish-seller didn’t look surprised. “We’re looking for Seza.”
“Never heard of him.”
“Jie sent us.”
“Never heard of him, either.”
Merlin growled. “We are not part of the Honlon and have no qualms about destroying your property.”
Instead of being shocked to see a talking wolf, the man calmly pointed to the door behind him. “Through there, on the fourth floor.”
We went through the door and found a metal staircase. We ascended the steps to a metal platform with three doors and another set of steps. This setup was repeated over and over. By the time we reached the fourth floor, my legs hurt and I was out of breath. Normally, it wouldn’t have exhausted me so much, but the air was dirty and stung my lungs. Even Merlin had to stop to rest.
Then we had to figure out which door to choose.
I tried the door on the east wall and found it was locked.
I tried the door on the north wall and it opened. Inside, the walls were covered in metal machines with levers and flashing
lights. In the center of the room was a round table with five men. They all had small pieces of thick, painted paper that they were studying and trading, as well as thick, smoking, brown things. Before I could close the door, a huge man stepped in the way. He was wearing red and black leather. “Do you have an invitation?”
“No… we’re looking for Seza.”
He pointed to the door on the west wall.
“Thank you.”
He slammed the door shut.
Merlin sighed. “That could have gone a lot worse.”
I knocked on the door, not wanting to give the wrong first impression. “Come in,” a voice called. I opened it.
The room was slightly larger than the fish shop. To the north wall was a huge panel of black glass surrounded by colorful, glowing, glass shelves. On these shelves were books, miniature paintings of people, decorative jars and artifacts, and glass bottles of colored liquids. A large, black, leather couch took up most of the south wall. The rest of the south wall consisted of a doorway. The entire east wall was glass and overlooked the street. It would have been more impressive from a greater height. In front of the couch was a very low, long, and narrow glass table.
Seza was standing by the window. He was in his late twenties with bright red hair. He was slender without being scrawny and had some muscle definition. Like everyone else, he was wearing leather, but it was red and black.
“Come in. Sit.”
We entered and shut the door, but we didn’t sit. It was hard for me to get a sense of him.
“Can I get you anything to drink or eat?”
“No, thank you. We’re mostly interested in answers.”
He went to the shelf and poured brown liquid into a glass, then brought the glass to me. “My name is Seza.”
“I’m Ayden and this is Merlin.”