by Logan Jacobs
I glanced back and saw that Lena was riding with Yvaine and Maruk. The alchemist held the reins with one hand while she read through one of the journals she kept that detailed her various experiments. Yvaine and Maruk were lost in a conversation about the relative merits of various oils for removing dark spots from the skin.
Emeline’s guess proved accurate, and as the stars climbed into the sky, I could smell the first bit of salt in the air. We hadn’t stopped since we’d left the lake, and even though I’d munched on an apple and a slice of bread, I was starving. Yvaine and Maruk’s discussion about the various ways to prepare Ibarian clams properly wasn’t helping either.
“We’re near the original seaport,” Emeline called back. “There should be a town just ahead where we can stop.”
“Good,” Dehn replied. “I need something to drink.”
The town was closer to a city in size, though not as large as Ovrista. The wall was thick, and well-maintained, and at this time of night, the main gate was already closed. Lavinia pulled on a rope near the gate, and a head popped over the top of the wall.
“What? Who’s there?” the guard demanded.
“Travelers,” I replied. “We’re looking for a place to sleep for the night.”
“The gate is closed,” the guard responded.
“Yes, but you can let us in,” I pointed out.
“I can, but I won’t,” he replied. “I don’t know who you are.”
“We’re the Shadow Foxes,” I replied. “We’re a guild from Ovrista.”
“Shadow Foxes, eh? Wait there.” The guard’s head disappeared from the wall. We glanced at each other, wondering what to do.
“We should just kick the door down,” Dehn insisted.
“It’s a very thick, very heavy gate,” Maruk sighed. “And he did tell us to wait. Perhaps he’s going to open the gate.”
“Right,” Lavinia said with an eye roll.
“You there,” another voice now called from the wall. “You say you’re a guild from Ovrista.”
“The Shadow Foxes,” I replied. “We’re collecting a bounty.”
I could hear a whispered discussion on the wall. A third voice joined in, and then a fourth.
“Here, we’ve heard of you,” the original voice called down. “How do we know you’re the real Shadow Foxes?”
“Umm,” I said as I glanced at my team.
“I am the Marchioness of Constello,” Yvaine declared. “And this is my Guild. If you have any doubts, you may ask the Viscount Ferguson to come to the gate and confirm my identity.”
Another bit of whispering at the top of the gate followed, and then two pairs of footsteps retreated.
“It’s a good thing we aren’t being chased by some evil demon or such,” Maruk pointed out. “We’d be torn to shreds while they decided what to do.”
“You know this place?” I asked Yvaine.
“Somewhat,” she said with a shrug. “I know Fergie quite well. He’s not very fond of the sea, despite the fact that his family has lived here for something like four generations, so he’s always looking for an excuse to visit properties away from the water.”
“Why does he stay here if he doesn’t like the sea?” Aerin asked.
“It’s one of those inheritance issues,” Yvaine sighed. “He’s required to live on the family estate a certain number of weeks each year or he’ll lose the title, and all that comes with it.”
“Do you have to do that?” Lena prodded.
“Oh, heavens no,” Yvaine replied. “My ancestors made no such silly requirements.”
We waited for several more minutes, twiddling our thumbs, and just generally staring blankly at the gate.
“Hello down there,” a new voice called out.
“Fergie!” Yvaine called out cheerfully. “Do be a dear and let us in.”
“Yvaine, is that you?” A mustachioed face appeared over the lip of the wall. “My goodness, what are you doing in this part of the world?”
“It’s a rather long story, which I would be glad to share with you,” Yvaine replied.
“Of course,” Fergie said. More whispered conversation from the top of the wall, and then Fergie’s rather nasal voice ordered the gate to be opened. We rode inside at last, and Fergie, grandly dressed in what could only be described as white tie and tails, except that it was in a rather loud purple color, swept forward and held out a hand for Yvaine. She slid gracefully from her saddle and exchanged air kisses with Fergie.
“My dear, you must stay with me,” he insisted.
“If it wouldn’t put you out,” she replied.
“No, no, of course not,” he assured her. He looked at the rest of us then, and a small flicker of concern passed over his features. “I’m not sure I have room for everybody, though. Mother is here with her entourage.”
“I don’t need a room,” Dehn said as he leapt from his pony. He tossed the reins to Yvaine and stalked away.
“I’ll go with him,” Lavinia sighed. “We’ll find a place in the city.”
“Leave the horses with me,” Yvaine said before Lavinia could pull away. “I’m sure Fergie will be able to see that they’re properly cared for.”
“We’ll meet you in the morning, after breakfast,” Lavinia replied. “Outside Fergie’s gates?”
“Of course,” Yvaine agreed. We all dismounted then, and Lavinia followed after Dehn. I glanced at Aerin, who shrugged in response.
“We’ll go with Lavinia,” I said. “The rest of you can go with Fergie, er, Ferguson.”
“Well,” Fergie declared, “I guess that’s a more reasonable size.”
“Excellent,” Maruk replied. “Tell me, would you happen to have any clams just now?”
Aerin giggled and pressed herself against me. We trotted after Lavinia, who glanced back to see who was following her. She stopped and waited for us to catch up.
“The others?” she asked.
“Heading to Fergie’s,” I replied.
“No doubt for a lovely soak in lavender scented salt water,” she said.
“Don’t forget the kelp,” Aerin laughed.
Lavinia crinkled her nose and then resumed the hunt. We found Dehn easily enough when we observed a human and an elf stumbling out of a bar with bloody head wounds and cursing all halflings.
“Fucking tallest in his family,” the human muttered as he went past us.
“He’s in here,” Lavinia declared. We stepped into the bar and found Dehn standing on a table in the center of the room. He already had a stein in one hand, and he was challenging anyone who doubted his story to a fight. The other patrons were studiously ignoring him, but I saw the barkeep signal to the boy manning the taps. The boy nodded and darted outside.
“We should get him out of here,” I said. “I think the kid’s going for the local constabulary.”
“Dehn!” Lavinia called out. “Get your horse’s ass down here. You don’t expect us to drink in a place like this, do you?”
“Ha!” the halfling replied. He jumped to the floor without losing a drop of his beer. He strolled over to us, gave a salute with the stein, and then downed the contents in one long slug. When he finished, he wiped the foam from his mouth with the back of his hand, and slammed the stein back on the counter.
“Maybe somewhere closer to the water,” Lavinia suggested.
“Let’s do it,” the halfling declared. We followed him outside, and Lavinia pointed him towards the docks.
“Less likely to call the local constabulary, as you put it,” she said in answer to my raised eyebrow.
“Maybe we should just get him into a room for the night and make him go to sleep,” Aerin suggested.
“Ha!” the halfling called out again.
“And how do you intend to do that?” Lavinia asked.
“Good point,” Aerin sighed. We walked past several more bars, each a bit seedier than the last, until we found ourselves at the very edge of the land, with the sound of our boots on the heavy boards of the dock b
lending with the water lapping just below. Lavinia led the way to the one place that still had a light on and practically threw Dehn across the threshold.
The place was as scummy as a pond full of algae, and Dehn laughed in exhilaration. Our appearance barely drew a glance from anyone, and we claimed a table against the far wall. A very plump panthera woman sauntered over and dropped four large pints on the table.
“I guess we’re having beer,” Aerin murmured.
“Anything to eat?” the waitress asked.
“What do you have?” I wondered aloud.
“Shepherd’s pie,” the waitress responded. I looked around the table and was met with a few dubious stares.
“Sure,” I said. “We’ll each have one.”
The waitress left, and I took a sip of the beer. The room was the typical seaside bar favored by sailors. There were more than a few holes in the wall where someone’s fist or head had met the wood, and some dark stains that I figured were probably blood. There was a lot of chatter, most of it subdued, though a table near the door seemed to be holding a raucous celebration. It was a good-sized crowd, and not just because of the number of creatures gathered around the table. Most of the group appeared to be very large orcs.
“Hey,” Aerin said quietly. “Isn’t that Sulla?”
“Where?” Lavinia asked, perking up. Aerin pointed to the orcs and we all turned to stare.
One of the orcs noticed and called out, “What? Never seen so many lovelies gathered in one place?”
The orc table burst into laughter. Aerin and I both grabbed our beers and became instantly fascinated by the foam, but Dehn was on his feet. Lavinia grabbed his arm and tried to pull him back into his seat.
“What lovelies?” Dehn demanded. “All I see is a bunch of big, ugly orcs.”
“I think the little one wants to fight,” one of the orcs noted. Another roar of laughter went up from the table, and Dehn turned bright red. Lavinia still had a tight hold on his arm, but Dehn was squirming around like a young child at an amusement park, and I wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold on to him.
“I’m the tallest in my family,” Dehn asserted.
One of the orcs stood up then, and I groaned. Aerin’s hand moved towards her mace, and Lavinia was cursing up a storm.
“Shadow Foxes?” the orc called out.
“Urim?” Lavinia stuttered as Dehn finally broke from her grasp. Merlin, who’d sat quietly through the entire encounter, chose that moment to leap on the table, and then onto Dehn’s back. Dehn howled as the puca’s nails dug into his neck. I was impressed that the puca hadn’t impaled himself on Dehn’s spikes.
The orcs laughed again, but two approached our table. I recognized Sulla and Urim, Maruk’s pirate cousins. Sulla grabbed Merlin in one hand and Dehn in the other. He dropped Dehn into his chair, and Merlin onto Aerin’s lap.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Urim grinned.
“Why are you here?” Lavinia asked. She gave Dehn a quick slap to the head when he moved to stand up again.
“We’re getting ready to head back out to sea,” Sulla replied. “We did a bit of adventuring, but it’s time to get back to the family business.”
Urim dragged two orc-sized chairs over to our table, and Maruk’s cousins sat down. The door opened again, and a familiar panthera stepped inside.
“Etienne!” Sulla called out. “Look who we found.”
Etienne, Emeline’s brother and one-time instructor at the Mage Academy, hesitated for a moment, and then recognition spread across his face. He charged our table, expertly avoiding the waitress who was depositing our pies on the table.
“Gabriel,” he said excitedly. He glanced around the table, and I saw a look of concern pass over his leonine features.
“She’s with the rest of the Foxes,” I replied. “Probably enjoying a very fine meal and a long soak.”
“Too bad,” Urim sighed. “They’re missing out on some pretty good grub.”
I had to admit, the pies did smell delicious. Steam was still wafting up from the mashed potatoes, and it carried a scent that reminded me of garlic and onion. I took a bite and was impressed. The meat was juicy, but not greasy, and the cook had used just enough spice to complement the ingredients and not overwhelm them. I nodded to the rest of the Shadow Foxes, who dug into their own pies with enthusiasm.
“The name’s a bit misleading, though,” Sulla sighed.
“Yeah,” Urim agreed. “We thought maybe it was made with actual shepherds.”
I stopped chewing and glanced at the two orcs. Aerin gave a little cough and took a sip of her beer. Lavinia glanced suspiciously at her pie.
“Turns out, it’s just beef,” Urim sighed. “But still delicious.”
“You confirmed that with the kitchen?” I asked as I lowered my fork.
“We asked where the shepherds came from,” Sulla explained. “I mean, the meat was so good we figured we could go grab a couple for ourselves. The waitress got all offended and threatened to kick us out. The owner came out and told us it was beef.”
“But we know where the beef came from,” Urim said with a grin. “We were thinking of getting some for ourselves before we leave.”
“It’s beef,” Etienne assured us when we still hadn’t resumed eating.
Lavinia, Aerin, and I all picked up our forks and started in on our pies again. I noticed Dehn hadn’t stopped, even when the orcs had raised the specter of actual shepherds being used in the pie. He scooped up the last towering bite and gulped it down. That was followed by a very loud belch, which had Sulla and Urim laughing.
“So what kind of adventures have you had?” Dehn demanded.
Sulla and Urim were more than happy to entertain us with stories of their travels, with occasional explanations and asides from Etienne. I hadn’t been sure how well the mage would adapt to a life on the lam, but it looked like he was fitting in with the orc pirates. Sulla and Urim were treating him like a member of the family, and if the stories were accurate, the rest of the orcs were happy to have him as well.
“Now it’s your turn,” Urim said as he wrapped up a complicated tale involving a dwarf circus, a ladona swordsman, and a swarm of crop-eating slugs.
“We have a bounty,” Aerin offered.
“For?” Sulla pressed.
“Some magical items the Academy wants back,” Lavinia replied.
“Out here?” Etienne asked in surprise.
“It was Emeline who put us on to it,” I said. “There used to be an old seaport in the area that was protected by a chalice that carried a powerful spell. The seaport fell when a manipulator stole the chalice. We figured we would start with the place where it was last seen.”
“A chalice, huh?” Urim mused. “Sounds like the stories about the Vergis caves.”
“The Vergis caves?” Lavinia asked, a note of skepticism in her voice.
“Anyone who sails in this area knows the stories,” Sulla explained. “The Vergis caves is a bunch of caves that are all connected together. It’s a great place for hiding things you don’t want the authorities to know about.”
“But most people stay away,” Urim added. “Too many bad things started happening there a while back.”
“Our own operation lost a ship there,” Sulla said sadly. “A really good crew, led by Corbis the Kraken Killer. Corbis decided he was going to kill whatever was in the caves, so we could start using them again.”
“Never saw any of them again,” Urim sighed.
“So what makes you think the chalice is there?” I asked.
“The story is that there’s a magical cup there,” Sulla replied. “The creatures that live there use it to destroy anyone who ventures inside.”
“That could be it,” Aerin remarked. She chewed thoughtfully on her lip and shot me a quizzical look.
“It’s the best lead we’ve had,” I shrugged.
“And Theira did send us here,” Aerin said with a smile.
“Time to kick some monster
butt!” Dehn declared.
“In the morning,” Lavinia added. “When we reconnect with the others. Besides, we still have to find the caves.”
“We can give you a map,” Sulla announced. “But don’t say we didn’t warn you.”
“We’ve survived a lot of places that other people haven’t,” I pointed out.
“Perhaps Emeline could spend the day with me,” Etienne suggested, and I could see the worry in his eyes. “We haven’t seen each other since… well, since I had to leave Ovrista.”
“We’ll take care of her,” Lavinia assured him. “The two of you will be sharing tales about this bounty before you know it.”
We spent some time formulating a plan with the pirates, and probably would have stayed all night if the owner hadn’t announced last call. We agreed to meet the orcs and the panthera for breakfast, then head to Ferguson’s to catch up with the rest of our group. Sulla recommended an inn two doors down, but Etienne rolled his eyes, and directed us to a place back towards the main gate that always kept rooms available for guilds. The place by the main gate turned out to be small and comfortable and had three rooms left for guild members. Dehn and Lavinia quickly claimed rooms of their own, and I shared a knowing smile with Aerin.
We didn’t talk this time, just pulled and tugged each other’s clothes off in a frenzy. Aerin giggled as I pulled her onto the bed, and I loomed over her, drinking in the smooth skin, the fiery hair, and the firmness of her breasts. I leaned down and ran my tongue lazily from one ear down to a perky breast.
“Gabriel,” she moaned.
I looked up and grinned at her, then drew a long kiss from her mouth. She grabbed the back of my head and pulled me in tighter, as her tongue slipped inside my mouth and began its own explorations.
I snuck a finger inside her pussy and discovered she was already moist. She wiggled and looked at me with frantic eyes as I stroked her. Then she grabbed my penis and gently pulled me closer.
I slipped inside her tight tunnel, and my own rhythm matched hers. Every time I slid deep into the beautiful elf, she arched her back, rose up to meet me, and made small mewling noises. After a good fifteen minutes, I could feel the tension that thrummed through her begin to build, and I buried myself in the sensation.