by F. P. Spirit
The companions had also made one other large purchase the night before. At Elladan’s prompting, they had decided to buy the Charging Minotaur. They had amassed a small fortune from their adventures, and the bard convinced them the inn was a solid investment. It would also provide them with a place to park the Boulder. The creature was too slow-moving to take on this trip, and further, he would be too heavy to take on a small ship upriver. They left him standing outside the inn, aptly renaming it the Golden Golem. Elladan had further convinced them to hire Shalla on as the manager of their newly-acquired investment. That way she could keep an eye on the Boulder, the inn, and even provide entertainment for the townsfolk. After a lively bit of haggling, which included a cut of any profits, Shalla agreed to take on the position.
Now the songstress stood off some ways from the group with Elladan, the two entertainers saying their goodbyes. The handsome bard swept Shalla off her feet and kissed her soundly on the lips.
Andrella had pulled Lloyd aside as well, the young couple holding each other tenderly, whispering back and forth and trading brief, passionate kisses of their own. Elladan and Shalla were the first couple to part, the songstress holding onto his arm and laughing gaily as she accompanied the bard back to his mount. Lloyd and Andrella soon followed, holding hands as they slowly walked toward the horses.
Elistra sat on the mount next to Glo’s. She leaned over and whispered to him, “They are adorable.”
Glo turned in his saddle to face her. “Which couple?” he responded, smiling impishly.
“Lloyd and Andrella, of course, silly,” the gypsy woman admonished, fixing him with a droll stare.
“Luckily for them, the Baron and Baroness agree with you.” Glo nodded toward the royal couple.
Gryswold and Gracelynn stood arm in arm in front of the castle gate, observing their daughter and the young noble from Penwick. They were whispering softly amongst themselves, each seeming rather content with their daughter’s choice of suitor.
Andrella reluctantly let Lloyd go. “Good luck!” She stepped back as he mounted his steed. Shalla, still standing there, reached a slender arm around the young lady’s shoulder. Andrella gazed up and smiled at the tall woman.
Aksel swiveled around in his saddle. “Are we ready now?” His eyes specifically fell on Elladan and Lloyd.
“Ready,” Lloyd said, his eyes still straying to Andrella.
“Yes,” Elladan agreed, a half-smile on his lips as his eyes fell one last time on Shalla.
“Then let’s head out!” The little cleric turned forward once more and spurred on his canine mount.
As they moved out, Glo noted that Gryswold and Gracelynn walked down to stand with Andrella and Shalla. Gelpas was not far behind. The five of them stood together at the top of the hill as the little band trotted down the road and toward the town below.
“Good luck!” Gryswold cried as they were almost out of earshot. “Come back safe,” Andrella added to her father’s cry.
Glo turned his head just in time to see the young lady throw herself into her mother’s arms and bury her head in her bosom.
When the companions reached the south edge of town, they spied a familiar figure laying across a large boulder on the side of the road. It was Ruka! The girl rose up from her comfort- able position and stretched her arms wide. “Well, it took you long enough.”
Aksel stopped his mount and held up his hand, signaling the others to do so as well. Glo was rather surprised to find the middle Greymantle sister waiting for them along the road. “What are you doing here?”
She jumped down from the boulder she had been resting on. “I’ve come to join your little quest. Ves filled me in on what you were going to do. I thought I would come along and make sure you stayed out of trouble.”
“Not to mention there might be loot where we’re going,” Seth added with a half smirk.
Ruka grinned back at the halfling. “You know me too well.”
“Wait a second,” Donnie’s voice rang out from the ranks. “You can’t be seriously thinking of letting this girl join us?” He urged his mount forward, reigning his horse in at the front of the line. “She’s just a child!”
A hush fell over the group as Glo, Aksel, Seth, and Lloyd exchanged glances. They had seen firsthand just what the Greymantle sisters could do. Ruka turned to face Donnie, her hands on her hips and her head tilted slightly. She peered at the elf as if sizing him up. Donnie’s expression grew more and more uncertain under the weight of that stare. It probably did not help that everyone else had fallen silent, no one daring to support his assertion. Finally, Ruka shifted her gaze to Glo.
“Who’s the new elf?” she asked, nodding toward Donnie.
“Donatello, young dame,” Donnie replied, smoothly dismounting his horse and lightly landing on the ground. “At your service,” he added, doffing his riding cap and bowing low in front of the young teen. “And you are Ruka...”
“Rukastanna ta Yatharia Greymantle,” she announced with obvious pride. The expression on her face was a mixture of amusement and curiosity. That was quickly replaced with her customary smirk. “...and I can handle myself, thank you.”
Donnie opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a familiar voice from the rear of the company. “Trust me... she can.” They all turned to see the lady knight, Alana, spur her warhorse forward. She drew up next to Donnie. “This young woman beat me fair and square in the Ravenford tourney yesterday.”
No one other than Donnie seemed surprised by her statement. The slight elf’s eyes swept from Alana to Ruka, his jaw hanging open. “This young girl beat you?”
Ruka’s body tensed and there was a dangerous edge to her voice. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I did.” There was a quick flash of amber across the girl’s normally green pupils, and a sudden palpable tension in the air, made even more ominous by the rumble of thunder off in the distance. Glo scanned the heavens, but there was not a dark cloud to be seen in the sky. The tension just as quickly faded, Ruka’s eyes returning to normal.
“But you were very good.” Ruka nodded to Alana. The lady knight bowed her head and smiled in response to the girl’s praise. Ruka then turned her gaze back to Donnie. “And if you don’t believe her,” she added fiercely, “I can show you right now how I did it!” Thunder rumbled once more off in the distance as if to punctuate her assertion.
Donnie threw up his hands in front of him. “No, no, that won’t be necessary. If the Dame Alana says that you are that good, then you are that good. My apologies for thinking you were just an ordinary girl.” He punctuated his speech by flashing her a charming smile.
Ruka seemed momentarily taken aback, her cheeks flushing slightly. She quickly recovered, her mouth twisting into her customary smirk. “Apology accepted. Now can we get going, or are we going to stay here all day?”
“My thoughts exactly,” Seth agreed.
Ruka flashed the halfling a wicked grin.
“Well, let’s go then,” Aksel said. He addressed Ruka. “Do you want to ride with one of us?”
Her nose wrinkled as she considered his proposal, but she quickly shook her head. “No, I’ll just fly.” Ruka turned toward Glo. “Can you let your raven loose? It would be nice to have some intelligent company to talk to up there.” She ended with a quick glance in Donnie’s direction.
Glo chuckled to himself. “Surely.” He spoke a single word to his winged companion. “Revia.”
Raven spread her black wings and propelled her tiny body off his shoulder, winging her way upward. Back on the ground, Ruka’s expression was one of deep concentration. Her entire body began to glow, growing brighter and brighter until all that was visible was a brilliant white light. It was so intense that Glo had to shield his eyes. The glow appeared to transform, shrinking and shifting into the form of a bird. The brilliant radiance faded, and when it was finally gon
e, there now stood a magnificent white-tailed hawk. The hawk spread her large wings and lifted off the ground. It quickly rose skyward, joining Glo’s raven far above. The two birds circled around each other, then took off along the road to the south.
“Nice going there, Donnie,” Seth commented.
Donnie, once again in his saddle, stared beseechingly at the rest of the riders. “How was I supposed to know?”
His mournful plea elicited chuckles from the rest of the group. Dame Alana reached over and placed an armored hand on his shoulder.
“Your intentions were well-meant at the least,” she said sympathetically.
“Thank you.” Donnie smiled at the lady knight. “At least someone understands me.” He cast a reproachful glance at the others.
That produced yet another round of laughter from the group.
Road to Vermoorden
I don’t think talking to your dinner is wise
The road between Ravenford and Vermoorden had once been referred to as the Knight’s Road. These days it was called either the Old Knight’s Road or just the South Road. The road itself had been built in the old days, when Thac was still young. Ancient spells had been set in place to keep the cobblestones clear and smooth. Not even the grass grew near the edge, at which point brambles, thickets, and wild hedges grew in abandon.
The companions were quite familiar with this road. It was the same one that led through the Dead Forest and past Stone Hill. A couple of hours into their journey, they came within sight of the barren peak standing by itself off to the west of the road. Elladan proceeded to sing a tune he had written about their adventures in the ruined keep atop that hill. The bard had not been with them during their first visit, but the story was entertaining, if somewhat embellished. It wasn’t too long before they exited the dreariness of the Dead Forest. There were few, if any, inhabited farmsteads in the wild south of Stone Hill. The road soon turned west, away from the coast, in the direction of Vermoorden. Glo knew little about the town, but Lloyd appeared quite well versed in its history.
“Vermoorden was originally a refugee camp,” he told the riders. “The founders were folks from Dunwynn.”
“Not Dunwynn again,” Seth said with clear annoyance.
Lloyd spun around in his saddle to face the halfling. “No, you misunderstand. These were refugees from Dunwynn. They were kicked out for disagreeing with the city’s rigid principles of unrelenting law and xenophobia.”
“Oh, then that’s okay. Why didn’t you just say so in the first place?”
Lloyd gave the halfling a quick grin. “The refugees struck out southward and finally came to stop in Penwick...”
“...which is how you know all about this in the first place,” Seth interrupted.
Lloyd spun around to look at him again. “Would you like to tell this story?”
“No, no, go ahead. You’re doing just fine.” Seth waved him to continue.
Lloyd shook his head slowly then went on with his story. “Anyway, as I was saying, this all happened about seventy years ago. The Baron of Penwick back then didn’t want Dunwynn refugees in his town. So he granted them the rights to the lands east of Lake Strikken…”
“…which is not exactly prime real estate, for reasons you’ll see when we get there,” Donnie finished for him with a wry smile.
“You know of the town?” Lloyd turned in his saddle to face the slight elf.
“I may have passed through it on an occasion or two,” Donnie admitted.
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense. Tell us what you know.” Elladan urged his friend.
“Well...” Donnie began, “I don’t know that much really. Lloyd is obviously the expert.”
“Lloyd?” Elladan turned back toward the young man.
A pained expression crossed Lloyd’s face. “What Donnie says is true… it is not the choicest of locations.” Lloyd’s voice fell almost to a whisper. “Not all Penwick rulers have had the best interests of the townspeople in mind.” He hesitated as if there was something more he was going to say on the subject, but then continued with his story. “Anyway, the refugees turned around and headed back north until they reached the shores of the lake. There they formed the settlement which became Vermoorden.”
“So this Vermoorden is actually a fiefdom of Penwick?” Aksel asked with interest.
“Oh, no, no, not in the slightest,” Donnie answered.
Lloyd nodded. “Vermoorden is an independent town. It is run by a Lord Mayor, who is actually elected into office.”
Glo arched an eyebrow. “Elected into office? What a novel concept.”
“Indeed,” Aksel agreed. “It does sound like a fair way to choose a ruler.”
“Well, it would be if the elections were fair,” Donnie noted with clear sarcasm.
Elladan turned to his friend, his eyes narrowing. “Okay, out with it. You obviously know more than you’re telling.”
Donnie’s eyes flickered around the rest of the riders. “Well, let’s just say that Vermoorden has a dark side to it.”
“Just how dark?” Seth asked, his tone measured.
Donnie turned to face him. “Well, for one, Vermoorden has no agreements with other towns. Because of that, it is known as a great place for those with shady backgrounds to reside.”
Elladan nodded. “So it’s a haven for questionable folks.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not the worst of it,” Donnie said with a meaningful glance around the group. “Vermoorden also might have the reputation of being a place to go if you need services that operate outside the law.”
“What kind of services?” Alana asked.
Donnie turned toward the lady knight. “Rumor has it that the town is home to a guild of assassins.”
Alana’s eyes flew wide open. “An assassins’ guild?”
Glo’s own eyes narrowed as he stared at the slight elf. “And just how do you know all this?”
“Oh, I get around,” Donnie replied with a nonchalant wave of his hand. “As I said, I’ve been through Vermoorden once or twice.”
“Through the bars, no doubt,” Elladan added, his lips curving into a half smile.
Donnie spun toward his old-time friend and grinned. “Naturally.”
Elladan let out a short laugh. “Which explains how you heard all the town gossip.”
“Is there a better way?” Donnie shrugged his shoulders.
A snort sounded from the front of the riders. That was Seth. “Sounds like a real nice place we’ve chosen to pass through.”
Aksel, next to Seth, cleared his throat. “I’m sure as long as we do just that, merely pass through, we’ll be fine.”
“I hope you’re right,” Seth retorted, still not sounding convinced.
The travelers continued their journey until the sun started to disappear behind the Korlokesel Mountains far to the west. They had made good time, covering half the distance between Ravenford and their destination, but traveling in the open at night was not wise. There were things skulking about in the wild, and not all of them were friendly.
Further, before leaving Ravenford, they had heard rumors of a large green dragon seen to the north. Unlike their copper cousins, green dragons are not friendly—in fact, black, red, green, blue, and white dragons are inherently evil. In addition, dragons can fly quickly over long distances, so even this far west, an encounter with the dragon was not out of the question. Therefore, the companions decided to make camp and start out again at first light.
Martan found a small clearing a short distance from the road, surrounded by a dense stand of pine. It was the perfect place to spend the night—out of sight of any watchful eyes. A hawk and raven circled the grove in the darkening sky overhead, keeping watch as the others busily pitched tents and unsaddled horses.
Once the camp was
setup, Elladan began preparing dinner. The bard’s prowess with cooking was nearly as good as his ability to entertain. Aksel sat in front of his tent, chanting his evening devotions. Glo perused his traveling spell book by a small light conjured on the end of his staff, trying to decide what spells he would memorize come tomorrow. Elistra sat across from him, cross-legged, deep in meditation. Lloyd had headed out to the road to stand the first watch. Donnie went with Martan and Alana to brush down the horses. The slight elf continued his quest to woo the lady knight. Alana, on the other hand, showed little signs of succumbing to his charms.
The only two missing were Seth and Ruka. The former had set out a short while ago into the surrounding woods to “scout the area.” Glo smiled to himself, thinking it more likely that Seth was trying to sneak up on Ruka. The two had developed a kind of rapport since the night of the Serpent Cult attack. When no one else was quite sure where Seth was, the shape-shifting girl had a knack for pinpointing his location. Thus, Seth had found an excellent partner with whom to train, and Ruka appeared to enjoy the exercises as much as the halfling, if not more.
Ruka reappeared among the horses at the edge of camp just as the contents of the stew pot sent tendrils of steam across the clearing. Not a whinny or shuffle from the animals betrayed her arrival. Even Aksel’s and Seth’s riding dogs just wagged their tails. Ruka greeted each of the animals in turn before joining the others at the campfire. She had a half dozen large trout on a string at her side.
“Did you see Seth out there?” Glo asked.
“Nope,” Ruka said, settling on a large stone by the fire. “Heard him, smelled him, and crossed his trail twice, but never saw him.”
Glo smiled. Those two were cut from the same cloth. His gaze fell on Elistra. The seeress had just finished her meditation, and nodded toward Ruka with a knowing smile. Ruka spread out a cloth and began cleaning the fish while the others started on the stew. Elladan filled up a steaming bowl and held it out to her. Ruka hesitated, sniffing the contents of the proffered dish.