by Brian Beam
Digging a few more copper coins out of my coin purse gave me an excuse to take my eyes away from Sal’s intense gaze. I had to tug on the serving girl’s sleeve to get her attention and dropped the coins into her hand, asking for her to bring me a plate of whatever she thought was good at the inn and another ale for me. Once she turned away, I downed my first ale. My chest burned as it made its way to my stomach. True to Hiro’s word, it was stout. Very stout. With the way things were going with Sal’, the stouter the better. If Sal’ continued to talk to me, this was not going to be a pleasant conversation.
“Look, Sal’,” I began, wiping my mouth with my hand, “Max told me that you wanted to look into the whole wizard and dragon relations thing. I’m sorry we’re not going to the Wizard Academy, but you can still go. You don’t have to be tied down by us.” The words hurt to speak. I didn’t want her to leave.
Sal’s eyes rose back to mine, a scowl plain on her face. “Maybe I’ll do that. Maybe I’ll just go now.” She pushed herself up to her feet and promptly lost her balance, plopping back down into the chair. “Or maybe not. But only because I’m too drunk,” she slurred before bursting out into laughter. Her smile dropped and her eyes closed. “Oh, it’s just what I get for thinking maybe you cared.”
My heart felt like it was clenched in a fist. I really wanted that second ale. I probably should have ordered a couple more or some straight brandy. “I do care,” I contested, leaning forward to grab her hands. She jerked them away the second I touched them.
“Oh, so that’s why you’re trying to push me away. Because you care,” she muttered sarcastically.
I reached forward and lifted her chin with my hand. She opened her eyes slowly. “Sal’, I’m not trying to push you away. I don’t want you to leave us. I want you to come to Gualain with us. With me. I know you’re mad that I haven’t told you what I plan on doing tomorrow to get myself out of this mess, but I can tell you that I have no plans on becoming a slave or losing my life. Also, I know that what Bhaliel told us really got to you and I didn’t want to ignore that. Please don’t think that it is because I don’t care. I really like you, Sal’. That kiss really meant something to me, and I think it meant something to you too.” I was amazed that I had been able to get that out without another drink or two...or five.
As Sal’s angry glare started to melt into almost a sorrowful gaze, the serving woman came by with a plate of grilled fish on a bed of rice with steamed vegetables and my ale. I gave her another copper and told her I’d be okay for the night. There was not going to be any clearing of my head. I didn’t care, though. I wanted to make things right with Sal’ if I could.
Sal’ remained silent as she stared at me, so to fill the uneasy silence, I cut a piece off my grilled fish. As I raised it to my mouth, Sal’ asked, “Do you want to go up to my room?”
My head involuntarily jerked up. Had she just asked what I thought she had? Her mouth twitched up into a smile. Even with her bloodshot eyes, she was so beautiful. I thought about those lips pressed against mine as I caressed her soft, warm body.
I sat there like an idiot for a few seconds with my fork an inch from my mouth, staring at her with my mouth open. “Um, okay,” was all I could get out.
Sal’ giggled bashfully, her cheeks reddening even beyond what the alcohol had already caused. I had hoped to smooth things over with Sal’, maybe even tell her that I thought I may be falling in love with her, but I had never expected her to suggest such a thing. I quickly took my one bite of fish—I was still hungry—and chugged my ale.
Sal’ stood wobbily and grabbed my hand, leading me upstairs to her room. Her room was set up like mine—a white-painted room with only a bed, a small nightstand with an oil lamp on it, and a wooden chest at the foot of the bed. On the wall above the bed was a painting of a forest as opposed to the painting of a deer drinking from a creek above mine.
The oil lamp sprang to life suddenly and basked the room in a soft orange glow. I looked down to see her hand in her wicker case and gave her a smile. I unbuckled my scabbard and leaned my sword against the wall.
Sal’ pulled me back towards the bed, falling onto it and pulling me on top of her. “Oops,” she laughed playfully. Her body felt so warm and soft beneath me. I could have lost myself in her beautiful eyes. I started in for a kiss, but Sal’ pushed me off to her side. She sat up quickly. “Hey, I just brought you up here to talk, mister,” she scolded playfully. “It’s too noisy down there.”
“But—well—but you—,” I stammered with a slight slur, the alcohol hitting me harder than it should have because of my still recovering state. “I mean, I know,” I lied, even knowing it was a little bit late to save face. I sat up beside her.
Sal’ leaned over and gave me a delicate kiss on my lips. I felt my heart flutter. I really was falling for her.
“But a little kiss couldn’t hurt,” she said with a smile as she pulled away. Her eyes turned down with her smile after that, though. “Korin, I’m sorry. I’m just so scared of losing you. It just feels right being with you. Please let me help you tomorrow. Maybe I can—”
I quickly put a finger to her lips. “Listen, Sal’, tomorrow afternoon, I’m going to Galius’ manor by myself, and that’s that.”
“Don’t make me lose you,” she whispered, her eyes starting to glisten and her lower lip trembling.
I placed a finger under her chin and braved to go in for another kiss. She went with it, putting a hand behind my head and pressing her lips harder against mine. As we broke from the kiss, I kept my eyes on hers. “Never,” I assured her.
Sal’ leaned against me. “Promise?”
“Promise.” It hurt to make that promise, knowing that it could be broken in less than a day, but I could tell she was looking for comfort. I knew that she felt the same way I did and I understood completely.
“I wouldn’t really leave you to go to the Academy, you know,” she said, sniffling as she leaned her head against my shoulder.
“I know.” I put my arm around her shoulder and leaned my head against hers. It felt so good to be close to her.
“I somehow have to let them know about the dragons...” Her slurred voice was starting to trail off in exhaustion.
“We’ll send a letter,” I joked, squeezing her against me. The Dragons coming out of their banishment would be disastrous and I really should have encouraged her to go to the Academy, but at the same time, I was too selfish to do so.
Sal’ chuckled slightly. “Yeah, or stop at a guild and to Rizear’s domain with my father,” she laughed. “Korin, sorry I didn’t fix your cloak. I was pretty mad at you, though.” She let out a weak laugh and was then asleep against me.
I enjoyed holding her for another minute or two, trying to tell myself that the next day would be fine and I would get to hold her again. I couldn’t convince myself, though. I just hoped that she wasn’t drunk enough to forget our conversation or kisses when she awoke in the morning.
Eventually I laid her back into the bed, tucked her in, and went back to my room. Til’ was gone and Max was curled up at the foot of the bed. Their food plates were already cleaned from the room which was disappointing because I had been hoping there’d be something left I that could eat before going to bed. After stripping down to my smallclothes and locking my coin purse in the chest on the floor, I crawled into bed wondering if I’d be able to sleep.
As I pulled up my blanket, Max stirred at the foot of the bed. “So, you and Salmaea finally went for it, huh?”
“Shut up, furball,” I responded, putting out the oil lamp beside the bed.
“Guess that would be a no,” he said dryly.
“Go to sleep, Max.” I still felt a little fuzzy from chugging the two ales so quickly, but just wasn’t in the mood to come up with a witty retort. Maybe it was because I was still so Orylan-blooded hungry. He’s the god of famine by the way. My ale-addled brain had led me to believe that Sal’ had wanted something more than what she did and it led to an empty belly and
other problems I won’t mention. Still, I wouldn’t have changed a minute of it.
I rolled onto my side, pulling my blanket tightly around me. There was little warmth in the room, making me consider putting my clothes back on. My mind swam with thoughts of Sal’ and worries about the whole situation with Galius and Bhaliel. I couldn’t help but think about Menar as well. From the short conversation I had had with him after our fight, I knew he had been torn from his family to find me. Now he’d never see them again and I felt at fault.
I knew sleep was going to be a long time coming, but when it did I intended to enjoy every minute of it that I could. For all I knew, it could be the last I’d ever have.
Chapter 21
Potentially Dead Man Walking
“Galvin, he is so beautiful,” the blue-gowned, diademed woman hovering above me said with glistening emerald eyes. Her face literally seemed to glow through its blurriness. Everything—from the woman, to the crowned man in royal-blue kingly robes, to the bassinet wall in front of me—was enveloped in the same ethereal glow.
The crowned man beside her turned his powerful gaze down to where I lay swaddled in blankets. For the first time, I could make out a short dark beard on his face. “Yes, Kailyth, my love. He is.” The man, Galvin, put his arm around the woman, Kailyth, and hugged her close. “Have you thought of a name, yet?”
Kailyth’s eyes stayed focused on me. “Ingran Zachary, after my father, and yours,” she replied softly in a trembling voice.
Galvin pulled Kailyth closer. “A perfect name for a perfect child. Raijom and Jonasir will be by to see him soon.”
Kailyth nodded. “Perhaps they will see good fortune for him.”
“Let us hope,” Galvin replied.
****
My eyes opened to complete darkness. For a moment my heart started racing, but then I remembered where I was. My room at the Sea Breeze had no window to the outside and I had put out the oil lamp the night before.
I took in a deep breath as my mind absorbed my dream. So my middle name was Zachary. My full name was Ingran Zachary Lemweir. I was named after my grandparents. My mother’s name was Kailyth, and my father’s, Galvin.
Apparently, Raijom and Jonasir had not seen good fortune for me. Maybe Raijom actually had then had the prophecy that ended with me being stripped away from my parents. He had been the one worried about me fulfilling the prophecy according to Max.
Then again, it could have just been a random dream. After so many aspects of my dreams ending up being true, though, I took it for true memory.
Once the reality of what I had to do that day and that night set in, my heart started racing again. There was not going to be any falling back to sleep for me.
Sitting up, I felt around the foot of the bed to see where Max was before swinging my legs off the bed. After making sure I wouldn’t knock him to the floor, I stood up. I didn’t know if it was morning or not, but I no longer felt fuzzy from the ale, so I must have had at least a few hours of sleep.
I made my way over to the door, guided by the soft glow under it. After unlatching the lock, I cracked it open enough to softly illuminate the room. I put on my clothes and buckled my scabbarded sword onto my belt. Quietly opening the chest, I took out my coin purse and buckled it on as well.
“You already going to take Galius the egg?” Max asked sleepily from the bed.
“Not just yet. I’ll come back before I do.” I told him as I awkwardly tied my cloak around my shoulders.
“Yeah, whatever.” With that, he was asleep again like his good old caring self.
I stepped into the hallway, shutting the door behind me. The light from the hallway came from lamps along the walls, but the window at the far end of the hallway revealed a lightening morning. The common room was empty. The innkeeper on duty, a rotund man with a bulbous nose in a dirty white shirt, was asleep on a stool at the bar. After waking him, I paid for some sausage and eggs. Apparently he was the only person working and grumbled as he went to go make it himself. He definitely wasn’t going to get a tip from me. In a city like Byweather, he should have just been thankful for the patronage. He was definitely a far cry from Hiro from the previous night. After finally getting my food and wolfing it down, I chased it down with some water and set off into the cool morning.
Although I planned on waiting until after lunch to go to Galius’ manor, I figured that a nice brisk walk would help me think through what was going to happen when I did go. There were so many things that could go wrong. However, as much as I hate the idea of fate, that morning I kind of hoped it was real and boded well for me.
The paved streets were mostly empty aside from bleary-eyed shopkeepers making their way to open their stores and a couple wagon carts hauling wares to be hawked on street corners. After the morning began to brighten enough that the streets started to populate, I headed back to the Sea Breeze.
When I stepped into the cold common room—the rotund innkeeper must not have minded the cold enough to use the fireplace—Til’ and Sal’ were sitting at a table with plates of food in front of them and talking. Max was on the table eating a piece of bacon. The innkeeper had his head down on the bar again, snoring away and oblivious to the talking squirrel sitting on the only occupied table in the room.
When Max, Sal’, and Til’ heard me trying to force the door closed behind me, they turned their heads and abruptly ended their conversation. For my plan, that was a good sign. That was just another assumption though.
“Hey guys,” I called as I approached their table and plopped down into the chair beside Til’. I only barely stopped myself from tumbling over as the chair wobbled from one leg being at least an inch shorter than the other three.
Of course, Til’ was the first to speak. “Hey Korin, I probably should have warned you about the chair. I almost fell out of it too. Isn’t that funny? Anyway, we were just talking about—ow!” Til’s head snapped forward as if it had been smacked. I glanced up to see Sal’s hand under the table, most likely in her wicker case.
Sal’s hair was an absolute frizzy mess, but otherwise looked none the worse for wear after how much she had drank the previous night. Either she had used those poor mice to ward off the hangover or maybe wizards just didn’t suffer from them. I noted to myself I’d have to ask Max about that sometime. I just hoped that she remembered forgiving me the night before. If the current day ended up being my last with her, I wanted it to be pleasant.
My concern was washed away as she looked up at me with her pouty lips curved up into a smile. “Good morning. Thanks for last night.” Til’ looked at her with a huge, mischievous grin. Sal’ promptly blushed and tucked her chin down.
“Do not worry, Til’, nothing happened,” Max said. For some reason, that made Sal’ blush even more and she covered her face with a slender hand and turned her head away.
“Alright, you two, cut it out,” I told them. I turned to Sal’. “Sal’, ignore the furball and the runt. You’re welcome.” Sal’ uncovered her face and smiled at me shyly. Til’ and Max gave me insulted glares.
“I happen to be tall for a Kolarin,” Til’ argued shrilly, sticking his chin haughtily into the air. Max gave a huff and went back to his bacon.
“Well, comparative runt, then,” I replied with a smile.
Til’ realized I was joking and smiled. Then, as he was prone to do, he went off on an unrelated rant. “So when are you taking the egg to Galius? Do you really think you can get it back to Bhaliel without becoming Galius’ slave? What are we supposed to do if—”
“Til,” I interjected, “drop it. Remember, no talking about what I’m going to do. To answer your unfinished question, if something goes wrong, do whatever you want. Go home, travel the world, do whatever makes you happy.”
Til’s large, silver eyes dropped. “But being with you guys makes me happy.” Even the tips of his pointed ears seemed to droop.
I fought the urge to rustle the sulky Kolarin’s hair, settling for patting him on the back. “It’s go
ing to be okay. I plan on us leaving this city together, okay?” Til’ nodded glumly.
Before we could resume our conversation, a plainly dressed man and woman entered the inn and roused the sleeping innkeeper to secure some food and a room. We took that as a cue to take our conversation upstairs. We went to my room. Sal’ and Til’ sat on the bed with Max between them while I stood leaned against a wall. I found myself too nervous to sit with them as my rapidly tapping foot confirmed.
We spent the next couple of hours just talking about the times we had shared over our short time together. We found ourselves laughing at Til’s boldness in esacaping a dragon, though he claimed he was too embarrassed to recount the event for us. If I lived through the day without becoming a slave, I planned to eventually get that story out of him.
Once we dropped the topic of his escape, Til’ made sure to brag about saving me by attacking the bullratopus eldrhim. Sal’ blushed when I brought up how she had saved me twice. The first had been the initial eldrhim attack. That night had felt so long ago, but had somehow only been a week past. The second had been saving me from Prexwin. Max made sure to pipe in that he had technically been the one to save me in that instance. Then he proceeded to brag about all the times he had saved me, the “lunkhead”.
As we looked back, I realized just how much we had been through together. I had only known Sal’ and Til’ for days, yet I felt as close to them as if I’d known them for years. I was falling for Sal’ as I had for no one else in the past. Til’ was added to my list of people that I would risk my life for, just as he had for me when he attacked the bullratopus eldrhim.
After three years of travelling with just Max, it felt nice to have friends I cared for and who cared for me to share the experience with. When I really thought about it, though grateful for Max’s company, I had known him my whole life. He was as much of a family member as Mathual and Harriet Karell. Sal’ and Til’ were different. Especially Sal’. I still wasn’t comfortable with the fact that staying with me put them in needless danger as Raijom tried to hunt me down, but I felt so fortunate that they had come into my life. Yes, even Til’.