by Eric Vall
“Wear the kefficha in this fashion,” the proprietor explained. “This way it not only protects the head from the sun, but it also shields the back of the neck as well.” He proceeded to place a small circle of black rope on the crown of his head to hold the cloth in place.
“This will do fine.” I nodded. “Help my beautiful friend with the dress.” The vendor bowed his head slightly and moved away to help Carmedy who was looking through a selection of robes.
The cat-girl’s simple peasant dress would offer no protection, so I suggested that she buy one of the colorful robes and matching head coverings on display. The cat purred with excitement, and the vendor proceeded to show her his most popular designs. After looking through the various selections, the feline decided on a green garment with gold leaf trim on the borders of the fabric along with its corresponding headpiece.
Once Carmedy had changed her clothes, the three of us made our way to a black tent that sold a variety of riding animals and transportation devices. There were riding lizards for sale like any other town. However, instead of the usual horses and donkeys that I had often seen on the previous continent alongside the lizards, there were camels here, and the furry brown humped animals looked at us with disinterest as we walked past them.
“Ooh, they’re so cute,” Carmedy exclaimed as she patted one of the camel’s humps. “Can we get one?”
“Excellent choice, ma’am,” the big cheeked vendor said with a wide grin. “This animal is just what you need.”
“No, it is not,” Morrigan said unamusedly. “Camels are exceedingly slow creatures in comparison to riding lizards and quite cantankerous. A lizard would be a far better choice.”
“Ahh, you are a smart lady!” The vendor wagged his finger. His Valasarian accent was thick, and he put great emphasis on his r’s. “May I interest you in one these fine reptiles?”
The plump man gestured to the five lizards that stood behind the camels. The first two reptiles were the smallest with brown skin with cream and black speckles. The next two were a little larger and had vibrant green skin and red eyes. The last of the creatures was the largest and by far the most impressive. Its eyes were a piercing blue that resembled sapphires, and its skin was a flawless white that was as radiant as freshly fallen snow.
Morrigan quietly walked over to the scaly beasts and studied each one for a few moments as she periodically whispered to Fea and Macha. The portly proprietor raised an eyebrow at the sight of the elf conversing with her winged pets but said nothing. I was sure he didn’t want to do anything might prevent him from making a sale.
“We’ll take this one,” Morrigan finally said as she pointed to the lizard with striking blue eyes and scaly skin as white as her hair. The reptile immediately took a step back from the elf and thrashed its tail back and forth across the ground.
Carmedy squealed as the reptile flicked out its tongue, and the frill around its neck simultaneously unfurled. It was as though it knew it had been chosen and it didn’t want to go. Morrigan, unshaken by the creature’s display, calmly approached it and laid a pale hand on its nose. She spoke to it in hushed tones, and as she did so, Fea and Macha bobbed their heads as though they too were involved in the discussion. While they were capable of speech, they chose to communicate with her through their thoughts.
The tattooed woman continued to speak to the displeased scaled creature and gently smoothed its skin. The great white lizard eyed the tattooed elf and slowly concealed its frill.
“You seem to have a way with animals,” the rotund vendor said curiously as he wiped the sweat from his ample cheeks.
“How much is this lizard?” Morrigan asked, ignoring the man’s statement.
“Uh, twenty gold pieces, ma’am,” the owner of the tent replied. The white-haired woman narrowed her eyes at the man and then walked over to me.
“I suspect that this man intends to cheat us,” Morrigan whispered with displeasure in her tone. “While I am not well versed in the ways of bartering, this price seems too high.”
“Do not worry about the negotiations, I’ll take care of this.” I moved toward the agitated vendor. By now, I had learned more of current prices and bartering from Rana. The fox was an expert on the price of pretty much anything that could be sold, and from what she had taught me, I knew enough to handle the situation in the absence.
“I happen to know that the appropriate price is no more than ten,” I said firmly.
“Oh, w-well, this is a very fine lizard sir,” the large-bellied man stammered in surprise. “You can see from its coloration that this is not your run-of-the-mill riding lizard. Why, such an animal should be ridden by royalty.”
“Then you will have to seek out such people if you wish for such a price,” I said sternly. “We will offer no more than ten. Accept this, otherwise, our business has concluded.”
As I spoke, the vendor blinked in surprise. He had no doubt assumed that since we were foreigners, we would be what Rana called easy pickings. He was sorely mistaken.
“Very well,” he finally sighed. “Ten gold pieces.”
“We’ll take those two lizards as well,” I gestured to the large green reptiles with the ruby colored eyes. “I’ll give you five gold pieces for each of them.” I reached into the void pocket of my cloak and pulled out the specified amount to hand to the man. The vendor nodded and pocketed the money.
“We also have need of a transportation implement,” Morrigan said after I had paid the vendor. “Something in which we can carry our possessions.”
“Ahh, what you need is a Valasarian sand sled.” The proprietor waved his hand to draw our attention to a row of wooden devices at the back of the tent. He motioned for us to follow him as he walked toward the sand sleds that he had indicated.
“Everyone here has one.” The round man patted the front of the device. “There’s no better way to cart your things around than a sand sled. They glide across the terrain with ease, they’re quite easy to repair should you ever have the need, and I can give you a very good price.”
I stepped closer to inspect the merchandise that the vendor had pointed out. The object did indeed resemble a sled, except its sides came up to contain what it carried more effectively. There were two hitches on either of its sides to secure to a riding animal. The sled seemed to be of good quality, and the pale colored wood that formed it looked strong and sturdy. I was certain that the device would serve us well on our journey.
“I’ll sell you one for…” he paused as he looked at me nervously. “Five gold pieces?”
I was silent for a moment. While I didn’t know the going rate for this unfamiliar device, the price that the vendor proposed was close to what Rana deemed a fair sum for the carts that our lizards normally pulled.
“Agreed. We’ll need five of them” I finally said and handed over the payment. The vendor showed us how to secure the sand sleds properly to our new lizards and then asked if there was anything else that we needed.
“I believe that is all we have a need for.” Morrigan turned to leave the tent with the alabaster colored lizard in tow. Carmedy followed her and led one of the green lizards. I took hold of the other scaly animal’s reigns and with my other hand I pulled the remaining sand sleds.
“Pleasure doing business with you,” the pudgy man called after us, and I heard him sigh as we strode away.
With our errands now complete, we headed back to the red tent where we were supposed to meet Annalíse and Rana. The swordswoman and the fox were already there ahead of us and carried various sacks and bundles in their arms. Like Carmedy, they too wore new robes and head coverings to protect them from the hot sun. Rana had chosen a garment that matched the blue of her eyes, and Annalíse had opted for a red one.
“Were you able to find everything that we need?” I nodded to the parcels that Annalíse and Rana held.
“We were able to trade our loot without trouble, and we did get everything on our list, except we ran into a little… snag with the water,” Rana
said as she set her goods in one of the sand sleds.
“What do you mean by a little snag?” I furrowed my brow. Without speaking, the fox began to root through the items that she had placed in the sled until she came upon six water skins and held them up for the rest of us to see.
“Surely this is not all the water that you have purchased for our journey,” Morrigan raised a white eyebrow.
“Sorry, elfy, this is all we’ve got.” Rana sighed as she placed the water skins back in the sled.
“But this will not do, we shall need a much larger quantity if we are to survive the desert,” Morrigan said with a twinge of annoyance in her tone. “Do you not understand that it will be quite some time before we come upon the next city? This is not one of the forest continents, there are no streams and rivers running freely that we make take advantage of between here and the next city.”
“I know, I know, but that was the best we could do.” Rana held up her paws. “It will only take us nine or so hours to reach the dungeon, and then another nine to get back. As long as we don’t spend two or three days there, we should have enough to get back to this city.”
“What happened?” I folded my arms over my chest. “Surely it wasn’t a matter of money, our funds are plenty.”
“No, it wasn’t anything like that.” Annalíse shook her head. “There is a limit on the amount of water one can purchase.”
“A limit? How come?” Carmedy cocked her head to one side.
“There’s a water shortage in the city,” Annalíse said as she wiped the sweat from her brow. “In fact, there’s a water shortage throughout the entire continent.”
“How long has this been going on?” I asked.
“Apparently it’s been going on for several years,” Rana said with a somewhat somber expression, and she looked around at the people that passed by. “These people are suffering.”
“I understand that it doesn’t rain here often, but what of the oasis cities?” I pressed. “Have they run dry?”
“That’s the weird thing,” Rana said slowly, and a perplexed look spread across her face. “Annalíse and I wondered the same thing. When we asked the guy who sold us the water, he clammed up and wouldn’t tell us anything else. We tried to ask a few other people, but they wouldn’t tell us anything either. It was almost like they were scared or something.”
“How strange,” I mumbled. What had happened to the water in Valasara, and what were these people so frightened of?
Chapter 5
With everything else in order, we loaded the rest of our belongings onto the sand sleds and made preparations to leave the port city.
“Wow,” Rana breathed as she eyed the newly purchased ivory colored reptile. “I’ve never seen a riding lizard like that before.”
“Yes, he is quite unique.” Morrigan nodded as she smoothed the animal’s head with her hand. The elf opened her mouth for a second as though she were about to speak and then closed it.
“Were you gonna say something?” Rana asked as she looked at the white-haired woman curiously.
Morrigan hesitated for a moment before she relented. “Would-- would you mind terribly if I ride him, and you ride one of the other lizards we purchased?” the pale elf asked quietly, without taking her eyes off the white reptile. “I feel that I have a bond with him.”
“Um, yeah sure, that’s fine with me,” Rana laughed. “I’m happy you are taking such an interest in him.”
“Thank you,” Morrigan said softly as she looked into the creature’s sapphire colored eyes.
“No problem,” Rana said slowly, and she shrugged her shoulders at me before she walked toward one of the emerald skinned lizards.
“What are you going to call him?” I asked Morrigan as I mounted our other new lizard.
“I believe I shall call him… Tiberius,” the she-elf said as she climbed onto the colorless animal.
“I like that,” I said with a smile.
“I like it too,” Carmedy said brightly. “Welcome to the team, Tiberius! What are you going to call yours Rana?”
“I think I’ll call this lovely little beauty Anu,” the fox said as she gently petted her lizard’s vivid jade scales.
“That’s a pretty name,” Carmedy grinned. “What about you Master?”
“I think I’ll call mine Basilisk,” I said.
“Ooh, that sounds so noble,” the cat giggled.
“Oh no, not him again,” Annalíse suddenly said under her breath. Her fists clenched, and her lips pursed. I followed her gaze as she looked toward a crowd of people ahead of us. The throng of passersby began to part to allow someone to pass, and they bowed their heads. A man with exceptionally lavish and brightly colored robes approached us with a wide smile and a group of guards followed after him. Without so much as a glance, the affluent looking man shoved a group of people who had evidently moved aside too slowly. I recognized him as one of the fellow passengers from our voyage here, a wealthy man who had also engaged the Sarpedon for transport across the sea. Morrigan climbed down from Tiberius’ back, and our group gathered together as the man approached us.
“Ah, here you are,” the wealthy man said cheerfully as he smiled at Annalíse. He was a good head or so shorter than the tall female warrior. He was, however, a decent looking man. He appeared to be in fair shape and had perfect teeth as well as a head full of wavy black hair. His beard was perfectly trimmed as was his mustache which curled upward at the ends. As he drew closer to our group, the smell of exotic oils reached my nose. The scent might have actually been pleasant had the man not doused himself in it.
“I was most distressed when I discovered that you had deboarded early,” the rich man continued. “How fortunate that I have found you once more. Now, I do believe we have matters to discuss--”
“I told you, I’m not interested,” the freckled woman grumbled.
“I don’t think you understand how lucky you are,” the man said in his snooty accent. “It is a rare privilege to be invited to dine with someone of my… standing.” He topped his statement off with a self-satisfied smirk.
“No, I don’t think you understand,” Annalíse said through gritted teeth. “I said no, and I meant it. Now please, let me be.”
I grimaced at the sight of the dark-haired man. He had made a spectacle of himself almost as soon as we had embarked, and now he was bothering Annalíse. I didn’t like the way that he had treated the other people on board as though they were his servants for him to talk down to. In fairness, so did I, but whereas I was a nearly omnipotent deity, he was clearly nothing more than a spoiled brat who needed to be put in his place.
“Care to introduce us to your new friend?” Rana said with a twisted smile aimed at Annalíse. The swordswoman rolled her eyes and mumbled something under her breath.
The finely dressed man clasped his hands together exuberantly and proceeded to join our circle without invitation. “Oh, but of course introductions are in order. I am sure there were many rumors circling around the ship about me. Who is that handsome and mysterious man? What business does this illustrious looking gentleman have in Valasara?”
“Was anyone asking that?” Carmedy whispered to Rana, and the fox snorted in response.
“Well, allow me to finally put your minds at ease,” the dark-haired man continued uninterrupted. “I am Alistair IV, the great and benevolent king of Valasara.” When he finished speaking, he bowed slightly as he waved his hand dramatically.
Morrigan raised her eyebrows, either out of surprise or amusement, I couldn’t be sure. Carmedy’s eyes widened with shock, while Annalíse groaned slightly and rolled her eyes. Discovering that this man was royalty had not at all changed her opinion. In fact, she looked even more disgusted by him than before.
“Do benevolent people typically say they’re benevolent?” Rana muttered under her breath, speaking my thoughts for me. Her words indicated that she was unimpressed, but her eyes told a different story. They had a sort of hunger in them, and I guessed she
had found her next mark. The fox-girl told me she never stole from friends, family, or poor people, only from people who could afford it, and this king most certainly could.
“I have been abroad on business,” Alistair drolled on. “Political matters you see, far too complex for you to understand. And now I am making the journey back to my palace.” He waved his hand absently. Annalíse pinched her freckled face in annoyance and mumbled something under her breath about political matters but I couldn’t quite make out what it was. Whatever she had said was most assuredly an insult though.
I took stock of the king’s bodyguards as he prattled on. The men were silent, rather large, and quite imposing looking, but they also appeared to be fairly miserable. They had kept to themselves during our voyage to this continent, and that made me think they were somewhat professional. They seemed almost as displeased as we were to be in the king’s presence. I couldn’t blame them. In fact, I pitied them having to be in the employment of someone so irksome.
“Now that you have been made aware of who I am, perhaps now you understand how honored you should be by my invitation.” Alistair gave Annalíse a toothy smile. “No other woman aboard that ship managed to capture my attentions, so you should be most flattered. I am a very particular man.” The king stepped a bit closer to Annalíse.
“Be that as it may, I haven’t changed my mind.” The freckled woman grimaced and took a small step back toward me to re-establish the distance between herself and the monarch. “Thank you for your invitation, but I respectfully decline,” Annalíse said sternly.
It was evident that she was neither flattered nor amused by Alistair’s advances, but Carmedy stifled a giggle at the rejection. The king didn’t seem to notice, the cat-girl laugh at him, since he was too busy staring at Annalíse.