by C Woodward
"Fidalus Fohrne! You will cease or suffer dire consequences! Your family may hold some weight in the city but I carry more!" the arch mage threatened.
Fidalus wiped his bloody lip and gave each of us a cold stare. He sneered at me but climbed on his mount. The beast turned to get ready for flight. Fidalus turned toward us, "You may think you have won, but I will hunt you down. And your witch!" His mount let out a roar before taking off. Both armored men flew away.
The arch mage wiped his brow, "A rash one he is."
Jerak ran over to pull me up. Talestria reached over and got my sword.
"Who were those guys?" Jerak asked.
"They are the Drake Guard; a clan owned by the Fohrne family," the arch mage replied. He scratched his chin, "They were famed dragon hunters generations ago. Now they serve as one of the leaders of the city."
Jerak turned to watch them fly away, "What are those weird things they are riding?"
"Wyverns. They are stupid, vicious beasts," the arch mage answered. "Training them is another closely guarded secret of the Fohrne family."
Talestria smiled at me and turned to the arch mage, "You think they will bother us again?"
The arch mage shook his head, "Whatever you did to that boy surely knocked him down a peg. They won't try anything, for a while at least. They won't bother you on the streets." He let out a sigh, "I will get an earful about this soon enough."
"I am really sorry to put you in this mess," I apologized.
The arch mage grinned, "Oh, please. I have despised their clan for many years. They are always abusing their power and relying on their secrets. The Fohrne family never approved of me nor my work here. I could care less if they cry to the King about this." He laughed. "Go have a safe journey!" He gave one final wave before walking back inside.
Amgati came running in, "Sorry about that. Talestria, your disguise?"
Talestria looked down, "Oh, I forgot that the darn thing dispels itself after I use a hearty spell." She took off her pendant and placed in her pouch, "I'll fix it later. Let's go to the inn!"
"But um, people will..." Jerak muttered.
Talestria put her arm through my arm, "I am hungry, tired, and smell like fish guts. I don't care anymore!"
Amgati looked around confused, "What happened?"
We explained to Amgati as we ventured out to the inn. We got stares from nearly everyone as we walked. It was the first time anyone here had ever seen a dark elf. Dark elves usually have a tanner complexion except those that link to the royal blood line of the originals from the ancient civil war.
"So you already talked to Ayjestus and she wants you to see her sister?" Amgati asked.
Talestria tried to occupy herself with Amgati as we walked, "Uh uh! She said they will figure a plan to stop Xum'gol from getting one of the Source Runes."
Amgati walked in front, "Wait. Source Runes? You're serious?"
Talestria nodded, "Yes, but we can explain that bit when we don't have a crowd." She glanced around and held my arm tighter. She was feeling a bit insecure.
Thankfully the Traveler's Respite wasn't very far. The building was quite massive. It was one of the few three story buildings in the area outside of the magic school, of course. It had tall, stone walls along the sides. The smell of something roasting filled our nostrils as we came closer. The four of us were so eager to go inside.
The moment we walked inside, the place became dead silent. Even the two guards that stood by the door didn't know what to do. A fairly young woman stood behind the counter, looking almost frightened. I felt bad for her as we walked up to the counter.
"Um, welcome to the Traveler Respite. Can I help you?" she asked timidly.
A larger older man walked over, "That is quite alright my dear. I'll handle this." He was overweight and balding, had a large mustache and big glasses. He wore a slightly dirty apron and wiped his hands on it. "I am the owner here. Sorry for the mess. I just had word that you were coming," he explained.
I reached for the coin pouch, "How much are the rooms?"
The owner laughed excitedly, "Oh, don't worry about it! I’ve got a special room for you!"
I was taken back, "What? Really?"
The owner leaned over the counter, "You know how much money I make when it becomes known that THE Talestria is staying a night in my inn?! I will have people all over wanting to rent that room!"
I looked at Talestria who was just as surprised as I was.
He kept looking at Talestria in disbelief, "Not only do we have one of the mysterious dark elves here, but it is the infamou... er famous Talestria." He looked at Amgati and Jerak, "Um, the room only has one bed. I hope that isn't a problem."
Amgati chuckled, "If it's not too much trouble, I think we should order two more standard rooms."
Jerak dug in his ear with his pinky, "I am fine with that as well." He then wiped his finger on his pants.
The owner went on, "Well, we have standard rooms that are popular for mages who want peace and quiet. Unfortunately, I will charge for those." He looked at Talestria, "I hope you're fine with that," he said in an apologetic tone.
Talestria was so overjoyed with a nice room she grabbed the coin pouch, "Oh, that's fine. Can you send some food to our room?"
We paid far more than I cared for the rooms for Jerak and Amgati but at least we will have the fancy room to ourselves. We all went upstairs with our keys. Talestria was practically bouncing with excitement. Amgati and Jerak had a rooms on the second floor but ours was on the third floor.
Oh, wow! I think the innkeeper purposely gave us the most expensive room just so he could get people to pay to get the room where Talestria stayed. I wasn’t sure if I liked the idea that she was being treated in such a way but I didn’t care right now. There was a small dining room with beautifully crafted furniture. There was a large bed that looked nicer than the one back at home. Talestria wandered around, opened a door and almost squealed.
"Look at this!" she cried out in joy.
I peeked in. The bathroom was quite lavish. There was a large copper tub on blue stone tile. It overlooked a large stained glass window that was made so that light could shine in but no one could see in. Even the toilet was fancy. Talestria just paused for a moment to let it all soak in.
"This is quite nice isn't it?" I said cheerfully.
Talestria walked over and grabbed my helmet. She pulled it off and gave me her cute little grin. She bit her lower lip and stared at me with her beautiful amber-colored eyes. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips against mine. She leaned back slowly and opened her eyes. She put her hands on the side of my face and whispered, "Take your armor off."
I tried to nap and was almost asleep when a knocking at the door woke me. I made sure my robe was fastened tightly as I opened the door. Jerak and Amgati stood there. Each of them wore a simple robe and their hair was wet.
"Wow! This is an amazing room!" Jerak said as soon as I opened the door. He stepped in, "I thought my room was nice. It has a tub and a free robe but, wow!"
Amgati laughed, "They really want to promote their finest room, eh?" He turned and wheeled out a wooden cart covered with a blanket. "That human girl asked if we could send this up to your room.
"Oh, her? Yeah, I bet she is afraid of Talestria or something dumb like that," Jerak joked.
Talestria poked her head from around the bathroom door. "Who is at the door? Oh, it’s you two." Her hair was mostly dry. She had been brushing it and testing out the different products that were left in the room.
I inspected the cart, "It is dinner! Looks really good too!"
"Oh! Put it on the table, I will be there shortly," she said loudly through the door. She opened the door a crack, "Blake? Come here."
I walked over and she pointed behind me. "Get my robe," she whispered in hopes the other guys didn't hear.
I handed her the robe and she closed the door. Amgati looked away and Jerak gave me a sheepish smile.
I just shrugged, "Well, there
is plenty of food here. Let's eat."
Talestria came out in her robe, her hair still wet. I pulled out a seat for her as we began our meal. The food was good and it felt good to be all cleaned up. I almost forgot about our troubles till Amgati brought them up.
"So tell me about this quest to seek Milunus," Amgati spoke after wiping his mouth.
I carefully swallowed my food, "Yeah. Ayjestus should have a plan to defeat Xum'gol by the time we get there."
Jerak had food in his mouth but remembered to swallow before his first word, "Well, do we have enough for supplies to get there?"
I reached out the pouch, "Well, we have plenty to get traveling supplies."
Talestria let out a burp. She remembered about doing that in front of others. "Excuse me."
Amgati was speechless. He shook his head to snap back to his train of thought. "I guess tomorrow we can go shop for packs, blankets, food, and the like. I suggest the two of you stay here since trouble seems to seek you out," he explained.
"We should have enough for tonight and tomorrow night I believe," I said as I looked through the coins. I handed the pouch to Amgati.
Jerak let out a big yawn which signaled the end of our dinner. He and Amgati went back to their rooms and Talestria and I kept to ourselves. She didn't mind the idea of having a lazy day of rest tomorrow.
After crawling into bed. I stared at the ceiling. Too much on my mind. I’m normally not the kind who tries to stress over things I had no control over it at that moment. There was one thing that was bothering me. Perhaps I should address it now. I took a deep breath and turned to Talestria.
"Something bothering you BlakeyPoo?" she spoke in a soft voice.
"Yeah, about this thing," I said as I tapped my chest.
She put her arm around me, "Don't worry about it. I am sure we can take care of it. After all, we are going to meet Milunus and even the Dragon Spirit.”
I interrupted, "What if we are unable to stop this? What if it is too late?"
Talestria sighed, "BlakeyPoo. You know I love you. I would not let this change that." She placed her hand on my chest. If this happened to me, would you love me less?" she whispered.
I smiled, "No."
Talestria giggled, "We share the same answer." She gave me a peck on my check and snuggled.
A huge burden lifted from me. Of course she would still love me. I felt like a fool to doubt it. I slowly closed my eyes and felt her heartbeat as she slept. It didn't take long before I joined her.
The morning sun slipped through the curtains. My eyes opened slowly. The thought of spending the day being lazy in such a nice room was almost too good to be true. I was uncertain that the innkeeper really wanted us to spend a second night. Maybe I should have Jerak talk to him. Maybe later. I am going to do something I’ve wanted to do for a long while. Sleep in.
Talestria and I enjoyed our quiet, peaceful day. I was tempted to go downstairs and check out the tavern and maybe even wander the streets. Talestria and I knew that could spell disaster. She was content just looking out the window and watching people go about their daily lives.
Jerak knocked on the door. He brought in our packs as Amgati followed him with our part of the provisions we will need to carry.
"I asked around and found that Milunus' home is about a three day hike. It should be an easy trek through the farmlands." Amgati instructed.
"Well, that is good. Perhaps we can find a small inn along the way." I said in high hopes.
Amgati smiled, "That would be very likely, but we are out of funds."
I let out a sigh, "I guess getting everything ran us dry."
Talestria shrugged, "At least we don't have to gut fish all day."
Jerak had a pinky in his ear, "So, we depart early in the morning, right?"
I glanced at Amgati and nodded back at Jerak, "Yeah, we should get up fairly early and head out."
The rest of the day went just as it started; peacefully. I could tell Talestria was getting antsy but still wanted to savor the comfortable room while we still could. As well-rested as we all were, we retired early that night.
I didn't get much sleep. Amgati woke us up far earlier than I expected. It was still dark out. But the earlier, the better. I hoped any trouble would stay here in the city.
Everyone but Amgati were too groggy to utter a coherent word. Thankfully, the city was pretty empty except a few traveling merchants that left the north gate with us. I turned and looked back at the beautiful city. I hoped we could return to it.
Talestria put her pendant on shortly after we left the city limits. A dark elf wandering the farmlands might draw too much attention. It might have been better if she had it on as we left our room but she was too sleepy to think about it. I couldn't blame her since I was half asleep as well.
The road was well-maintained and we saw plenty of travelers to feel pretty safe. After a long walk, we stopped by a creek near a grove of trees.
Jerak wandered off to see if he could swipe some fruit from the grove. Talestria took her shoes off to dump out small rocks. I laid back in some shade. Even in the armor I thought I could easily take a nap. I could smell the clean air and listened to the creek running by. I closed my eyes for a moment to relax and not think of anything. When I opened them, Jerak was looking down at me, holding a bunch of peaches.
"Most of them are not ripe yet but these are good," Jerak said proudly as he chomped down on one.
Amgati chuckled, "If I ever own a grove, I’m going to fence it off to keep little thieves like you out." I shook his head and bit into a peach.
Jerak laughed, "Like a fence could stop me! I remember when my brother Rejun and I were being chased by a farmer."
Talestria lifted a brow, "That doesn't sound like an interesting story."
Jerak laughed, "The best part was that the farmer was on horseback and wielding a shovel! I almost got clobbered by it!"
We all had a laugh and a quick lunch before we kept moving along the road. The weather was warming up and we became quiet. Talestria walked beside me, digging at her nose when she thought no one was looking. I gave her a look but she stuck her tongue out at me and wiped her finger on my armor. She is such a goof.
"I don't see any inns," Jerak muttered as he swung a strand of grass around.
I looked around, "Perhaps there is one further along. Though we don't have any money for it." Suddenly, my body jolted. I heard my heartbeat really loud in my ears. My legs gave out and my vision went blurry. I found myself on the ground.
"Blakey! Oh, not again!" Talestria cried out.
The three hovered over me. Jerak waved his hand over my eyes.
"That happened far sooner than I expected." Amgati sighed.
"We really need to reach Milunus before it's too late!" Talestria cried.
I slowly regained my strength and picked myself up.
"How far is that thing spreading?" Jerak asked.
I took a deep breath, "I don't even want to know." I looked at Talestria who had a worrisome look in her eyes. I closed my eyes and took a few steps, "Let's keep moving."
We found an old fallen wagon to use as our campsite for the night. It gave us plenty of cover from the wind and we were far enough from the road to stay hidden from any travelers. Talestria set up a ward spell which would create a loud noise if anyone came near it. The first time she cast that ward years ago, it nearly gave me a heart attack when a small group of choguls came near us. The sound spooked them enough to flee. Sadly it also spooked our horse.
It was nice to have actual bedrolls and blankets. The night air was a little chilly, but the blankets really helped. We didn't set a fire, to help us keep a low profile. We might be a little paranoid, but better safe than sorry.
We had had a long day. Everyone was quickly asleep, except me. Talestria was snoring softly for once beside me. I couldn't get that scene out of my head. Talestria looked so scared. She said she loved me, but I thought it bothered her greatly. Her reaction today showed how much it scar
ed her inside. I didn't know what to think. The fact that it triggered again only after a few days scared me. Is it coming back faster?
Morning broke. I didn't sleep well at all; too much stress I guess. So much for my rule of not stressing over things. Maybe I was over-thinking it too much. I wanted to talk to her about it but I also didn't think this would be a good time. Talestria looked at me as she stuffed her blanket in her pack. It was a look of realization. I couldn't retain eye contact long. A huge feeling of rejection crawled over me. I quietly packed up and we started moving.
We marched out onto the road again. This time I was out front with just my thoughts along with me. Everyone else followed me. I could hear faint whispers but couldn't make out what they were saying. It pained me to distance myself from my wife but the look she gave me was a bit too much. I knew the fact I may likely lose my humanity scared her.