“Old times?” Burag’s step faltered ever so slightly. “So… it’s that kind of business. Well, I have a place where we can talk.”
Burag led them to a tavern set well away from the main streets, one filled with the scent of freshly cooked food and the smoke of various herbs. The serving girl showed them to a private room, and Burag ordered them food and drink. The big man had chosen a chair that gave him a commanding view of the door and anyone who came through it. Timmy bit back a smile. Burag might have been a boisterous fellow, but he had only lasted so long as Master of the Gate thanks to his impressive grasp of security.
“So… tell me more about why you are here, Timmy, and tell me more about your companions. You have a strange group with you.”
“I’ll start with the easy part.” Timmy nodded at Katie. “This is my apprentice, Katie. She might be small, but she is surprisingly useful.” Katie’s eye twitched. “In all seriousness, you should keep an eye out for her name. She’ll be great one day. She might even give me a run for my money in a few years.” Timmy gestured at the others, naming them in turn. “Meet Gerald, Old Man, Avraniel, and Spot.”
“Spot? An unusual name for such a beast.” Burag leaned across the table. “At first glance he might pass for a drake, but he’s a dragon, isn’t he?”
Timmy pointed at Avraniel. “She’s the one who named him, and, yes, he is a dragon. However, if anyone asks, we’re going to say he’s a drake. Not everyone has eyes as keen as yours, my friend.”
The food and drink arrived, and Timmy quickly checked it for poison. Burag was not offended since it was standard practice out here. More than one ruler had fallen after being poisoned, and had Timmy not done it, Burag would have done it himself. The other man might trust the people who ran this tavern, but in a city like this, even that trust only went so far. Gold – and what it could buy – was the true ruler of the desert.
The desert cities specialised in flavourful, spicy food with a rich, fragrant aroma. There were finely baked breads with different dipping sauces, along with beef, chicken, and lamb, all expertly cooked and garnished. In short order, they were all enjoying the meal, which was eaten both with utensils and with the hands in the traditional style. Even Spot had some, and the dragon gave a trill of appreciation as he gobbled up some finely seasoned beef that had been dipped in the rich sauce that had been provided and wrapped in some of the bread.
“Do you remember the Nameless Citadel, Burag?”
The Master of the Gate shuddered. His chair creaked as he leaned back into it. “I remember it too well, my friend, far too well. There are still nights when I wake up and wonder what it would take for me to forget. Had you not convinced your master to take me with you, I would still be rotting there. But why mention such an accursed place? Do you have more business with it?”
Timmy grinned and reached for some bread. “Sort of. I’m going back there. I’m going to break in.”
Burag jerked forward and banged one fist down on the table so hard that Timmy could have sworn he saw a crack spread across the top of the table. “Are you mad? To break out once is the stuff of legend. To return and then try to break back in… that…” Burag shook his head. “That is madness.”
“I won’t argue with you there. It is crazy, but I have my reasons, which is why I need your help. My master and I weren’t there long enough to learn the full layout of the Nameless Citadel, and I didn’t exactly take the most detailed notes on the layout when we escaped. But you were held there much longer than us, and I know they moved you around several times. I want you to tell me as much as you can about the layout and purpose of each building.”
“I will tell you, but only because I trust you.” Burag dragged in a deep breath and then poured himself a full goblet of the spiced wine that had accompanied the meal. “I hope you are not merely committing suicide. How do you plan to succeed? There will be an army waiting for you, and you, my friend, cannot beat an army alone.”
“Maybe not,” Timmy replied. “But my friends here are extremely formidable. Believe me, we can do this. I’ll even make it worth your while. I have permission from the people I’m working for to offer incentives to those who help me.” Timmy spoke a number. “That is what I’ll be paying you. Half now and half again on our way back. I know you are worried about the people who put you in the Nameless Citadel coming after you and your family, especially if you help me. That should be more than enough to allay any concerns you have.”
Timmy could see Burag waver. The other man had never told him who had put him in the Nameless Citadel, but Timmy had a few ideas. Sooner or later, they’d come after Burag again, and he wasn’t alone this time. He had a family now. And if Timmy managed to break into the Nameless Citadel, it wouldn’t take a genius to realise that someone must have helped him. Even if no one could prove anything, Burag, as one of the few people who’d escaped, would be right at the top of the list of suspects. The Nameless Citadel might not have formal alliances with any of the independent cities, but it had people in all of them.
It was time for Timmy to seal the deal. “If you help me with this, I can assure you that if you ever need to leave Kargahd, you will be welcome in Everton.”
Burag peered into his goblet. “You have offered me a lot of money. Can you really afford so much?”
“I am being paid an obscene amount of money to get this done.
“And the other part of your offer, are you serious?” Burag looked up from his wine. “I love this city and the desert, but we both know that things can change very quickly here. The man I serve, the man who rules this city, has many enemies. If they should one day succeed in overthrowing him, my life and the lives of my family will be forfeit. Being able to leave and find sanctuary in Everton would be… nice.”
“I know, and it’s why you should take the deal. You’re my friend, Burag. We can help each other.”
“And I will not have to go back there?” Burag trembled and downed his wine in one big gulp. “I will not go back there, Timmy, not even for what you have offered me. I will do everything I can to help you except that.”
Timmy poured Burag some more wine. Burag had been a mess when Timmy and his master had found him. Oh, they’d tortured everybody in there – including Timmy and his master – but Burag had been tortured more than all but the very worst of the criminals. Timmy suspected that it was because of his magic, which allowed Burag to create a shield around his body. Still, the other man had never spoken of it, and Timmy wasn’t about to push him. He’d managed to endure a few months in the Nameless Citadel. However, Burag had received far worse treatment, and he’d been in there for at least two years.
“No, you don’t have to go back. If your memory is still as good as it used to be, then you should be able to draw us a map good enough to help us find the person we’re looking for. I’ll also need you to tell me everything you can remember about how they ran things in the Nameless Citadel, like how many guards there were, where they posted the guards, and what magic they favoured for defence.”
“Very well.” Burag reached for his wine but then pushed it aside. Instead, he took a piece of bread and ripped it into pieces before dipping those pieces into one of the rich dipping sauces. “I will help you.” He chewed with the force of a man deep in troubling thoughts and ran one hand through his hair. “You are a crazy man, my friend, but perhaps you must be crazy to even attempt the things you do.”
“Perhaps.” Timmy smirked. “My master was definitely crazy. Now, start from the beginning. Tell me as much as you can.” He gestured at Gerald, and the bureaucrat summoned some paper and something to write with. “And do your best with the map. We have plenty of paper, so don’t worry if you need to revise it later.”
It took the better part of four hours to finish the map and describe everything. But once it was done, Timmy had to admit that his friend not only had an excellent memory but that his memories also matched the records he’d kept. When he compared the map Burag had drawn to the one
he had made years ago, the two agreed on what few features Timmy had been able to include. However, Burag’s map was far more detailed and included information about almost the entire citadel. The only building that Timmy’s map showed in any detail was the one he and his master had been kept in. Honestly, that had been a huge mistake. Perhaps they’d wanted to demoralise his master, but his master hadn’t particularly cared that Timmy was having an extremely unpleasant time. No, his master had been a complete jerk, but he’d also been horribly cunning. Putting them close to each other had simply given them a chance to work together to escape since they were both smart enough to realise that they couldn’t escape alone.
“Tell me more about this building,” Timmy said, pointing to a building near the centre of the map.
“You and your master were kept in the cells for high-risk prisoners who were not for experimentation.” Burag pointed to another building. “I was kept here, in an area for high-risk prisoners that were to be experimented upon regularly. If the person you are looking for is as dangerous as you say, they will not be kept where I was. They will be kept in the building you pointed at. I remember the jailors mentioning it. It was where they kept the most valuable and dangerous prisoners, the ones who were the most interesting test subjects.”
“Then she’ll be there. Anything less, and she’s likely to escape, and we’ve been told that they captured her to experiment on her.” Timmy scowled. “I’d like to burn the whole place to the ground, but I don’t have the time or the resources to do that, nor do I think it would be wise to let everyone out of there.”
Burag winced. “As much as it pains me to admit it, some of the criminals there most likely deserve their fate.”
“Yes, well, my master would have fit right in. Unfortunately, the only way I was ever going to get out was if he got out too.” Timmy sipped on some juice. “Thank you for all of this.”
“It is fine, and you are paying me very well.” Burag studied the map intently and searched for any flaw or mistake. He could not find any. “Where will you be staying tonight? I know you want to keep this quiet, so my house is probably out of the question. There is an inn I can recommend. The owner is a friend of mine. He will treat you well if he knows that you are also one of my friends, and discretion is a specialty of his.”
“Thank you.” Timmy glanced away from the map as a loud commotion came from the front rooms of the tavern. He was about to ask what was going on when someone crashed through the wall in a dazed heap. He was followed by the irate proprietor shouting for help to deal with troublesome customers.
“My friend.” Burag rose to his full height and shook out the aches and pains that came from sitting so long. “How would you and your companions like to help me deal with some trouble?”
Avraniel’s lips curled, and she cracked her knuckles. The candles on the table flared. “I’ve been bored out of my mind since dinner finished, so I was hoping you’d say something like that. Do you need these troublemaking bastards dead or alive?”
“Alive,” Burag replied with a grin. “But very unhappy.”
Avraniel smirked. “Leave it to me.”
* * *
“Why do I have to share a room with you?” Katie grumbled as she shrugged off her robes and began to undress. Her master had paid the innkeeper extra to ensure that a warm bath was on hand to wash away the dust of travel, and she intended to make sure that his money wasn’t wasted. Depending on when they left, it might be her last real bath for a while since she didn’t like their odds of stumbling across an oasis in the middle of the desert. Then again her master did have earth magic, and there was no telling how much water Gerald had stored away with his magic. If he could store a tower with his magic, there was nothing to stop him from storing enough water for a good bath each day.
Avraniel scoffed. “I should be the one saying that, twerp. Your master is probably worried about something happening to you if you’re left on your own. This isn’t your castle. I’m sure there are some evil bastards lurking around. Well, don’t worry. Nothing is going to happen to you with me around – unless you piss me off.”
“Or unless you burn down the inn,” Katie replied. “Remember what happened at the tavern? The whole place was made of wood, and you were about to start throwing fire around.”
“If that dumbass didn’t want to be set on fire, then he shouldn’t have thrown a knife at me.”
“You caught the knife out of mid-air and threw it back at him. It was still stuck in his leg when we left!”
“Then he should consider himself lucky. If I wasn’t trying to avoid unnecessary trouble, I’d have put it through one of his eyes.” Avraniel snorted. “He should have known better than to throw a normal knife at someone as awesome as me. The last time I had to worry about a knife was when I was up against a master elf ranger with centuries of experience and some decent magic. That elf bastard’s knife was also enchanted.”
“Never mind.” Katie sat down on her bed for a moment to test it. It wasn’t the softest bed in the world, but it was decent enough. Most importantly, it was also clean. “Try not to do anything crazy while I’m having a bath.”
“Do you want me to heat the water for you?” Avraniel held up one hand. Flames roared to life around it, so hot that Katie could feel them from across the room. “I wouldn’t want you to get cold, twerp.”
“I think I’ll pass. I’d rather not get boiled like a lobster.”
Spot bumped Avraniel’s leg and bared his teeth. Lobster?
“Hmm… you haven’t had lobster yet, have you?” Avraniel scratched Spot’s back. “We’ll see if we can find some for you to eat later, but it might be tricky. I’d be surprised if they had any in this damn desert.”
Avraniel tugged off her boots and sat cross-legged on her bed as she counted the money that she’d relieved some of the troublemakers of. Burag hadn’t even blinked when she’d started emptying the pockets of those idiots down at the tavern. It was, he’d said, common practice here. Spot hopped up onto the bed and gave her a hopeful look.
“Yes, yes. You can sleep on the bed. It’s not big, but we should both be able to fit. If anyone attacks, you also have my permission to eat them.” Avraniel lifted one of the coins for closer examination. She scowled. It was counterfeit. “I hope the twerp doesn’t take too long in the bath. I’d like to have one too.”
Spot rested his head in Avraniel’s lap and hissed contentedly. If he couldn’t have lobster, a troublemaker or two would be perfect for a midnight snack. He’d have to be careful though. Katie had mentioned that there would be problems if they made a mess of the room. He’d have to eat any troublemakers as neatly as possible.
* * *
Rembrandt’s frantic squeaking woke Katie up in the middle of the night. The girl opened her eyes and froze. Spot had climbed onto her bed. Rembrandt squeaked again and leapt onto the dragon’s snout, brandishing his sword, but Spot simply snorted and nudged Katie with one of his wings.
Share. Spot reached up and swiped at Rembrandt, but the rat avoided the attack with ease. Twerp, share. He nudged her again, more insistent this time, and glanced in Avraniel’s direction.
Katie wondered why the other rats in the room hadn’t intervened. Rembrandt was still squeaking threats at Spot, but his comrades seemed perfectly content to keep watch over the door and the window. Even though they were demolition rats that spent a lot of time around Avraniel, there was no way they would stand by and do nothing if she was actually in danger. She followed Spot’s gaze over to Avraniel and then relaxed. The elf was sleeping in truly inelegant fashion. Avraniel had kicked her blanket off and her limbs were sprawled out in an ungainly manner, making her look like some kind of blonde starfish.
“You couldn’t fit in the bed with her anymore, but you didn’t want to wake her up. Is that it?” Katie murmured.
Spot nodded and nudged her again. Share.
“What? You want to sleep in my bed?” Katie rubbed her face with one hand. “Can’t you sleep o
n the floor or something?”
Spot made a pitiful sound. Bed comfortable. Twerp small. Plenty of space.
Katie’s eye twitched. “I am not that small.” She tried to glare, but Spot’s pout made it impossible. How could a dragon be so adorable? She sighed. “Fine. I guess you can sleep in my bed tonight, but you better not eat me while I’m sleeping.”
Spot huffed. Not food.
“Well, it’s nice to know I’m not on the menu. No drooling on me either.”
Spot nodded. No drool.
“Okay.” Katie moved her blanket aside and patted the bed beside her. “Hurry up. I want to go back to sleep.”
Spot trilled happily and settled down onto the bed beside her. He moved back and forth for a few moments before folding his wings and finding a comfortable position and snuggling up to her. Despite his scales, he was surprisingly cuddly, and he was very warm. He tucked his head into the crook of her shoulder and then frowned. Rembrandt was threatening him again.
“Oh.” Katie yawned. “That’s Rembrandt’s spot.”
The rat glared, and Spot shifted slightly to let Rembrandt reclaim his position near Katie’s shoulder. The rodent gave Spot one last look of suspicion before closing his eyes. For his part, the dragon unfurled one of his wings and draped it over Katie. There. That was much more comfortable.
“Remember what I said,” Katie murmured, already half asleep. “No eating me, and you had better not drool on me either.”
Spot yawned and closed his eyes. Promise.
Chapter Eight
Katie yawned. She’d gotten a reasonable night’s sleep, but it could have been better. She’d awakened in the middle of the night to find Rembrandt squeaking frantically as Spot, who’d realised that he couldn’t fit on the small bed next to Avraniel when the elf was doing her best impression of a starfish, had decided that it would be easier and more comfortable if he curled up to someone smaller. That someone was Katie. After making it clear to the dragon that eating her – and drooling on her – would be completely unacceptable, Katie had let Spot snuggle up to her.
Two Necromancers, a Dragon, and a Vampire (The Unconventional Heroes Series Book 3) Page 15