by Charles Lamb
----*----
Leander had located a small stand of trees to make camp for the night. With the knowledge that their journey was mostly over open land, he had made sure to provision them for several nights out in the open. Once they had stopped, he tried to busy himself in such a way as to avoid extended interaction with Kelby.
At several points in their trip so far, he had seen a look on Abrianna’s face that he took to be disapproving. Each time, he had been engaged in animated conversation with the mermaid. While he had no personal interest in her, he found her fascinating. He had never before had an opportunity to see a mermaid, much less talk to one. He had never been the type to frequent the bars and taverns.
He suspected that Abrianna misunderstood his interest and, as such, decided the less interaction he had with the mermaid, the better for his love interest. Therefore, while he gathered wood for the fire and performed other such tasks, he left Abrianna to directing Kelby in her participation.
Returning from a second wood gathering trip, he found a fire burning and Abrianna providing instruction on cooking over a campfire.
“Thank you for the wood,” Abrianna said with a smile.
“My pleasure,” Leander replied as he sat next to her, and opposite Kelby. He noted that the bedrolls had been placed with his and Abrianna’s a respectable distance apart, but both opposite Kelby’s.
At that point, Abrianna passed Leander a skewer, with meats strips partially cooked. He noted Kelby’s skewer had a fish of some sort.
“Fish?” he asked absently, not recalling packing any.
“We packed a few for her,” Abrianna answered first.
“Mermaids are not particularly fond of red meat. As you might assume, we prefer seafood,” she answered with a dazzling smile. “We also usually eat it raw; however, I have acquired a taste for cooked fish since working at the Siren’s Song. It upset the patrons to see us eat uncooked fish.”
“Alex tells me that, where he comes from, eating raw fish is considered a delicacy. I think he called it sushi?” Leander commented.
“I can tell he is a man of culture and good taste,” Kelby replied in a tone that implied a longing for the man.
“I would suggest you put any thoughts of desire aside. He is betrothed to Lady Cassandra, and she is not one to tolerate fools,” Abrianna stated, in a tone Leander had never heard from her before.
“As you say,” Kelby replied, with no sense of concern in her voice.
“Perhaps we should discuss other matters,” Leander interrupted, before things escalated, “like how we are to retrieve the dragon slaying weapon from the temple?”
“According to the materials in the Ranger archives, the spear is hidden in the temple. It can only be retrieved by someone blessed by the sea gods to do so,” Leander supplied.
“Why does a temple to the sea gods have such a relic?” Abrianna asked.
“The manuscripts suggested that a Sea Dragon once terrorized the coastline there, sinking ships, and burning the villages along the coast. A brave sea captain fashioned the spear from an ironwood spar and a shard of fire glass that he had acquired during his travels. When his ship was attacked, he jumped from the rigging, driving the spear through the dragon’s skull,” he finished.
“So why the temple?” Abrianna asked, her curiosity displacing her irritation at Kelby.
“The sea captain claimed he found the fire glass when a storm grounded his ship off a small volcanic island. While working to free his vessel, he found the shard on its shore. After killing the dragon, he proclaimed that the divine intervention of the gods gave him the weapon and he helped erect the temple in their honor. In its construction, he placed the spear in a secret place to be revealed in a time of need. It is said that only someone worthy may find its location.”
“Well, I guess tomorrow we find out if we are worthy,” Kelby said between bites.
Chapter 9
Alex and Cassie rose early, she waking in a much better mood after a bath and a good night’s sleep. He took Kinsey outside to relieve herself while Cassie found them a table in the dining room for breakfast.
Again, the room was about half-full of patrons, most appearing to be travelers like themselves. Sitting with his back to the wall so he could survey the room, Alex noticed a table of four men. Alex didn’t remember them from the night before, but then they had retired early.
What bothered him was they had the look of soldiers, or at least former soldiers. Every so often, he would notice one glancing their way; however, between Cassie and Kinsey, he hardly blamed them. The problem was their expressions were not of lust or fear, more like a predator tracking its prey.
Eating quickly, Alex paid at the bar and the three departed the inn at a casual rate. Alex paused in the street, looking to see if the men followed, but none appeared. They reached the stables without any visible signs of pursuit, and Alex had both mounts saddled in minutes.
Stopping only long enough to transfer his sword from his side to a position across his back, he quickly mounted Shadows. Cassie, already astride Rose, watched him without comment. As they departed the stables, with Alex and Kinsey in the lead, he began to wonder if he had misread the situation.
“Are you going to tell me what’s up?” Cassie asked as they left the stable and quickly turned up the roadway, continuing toward the mountains.
“The four men in the tavern?” he asked, sure that Cassie had seen them as well.
“Yes, I saw them. They watched you pay, and then went back to eating. I assume they are fighting men of some kind, from their build and manner, but didn’t see anything suspicious in their actions.”
“Maybe not, but I don’t like the look of them, so let’s keep a lookout,” he finished, before continuing to scan the woods and fields around them as the rode.
----*----
Abrianna woke to find Leander coaxing the fire back to life. She could see Kelby, still fast asleep, on the far side of the fire pit from her. Moving quietly, as to not wake her, she slipped from her bed and began to assist Leander.
Unlike the mad scramble she had endured with Alex and Cassie when evading Prince Renfeld’s troops through the dark woods, they had planned this trip. She pulled out a pot for heating water on the fire, as well as tea for a nice hot cup to fight the morning chill.
It was while she was heating the water over the fire Leander had rekindled that Kelby began to stir. As she slowly sat up, she flashed a dazzling smile that even Abrianna had to admit was enough to attract her. No wonder sailors would jump ship to try to catch a mermaid.
“Good morning,” Kelby announced.
Abrianna watched as Kelby slipped out from beneath her blanket, completely naked, and began to dress. While not shocked at the behavior of the mermaid, Abrianna was unprepared for the display. Glancing at Leander, she caught the look of complete surprise on his face, just before he quickly turned away.
Abrianna was beginning to understand why Cassie was so relieved to learn that the mermaid was not traveling with her and Alex. Doing her best to ignore Kelby, she began pulling their breakfast out of the saddlebags.
----*----
Alex and Cassie had been riding for quite some time, putting as much distance between themselves and those left behind at the inn as possible. Initially they had started at a fast walk, but had since slowed to a more sustainable pace.
Having ridden in silence for most of the morning, Alex finally broke the stretch with a question.
“Cassie, I don’t get it. As I understand it, dragons are huge. How can the occasional cow or pig be enough to keep it fed?”
Cassie laughed at the question, taking Alex by surprise.
“I’m sorry,” she replied, catching the hurt expression on his face. “It’s just that I asked my uncle that exact same question when I was younger. Abrianna and I were in lessons with our tutor, and we were learning about magical creatures.”
Alex nodded, responding to her apology, and waited for her to continue.
“And what did he say?” Alex asked.
“He explained that dragons are magical creatures. They don’t eat, like you or I, to sustain ourselves, they eat for flavor. For a dragon, food is a treat, not a meal.”
“Then how do they survive?” he asked, now more confused than ever.
“You know how you draw in free energy, and then use it to perform whatever magical purpose you have?”
“Yes,” Alex replied.
“Well dragons never release the energy; they absorb it as we do food. That’s how dragons can lay idle for hundreds of years, never leaving their caves. They just continue to draw in the free energy around them.”
“So, if a dragon is out eating cattle, it’s a treat, not dinner?” Alex asked, looking at Cassie to confirm the statement.
“Yes, that’s why people say, ’Let sleeping dragons lie!’ An idle dragon is not looking to entertain itself by snacking on the local population.”
Suddenly Tantalus’s arrangement with the dragon made a lot of sense. He would toss it the occasional treat, as one might throw a bone to a dog, and it remained content to sit and guard whatever was placed in its cave.
Before Alex could say any more, the three rounded a bend in the roadway; just beyond was the fork in the road they were looking for. That fork determined if you went around the southern end of the mountains, or as in their case, continued on into the foothills of the Dragon’s Teeth. Kinsey’s growl betrayed the presence of three men on foot, blocking their path.
Alex immediately recognized the three as the men from the inn. However, they had been with a fourth there. Quickly using his senses, he scanned the area on both sides of their path, locating the fourth hidden nearby, behind the bushes and trees that lined the roadway. He could feel the tension in the man as he held the bow, drawn and waiting for release.
Unfortunately, that man was on Cassie’s side of the roadway, with his fiancée stopped in between
“What is your business here?” one of the three before him asked in a less than inviting tone.
“I guess you must have ridden hard, to beat us here?” Alex asked, while edging Shadows forward, slightly ahead of Cassie.
The question seemed to take the man by surprise, but he recovered quickly and repeated his question.
“Why are you here?” he demanded.
“We are here to see the master of the House of Drakon; we were informed he has cattle for sale.” As he spoke, Alex casually let his righthand rest at his belt, the horse’s reins in his left. He also began forming a shield between Cassie and the archer, should things go badly in the next few seconds.
“You were misled. There is nothing for sale here. Be on your way,” the man replied, while all three placed their hands on the hilts of their swords in a threatening gesture.
“And who are you to represent the intent of House Drakon?’ Cassie asked in a tone dripping with disdain, one only a royal could produce with such venom.
“That is not your concern. Now be on your way or we will have to take action,” the man replied, his meaning quite clear to Alex. Just as he was considering retreating and trying a different route to the mountains, an arrow flashed from the hidden fourth man, intended for Cassie and slamming into the shield with great force, splintering into flying shards.
Without a second thought, Alex dropped the shield, and while the man was nocking a second shaft, he let fly with his right hand. It contained one of the throwing knives he had been fingering at his belt. Next, leaping from Shadows, he drew his sword, and with Kinsey to his left, confronted the three obstructing the road.
Two charged him, while the third found both Kinsey and Cassie blocking his way. By now, Alex had drawn his fighting dagger in his left hand, using it to block the swing of one man, while engaging the other with his long blade.
Spinning to his right, he was able to slip the guard of his attacker with the dagger, driving his sword through the man’s chainmail and exposing the tip of his sword out the man’s back. The move momentarily startled the second swordsman, as he realized their chainmail was no protection. He snatched the fallen man’s sword and pressed the attack on Alex, with both swords flying.
Concerned for Cassie and Kinsey, Alex could ill afford more than a glimpse of their engagement, before being forced to retreat due to the flashing blades before him. In that brief glance, he could see Cassie and Kinsey spread wide, giving the third man the fight of his life.
Returning his entire attention to the man before him, Alex had to acknowledge that he was very good. Although he was able to press Alex, the man wasn’t able to get past his guard. Unfortunately, Alex was having the same problem. The man was able to wield two swords in a devilishly clever fashion, presenting Alex with a wall of steel.
Accepting the impasse, Alex was concentrating on a blast of energy that would send the man flying. Suddenly, an elven blade exploded from the man’s chest, causing him to freeze, and then fall forward, exposing Cassie and Kinsey, her blade covered in blood. Kinsey’s muzzle was bloodied as well, giving Alex the impression that the effort to dispatch their opponent had been a mutual effort.
“Are you OK?” Alex asked as he stepped forward to look her over.
“I’m fine,” she replied, while allowing Alex to see with his own eyes that she wasn’t bleeding anywhere. Next, he checked Kinsey, who seemed delighted at the attention.
“These guys were good, not your average hired guns,” Alex commented as he began to search each of the fallen, looking for anything helpful.
“Yes, thankfully Kinsey was able to jump mine, while I had him distracted,” Cassie replied, ignoring the gun reference.
Tossing Cassie the coin purses from the three on the road, Alex went to search for the bowman. Returning from the tree line with a pouch, parchment, and bow, Alex tossed the pouch to Cassie. He had learned on his very first encounter here that you could learn a lot from the coins these men carried.
“Cassie, look at this,” Alex said as he presented the bow. Similar in shape to the one Alex carried, a present from the Woodland Elves, this one was a deep red to his black. Handing it to her, he watched, as she looked the bow over.
“That is a Dark Elf bow,” she replied while examining the weapon. She quickly returned the bow to Alex, as if she didn’t want to hold it any longer than necessary. He examined the bow in more detail, while Cassie started on the pouches.
Since he was waiting for Cassie to go through the coin pouches, he set the bow down and began unfolding the parchment.
“Alex, these guys are not just armed ruffians. Each has four or five golds and twice that number of silvers!”
“And I think I know why,” Alex said as he lifted his eyes from the parchment.
Handing the paper to Cassie, he watched as she read the words inscribed there. After a pause, she began to read aloud;
“… I am uncertain if Renfeld is dead or alive, but see no harm in continuing to hold Amelia where she is. Ensure no one makes their way into the mountains until I notify you otherwise. Most importantly, a small group arrived here today, claiming to be Amelia’s envoys. I have little doubt they are actually searching for her. Should two men and two women appear, on pretense of trade, dispose of them in a way that no one can trace them back to us.”
“He must have sent that the same day we landed in Freeport,” Alex commented as she finished.
“And a second to whomever controls the Sea Dragon,” Cassie replied thoughtfully. And then added, “Does it mean what I think it does?”
“Yes, I think your mom is in the mountains ahead. I also think there may be others, besides these four, guarding the approaches to the mountains,” Alex said. Stopping to check the position of the sun in the sky, and then pulling out the map they had been following, he took a moment before speaking.
“I suggest we hide these bodies, and then find a place to wait for darkness. From here on, I think we
need to travel at night,” he finished as he tucked the paperwork into a pocket and then began dragging bodies into the woods near the fallen archer.
----*----
Leander rode ahead of the two women, following the trail along the coastline, leading to the temple of the sea gods. Kelby’s display, earlier that morning, had left him most uncomfortable around the mermaid. It was one thing to have a mermaid teasing and taunting you, it was quite another to have your love interest watching it all as well.
Once Kelby had dressed, and Leander was free to move about without risking the appearance of improper behavior, he then busied himself with their preparations for departure, while the women ate. Abrianna appeared unfazed by the mermaid’s behavior, chatting casually, but Leander hardly spoke until the broke camp.
“Once we reach the temple, we will need to decipher the clues inscribed within,” he explained as they rode along.
“Is there no temple priest or guardian?” Kelby asked, curious at the situation.
“Temples such as these are not usually inhabited,” Abrianna explained, “they are predominately simple structures, some even without walls. They can be nothing more than pillars and a roof. All are intended to provide the devotees a place to focus their devotions.”
“I was able to find sketches in the Ranger Archives that depicted a more elaborate structure, with external walls and several antechambers off a main altar room. Travelers are permitted to stay overnight, but prolonged residence is forbidden.”
“We will only stay as long as necessary,” Kelby replied with a smile.
“Were there any hints in the archives regarding how the spear might be found?” Abrianna asked.
“Only an obscure comment that the spear will present itself when it is most needed,” Leander replied, skeptically.
Chapter 10
Alex and Cassie had moved up the roadway a good distance before retreating into the woods. The two had removed as much evidence as possible of the earlier battle, covering the bodies with brush and releasing the horses to the wild, stripped of their tack. Alex had used cut brush to remove any signs of the disturbance caused in the dirt where they fought the four men, covering the blood pools with more loose soil.