by Hans Bezdek
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she nodded, joining me outside.
“What was that you were saying?”
“I…” she hesitated, not looking at me. After a minute, she shook her head and smiled. “It was nothing. Thanks for the room last night. Good luck with your goal of staying alive.”
“And good luck with yours about finding a make believe sword,” I grinned. She rolled her eyes, but I saw a hint of a smile. She gave a small wave, then walked away.
I watched her go for a minute, before heading off in the other direction. I kept my hood up as I went, keeping an eye out for anyone that looked my way. I needed to grab some food before deciding what next to do, and remembered a small place down the street that fed people with money without asking any questions.
Seeing the old sign that read Passable Steaks, I ducked into the building it belonged to. The spot’s name was very accurate. The food here wasn’t great, but it was food. The low prices kept a steady flow of patrons, but didn’t bring many people that had money. That was just fine with me.
Taking a seat in the corner of the bar, it let me keep any eye out for any unwanted visitors. I ordered some bread, plus their steaks, and payed in advanced. It was always good to keep a little extra food on you when you didn’t know if you’d be on the run or not the next minute.
A few minutes passed as I waited for my food to be burnt. The bartender came back and slapped the food down in front of me. Having already been payed, he didn’t bother making any small talk and just walked away. That’s what I was hoping for.
Before I could take a bite, a strong hand fell on my shoulder.
Here we go. I braced myself, contemplating if I should just let loose a fire breath when I turned around and start running.
“That you, Rei?” came a man’s voice. “I thought you were already dead!”
I turned as the elf plopped down in the seat next to me.
“Kaelic?” I asked, not believing my eyes. “How you been, man?”
“Not too bad, all things considering,” he shrugged. The elf had dark amber eyes, with his long blonde hair tied up in his usual bun. I was never a fan of the look, but he never seemed to have a problem finding women to keep him company when he wanted it.
The bartender came back around to get his order. I carefully wrapped my hand around my dagger while he was distracted, pulling it out and placing it on my lap. I didn’t need to resort to burning a place down to escape from Kaelic, if I needed to. Guy was never much of a fighter.
Kaelic turned back to me as the bartender left. “Surely you don’t think I didn’t notice you take out that dagger, right Rei?”
Dang it.
I shrugged noncommittally. “Can never be too sure when there’s a huge bounty on your head.”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” he said. “I owe you for when you covered for me on that failed art theft job. Dmetri would’ve killed me if you hadn’t sworn that the guard ripped it up when he got a hand on it.”
“It wouldn’t have been fair of Dmetri to get mad about that,” I laughed, thinking back to nearly ten years earlier. “What were the odds that the artist would keep an entire team of security guards employed year round? It makes no sense!”
“Well, he definitely keeps them around now,” chuckled Kaelic.
“You still with the Tumblers?” I asked, taking a bite.
“Technically,” he nodded with a sigh. “You know how they are if you try to quit. I figured I’d come out down here, rather than stay up in Durnskeep with the other lieutenants. Now all I do is send occasional reports back up to Dmetri, a bit of money here and there, and he mostly lets me be. Plus, it’s way warmer here.”
He sure had that right. Durnskeep was a giant fortress of a city, perfectly placed between Truska, Brumark, and the Republic of Hur in the northwest of Truska. Historically, the city had been hotly contested between the three territories, changing hands every few generations. During the Dragon War a few hundred years ago, the people of the city saw their chance to break away from them all and declare independence.
To the surprise of everyone in Durnskeep, it actually worked. Now, it was a city that had close connections with the three territories without being overseen by any of them. It made it the perfect place to headquarter a morally questionable group, such as the Tumblers. Dmetri Goodwin setup shop there and has had decades of success. He and most of his top ranking members called the city home.
“What have you been up to?” he asked. “Besides outsmarting Dmetri?”
“Mostly just trying to get by,” I admitted. “I’ve been spending a lot of time in the southwest, spending time in places Tumblers wouldn’t be looking for me. Unfortunately, it’s pretty boring down there. What am I supposed to do, just settle down and get a real job?”
“That would be the worst,” laughed Kaelic, getting his food and beer now. “You ever deal with any of the ol’ gold and silver dragons over there in the Republic?”
“Have I,” I chuckled, thinking about them. “Those guys are the worst. Everyone acts like they are the models of justice, and the polar opposites of the black and reds. No one ever stops to think that maybe they’re not all pure of heart. The women fawn all over them because of their colored eyes, to boot. It’s disgusting.”
“I thought dragons could change their human eye color at will?”
“That’s exactly it! They don’t have to have gold or silver eyes, but they keep them anyway. It’s like they want all the humans to know they’re better than them or something. Naturally, many of them are in political positions.”
“Sounds about right,” he laughed.
I was jealous of the pure blooded dragons and their ability to change their human eye color. As a half dragon, I was stuck with mine. At least, that’s what I figured. I had never met or heard of another half dragon, so it could just be I was a moron. Either way, I was stuck with green eyes as a human. They weren’t quite the emerald shade they were in my dragon forms, but they also weren’t quite normal looking among humans.
Kaelic took a swig of his beer before the smile slipped from his face. “You picked a bad time to comeback to Trenton, by the way.”
“How’s that?”
“Dmetri sent one of his newly appointed lieutenants after you,” he said. “Guy is not allowed back into Durnskeep until he brings you back, dead or alive. Ideally dead, apparently.”
“I could see that,” I nodded. “I know the guy?”
“Maybe. He’s a human named Galdric.”
“Galdric?!” I coughed, chocking on my food. “He’s been made a lieutenant? It must be thin picking for Dmetri if that’s what he has to resort to now for officers.”
“I’m sure the boss isn’t thrilled about it,” nodded the elf. “But-”
We turned as the sound of two women screamed outside. We both turned, watching as two blonde elven women ran into view. What were the odds? I hadn’t really noticed elven women until just yesterday, and here were two more of them. They looked around frantically, but everyone in the street ignored them. They shouted again and ran off as two orcs and a bald man slowly stalked after them. I couldn’t get a good look at the bald man, but I instantly knew who it was.
“Speak of the devil,” mumbled Kaelic, turning back to me.
“Why’s he chasing those elves?” I asked.
“He’s got a thing for elven women now,” he said.
“Thought he always stuck to orcs?”
“Well, his tastes have changed, apparently.”
“That’s a bad idea for him,” I chuckled. “I doubt any would ever agree to hook up with his ugly mug. Orc women are used to it.”
Kaelic looked down at his food as his expression darkened. “You think he cares about that?”
My smile fell away. “No… Dmetri would never allow that. I might not agree with that gnome very often anymore, but it’s against our code to actively go after women or children.”
“He wouldn’t,” agreed Kaelic. “Unf
ortunately, Galdric doesn’t care. He thinks he’s untouchable once he kills you, and is doing whatever he wants.”
“The piece of work,” I muttered, staring down at my food. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.
“I recommend you skip town while you can,” said the elf. “It won’t go well for you if Galdric sees you. He won’t stop until you’re on the other end of his blade.”
Kaelic had a good point. Galdric had started with the Tumblers as a low ranking hitman, and was shockingly good at getting his target. He was a huge fan of tracking crystals, and was know for slipping them on his targets without them ever realizing it. If I let him get too close, he’d probably get one on me without me ever knowing.
“Thanks for the tip,” I said, packing my bag with as much of my food as I could. “I think I’ll take it.”
“Any messages you’d like for me to send to Dmetri?” he asked.
“Tell him I’m sorry, but he’s going to need a better bloodhound if he plans on catching me.”
With that, I left the Passable Steaks, turning down the street the way Galdric came and making my way to the western gate.
I made it there without any problems, but paused as I looked out. I could easily run away, but I hesitated. Something was stopping me. What if Galdric found Cassandra? There was no doubting she could handle herself, but he and his goons weren’t a band of dumb Greeners. They knew how to fight. They knew how to kill. Apparently, they also knew how to do some other unforgivable things, too. If I left now and heard she ran into him… I don’t know if I’d be able to live with myself.
I turned back around, swearing at myself, and walked quickly down several streets.
I needed to find her, and we needed to get out of town.
Fast.
Chapter 5
I couldn’t run without drawing too much attention, even in the back alleys. The last thing I needed was Galdric getting wind that a cloaked man with green eyes was running around town.
A small group of dwarves were up ahead, watching people pass by and sipping from their mugs.
“Excuse me,” I said, keeping my hood up and obscuring my face as much as possible. “Have you seen an elven woman anywhere, talking about the Shattered Sword?”
The group of dwarves burst into laughter, some doubling over and holding their sides. A dwarf with a huge black beard, decorated with many silver amulets, was able to catch his breath before the others, and pushed forward to address me.
“Shattered Sword?” he asked. “Ye know it’s nothin more than a child’s tale, aye?”
“Yes, but she seems to think otherwise,” I said. I nodded my thanks and kept moving, not wanting to waste anymore time than I had to.
“Bet the lass would love to talk with Brenda, aye lads?” said the dwarf. The others howled with laughter at that, setting their mugs on the ground so they wouldn’t spill any from their shaking.
“Brenda?” I asked, turning around and coming back. “Does this Brenda believe in the Shattered Sword, too?”
“Aye,” nodded black beard, a big grin on his face. “The ol’ hag believes in a great many things. She came up to me once, goin on about how the dragons of Ra’Chok will come again, or some such nonsense. That one’s out of her mind, she is.”
“Where can I find her?” I asked. Whether or not she was crazy didn’t matter. If she was known for talking about the Shattered Sword, then Cassandra would eventually seek her out. I needed a bit of luck, but maybe she was already there.
“The hag?” asked the dwarf, stroking his beard as he thought. “Well, she’s usually begging for coin a coupl’a streets down to the south. She’ll probably be in that area, if I had to wager.”
“Thank you,” I said, taking my leave south.
Every town in Yaerna seemed to have crazy beggars in them. I never understood why they thought telling tales of doom or where to find made up treasures would make people want to give them money. If I had to beg, I’d just keep my mouth closed and my hand open. Maybe they knew something about the begging business I didn’t, though.
I quickly scanned the next few streets without any luck. Right when I was about to give up, figuring the dwarf wanted to get one more laugh out of me, I finally saw Cassandra crouched down in a street, talking with someone.
“Hey!” I whispered loudly, looking around to see if there were any Tumblers watching. It looked like we were in the clear for now.
Cassandra looked over her shoulder. A big smile broke out on her face as she recognized me.
“Reimar!” she said, standing up. “You decided to come with me on my quest?”
“Uh, yeah. Something like that,” I said. “Listen, we-”
“This is Brenda,” said Cassandra excitedly, moving out of the way and gesturing down.
An old, small, mix between a rat and a lizard stood against a walking stick, with an emphasis on stick. Her skin was made of loose scales, covered with patches of gray hair. Her face looked like a dog that had been forgotten in the cold mountains of Odike by its master for a few winters, and then hit with a shovel. Both eyes were glazed over, and she looked around erratically. Kobolds were rarely pleasant looking creatures, but she was one of the ugliest I’d ever seen.
“Gross,” I mumbled.
“I’m blind, not deaf,” croaked Brenda, waving her tiny stick up at me.
Cassandra swatted my shoulder, glaring up at me. “That was really rude.”
“Sorry?” I said. “Look, we need to get-”
“She’s a seer,” continued Cassandra. “She’s able to see the future, and knows where many of the great treasures of Yaerna lie!”
“Fascinating,” I said flatly.
“And the knowledge can be yours, too, for a very reasonable fee,” said the kobold. Her mouth remained open as she finished speaking, revealing several missing teeth.
“Is… is she trying to smile?” I whispered.
Cassandra shrugged.
“I think I’ll have to pass,” I said.
“You are a friend of the lovely elf, yes?” asked Brenda. “For you, I’ll give a special discount.”
“That’s so kind of you!” said Cassandra, looking over at me with wide eyes and a smile.
“No offense, lady, but I know this is all just a scam,” I said.
“A scam?” gasped the kobold, placing a gnarled hand over her chest. “You think my visions are scams?”
“Reimar!” said Cassandra disapprovingly.
“I’ve had to work the streets many times when I was younger,” I explained. “These people are all just trying to scam people out of their hard earned quat. Fortunetellers, street magicians, seers, prophets… those… those guys that don’t speak, and paint their faces white…”
“Mimes?” asked Cassandra.
“Yes! Them too. They’re all trying to pull one over on you. It’s the same everywhere you go.”
“I don’t see how mimes quite fit in there…” mumbled the elf.
“A nonbeliever. How sad,” said the kobold, shaking her head.
“It is sad,” nodded Cassandra, giving me a look of pity. “I always knew he was an idiot.”
“Shut up!” I shot back. “I’m not the one who believes the secrets of the universe can be found in the head of a homeless rat!”
“I’m a kobold,” corrected Brenda.
“He knows that, he was just trying to be hurtful,” said Cassandra, patting the kobold’s shoulder.
I clenched my fists and kept my jaw set. We didn’t have time for this.
“Whatever. Pay the lady so she can lead us in the wrong direction, just so long as we get out of here.”
“I already paid her,” said Cassandra.
“Okay, so where are we off to?” I asked. I was hoping the hag said somewhere nice, like Ravendale, the capitol of the Republic. Even though I hated being around the lighter scaled dragons, at least there were so many humans there. I’d be able to blend in easily, maybe make some nice money on the side.
&nb
sp; “Kra’Gar,” smiled Cassandra.
“Kra’Gar!?” I whined.
“Yeah, you’ve heard of it?” she asked. “I’m not familiar with it.”
“It’s a horrible little town in Gorland!” I said. “Think like Trenton, only smaller, rougher, and smellier. We aren’t going there.”
“If it is the Shattered Sword she seeks, her path must go through Kra’Gar,” said Brenda.
“Through?” I asked. “So it isn’t even the actual place where the Sword is. Why can’t you just skip that part, and tell us the next location on the infinitely long journey to the Sword of make believe?!”
“It isn’t make believe,” said Cassandra and Brenda in unison.
“This is driving me crazy,” I said wiping my hands over my face. We were wasting so much time. It was getting dangerously close to me just giving up and walking away. “Why don’t we go ask some other homeless bum about where to go next, hmm? Maybe they’ll pick a nicer spot for us.”
“I’m going to Kra’Gar,” said Cassandra, crossing her arms. “If you don’t want to come with, that’s your prerogative.”
“You don’t even know how to get there!” I said. “You’d need me to guide you!”
“I’m sure I can figure it out,” she said, looking away.
“Whatever,” I said, throwing my hands up and turning away. “I’m out of here. This is what I get for trying to do the right thing.”
“The right thing?” asked Cassandra.
“Now wait just a minute,” said Brenda, reaching out and grabbing my arm. “You- huuuuuuh!”
The kobold let out a horribly raspy gasp as she held my arm in a shockingly tight grip.
“What are you… doing…?” I asked, staring down at the creature. Her eyes had gone from a mild glazed over to completely black. I was beginning to worry she was dead, before she spoke again.
“A winged one with a heart of man will be needed to unite the lands,” she said, her voice gravelly. “The blood and darkness of old will rise again from their home, with the help of the ancient crown. Without the winged one at their helm, the lands of Yaerna will fall to evil for eternity. The winged one must find the banished rogue, the crazed inventor, and the runt of Brumark. Without their help and those of the legendary weapons of old, evil has won. The Gathering has begun.”