by Hans Bezdek
The three made for the nearest inn, which happened to be the only inn in Westdale. The nearby stable was cheap and had some room available, so Sloane and the others decided to spend part of the night there.
“I’d guess we have until a bit after midnight until our friends get here,” said Kriket as they entered the inn, trying to remain as cryptic as possible in enemy territory.
Sloane saw that there was a tavern inside the inn, motioning for it. “Let’s grab some dinner and ask around before we get some rooms for the night.”
The tavern was fairly busy at this time of day. Sloane hoped with so many people around, they’d be able to find out if Zeke had come through town. The three of them split up, each taking a different portion of the room to talk with.
Sloane found that this wasn’t going to be so easy. Most of the inhabitants of Westdale didn’t want to even look at Sloane, and the ones that did had a wrong impression of why she was approaching them. After explaining her motives, they all went back to ignoring her. A few of the people staying in the inn because they were passing through town were happy to talk with her, but unfortunately, they had all arrived within the last couple of hours.
After some time of trying and failing, she decided to give up. Even if Zeke came through, it looked like she wasn’t going to find that out from asking around here.
Looking around for the others, she saw Delvin sitting at a table by himself, glancing through a large book. She couldn’t find Kriket, so she decided to pick up some food from the bar and join Delvin.
“What have you been reading?” Sloane asked Delvin, taking a seat and placing an extra potato in front of him. “I haven’t seen you reading anything before.”
“I know, it’s been dreadful!” exclaimed Delvin. “All this adventuring around has really put a damper on my studies. I’ve been missing it for quite some time.”
“Where did you get that book from?”
“The library in the Lost Citadel,” he explained.
“I told you to not mention that place anymore!” said Sloane in a harsh whisper as she glanced around. It didn’t look like anyone overheard them.
“S-Sorry!” whimpered Delvin, also looking around. “B-But you asked me!”
“That’s okay,” she sighed. “Did you keep the book hidden in your clothes?”
“No, I grabbed it off my dead horse while you were talking to Kriket. I’ve been reading some after you went to sleep while we were traveling down to Burston. I figured I wasn’t much help here with gathering intel, so might as well pass the time somehow.”
“Is it any good?” asked Sloane, glancing at the cover. It was entitled ‘A Brief History of Enchanted Weaponry’, but looked to be at least a thousand pages long.
“Quite,” nodded the gnome.
“What are some things you’ve learned?”
Delvin looked conflicted. “I don’t know… I don’t want to bore you with things you might not be interested in…”
“Give me some key points,” she shrugged. She imagined a book like that would probably have at least something interesting to learn about.
“Let me think,” he said, tapping his fingers against the cover. “Oh, I know! Did you know that lances can only be enchanted seventeen times? On the eighteenth time, the effect won’t apply. The author argues that it must have something to do with the shape of the weapon, but I don’t see how that could be. Javelins are somewhat similar in design, but can, of course, be enchanted thirty times. Now spears, this is where it gets crazy, they-”
“You know what? You were right to worry it would bore me,” sighed Sloane, leaning back in her seat. She supposed she was more interested in the practical uses of magical weapons than the theory behind them.
Delvin smiled in embarrassment and mindlessly flipped through the book. His eyes widened as he landed on a particular page.
“Oh, that’s right!” he exclaimed. “I forgot to tell you what I learned about the Arcane Staves!”
Now that sounded interesting.
“The book talks about them?” asked Sloane.
“Only briefly, but they do,” nodded the gnome. “There was quite a bit of history to them, but I’ll spare you those details. Let’s just say some scary powerful mages used to rule Linsuk.”
Sloane nodded to continue.
“The ones that created what we refer to as Arcane Staves did so long ago, and not always for pure reasons,” explained Delvin. “Well, never for pure reasons, actually. They were hungry for power and created weapons that reflected that same desire. The Arcane Staves crave those that are strong, and it appears that they deem certain users worthy or not worthy. Those that they deem worthy are allowed to use them, while others won’t be able to get them to work. That must be why you and Zeke don’t always consciously think through what you want to do with them. There’s an unspoken connection between the wielder and the Arcane Staff.”
“So if I gave you the Arcane Staff I have, you might not be able to get it to work?” asked Sloane.
“Correct,” he nodded.
“Should we test it out?” she asked, reaching for the weapon behind her.
“T-That’s not necessary,” stuttered the gnome. “Let’s just assume I can’t use it.”
Sloane was curious now but dropped it. She didn’t want to embarrass the gnome, even though she suspected he was stronger than he assumed.
“That’s not the interesting part anyway,” said Delvin. “On top of allowing people to wield them, there’s actually a further step they can go. It has only happened a couple of times, but there is some evidence that the power of an Arcane Staff can leave the weapon and be absorbed into the one who wields it.”
“Absorbed?” repeated Sloane.
Delvin nodded. “The power of the Staff wants to be with someone it believes is incredibly strong. The person who receives them is then incredibly powerful. There was also a small note about the possibility of using the absorbed power to manipulate other Staves, but-”
“Oh no,” mumbled Sloane, thinking the worst. “Do you think that Lord Kutarm has had that happen to him already? He’d be nearly unkillable... ”
“It’s rare for it to happen,” shrugged Delvin. “There are people more powerful than him in history that haven’t absorbed the power of a certain Arcane Staves.”
“Is there a list of them?” asked Sloane.
“Yes, but the author of this work lived in a time where they numbered the Arcane Staves differently than we do now. It’s not helpful for us since we don’t know which one Kutarm has, anyway.”
“Let’s hope he has one of them, I suppose,” said Sloane. “Although they are going to be more dangerous either way.”
“Probably,” nodded Delvin. “Who knows? Maybe Zeke’s Arcane Staff has found him worthy, and the elf has already absorbed its power.”
Sloane and Delvin shared a look.
The two burst into laughter.
“Good one,” laughed Sloane.
“It was so hard to keep a straight face,” snickered Delvin, wiping a tear away.
“What’s so funny?” asked Kriket, approaching them with a man in red leather armor.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” smiled Sloane.
“Do you guys hear squeaking?” asked Delvin, looking around as Kriket and the man took their seats.
“Sorry, it’s new armor,” said the man, smiling nervously.
“Who’s your new friend?” Sloane asked Kriket.
“Let’s just say that he has an affinity for red coins,” smirked the lizardman.
“C-Can we hurry it up here?” asked the man, squeaking as he looked around. “No offense, but it’s probably best if I’m not seen with you.”
Sloane knew the non-humans were distracting, but the incessant squeaking was taking it to a whole new level. Their table was getting several looks.
“Understandable,” nodded Kriket. “Why don’t you tell them what you told me?”
“Alright,” he said, clearing his throat. “Earli
er today, some crazy elf came over and tried to get me to help him. He insinuated he was with the you-know-what, but didn’t have the red coin to back it up. Then a fae woman came and took him away.”
“That must’ve been Zeke!” smiled Delvin.
Sloane was smiling too. Their hope had panned out! Not only had they gone to the right town, it sounded like they had only missed the elf and the fae by half a day, maybe less. Zeke must’ve been slowing the fae down after all.
“Do you know where they were headed?” asked Kriket.
“She mentioned Stedforge, I think,” said the man, as he scratched the side of his head. “It’s not that far to the west.”
“Perfect!” beamed Sloane. “We’ll catch up to them in no time!”
“Should we leave now?” asked Delvin. “Kriket’s horse might be refreshed, but your horse had been through a lot over the past week.”
“You’re right,” nodded Sloane. “We can sleep in this inn for a few hours, then leave before things get out of hand here.”
“Works for me,” agreed Kriket.
“W-Wait,” said the man, squeaking as he raised a hand to get their attention. “Before things get out of hand here? What do you mean by that?”
“We should warn him,” whispered Delvin to Sloane. “He’s on our side.”
It was a bit of a risk, but for what information the man gave them it was worth it. Sloane turned to him, keeping her voice barely above a whisper. “Let’s just say that sooner rather than later, Westdale may have some-”
The door around the corner and at the front of the inn thumped open with a powerful kick.
“Invaders!” shouted a man. Sloane guessed it was the one who kicked the door in. “Invaders are attacking!”
The rest of the people in the tavern part of the inn jumped to their feet, grabbing weapons and hurrying for the door.
Sloane and the other three were the only ones that stayed where they were.
“Huh,” said Kriket, looking at Sloane and Delvin. “Looks like our out of town friends made pretty good time.”
Chapter 8
“How did you like Zinovia?” asked Xylona as she and Zeke continued west.
They made it back to the road and kept to it as they made for Stedforge. Zeke had no idea how long it would take for them to arrive, but he wasn’t looking forward to it. That’s where Kutarm was, and that’s where he’d be finally put to the test. Was he really ready to fight the tyrant?
He was pretty sure the answer was no.
“Let’s say I think she liked me enough for the both of us,” replied Zeke, glancing around at the woods. The sun had set, giving only the stars as a source of light. Zeke was still able to see just fine and imagined that the fae didn’t have any problems seeing in the dark. That’d make escaping more difficult.
He had hoped there would be more travelers on the road, but they had yet to see anyone. He had played through various scenarios in his head but wasn’t sure if any of them would work. There was the classic ‘Help! She’s kidnapped me!’, but he worried that was a bit too forward. He would prefer that they’d come across someone with a broken down wagon or something. He’d offer to help and then flee into the woods when someone distracted Xylona.
The only flaw in that plan was he had no idea how to change a wagon’s tire. If Xylona questioned him, the escape would be dead before it even started. He knew he should’ve learned a useful skill when he was back in Re’Lus…
“Zinovia is like that with a lot of people,” chuckled Xylona. “I wouldn’t worry about her the next time you see her.”
“There’s going to be a next time?” clarified Zeke.
“Assuming we succeed in killing Kutarm,” she nodded. “My contacts and I will have to come together and figure out how to get all of the fae out of the territory before the humans turn and kill us all. We’ll need your strength to help us get out.”
Zeke didn’t respond. It sounded like she was planning on keeping him as a prisoner for the long term. Or she was lying and was just telling him this to keep him calm for when Kutarm was dead. Either way, there’d eventually come a time when she had no more use for him.
“We’re not all bad, you know,” she said, as if reading his thoughts. “We’re wrongfully accused by the other races for crimes we didn’t commit all the time.”
“Zinovia mentioned that you’ve killed a lot of people,” Zeke reminded her.
“If we’ve been attacked, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” she said, steel in her voice. “I’m sure you’d do the same for your people.”
Zeke made a noncommittal noise. She was probably right, but he didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of hearing him say it.
“Where are you from?” she asked.
“The east,” he mumbled.
“Where in the east?”
“I’m not doing this,” he said, shaking his head. “You’ll either use the information against me, or you’re doing it to make me feel like we have some sort of friendship.”
“Would the latter be so bad?” she laughed. “Is there a law somewhere that elves and fae can’t be friends?”
“Friends don’t kidnap each other.”
“They do for bachelor and bachelorette parties, don’t they?” she asked.
“Hey! That’s the kind of flawless logic I use, okay?” said Zeke. “Don’t think you can use that against me!”
Xylona giggled but didn’t press him anymore. They continued down the dark road, careful to keep an eye out for any surprises.
“I’m from Drew Forest,” said Xylona, breaking the silence after a few moments.
“Never heard of it,” grunted Zeke. He had, he just wanted to mildly disrespect the place she knew of as home.
“It’s quite lovely,” she said. “There are fae in other places, of course, just like elves and the other races. I’ve been to other fae towns, but Drew Forest puts the rest to shame. Our trees have been nurtured with magic water for generations, causing them to glow blue and pink at night.”
“Sounds like it’d be a pain to sleep near,” mumbled Zeke, although now he really wanted to see them.
“We’ve got houses,” she laughed. “They’re okay, although I’m sure they’ve got nothing on elven ones. I’ve only seen a few, but they’re quite lovely.”
“They’re alright,” he muttered. While he loved most of the adventures he had been having, there were some things he missed about his home. He tried not to think about it too often, but she was making it difficult for him. “What did you used to do? Besides kill people.”
“The killing people thing was really not as frequent as you think it was,” she laughed. “I was trained in the ancient fae magic, and was a scholar and researcher.”
“I know someone like that,” said Zeke, thinking of his gnome friend. “He specializes in illusion magic, though.”
“Isn’t that stuff just to entertain kids?”
“It’s helped us out a few times!” he argued.
“Well, I’d like to meet him one day,” she said, smiling as she glanced back at him.
“If you want, I can take you to him and my other friends right now,” attempted Zeke.
“Why?” she asked. “It looked like you had split from them.”
“They’re still my friends,” he said. “And I know they’d want to help us kill Kutarm.”
Xylona stared back at him as she considered what he said. “While perhaps you’re right, there’s no point in turning back now. We’re so close to Stedforge, and my plan relies on just the two of us getting close.”
“What harm is there in adding a couple more?” asked Zeke.
“There’s more of a potential for things to get out of control,” she said. “Plus, there’s always the chance you and your friends would try to betray me.”
“Ha!” scoffed Zeke. “As if you’re scared of us being the ones to turn on you!”
“Are you saying you and your friends have never killed peop
le?” asked Xylona, raising an eyebrow.
“I mean…”
“I’ve seen you and the woman archer do so with my own eyes, remember?”
“Yeah, but they were bad and trying to oppress innocent people!” argued Zeke.
“And the people I’ve killed have been the same way, trying to kill my people,” pointed out Xylona.
Zeke hesitated, then frowned. Maybe she had a point.
“I guess I can…” he began, before trailing off as he looked up ahead. “Uh oh. We’ve got company.”
Several horses wearing armor approached them, their riders decked out in black and blue. All of the men were holding torches, and none seemed to be in particularly happy moods.
“Great... a patrol,” Xylona whispered back at Zeke. “Let me do the talking.”
“Halt!” called out the man at the front of the procession, holding his free hand out towards Xylona and Zeke. He looked to be middle aged and had a salt and pepper beard.
The fae pulled their horse to a stop. She sat up a little taller as she looked over the men approaching. “What is the meaning of this?”
“We’re to stop and inspect everyone we meet on the road in these parts,” said what must have been the captain, the rest of his men stopping alongside him. There were five of them, including their captain.
“I know your race has weak eyes at night, but surely you can tell I’m a fae,” said Xylona, shaking her head. “You know Kutarm deals with us separately. Stop wasting my time.”
“That’s Lord Kutarm,” hissed the captain, his glare intensifying. Zeke wasn’t sure of all the politics that went on inside Kutarm’s army, but it looked like the humans and fae weren’t the biggest fans of one another.
“Of course,” nodded Xylona, laughing nervously. “Lord Kutarm. Just slipped my-”
“Why do you have an elf behind you?” asked the man, tilting his head to look at Zeke.
Unsure of what to do, Zeke smiled and gave a small wave. The smile wasn’t returned.