by Luka Petrov
Well, I guess that makes sense,” Yves chimed in. “And what has happened to Walter now?”
“He is still serving the Demon Lord. He is not a high-ranking servant by any means, but he’s assisting the army with smaller tasks. He is pretty much a squire of a general in the army,” answered Val the Druid.
“Huh!” I uttered. I felt sorry for Walter. He sacrificed himself for me and then when they realized he was not me; he was given a low-level job. That must have been a shot to the gut. He was not even good enough to be a high-ranking member on the evil side.
Despite being ready to always take advantage of opportunities, I was at a loss at what was our next plan. “So, what are we going to do?” I asked.
Val the Druid said, “I’ve been planning for this moment for the last few weeks. Don’t worry, I have it all worked out. We will go to Gilmore and we will make out headquarters there. There is an inn there that will let us come and go as we pleased without asking questions. It is a place where many fugitives stay, and the inn appreciates the business. I will pay for a two-week stay and your room will be yours. I will get my own room. It is an honor to help you, Ed. Then we will prepare our attack to save Walter. Ed, we need to get him back. He risked his life for you, we need to expand all of our resources in order to get him back.” I appreciated Val’s dedication to duty and being loyal. It pained me knowing that Walter was there in my place. I needed to save him, but for right now, it was to alleviate my own guild.
Val the Druid knew I would be reluctant at working so hard to get Walter back. Somehow, he knew how I operated. “Ed, you do have a reputation for being arrogant and selfish. It is now time you shed your old ways and begin to be the human that you were meant to be. One that is honorable and just. One that fights on the behalf of the forgotten and the ones who cannot fight for themselves. You must shed this pompous ass ego thing you have going on. It’s not working for you, and to be frank, it is the time that you become greater than yourself.”
Val the Druid cut right through the bull shit. Wow! Everything that I had been feeling since waking up this morning he was shoving right in my face. “We will. We need to get him back. We will get him back.” I said as I looked directly in his eyes. I was never convinced of something as that we were, in fact, working our hardest to get Walter back.
I did not realize at the time, but what he did for me was uncalled for and I did not even realize that he tried to pull off replacing himself for me. That was one of the kindest gestures I ever had known that someone had done for me and how could I ever repay that. I had planned that from the beginning, but to have him willing to do it without being asked was beyond my comprehension.
We were deep in the Enchanted Forest, and we needed to find our wits about us and get ourselves to Gilmore. Then we could figure out where Archmage McAllister would be and could have a headquarters to work from before approaching where the Demon Lord has his tower.
“Follow me, I will lead the way to Gilmore,” Val the Druid announced as he got up and began hiking. Agnes, Yves, and I were all hesitant and still quite tired from not sleeping that soundly. “I said come on!”
We hiked for hours, but we were soon at Gilmore. The townsfolk appeared to be busy, preparing for the future attacks. “Lord Abraxas is giving another three days for your surrender, Ed,” Val the Druid said as we walked toward the inn. “This way, don’t make eye contact with anyone.” I nodded in agreement, the three of us being led by a tall, elven druid. His blonde hair glistened in the sunlight as it fell over his shoulders and on to his back. His robe was forest green, probably an homage to his natural deity.
“Here’s the inn,” he said as he pointed to a quaint looking building. From the outside, it looked delightful, peaceful and enchanting. Logs and intricate stone carvings made up most of the building's outer structure. Val continued, “Don’t let the appearance of this place through you off. Remember, I said it was were the deplorable stayed. Inside, it’s as seedy as they come. Don’t talk to anyone. No one will talk to you. Everyone in this building has secrets. Around the corner, there is an alleyway where the black market will set up their shops. You can find plenty of items in there if you find that you need something.”
All three of us nodded in agreement.
“That’s fine,” Val told her. “Does that mean you have two— “
“I’ll fetch the keys! You wait one moment,” chirps the woman, and then she’s spinning around and vanishing into a small back room.
My first thought was that it was very strange, keeping the keys away from the counter.
Then I remembered how close it is to the forest, and I felt bad for the poor woman.
This couldn’t be an easy job, with the rough crowd that’s always passing through Gilmore. Agnes must have shared the same thought process because she shook her head. “Poor girl. We must be a nice change of pace from her usual crowd.”
“Exactly what I was thinking,” I said.
The young woman came back out. She gave me two keys. “That’s going to be two hundred gold.”
The price was a lot less than I had been expecting. I gave her five hundred and said, “keep the change.”
The ways her eyes lit up made my heart ache.
Our rooms were nothing special. The two rooms looked the same. The girls and I had no problem dividing up the beds. Mine was just across the room from Yves and Agnes’ who shared. Our room was next door to Val’s. It seemed like a good enough set up.
We sat in the room; the moldy air filled my nostrils. Yves, Agnes, and I were alone once again. I was grateful to have them. For them to be on my team. We had been through so much together. Val was correct on the inside being seedy. In the lobby, there were people who looked like they were worn hard and hung up wet. Their faces were of destroyed leather and the clothes they wore had holes and patches, and then more tears in their clothes on top of that. As the girls and I got settled, a knock came at the door.
Confident I knew who it was, I opened it. It was Val. He looked angry. He sneered, “Never ever, ever! Open that door without first finding out who is on the other side of it!”
“You’re right,” I relented. “I was sure it was you, however.”
“You can never be sure. You must know without any doubt who you are opening the door for!” He admonished.
“So do you guys have a plan,” Val asked now that he was done chastising me.
Yves chimed in, “We do. We need to get to Archmage McAllister. We are going to need his help before we storm the tower of Lord Abraxas.”
“Do you know where his tower is?” Val asked.
That was a good question, the only inkling we had was what we had gathered from the bounty hunters, and that was not much. The three of us shook our heads, and I answered, “We are not exactly sure. We know it is outside of the walls of Gilmore and in the field somewhere.”
“In the field somewhere, kids, you have to know for certain where these things are. The Demon Lord is powerful, and you will need to be prepared beyond measure in order to even stand a chance against him,” Val explained. Val was definitely about good about giving us rules. He turned to me and asked, “Why do you need this archmage?”
“Why wouldn’t we need an archmage? Aren’t archmages good to have on your side?” I asked rhetorically.
“Well, they are. But I don’t want you spending your time on something you don’t need,” Val replied.
Yves explained, “At the moment, Ed can’t perform any of the spells. We found out that the spell book and the Magi Staff used to belong to Archmage McAllister. We need his help when we battle the Demon Lord.”
“You have the Magi Staff and the magic spell book! Wow! You kids are good. I didn’t give you guys enough credit,” Val said as he seemed surprised. Val looked around, “Where are they? I don’t see a Magi Staff nor a big book on ya.”
“We have them, don’t worry about it,” I answered. I did not have suspicions before regarding Val, but I did now.
“
So how do we find the Archmage?” Val asked.
Agnes answered, “We were headed to the Dragon Tomb because that’s where we've rescued him from the Abyss.”
“You guys rescued an archmage and were in the Abyss. You kids are too much. Either you’re lying or are really lucky.”
“Why couldn’t one option be about our skill?” I asked.
The druid replied, “Because, you are talking about things that not even an archdruid could do. Yet, some kids are going to the Abyss and rescuing archmages. Either you guys tell tales are you have the power of the gods on your side.”
I decided to let this one be and to work on the next part of our plan.
The druid decided to change the subject as well. “Let’s go down to the tavern and have us a meal. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Plus, this will be my first time in weeks to let loose and toss a few back. If we stay on this side of Gilmore, no one will ask any questions about you guys. Just don’t ask anyone any question either. Everyone who is on this side of town is running away from something or someone.
The three of us nodded, and we made our way down to the tavern that was across the way from the inn.
“We allow him to be a servant of the Demon Lord much longer!” I shouted while I imbibed in a stein of beer.
It was a sentiment echoed throughout the group. We were just inside the village of Gilmore, my home, but it felt like a foreign land. We huddled around the table of a small, dirty pub. Dim torchlight cast strange shadows through the room. It set Agnes on edge.
No one argued with her.
Of us all, Walter was the least important, but we needed to protect him as the druid explained. There was no one else that had a chance of taking down the Demon Lord, but me.
“If we only had a few more weeks.” I curled my hand into a fist, teeth gritting. “Just a few more weeks and I could have mastered those spells!”
“Well, you haven’t, Ed. That’s why we need the archmage,” There was something dark about Yves tone. She rubbed a hand over her eyes. The dark marks under them looked as if it had branded them into her skin.
I felt the same way.
We were already on a tight schedule, but since Walter’s capture, none of us had been sleeping. Too much longer, and it would start catching up with us all. I hadn’t realized the immense guilt and pain that I had felt regarding his capture. I had changed ever since I found out about his sacrifice for me. The previous me would have been offered that he thought he could pass off himself as me, but instead, the new me realized it was the greatest gift he could have given me.
I didn’t realize the change that occurred in me. Somewhere at some point, something clicked. It was like a change that I liked.
For most of this journey, I endeavored to be the greatest magic user this world had ever seen. Now I just wanted my friend back. The druid helped me uncover my real mission. I did not fight with the sword, the shield, nor my own brute force. But my companions and I were magic users, and we used our intellect to defeat our enemies. I had seen their thunderbolts grow dimmer in recent days, watched their firebolts burn out faster as we grew more and more tired on this journey.
The exhaustion was getting to them.
“We need to act fast.” I wasn't a born leader. That’s—well, that was Walter. I fell into my leadership role because of my abilities as a magic user. I had no idea that by his sacrifice he was leading us. But at that moment, right now, we would all need to come together. All of us. That meant finding Cecily as well.
Yves said, “Abraxas has made camp in an empty field just to the north. If nothing else, we know that much.”
Val interjected, “That’s not much. There are infinite places portals could be.”
Agnes snorted. “We will figure it out. We have to find it soon. Where do you think we should look?” Then, softer, under her breath, “The things he could have done to Walter by now.”
The last part wasn’t meant for us, but the words still left my bones completely chilled. I ran a hand through my short, tousled blond hair, leaned back on the rickety chair. The barkeep was watching us close; they didn’t take kindly to strangers in these parts, even if I was a local, I wasn’t from this side of town. No one knew who I was.
I didn’t think we’d be welcomed at the tavern for too much longer. It was just something about how the barkeep looked. More so, it was something about how the men and women gathered at the bar looked. As if they hated our very presence.
“We need to make a plan.” I leaned forward again; the constant motion urged on by my restlessness. “And we need to move fast. We need to figure out where the portal is to the Demon Lord’s tower. I’m certain that Abraxas has search parties out looking for the magic spell book. If he decides to move the portal, we’ll lose them, and we’ll lose Walter.”
No one argued that point. They all knew it was true. We’d have to find the tower. It would be in another dimension, but not the Abyss. It would probably be an awful, wanting place; I’m sure it would grab us and never let us go if we were not fully prepared. Somewhere within its thick shadows, Abraxas had a keep, with all his men, all his minions. Val was definitely right about making sure that we were fully prepared for this battle. Me, being impatient wanted to descent onto the tower with the magic spell book and Magi Staff and wing it.
“We move at dawn,” decided Val. “No sooner, no later. We need to get that archmage you guys were talking about. We also need to figure out where the portal might be. We have to be certain of its location.”
“Dawn,” I agreed, and the others followed suit.
The barkeep was still watching us.
Yves leaned forward, said, “Ed, I don’t think we should stick around here any longer than we need.”
I nodded my agreement. “People don’t trust in this part of Gilmore.”
Agnes said, “They have every right not to trust anyone. With the Demon Lord’s base being so close, I imagine that they get a lot of unsavory characters passing through. The whole village is on edge.”
Under his breath, Val grumbled, “Yeah, because we look unsavory.” And then, louder, for the rest of the table to hear, “That’s why I prefer the inn. The inn is more tolerant of outcasts. They are friendly to strangers, at least. Since it’s their business and all.”
The barkeep, clearly able to hear that particular comment, narrows his eyes.
I stand up, hoping to avoid any sort of scuffle or problem before this develops into one. “All right then!” I clap my hands together. “Let’s get out of here and see about bedding down for the night! I don’t know about you lot, but I’m tired.”
Yves stood up. She hooked a hand under Val’s arm and hauled him up, too. “Come on. Let’s get some sleep in us. Dawn isn’t that far off.” That was a surprise. I did not think Yves was attracted to anyone, let alone the druid.
Agnes caught my gaze. She furrowed her brows in concern. “Ed?”
I waited until she was out of the booth and then leaned close to her, lowering my voice so it didn’t carry through the dim and dusty tavern. Agnes lowered her voice, “Yves lured Val away. We don’t trust him. We think he is up to something. We are going to lose him before we head to the Dragon Tomb. Don’t look suspicious at all. Val did his part in this journey. He rescued us from the bounty hunters. Now we need to cut him loose.”
She hesitated for a moment before nodding her ascent. “All right. I’ll pay the— “
“I have it,” I told her, quickly pulling away from the group and over to the main portion of the bar. I slid the barkeep a handful of gold, staying just long enough to thank him for the excellent ale, before returning to join my group.
Together, we stepped out into the late evening air. It was crisp. With such a large forest so close to the town, the air carried an almost old scent about it; like trees that had been alive for too long, and wet earth that had forgotten it was allowed to be dry.
The town of Gilmore was a small one. At first glance, nothing about it stood
out. The houses were wood and clearly, of an older variety, a few cobblestoned shops mixed in among the lot where people from out of town had come, money in their pockets, and settled in.
I liked to pretend, as we walked the dusty, quiet streets, that was why the people of Gilmore didn’t like outsiders. Too many travelers deciding to settle in their town, bringing with them strange traditions and even stranger manners. Even if I was one of them, I was not part of this side of the tracks as we would say in my previous life.
It was a comforting thought, even if I knew it was more likely that an excessive number of bounty hunters and mercenaries passed through here, seeking work and aid from the Demon Lord and his newest minion, King Hylar.
The inn was positioned at the opposite side of the street from the tavern. Like most of the buildings in Gilmore, it was small and had seen better days. The young woman inside was a cheerful thing, though, smiling despite the tired wariness in her eyes. “Welcome back. I hope you enjoyed your time at the tavern! Let us know if you need anything else”
“How did you know we were at the tavern?” I asked her.
Val elbowed me in the side, hard. “Ed, ssshhh” he hissed. “Remember?”
“Right. No questions. I don’t bother anyone, no one will bother me,” I said, but seriously, how did she know we were just there. I looked passed the weird encounter and was grateful for our free stay at the inn. Even if it was sponsored by a dubious counterpart. It was such a rarity to actually stay at an inn and not just set up camp outside, everyone wanted their rules and version of manners to be the right one.
We walked through the main lobby and up to our rooms. Thank goodness we did not have to stay with Val. Despite the adequate amenities the seedy inn had, and I was elated that we were not sleeping on the ground yet again, I did not want to stay in the same room as him.