Maefon and Calypsa broke off their stares and turned away.
“Or not.” Darkken dropped his glass back to the table.
CHAPTER 33
Nath searched out Maefon’s eyes, but her chin was turned away. They had shared a long passionate kiss that was unforgettable, but the moment Calypsa came, that changed. Maefon barely looked at him. At the same time, she was showing jealousy, which might catch Darkken’s attention. Nath didn’t want to interfere with the group and what they had, but he liked Calypsa too, even though their history was short. He shifted in his seat and took his arm from the back of Calypsa’s chair. His knee bumped the table, rattling the platters and goblets. “Excuse me,” he said.
Maefon abruptly stood up and said to Darkken, “I’d like to go back to the room and lie down.”
“Of course.” Darkken showed her a rich smile, taking her by the hand and kissing it.
The elven woman glared at him. “I don’t want to be alone, either.”
Taken aback, Darkken replied, “Oh, of course not.” He feigned a yawn, covering his mouth with his hand. “I think a nap is in order as well. I’ll tell you what, everyone, let’s give each other some space for the next day or so. I think it would be good if your group took some time to get reacquainted.” He got up from his seat and dropped Nath’s purse on the table. “I held a little back from the Slave Lords, so you still have a little jingle if you need it. Just don’t spend it all in one place. And I know I shouldn’t say it, but try to relax. Once we get on the hunt again, we’ll be busy. Assuming, that is, that you want to continue the pursuit?”
Nath nodded as he retrieved his purse. “Of course.”
Darkken and Maefon departed.
“Ah, smell the fresh air.” Hacksaw vigorously began sawing into an inch-thick slab of ham.
“Agreed,” Calypsa said. “That chill in the air is gone already.”
“What do you mean?” Nath said to her.
The half dryad shrugged. “If that elf could murder me with a look, she would. It’s perfectly clear that she hates me. I can’t blame her, seeing I have the same eyes for you that she does.”
Homer finished spooning out a bowl of fruit and meal. “Better watch yourself, Nath. Before long, you’ll find yourself back in shackles like I was. Love will do that to a foolish man.”
“Oh, be quiet.” Nath’s cheeks warmed. “It’s not like that.”
“Like what?” Hacksaw put his forearm on the table and leaned toward Homer. “Tell me this story.”
The scrawny musician shrugged his narrow shoulders. “Did he not tell you about the history behind my incarceration? How I wooed the queen of Quintuklen, innocently, only to find my heart and body in the dungeon.”
Hacksaw’s eyeballs grew as big as the plates on the table. “That was you? You are that Homer? Ha!” He rapped his meaty fist on the table. “I never would have imagined that!”
Homer looked at Hacksaw. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“No offense, but you are as scrawny as a minnow and as threatening as a butterfly. I find it hard to believe that one so far from formidable could sweep the queen out from underneath the king.”
The soft-eyed musician replied in a richer voice that came across as smooth as silk, “Never underestimate the power of the strings matched with a heart-winning voice. And those are only two of the instruments I have mastered.” He held up his fingers and wiggled them.
“Homer the great, I’ll be—”
“Sh,” Homer said, cutting Hacksaw off. “I prefer to remain discreet. No doubt, I still have enemies among the kingship.”
“As a retired legionnaire, I can testify you are indeed free, but I don’t think you should return to Quintuklen anytime soon. Or ever. Kings hold grudges a very long time. A lifetime.”
“I just wish I could see the queen once more,” Homer said with his eyes turning sad.
“Best you keep your freedom and move on.” Hacksaw swallowed down more mead. “So, Nath, are we going to sit on our hind ends, waiting for Darkken to make all of the calls?”
“I’m trying to relax,” Nath said. “And do you have to ride the man so hard? He and Maefon have been nothing but helpful to me. The Black Hand are gone, and my friends are now freed. And now I have more friends than ever, aside from one that is always disgruntled about it.”
“I like them both very much.” Homer peeled the skin from a grape with a paring knife. “And Maefon, she is quite a dandy. I haven’t been around many elves, but she is something special, that one.”
“Have you been around many dryads?” Calypsa asked.
“Well, no.” Shrinking under Calypsa’s hot stare, Homer added, “You are both fascinating but in different ways. I meant no offence. I just like them both is all. I like all of you.”
“I like them too,” Nath replied.
“Listen, I’m just saying that things are working out too well. It makes me edgy,” Hacksaw replied. He stuffed scrambled eggs into his mouth. “And hungry.”
Nath shook his head. Hacksaw was getting under his skin. He couldn’t let it go. “When you’ve had a run as bad as I’ve had, at some point it had to turn. I feel as if things have righted themselves since I left Dragon Home. For the first time, I have some comfort. Don’t spoil it with doubt. Darkken and Maefon have been faultless. I trust them, Hacksaw. You should too.”
“Maybe it’s just the old soldier in me, but I don’t. Listen, I get it, they are likable, and they stuck out their necks for you, but in truth, they’ve been in control of everything since they arrived. That’s what unsettles me.” Hacksaw started eating again.
Nath looked at the old knight. “If it bothers you so much, then perhaps you should return to Huskan. I’m grateful for all that you have done, but I see no reason for you to risk yourself any more on this quest.”
Hacksaw’s face sagged. Shock appeared on the faces of Calypsa and Homer. They sat still, not noticeably breathing. Then Hacksaw’s jaw clenched. His brows buckled. He got up and threw his napkin on the table. “Fine. Perhaps I will go then!”
CHAPTER 34
Maefon stood on top of the bed, waiting on Darkken. He’d trailed behind her, only to get caught up in conversation with some patrons at the inn. Finally, he entered, saw her standing on the bed, and made a quizzical look. She beckoned him over with her finger. He came. Standing on the bed, she stood almost the same height that he was. She threw her arms around his broad shoulders and kissed him.
Darkken’s strong arms tightened around her waist. He reeled her body into his.
Unlocking her lips, the short-haired blonde looked down into his eyes. “So, how am I doing?”
“Well, the kiss wasn’t quite as good as ones that you’ve given before, but it was one of your better ones.”
She slapped him on the shoulder. “That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Oh, you’re talking about that little show of jealousy on the terrace.” He scooped her up in his arms. She let out a delightful squeal. “You even had me convinced.” Darkken dropped her on the bed.
“What?” Maefon said. “Are you upset with me?”
He looked down at her. “Perhaps.”
She came to her knees, grabbed his hand, and kissed the knuckles. “You know that my heart is only for you, Lord Darkken.”
“That is something that I cannot possibly know. I might know my own heart but never someone else’s. That requires a much greater power.” He pulled his hand away. “Your jealousy is true, Maefon. Don’t treat me like a fool. I don’t like that.”
“I would never do such a thing.” She tugged on his arm, pulling him toward the bed. “It’s very easy to like Nath, and that dryad, with all of those flowing locks and curves all over, is someone that any woman would be jealous of, and she flaunts it in a total disregard for modesty.”
“The Caligin do not care about such things. We are manipulators, so learn to use her assets to your advantage. Our advantage.” He sat down beside her and put his hand
on her lower back. “Don’t let your passions for Nath control you. He’s an engaging character and always will be, but you can’t get crossed up between him and the Caligin. The goal is to make him one of us. Then you’ll have him wrapped around your finger.”
“I just don’t like the dryad. She’ll be trouble. I would just as soon kill her.”
“I can still hear that jealous inflection in your voice. You really need to work on that. So, tell me more about you and Nath. What happened when I was in Slaver Town? Did you do what I required.”
“Yes, I planted a kiss on him that he’ll never forget. Does that make you jealous?”
Darkken tapped his copper ring on the bedpost with his free hand. “Hardly. You won’t find me the jealous type. I’ve never been turned down by any.”
“Oh,” she said. “Well, I know that I could never turn you down.” She tried to push Darkken down on the bed, but the big man didn’t budge. “You are thinking deeply, aren’t you?”
“Always. And don’t get me wrong, I think the dryad is a problem, but she’ll probably move on. Hacksaw is the bigger problem. He’s weathered and wise. We haven’t fooled him yet.”
“We’ll just have to convince him to leave. It shouldn’t be too hard.”
Darkken scooted back on the bed and laid against the bed board. He put his hand behind his head and locked his fingers. “I truly want to destroy that man with a touch of my finger. I would delight in that. There is nothing more dangerous to our mission than a hound that can sniff out evil.”
“Maybe he needs to have an accident,” she suggested.
“No, it has to be real. An event where we survive, but he doesn’t. I really thought that Cullon would have cut him down, but the old knight is formidable. He is a thorn. I don’t like thorns.”
“Do you want me to set something up?” she offered.
“We’ll go and sniff around Advent later. Certainly, there is a dangerous opportunity that we can turn to our advantage.” He closed his eyes. “In the meantime, I think a nap is a good idea. Come, lay at my side.”
Maefon eased into his body, resting her head on his shoulder and draping her arm over his broad chest.
Stroking her back, he said, “Now, let us dream together, watching our enemies fall, nations be crushed, and the king of the dragons and his loyal brood banished from Nalzambor forever.”
CHAPTER 35
Still on the terrace, Nath sat in silence, quietly finishing his meal. Calypsa watched the people in the streets while Homer finally eased back in his chair and belched a few times.
“Boy, I actually ate myself into a lather,” the musician said. “So, Nath, are you going to just sit there or go after your friend?”
“I don’t know.” Nath pushed his plate away. As much as he liked Hacksaw, Darkken and Maefon had grown on him. The last thing he wanted was to have division in the group. “Probably not.”
Calypsa placed her hand on Nath’s forearm. “You have me now, so you shouldn’t miss him. Besides, I didn’t really like him. He wanted to kill Rond.”
“True, but Rond wants to kill me, doesn’t he?”
“Well, Rond says a great deal of things, but he’s not a killer, at least not in the sense that his kind is. He was born with some good in him,” she said.
“I have to say that I was not frightened by Hacksaw. He might have been gruff, but there was warmth and strength to it. But the bugbear, well, a hard look from him would frighten the deer droppings out of me,” Homer said.
“Nath, I will remain by your side, regardless of what you decide. I will tolerate these people for you, even though all of you leave me out of my comfort zone.” She kissed his cheek. “And I’m not going to let that little elven minx have you, either. She’ll just have to let her jealousy boil off. I’m staying with you.”
Homer rolled his eyes. “And you thought Hacksaw was going to be trouble.”
“All right. All right. I’ll go after him.” Nath stood up and struggled to pull free of Calypsa’s strong grip. She was smiling up at him. “Can I trust that the two of you will stay out of trouble? I’ll meet you back here later.”
“Oh, but I don’t want you to go. Please, let me come with you,” she said.
“No, I need to talk to Hacksaw alone.”
She nodded. “As you wish.”
It didn’t take Nath long to find Hacksaw in the stable behind the inn. The old knight had slung his saddle onto his horse and buckled it on. Now he was adjusting the bridle and reins. Without a glance at Nath, he said, “So did you come down to officially remove me from the party? It was a unanimous vote, I assume.”
“Yes, it was,” Nath replied, “but I wanted to come down and thank you for your services.”
Hacksaw eyed him. “Are you serious?”
Nath laughed.
“Har-har.” Hacksaw led his horse out of the stable. “So, where is the rest of the brood?”
“I came alone. I just don’t understand why you are so against Darkken and Maefon.”
“Don’t forget those creepy elves.”
Nath shook his head. “They’ve done nothing but aid us. I trust them.”
Hacksaw’s shoulders deflated when he said, “Perhaps I’m getting old, and being such, I’m too set in my ways. I want to like them, I do, but I can’t. You are young, Nath, and what you don’t understand is that with time comes wisdom. You get the ability to discern the truth from the lie. Not in all cases, but in the case of many senior legionnaires, it’s a gift.”
“I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I am much older than you.”
“Only in age but not in your mind and body. Though, you make a good point.” Hacksaw petted his horse’s flank. “Just be careful. At some point, take command, push back on Darkken’s decisions, and see how he reacts. You can keep the horse too. Consider it a gift.”
“Wait. Are you really going to go, just like this?”
“I need to go back home before this warm southern land softens me up too much. Besides, my axes probably miss kissing the wood. I need to get back into the swing of things, so to speak.”
“But—”
Hacksaw climbed into the saddle. He poked two fingers at Nath. “Best to you and your quest, Nath, and good luck dealing with those wildcats.”
“Wildcats?”
“The women,” Hacksaw said. “They both want to embed their claws in you, but they might rip each other apart first. I have to admit, I wouldn’t mind seeing how that unfolds. If you make it north again, stop by and see me.”
Feeling like he had just lost a dear brother, Nath numbly said, “I will.” Hacksaw trotted his horse out of the stable. Nath, lifting his arm, waved and shouted, “Thank you!” The old knight merged with the traffic in the streets and was gone. Glumly, Nath shook his head. “What have I done?”
CHAPTER 36
Nath spent that next few hours milling about the town of Advent. The local people were a robust bunch that seemed to enjoy sunny days. The vendors in the streets worked from the shaded porches in the front of buildings. The marketplaces were full of yurts, carts, wagons, and tents, where anything from produce to livestock to jewelry was haggled over all day long.
Women rushed up to Nath, trying to get him to smell their perfumed arms. They showed him spools of silks, cotton, and fine linens. “For your lady. For your lady,” they said to him.
He kindly shoved through them, moving on from one station to the next, eyeing all of the trinkets and baubles. One thing he noticed about Advent compared to Riegelwood was the freedom. He saw some soldiers in the streets, but there wasn’t an overwhelming presence. They stayed in the background, keeping to themselves, and not one was jumpy because he carried a sword.
A heavyset merchant in garish purple-and-gold clothing caught Nath’s eye. “You! You! Dragon man! Come, come!”
Nath stopped, looked at the man, and touched his chest. “Me?”
The merchant with a black handlebar moustache and turban on his head waddled over. The man bar
ely came up to Nath’s chest. “Yes, you. Come, come. I show you something. You like dragons, don’t you? Eh?”
“I, uh, why would you think that?”
“Your sword. Your sword. It has dragon faces on it. Come, come.” He grabbed Nath’s arm and pulled Nath toward his stand. “I am Aric. I am Aric. I make a good deal for you.”
“I’m not really looking for a deal.”
“Good deal. You will like. Come, come.”
Wanting to keep his mind off of things and not having anything else to lose, he decided to entertain the merchant. The chubby man hustled behind his stand. He had wooden boxes loaded with trinkets and jewelry. From wooden trees with dowel rods for limbs hung necklaces and bracelets that sparkled and glinted in the sun’s light. Aric had a little bit of everything when it came to decorating women and men. Nath picked up a bracelet from one of the bins. It was made from links of onyx fashioned like turtles. “I don’t really have a need for any jewelry, Aric. Or anything else for that matter.”
“No, no, no. Aric has something for everybody. Always makes a sale.” He placed a small wooden box full of ribbons on the table. He strung out a gold strand. “For your hair. Weave it into a braid to keep the hair out of your eyes. The ladies love this style for the men.” He pushed it in Nath’s face. “Very, very nice.”
“Um, I’m going to have to say no to the ribbons in hair. I like my locks just the way they are.” Someone bumped into Nath. He looked down. Some small children snaked their way through the crowd. Little hands patted down his trousers. “What in the—”
Aric burst out from behind his yurt, waving a heavy stick at the boys. The kids scrambled into the crowd. “Get out of here, you little thieves! I will break your dirty stealing little hands!” He spat on the ground and looked at Nath. “I hate the thief. Check yourself, eh, the halflings have feathery fingers with a snatching grip.”
Nath patted himself down. His coin purse was in his backpack, and everything was accounted for. “Those were halflings, not boys?”
Deadly_The Odyssey of Nath Dragon Page 11