The Time Shield

by Hans Bezdek

  Cassandra looked back at me with wide eyes.

  “I’ve seen a red dragon even bigger than the undead one was saw yesterday, if you can believe it,” added Dhot. “Maha!”

  “Really?” she asked. “When?”

  “One of the ones that was with Stalrik when they burned down my village,” he shrugged. “He didn’t seem very smart, and was kind of fat, but he could breathe more fire than any of them.”

  “Seriously?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at the goblin. “Why would a dragon bigger than Stalrik follow him?”

  “Who knows. Come to think of it, all the dragons that were with Stalrik were bigger than he was,” said Dhot, scratching a spot behind his ears. “I always just figured he was the brains of the operation, and that’s why they yielded to him.”

  Cassandra gave me a quick look. I nodded slightly, breaking away from her gaze.

  I, and probably Cassandra, assumed all of the dragons that were with Stalrik were his size or smaller. If he was really the smallest one… then that was frightening. Not because of the power of the other dragons, but because Ulrich mentioned he killed all of them by himself.

  He must be a lot stronger than I originally thought. Maybe it wasn’t so far fetched that he would be able to unite all of the black and reds behind him after all.

  We continued through Truska without saying too much more. Any excitement we had when we first left had disappeared, filled instead with concern and regret. Cassandra and I were coming to terms with how difficult it would be to defeat Ulrich if that time came, while Dhot seemed to be remembering the loss of his family, his friends, and his home.

  Dark clouds began to roll in from the west as we neared Rexford, bringing a constant stream of light rain. I pulled my hood up a bit more, while Dhot produced hoods for Cassandra and himself out of his bag.

  Up ahead, we could just make out the buildings of our destination through the rain and wind.

  “Is this Rexford?” asked Cassandra.

  “I believe so!” cheered Dhot, rotating his Goggles. “Yes, it is! Maha! I knew we’d… make it…”

  I glanced at the goblin as he trailed off, his smile slipping away.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, putting my hand above my eyes to try and get a better look. “Is Nicole’s group up there, or something? The Guild, perhaps?”

  Cassandra let out a gasp and ran up ahead, followed shortly by a jogging Dhot.

  “I can’t see as far as you guys!” I called out. I had no idea what was going on, but chased after them. Hopefully we weren’t running into a fight.

  A hundred feet out, I realized what caused them to run off.

  Next to the entrance to the town, a woman floated in the wind, a noose around her neck.

  Cassandra took out the Shattered Sword, the blade glowing blue, and ran for the rope tied around a nearby tree. Before she could get there, Dhot ran up and grabbed her arm, struggling to hold her back.

  “Stop, Cassandra!” he shouted.

  “Let me go!” she said, trying to yank her way out of the goblin’s grasp.

  “It’s too late!” he shouted. “It’s… it’s too late.”

  Cassandra looked up at the woman again, able to see her more clearly now. She lowered her arm and stopped fighting against the goblin.

  I caught up to them, able to see now what I suspected all along. The woman looked to have been dead for at least a couple of weeks.

  “What is this?” whispered Cassandra. “Why execute a woman in front of your town’s entrance?”

  “It’s to make sure their message gets across,” I said.

  “What message?”

  I pointed off to a large sign next to the woman. It was hard to see in the rain, but I knew to look for it. This wasn’t the first time I’d seen a town doing something similar.

  No Spell Casters Allowed.

  “That’s one way to get people’s attention,” muttered the goblin, shaking his head.

  “A lot of people don’t trust those of us that can use magic,” I explained. “People have become more accepting of it since the Dragon War, as mages really helped turn the tide in certain battles. Unfortunately, not everyone remembers that. There are still quite a few towns around Yaerna that believe spell casters bring death and destruction with them, and don’t allow them within their walls. Being a spell caster in one of these towns is a capital offense.”

  “How horrible…” mumbled Cassandra, looking at me with concern. “Maybe you should wait outside for us?”

  “I agree,” nodded Dhot. “I only need a couple of items, and we can be out within just a couple of hours if everything goes well.”

  “No, no,” I said, putting hand up. “I’ll be fine to enter. It’s not like they can just tell I’m a mage from looking at me. As long as we don’t draw attention to ourselves, we should be fine.”

  “Are you sure?” asked Cassandra. “I’m not sure it’s worth the risk.”

  “It’s better than being separated,” I said. “We’ve got too many people after us right now to split up.”

  Cassandra didn’t seem overly convinced, but she and Dhot didn’t put up anymore of a fight. We would be in and out of Rexford before anything too serious could happen.

  At least, that was the hope.

  The three of us entered the town, which looked like a much flatter, less populated Vorova. There were beaten paths into and out of town, but visitors weren’t nearly as common. There wasn’t much of a reason to go to Rexford for most people, as they didn’t offer any special goods or resources that couldn’t be found anywhere else. If people were trying to get to Vorova from the west, the better kept road went through Grisam in the north. If people wanted to venture down to Aelric, there were faster paths that led through Springcastle in the southwest.

  That being said, the constant looks and stares we received as we passed through the center of town were still worrisome. Everyone that we passed cast a glance at us, eyeing us with concern.

  “Are you sure there’s no way for them to not know?” whispered Cassandra.

  “Uh… pretty sure…” I said, glancing around at the frightened faces. Maybe I was wrong? No one had ever guessed me to be a mage before.

  “We aren’t as special as you might think,” mumbled Dhot. “Look closer at the people.”

  I did as the goblin suggested, and tried to focus more on the citizens. They definitely looked scared, and definitely were casting glances our way. However, the longer I looked, the more I realize they weren’t just glancing at us. They were all glancing nervously at each other, too.

  “What’s got them so spooked?” I wondered.

  “Hopefully we won’t find out,” answered Dhot. “Maha!”

  Even the vendors looked uneasy, no one calling out for people’s business like they did in every other town in Yaerna. That is, except for one.

  “Trinkets, food, and wine!” shouted a human woman off to the side. She had a small table set up, with various items spread on it. “Anything you want, Debra is sure to have!”

  Unfortunately for Debra, no one seemed to believe her. There was a large clearing in front of her, as anyone walking by gave her a wide berth.

  “Excuse me,” smiled Dhot as he approached her. “Would you happen to have any spare Muarium, Muarium sprockets, or visors for sale?”

  “A real customer!” she exclaimed, crouching down under the table and digging around in a few bags. “Let me see here… yup! I’ve got five visors.”

  “Wonderful! I’ll take three, please,” he smiled. “And what’s the price?”

  “A hundred quat even for the three.”

  “Maha! You’ve got a deal!” laughed the goblin, happy with the price. “This nice man will pay you.”

  “What?!” I said as Dhot pointed his thumb at me.

  “You want the underwater breathing devices, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t think I’d-”

  “So, you thought I was just going to do all the manual labor, along w
ith purchasing the parts, and just give them to you free of charge?” he asked, turning slightly towards the merchant. “Maha! Can you believe this guy?”

  “Some people just don’t understand how commerce works,” laughed Debra, shaking her head.

  “Okay, okay!” I grunted, pulling out a hundred quat and handing it the woman. “I just wasn’t thinking, I guess.”

  “Clearly,” said Debra, handing Dhot the visors. “I don’t carry any Muarium with me. It’s not worth the risk when I’m traveling from town to town.”

  “You’re not from here?” asked Cassandra.

  “Thankfully not,” smirked Debra. “No, I’m from Ravendale.”

  “Ravendale?” I asked. “Why not stay there if you’ve got things to sell? Surely the capital is a much nicer place to run a business than this crummy town.”

  “Do you know how oversaturated Ravendale is?” she laughed. “I’ve practically got to give everything away for free there to get any sales, and all of those are at a loss! No, I prefer traveling around the Republic and Truska instead. Towns like this one are normally pretty profitable, since few other merchants pass through them.”

  “Really?” asked Cassandra, looking around. “No offense, but everyone seems to be staying far away from you.”

  “It’s odd, isn’t it,” mumbled Debra. “This used to be one of my highest grossing stops. Everyone’s gone all paranoid and crazy over the last month, though.”

  “Why’s that?” asked Dhot. “Does it have to do with the broad hanging out in the front? Maha!”

  “Woah!” said Cassandra and I at the same time, but Debra laughed.

  “Good one,” she nodded. “And sort of. This town has never accepted mages, but there’s been an increase in accusations for the last several weeks. The trials here are rigged against the accused, so it’s basically a death sentence when it happens. The people here used to be very friendly, but it seems like everyone is afraid they’re neighbor will accuse them, or that anyone could be a mage.”

  “Any idea what could be causing the increase in accusations?” I asked.

  “Not really,” she said, pausing for a second. “Well… there is something… but it’s probably not related.”

  “What is it?” asked Dhot.

  Debra looked around while leaning in and lowering her voice to just above a whisper. “I know this make me sound insane… but I’ve been seeing black dragons flying overheard near the border.”

  “Black dragons?” I asked, tensing up.

  She nodded. “They seem to keep flying around here, sticking close to the border. I mentioned it a few times to other traveling merchants, and they’ve seen them too. Whenever anyone says anything to towns, though, everyone just denies it. A few of my friends have been banned from towns when they brought it up. The towns say the merchants are bringing in lies just to alarm their citizens.”

  “You think black dragons are what’s causing the problems in this town?” asked Cassandra.

  “Who knows,” she shrugged. “Like I said, it might not be related. The timing is pretty fishy, though. I’m sure you three don’t believe me, anyway. Why would black dragons be this far west, right?”

  “No, we believe you,” said Dhot.

  “You do?” she asked, looking at us skeptically.

  “The black and reds are uniting,” I whispered. “I don’t know when, but a second Dragon War is coming. We’re traveling around, picking up items and weapons to be prepared.”

  “No way… oh, is that why you want the breathing devices?” she asked. “You’re trying to get the Time Shield from Lake Quip to help you fight?”

  “Uh… actually yes,” I said, sharing a confused looked with Cassandra and Dhot. “How did you know where the Time Shield was?”

  “Oh, it’s been the talk of the roadways for a week now,” she smiled. “No one knows where the rumor originated from, or if it’s even true.”

  “Lovely,” I said, wiping my face with my hands. “So there might even be other groups going for it, or already there.”

  “And we don’t have all the parts yet,” mumbled Dhot.

  “About that… have you checked with Jonah, yet?” asked Debra. The goblin shook his head. “Jonah Luggard is the blacksmith here, on the other side of town. He’s one of the best, and might have some Muarium laying around. If he’s asking too much for them, say Debra sent you.”

  “We’ll try that,” I said, nodding my thanks.

  “I hope you three find the Time Shield,” she said as we walked away. “Especially if what you’re saying about the black and reds is real.”

  Chapter 14

  Leaving Debra, the three of us continued on through Rexford. Everywhere we went, people stopped to glance up at us nervously, before turning back to what they were doing or glancing around at others. The rest of the merchants here remained quiet, not fighting for attention in the least.

  When we were getting closer to the other end of town, I began to notice people would look at us, then nervously glance behind us. I casually glance back to see what was going on. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. A few people were walking down the street, including several teenagers, but nothing particularly stood out to me.

  Unfortunately, the worried looks behind us continued. We got to the other end of town, which held a rotted sign pointing to our left that said Jonah’s. Turning down the side road, the already loosely populated streets became almost completely barren. A few people stood in their doorways and patios, watching us go by, but other than that there was no one. However, the worried glances behind us happened again.

  I glanced back once more to see if anything stood out this time, or if I was just getting paranoid myself. A group of six or seven teenagers came around the corner, a mixture of humans and orcs. One of the humans caught my eye and awkwardly turned to look at some plants next to someone’s house. The group of teens spread out, looking around at various ordinary objects, trying to look normal.

  Not the best at following people, it seemed.

  “We’re being followed by some kids,” I mumbled, turning back around.

  “I know,” whispered back Cassandra. “Just keep moving for now. We can deal with them later if we have to.”

  “Looks like we’re here, anyway,” said Dhot.

  Up ahead, a large sign with Jonah’s painted in black stood above one of the large buildings down this street. The door was opened, and a red glow escaped from it. Smoke billowed out from the chimney above it, and we could hear distinct clinging as we drew near.

  The three of us entered the blacksmith’s shop, where we were met by a dry warmth. Around the room were scattered pieces of raw material, weapons, and armor. There was a small counter off to the side where a ledger and a stack of quat sat. I was surprised that a store owner would leave money out in the open without keeping the door closed, until I saw Jonah.

  A gray dwarf pounded away at a breastplate that lay on his anvil. Gray dwarves were rarer outside of Brumark than their cousins, simply referred to as dwarves. While normal dwarves were strong among the other races, many had a bit of a pouch for their stomachs. Gray dwarves were all muscle, and Jonah fit the stereotype to a T. If anyone dared to steal from the man, I had a feeling they’d come to regret it very quickly.

  “Hello there!” called out Dhot, taking a few steps closer to get the dwarf’s attention.

  Cassandra followed behind the goblin while I remained in the doorway. Peeking my head out from around the side of the frame, I saw the group of orc and human teens drop their shoulders and shake their heads. Several of them turned to an orc at the front, who pointed back the way they came and said something.

  It looked like they knew better than to start something near the blacksmith. While that was comforting, it was also a little frightening. What was this dwarf’s reputation?

  “Oi!” barked the gray dwarf.

  I turned as he walked away from the breastplate still on the anvil. The dwarf wiped his hand on a rag and was staring at me.<
br />
  “What ya doin in me door?” he asked suspiciously.

  “I-I just thought I saw someone following us,” I said, taking a few steps closer. I didn’t want to offend the blacksmith. Not only because we needed some materials from him, but because I didn’t want to learn what it was like to get punched in the face by a gray dwarf.

  “Someone followin ya?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Cassandra and Dhot shared a nervous look. “And ye brought em to me place?”

  “W-Well, n-not exactly,” I laughed nervously. “T-They turned away, you see, and-”

  “Ye know that fer sure, do ya?” he asked, pushing past the elf and goblin.

  The gray dwarf was getting closer now, and he didn’t seem to be particularly friendly. Unsure of what to do, I began to harness a bit of magic to my hand in case I needed it.

  “What did these vagabonds look like, aye?” continued the dwarf, now glaring up at me from just a foot away.

  “A-A few o-orcs and humans…” I mumbled.

  “Orcs and humans?” he asked, leaning forward.

  I nodded, gulping in spite of myself.

  “Ha!” laughed the dwarf, holding his stomach and shaking his head as he walked away. “Yer green eye’d humans afraid of a bunch of no good street kids!”

  “I’m not sure if I’d say afraid is the right word…”

  “Look at ye!” he laughed. “Yer shakin in yer little hood. Humans get so spooked so easily, ya do.”

  “They do, don’t they?” asked Dhot. “Maha!”

  Cassandra smirked at me while I glowered at the gray dwarf and goblin. Sure, maybe I was a little scared of the three hundred pounds of pure muscle a foot away from me, but I wasn’t afraid of the teens.

  “What can I do ye fer?” asked Jonah, smiling at Dhot. The two seemed to have bonded over laughing at me.

  “We happen to be after some Muarium, and ideally some Muarium sprockets, too,” said Dhot. “A merchant named Debra sent us your way.”