It was hard to tell what time it was with the trees covering most of the sky. The clouds didn’t help either. I figured it was early evening when we found a large river. There was a stone bridge crossing it, which was good because the river was flowing south at a fast pace and it would be a bit scary to move across it. Beyond the river towered several large buildings. In fact, as we passed the road we found ourselves in the elf city of Celvanis.
Chapter 8
“Whoa!” Jerak said out loud. I agreed, this was quite a place! The city was raised up from the ground on stone with wooden buildings that would make any woodcarver jealous. There were tons of hanging plants in all sorts of colors. Orbs attached to tall poles kept the city well lit at night. It looked more like some fancy park with buildings than a city.
“We should find a place to stay for the night,” Bolam insisted. I nodded my head in agreement and looked over at the other guys but only saw Teltar. Jerak had wandered off to speak to some elf girl. Oh, crap.
I ran over and pulled him away. She looked somewhat confused. “Hey, what are you doing?” Jerak protested.
I sighed, “We don’t need you to anger any of the elves here.” Jerak looked puzzled and replied, “Oh, I wasn’t going to work my charms on her. I was trying to introduce her to you since you both, well, you know...” I stared at Jerak and wasn’t sure if he really meant that.
I glanced at her and let go of Jerak. Common sense kicked in and I remembered how Jerak did with women and grabbed his arm again, “Maybe later.”
There were a lot of pretty girls here, but I felt almost too intimidated to approach any of them. We rested at the inn and I sat in the tavern, just casually looking at the hot elf girls there. A few, I think, were taken but I was not sure about some of the others. Bolam tapped me on the shoulder, “We should talk.”
I followed him into our room. Teltar was already there, staring out the window. Once the door closed, Bolam spoke in a quiet tone, “Blake, what do you suppose we do?”
It took me a moment to understand what he meant since my mind was still on some of the women in the tavern. “Huh? Oh that…”
Bolam nodded, “I have been pondering about it for some time. Do you really think the elves will allow us to get the boots?” I sighed and gave a shrug. I really didn’t know. If I told them my story, they might think I was insane.
Jerak came into the room with a red mark on his face. Yeah, introducing me to a girl, my butt! He was trying to flirt with one on his own. Bolam cleared his throat, “There has to be a reason they keep a cursed item like the Dragon Boots. They are not going to give it to someone with a story like yours. Even if you have the helmet, they might just take it from you and lock you up for being crazy or something.” Bolam had a point; I barely believed it myself.
Jerak laughed, “We have the key, so we should just go get them.”
“Shhh…” Bolam whispered.
Jerak lowered his head and whispered, “Sorry.” I took out the envelope and grabbed the key.
I took a deep breath and whispered, “I don’t think it would be safe to just waltz right in and grab the boots and walk back out.”
Bolam nodded, “I agree, but if Falstrid gave us that key, he must know something we don’t.”
Jerak got up and stood proudly, “I will go check the place out.”
Bolam sighed, “Are you crazy?”
Jerak nodded, “Yes, er, no… I am just not the sort to sit idle and talk it to death. We should just go over there and see the place then we can form a plan.” We all stopped and stared at Jerak; for once that made sense.
Teltar groaned, “I am not keen on the idea of stealing, even from the elves.” I suddenly felt a bit guilty.
Jerak whispered, “Well, it is not like they really want them.” Teltar turned toward Jerak and waited. Jerak continued, “They’re cursed, right?” Bolam nodded. Jerak shrugged, “Then why do they want to keep them?”
Bolam answered, “I really don’t know…”
Jerak nodded, “Yeah, and besides they aren’t the elves’ boots either.”
Teltar raised a brow, “Oh?”
Jerak looked at me, “Well, they are that Dragon Spirit’s boots, right?”
I nodded, “Yeah, he is trapped in the armor.”
Jerak smiled, “See? We are not stealing the boots but freeing the Dragon Spirit.”
Teltar scratched his chin for a moment and nodded, “I guess that makes sense…”
We all walked out into the streets that night. I really had no clue where in town they kept the boots locked up. Bolam faced forward and whispered to me, “We should not even mention the boots so they won’t get suspicious.” Bolam led the way as if he knew where to go, which was fine because we didn’t have a clue. Bolam led us to a very tall, round building. He took a deep breath, “Here we are… the archives.”
I stared up at the large building and straight at the two guards outside the building. The guards blocked our path. One of them spoke, “Halt, what business do you have here?”
Bolam smiled, “Oh, I am sorry for arriving so late. I am from the magic school. I traveled here to study some of your artifacts.”
The guard looked at him and then at us, “Not many come here at this hour. These guys don’t look like scholars.”
Bolam looked at me, “Oh, this here is my friend and these two are hired swords.” The elf looked at us, “I’ll let you and your friend come in but your body guards will have to wait outside.”
Bolam and I walked inside. The door closed behind us. I started to feel a bit nervous. An elf in a fancy white robe walked up to us, “I am sorry, but the tour is already over for the day.”
Bolam smiles, “Oh, we are here to study some of your enchanted artifacts.”
The elf looked at us and then smiled, “Oh! We have much in that category.”
Bolam grinned, “Oh, good! I have to research ancient cursed items.”
The elf pointed to a side door, “Our forbidden artifacts are sealed away in the cellar.”
Our tour guide opened a large wooden door which led us down a spiraling stairway. Small orbs began to glow, apparently activated by our presence, which gave us plenty of light to make our descent safely. “Please be careful; these rooms are guarded with a magical barrier to cause ill fate to those that break in without the proper key.” Bolam and I exchanged looks but kept following this man. Finally, we reached a long hallway with several doors on each side. The elf guided us all the way down to the last door at the far end of the hall.
The elf took out a key that looked just like the one I had in my pack and shoved it into the keyhole. He turned the key, the lock made a loud clicking sound, then he slowly opened the large door. On the other side of the door stood a statue of some kind of dragon or gargoyle with an orb in its mouth. “Be careful to not disturb the statue, it is made to shoot lightning at intruders but might discharge if you bump it too hard.” Behind the statue stood several short pillars with glass cases on top of them bearing various items inside.
The elf cleared his throat and stood next to the statue, “Feel free to view the items, but do not touch. These artifacts are sealed for a purpose. Bolam and I casually walked up to each item to view what was behind the glass. I saw a blackened sword. Beside that stood a stack of sealed scrolls and next to that an old-looking book. On the other side, the display glasses held a fancy ring which made me recall some fantasy book I had read, next to that stood a strange figurine then finally the boots.
The Dragon Boots shone as if they were brand new without a scratch or scuff mark. The boots were of simple design with the same tiny dragon-like wings that marked my helmet at the side of the heel. I stared at it and tried to figure how one could design such boots without any sign of imperfection. I wondered how comfortable they could be made of some kind of metal. Thinking how the helmet could be worn in full comfort, I figured these would easily replace my boots for travel. Bolam and I checked out the other items casually.
After Bola
m viewed the other items, we were escorted back upstairs into the lobby. “Pretty fascinating, huh?” the elf said cheerfully.
Bolam smiled, “I am quite impressed. I hope it won’t be too much of a bother to come back in the morning and see the other artifacts?”
The elf smiled, “Of course, you can take our tours which take place twice in the morning and four times after noon. You might also want to check out our vast library which is open to the public tomorrow.”
Bolam smiled even wider, “That would be great; I am looking forward to it.”
Bolam stood next to a planter in the room and pointed at the other end of the lobby, “Is the library down that way?”
The elf turned that way, “No, that is where we store records, the library is upstairs.” While the elf was distracted, Bolam put something down behind the planter and stood back up while nodding at what the elf was saying. I saw what he did there. The elf turned back to look at us, “I guess this concludes our visit. Please come again.”
The elf escorted us outside where we saw Teltar and Jerak sitting on a bench nearby. Jerak stood up and smiled. Bolam causally walked over toward the other two and waved. Teltar just yawned. I looked at Bolam and he whispered to me, “Let us go back to our room and plan things out.”
Three of us sat in the room and set our plans. Jerak was outside in the tavern to make sure no one came near our room to spy. Jerak might not have been the best man for the job, but I was sure, if he remained sober, that he would do fine. “The place isn’t guarded at all from the inside,” I whispered.
Bolam nodded and whispered back, “They have it locked up and protected with magic so it is somewhat guarded.”
Teltar whispered, “There isn’t really much of a threat of robbery for cursed items.” Bolam thought for a few minutes before he spoke, “Alright I have a plan…”
Bolam took a deep breath and whispered, “Blake and I will return there, while you and Jerak find an escape route.”
Teltar sighed, “An escape? What do you…?”
Bolam adjusted his fake glasses, “It is possible that we will get the boots without anyone knowing. But eventually they will find out. It takes almost two days to travel through these woods.”
I took a deep breath and spoke quietly, “All those sentries in the trees will turn us into pin cushions.”
Teltar nodded, “True, but how do you propose we escape?”
“As we traveled here, I kept thinking of plan after plan. At the front of the city we crossed a large river, right?” I nodded and Bolam continued, “Right, and it moves south at a pretty fast pace right?”
Teltar played with his beard, “You want us to escape down river?”
Bolam adjusted his glasses, “I want you and Jerak to go find some a boat, one large enough to fit all of us but covered so no one can see us.”
I shook my head, “That might take some time.”
Bolam nodded, “I know, but we should at least try.”
Teltar looked away and nodded, “That is fine. So, when are we doing this?”
Bolam looked at the two of us, “Ideally, we should do this tomorrow night.”
“So why did you left something at the place?” I asked Bolam.
He just smiled, “Oh, I am planning to return and gather more information tonight without raising suspicion.” I really didn’t know what kind of information he was trying to gather but he seemed clever enough that I trusted his judgment. Bolam whispered, “You are going to have to sneak into the vault alone and take the boots.”
I raised an eyebrow, “Why alone?”
Bolam sighed, “I am going to keep the guide busy so you can go down there… besides that statue may shoot lightning magic.” I leaned back and got goose bumps. He explained, “Your helmet absorbed air magic such as lightning, you are the ideal person for the job.”
I took a deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair, “Alright…”
Bolam and I met up with Jerak who was just relaxing at a table in the tavern. Teltar was planning to retire early. “Hey guys, so what is new?” Jerak asked us. He was actually doing a good job being casual.
I smiled, “I am going to check out the city. Want to come?” It was true, considering this might be the last time I could come here after stealing the boots… oh, I hoped it would all turn out alright.
Anxiety kept me from enjoying the cool night air. This was really a nice place and it almost made me wish I was an elf so I could live in a cool place like this. As we took a few steps out into the streets, we saw several elves in green robes jogging past us. There were quite a few of them, and they met up with several guards. “What is going on?” Jerak asked. I was feeling really paranoid. Did they know our plans? Naw! They wouldn’t have run past us if they had known. We walked toward all the sentries and guards.
“What is going on?” Bolam asked some random guy.
He just replied, “Oh, they are moving out north.”
Bolam looked at us and at the group of sentries.
The elf spoke again, “There is rumor of an attack at the northern border of the woods.” Bolam nodded, “Wow, I hope things turn out.”
The elf nodded back, “Yeah, several scouts checked the area out earlier today. I think it might be Shadens.” We stood with the other civilians and watched the group of sentries and guards jog toward the north.
Bolam whispered to me, “This is really lucky for us.”
We looked at each other and didn’t utter a word. Eventually, most of those that were watching the event went back to whatever they were doing before.
Bolam walked over toward Teltar and whispered, “You think we should look for a boat now?” I glanced at Jerak who had his pinky in his ear and didn’t seem aware of our luck. Looking at Bolam, it seemed like we might try to pull this off tonight.
“Blake, go help Teltar. Jerak and I will go see what shops are open tonight,” Bolam ordered. Teltar and I gave a nod and headed back toward the east of the city. I wondered why he sent me ou,t but maybe he thought if I helped Teltar our chances of finding a boat would increase. I really didn’t know. My heart was beating fast from excitement.
Teltar and I found the edge of town by the river. I casually walked around and looked at the boats. Teltar just followed, looking like he was going to fall asleep at any moment. This was so crazy! There were a few boats, but most looked too small or just didn’t meet our requirements. An elf girl walked by us. I flashed her a smile. She just glanced at us and raised an eyebrow but kept moving. Oh well, it wouldn’t be a good time to flirt anyway. Teltar poked at me and whispered, “Hey, found one.”
It was just too perfect. It was a large row boat with an old canopy cover tied down by metal loops on the side. It looked like it had not been used in a long time but would float without a problem. Teltar and I carefully looked around and lifted it from a stack of other junk. It was pretty heavy but it should fit all of us, barely. We would just be very cramped for a while. We carried it down a small brick stairway which led right to the river. I looked up and all around-not a single soul. I think that attack up north took the bulk of the sentries’ attention. Teltar whispered to me, “Go fetch Jerak and I will keep this ready.”
I walked back feeling lightheaded and very nervous. We were actually going to pull this off! This was totally nuts! Bolam and Jerak came back with a sack full of food. Bolam smiled, “Hey, so how goes it?”
I smiled back, “Teltar is ready, and we should celebrate soon.” Jerak looked at me strangely but Bolam got the message. I whispered to Jerak, “Just head down the street and follow the river south, behind the old warehouse…” Jerak nodded and walked down that way. Bolam and I just watched him and took deep breaths.
Bolam smiled at me, “We bought some food for our celebration, please put this in your pack.” He handed it to me. It felt heavier than I expected. I looked inside and saw Jerak’s mace in there. From the look on Bolam’s face I could tell he meant me to use it to break the glass case. I set it in my pack and sm
iled back at him. Bolam then pretended to look surprised, “Oh, I think I left my note book at the archives. Go with me really quick to find it.” I gave him and nod and followed him toward the building.
This time there was only one guard at the door, the same one that stopped us the first time. He gave us a strange look, but Bolam spoke to him before he could ask a question, “Hey, I think I left my note book in there. Would it too much trouble to get back inside?”
The guard sighed, “Go right ahead.”
Bolam smiled at him “Thank you kindly,” and walked inside. I followed him and was relieved that the guard didn’t hassle me.
The same elf from before was sitting in a comfy chair and looked like he was reading a book. He looked up at us and seemed a bit confused. Bolam scratched his head, “ I think I lost my notebook here.”
The elf looked around, “Really? I will help you find it.”
Bolam and the elf walked around the main room until Bolam happily “found” his notebook, “There it is! I tend to get a bit absent-minded at times.”
The elf chuckled, “I hate when that happens.” Bolam grabbed his notebook and glanced at the elf’s book, “Oh, you are into illusion magic, too?” The elf looked down at his book and grinned, “Why, yes, I am! Sso you are familiar with I,t also?” Bolam walked toward him, “Yeah. I’ve been studying it for quite a while. My teacher was teaching us the fundamentals of it.”
Bolam was pretty clever. He placed a hand on the elf’s shoulder, “Hey, I heard you guys have a fantastic selection of earth magic spells.”
The elf chuckled, “We have tons!”
Bolam grinned, “Would it be too much to ask to see? I also want to see the illusion spells.” Bolam and the elf walked toward the main stairs.
The elf sounded like a big nerd as well, “Sure! We don’t get many visitors at this hour. Perhaps we can exchange knowledge.”
Bolam nodded, “Yeah! Oh, wait a second.” Bolam looks at me, “Hey this might take a while. You don’t mind waiting here?”
Dragon Hero Page 17