The knight gave up first and turned back to stare at the people in the market. Vevin looked to Liselle with his arms spread to see if she knew what the knight was upset about. She was still too busy gasping for air to be of any assistance.
“It is my duty to deliver wrath upon those who would trod upon the downtrodden,” the dark knight said to them, though he still faced the plaza and the inconveniently un-suffering people who went about their business, blithely ignorant of how inconvenient they were being.
Liselle had just about caught her breath and was wiping her eyes when Vevin said, “Trod up-on the down-trodden?” sending her into a new fit of laughter. “There seems to be a lot of trodding in the world,” he finished with concern in his voice.
Sir Danth completely ignored him this time and continued his explanation. “If this were a normal city with peasants wallowing in the mud, begging for food and relief, I would draw my sword and find the oppressors and thieves of happiness.” His voice was becoming louder and louder. “Then I would cleave them from their unholy bodies and cast their souls to the skies.” At this point, the knight had drawn his sword and was holding it above his head as he swore his warning with booming voice reverberating through the market plaza.
Liselle was standing and had her hands on his shoulder and arm. “Sir Danth, please put away your sword. You’re terrifying the people.” Indeed, there were people running in every direction and a few of the vendors looked to be packing their stalls, though it was only just after noon.
The sword lowered slowly until the tip was touching the ground. Liselle moved around to face him. “I cannot imagine what you have gone through, my noble knight,” she told him with a gentle hand to the side of his helm. “Peace, Sir Danth of Morhain. You will have opportunities to right injustices within the world. Save the money for those times and let this city remain happy.”
Sir Danth turned to her and sighed again. He put his sword away and nodded. “Aye, Milady. You’re words are wise, gentle and true. I will heed them.” The knight sat down and seemed to relax somewhat. The vendors who had been about to close their business also relaxed and reopened the stalls. People avoided the three of them like the plague however.
“What about Athron, the boy we met the first time we came into Puujan?” Liselle asked. “He seemed poor and downtrodden.”
“I looked for him the first night after we came back from Garrrn Caverns,” Sir Danth replied. “It is a tragedy I must say.”
“Oh? What happened?” Liselle asked in trepidation.
“The lad’s parents were miners who lived in a village in the hills not far away. They died in an accident a few weeks before we met him. The lad ran away here to Puujan when told about it.” Sir Danth’s words were heavy and slow as he relayed the information. “A few days after we left to the caverns, he tried picking someone else’s pocket and the guards were called. The boy knew the penalty for stealing, so he ran from them.”
“His name is Athron. Please use it.” Tears began to well up in Liselle’s eyes as she feared how the story would end.
“Of course. You are correct, Milady. Athron ran to the top of the southern wall. Guards came at him from both directions. He jumped from the wall in despair, shocking the guards. When they reached his body a short while later, he was already dead.” The final words fell heavily. Sir Danth hunched forward with elbows resting on his knees. It was clear the news had affected him badly.
Tears ran down Liselle’s cheeks as she covered her face in her hands. She knew how badly it hurt to lose parents and knew exactly how Athron must have felt. Tathan had helped her through the worst of the grief and even at the darkest moment, Liselle would never have considered leaping to her death, but she understood. The flower in her hair drooped sadly in empathy.
Vevin put his arm around Liselle’s shoulders. “That is so very sad. I wish he could fly like me.”
“Aye, I wish he could too. I wish we had helped him at the time. My instincts have dulled from disuse,” the knight said, obviously upset. “The guard I spoke to informed me that the boy . . . Athron would not have been put to death.”
“Oh? I though death was the penalty for everything,” Liselle replied with a puzzled frown.
“It’s not common knowledge, but the Rojuun have been avoiding the death penalty lately,” Sir Danth informed them. “They are now taking each individual crime into consideration and coming up with punishments that fit the crime. In Athron’s instance, they would have found him a new home.”
“That’s really nice,” Vevin responded. “I’m glad. I want to like the Rojuun, but it’s hard sometimes. That makes it easier.”
“It brings me that much more regret that I did not help Athron,” the knight stated.
“You didn’t know, Sir Danth,” Liselle said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. Vevin’s touch made recovering from sadness a great deal easier than in the past.
“None of us knew. I didn’t see it even with my great vision,” Vevin said with an encouraging smile. He gently shoved the knight in an attempt to bring up his mood.
Liselle reached over and put a comforting hand upon Sir Danth’s gauntlet. He took it and brought it to where his mouth would be as if kissing it. Then he straightened, the burden leaving his shoulders. “I did not speak of it until you asked so as not to spread melancholy. It is not a pleasant tale.”
“Truly it is not,” Liselle agreed. “I thank you for telling us though. I’ll remember it the next time I see someone so unhappy.”
“As will I, Milady. As will I,” the knight agreed with resolve in his words.
“I’ll try to make a new vision to be able to see it better next time,” Vevin said with a nod. Liselle and Sir Danth stared at him for a moment before they realized he was serious. He grinned uncomfortably at their stares.
Sir Danth shook his head in disbelief at the dragon. “Were the two of you able to gather any information?” he asked, changing the subject.
Vevin and Liselle relayed the information Talia had given them. Vevin became excited again when talking about the Rainbow Caverns. Liselle showed Sir Danth her new jewelry and he was suitably impressed when they told him about the bargain they got.
When they were finished, Sir Danth relayed what information he had learned. “I wasn’t certain where to start. I’d been here in the merchant plaza before and thought it would be wise to try elsewhere, so I headed toward the mountain side of the city where I discovered similar information about the length of time it will take to get to Alluu and across to the other side of the mountains.” He gestured in the direction of the mountains that rose above the city. “The entrance to the road is at the center of the mountain face. There are two more thick walls protecting the entrance should the Druids break through the outer wall of Puujan. They are just as hopeless to defend as the outer wall would be with no proper protections from siege equipment. To add to that, there are houses built against the outside of them,” he said with a shake of his head.
“A large cave just inside the mountain houses an administration building. You have to check in there to get a permit to travel.” The knight pulled papers out of a small round case he kept on his belt. “I took the liberty of getting our papers so we can go through whenever ready. He handed one to each of them. Liselle looked at hers blankly.
Vevin read his and folded it back up. When he looked at the way Liselle was holding hers, he put a gentle hand on her arm. “Why didn’t you tell me that you couldn’t read, darling? I’m willing to teach you.”
She looked up in surprise. “How’d you know?”
He took the paper out of her grasp and turned it right side up. Neither he nor the knight laughed when she blushed in embarrassment. “I’ll teach you to read during our travels if you like. There’s a lot of interesting information in books.”
She smiled gratefully. “I’d like that. Thank you so much.” She held up the letter. “This will let us travel along the Cavern Road?”
“Yes, and to visit or work
in cities along the way. It does not allow us to go anywhere else within Rojuun territory though,” the knight explained. “Each of us has our own letter. You may keep yours or I will hold it if you wish.”
“I’ll keep yours with mine if you like, dearest,” Vevin suggested.
Liselle considered before handing it to Vevin. “Yes, that’ll work best I think. I’m with you almost always.” He took the offered letter and put it with his, making them both disappear. Liselle giggled when she realized they made a soft poofing sound.
“While at the administration building, I started some idle conversation with a few of the human guards.” Sir Danth continued the story, putting the other two letters back in the case. “Recently, Alluu has had a stronger presence of the Rojuun army than before and most of the soldiers reside in the stronghold your jeweler told you about. If I were to hide away a kidnapped princess in my strongest keep, I would certainly position more soldiers in it.”
“Oh yes, that makes sense, but I would think that keeping her out of any city along the Cavern Road would be the smart thing to do,” Vevin said with a frown.
“Yes it would. However, I don’t think the Rojuun would expect rescue in their territory. They are overconfident and naïve in many ways,” the knight pointed out. “I don’t know for certain if that is where she is being kept, but it’s a good place to start in my opinion.”
Vevin nodded in agreement. “Oh yes, most definitely. Based on your information and ours, that would seem to be the best place.”
Liselle nibbled on her lower lip as she considered. “What about the stronghold? How would we get in if it’s guarded?”
Vevin and Sir Danth looked at each other. It was obvious neither of them had considered the question. The knight spoke first. “Well, we just kill the guards and break down the door. Once inside, we rescue the princess and take her home. Best to keep it simple.”
“You really think it’s just that easy?” she asked with raised eyebrow. “Even if we did make it in and rescue the princess, they would try to stop us on the way out and every step of the way back to Mayncal.” She looked around to make sure no one was listening. People were still giving them an extremely wide berth.
“Well, we’ll just have to fight our way out too,” Vevin replied like that made all the sense in the world.
“The Rojuun are fierce warriors who won’t give up easily and we’ll be in deep caves with at least two week’s journey in either direction,” Liselle protested. “Getting to Mayncal will take even longer, wherever it is. Until recently, I hadn’t even heard the name of the kingdom.”
“Hmm, good point, Milady,” Sir Danth agreed. “We shall have to find another way to get into the stronghold.”
“Aww, I was hoping for a chance to taste one of the Rojuun,” Vevin said with a pouty expression.
The knight chuckled at that. “Perhaps one of them might chance upon us during the rescue and you’ll have to eat him so no evidence is left.”
“Oh, do you think so?” Vevin asked excitedly. “That would be wonderful.”
Liselle rolled her eyes. “Don’t encourage him, Sir Knight. There’ll be no eating of Rojuun or anyone else if it can be avoided,” she chided.
“Of course. I’m just saying it might be something that can’t be avoided,” the knight explained with a grin. Liselle decided that if the knight had had a body, she would have tweaked his cheek for that comment. “What is your recommendation for getting into the fortress should that be where the princess is being kept, Milady?”
She thought about it for a moment. “My recommendation is that we speak to Tathan and see what he’s learned. I’m certain he’ll be able to come up with a plan for breaking into the fortress.”
“Oh yes. Good idea. I think Tathan is good at breaking into things,” Vevin said agreeably.
“I would dare to say so, Master Vevin. That is a very useful bad habit to have in our little group,” Sir Danth stated.
Liselle sighed. It wasn’t as big as one of Sir Danth’s but an excellent effort nonetheless. “I think we should finish eating then head back to the inn and wait for him. It’s getting rather hot out here anyway.”
“Oh I like the heat, dearest. It warms my scales and bones.”
“Yes, but I’m wilting and that’s even with the shade the trees provide.” She pulled the neckline of her robe away to get some air. It really was hot and Liselle was beginning to sweat profusely. A bath sounded excellent. “Let’s finish eating and then we’ll go.” Vevin nodded sadly while Sir Danth went back to scanning the crowd in the hopes of finding a downtrodden peasant.
Chapter 12
Tathan was back in the area where he had sensed an ambush during their last visit. Just because he had walked away without figuring out who had been following him didn’t mean he wasn’t dying of curiosity about it. His senses were right more often than not and survival was a more useful instinct than curiosity.
At the moment, he was standing at the corner of an alley across from the building he had chosen not to enter. He could see the alley entrance from where he stood. Beyond that were the lakeside wall and the street he had walked down last time.
There had been no movement for the last two hours since he arrived. Heat didn’t bother him too often and it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as a summer in Dralin, but sweat was starting to trickle down his back and he didn’t feel like dealing with it. A part of him felt guilty for staring at what appeared to be a vacant house rather than getting information about the princess, but wanted to see what the rest of them would discover. At least that’s the excuse he gave himself.
Tathan moved to the corner of the building he had been casing and quickly climbed up to a small, foot-width ledge where the floor of the second level was joined with the walls. He was able to use that to get to the nearest window. After a quick check to make certain no one was watching from below, he maneuvered his knife to unlatch it. Then he pushed the window open and slipped in quietly, moving immediately to the side of the room.
Tathan crouched low with knife in hand, remaining where he was until his vision adjusted to the darker room. There was a good deal of light coming in from the window, so it didn’t take long. Even though this house was vacant, a bed was up against the wall that looked as if it had been used recently. There was also trash around the room. Most of the empty houses in Puujan had no furniture. Warehouses in the city contained basic furnishings, which could be purchased with a home. The concept had floored Tathan when he heard about it. Nobody had ever taken care of citizens in such a way to Tathan’s knowledge.
He sniffed the air. An inhabited room normally smelled of bodies, food and that sort of thing. There were lingering odors, but nothing fresh. He guessed that whoever inhabited it had been gone for at least a couple of days. Mixed with that was another odor that seemed more animal than human. There were also scratches on the wall whose origins he couldn’t distinguish. Whoever lived here had some sort of creature with them.
The door to the rest of the house was ajar. Tathan moved to the edge of the opening and listened. He stayed there for a good ten minutes. It was boring, but patience had saved his life many times and he had all day if needed. The house was quiet with the exception of a few flies and other insects going about their business.
Tathan slid through the doorway and into a short hall. To his left were a couple of rooms and to the right was a stairway leading down. He checked the rooms, finding no signs of habitation. Light shone from a window at the top of the stairs that Tathan was sneaking toward. He paused just out of sight to see if he could discern sound coming from below.
After hearing nothing, he moved to the stairs and began heading down. They were made of stone like most of the house. Tathan was grateful as stone rarely betrayed footsteps the way an old wooden board would. He checked the stairs for wire or loose stone on each step. Anyone who would set up an ambush would likely set traps as well.
The bottom level was darker than the upper. Dust motes drifted thr
ough dim light from the upstairs window while the windows below were shuttered. To the left of the stairs was a good-sized living room. On the far side of the room was a doorway to what would most likely be the kitchen. Beyond that would be the door to the alley where the ambush would have been.
The living room had a table with two chairs. There were no carpets or wall hangings of any sort, but litter was strewn across the floor. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, Tathan realized that something was alive in the far corner, something bigger than average.
The creature was facing the wall, curled up in sleep from what Tathan could tell. It had dark black fur and looked to be roughly the size of a small bear, though it had a large, furry tail covering it like a blanket. There were scraps of food around it along with pinecones, nuts, twigs and other items from the forest and around the city.
Tathan stood there against the wall, wondering what to do. He didn’t want to wake the creature, though he was certain he could handle whatever it was. The problem was that he had never seen a bear that looked quite like that.
The door to the kitchen opened and a woman stepped through. She removed the hood of a black cloak from her head, exposing ebony hair. “Steve? I sense someone here.” Her beautiful voice resonated within the room, having an edge to it that surprised Tathan. The woman was stunning. Dim light made it hard to see her eyes, but he thought they might be green. Tathan was intrigued.
Then the creature stood on its hind legs, responding to the woman’s entrance. Tathan’s jaw dropped when he realized that it was a black squirrel a little taller than him. The woman and squirrel scanned the room. Tathan realized both their eyes were dark green and looked exactly the same. It was unnerving.
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