Quests Volume One

by Barbara G. Tarn

  Hinrik remained limp as someone wrapped him in the blanket and carried him somewhere else. The place felt warmer, but he still lay on the ground. Must be a tent with no camp-beds.

  He curled up in the fetal position and dozed off.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Bellinda awoke with a headache, sort of normal after a healing, especially a deep one. Keneith was by her side with a mug of warm tisane as soon as she moaned and opened her eyes. He knew the effects of her gift on her and was prepared, as usual.

  Bellinda sat and sipped the tisane, waiting for the headache to recede. "Thanks," she said, giving back the empty mug. "Give me a moment."

  "Breakfast is almost ready," he said. "Do you think we should wake him up?"

  His chin pointed at the young man curled up on the ground and wrapped in the blanket that still left quite a lot of skin exposed.

  She shooed Keneith out and leaned over the wounded man. Again she closed her eyes to feel him, and his sleep seemed normal. His body was healed, but she doubted his mind was.

  She opened her eyes with a sigh and observed him for the first time. His brown hair curled up at the nape of the neck. He was handsome and looked harmless in his sleep, but his muscles showed he was a man of action. She wondered where he'd lost his weapons and armor, since he was definitely a warrior.

  She gently shook his shoulder and startled him awake. Eyes of a strange turquoise widened in surprise before he focused on her and exhaled in relief.

  "Would you like to eat something? We are headed for Salamar, do you want to come with us?"

  "I'm thirsty," he whispered, sitting up. He pulled the blanket over his shoulders and winced. He seemed to remember his bruises and checked them, staring at her puzzled when he didn't see them.

  "Your body is healed," she said. "It will carry you outside to eat and drink. As for the rest... there is only so much that I can do."

  He frowned and nodded. He slowly got to his feet and followed her outside.

  Belfi and Keneith sat by the fire, boiling more water for more herbal tea. Keneith offered his dry cookies, but only Bellinda took one. The young man headed for the river.

  "He's thirsty," she told the other two, sitting down.

  "He's half-Waiora." Belfi smiled. "His name is Hinrik."

  "Did he tell you?"

  "His father did."

  "Oh, right, so you spoke to a Waiora."

  "He knew we were coming. Water is everywhere, and the water people know everything that happens near water."

  Bellinda nodded, thoughtful. Of course the members of the Magical Races knew a lot more than Humans. And they'd talk to Belfi, since he was almost one of them.

  Hinrik came back, holding the blanket like a cloak, his face still wet. He sat on the only free spot around the fire and this time he took a cookie from Keneith's satchel, nibbling it as if he were afraid.

  "So, Hinrik, I'm Bellinda and this is Keneith and that's Belfi," she said, sipping another mug of tea.

  "How do you know my name?" he asked, wary.

  "Your father brought you here and told me your name," Belfi answered. "Where would you like us to take you?"

  "Nowhere," Hinrik snapped. "I'm dead to the world!"

  "I think you're pretty much alive," Bellinda replied. "Like I said, your body is healed. I took care even of the old wounds. But if you want your friends and family to think you're dead, that's another story."

  "I don't have friends and my mother is dead," he muttered, staring at the fire.

  "And you may feel useless, but if you're still alive, if you survived, there's a reason. Therefore I suggest you keep on living. Might be a good idea to change profession, though. You're a warrior, right?"

  "Army of Salamar," he said with a nod.

  "Uh-oh." Keneith shook his head. "You were trying to protect Moriana, weren't you?"

  "We were defeated." Hinrik glared at him. "But I don't think I want to keep fighting. For what? To protect what? This makes no sense at all!"

  "Not from our point of view, no," she said, thoughtful. "Kings and the powerful are another matter."

  Hinrik looked at them. "Who is the kingmaker?"

  "Some people call me that," Belfi answered. "Even in Salamar, I helped Conon to get back his throne."

  "You mean Conon I? Wasn't that almost a century ago or something?"

  "More or less. They call me the Immortal Half-blood for a reason." Belfi grinned while Bellinda chuckled and Hinrik gaped. "You have just discovered you're a half-blood. I guess you could explore what it means to have Magical Races' blood in your veins. If you don't have a place to go back to, come with us. I'm making a pilgrimage to the ruins of the capital of Rayheart, where I grew up centuries ago."

  "And we're exploring the east," Bellinda added. "I'm half-Genn, and Keneith is half-Fajrulo."

  Hinrik's eyes widened again in wonder.

  "I see we need to explain a few things to him," Keneith said. "Glad we're not in a hurry to go anywhere..."

  ***

  Hinrik listened to the three half-bloods, almost incredulous. He'd grown up thinking he had no father – although his mother had indeed mentioned one, but when she'd noticed it upset him, she had stopped talking about his father – and now not only had he met him, he'd even discovered he was one of the water people, the Waiora who lived in bodies of water, oceans included.

  That explained his love for water, but not the rest. He wasn't sure he had any special gift like Bellinda or could become a magic user like Keneith. The Magical Races were all different and had different levels of magic.

  The Genn belonged to Ether and they'd become invisible to Humans after losing their overground kingdoms before the birth of the Moren Empire, although some still showed up in Salamar – and apparently in the Varian Kingdom, since Belfi didn't feel the need to hide his pointed ears yet.

  The Fajrulo belonged to Fire and they were the most powerful, hence Keneith's magic was the strongest. But Waiora and the Sila – Air people – only had a strong affinity with their element, and although Hinrik had felt it, maybe there was more to it than healing water.

  Going back to Salamar didn't sound like a good idea, because he'd have to resume his service of the king and keep fighting his wars. He could use the freedom to explore what it meant to have magical blood. He could go anywhere and forget that last battle and its tragic ending. But he needed clothes and a horse, and he had those at home.

  "My war stallion was killed, but I have a gelding. And a few spare clothes and some other things. Except if I go there, they'll see me and they'll know I'm alive and..."

  "I can speak to the king of Salamar for you if you want," Belfi said. "He'll release you from your duty and let you grab your things before you leave."

  "Oh!" Hinrik stared at them, still puzzled.

  He shivered under the blanket. He really needed to retrieve his clothes. And exploring the world with three strangers might keep his mind off what happened.

  "I'd be grateful if you could do that," he said hesitantly. "I will repay you all," he added, looking at all three in turn.

  "You don't need to repay us," Belfi said.

  "I heal because it's my gift," Bellinda added. "I don't need to get paid, but a roof and a real bed over my head for a couple of nights would be wonderful."

  "And it's no big deal to take you there, we were going there anyway," Keneith concluded.

  "Maybe one of you guys could lend him a tunic while we get closer," Bellinda said then. "He can ride with any of you."

  "Or you can lend him your mare and ride with me," Keneith suggested with an impish smile.

  Hinrik wondered if they were a couple. They seemed to be really good friends, and quite intimate. Belfi watched them, amused.

  "You should lend him your gelding," Bellinda retorted. "Only Belfi is man enough to ride a mare and be proud of it!"

  Belfi burst out laughing. "She's right, Keneith, give up your horse to our guest, I'll give him some clothes!"

  "If you can give
me something to cover myself, I'll ride any horse available until we're close enough to Salamar and I can retrieve my things," Hinrik said shyly.

  Belfi got to his feet and went inside the tent.

  "You might want to follow him, unless you want to dress under my eyes," Bellinda said. "Which I might enjoy, but maybe it's not really what you had in mind." She winked.

  Hinrik blushed and rushed inside the tent. Clothed but still barefooted, he climbed into Keneith's saddle and held on to his waist. The tent had been taken down and packed, the fire extinguished and they were ready to hit the road again.

  "Don't worry, Salamar isn't far," Belfi said as they spurred their horses forward.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Salamar was a large town with wood and stone walls with few gates. It had been built around a central bridge on the River Ondan and a small part of the city was on the western shore. The palace and other main buildings were in the older part of town on the eastern shore.

  It had a couple of big city parks and lovely fountains. The nearest tavern was halfway across town, on the other shore. The main craft being weaponsmithing, the economy was strong and growing now that the Varian threat had gotten closer and had started eating at the kingdom's borders.

  The streets were paved with bricks and the buildings kept the windows shuttered. The guards at the gate looked like thugs, but they recognized both Belfi and Hinrik, so they grumpily let them through.

  "Where should we go first?" Bellinda asked. "The royal palace or Hinrik's house?"

  "I can take him to see the king," Belfi replied. "You may want to rest and use the public baths in the meantime."

  "Oh, what a wonderful word you said!" She sighed in bliss, then coughed as the stench of a side road that was obviously used as a sewer made her gag. "Dirty town!" she said, disgusted, after catching her breath. "I hope the baths are clean."

  "They are the best in the world," Hinrik said without looking at anyone in particular.

  "Well, if a Waiora says they're fine, I'm going to trust him," she said, relieved. "Where do we find them?"

  Hinrik pointed them to the public baths, sliding off Keneith's saddle and mounting behind Belfi instead.

  "There's a tavern nearby, the Unlucky Bard," he said. "We can meet you there for dinner, and then we can go to sleep at my house. It's very small, but it has a roof and a couple of cots."

  "It will do," she replied. "See you later."

  She waved goodbye to Belfi and headed for the baths with Keneith. There was a stable service at the Unlucky Bard, so they left their horses there before heading for the warm pools of thermal water.

  Bellinda washed away the dust of the journey in the women's room. It wasn't very busy at that time of the day, so nobody bothered her with questions or useless chatter. She hoped the king would release Hinrik from his duties and that the young man would go with them.

  She wondered what his magic blood did. What kind of magic did water have? Maybe they should talk to his father before leaving the Ondan's shores, but Hinrik didn't look like he wanted to talk to the being who sired him.

  He'll get over it, she thought, rinsing her long dark blond hair. She didn't like lingering in the baths, so she quickly dried herself and went to wait for the men in the tavern's main room.

  The Unlucky Bard was medium sized and decently clean, but looked quite shady. The food was overpriced and of poor quality, but she didn't care. She wasn't a food person, as long as it was edible, anything would do.

  As she nursed a goblet of hard cider, she observed the people around her. The healthy crowd was quite loud, with a few shady characters. Most patrons were sober and openly armed, but there were burly, threatening bouncers to keep the peace.

  Only half of the dark corners were occupied and the most notable patron seemed to be a scar-covered adventurer who was obviously getting free drinks. The bartender played games with patrons during breaks.

  Bellinda was happy they wouldn't have to pay for the rooms as well as the food. She wondered where Hinrik kept his spare horse, and what kind of house he had. And if he was ready to leave everything behind like she had done.

  ***

  Hinrik followed Belfi inside the royal palace. The immortal half-blood seemed to know the way better than him! And even though Belfi hadn't been in Salamar for more than half a century, everybody seemed to know him.

  And then they reached the great hall and Hinrik noticed a huge tapestry hung behind the king's throne and over the dais that represented Belfi and probably King Conon I confronting the Regent. On the throne underneath sat King Conon II, Conon's grandson, who looked surprised first and delighted immediately after when he realized who was sauntering towards him.

  "Are you Belfi the Immortal Half-blood?" he asked, stepping off the dais to meet Belfi.

  The king of Salamar was thirty and his heir, Prince Ronan, was still a child. Since Conon, they had passed those two names along, alternating between Conon and Ronan every generation.

  "I am he," the androgynous being answered with a smile. "The artist who made that tapestry is really good."

  "It was a workshop under the direction of Liana. She said she had met you and my grandfather in his youth. It took five years in the making and it's now forty years old."

  "Very nice," Belfi said admiringly. Then he focused on the king again. "I've come to see how you're holding up against the Varians."

  King Ronan's smile vanished. "We lost Moriana to them. And the Blackmore in the south east are threatening us as well. I'm afraid I won't be able to keep my grandfather's throne for much longer."

  Belfi nodded, thoughtful. "I cannot help you with that. I can use a sword, but I'm not a general or a strategist. I've come to ask you a favor. I don't think you'll need this deeply scarred soldier in your army anymore, so please discharge him, so he can find peace of mind away from the warring realms."

  Belfi waved towards Hinrik who gulped under the king's puzzled stare. He'd never been in the presence of King Conon before. His captain had dealt with higher-ups, he only obeyed orders.

  The king motioned to a side door and led them to a smaller chamber. There was a table with fruits and wine, and they sat there, away from the courtiers' ears.

  Hinrik had to tell the king what had happened in Moriana, how the army had arrived too late to save the sieged town and got such a beating that many had been left dead on the battlefield. He had seen his captain fall along with many of his companions – but he didn't mention the aftermath, only that he'd met Belfi who had helped him to reach Salamar.

  King Ronan sighed. "So much blood wasted," he whispered, shaking his head. "I hope they don't march on Salamar."

  "At the moment the tribes have stopped them," Belfi said. "Mameth Anak and Rota Anak fell, but the castles of the north won't yield. I don't think the Varians will cross the Ondan yet, but you might want to evacuate the other shore of the river and be ready to destroy the bridge, just in case."

  King Ronan nodded, thoughtful. "I will do as you suggest. As for Hinrik, he is discharged with honor. I will send the discharge notice to his house tonight."

  "Thank you."

  Hinrik noticed Belfi didn't use any respectful title such as "Your majesty." The immortal half-blood must be used to royalty. No wonder they called him Kingmaker.

  Hinrik waited until the king and Belfi finished talking, then he headed back out with the blond young man. When they reached the Unlucky Bard, Bellinda and Keneith were already there, waiting for them to order a light meal.

  "Yes, I live nearby and my horse is at the tavern's stables," Hinrik said when Keneith asked him about it. "I hope the king will send my pay with the discharge note or I won't have enough money to pay to retrieve it."

  "Why am I not surprised a half-Waiora lives next to the public baths..." Bellinda smiled at him. "I have some coins, I'm sure we can pay all the bills."

  "How will we earn a living out there?" Hinrik asked, frowning with worry.

  "That's an interesting question," Ken
eith answered. "I don't think we have figured it out yet."

  "Let's get some sleep first," Bellinda added. "Things will look clearer in the morning..."

  ***

  Hinrik's house was very small and squeezed between two bigger and taller buildings. One room was used as a living room and kitchen during the day with a creaky wooden staircase that led to the upper floor where there was a bedroom with two cots and basins to wash one's face and hands. The outhouse was in the backyard, and a ladder led to the attic, which was even smaller than the other rooms because of the slanted roof that made the corners unusable.

  "If you bring a mattress up here, I'll be just fine," Bellinda said, looking around from the hatch door, standing on the ladder. The roof seemed solid and she loved attics.

  "I'm afraid I don't have enough mattresses for everybody," Hinrik apologized as she stepped down.

  "They don't need mattresses," she replied with a shrug while Belfi and Keneith took one of the cots and moved it to the attic with the help of levitation spells.

  "They're used to sleeping on the floor?" Hinrik asked, incredulous.

  She grinned at him. "You'll see."

  Keneith and Belfi came back downstairs.

  "My lady, your room is ready," Keneith said with a mock bow.

  "Thank you, Ken. Will you be sleeping here or downstairs?"

  "There is probably more room downstairs and I'm sure Hinrik values his privacy," Keneith replied. "We might push the table and benches against the wall, though."

  A knock on the door meant they all went back down the creaky stairs. It was a messenger from the king. He had the discharge note and a purse of coins for Hinrik, but also a letter for Belfi.

  "No need to wait, I'll send my reply to the king tomorrow morning," Belfi said, dismissing the messenger.

  Hinrik looked relieved to receive his pay. "It's enough to get Shytur back," he said. "My horse," he added at Keneith's blank stare. "And I might buy new weapons and armor as well. I will need them, right?"

  "It depends on how you intend to earn a living," Keneith replied. "I don't really use swords."

  "But you're a wizard, I'm just a soldier."