by Logan Jacobs
“Goodbye, sweet dreams,” she muttered into the mattress. “I will cherish my memories of the sleep we had here.”
“It’s been fun, huh?” I chuckled.
“I’ve really enjoyed our time together,” Mahini murmured from behind me.
“I’m sorry our honeymoon is over so quickly,” I said in an apologetic tone.
“Are you joking?” Elissa giggled. “I saw a dragon today! Life with you will always be an adventure, and I knew that when I signed up to be your wife.”
“I follow you,” Mahini purred. “Honeymoons are based on time spent, not location.”
“She’s right!” Elissa sat up with a bounce. “We can still be on our honeymoon. We’re going to meet the king, after all. That means we get to stay in his palace, doesn’t it?”
“Huh, I hadn’t thought about that,” I mused “Where does the king live anyway? And what all is he the king of?”
“All of Sorreyal, I guess.” Elissa shrugged. “He lives in a big palace in Vallenwood, the biggest city in the realm.”
“So Sorreyal is the name of this kingdom?” I asked.
“Yes,” Elissa said as her vibrant eyes twinkled. “It’s the greatest realm in all the lands, and Vallenwood lies right at the heart of it.”
“I’ve never been,” Mahini informed us. “I traveled outside the edges of the city, though, and the lights were spectacular even from a distance.”
“Well, you’ll get an up-close and personal look at the palace when you’re with me,” I assured my two lovely ladies with a shit-eating grin. “We’ll see everything this world has to offer. Speaking of which, what other realms are there in this world? How big is Sorreyal?”
“Sorreyal stretches from the edge of the wild lands in the south, up to my homeland in the Kotar desert,” Mahini explained.
“Then there’s Covenguard, the realm that shares our northwestern border,” Elissa added.
“Sorreyal is a large kingdom,” Mahini said, and her gaze turned inward. “My homeland is a very long journey away from Vallenwood, let alone Bastianville.”
“So, you’re used to life on the road,” I said.
“I am,” the former mercenary replied, “but I am glad to have found a home with you, Great One.”
“I do miss my father sometimes,” Elissa said in a nostalgic tone. “I know he worries about me, but I think a letter will help lift his spirits. I’m going to work on that before we pack.”
The tiny redhead leaped from the bed and scurried over to the table, but then she skidded to a halt and turned to us with a blush.
“I don’t have paper or a quill,” she said as her shoulders slumped.
“I’m sure the duke will have some,” I assured her as I crossed the room to gently rub her shoulders. “When they deliver the maps, I’ll ask for some letter writing supplies.”
“Really?” Elissa’s emerald eyes lit up with joy, and she hugged me tightly. When she pulled back, she had black streaks on her face from where she’d pressed up against my breastplate, and I laughed.
“I need to get this armor off me,” I informed her, and I wiped some of the transferred soot off from her face to show her.
“Ew,” she said with a wrinkled nose. “I guess you’re right.”
“Here, Great One,” Mahini said as she gestured me over to her. “I’ll help you take off your armor.”
“Thanks,” I said, and I lifted my arms so she could unstrap my chest plate.
The desert goddess concentrated on her work for a moment, and a comfortable silence fell between the three of us. Elissa began singing while the obsidian-haired beauty worked at my straps, and it brought a smile to my face. Then Mahini began to hum along, and her melodic voice floated through the air like white clouds on a sunny day.
I was a lucky man.
Once I was out of the metal pieces, I set all my armor to the side for it to get cleaned later, and I was relieved I didn’t have to do the task myself. There were up sides to staying in a castle, after all.
The thought of traveling again reminded me of our horses and mule, and I realized it had been several days since we’d seen our steads. Goliath was likely getting cabin fever being cooped up in a stable more than he was used to, and Elissa’s mare, Star, was probably raring to go as well. Warrior, Mahini’s mule, seemed too steadfast and stubborn to bother caring, but that was heartwarming in its own way. It would be nice to be horseback once again with the road open ahead of me, so in a way, I was lucky the dragon attacked.
I had a new quest.
It felt like I’d leveled up after meeting the duke. I owned the audience chamber and negated everything the nobleman had thrown at me, and in the process I’d acquired a new level of power. I was basically equal to a duke, and I had total control over Bastianville and its copper mine. Thinking of quests reminded me of the duke’s reward, and I made a mental note to visit the treasury before we left.
A knock on the door suddenly pulled me out of my thoughts, and I crossed the room to the portal in a few short steps. Outside my room stood a servant with his arms full of rolled-up paper. He was wearing the red tunic common for the castle servants, and his short-cropped black hair had started to speckle with age.
“Your maps, sir,” the servant explained, and he gestured to the papers in his arms.
“Come on in,” I said, and I beckoned him forward. “Lay them on the table if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, sir,” he replied, and he emptied his arms onto the large table in the corner of the room.
“One more request,” I said as he turned to leave.
“Anything, sir,” he said as he inclined his head. He gave me a look like he had been expecting this, but there was no attitude in his voice.
“My wife needs materials to write a letter to her father,” I explained in a polite tone. “The sooner the better, she’s not the patient type.”
Elissa giggled, but she didn’t argue.
“Yes, sir,” he replied with a bow. “Right away, sir.”
Then he darted out the door and disappeared like he was being chased, or running from more tasks. Either way, he was gone, so I shut the door and turned my attention to the maps.
Mahini was one step ahead of me, and she unrolled one as I approached the table. It was a huge map, and Castle Bullard was a small speck on it in comparison to the big circle that indicated Vallenwood.
“It looks like it will take one week to travel to Vallenwood,” Mahini said as she trailed her finger from one location to the other.
“We will need to make sure we have enough food to last us for longer than that,” I said with a thoughtful tone. “We will have extra mouths to feed this time.”
“Do you think our party should grow?” Mahini tucked her jet-black hair behind her ears. “It will be easier to go undetected in a smaller group.”
“The king will show us more respect if we go with an entourage,” I pointed out. “Otherwise, we are just three citizens asking to talk to the king.”
“I understand.” The desert goddess nodded, and then she turned her attention back to the map of the realm, so I did the same.
It took me a while to find Bastianville, but there, in tiny print, was the word “Addington.” The map hadn’t been updated since the town had been renamed in my honor, but that was okay. It showed the road between our current location and the king’s palace, so I rolled it up and moved on to the next map.
This one was a detailed depiction of Vallenwood itself, and the king’s palace laid at the heart of a complex network of intertwining circles. The streets and roadways looked like a maze, so I knew this detailed map would come in handy when we were making our way through the city.
The third map was another detailed one, but it was of Castle Bullard and the town within its walls. There were red x’s on certain buildings, and I knew from my experience in the streets that they were ones destroyed by the dragon. I supposed the duke had included this map to ensure I communicated just how devastated the t
own had been by the dragon attack.
“Enough looking at maps,” the desert goddess admonished me. “You need to take a bath. You smell like smoke and heroism.”
“You’re right,” I chuckled, and I plucked at my dirty shirt. “Clean clothes will be nice.”
I carefully pecked them both on the cheek so as not to add even more soot to their faces, and then I headed into the bathroom to bathe off the stench of smoke.
The water was heavenly, and I soaked my weary muscles for almost an hour before I finally climbed out all wrinkled and pruney. I toweled myself dry quickly, and then I wrapped the fabric around my waist.
The girls were both lounging on the bed, and Elissa had her feet propped up on Mahini’s lap. They looked content and comfortable, but they smiled when I entered the room, and the world got a little brighter.
“I already wrote my letter,” Elissa announced. “I told a servant to give it to the courier to take back to Bastianville.”
“And I told the same servant to send word to the mapmaker to change the name to Bastianville,” Mahini added with a proud smile. “He swore it would be done.”
“Good job, ladies,” I laughed, and I glanced around the room.
Our packed bags were piled near the door, and everything appeared to be in order. I shook my head in awe at how quickly they’d worked to get us ready to leave, but then I yawned and realized how exhausted I truly was. Time to get a good night’s rest, and then we’d head out on our quest.
I climbed into bed between my two beautiful women, and we all snuggled up together beneath the thick green covering. It was the perfect cap to a long day, so I made a new save point, and then I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
The sun shone through the windows with a vengeance early the next day, almost as though it was summoning me to start my newest quest. I groaned, and I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes before I stretched my arms over my head.
“Time to get up, my sleeping beauties,” I murmured to the two gorgeous women I shared my bed with.
“Not yet.” Elissa frowned and hugged her pillow tightly.
“She is still not an early riser,” Mahini chuckled as she sat up and stretched her arms. “She’s lucky she’s so handy with a mace, or we’d leave her behind.”
“You would not,” Elissa pouted as she came up on her elbows to glare at the desert goddess. “I’m invaluable, and you know it.”
“I merely tease to get you to rise,” Mahini said, and she let out one of her beautiful laughs.
Elissa stuck out her tongue at the obsidian-haired beauty, but she had a playful twinkle in her emerald eyes as she got out of bed, nonetheless.
We were dressed and ready to go moments later, but I flung my personal pack over my shoulder before we left the room. It had the inferno wand and my two remaining griffon feathers inside, and I wanted to keep it close. Then we made our way through the hallways, and I hailed a servant as we made our way down to the audience chamber.
“Our bags need to go to the stables,” I informed him. “Make sure our horses have been groomed and fed while you’re at it. We’ll be riding out today.”
“Yes, sir,” the balding man said with a bow, and he trotted away to do my bidding.
The duke and Tobias were the only ones in the audience chamber when we arrived, and I greeted them with a friendly wave.
“Good morning,” I said with a broad smile. “I’m leaving today, so have the men you are sending along be ready within the hour.”
“Of course, Great One,” the duke replied as he inclined his head.
“In the meantime, I’d like to claim my reward,” I said, and my smile widened.
The duke chuckled and gestured to Tobias. “Show the Great One to the treasury, please, son.”
“Yes, Father,” Tobias replied, and he gave the duke a low bow.
Then he took the lead, and the three of us followed him out of the audience chamber and down a hallway. He continued walking for some time, and then he pulled a curtain aside to reveal a hidden doorway that led to some stairs. We walked down into a basement level and entered a hallway lined with doors, and the air grew colder. The gas lamps on the walls flickered from the draft, and the shadows danced across the stone floor.
“Hey, man,” I said as we walked slightly behind the duke’s oldest son. “I’m sorry about your brother, but he gave me no alternative.”
Our escort was quiet for a long moment, and I almost thought he hadn’t heard me.
“It doesn’t surprise me Lucian got himself killed,” Tobias finally said in a calm voice. “He wasn’t the nicest man.”
“Still, my condolences,” I said.
Tobias shot me an appreciative glance over his shoulder. “Thank you.”
The man didn’t seem to be a massive dick like his brother was, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.
We walked for another ten minutes or so in silence, and then Tobias stopped and indicated a door to his left. The three of us entered the room, and my jaw almost dropped at the decadent display of wealth before me.
Chests overflowing with gold coins sat at odd angles across the floor, and a display case in the center of the room exhibited some jewelry. Shelves lined the walls, and they were covered in golden sculptures, ornate weapons, and even more jewelry.
I cruised around the room with my mouth agape, and then my eyes fell on an obsidian bow. It shimmered in the light of the lamps, and it looked like it was made of glass. I couldn’t help myself, and I touched it to activate the stats.
Durability - 100%
Weight - 5lbs
Quality - Flawless
Magical Aspect - Night
Magical Ability - Whisper
I didn’t know what the magical aspect or ability meant, but I wanted it, so I picked the bow up and tested the weight of it in my hand. It was the perfect length, exactly my height, and the draw of the string felt just right. It seemed too good to be true.
“Have you found your choice already?” Tobias asked with raised eyebrows. “I expected you to take the full hour.”
“What is this bow made of?” I asked as I inspected the black glass-like material.
“It’s a special ore,” Tobias informed me. “Made of cooled lava. Sorreyal only has one volcanic mountain, and it hasn’t erupted in ages, so the stone is incredibly rare. The bow is a good choice.”
His eagerness made me hesitate. Maybe there was something in here that was more powerful than the bow, and the duke’s eldest son was trying to salvage his inheritance. So, I put the weapon down, and I inspected the rest of the room.
I combed through the chests of gold, but the duke had said I could only pick one item, and I wasn’t about to waste my reward on a single coin. Then I moved on to the jewelry, but I trusted my women’s opinion of its quality more than my own.
“This is pretty.” Elissa seemed drawn to a golden circlet tiara, but when I touched it, no stats popped up. It didn’t have any magical abilities, and even though it was pretty, it wouldn’t come close to the bow.
“What about this?” Mahini indicated a sword that sat on a shelf near the bow, and she shot me a questioning look.
I obliged and glanced it over. It looked like it was made of the same black glass-like stone as the bow, and it had a wicked jagged edge. Then I checked the stats.
Durability - 100%
Weight - 3lbs
Quality - Legendary
Magical Aspect - None
Magical Ability - None
It rivaled the bow, but it didn’t have a magical ability or aspect, so I was still leaning toward the ranged weapon.
“It’s nice,” I said in an apologetic tone, “but I like the bow better.”
“Very well, Great One,” Mahini said with a twinkle in her blue eyes. “The bow it is.”
“Good,” Tobias said as he rubbed his hands together. “Now, can we get out of this freezing dungeon and get back upstairs?”
Realization dawned on me. Tobias hadn’t been ea
ger because he didn’t want me to pick something other than the bow, he was anxious to get away from the below ground level and back to the warmth of the upper floor. It did no harm to weigh out my options, though, so I grabbed the bow and followed the duke’s son out of the treasury.
“I think you made an excellent choice,” Elissa chirped as she hooked her arm through my spare one.
“It is an incredible bow,” Mahini observed, and her piercing blue eyes took in the obsidian weapon in my hand. “It is too large for me to use, but perfect for you, Bash.”
“It’s almost like it was made for me,” I laughed.
“I hope it serves you well,” Tobias said with a half-smile. He didn’t seem to be one to show a lot of emotion, but he was polite like a good nobleman should be.
By the time we reached the audience chamber, the sun was climbing high into the sky, and I was anxious to get onto the road before we lost too much daylight. Ten armored men were waiting for us with the duke, though, so I took a moment to scan over what was obviously the men traveling with me.
They stood with their shoulders back and their chins lifted while I inspected their ranks. Several met my eyes confidently, but a soldier in the back avoided my gaze. I frowned at the evasive guard, but then Riondale saluted when my eyes fell on him, and I grinned at the young lieutenant.
I’d have to get to know these men pretty well if they were to accompany me for the next week. No one wanted to camp with strangers, after all, and I hadn’t seen many towns on the way to Vallenwood when I’d looked at the maps.
“These are the men who will accompany you to the king’s palace,” the duke explained with a flourish of his hands. “Riondale has been put in command since you have such a high opinion of him.”
I got the impression he enjoyed the small ceremonial acts of his office more than he did actually leading, but I allowed him his dramatic explanation.
“Well, he was out in the streets helping when many were not.” I shrugged my shoulders and gave the duke a pointed look.
“Yes, well, many had to protect the citizens who sought refuge in the castle,” Tobias interjected on his father's behalf.