Thank the divines, I was finally able to finish my food. I wipe my mouth as the other three figures at my wooden table stare at me. My eyes shift between each of them but they don’t waver. I can tell what they are thinking, they see me as their leader. Makes sense, though. I was the one that brought them all together and I was the one thing that was the same throughout their dreams. I hate being a leader, it’s always why I worked alone. Their lives are now on my shoulders and I’ve never been one to handle burden rather well. They don’t know this. They think that I am Divine sent to them, to give them an adventure and bring peace to the land or some shite like that. Typical fairytale horse shite with happy endings and no war or bloodshed. I’ve seen my fair share of bloodshed, and I know that this ending will not be happy, well at least not for the mysterious man named Zideka. Hopefully, the endings will be happy for my new found squadron. They are my responsibility and I feel like a mother goose.
Their eyes are still on me and I give a groan before standing. They want to know when we are heading out to start this cross country parade around Jerensi-a. Hate to disappoint them but I have to meet with my manager first. “Come on you three, we have to see Haywood before we leave. You two,” I point my finger to Tia and Ryneld whose ears perk up and Ryneld crosses his arms over his chest defensively. “Make sure you are fully supplied for a possibly very long trip. If there is anything you need go to the marketplace and get it. Meet with Grady and myself at the gates within the hour.” I hand them fifty gold each and eye Tia, “If there is any change make sure to give it back to me.”
The Felidal smirks and twirls a coin between her claws, “No promises.” She walks out of the tavern with my fifty gold and toward the marketplace.
Ryneld looks to me with a smirk, “Probably not the smartest idea giving your money to a thief.” Before I have a chance to rebuttal he pulls his cloak hood over his head and leaves the tavern. Back to the archer and myself.
He walks up next to me with his usual perpetual grin on his lips. He is bouncing on his toes ready and roaring to get going. I pat a hand against his back and push him forward, pushing him out the door and back into the city, leaving the waitress a small five gold tip.
It’s high noon and the city is at its busiest. Seas of people coming to and from the docks, carts full of supplies to sell at the marketplace, smoke fills the air from the forges nearby and yet under all that, the sweet smell of the bakery and sea air still linger. It gives the city a sort of charm to have all these wasteful smells and still have the pleasurable scents as well. I look around for a second to get my bearings and remember that Haywood’s house is near the gate. He has a house in every city, and they are always near the gates in case he needs to make a quick escape from the guards. I’m not his only client, but as far as I can tell I am his favorite. After all, he was the one that taught me everything I know. Picked me off the streets of The Keep after my city burned down. I had tried to join the Combat School in The Keep but they wouldn’t allow me. Said I was too much of a runt and would never be anything of a warrior. Well, I showed them, thanks to Haywood.
I was nine years old when Haywood found me. In the time from when I arrived in the city, I had made a life of doing whatever I could to survive. Yes, I had to steal, which is one reason why I hate thieves, there are many more beside that, but that is the number one reason. I myself was one at that point because if I didn’t, well, I would have joined the crypt under the church. Loaves and apples were easy enough, but stealing never did sit right with me. When I first saw Haywood he had a gold chain hanging from his pocket, probably something he just got from a client, I never did find out. He caught me trying to pick his pockets and almost cut my hands off. Needless to say, I did what any kid would do when threatened. I cried. The man heard my cries and with a heavy sigh he knelt down to try and soothe me. He asked me my name and where I was from. Then asked where my parents were, a typical question to ask a lost and crying child. I told him my story and that was all she wrote. He took me under his wing, taught me the ways of fighting and showed me that I could use these skills to kill the unjust and make money from it. Thus, at the age of fifteen, I killed my first man and made my first hard earned coin. Then on out, I made sure the people I killed deserved the death they were about to receive and I got the coin that I deserved for their death.
The travel from Raymonia to The Keep was not easy. Little eight year old Michael did his best to travel through the Thorn Woods and over the Silver Script River to reach The Keep. By the Divine’s blessing was I able to travel those ten days without being attacked. Now, that journey takes a mere five. The river no longer seems as dangerous, and the Thorn woods don’t seem as thick. Yet, no one knows what is on the other side of those woods. Once soldiers and warriors go in, they never come back out. Stories say that inside the Thorn Woods is where the Dragons rest. That it is where they lay their eggs and live, somehow well feed. Anyone who goes in never comes back out and there are never any survivors. Then again this makes me questions where did the stories come from if no one makes it back out. Not my place to question the logic in the world. Not that there is much logic in it anyway.
The small thatch hut that belongs to Haywood sits right at the edge of the gates. I know it’s his because he is sitting outside talking with another one of his clients. I don’t know the man’s name, Mc-something-or-other, I’ve never really cared for formalities. The man tips his hat to Haywood before sauntering out of the gates. Haywood looks over to me with a smile for a greeting.
“Well, Michael, thought I might see you this morning,” he chides knowing full and well I wasn’t about to leave the city without the information that could lead me to Zideka. He has his hood down even though he is out in the public day light, and I can clearly see his black hair with the grey streaks as well as his greying beard. The brown eyes shine with remembrance when he sees me still in the city.
“Come on, Haywood. Just give me the details on Zideka,” I say annoyed with having to wait any longer before I can continue my journey to kill him.
Haywood reaches into his cloak pockets and pulls out a small crumpled piece of paper. I eye the paper with a scowl. This was the best he could do? He reaches it to me and I about take it before he jerks it back. “One question,” he says with a toothy grin and my shoulders drop, my back hunching over.
“What?” I hiss through my teeth, tired of this game he is playing with me.
“Who is the Felidal and Kanonian you picked up?”
How the hell did he know about this? Then again, Haywood has eyes in every city. I sigh and straight back up. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” He wouldn’t either. Haywood wasn’t a man to believe in Divines and their interventions in everyday mortal life. Hell, I don’t think he believes in the Divines at all.
“Try me, son. You know I take your word,” he opens the door to his house and invites us in for a spot of tea. I roll my eyes and start to resist but Grady runs into the house like a child about to be given candy. I try to grab hold of his scarf to stop him but it slips through my fingers. A disgruntled growl rattles in my throat but I follow after the lad.
The house is simple enough. I’ve been in here a couple of times and there isn’t much to brag about. A one story home with a fire place on the wall opposite the door, a stew pot usually hanging over its fire, and a small table about the size for two people. There are bags of potatoes and other fruits in the cupboards that he calls his kitchen as well as a small pantry room for other commodities such as flour and wheat. To the left of the fireplace is a small room with a single bed, wardrobe and chest at the foot of the bed. As I said, nothing fancy just simple enough for a person to live there whenever they are in the city.
Grady sits down at the table and, I guess, I have to sit next to him. Haywood goes over to his fire place and where there is usually a stew pot is actually a kettle this time over the stoking fire. Seems he was going to have tea whether or not we showed up. He takes three clay cups and sits them on the table, puts the tea grains our cups then pours the hot water in. Grady takes a wooden spoon and stirs the grounds into the hot water and the clear water goes a murky brown.
“What kind of tea is this?” Grady asks sniffing the liquid.
“I thought you of all might recognize it,” the man laughed sitting down and sipping the hot tea from his own cup. “It comes from Breetanya.”
Grady sniffs it and then takes a sip. His eyes widen with joy and a smile dances on his lips, though when does it ever seem to leave? “It’s Pu-reh isn’t it?”
Haywood nods with a chuckle, taking another sip, “Glad you enjoy my taste in tea. Breetanya has the best tea in all of Terasiia in my opinion.” Grady nods and takes another sip. I stare at my cup as the clear water turns the murky brown. I’ve never been one for tea, I was more into ale and beer myself. Haywood looks over to me with those dark brown eyes as if daring me not to drink. A noise gets caught in my throat and I pick up the cup to take a sip. The man smiles and turns to look between both of us.
“So, will one of you boys tell me who the other two animals you have picked up are?” Grady gives me no time to even try because his mouth is already open and spilling the story of the dreams, how Tia stole from us and how I approached Ryneld at the Island Hopper Tavern. The entire time Grady tells this tale of the last few hours, Haywood nods listening intently. He strokes his beard and turns to me. “You think that the Divines have put you four together to stop one man?”
I shake my head and sit the cup down at the table. “I think it’s bigger than Zideka. Something to do with that dragon that attacked my town. Something beyond mortal knowledge.”
Haywood scoffs before he takes another sip of his tea. He sits the empty cup down then chuckles. “Divines. Aaxeics. I’ve never been one for that sort of thing. But it seems that your rag tag group all believe they have been called by the dreams you each shared. Not sure if I can believe it, but I can help you reach your goal.” He pulls out the crumpled up paper from before as well as a map of Jereseni-a. He opens the map across the table and hands me the paper. I open it up with Grady looking over my shoulder to see what is written.
“Fort Everico?” I ask looking to the map that he has laid out.
“Yeah, the old Adder Fang Fort,” he says pointing to a spot beside the city of Terhelm. The Adder Fang were a rebellious army that was led by Serpentine Milne against the High King of Jerensi-a. A full civil war raged for thirteen years and almost put the country to ruin and divided it forever. High King Geoffry was able to hold his ground in Terhelm with the empire’s army as his disposal.
Milne had felt that Geoffry would only lead our country into ruin because he associated in trade with foreign countries. Milne believed that Jerensi-a was a country meant for humans and Lalinos alone. No elves, no Felidals, no Kanonians and especially no ogres. His followers believed that these races would lead a rebellion against the high king if something wasn’t done soon. Turns out there was a rebellion, just by the wrong group. Funny how the world works like that. Needless to say, the war raged on and both sides won and lost their fair share of soldiers. Another ironic note was that even though the Adder Fang were for humans and Lalinos, the other races still sided with the Fang. No one really knew why, seems they were just against the High King. The war finally ended with the death of Commander Milne at the seat of the High King’s throne.
The forts still stand, but they are abandoned and pretty much left empty for monsters or other adventurers. Fort Everico was a decided point in the war. It is in between Creeten and Terhelm and the Adder Fang had their headquarters in Creeten. Holding a fort so close to the enemy line would be lucrative and the Adder didn’t wait to jump on that. The battle at Everico is one that Bard’s sing about in Tavern’s, it’s told to children as bed time stories. A story of war and bloodshed of a hundred of the High King’s men died at the Everico, but Adder fared no better. In the end the Adder took the fort and pushed the attack on Terhelm. Every person in Jereseni-a knows this story, so it would make sense that someone looking to destroy to the country would hide there. Well, I am assuming he is trying to destroy the country, why else would he have a dragon attack a defenseless city?
“Well, Grady, you ready to head out?” I ask looking over to the archer beside of me. The man gives me a quick nod with a flash of his teeth.
“Blimey, am I ready! Let’s get to this fort!” He stood up and went toward the door.
I roll my eyes and ask Haywood if I can take the map. He moves his hand to motion for me to take it. With a simple movement, I roll it up and put it in my bag. “That boy is a hyper one isn’t he?” He asks me with a chuckle as Grady stands at the boy.
“You have no idea,” I groan pulling my bear hood over my head. Haywood chuckles and gives me a sympathetic nod. He wishes us good luck and then we leave him alone in his house.
Tia and Ryneld are waiting at the city gates just like I asked them to. Ryneld hands me ten of the fifty coins I gave him to buy supplies with and Tia hands me back five. I eye her suspiciously and with a sigh she hands back ten more. One hundred and seventy five gold rounds left. I sigh a little and tie the coin purse to my belt with a tight knot. That isn’t much in Jerensi-a.
The currency could be weird depending on which city you were in. A night at an inn within the walls of Terhelm would run a person around two hundred gold rounds a night, but a night in Creeten would only cost twenty-five to thirty. Part of the reason, well actually, most of the reason for that is because of the Lords ruling over that city. They decided the taxes in each city and some would raise the tax at most twenty-five percent. Terhelm has the highest tax, then again, it is the country’s capitol. I just hoped we didn’t have to spend the night in that city, we couldn’t afford it.
The small groups looks upon me, waiting for my orders to send them on their way or whatever they think that I want. I pull out the map and show Tia and Ryneld where our destination is.
“Oh, an Adder Fang fort. Maybe there will still be old soldiers there and I can curse them,” Ryneld said rubbing the chin of his muzzle with a sadistic smirk.
“No, we are there for Zideka. If he has minions then you can kill or curse them, however you please. Leave the man for me, I have unfinished business with him,” I roll up the map and put it back in my bag.
I take a deep breath and look at the large wooden gates in front of us. This is it. This is the start of my revenge. Everything I have been working for in the last nineteen years was finally coming to fruition and leaving this city was the first step in that direction. I don’t move, though. It’s all too surreal and my journey will be over. What will I do then? Chasing this man has been my goal for these years and most of my life. Will my life be over when he is dead? My fist clench together but soften when I feel something touch my shoulder.
I look over and see the blonde, scrawny archer smile at me. This is a genuine smile, a smile that you would only see maybe twice in your life time. He gave me a nod and held firm on to my shoulder, his calloused fingers massaged the bear skin pelt, and his smile didn’t falter when he spoke. “We are with you, Michael. No need to worry.”
This man just met me a few days ago, and here he was telling me not to worry. With a nod I turn away from him and look back to the gates. Taking a deep breath through my nose, we push open the gates and leave the city of Meetal and back into the wilderness of Jerseni-a. Get ready Zideka, your life ends soon.
