by Tony Johnson
Steve looked at Kari, surprised by her observation. That’s something only a warrior would pay attention to, he thought. She’s got a great mindset for small details, thinking back to how she worried about their footprints being tracked. Then, seeing Ty gingerly stepping over dead bodies, searching through their belongings, he asked, “What are you doing?” implying that the Elf was doing something wrong.
“What?” Ty defended himself. “You searched through dead bodies for canteens, so I’m searching for a sword.”
“It’s a good idea,” inputted Kari. “We need weapons.” She bent down and filled her quiver with one of the warriors’ arrows so her supply was full. “We don’t know if the thing that attacked these warriors will attack us. We need to be prepared.”
Steve saw no reason to argue, so he picked up a shield and a sheath for Brightflame. He wore the circular, steel shield over his shoulders as if it were a backpack and attached the sheath to his belt.
Ty gave him back Brightflame. He then grabbed two swords, a longer, heavier one for his heavy attacks and a lighter, smaller one for his speed attacks. Being a slender Elf, he favored speed, agility, and accuracy over brute strength.
Other than weapons, the heroes also equipped themselves with armor. Steve was the only one who didn’t need any since he had his red armor plate, spaulders, and gauntlets. Although they were dented and broken in places, he refused to replace them. Being fitted and given this armor for the Joust was one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received. I can’t throw it away, it’s too special to me.
Ty and Kari found the warrior whose body size was most closely comparable to their own and started putting on parts of their suits of armor. As they put them on, Steve collected all the full canteens of the deceased warriors.
“There’s not much more we can do here,” Ty said after taking a canteen from Steve and drinking it in its entirety. “We’ll have warriors from Serendale retrieve these bodies so they can be buried back in town.”
“We should be arriving at Hunters’ Den shortly after nightfall,” Steve declared. “Hopefully there will be some horses we can borrow or a wagon we can use to hitch a ride to Serendale in the morning.”
Agreeing with his brother, Ty tried to cheer his companions up thinking about what they could expect later. “I can’t wait to have a hearty meal and sleep with full bellies on feather-stuffed mattresses.”
The three continued on the road that twisted, turned, wound, bent, rose, and fell for a long while, but the fog never left their presence. Even though it was well past midday, it remained. They followed the fog and the fog followed them. It encircled them, but always seemed to stay the exact same distance away.
After a while, they came across a sign which showed Hunters’ Den as 5 miles north and Serendale as 140 miles north. Hunters’ Den is just ahead! they all thought as their pace picked up in excitement.
“I can’t wait to eat,” Ty was even more excited than he had been at midday.
Alternatively, Kari was thinking more long-term. In a chipper mood herself, she stated, “I can’t wait to go to Serendale. I’ve always wanted to travel there. Have either of you ever been there?”
“We both have,” Ty answered.
“Plenty of times,” added Steve. “Thatcher would take us on vacations there when we were younger. It’s a much more laid back and relaxed town than Celestial’s constant busyness. It’s called Serendale because it’s so peaceful.”
“I’ve heard they have an excellent baker who designs cakes in any shape you can request. He sent my mother and I a bunch of baked goods after my father died. I’m interested in talking to him and seeing how he knew my dad. I think the baker’s name was Ezekiel,” Kari struggled to remember.
“Yeah! We know him! Uncle Zeke!” Ty exclaimed.
“He’s your uncle?”
“No, not a true uncle, that’s just what Steve, Darren, and I called him as children. My father grew up across from him in Celestial. They were best friends until Zeke ended up moving to Serendale to open his own bakery. They continued to keep in touch though, and they’d always visit each other if either one of them was in town.
“Uncle Zeke is involved in one of the few stories Darren remembers our parents telling him as a child,” Ty continued. “After my mom and dad had dated for a while, my dad knew he wanted to propose. He went to Serendale to get help from Uncle Zeke, whose bakery specialized in creating unique and decorative cakes. My dad asked him to bake a cake of my mother’s favorite flower, a pink daisy.
“On my mom’s nameday, she opened the box with the cake inside. In the center of the flower’s pink frosting petals was an engagement ring.”
“That’s so sweet!” Kari hugged herself and gushed at the thought of that kind of romance.
“Literally!” Ty laughed, thinking about the cake and the romantic proposal. “After my parents died, Zeke kept tabs on Darren and I. Every time he was in Celestial, he stopped by Thatcher’s house and brought us each a mini-sized cake in the shape of swords, shields, horses; they were always so cool.”
“He treated me like I was one of the Canard boys too,” added Steve. “One time he made me a cake of the legendary red dragon King Zoran rode. ‘Crimson Singe!’ I yelled when I opened the box. It was so awesome. I didn’t even want to eat it. Yeah, we’ll have to stop and visit him when we get to Serendale. I haven’t seen him in three years at least. It’s been too long.”
“For sure,” Ty agreed. “Uncle Zeke was one of the reasons Thatcher took us to Serendale so often. He knew Zeke was one of the few connections Darren and I had left to our parents. If it wasn’t for my Dad and Thatcher being best friends, I think Zeke would’ve been the one who adopted us.”
“Maybe you would’ve become a baker rather than a warrior,” Steve jested.
“I cannot picture you being a baker,” Kari laughed.
“I know, I would eat all the food I cooked, especially if I was making cakes like he does,” Ty admitted with a smile.
For the remainder of their walk, Steve’s coughing fits grew increasingly violent. Twice he left the trail to throw up in the forest. In addition to those things, he was growing even paler and developing a fever.
“He’s getting a lot worse,” Kari observed, speaking softly to Ty as Steve loudly wretched up the little that remained in his guts.
Ty agreed. “He’s deteriorating fast.” He needs help. His face is as gray as the fog and his lips are the same blue as his eyes. We’re going so slow, but we’re almost there.
“I’m sorry. I’m trying my best,” Steve apologized, feeling like a burden as he knew the two were discussing his condition again. No less than ten steps after he muttered the words, he fainted for the second time in as many days and began convulsing on the ground. White foam bubbled out from the corners of his mouth, and the tremors got more violent with each passing second.
“He’s having a seizure!” Kari cried out.
Oh no. He’s worse than we thought. Ty wanted to avoid watching his brother in such a state of pain, but he knew Steve needed help. The Elf knelt next to him and cradled his head in his arms so he wouldn’t involuntarily bash it against the hard ground.
When Steve came to, he was shivering violently and was unresponsive to simple questions.
“He’s delirious. Come on, let’s each get underneath his arms and carry him to the Hunters’ Den. It’s just up ahead.”
Chapter 46
Willis arose and unlatched the barred door when a fervent knocking came from the other side in the late afternoon. He, the Seps, Griegan, and Grizz all expected to see Captain Westfield and his crew when the door opened, but instead, it was a Halfling woman, an Elven warrior, and an unconscious, red-armored man, being supported between them.
“What happened to him?!” asked the red-haired, pale-skinned, freckled-face warrior, “It looks like someone tried to hang him.”
“That’s the least of his problems,” Mrs. Sep corrected, spr
inging into action after seeing the severity of Steve’s shoulder injury. “Come in, come in!” she beckoned. “Get him to the kitchen table! Quickly now,” she ordered. “His shoulder needs to be cleaned out and stitched up and goodness knows what other mending he requires.”
Mr. Sep replaced Kari and Willis overtook Ty as they carried Steve to the kitchen since the two were so worn out.
“What about you two?” Mrs. Sep asked the Elf and the Halfling, seeing them covered in dirt, mud, and blood. “Are you injured too?”
“No, other than some bumps and bruises, we’re both fine,” Ty admitted. “Please just see to our friend.”
Before closing the door behind her, Mrs. Sep tried her best to reassure them. “You two, relax and don’t worry. He’s in good hands. This isn’t the first time someone has walked through our doors in need of medical aid.”
Ty and Kari collapsed onto a wooden bench across from a brown-skinned Dwarf, who introduced himself as Grizz, and a mustached man named Griegan, who mentioned he was a Serendale captain.
“You guys look like you’ve been in a war,” Griegan remarked. “What happened?”
All Ty could do was shake his head. “We’ll explain everything later,” he closed his eyes and leaned back against the chair, too exhausted to start a conversation.
“Let’s let them settle in first,” Grizz insisted, stating the obvious that Griegan was too oblivious to. Then, proving himself the more cordial of the two, he got up and retrieved a loaf of bread sitting at the bar and brought it to Ty and Kari. He also poured them each a glass of water from a pitcher on the table in front of them.
“I noticed there were no horses in the stable and there doesn’t seem to be people on the porch or balconies,” Kari mentioned between bites of pumpernickel. “Where is everyone?”
“We’ll explain everything later,” Griegan said dryly, mimicking Ty’s answer while shooting a nasty look at Grizz.
He didn’t get to hear our story, so he’s refusing to tell us his, Kari rolled her eyes at the captain’s spitefulness. She could tell this was not the type of man she would enjoy being around.
Pained moans and groans began coming from the kitchen followed by loud, painful cries. A sweating Mr. Sep rushed out and said, “Grizz, Captain, I need your guys’ help to hold him down as we clean out his shoulder and stitch it.” As quickly as he appeared, he disappeared into the kitchen with the crooked wooden door still swinging behind him.
Ty got up to help as well, but Grizz turned to him and said, “We’ll handle this. You two rest here.” The Dwarf followed a complaining Griegan into the kitchen, who, by muttering under his breath, was making it clear he was not in the mood to help the injured stranger.
As Steve’s cries grew louder, Kari began crying, so Ty sat next to her and put his arm around her.
“I’m scared,” she sobbed. “His health went downhill so fast.”
Patting her back and trying to ease her sadness, Ty let her lay her head on his shoulder. The two fell asleep that way, still wearing the armor they had taken from the deceased Serendale warriors. Mrs. Sep woke them up many hours later.
“How is he?” they asked simultaneously, before they even fully comprehended where they were and why they were on the bench together.
“He’s recovering. We reset his broken nose and a broken finger as well. The worst of it was three broken ribs, one of which punctured a lung. Plus, his shoulder wound was badly infected. We cleaned it out and stitched it up along with some of his other cuts. We washed him up as best we could and gave him the strongest sedatives we have. He’ll be asleep until late afternoon tomorrow most likely. It’s nearly midnight now,” she added, seeing the Elf and the Halfling were still coming to grips with where they were and what time it was. “You two have been sleeping for a while.”
“You must be tired too,” Kari realized how hard the tavern owner been working.
“Don’t worry about me, darling,” Mrs. Sep said. “I’m more worried about you two. Look at you both. You look like you’re starving and you could both use a bath. Maybe even two. Here,” she gave them both a plate, “leftover ham from dinner earlier tonight. We thought about waking you, but we decided to let you get your rest. I apologize if the ham is cold, but hopefully it will hold you over until the morning.”
I don’t care how cold it is, thought Kari, her stomach rumbling, begging for food.
“When you’re done eating, Mr. Sep has filled the wash basins in each of your rooms so you can clean up before getting more sleep. I left some gauze pads so you can bandage up any wounds you might have. Our beds should be comfortable enough for you to get some good rest on. We’ll have breakfast ready for you when you wake up in the morning. Maybe then you can tell us what exactly you’ve been through. We’re all curious.”
Once they were led up to their separate rooms on the second level of the Den, Ty and Kari removed their armor, undressed, and bathed. All the dirt, grime, sweat, and blood that covered every inch of their bodies was removed. The soapy water stung their cuts, but felt incredibly relaxing and soothing at the same time. Mrs. Sep had included bath salts which helped soften their skin and ease their sore and tight muscles. It would be so easy to fall asleep sitting here, Kari thought.
Nightgowns awaited them on their beds, and Mrs. Sep had found fresh clothes for each of them for the morning, clothing Hunters’ Den had accumulated over the years. Ty was given typical commoner’s pants with leggings that were a mix of leather and brown cloth and a belted, cotton tunic. Mrs. Sep spared no expense as she also provided him with brown leather boots and a pair of worn leather gloves.
When the elderly hostess came into Kari’s room to give the Halfling fresh clothes, she had two different options for Kari to choose from. In her right hand was a commoner’s skirt and blouse. In her left was a green hooded tunic, brown leather boots, and form-fitting dungaree pants.
“I’m sorry, I can’t afford either of those,” Kari said, specifically admiring the clothes in Mrs. Sep’s left hand. They were worn, but still in good condition. “It would take me a while to save up for all this.”
“Nonsense, darling. I’m giving these to you. Half of this stuff has been sitting around for ages. Now if it wasn’t about the cost, which would you choose?”
Seeing Mrs. Sep slightly raise the clothes in her left hand, wink, and repeatedly tilt her head sideways towards them, Kari answered, “I think you already know.”
“I do,” she smiled. “I remembered what you were wearing when you walked in, so I tried to find something similar. I even found a similar color blue for you. It seems to be the color you like,” she glanced at Kari’s blue bow and the pile of blue clothes she had been wearing earlier, laying on the floor two feet from the washtub. “I could tell you looked more comfortable in…” Mrs. Sep stopped talking, searching for a polite way to end her sentence.
“Men’s fashion,” Kari finished with a smile to show she was not offended.
“Yes,” the woman nodded without judgment.
“I’ve been in my share of fancy and expensive dresses,” the Halfling explained, thinking back to her aunt, uncle, and their high-class events. “I’d rather be comfortable than look pretty or dressed per the social norm.”
Mrs. Sep took a couple steps closer to Kari and whispered, “Can I tell you a secret?”
Kari didn’t object.
“Back when I used to travel, I felt the same way. Don’t ever worry what other’s think. Dress how you feel most comfortable.”
Kari smiled, “You were a traveler?”
Mrs. Sep could see the Halfling’s enthusiasm as she nodded in answer. “I’ve been to some incredible places in this world. I wish I had your youth so I could see them all again.”
“I’ve always wanted to travel,” Kari explained with enthusiasm. “I’d almost saved up enough gold to take a trip to Serendale. It looks like that’s where we’re headed anyways.”
“Don’t let a lack of gold
prevent you from doing what you want to do or going where you want to go,” Mrs. Sep said.
“And you shouldn’t let age stop you from doing what you want either,” Kari responded with a smile.
“I suppose you’re right, but these days I’m content with staying here at the Den listening to the stories travelers bring in. Besides, I likely wouldn’t fit in these clothes anymore anyways,” Mrs. Sep said, setting the tunic, boots, and pants on a nearby chair. She walked toward the door. Before she exited, she turned back to Kari with a smile and said, “I told you they’ve been sitting around for ages.”
Chapter 47
Ty and Kari awoke to the wonderful smells of bacon, sausage, and eggs. Although the two heroes were clean, refreshed, and feeling well-rested after sleeping late into the morning, they were sore. The events of the past three days had taken a toll on their bodies, but it was nothing compared to what Steve had endured.
The two found Griegan, Grizz, and Willis downstairs, sitting around on the lobby chairs and benches talking.
“You’re just in time,” Willis said. “Mr. and Mrs. Sep are finishing up cooking breakfast.”
“Good!” exclaimed Kari. “My favorite meal of the day. Breakfast has the best foods.”
“Someone who is obsessed with breakfast? You’re Stephen Brightflame 2.0!” Ty said, to which Kari smiled at the idea of Steve enjoying breakfast as much as she did.
“Glad to see you up and about,” Mrs. Sep said to the Elf and Halfling, coming through the swinging doors of the kitchen with her husband behind her. Both carefully balanced trays of food in their hands and set it down at one of the long tables. Gathering together for the meal, everyone was amazed at the all the food that had been prepared. There was hotcakes, muffins, eggs, sausage, and bacon, with milk and apple cider to wash it all down.
“Thank you for all this,” Kari said in fascination. Then she turned to Ty and teased him. “I know you say you can eat an impressive amount, but you haven’t seen me when it comes to breakfast.”
