“I’m not being dramatic. It hurts,” Luke whines.
“Did you ever think about what happened between you two instead of dwelling on the fact that Kira isn’t by your side?” Kellia asks, taking a seat on the bed again.
“What do you mean?” Luke counters, trying to stall.
“This is so obvious, idiot,” Kellia states, her exasperation with the half-elf growing. “You and Kira never broke up. From what she told me, those dreaded words were never said, so you two are still a couple. You’re acting like she broke your heart.”
“You have a point,” Luke claims as he starts to stand. He suddenly pauses when he remembers something Kellia said. “Wait a second. When did you talk to Kira about the night of graduation? I was with her from the end of graduation until I left to meet everyone at the front gate. You should have already left the academy by then.”
“Now, promise that you won’t get angry with her,” Kellia begins before pushing him back onto the chair.
“Not the best way to start an explanation,” he mutters.
Kellia sighs and goes to bring her clothes in from the porthole. She gives them a long sniff, which results in her nose twisting in horror. Luke can guess that the roses were not enough to make the clothes smell better. He waits patiently while Kellia walks over to the door and balls up the dirty clothes. She pokes her head outside to look around before she steps out and hurls the foul-smelling ball down the hallway. Without wasting any time, she ducks back into the room and closes the door.
“I’m saying Fritz stole my clothes while they dried. Don’t try to stop me,” she warns him, a pleasant smile on her face.
“I wouldn’t think of it, your majesty. Now talk,” Luke demands.
“Kira was in Gaia the night before you arrived. I don’t know how she got there ahead of you, but she told me all that was happening. She suggested that I speak with you and that I should decide if you were a liability. Not her words, but that was the basic idea. So, far, I’m sure that you will not be a liability. I can always change my mind between ports,” Kellia explains, opening one of her bags to rummage for a change of clothes. “I assured her that you would be fine and told her about Nyx joining us. She took some comfort in the fact that you will be with a caster of Rainbow Tower. I assume she returned to Hamilton Military Academy by whatever method she used to arrive. You look concerned.”
“Did you tell her our route?” he asks with concern.
“No, she seemed to know about that already,” Kellia replies. Worry starts to slip into her thoughts when she replays the conversations in her head. “She was more concerned about your mental health and our new companion. Did I screw up?” Kellia has a pitiful look on her face and is about to cry when Luke walks over to her.
Luke punches her in the arm and flashes a charming smile. “It wasn’t your fault. Nobody knew that the enemy would have such intimate knowledge of me. It’s strange how they knew about your friendship with Kira since you two always fought during class. Though, a nobleman meeting with a merchant’s daughter is not a stretch of the imagination. That means one of three things. Somebody at the school could have been a spy, but I think Selenia would have found that out with her increased security. Another possibility is that the Hellfire Elf took the appearance of Kira and approached you. I’m betting that thing still wants a piece of me. Though, it seemed to only shape-shift into animals in the past.”
Kellia politely interrupts, “The third possibility is that a chaos elf disguised itself as Kira and approached me. I heard about the arena incident.”
“The chaos elf possibility seems to be the most likely scenario. The one that Nyx killed knew about my relationship with Kira. He had more knowledge than I would have expected from a simple spy,” Luke says. He clenches his fists as he thinks back to the chaos elf’s taunts. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he was the same one that pretended to be Kira and approached you. The enemy might be scrying on us to get more information. Aedyn and Nyx can set up wards around the ship to give us some extra security. Other than that, we have to remain on our guard and be careful where we speak about our plans. Understand?”
“Got it. Good to see that you’re on the job and back to somewhat normal,” Kellia states with a mock salute. A sudden outburst from the deck makes Luke and Kellia jump. They can recognize the voice of Captain Higgs, but can’t make out any words. A small noise catches their attention before they see a form dive past the porthole. They look out to see a rope leading from the deck railing to the entangled legs of Fritz who is being steadily dragged along the surface of the river.
“Is that steam or smoke coming off of him?” Kellia mutters, massaging her forehead as a headache begins to form.
“It looks too thick and dark to be steam. I’m guessing that he set himself on fire with another invention,” Luke casually says, hearing the distant screaming of Captain Higgs. “I have got to find out where all these toys keep coming from. He only had two bags and a crate for luggage. I’m going to go see if he’s okay.” He gives Kellia a hug before making his way to the door. Luke is almost out the door when he stops and turns back to the heiress.
“Thanks for talking to me. I really do appreciate you having some concern for me and Kira,” he admits.
“It’s what friends are for,” Kellia claims with a shrug. “Now, I’m going to lie down. I have a gnome-sized headache that I need to sleep off. I can only pray that it doesn’t get worse during this trip.”
6
Rodillen is known throughout the continent of Ralian as the two-faced city. The outer face is that of a common, serene riverside city where simple, local merchants go about their business. Rodillen has a unique type of architecture, which is one of two-story, white-walled buildings with a special roof design. The roof of every building is built from thick crossbeams that have a bed of dry reeds secured on top of them. Tied to the top of the reed bed is a layer of long, arch-shaped ceramic tiles. The city founders claimed that this design allowed for better air circulation and a lower threat of mildew during the moisture months. They also designed the tiles so that they can be easily pushed up to let in extra light. Most of Rodillen’s buildings are designed like this including the second biggest structure in the city where the mayor lives. The exception to this design is the biggest structure in Rodillen, which is an enormous dome of dull metal on the hill behind the rest of the city. This metal dome is the famous Wonder Museum, which doubles as a temple to Voran, the gnome god. Every gnome makes a pilgrimage to this mecca at least once in their life.
It is this peaceful face that causes people to call Rodillen a sparkling gem along the L’dandrin, but the rotten soul of Rodillen festers underneath this picture of serenity. All of the city politicians are corrupt and steal money from the citizens even though they have taken an oath to serve on behalf of the Serabian throne. These crooked officials put a lot of thought into outward appearances, so they make sure that the citizens have just enough money so as not to appear poor and depressed. Many people blame these cowardly politicians for their pain instead of the true culprits behind the white walls of Rodillen. These citizens are also the ones who refuse to accept the truth of their beloved city and make easy victims for the greedy predators that surround them. The truth that they deny is that behind every corrupt politician is the powerful thieves guild that pulls the strings of Rodillen to make sure that everything happens in its favor.
Those who see through the city’s façade know that every shadow in Rodillen holds a hunter watching its prey. As evening falls, these shadows watch with silent concern as two young ladies walk down the swept dirt road and window shop at the local stores. While neither of the ladies wears armor, there is something off about them. Both women walk with confidence and their faces show a subtle indication that they are more than dainty maidens. In particular, the violet-eyed half-elf has an aura of power and danger that all skilled thieves have come to recognize as the signs of a caster. Even the most experienced thief of Rodillen will admit that a c
aster whose power can be felt on the air should be given a wide berth.
“Thanks for letting me come with you, Nyx,” Kellia says, her voice filed with gratitude. “I was almost stuck with Fritz and Nimby.”
“You’re welcome,” replies Nyx, who is slightly distracted by the surrounding stores. “They were going to the Wonder Museum, so it’s probably safer on this side of town.”
“I was surprised that you didn’t go with Luke and Aedyn to get some rooms,” Kellia admits, curiously watching the half-elf. “You were rarely seen on deck during our voyage. Were you feeling sick?”
“I wasn’t really in the mood for talking, but I’m . . . Hey!” Nyx yelps when she feels a sharp tug at her belt. She is still turning around when Kellia grabs a small boy by the arm and slams him against the side of a building.
Kellia glowers at the youth, who tries to shrink away. “Nice try. Give the money pouch back to her and I won’t break your arm.”
The boy’s eyes widen in fear and he throws the stolen pouch to Nyx. She watches him run down an alley while she stuffs her money pouch into her shirt. Kellia wipes her hands clean on her pants before continuing to walk down the road. The caster looks slightly confused as she jogs to catch up.
“What just happened?” she asks.
“You were just robbed by a novice thief,” Kellia answers, a little surprised that she has to state the obvious. “I guess this city is nothing like Gaia. Rodillen is practically run by the thieves, so they act very bold at times. That kid will probably warn the others about us and we will be left alone for the day. Beat a thief up if you catch them in the act, but never kill them. Once you kill a thief in this city, you’re marked for death and the politicians will look the other way whenever you’re in trouble. Such a sad state of affairs, but the only way to fix it’s through war or martial law. Both options will destroy the city before the guild is undone.”
“I knew I should have stayed in Gaia,” Nyx mutters under her breath. She starts looking suspiciously at everyone on the street.
Kellia laughs and puts a comforting hand on Nyx’s shoulder. “You don’t mean that. You would have never met all of us if you had stayed.”
“That’s a bad thing?” the caster asks incredulously. “Two idiots, a stoic, and a hotshot as companions? Now, my life is complete.”
“Far be it for me to defend those four misfits, but they are more capable than you realize,” Kellia explains while Nyx looks at a dress shop’s wares. “Fritz tried to protect me from the Hellfire Elf, so he isn’t too bad. As annoying as Nimby is, he is a loyal friend and useful in tight situations. I was told that our irritating halfling killed a magically enhanced cyclops during the battle at the academy. It makes me wonder just how dangerous he really is. He is a thief and they are always more than they appear. I can’t really say that Aedyn being stoic is truly a bad thing. He’s wise and socially polite, which is a nice change of pace from the three misfits. If anything, Aedyn is the only normal one in the group, but he seems to hang around Fritz a lot. That gnome can be a bad influence.”
“Let’s stop here. I need to find something,” Nyx interrupts when they come to a weapon store. An elderly woman sits behind the counter with thick, metal bars running to the ceiling, which prevent anyone from getting to her side of the store. Weapons of all kinds adorn the walls and shelves while ammunition for ranged weapons is kept behind the counter. Nyx can sense that a few magical weapons are being kept on the other side of the counter somewhere. Even if she strains her senses, she can’t be sure if they are for sale or if they are on hand to handle unwanted customers.
“Why do you need a weapon? You have magic,” Kellia says.
Nyx begins rummaging through a barrel of polearms, carefully examining each of the weapons. “The arena fight made me realize that I won’t always have my magic. There are creatures that my magic will strengthen instead of destroy. I have also read that there are even areas of Windemere and monsters that can negate my magic entirely. So, I need a weapon to defend myself and to make sure I’m never a burden to my friends. There are a few weapons I read about during my studies, so I will choose from them.”
“Uh, reading about weapons is entirely different than training with them,” Kellia mentions as Nyx moves to a rack of war hammers. “I suggest choosing something simple and light. Not a two-handed war hammer designed to crush platemail. You can’t even lift that. Let me take a look around for you.”
Nyx smiles bashfully and steps away from the weapons. “Thanks. By the way, I noticed that you didn’t defend Luke earlier.”
“I don’t have to. Luke will prove himself in due time,” Kellia says, picking up a small crossbow. She tosses the weapon to Nyx before looking for another weapon. “The poor guy has been in a mood since he left his girlfriend back at the academy. I feel partially responsible for the whole mess, but I won’t tell him that. It could make things unnecessarily awkward between us. I talked with him two days ago and I think he will be fine for the rest of the voyage. Just give him enough time and you will see what the real Luke Callindor is like. After that, you can regret ever meeting him.”
“We make a decent team in combat and I have been able to tolerate him more since our first meeting. Although, I might just be getting used to him,” Nyx says, cautiously eyeing her new weapon.
“You two are similar,” Kellia says while looking through a large box of clubs. “Both of you are very proud and stubborn. You share his kindness when you aren’t angry. Here you go. A mace should be simple enough for you.” Nyx puts the crossbow on the counter and walks past Kellia to reach for something on a high shelf.
“I prefer one of these,” Nyx claims, pulling down a mourning star. The blunt weapon has some rust on the chain and a small crack in the wooden handle, but the studded ball is in good condition. Nyx proudly thumps the weapon on the counter. The old woman smiles at her and pushes a quarrel of crossbow bolts through the bars.
“Your total is thirty gold pieces. Would you like anything else?” the old woman asks in a hoarse voice.
“Get some leather straps to secure your weapons on your belt,” Kellia whispers as Nyx pays the woman.
The woman promptly pulls out three straps. “These are professionally made and cost one gold coin for three.”
“Thanks,” Nyx says, flipping a gold coin through the bars. She starts hooking the new weapons to her belt as she follows Kellia out of the store.
“Where to next?” the caster asks.
“Let’s just wander back to the port,” Kellia suggests, hiding a small yawn. “The boys should have found some rooms by now. I could use some rest in a bed that doesn’t rock back and forth.”
Nyx notices a few people on the street look up at Kellia’s final statement. “You should watch what you say. That didn’t sound clean.”
Both of the girls look around as people continue to go about their business. They can’t help but giggle as they make their way to the port. Neither woman is aware of the eyes that have continued to watch them from the shadows.
“Tonight,” hisses a faint voice before the eyes vanish.
*****
The Wonder Museum of Rodillen stands as the only uncorrupted institution of the city. Half the size of the town, the dull metal dome has a single, iron door at the top of a long flight of marble steps. Eight large holes near the top of the structure are used for air circulation and to give the smoke a way out of the dome. Many explosions can be heard from this building at all hours because at any given time there are approximately thirty gnomes inventing in honor of the machine god of the gnomes, Voran. The broken remains of hundreds of failed inventions litter the grounds, which gives the area the look of a machine graveyard. There is still enough open grass near the doorway for Bessaria to graze while Fritz and Nimby take care of business inside.
“Do I have to say that I feel uncomfortable here or should that go without saying?” Nimby asks as he follows Fritz.
Both of them glance around the dome to see that it
is a single room with moveable partitions. Sparks fly in every direction with the occasional trail of smoke reaching for the ceiling. Nimby looks up to see wide shelves suspended in the air by cables. Two ladders, with their bottom rung dangling two feet above the ground, are connected to each shelf. Various machine parts teeter on the swinging shelves and look like they can fall off any minute. A long aisle goes down the middle of this chaos and stops at a central dais where an iron statue stands. The statue is of a man with glowing, red lights where his eyes should be and a body that looks to be part machine. A blazing furnace, that is open at both sides, rests at his feet. Fritz waves to a pair of gnomes who are busy checking several metal bars that are sticking out of the furnace.
“Calm down. Don’t touch anything and you can walk out of here with all of your fingers attached,” Fritz whispers. He stops and turns around to make sure Nimby is listening. “Seriously, Nimby. Keep your hands in your pockets even if someone asks you to help. Though, if you start coughing and sniffling now, they might believe you have a cold and consider you untouchable. My people hate getting colds because they make it hard for us to focus on our inventing.”
“You being cautious around your own kind is making me worried,” the halfling nervously mutters.
“I’m an inventor and a dabbler like all of my people,” Fritz says with pride. “But you have to realize that this is a temple to the great god of the gnomes. We aren’t dealing with average gnomish inventors like me. These guys are special.”
As if on cue, an explosion rocks the dome and a smoking gnome can be seen hurtling through the air. Nimby cringes at the sound of the gnome crashing into a pile of metal. A flaming ball of rubber bounces over the halfling and crashes into a cabinet of flammable liquids. The entire cabinet bursts into flames before a geyser of water erupts from the floor. With all of this destruction, the spare parts kept on the hanging shelves still refuse to fall to the ground.
Legends of Windemere: 02 - Prodigy of Rainbow Tower Page 12
