First Quest: The Mentalists series Book One

by E. Molloy

  "Died o' childbirth they say, but they don' tell da whole story, no? Queen 'as too big fer da one little princuss."

  "Too big?"

  Another of the men nodded, moving in close. He seemed a little better educated than the others, having better posture and clearer speech. Niko also noted, at this distance, that he was the only one with brown hair and eyes. It was barely noticeable beneath the dirt and grime in their hair, but his eyes had given it away. While this wasn't completely unheard of to see a Gaedalan in Navarr, it wasn't exactly normal, either. Despite the peace in the lands, the King of Navarr had made his stance on immigration and refugees quite sternly.

  "The Queen was carryin' two childs. No doubt there," the Gaedalan informed him.

  "It's not uncommon for women to die in childbirth, though," he reasoned, but the same man snapped his dusty fingers at him as if to gain his attention.

  "She weren't with child anymore fer two days before the King say she died of childbirth," he stated, then leaned back in his seat with a solemn nod, as if that settled everything.

  Niko narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So you think that she was killed. But what makes you believe it was dark magic?"

  The man chuckled, as if this held some sort of joke. "King Harry," he said, shortening the man's name disrespectfully, the word itself spitting from his mouth as though it were a foul flavor. "Once she passed, was like all the kindness in his 'art died with 'er," he shook his head thoughtfully, turning his eyes down to the table. "Now 'e 'olds court with a witch, dark little figure. Mus be somethin to do wit' 'er, right?"

  Niko shook his head. "Kings often use wizards in their court," he reasoned, but the man laughed in response.

  "He got one o' dem, too, makes flashy shows of 'em whenever 'e leaves the castle. The witch, she never does nothin'. Just stands like a shadow behind 'im. 'Ell, if she weren't so small, I'd think she were 'is shadow," he chuckled dryly.

  In truth, this was exactly what he'd been sent to investigate. Pieces hadn't perfectly fallen into place, but Niko could certainly see the stain of something darker here. He would need to learn more in order to really understand what was going on, and hopefully prevent any more damage from being done. The rumors that had caused him to be called upon here were very much about the witch, but none of them had even touched closely on the more distant politics that could potentially be involved. More importantly, though, the Collective suspected her of being a Mentalist. While mages outside of Kaine were kept as slaves, even when disguised as advisors, if she had such mental powers, she had no place amongst normal humans. Though a mentalist hadn't been heard of in nearly a hundred years, the possibility alone warranted investigation. Even in Kaine, a Mentalist would be held on a short leash. There were restrictions for people with powers like that, as they were too dangerous to leave to their own devices. The Elves had tried to eliminate them centuries ago, and even their power had been no match.

  Niko took a deep breath of the dusty air, and then nodded. "Well, it certainly sounds worth looking into," he said as he stood. "I'll thank for your help, as soon as I get the chance. If you could, direct me to the way out?"

  The man sat still a moment, sorting out what had just been said to him as if translating from another language, and then stood with a nod. "Sure, sure, just this way."

  Chapter 13

  It had been a long day's journey from where the Swamp Rats had kept them and wherever they were now. Daveth had figured out, by the intermittent streams of light coming through the thick trees overhead, that it had in fact still been daytime when he'd awoken at their huts. He could easily see why this place was called the dark forest, now, since he'd been convinced for most of their trip that it had been night. At the very least, his eyes were already adjusted to the darkness, so once night fell it wouldn't be any more difficult to see than it already was, hopefully.

  Daveth had spent nearly the entire trip trying to find a bright side to all of this, and watching the back of Ragen's head warily. He had his sword and shield, still, but his armor was gone. The young man walked shirtless and in nothing but thin cotton bottoms, stained with mud and what he had finally figured out were perfectly round spots of blood, which he tried not to think about. His blisters weren't bleeding, not yet anyway, and he didn't want to think of who-or what-the blood had belonged to.

  Glop had been so quiet and still on his back that Daveth was certain the thing had been asleep. Really, he was just glad he hadn't been the talkative type. The way he spoke made him uncomfortable, and the fact that he was a flesh-eating face-wearing monster from the swamp didn't really help matters. Still, he was grateful for having his life saved (now that his temper had died down), and the thing didn't seem so bad. If the rat was serious about not eating people, it would explain why it wasn't eager to get back to its huts. That, accompanied by the fact that Glop seemed convinced that the rest of the rats were dead.

  Daveth spent a lot of time observing and judging the other new addition to their party. There was something about Ragen that Daveth didn't like in the first place. At first, he'd felt it as a sort of jealousy. Yes, he’d saved the princess when that was clearly Daveth's job, but in reality he was grateful for that. There was very little way for him to take on a horde of those things all alone, and he wondered how the guy even did it. That wasn't all, though. Something about him was off-putting, as if Daveth could hear whispers of his ulterior motives, but didn’t understand the words. It was just like the night before, when he felt like something was following them. Not to mention, of course, that he suspected the man of snatching up the notice at some point. It sounded too dumb to mention, but Daveth intended to keep an eye on this guy. This meant, probably, another night of no sleep standing guard.

  Then, of course, there was Lillian. Sometime during her laughter-filled conversation with Ragen, she'd gone solemn and grown quiet. Alongside her grinning hero in furs, she walked the rest of the way without a word. She didn't seem to be bothered by him in particular, as she kept her arm around him for what seemed far longer than was necessary to keep her up. By now, Daveth was starting to get used to things being not-quite-perfect. Seeing the princess hugging on a man who lived in the woods sort of fell in line with his expectations at this point.

  All of them were still in the same state when they reached the lake. If Daveth's horse was still with them, he would have stopped for a drink, but there really wasn't any reason to this time. There were still a few streams of light coming through the trees, more so at the lake, and he hoped to get as far as possible today before resting again. Assuming the party would carry on, Daveth followed Ragen only to find him heading directly toward the water.

  "We set up camp here, tonight," the large man said as he placed his hands on his hips and looked around. His eyes scanned the woods around them, as if searching for something, but didn't seem to land on anything in particular.

  Daveth frowned and tried to follow his gaze, but that didn't really answer any of the questions he had. "Why would we stop here? There's plenty of daylight left, and we could be-"

  "There's another two day's travel from this lake to the edge of the forest, if you're quick. We're not exactly travelling on horseback, so it's safe to say we're not quick. Would you rather camp at a spot that has everything you need for surviving, or you want to go in there with the wolves and swamp rats and whatever else?" His tone was demeaning, but he had a point. Still, behind his grin he seemed bothered that Daveth would even bring up leaving the lake. That alone was enough reason for the young knight to want to leave the place, but he had no other argument.

  Daveth assumed it was his pride being injured by being questioned, but something still felt off about the whole thing. He decided that, if there were ever a time to bring it up, now wasn't it.

  "Fine," Daveth said quietly, seeming to concede the point as he moved toward the water. He set his weapons on the edge of the water, close enough that nobody could get to them faster than he could. He tossed the pack in R
agen's direction when he saw that he was setting up camp. No reason not to, since the only thing of real value in there was already missing.

  If they were going to be here, he might as well clean up some. Of course, he was a little too modest to do anything more than rub water over his arms while still in front of the princess. It was bad enough that he was mostly naked. Compared to Ragen, Daveth was very small. In fact, he was about a head and a half smaller, and too small-boned to really size up to him in muscles either. However, now out of his armor it would be clear to his companions the smooth-toned physique of the young man. He was nothing quite like their burly friend, but certainly not just your average every-day stable-boy. Not anymore. His joints were littered with small sores, and Daveth tried to make sure that those got cleaned first. That's what he got for staying in his armor all night the night before. Lillian had warned him it would happen, but a man had to do what a man had to do. As far as Daveth was concerned, the Princess was his responsibility, and if ensuring her safety meant staying up at night to watch for bandits or wolves or whatever, then he would do it every night if he had to.

  While Daveth washed his wounds, Glop's amphibious nostrils flared at the smell of water. He could hear the creature stir on his back, and feel it wipe its face all over his short brown hair before leaping like a frog from its perch on his shoulders and into the water. With a plop, Glop disappeared beneath the waves, sending a little bit of water splashing toward Daveth in the process.

  Lillian did nothing, of course, since it wasn't her job. She leaned against a tree, watching Daveth while Ragen set up camp using the few items the pack had, and improvising the rest. There wasn't much to work with, but the man managed to make two small beds of leaves, which was better than nothing.

  "You wanna fight me for the tent?" he joked to the princess, moving to lean against the tree next to her. She looked to him with an ugly scowl, which Ragen met with a wink. Forcing a smile in return, the princess fixed back on Daveth near the water. Ragen followed her gaze, and then flashed a knowing grin at her.

  "I can't tell if you're trying to set his head on fire or burn what's left of his clothes off for a better look." He winked again with a nudge this time, and she gave him a glare that might have made a lesser man wet himself.

  "I don't know what you're talking about," she responded irritably.

  "We both know you're not that stupid," he laughed and pushed off the tree, moving toward Daveth. Lillian pursed her lips, but said nothing in return.

  The raven they'd followed there had taken to a branch above the group. It didn't seem to do much besides pick at its wings, but Lillian decided this was a better thing to stare at than Daveth, who of course had been oblivious to her watching him in the first place.

  Daveth was far enough from the two that he hadn't heard their conversation, nor had he any interest in eavesdropping. Once he was satisfied that his wounds wouldn't be getting infected, he laid himself back on the grass beneath a ray of sun that shone through the trees. This was the first real sunlight they'd hit since before the swamp, and the area around the lake was scattered with similar streams of warmth. The trees seemed to thin out drastically the closer they got to the water, so the entire space above the lake itself was clear to let in the light. Though the sun warmed him, a cool breeze came by and interrupted the peaceful rest, brushing against his wet flesh and causing him to shiver a little. When the breeze stopped, the warm was there to comfort, and he found himself anxious for the cold to come again just so that the warmth could be newly appreciated.

  In the foreground of his thoughts were plans for what happened next, once they got out of the forest. His sights were set on the end of this trip, as he had no doubts that they would make it there. Perhaps it was overly hopeful of him, especially given the circumstances, but he refused to think that he could fail in getting her back to the castle. The problem would be how things would be handled afterward, once he walked into the city walls half naked and escorting the princess in whatever state of dishevelment she was in when they finally got there.

  "You look like you've had a time of it," a gruff voice roused Daveth from his relaxation. His eyes snapped open and he looked to Ragen, who had apparently sat beside him at some point, but Daveth didn't remember hearing anything. Had he fallen asleep?

  "Yeah, it's been a long two days," he admitted with a sigh, laying his head back again and closing his eyes once the initial shock of being awakened had faded.

  "I'm sure you get this a lot, but you don't really seem like a knight."

  "It's been mentioned," he said, trying to contain his irritation. "And...Technically, I'm not. Not yet."

  A chuckle came from the man, and Daveth couldn't help but look at him again. The guy's eyes travelled over his chest and arms, and Daveth scowled, reaching out a hand and grabbing his shield to cover his exposed body. Ragen laughed, a booming sound that ruffled the birds in the trees around them, all but the crow.

  "You've got me wrong, kid. Just looks like you're built enough for fighting. Maybe you should be doing something else, instead of being a knight."

  Daveth wasn't taking his eyes off of him, this time. "It's not about what I want. It's about doing what's right. I don't expect you to understand."

  Ragen's brows rose, but he didn't seem offended. "Oh, I should have expected that kind of righteousness from a knight-to-be. But think of it this way: who are you really helping if you don't live up to your potential?"

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "Think of it this way, kid. You clearly train hard; I'm no stranger to a fighter's build and a tolerance for pain when I see 'em. So you've got the heart, the strength, and the courage, right?"

  Daveth hesitated, not having expected it to take this route, even though he didn't really know yet what route it was taking. "I...I like to think so."

  "Then what's missing?"

  The young man sighed and plopped his head back again, staring up at the leaves and the sky above him. He thought back to every fight he'd ever been in, every training lesson, and it all came down to his size. Even the things that were fitted to him never seemed snug enough, and if his shield got any smaller it wouldn't serve well for blocking much. "I'm just so small compared to everything else," he said quietly, although mostly to himself.

  "You see that bird?" Ragen pointed up toward the raven. The bird cocked its head in their direction as Daveth looked over, as if it knew they were talking about it.

  "Is that the same one we followed?"

  "The one and only. You know, she's been my guide through these woods more than once. She's saved my life countless times because she always has my back. She knows the dangers of following me, so she leads headlong into the fray instead. Just in case there's something I can't handle, she'll be there to let me know, and hopefully to run like hell with me if it comes to it." He looked back down to the young man with that same knowing grin. "It's not always about your size. In fact, your size can be your greatest advantage. But you don't see her trying to come down here, walk on the ground and lead me through the forest. She uses the tools that work best for her trade." The man pointed at the shield on Daveth's chest. "Wearing a badge is just fine, but it means nothing if you can't do your job. Maybe it's time you tried using some other tools."

  Admittedly, Daveth had heard this before. Mostly from Lillian, of course, but it was different when put like that. "I'm not trained for anything else," he admitted, "and my shield...well it's the only thing I have left of being a knight. It's important to me."

  The man shrugged, giving up his point surprisingly quickly. "Just a word of advice, take it or leave it," he said with a chuckle, golden eyes resuming their scanning of the woods around them.

  Daveth couldn't take it anymore, not knowing. "What are you looking for?"

  The man seemed to snap out of it, staring at Daveth a moment as if he didn't know how to answer. "Just making sure we're all clear."

  "Won't your bird tell you if something's coming?"


  The man chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. High alert because of the precious cargo and all," he motioned toward Lillian who, at this point, was staring at them again. Giving a wave to her, which was promptly ignored, he finished, "She's not really the type I want to take any chances with." Lowering his hand to the ground again, he nodded toward the water. "So, where's your new friend?"

  "Glop?"

  "Is that what it calls itself?" he laughed again, repeating the name out loud just to feel it on his lips. This, of course, prompted a little more laughter.

  "I guess so. He's in the water. Or. It?"

  "Well, hopefully it stays there," he said, irritation sounding through the grin on his face.

  Daveth frowned a little. "He saved my life," he replied defensively.

  "We'll see if he's feeling so generous when he's hungry," Ragen said with a grin that moved to Lillian again. Daveth watched the gaze, and got a very uneasy feeling. Despite their conversation being thus far pretty enjoyable, things always seemed to get worse before they got better. Daveth didn't want that to happen this time. Something told him that, with as hard as this man was to upset, it wouldn't be a good idea to push that boundary.

  Daveth tried to break the tension that seemed to form for no reason. "Maybe, if I'm nice enough to him, I can just let him eat my enemies. Hey, that could be the right tool for me," he joked, and Ragen took the bait. His laugh roared again, and he slapped Daveth on the shoulder playfully. A sting shot through the young man's body as one of Ragen's fingers slapped against an open blister, but he merely flinched.

  "They could call you the Beastmaster, and you'd wreak havoc on the lands," Ragen carried on dramatically, laughing at his own whimsy. Daveth laughed too, and finally sat up. Slowly, of course, as his wounds were still pretty fresh and, after having been washed, were beginning to crisp as they dried out. Setting the shield against his legs, he wrapped his hands around his shoulders with a shiver. The sun was starting to set, and what warmth had been held in its rays was now fading fast. Still, he wouldn't complain. It was his fault, really, but that needed to turn around.