by Brian Beam
We ended up eating lunch from our own supply of food, not wanting to end our conversation to go downstairs. However, our conversation eventually arrived at an awkward silence. My mind, which had been distracted to happier thoughts, drifted back to the dragon egg. I pushed away from the wall.
“Well guys, it’s time for me to go.” I could feel my heart begin to race.
All eyes snapped to me. Sal’ and Til’s faces were full of worry—Sal’s more so than Til’s. Max’s face was hard to read and not just because he was a squirrel. He almost looked curious, like he was studying me. I wondered if he was considering whether my fate spoken of in prophecy would override any negative outcomes with the egg. No matter my belief on prophecy, I hoped that that was the case.
Sal’ stood up and stepped over to me, placing a delicate hand on my cheek. “Good luck,” she whispered, leaning in and kissing me softly on the lips. The fact that she did so in front of the others was hopefully a good sign of her feelings towards me. Til’ chuckled, making Sal’ break away and fix him with an angry glare. I smiled.
“Thank you,” I told her when she turned back to me. “Thank all of you for everything. I have so much I want to say to each of you, but saying it now would feel the same as saying that I may not see you again. So, I’ll just say that I’ll see you in a bit.” I gave them all as heartening of a smile as I could muster.
Til’ grinned back. “How did you know—ow!” Sal’s hand was in her wicker case again as Til’s head jerked forward. “Hey, I wasn’t going to say anything I’m not supposed to.” I looked at him questioningly, but for the sake of my plan, I tried to ignore him and stayed silent.
“Goodbye, Korin. Be careful,” Max said in his raspy voice with narrowed eyes focused on Til’.
With a wave and a smile, I left the room. After shutting the door behind me, I checked the coin purse to make sure the egg was there. There was no reason for it not to be, but it gave me a moment to steady my breathing. I wondered if I should have spent some more time with Sal’ and told her exactly how I felt.
There was a very good chance that I would hand the egg to Galius and then go to meet Bhaliel empty handed and that would be the end of everything. Going back to my friends after giving the egg to Galius wouldn’t be fair to them since eventually the Contract’s magic would draw me to Bhaliel or I would die a slow death if I resisted.
Then again, there was always the possibility that I could give Galius the egg, Bhaliel would let me live, and Bhaliel would hunt down the Ilgish-blooded count. Then both of my Activated Contracts would be fulfilled. Of course, Galius would have it hidden before Bhaliel could go after him and she wouldn’t be able to find it. Even if I could tell her where Galius had hidden it, the Contract’s magic would most likely keep her from retrieving the egg since telling her would be the same as sending her after it. I couldn’t imagine keeping her from reuniting with her unborn child like that. Also, that situation could lead to her going on a murderous rampage. Worst case scenario, Bhaliel would bring down more of her fellow dragons and start a war with the rest of Amirand over the transgression. Best case scenario, she would settle for finding and killing me. She had pretty much already said she’d kill me if I didn’t have the egg when we met.
Basically, it all boiled down to the inescapable conclusion that I had to get the egg back to her. Period. If all went well, I’d be on my way to Gualain on the hunt for Raijom the next day with Max’s spell to hide me from magic tracking having returned to normal after I had been free of the egg for a while. If all did not go well...
Before I could dwell on those thoughts, I took a deep breath and made my way out of the inn. Judging by the height of the sun in the clear sky, it was an hour or two after noon. I had meant to get an earlier start in case things went wrong. Well, if my plan was going to end in disaster, at least I had gotten some extra time with my friends.
I set off down the paved street. The streets were far from packed, but there were enough people milling about the outer city to keep me weaving back and forth between them as I walked briskly towards the central portion of the city. In the daylight I could see ship masts with folded sails in the distance. The chilly, salty, wet air seemed to calm my nerves. I couldn’t hear the ocean over the sounds of the city, but I could picture the endless expanse of water stretching off into the distant horizon.
One day, I told myself, if I made it through the current day, I wanted to take Sal’ on a walk along the beach and watch the sunset together. The thought of that kept me distracted from noticing when I had finally entered the inner city.
Instead of run down wood and plaster buildings, I was now surrounded by plain gray-stone buildings rising several stories into the air. The streets were clean and were filled more with lacquered horse-drawn carriages transporting nobles and visitors of importance than with people on foot like in the outer city.
The central city was more silent than the outer city and I could hear the ocean faintly in the distance. How I yearned to just get on a boat and sail across the world with Sal’ instead of dealing with evil wizards, evil counts, searches for parents, Contracts, dragons or prophecies. The thought was fleeting. It was just a thought formed by the fear I felt about my situation. I pushed it aside and pressed on.
I passed a spired church with a large stained glass window with Whelion’s sigil—a yellow ball representing the sun with two hands flattened together at the palms inside it—displayed in bright colors. Whelion, I kid you not, is the god of religion. I’d pay for someone to explain exactly what the point of a god of religion is and make their explanation make sense. Religion is directly linked with the belief in the gods and goddesses. Why would there be a god representing the act of believing in it in the first place? Okay, I’m running off on a tangent here. Sorry.
Continuing on past drab noble residence after drab noble residence, I finally arrived at a stone-walled fence a couple feet taller than myself that curved up into an arched entryway with a double-doored, black metal gate fitted into it. The fence and entryway were very nondescript, just like the rest of the central city. I knew that the inside of the manor behind the gate would be sickeningly ostentatious, though. I knew because I had been there before. Behind the gate was Galius’ manor.
Chapter 22
To Fool A Contract
I stared into the eyes of fate. Well, I stared at a gray, three-storied manor with its front lined with off-white fluted columns. Reddish, curved, clay shingles covered the roof. The large square windows had open wooden shutters matching the color of the columns. The windows were as plain as any others in the inner city, but I could see the blue silk curtains inside them hinting at the opulence inside. The path my life would take after this day would be decided there. It truly was my fate personified.
Perhaps the manor was more of an analogy that things seemed dingy on the outside, but if I just pressed through that, things would be bright and…yeah, that’s a stupid analogy. Sorry about that.
Nobody was manning the gate and it was locked. I shook the gate in its hinges and called out, “Hey, it’s Korin. I have your gem.” There was no response. I hadn’t thought about what I’d do if Galius hadn’t been home. I would have been in a barrel of rotten fish if that were to happen. I didn’t have a contingency plan. I guess I was just a horrible planner.
Just as I was about to try and scale the stone fence, the front door opened and a man in servant’s livery stepped out and made his way to the gate. He was dressed in all tan and brown, a stark contrast to the bright colors I had seen Galius wear both times I had dealt with him. Galius probably tried to make sure he stood out from those under him.
The scrawny man, his short hair receding towards the crown of his narrow head, opened the locked gate with a key and swung one side open. Screeching from the metal hinges made me cringe. Surely, it couldn’t have hurt Galius to buy some oil for the damned thing. Well, it was his hearing he was messing with when he exited his manor grounds from day to day.
“Tha
nk you, sir,” I told the silent servant, slipping a silver coin into his hand. I was sure Galius did not pay his servants well. I had probably matched a month of pay or more for the man. None of Byweather’s nobles parted with a coin more than they had to.
The man quickly made the coin disappear into a pocket and gave me a slight nod. I had noticed a ring on the man’s left ring finger meaning he had at least a wife to care for if not children too. I hoped that no one had seen me slip him the coin who would report it to Galius. If Galius knew the servant had gotten the coin, he probably would have docked it from the man’s regular pay if he didn’t just take the coin away and have the man whipped for accepting it in the first place.
“Galius has been expecting you,” the man stated meekly, his eyes not meeting mine.
“Is he here now?” I asked.
“This way,” the man replied with his eyes turned down to the ground as he gestured with a skinny arm towards the manor.
The lawn in front of the house was perfectly manicured. Conical bushes lined either side of the cobblestone walkway that led to a set of three stone steps rising up to the portico. The meek servant swung open the unadorned, off-white front door into the manor and gestured for me to enter. I stepped into the foyer.
The ostentatious inside of the manor was exactly as I remembered it. Alternating red and ivory marble tiles covered the floor. Blue silk curtains were held back from windows with gold, braided, tasseled cords. The white walls were hung with art in golden frames. Starting in the center of the room, a long, golden-banistered marble staircase spiraled up to a balustraded balcony. Above the circular opening of the spiraled staircase hung an elaborate crystal chandelier. Great arched doorways with intricately designed oak doors led to rooms around the foyer. There was a large marble fireplace, white with streaks of gray, burning on the left side of the room and giving off a comfortable warmth. The scent of cinnamon incense immediately enveloped my sense of smell.
Two other servants, a young man and a gray-haired woman in similar livery to the servant who had retrieved me, were busy dusting the foyer. There were probably another half-dozen underpaid servants throughout the manor. Slipping any money to the two servants in the foyer would have been too risky now that I was inside.
Before I could ask the quiet servant where I could find Galius, the pot-bellied, greasy-goateed count appeared on the balcony. He was dressed in a fine, green silk shirt under a brown coat embroidered with gold. Shiny black shoes poked out from the bottom of brown dressy trousers. His eyes and mouth seemed set in concern and it seemed as if he were restraining from flying down the steps to get the dragon egg back into his possession.
“Do you have it?” he asked uneasily.
I reached into my coin purse and held up the circular gem-like dragon egg. It seemed like such a small thing to have been the catalyst for the changes in my life since I had retrieved it. “Got it right here,” I announced.
His body visibly relaxed and his thin lips pulled up into an unsettling smile. “Well, come on up here and have a glass of wine to celebrate with me. Tomil, bring him on up.” He turned from the balcony and passed through a doorway on the far wall.
“Follow me,” the servant who had escorted me into the manor commanded quietly, starting up the spiraled staircase resignedly. Tomil plainly seemed broken by his position in life. I couldn’t help but pity him. If I had failed to get the egg to Galius on time, I’d have been in the same position except for being bound to Galius’ command for all time and receiving nothing in return or dying a slow death in exchange. Actually, I guess it was pretty much exactly the same.
As I followed after Tomil, my heart started pounding and I could feel nervous sweat start to bead on my forehead. Everything was becoming real. I started doubting the whole plan. I worried about why he was leading me deeper into his manor. Why wouldn’t he just come down, take the egg and kick me out the door? I could only figure that he wanted to bring me to where the whole exchange would be completely on his terms. I was sure that he’d also have a couple thugs ready to take care of me if I had any surprises up my sleeve. The Contract’s magic was supposed to protect him, but he was still a paranoid man. With what I hoped to happen, he had every right to be.
Tomil gestured to the doorway and I stepped through into what appeared to be an office. There was an ornate rectangular desk with a large padded chair bordering on what I’d call a throne behind it. Two plain, cushioned chairs sat on the side nearest me. Bookshelves and display cabinets lined the walls except where expensive paintings took up the wall space.
Galius stood before a large window with its blue silk curtains pulled back, letting the afternoon light accentuate his pale skin. I didn’t really care about any of those details though. I cared about the six gruff looking men—three on either side of the room—and the brown-robed man to the side of him. Galius wasn’t taking any chances with me. It looked like he had hired not only six thugs to make sure the transaction went smoothly, but a wizard as well.
“Sit, Korin, and have some chilled wine with me,” Galius ordered in his whiny voice with a gesture towards the table.
With a hand held to my Vesteir-sigiled sword hilt, I warily sat down as I tried to keep all of the others in the room within my vision, trying to puzzle out how he had known to have them ready in the first place.
“You seem confused,” Galius smirked self-imporantly as he took a seat in the plush chair across from me. “The gatewatchers of Byweather were well informed of your description and were to tell me as soon as you arrived. Your new look didn’t fool them.” He gestured to my choppy hair. “I’ve known you were here since the second you arrived. That gave me some time to establish my…insurance, I guess you could say.” His smirk sickened me.
Tomil entered the room again with a silver tray bearing two gilded wine goblets and a ewer frosted with condensation. Tomil set the tray on the table and filled the two goblets, setting one before Galius and one before me. His eyes were cast down to the floor the entire time.
“You may leave us now,” Galius told him. “Shut the door behind you.” Tomil gave a slight bow in acquiescence and left the room, shutting the door. I was starting to feel even more uneasy. I was shut in with this group. Sure, an unlocked door is not much of a hamper in escaping a hostile situation, but it’s enough of one to keep from bolting before a wizard could fling a spell or two. Galius lifted his goblet and took a sip of his wine. I left mine untouched.
“I don’t mean to offend you, Count Firmon, but I really must be on my way. Actually, I take that back. I do mean to offend and I really don’t want to be around you any longer,” I told him, sliding the dragon egg across the table towards him. I really should have been watching my tongue. Despite the magic of the Contract that should have protected me, he had had me tied up and beaten before. That was with only two thugs. Now I had six thugs and a wizard that could teach me any lesson Galius wanted them to.
Galius’ eyes turned up to me with suspicion. “Take out your Soul Contract,” he ordered.
Galius’ request was standard for Contract fulfillments. He wanted to see the blood drops disappear as soon as he took the dragon egg to make sure the Terms had truly been fulfilled. Doing so was the only way to guarantee that I was actually giving him the genuine item he had sent me after.
I dug the Contract out of my coin purse and slammed it onto the table. His eyes widened slightly as he noted the second set of brighter circular red blood stains below the faded ones representing our Activated Contract, but he did not ask about them. He knew I wouldn’t reveal what they were.
Galius put a hand onto the dragon egg and as he did, the original two spots disappeared, leaving no trace that they had ever been on the cloth. Galius’ mouth curved up to one side as he took the dragon egg and held it before his eyes. “I suppose during your travels that you got a hint of what this gem is capable of.”
“You might say that, but it’s no concern of mine now,” I replied as I started to stand, grabbing the
Contract and shoving it into my coin purse as I did. As I stood, all of the others in the room, save Galius, took a step forward with severe faces, giving me pause. The six toughs had hands to the weapons at their hips: swords, maces, and knives. The robed man had each hand tucked into the opposite sleeve of his robe where he could have been concealing anything.
Galius knew how he could get around the Contract’s magic to have them hurt me, and I gravely hoped I knew how also. Knowing how to get around that magic was not going to make me any safer at that moment, though. My hand did not move from the hilt of my sword.
Galius’ grin seemed almost sinister. “No, I suppose it isn’t.”
I pushed my chair to the side and started backing towards the closed door as I tried to keep my eyes on everyone in the room at once. Even though the men around the room didn’t move, I knew Galius was planning something. I could see it in his eyes. My plan hadn’t involved being beaten to death by anyone, let alone seven anyones.
I was just steps away from the door when Galius called out, “Wait, Korin. I just want another minute of your time.” The bastard had waited until I was almost to the door to stop me on purpose. The Caysin-blooded count was messing with me. Caysin is the goddess of treachery and is not one typically worshipped. Galius stood and started walking towards me with an arrogant grace.
“Make it a quick minute, Count,” I growled, making sure my sword was free of its scabbard and drawing it to expose a couple inches of its blade. Galius had nothing to fear from me, but I could at least try to intimidate him. His greasy smile told me that I’d failed.
Galius stopped just inches from where I stood. “I believe I may have made a mistake,” he whispered, leaning close to my ear. “I shouldn’t have had you beaten that night. I bet you’ve been wondering how my men were able to do it, haven’t you?”
