by Charles Lamb
Alex decided to withhold the description of Cassie’s near death experience on the trip home until later. After that event, Cassie and Kelby had been nearly inseparable, spending the remainder of the voyage giggling and gossiping like a couple of schoolgirls. At points during the trip, he would see the two looking in his direction while they whispered, making him decidedly uncomfortable. When he asked Cassie about it later, she would just reply it was girl talk.
----*----
The women went to get cleaned up from the long sea voyage, with Cassie insuring Kelby had VIP quarters on the Royal family’s level of the keep. While they did so, Alex, Ben, and Leander went to the same small study, where they had planned their cross-sea adventure earlier.
“So, you saw Amelia?” Ben asked when Alex described his portion of their experience.
“Yes, in the dragon’s lair. Tantalus has been using dragons in the west to establish himself as the prominent trading house there. In the sack are all of his contracts and correspondence with Renfeld and others in the east, helping establish his foothold here,” Alex explained while indicating the bag he had placed on the table.
Ben nodded, now understanding the importance of the sack Alex had been carrying himself, rather than delegating the task.
“And the spear?” he asked while pointing to the weapon now standing in the corner next to the elf bow and quiver.
“The only weapons we have that pierce dragon hide,” he replied with a shrug.
“And you have no idea where the dragon took her?” Ben asked, returning to the main objective.
“We were hoping you might have an idea,” Alex replied, indicating Leander.
Pulling out a few of the documents he had set aside, Alex handed them to Ben for his review. As he and Leander waited for him to read the contents, Alex had one of the guards standing outside send for food and drink. By the time the refreshments arrived, Ben had finished a quick review.
“Northern Lords, huh?” he replied, tossing the last scroll onto the table.
“Do you know any of them?” Alex asked.
“Met a few a ways back, though they may all be dead by now. They are a stubborn, independent bunch. For Renfeld to get this commitment, he had to promise them something big.”
“Or had something big to threaten them with?” Leander asked.
“You mean the dragon? Yes, that is also a possibility. Either used in support of their efforts or as a threat against them, it would have a great influence in gaining their allegiance.”
It was then that there was a soft tapping at the door, causing the three men to look.
“Yes?” Alex replied.
With that, the door opened, and Cassie, Abrianna, and Kelby entered. All three had changed into fresh, clean clothes, each a simple, yet elegant, design. Alex was sure Kelby must have borrowed some of Abrianna’s things; Cassie’s clothes would have been far too big on her.
The mermaid appeared slightly uncomfortable in both the fine clothing, and at the sight of Ben. However, she followed the others into the chamber, and quickly took a seat to one side, while Abrianna went to her father and Leander, kissing each on the cheek before finding a seat of her own. Cassie went to Alex and remained standing at his side, after their own personal greeting had completed.
“What have you determined?” Cassie asked, pointing to the pile of paperwork on the nearby table.
Everyone was looking at Ben, hope clearly expressed on their faces.
“I agree with the consensus that the dragon came east, likely to the Northern Mountains. We once had dragons there, long ago, before the great purge drove them close to extinction.”
“Uncle, I don’t remember learning anything about a purge,” Cassie said.
“It is not discussed. In the last confrontation with the Dark Elves, the dragons sided, or were forced to fight with, the dark forces. Many perished in the destruction of A’asari and even more were hunted and killed in the years that followed. It was assumed that they were gone, but obviously, some remained, hidden away.”
“And it’s House Drakon and Tantalus, in particular, that seem to have the ability to control the dragons?” Alex asked.
“Yes,” Ben replied as he turned and scanned the books on the shelves of the small library. After a few minutes, he located what he was looking for and pulled a large volume from one of the upper shelves.
“This is the Book of Families. All the royal families have a copy. It contains a history of all known houses, both royal and notable,” Ben explained, placing the book on the table.
“I remember that book,” Abrianna said as she lit up in excitement.
“Cassie and I used to flip through it when we were kids. We could hardly wait for the latest updates.”
“Updates?” Alex asked, confused at the reference.
“All copies of this book are magically linked. The master volumes are held by the elves. Every time they make a change, it automatically updates all the copies as it occurs,” Ben explained.
“You can search by House or by location,” Cassie commented, looking over Alex’s shoulder.
Alex opened the book and began flipping through the pages until he found a reference to Great Vale. His heart skipped as he read. On the page before him was a reference to House Griffin, noting King Ben as the first of his line and listing Abrianna as his sole direct heir, with Cassie next in line. Apparently the name was not a complete secret.
Alex realized that while Ben never used his last name, the Griffin was tied to his house in symbol. The royal seal, on the page for House Griffin, was not the blue emblem Alex had seen denoting Great Vale, but was rather a yellow Griffin on a gray background. The creature was part lion, and part eagle, its wings spread wide behind the body. He wondered if the colors referenced his Confederate roots, yellow and gray being confederate cavalry colors.
Continuing on, he found the pages referencing Windfall. Here, he scanned the notes referring to Renfeld, his father and the demise of their house rule in Windfall. He noted it didn’t reference Renfeld’s death, just the loss of the crown. As he continued on, he suddenly stopped and looked at Ben.
“I have a house?” Alex asked, pointing to the page entitled House Rogers. The crest emblazoned on the page displayed a black Pegasus, its stance reminiscent of the Ferrari emblem of a rearing horse, but its wings spread wide. Behind the horse were two crossed white lightning bolts, an obvious reference to his magical powers. Both were on a light blue background with white trim, something Alex assumed linked him to Great Vale.
“The elves apparently feel you are noteworthy enough to grant you such,” Ben answered with a touch of sarcasm.
Ignoring the reply, Alex continued until he found the House of Drakon. As he scanned the pages, he nodded when he reached the part he was looking for.
“....House Drakon is noted to possess an innate ability to communicate and control dragons of any type. They are immune to dragon fire and can telepathically link, seeing through the dragon’s eyes as well as communicating instructions.”
“So, that’s how Tantalus knew we had breached the lair,” Cassie declared.
“Yes, he likely saw everything that happened there through the dragon’s eyes,” Alex replied.
“I wish we could do that now and see where the beast is hiding,” Leander added.
There were several nods from the group, as they all considered the statement.
“We need to start looking for contacts in the north,” Alex commented as he pulled a map of the area north of the mountains toward him.
“I could scout the mermaid bar here and see if any of the sailors know of a Tantalus ship in the area. The sailors love to try and impress the barmaids, so they are always spouting off,” Kelby suggested with a knowing smirk.
“You are sure we have a mermaid bar in Windfall?” Alex asked.
“All large seaports have a mermaid bar,” Ben stated, appearing distracted as he considered the map as well.
Alex almost burst out laughing
as Ben realized both Cassie and Abrianna were staring at him as if he had grown a second head.
“From time to time I have had need to charter a vessel, and mermaid bars are the best source of reliable information,” Ben replied with a smile.
“Not ignoring the fact that mermaids have a particular fondness for men of power or Royalty?” Kelby asked slyly.
“I had noticed,” Ben replied, not shying away from the implications.
“Do we know which bar here is run by the mermaids?” Alex asked, rescuing Cassie and Abrianna from any further unwanted disclosures on Ben’s private life.
“I believe it’s called The Sailor’s Folly,” Ben replied lightly.
“I don’t even want to hear how you know that,” Abrianna declared.
“Ok, tomorrow I will stop in and see what I can find out,” Kelby commented, smiling at the ladies’ discomfort. It was clear she was warming to Ben’s presence.
“I should probably go with her,” Alex added protectively.
“I think not!” Cassie snapped back, “If anyone goes, it should be me.”
“Cassie is right,” Kelby replied, “Alex would be an unwelcome distraction to those in residence there, while a nymph and mermaid traveling together would be more welcome.”
While Alex had no desire to have his fiancée hanging out in a sailor’s bar, he doubted there was much in the way of danger beyond drunk, groping, sailors. On that, though, he feared for those men.
With the subject closed, the group retired to the downstairs dining hall for an evening meal. That time was spent in tales of their trip and speculation on the future.
----*----
The following morning Cassie found Alex and Ben in the large meeting hall, taking care of things considered too important by his surrogates to be decided until his return. She left them both with a kiss and a hug before she and Kelby set off to The Sailor’s Folly. Although everyone agreed it would be impossible for Alex to accompany the two even to the door, Leander was another thing entirely.
Predominantly unknown in Windfall, he was an excellent alternative as a discreet bodyguard. With two of his Rangers, all in local garb, the three alternated following the women at a respectable distance. The Rangers had accompanied Ben on his trip form Great Vale in hopes of assisting their Guild Master in his return.
As the destination was known, there were no concerns of losing the women in the crowds. The three men simply stationed themselves along the route and watched.
“You know Alex was not happy with you this morning?” Kelby said as they walked along the street. Every so often, she would stop and examine the merchant’s wares, doing her best to look unhurried.
“You have no idea. All I heard before bed last night were his complaints,” she replied while rolling her eyes.
“If that’s all you got from him last night, you have my sympathies,” Kelby replied with a smirk.
“I quieted him down soon enough,” Cassie responded with her own look of knowing.
“I don’t see our escort,” Kelby commented as she casually scanned the street behind them.
“There’s one of Leander’s men standing by the fruit vendor,” Cassie replied as they turned the corner and headed to the waterfront north of the castle.
Wandering into a less prosperous section of the city, Cassie caught two more changes of their guards before they turned onto the street known for its bars and taverns. The majority of the foot traffic here was male and far from affluent. The two redheads drew plenty of attention from all they passed, though none impeded their travel.
That morning, Abrianna had provided both women clothing more appropriate to their destination. While clean and well fitting, it was neither fine nor new in appearance. The two might be assumed to be shopkeepers or possibly in the trades, but certainly not affluent.
Two things easily identified the Sailor’s Folly as they approached. The first was the sign hanging over the entrance, depicting a well-endowed mermaid, the tavern name emblazoned beneath. The second was Leander, sitting at a table just outside the door, flagon in hand and in deep conversation with another patron.
Kelby stopped and turned to Cassie.
“Let’s bait the trap, shall we?” With that, she reached over to Cassie and opened a few buttons, adjusting her clothing until her attributes were well displayed. Her inner nymph flared with excitement at the prospect of titillating the men inside, while her proper self was mortified at the response. Repeating the process on herself, Kelby then gave them both a once over and a nod of approval.
“That should be good enough,” she said with a smile.
“To wake the dead!” Cassie replied with a blush, but did nothing to adjust Kelby’s work.
Cassie and Kelby passed Leander by without a glance, receiving the same treatment from him. The man he was speaking with, however, paused midsentence as he gawked at the women entering the tavern. Pausing to allow their eyes to adjust to the darkened interior, they had barely stopped when someone shouted from across the room.
“Kelby?” came the call from the far side, behind the bar.
“Oh, crap!” Kelby said quietly, as both watched a young woman jump the bar and rush across to snatch Kelby up in a bear hug. It was then that Cassie could see the newcomer was the spitting image of Kelby, flaming red hair and all.
“Cassie, this is my twin sister, Leena,” Kelby said, as she broke free of the hug, gasping for air.
Chapter 16
Alex and Ben had spent the entire morning dealing with everything but the one issue they were most interested in addressing. It had been a steady stream of merchants, factors, and shipping moguls petitioning for one favor or another. Alex was just happy to have Ben there to address most of it; he had a hard time detecting the fact from fiction in most of the petitions.
Some were looking to gain unfair advantage over their competition, while others had valid complaints regarding taxes, tariffs, and levies placed on their livelihood. Alex had made a good start at fixing the injustices of the past, but there was still a lot to correct from Renfeld’s short time in power.
Ben was quite pleased with the shipyards under construction, and had suggestions of his own on other civic projects. Both men subtlety probed all that came before them on the subject of Tantalus and dealings in the north. More than one of those claimed no direct knowledge but were more than happy to share rumors.
With each petitioner presenting privately, uninfluenced by the previous audience, the two were able to stitch together which rumors were more prevalent. The facts around any of the rumors was still to be substantiated. The complaint of piracy Alex was able to personally verify, based on his own experiences, and was eager to ensure the complainant that he was on it.
“Well its lunch time and still no Cassie,” Ben commented as the two left the audience chamber, on the way to the royal dining room.
“If it weren’t for Leander, I would be scouring the streets now myself,” Alex replied.
“Let’s take their delay as a good sign then,” Ben said as he motioned for Alex to sit. With that, the two men ate mostly in silence, anxiously waiting for women to return with information guiding their next steps.
----*----
Cassie sat at a wooden table in the upstairs area of The Sailor’s Folly, waiting quietly as she watched Kelby console her twin sister. The news of their mother’s passing at the hands of Tantalus had yet to reach Leena, or any of the mermaids here. As she watched the two, she marveled at the resemblance, unable to detect the slightest physical difference between the two mermaids, beyond the tear streaks Leena now sported.
Once Leena was able to speak, she peppered Kelby with questions surrounding their mother’s death and all that had occurred in serving justice to the killer. Kelby patiently delivered an extended tale of the actions taken to date, including the search for Cassie’s mother and their eventual battle with the dragon at Lake Vishap.
The wounds inflicted on the creature during the trip home brought a s
mile to Leena’s face, but that soon faded as she learned of its escape. Kelby ended the tale with their arrival at The Sailor’s Folly, in search of a new lead.
“Leena, have you heard anything that might help us find out where Tantalus is hiding?” Cassie asked after a pause.
Cassie could see the mermaid considering the question. Glancing at her sister before replying, she nodded yes.
“Before coming here, I was in Nyland,” Leena declared. Cassie must have given her a look of confusion, because she added in irritation.
“Its north of Gundor Stronghold, on the coast,” Leena provided.
“Yes I know. That’s why I never expected to see you here. We sent word of mother there,” Kelby supplied. The comment brought a sniffle from Leena, but she quickly gathered herself and continued.
“It was miserable up there. Freezing seas, snow on the ground most of the year, not a fit place for nymph nor mermaid,” Leena declared, indicating Cassie in her statement.
“You picked it!” Kelby replied sharply, momentarily forgetting her sister’s distress.
“I couldn’t very well stay in Freeport with you, always second place to my prettier sister!’ Leena snapped.
“Ah… you two are identical,” Cassie commented, confused at the reference.
“Now! But once we transform in the water, someone’s tail is all the rage!” Leena said, then rose and headed to a nearby counter, looking for something to drink. As she spoke, she swirled one leg behind her as one might flip a tail.
“My tail fluke is, well, shapelier than Leena’s, and she’s always been jealous of it,” Kelby said quietly.
“I’ve never been jealous of you,” Leena replied, returning with a pitcher and three mugs. Evidently, Kelby had not been quiet enough.
“Then why are we discussing it now?” Kelby snapped as she watched Leena pour for all three.
