“Truly?” asks Ellinwyrd, intrigued but somewhat skeptical. “What world were you born upon?”
“We call it Earth,” he explains. “It’s very similar to this one, but with many differences. One of the major differences is that magic doesn’t work in my world.”
“Fascinating,” Ellinwyrd says, then prompts James to continue.
James then relates the tale of how he answered the ad and all the events from the time he entered this world until the time the god, or whatever that little creature is, gave him the amulet. He further explains how he came here to Cardri, how he hoped to discover the meaning of the amulet. How he hoped in some way to shed some light on all this.
“An interesting tale,” Ellinwyrd says when James finishes. “It seems strange that you were brought to our world and not told why.”
“I agree,” James says. “All I was told was to do what feels right.”
“And it felt right to tell me your tale?” Ellinwyrd asks.
“I feel I can trust you with it,” James explains. “Odd, but you’re the first one I’ve met in this world that I’ve felt that way about. Even Ceryn doesn’t know the whole story.” He looks to Ellinwyrd and asks, “I hope that I am not mistaken?”
“Oh no, your story is safe with me,” Ellinwyrd assures James. “I can understand where secrecy about this might be the prudent course of action at this time.”
“Having heard my tale, what would you propose I do now? Should I go in search of Morcyth? And if so, where do I start?” he asks.
“You are the only one who can answer that,” Ellinwyrd says. “You were told to do what feels right, does going in search of Morcyth feel right?”
Considering the idea a moment, he says, “I still feel that I need to know more, so I guess it does. Where would be a good place to start?”
“I am not sure,” he admits. “Morcyth in his heyday was fairly widespread, with local temples in almost every major town. I believe I read somewhere that the central temple to Morcyth had been located in the Kingdom of Madoc, somewhere around the Sea of the Gods.”
“Sea of the Gods?” James asks. “Where would that be?”
“As you may be aware, the Silver Mountains lies along Cardri’s eastern border,” he explains. “On the other side you will find the Kingdom of Madoc. In the central area of Madoc sits an enormous body of freshwater called Sea of the Gods, with many cities lining its shores. Quite likely, one of those cities once housed the central temple to Morcyth,” continues Ellinwyrd. “However, which one eludes me.”
“Well at least that’s a start,” James acknowledges.
“One slight problem however,” he warns.
“What would that be?” queries James.
“In case you haven’t heard, the Kingdom of Madoc is being invaded by the Empire from the south. Travel there will be difficult at best. The Empire is currently besieging the town of Saragon, some hundred or so miles south of the Sea.”
“I heard about that,” he admits. “Is there any way to get there without running into the Empire’s forces?”
“There are two passes that allow travel between Cardri and Madoc which would not take you near the fighting, at least where the fighting is right now. One is the Merchant’s Pass, just east of the city of Trademeet. That one is the most direct path to the Sea and is still some distance north of the invading forces so should be relatively safe. The other one is the Dragon’s Pass. It lies further north past the Forest of Kelewan. It would be the safer of the two but will take you many days out of your way.”
“I see,” says James. Getting up, he stretches his hand across the table to Ellinwyrd and then continues, “I appreciate you seeing me and being so helpful, but I must be going. I still have many things to do before I set out in the morning.”
Motioning for James to sit back down, Ellinwyrd says, “Don’t be in such a rush. Maybe I can help you further on your quest.” He gets up from his chair and walks over to a table with many books lying in uneven piles upon it. He picks up one and brings it back to the table.
“I have been meaning to send this to a colleague of mine who maintains the Great Library in the City of Light, which lies on the southern shore of the Sea of the Gods. His name is Ollinearn. From time to time we send each other copies of books and manuscripts that are of interest to the other.”
He takes a large sheet of paper lying on a nearby table and proceeds to wrap the book tightly within it, inserting the corners within the folds until he has a nice, secure package with no loose edges. Taking a candle burning on the table, he drips some wax over a seam then presses his ring into it, making his sign. Satisfied, he hands it over to James who takes it.
“If you would be so kind as to deliver this,” Ellinwyrd says as he gets a quill, ink and paper out, “I will write him a letter asking him to help you in any way he can.”
“I would be glad to,” agrees James.
Ellinwyrd takes but a moment to write out the letter, then rolls it up and like the package, places his seal in wax upon it. He hands the letter to James saying, “Give this letter to him and he should be willing to help.”
James takes the letter and says, “Thank you for your, help. I will be sure to give him the book and letter when I arrive at the City of Light.” James again stands as he holds out his hand.
Taking James’ hand, Ellinwyrd says, “I am glad I could be of some help. Should your travels bring you back to Cardri, please feel free to stop by for a visit. I would dearly like to hear more about you and your world.”
“I will,” James assures him and then turns toward the door to leave.
Before he could take two steps, he’s stopped when Ellinwyrd says, “Just a moment, you require an escort to pass through the castle area.” Moving over to the wall he tugs on a decorative hanging rope. Shortly, the door opens and Berin, the page who had previously escorted him there, enters.
“Berin, please escort this gentlemen back to the gate,” he says.
“This way sir,” Berin says.
“Goodbye, Ellinwyrd,” James says.
Ellinwyrd replies “Have a safe journey, James.”
James turns and exits through the door, following Berin along the same path that they had taken in coming to the Archives. Entering the courtyard with the fountain, he sadly discovers that the Princess Alliende is no longer there. He would have dearly loved to see her one more time.
Continuing to follow Berin, James realizes just how late it’s becoming. It didn’t seem as if he had been in there all that long. When he arrives back at the gates, Berin takes his leave saying, “Good evening to you sir,” and then returns to within the castle area.
Needing to get some errands done before he leaves in the morning, he quickly makes his way down the road and finds Thelonius’ shop. Entering through the door, the ever present guards look him over, while one goes into the back to fetch him. The guard reemerges from the back not long before Thelonius makes his appearance at the window.
“Good evening to you James,” he says, greeting him with a smile. “How may I help you this evening?”
“I’m having to leave town for a while and wish to withdraw two hundred gold pieces,” he explains.
“Let me get the coins,” he replies. “I shall be but a moment.” He turns and disappears into the back only a short time before returning with a tray of coins and two small empty pouches. Together they count the coins, and when they have made sure there are two hundred golds worth, he puts the coins into the two pouches and hands them to James. He then produces a paper which James must sign, signifying that he has withdrawn two hundred golds.
Once the paper is signed, Thelonius asks, “Is there anything else I may do for you?”
Picking up the sacks, James says, “Not right now, no, that’s all I needed.” As he turns to go he says, “Thank you.”
“A good evening to you as well, sir,” Thelonius says before returning to the rear of the shop.
One of the guards holds the door open
as he leaves with a sack full of coins in each hand. As he’s walking down the street back to the Silver Bells, he begins to realize that this may not have been the most intelligent thing he’s ever done, walking down the street with two bulging pouches filled with gold coins. He doesn’t observe anyone following him and quickly makes it back to the inn, going straight to his room.
Back at his room, he finds Perrilin asleep again and Miko sitting bored looking out the window.
“James,” he says quietly when he sees him walk in through the door. “How did it go?”
He sets the two sacks of gold coins down on the floor in the corner, then comes over and takes a seat at the table. “It went well,” he replies. Taking out the medallion to show it to Miko, he says, “This symbol here is the symbol of a god named Morcyth whose influence waned over five hundred years ago. He didn’t know much more than that. However, Ellinwyrd did mention the area around a body of water called the Sea of the Gods was where the central temple to Morcyth had been located. He couldn’t remember exactly where.”
“In the morning, I plan to head that way, taking the road through the Merchant’s Pass and crossing over into Madoc. It’s my hope to find this temple or perhaps someone who can further enlighten me about Morcyth.” He glances to Miko and says, “You needn’t feel that you have to accompany me, this could be dangerous.”
Looking hurt, Miko replies, “Haven’t I been a big help so far?”
“Yes, you have,” he admits.
“Then I want to come along,” he insists. “You are about the only friend I have and if I can help, then I want to.”
Seeing that Perrilin is awake and has been listening in on the conversation, James looks to him for help. “Would you please tell him that going over to a kingdom at war is not the best of ideas?”
Miko looks anxiously to Perrilin as he carefully considers his answer. “Though there may be dangers, Miko is old enough to make his own decisions and has proven quite helpful thus far. From all I have gathered, he has been someone you have been able to trust and count on. That can be a rare thing to find.”
Miko beams at the praise while Perrilin continues. “A lengthy venture should never be attempted alone and there are too many things that may happen where you will need someone else, such as if you get hurt. Also, he has been quite good at ferreting out information in the city which could prove most useful since you are in search of information. And…”
“Okay, okay, I’m sold,” James says holding up his hands in surrender. Turning to Miko he says, “If you are going with me then we will need to get you a horse in the morning. We won’t make much time with you walking or us riding double.”
Eyes lighting up, he exclaims “My own horse? Can I pick it out?”
Smiling at his exuberance, James says, “We’ll let someone who knows horses pick it out okay?”
“Alright,” Miko agrees.
“Now go downstairs and see if you can arrange for a couple of baths here in the room. Also have dinner sent up.”
“Okay James,” Miko says as he practically skips out of the room.
Perrilin chuckles from the bed, “He sure is happy.”
“Yes, he is,” James says. “I hope he still feels that way later on down the road.”
“There is some strength in that boy,” Perrilin observes. “I think you could do worse in traveling companions.”
“I suppose so,” James admits. “Are you going to be alright?”
“I’ll be fine,” he says. “Miss Gilena will allow me to stay here for a while, at least until I’m much better.” Lowering his voice he says, “Actually, I’m pretty much okay now, just a bit stiff and sore. But I like the attention.” Smiling, he lays back on the bed.
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” James says as he smiles back.
Miko returns saying that the baths will be up shortly and that dinner will follow. They don’t have long to wait until there’s a knock on the door. Miko goes over to let in the staff bearing the bath tubs. To James’ surprise they bring in three tubs, not two that he had been expecting. Mystified, he turns and looks over to Miko who is blushing slightly, “Three?”
“One for each of us,” he says slightly embarrassed. “Well, I kind of liked it last time. I didn’t think you would mind.”
“Mind?” James replies. “Of course I don’t mind.” Laughing at Miko’s expense, James relates to Perrilin the circumstances of the last time they had a bath. “But I thought we were to keep Perrilin a secret?”
“Miss Gilena said that she has talked to her staff and if they want to keep their jobs they better be quiet about the whole thing. She feels that they will keep the secret, at least for a while.”
They wait while the staff begins bringing in buckets of hot water. Soon the tubs are filled with steaming water and towels are laid out for the bathers. Miko is the first undressed and submerged in the tub. James asks Perrilin if he needs any help but he refuses, saying he can manage getting undressed and into the tub himself.
James undresses and climbs into a tub filled with hot, soothing water. The heat suffuses every muscle and sinew, slowly taking away the aches. Perrilin manages to get in well enough on his own and soon all three are laid back, relaxing in the tubs.
A knock at the door is immediately followed by Miss Gilena walking into the room. She sees the three of them relaxing in the tubs. “Comfy are we?” she asks.
“Yes we are,” says Perrilin. “Perhaps you should come back when we are less, exposed?”
Waving away the comment, she closes to the door and says, “There’s nothing here I haven’t seen before, so don’t you be worrying about my delicate sensibilities. I just came to see how you were doing.”
“I am fine thank you,” he assures her. “Just need a few more days rest and I’ll be as good as new.” He glances at James and gives him a look that says, ‘Don’t say anything’.
“Miss Gilena,” James says, “Miko and I will be leaving in the morning, our business here in Cardri is done. We are going to need a second horse for my friend and I was wondering if you knew of a place where we could purchase one?”
Thinking a moment she says, “Lufer sells horses outside the walls near the river. He’s honest and usually has a fair selection.”
“Thank you,” he says. “I’ll be by later this evening to settle what I owe you, after dinner.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she says. Then she looks toward Perrilin and says “Consider it a reward for rescuing him.”
“Thank you again,” James says.
“Well, since all is well here I must go, this place won’t run itself,” she announces then turns to leave, shutting the door behind her.
After she leaves they relax in the tubs for a while longer, until the water begins to turn cold. Once out, they send Miko down to get the staff to remove the tubs, which is a long process as they must use pails to remove most of the water before they are light enough to be carried out.
Shortly after the last tub is removed, their dinner arrives and it’s bigger than any so far. Comprising of two whole chickens, a big platter of vegetables, and three loaves of bread, James didn’t think they would be able to finish it all, but Miko proved him wrong. He continues to be amazed at just how much that boy can eat.
That evening, while Perrilin remained in the room resting, James and Miko went down to the common room to enjoy the evening’s entertainment. The bard performing for the patrons is enjoyable, though in James’ opinion, Perrilin is the more talented of the two. Still, they have a good night and when he catches Miko yawning, they head upstairs to their beds and sleep.
Chapter Fifteen
Early the next morning, Miko is again sent down to request breakfast to be sent up to their room. By the time the food arrives, he and James have everything packed and ready for travel.
Along with breakfast, Miss Gilena provides them with travel rations; dried beef, a half wheel of cheese, and several loaves of bread.
“I hope you find what you
are looking for,” Perrilin says to James while they eat breakfast.
“I really don’t know what I am looking for,” he replies, “I have questions but very few answers. I don’t even know if the questions I do have are the right ones. I just know I need to be doing something.”
“I know the feeling,” he says.
“What will you do?” James asks him.
“Probably enjoy the hospitality here for a while and then go back on the road,” he replies. “I don’t like staying too long in one place. I prefer to travel and see what there is to see.”
Nodding with understanding, James asks, “What about Miss Gilena? She really likes you, you know?”
A wistful look comes over him and he says, “I like her too, but it’s not in my plans to be tied down to one place. I know that is what she would demand if we were to become serious. I am content to just be her friend, at least for right now.” He takes another bite and continues, “Later on, who knows?”
After they finish and while Miko gathers James’ bags, James goes over and shakes hands with Perrilin, “Try to be more careful in the future. I may not be around next time.”
Smiling, he returns the handshake and says, “Let’s hope there is no next time. Good travels to you both. I’m sure we will meet again sometime, someplace.” Turning to Miko he says, “You take care of him.”
“Oh, I will,” he replies in all seriousness.
Opening the door, James lets Miko precede him out into the hallway and then closes the door behind him. Downstairs they find but a handful of people in the common room as they head out the back door on their way to the stable.
There they find Gunter distributing feed for the horses.
“Good morning sirs,” he says as they enter. He takes a moment to pour feed from the pail he carries into a stall’s feed trough for one of the other horses before coming over to them. “How may I be of service?”
“We are leaving today,” James replies, “I’m here to collect my horse. Did he give you any trouble last night?”
“Of course not sir,” he says. “He has been well behaved the entire time. He’s a good one, he is.”
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