by Jo Fontana
The Egg Quest
Jo Fontana & Teresa Horton
Copyright 2017 © Jo Fontana & Teresa Horton
Cover art and design by Sarah Menzel
Edited by Lisa Marie Hardin
All Rights Reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, are either the product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without written permission from Jo Fontana, Teresa Horton, or Turtle Monkey Books LLC.
Turtle Monkey Books LLC
Denver, CO
First Edition
ISBN-13: 978-1983547140
ISBN-10: 198354714X
DEDICATION
For Mary & Trevor
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
PROLOGUE
Ethiridyn awoke and realized that he was on a new world, and a young one by the feel of it. He cringed as he felt a familiar malevolent presence, one that he had almost forgotten and he raged at the thought that the other could not leave one world free to choose its own future. Ethiridyn was determined to thwart his nemesis again. He began searching for a vessel to contain his fierce power when a sound caught his attention. There was someone trapped in the nearby foggy hills. He approached slowly to scrutinize the prone body and determined that this form would do for now.
CHAPTER ONE
Aman dressed in black walked through the unfamiliar streets of Hollow Harbor searching for an inn that wouldn’t be life threatening if he chose to rest there for the night. He had a tip about an inn that might hire him and figured he would think of a way to turn the opportunity into a convenient arrangement. As he passed darkened alleyways to get to the center of town, Reyden Frost was grateful for looking older than his age; his height paired with his dark, unruly hair helped maintain that impression. Reyden was not one to jump at shadows, but his unease grew as he walked. He didn’t like what he saw of the town and thought that he might be camping in the woods after all. The thought did not improve his mood.
The attack came without warning. Reyden was almost completely past an alley when an arm slid around his neck and he felt the point of a blade in his back.
Someone whispered in his ear, “You fight, you die.”
Reyden slowly moved his hand towards his pocket to reach the petrified egg he kept there. He was just about to touch it when everything went black.
Reyden was startled awake by shouting which disoriented him. He took a moment to collect himself. A very tall man of the law, a Postulate, chased another man out of the alley whose shoes were on fire. Reyden sat up quickly. An elf was kneeling over him. He raised a hand to clobber the elf when the elf declared, “I did not attack you, magic worker! The Postulate is chasing the one who did.”
Reyden scrutinized the elf suspiciously. “Did you get a good look at him?”
“No, not really, but the Postulate should be able to best identify the creep.” He extended a hand to assist Reyden.
“The walking wall?”
The elf grinned. “Yes, that would be him. I tried to slow him down for the Postulate, but in my haste, I used the wrong element. By the way, I’m Illithor Spiderglow.”
“That explains the feet on fire.” Reyden grabbed Illithor’s hand and as he stood, he remembered his egg and felt his pocket to assure himself that it was still there. He snarled upon finding both pockets empty and then immediately dropped to his knees to search the ground.
"What's wrong?" asked Illithor.
"My focus is gone! Help me look for it," Reyden demanded, knowing he barely concealed the panic he felt.
Illithor began to search too. “Oh no! What is your focus?”
“A petrified egg.”
“Wow, that’s unusual,” Illithor mused. “If I lost my focus, I don’t know what I would do!”
“Attune your magic to another focus,” Reyden snapped.
“That would almost be like starting over.”
“Exactly, and that’s not something I can afford to do,” Reyden replied darkly.
The Postulate returned while Reyden and Illithor were scouring the alley. The tall man barred Reyden from continuing his search.
“I’m Postulate Emory Everhart,” he began. “I’ll need your name and what the assailant took from you.”
Reyden stood up and glared at him. He really didn’t want to accept the fact that his egg was probably long gone.
“Reyden Frost and he took everything.”
“Everything?”
“My focus—a petrified egg.”
Emory nodded with understanding. “I will need a description of the item so I can identify it when I apprehend him.”
“I’ll be going with you,” Reyden informed the Postulate in a tone that allowed no argument.
Emory hesitated. “It will be quicker if I go alone.”
Illithor walked over and seemed about to speak when Reyden interrupted.
“What will you do if he still has my egg when you catch him?”
“I’ll have to keep it as evidence until the criminal is duly judged and sentenced.”
“How long will that be?”
“As long as it takes.”
“And what happens if he doesn’t have it with him when you catch him?”
“I can arrest him for assault. Then I will try to get the egg’s location out of him,” the Postulate replied. “When I do, I’ll send word to you.”
Reyden frowned. “No way. I’m going with you, I have that right.”
“Fine, but remember, I make the final judgement.”
“Of course,” Reyden said. He didn’t care about the Postulate’s protocol. He would follow the Postulate long enough to grab his egg before it switched hands again.
“Am I free to go?” Illithor asked.
“Yes, thank you for your assistance,” Emory dismissed him.
“He lost you easily,” Reyden commented casually.
“He’s a slippery one,” Emory agreed and then looked at Illithor thoughtfully for a moment before calling to the elf. “You may want to check your things just in case.”
“Why should I do that?”
“Because at some point during our encounter, he was able to lift one of my coin pouches.”
Reyden raised an eyebrow and Illithor hurriedly checked his belongings. The elf’s face twisted in anger as he rummaged through his things. “My map is missing!”
“I guess then you’ll be coming along too?” Reyden asked him sarcastically.
“Things would probably go quicker if I went alone,” Emory repeated.
“No!” Reyden and Illithor snapped in unison.
Illithor glared at Reyden and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, “This is the thanks I get for helping someone.”
“No good deed goes unpunished,” Reyden replied with a smirk.
Emory frowned and Illithor glared at Reyden once more.
“Does anyone know of a decent inn around here?” Emory asked.
“Follow me,” Illithor said and led the others out of the alleyway.
The War
ty Frog Inn was the largest building in Hollow Harbor. Reyden found it highly coincidental that Illithor led them to the same inn he was looking for, and he didn’t believe in coincidence. If the Postulate hadn’t come with them, Reyden would have created an excuse to disappear quickly, even if the elf did appear to be mild-mannered. The inn’s outward appearance didn’t impress Reyden and he allowed his expression to mirror his thoughts.
Illithor noticed Reyden’s displeasure and attempted to reassure him. “I grew up here and this is a pretty good place despite how it looks.”
Reyden walked in first and paused at the door to scan the room. He noted with pleasure that it wasn’t very crowded. A few drunk patrons sat in the back of the room. Standing behind the bar was a woman with dark brown hair and eyes. She was almost attractive and had a look of boredom on her face. Reyden walked over to the bar and Illithor walked up behind him.
“It’s under new management apparently,” he whispered in Reyden’s ear. “I know the bartender though; her name is Amanda.”
Reyden glanced at Illithor a moment before waving the bartender over.
“What can I get you?” she asked.
“I heard that the owner of this inn wanted magical lighting.”
“Well, he’s not here right now so I can’t talk pricing. Check back in the morning.”
“I need a room. How much for one night and a dozen hard boiled eggs?”
“Three dumars, but if you’re doing the lights, I’m sure the boss would give you a credit for the night,” she replied.
“I’ll need the eggs now and I’ll make a light now as a show of good faith.”
Amanda paused momentarily. Reyden held his breath, hoping he wouldn't have to steal them. “Wait here.”
Reyden slowly let out the breath he was holding and didn't dare look the other men in the eye. Amanda returned a few minutes later with a small basket of boiled eggs.
Reyden took one out of the basket and inspected it. “Where do you want the first light?”
Amanda pointed to an area at the top of the stairs. Reyden went upstairs, grateful that she didn’t follow him. He hoped that he could use the egg to create a light—if not, he’d have to make a run for it, because he had no way to pay for the eggs.
He stood under the spot Amanda had suggested and then began calling the power to him while focusing on the egg attempting to manifest the energy. A small globe of light appeared above the egg. Reyden struggled to move the globe and affix it to the ceiling above him. It started to waver as Reyden began to doubt his ability. He brushed the thought away quickly and concentrated harder. The light took several minutes to attach to the ceiling and the egg crumbled to dust after Reyden released the power. He sighed with relief. Even though he would have to work harder to achieve the same effects when he used the petrified egg, Reyden was relieved that the magic was still with him.
“Just watching you was worth giving you the eggs,” Amanda said as he approached her. “You looking for any company?”
“I’m leaving in the morning,” Reyden answered her curtly. He turned away in dismissal.
Reyden grew concerned when he realized that everyone watched him struggle to create the light until he glanced at Illithor and noted a look of open admiration on the elf’s face. He stifled the urge to sigh with relief. Magic workers were common, but those who could do more than one or two spells were rare. Reyden thanked the fates that he was of the rarer type. Amanda tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around, she handed him a key to a room. He quickly headed towards the stairs before Amanda hit on him again. Emory and Illithor stopped him by the staircase.
“We should leave first thing in the morning,” Emory suggested.
Reyden disagreed. “I have to pay off my debt here first. We can leave after that. I doubt that guy is going to get too far ahead of us. He seems more like the local menace than someone who is traveling through, don’t you think?”
“I’m not sure. I’m going to start out looking for him tomorrow morning. I will meet you back here before noon.”
“I will go with you,” Illithor said looking at Emory.
Emory shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me either way, so long as we leave sometime tomorrow.”
Reyden pushed past them as he went upstairs. “I’ll see you both in the morning.”
The room he entered was dark and held worn and splintered furnishings. The bedding seemed freshly washed and appeared to be free from pests; it was better than the forest in any case.
The next morning, Reyden went downstairs early hoping to convince the owner to give him the work he desperately needed. The first thing he noticed when he arrived in the main room, was that despite the large front windows, the room was still almost as dark and gloomy as it was the night before. He also recognized the drunks from the night before who peppered the tables in the shadows. He slowly made his way towards the bar, and observed that the barkeep was a dark-skinned elf, which was unusual for the area. As he came nearer, Reyden noticed that the elf had multiple tattoos that covered his hands and continued up his arms.
"Amanda told me that you were interested in lighting,” Reyden addressed the barkeep, hoping he was able to keep the desperation out of his voice.
The barkeep paused his tidying of the counter. "Yes, I am. I’m Duke, who…"
"How many?" Reyden interrupted the man’s question.
“I like to know the name of those with whom I do business,” Duke insisted.
“Reyden.”
“All right, Reyden. I need one for each room upstairs, that's eight. Four lights in here, and three for the kitchen—so fifteen in total."
"That’s thirty dumars.”
“That's steep. I’ve heard the going rate was a dumar a light. I'll give you fifteen.”
"Twenty.”
After a long pause, Duke relented. “All right, but it’ll be eighteen after I deduct the cost of the room.” Then he offered a hand to Reyden to shake on it. Reyden hesitated, but after a moment, firmly grasped Duke’s unusually warm hand.
"When you’re done, come back down and your meal is on the house,” Duke continued as he picked up the rag and began cleaning the counter.
Reyden nodded before heading upstairs. He was annoyed to see that some of the occupants were still in the rooms he needed to work in. He intimidated most of the lodgers out of their rooms, with the exception of an older scholar who refused to be rushed.
Reyden was pleased however, to see that his magic was adjusting to the temporary focus of the eggs. Even though he would need a new one for each spell, creating the lights seemed less difficult than it had the night before. A good night’s rest had probably aided him, making it money well spent.
A half an hour later Reyden walked directly into the kitchen. The staff’s exclamations of surprise caused Duke to open the door and peek in. Reyden ignored him and the kitchen staff who were staring with awe at the lights he had created.
Reyden briskly walked through the kitchen once the lights there were completed, and grabbed an additional half dozen eggs from a nearby counter, placing them into his now empty basket. He brushed past the barkeep to finish the last of the lighting.
As soon as he finished, Reyden announced, "I'm ready for that meal and my payment."
Duke tossed him a pouch, and then slid a tall glass, and a plate down the counter towards him.
Reyden deftly caught the pouch then grasped the glass that slowed next to him. The plate also came to an abrupt stop as soon as it was directly in front of him. Reyden hesitated before casually opening the pouch to check its contents.
“The lights look great. You can actually see in here now!” Duke exclaimed as Reyden rummaged through the pouch.
"Of course they do, I’m powerful," Reyden replied tartly without looking up.
“There's a seamstress a few doors down who needs some lighting as well. She needed a couple from what I remember,” Duke said, ignoring the other’s rudeness.
"I’ll pay her a visit."
As Reyden was finishing his meal, Emory and Illithor entered the inn and approached him.
Emory nudged Reyden. “I think we should get going. I’ve heard that your property may have already left town.”
Reyden scowled. “We can leave as soon as I finish this drink.”
As Reyden drained his glass, Amanda ran into the inn and made a beeline for him.
"I just overheard some of Rafe's cronies bragging about how he recently scored something from a magic worker the other night, but they didn't say what. They took off immediately. I think they’re heading for the cities on the other side of the plains. That’s not normal for Rafe.”
Reyden was furious but controlled his temper. “Who’s Rafe and how do you know this?”
“Rafe is the local gang leader. If there’s trouble, he’s usually the one who caused it. We used to be a couple, but when I found out he was trying to extend the criminal network here, I left. I know some of his tricks. I also know where to go to find out certain kinds of information. First, your elven friend asked me about a map that was stolen, then the Postulate also mentioned something about an egg that was stolen from you, and I just knew it was Rafe.”
“Is this Rafe a scrawny little tow-headed creep with a scar on his left hand?” Emory interrupted.
“That’s Rafe all right,” Amanda said.
Reyden glared at her. “You didn’t think to mention this earlier?”
“I didn’t know either of you had anything stolen until early this morning.”
“It’s not your fault,” Emory reassured her before glancing significantly at Reyden.
"I need more eggs. I need some fresh and some boiled. Do you have any?" Reyden requested.
"Sure. Give me a few minutes," Duke said as he went into the kitchen.
"If I can help in any way,” Amanda said weakly.
Reyden dismissed her with a wave. "You told me who has my egg, that’s help enough.”
