“Simon here will handle the particulars about payment and all that, he has the head for numbers.” Then with a wink the giant man stood and made his way up to the bar, calling for the innkeeper to get three rooms ready on his tab.
Braden turned to Simon who sat there sober, with a predatory smile on his thin face. Blinking his eyes owlishly Braden realized he was a bit drunk. Giving the younger man a lopsided smile, he patted Druska, somewhat clumsily on the back.
“Druska here handles the finances and contract negotiations, talk with her Simon.” Then he stood and stumbled his way over to the Mayor, flashing a charming smile to the old innkeeper and eliciting a blush from the woman as he asked if there was anything to eat.
Simon turned to look at Druska, his shoulders hunching in as he gulped audibly. “The standard rate for an adventuring party is three silvers a day.”
“In what way are we standard?” Druska asked her eyes flashing and her words slurring slightly from the ale she had finished quickly, “We are exceptional and I will prove it to you.” Standing she drew her pistol and trained it on the wall. Leesha leaped to her feet and just managed to stop the taller woman from firing off a blast and tearing a hole through the wall of the inn.
“The standard rate will be fine!” Leesha said as she wrestled the pistol from Druska.
“Let me prove to Mr. Simon our value!” It took a while to calm Druska down, but the ale flowed and with time the young man began to relax. The decidedly less sour innkeeper brought out roasted birds, black bread and pots of rich butter.
Villagers came in as the afternoon wore on and soon it was a party atmosphere. Braden shared ale with the villagers and learned much of the surrounding areas and politics, and some of what life was like for the people here. Mostly he was inundated with questions about adventuring to which he had very little answers. So, he told the story of how they had rescued Leesha, taking care to leave all magic out of the tale.
When darkness fell the innkeeper drew baths for the three of them and one by one, they cleaned themselves while their laundry was washed and hung to dry. Braden felt like a new man as he climbed into his bed, clean and fresh for the first time in days. They had decided to sleep alone, not wanting to cause more talk than they already had. It was a lonely night as he drifted off to sleep. For the first time in days he thought of his wife back on earth, and his friend. Wondering if they were doing ok, hoping they didn’t worry about him too much and hating himself for caring.
Chapter Two
B raden woke to the sound of roosters greeting the dawn. The whole village coming awake as he stamped his feet into his boots and pulled on a clean shirt. He was going to have to find some decent clothing soon. Druska’s scout uniform worked well enough for day to day but he was used to putting on a fresh set of underwear and clothing each day. Having only one set of clothes was stressful. When he stepped out of his room, he found Druska crouched outside waiting for him.
“Leesha is still asleep,” she said with a smile, “That one enjoys her rest.”
“Let go find some breakfast, I’m starving.” Braden said.
They made their way down to the common room and found it empty save for a single woman. She leapt to her feet when they came down the stairs and Braden found himself eyeing the woman with interest. She was older, with pale blond hair speckled with grey. Her face was beautiful but filled with worry. High cheek bones and a wide fill lipped mouth framed big beautiful blue eyes. As beautiful as her face was her most impressive features was her massive bosom. Her large breasts jiggled and swayed when she moved, they were so impressive that Druska paused at the bottom of the stairs and turned back to give me a wink as she saw me notice them.
“Sir Braden,” She began her voice choked with emotion, eyes red and shaded with lack of sleep, “I had hoped I could have a moment of your time.”
“Of course,” Braden said, “Please have a seat.” The old innkeeper had come out of the back at the sound of voices and Braden signaled her for food and drinks for three.
“Forgive me for my rudeness,” The woman said when she sat wiping at her eyes with her hands, “I am Betsy, the towns wax-witch.” She saw the confusion on Braden’s face and explained, “That’s what we call a healer here about. The reason I am troubling you sir, is my daughter Emma, she never came home last night and I’m sick with worry. If you could find her, I can pay you for your troubles, whatever it takes!”
“A kidnapping?” Druska asked.
“No! Nothing like that,” Betsy said, “at least I can’t imagine it being anything like that.”
“Tell us what happened,” Braden said in his most comforting voice.
“Emma is was out in the woods yesterday picking herbs for my medicines. She’s been doing it for years and I never thought anything of letting her into the edges of the forest, it’s always been so safe around the village. She never came home last night, and I waited up all evening. I went to Mayor Smithson with my worries and he said there were adventurers in town and to come talk to you, that mayhap you could help.”
“Where does she normally go into the woods to search for herbs?” Braden asked.
“Up in the northern stretches just before the lumbermill.” Betsy said her voice taking on a small measure of hope, “But she wouldn’t have gone there with the troubles it’s been having. She would have searched deeper in, along the creek beds and in mossy hollows.”
“I’m not sure what we can do,” Braden began before being cut off by Druska.
“Do you have something with her scent?” The alien woman asked.
“Her scent?” The older woman asked. “I can get something from home.”
“Do that,” Druska said, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, “Please describe Emma for us.” The alien woman, so human like now that her skin color was changed, rested her chin in her hand and listened intently.
Braden was suddenly distracted by the magic that surged and roiled within him. He felt a compulsion to draw on it but resisted the urge. Magic wasn’t so uncommon as to cause a commotion if it was discovered he could use it, however Leesha had warned that his magic was unlike any she had seen. More powerful and controlled than a sorcerer or even a Bond Mage could accomplish, without glyphs to focus the power. Focusing on Betsy’s words, he tried to ignore the magics call.
“Emma looks much like me, her father used to joke that he kept all the ugly in the family.” She sniffed and smiled slightly in memory, “She is tall, with straight blond hair, like mine. She would have been wearing her white and blue dress. It has a white top with blue skirts and a checkered blue and white apron. She would have had her backpack with her, with a packed lunch.”
“What was in the lunch?” Druska asked.
“Cheese, apple and some smoked meats, why?” Betsy asked curious.
“Bring me scraps of the food if you still have them, I may be able to track her from the scent.” Betsy’s eyes grew wide and she glanced from Braden to Druska and back.
“Is she a familiar, sir?” The older woman asked with reverence.
“No,” Braden laughed, having no idea what a familiar was. He would have to ask Leesha about it later. “Druska just has a keen sense of smell, maybe her elven heritage.” Betsy glanced at the Druska’s strangely pointed ears and nodded.
“You are a very openminded man, Sir Braden, it speaks well of you that you travel with elves and treat them with respect.” The woman seemed to come to a decision, “If you will have her, I know Emma would have jumped at the chance to serve you sir. It was always her dream to explore the world and head out on adventures.” Her face collapsed once more into tears as she went on, “I was never able to afford tuition for the Academy, but if anyone deserved to enter Bonded School it’s her. She would have made a fine healer. No, sir don’t say anything, I apologize, just a silly old woman dreaming out loud. Come, lets go get something so you can find my girl.”
Braden watched Druska and Betsy head out of the Inn. The second the woman was out the d
oor his smile twisted into a sickly grimace and he clutched at the table before himself. The magic a roiling storm within and it was all he could do to master its vortex of energies. It felt like his skin was burning from the inside out. His thoughts were being scattered by pain and fear. The magic surging wilder and wilder, closing his eyes Braden forced his thoughts to order themselves but they kept scattering, the pain growing more intense.
Unbidden a memory came to him of his kooky aunt from childhood. She had been a bit of a hippy and once had tried to teach young Braden about a type of meditation. He had listened with interest and even attempted the mental exercises for weeks, but never really noticed anything happening, so had given it up.
Pullin from that old technique Braden constructed a simple object in his mind, a square. Then focusing on that he let everything else fall away. Instead of settling down as he had hoped, once he had forced a measure of calm upon his body, the magic flooded into his control. Filling the structure in his mind. Suddenly breathing normally, a cold sweat broke out all over his skin.
His mind empty of thoughts the magic filling it with power, he felt it bleeding out of his skin. Like arcs of electricity climbing up steel, the magic traced about his body in rainbow hues. Where it touched the table or chairs, smoking blackened wood was left in its wake. His eyes closed, mind floating free, a face floated into his consciousness and a name like a whisper on the wind. Pale blond hair spread upon a stone surface, framing a face of sweet beauty, twisted now in fear and pain. A cold sun shone down upon the vision, and Braden could feel an evil regard, watching the girl from the darkness behind him.
His hackles rose as he turned his mental view, fear and rage bubbling in his throat. Warning bells were ringing in his mind, and a primal fear crept down his spine. Turning he found nothing there, turning back to the girl the vision smeared and faded, like wet paint washed off.
Feeling as if he had just sprinted a mile Braden opened his eyes, groaning out as every muscle in his body ached. A loud crash sounded nearby and his eyes popped open to see the elderly Innkeeper standing in the middle of the room with her hands over her mouth and eyes wide. At her feet lay a shattered baking dish with eggs, sausages and potatoes scattered about. The chair, table and chair around him traced with char lines.
Braden met the woman’s eyes and saw fear and curiosity there. She was just about to open her mouth either to speak or scream, he wasn’t sure which, so he placed a quick finger before his lips, glancing at the door to the street. The Innkeeper snapped her mouth shut with an audible click of teeth and nodded her head vigorously. The fear winning out over hope.
Braden gave her a wink and drawing on the magic through his sword reached out finger thin flows of energy and cleaned up the food and broken crockery. He could feel each flow like it was a living appendage and as he wove them together, he felt aspects of the magic fitting easily together and other flows that repulsed one another, like they had opposite attractive properties. The problems triggered the engineer in him and as he worked by instinct, he puzzled out what forces were at play.
The innkeeper stood, silent and frozen as the storm of magic swirled around her common room. Before her eyes the crockery reknit and the food sorted itself back into the bowl, clean and piping hot, then settled on the table before the handsome adventurer.
“I ain’t never heard of no warlock half so powerful… sir.” The innkeeper breathed, still holding her fingers before her mouth.
“Come,” said Braden motioning to the seat Betsy had vacated, “Please have a seat.”
“Or maybe,” she said while sitting quickly her voice taking on a touch of excitement, “You’re a Bond Mage here in secret on some business of the Council?”
“I’m sorry,” Braden searched for the woman’s name with his hand up but was coming up empty.
“Edith,” the older woman supplied helpfully with a smile.
“Thank you, I’m sorry Edith it’s all very of complicated and I really can’t speak about it.” Braden gave an apologetic shrug hoping by saying little he was saying much.
“I understand My Lord,” She said with a conspiratorial smile and a big wink. “they finally doing something about that Helga and Indolo? The two are a piece of work. You have yourself a top notch Bonded in that Druska, near broke poor Simon’s brain when he saw the lovely girl.”
“Tell me what you can of Helga,” Braden asked, eager for any information he could get on the Bong Mage.
The Innkeeper needed no more prompting, she launched into a long description of the woman and her various evils, both rumored and witnessed. It was a dark tale indeed. It seemed Helga enjoyed inflicting pain, and endless screams could be heard coming from her tower in Dalton. When Indolo, her Bonded wasn’t with his mistress severing her every whim, he could be found in the brothels, or if drunk enough, raping some peasant girl in an alley.
The citizens of Dalton and the outlying villages had petitioned the Lord to replace the Bond Mage with another from the Academy, but Helga had some authority in the council. Every effort to remove her had been defeated and her strength and cruelty was such that none dared challenge her openly.
The innkeeper seemed to have it in her mind that Braden was some sort of Bond Mage spy and no amount of correcting her would change her mind. She would just shoot him a sly look and wink then continue with her gossip. Braden ate his breakfast and listened with interest. His exhaustion from the strange magical fluctuation was fading. When he was finishing his meal Edith bustled about, cleaning up the dish and heading back to the kitchen, shaking her head in wonder at the mended bowl.
Braden headed up stairs to check on Leesha. Tapping lightly at her door he hear soft snores within. She certainly isn’t a morning person , he thought to himself. Glancing to make sure the hall was empty he opened the door and slipped into her room. The young elf rolled over and yawned, stretching and kicking off her blankets when Braden entered the room. He froze at the sight of her naked, slender body. Reminding him again, as if he needed it, about how much his life had changed.
Her short red hair was mussed up and she stretched her arms out above her head, flat stomach leading up to firm round breasts. Her slender legs first stretched out straight, before she drew her knees up and with a sexy little smile widened them slightly, giving Braden a teasing glimpse of her elven pussy. There was very little hair and that bright red, her pink lips were already wet with desire.
Growling and smiling Braden stripped as he climbed between the elf’s legs. With no foreplay and in earnest need, Leesha gripped his mighty cock and sliding herself down and over it, as he was driving up and in. They made quick and passionate love there on the bed, frame creaking alarmingly beneath them. Braden couldn’t have known but downstairs the Innkeeper listened with interest. Her brain working in overdrive and near panic as the amount of gossip and secrets she now held in her head.
Braden’s orgasm came as Leesha was riding him, her little ass bouncing up and down on his crotch. Her firm titties dancing with each thrust of long dick into tiny elven hole. The little elf’s hot lips were on his, passionate kisses wiping away all thoughts as her own orgasm overtook her just as he shot deep ropes of cum deep into her pussy.
They lay there for a moment catching their breath and panting. Then Leesha hopped up to her feet, full of energy as she drew the now clean white dress over her head. Glancing in the mirror hanging on the wall, she raked her hair up and out of her face with her fingers. Then with a laugh she drew crackling red energy her hair with her fingers and it was perfectly combed and full of body.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that,” she said with a big grin to Braden. He lay back on the bed with an arm behind his head watching her as she got ready. He barely knew this young elf, and she had been through such horror only recently. He was amazed and inspired by her resiliency.
“Come on lazy bones,” she said with an annoyed glance at him still in bed, “can’t lay around all day.”
He got dressed and th
ey headed downstairs to find Druska had returned. She gave them both big grins when they sat down and Braden’s cheeks grew red at her frank look. She had a small bag with a blue scarf and some wrapped up smoked meats.
“What’s all this?” Leesha asked and Druska and Braden told her all about Emma’s mom being there in the morning and how she had been missing since the afternoon before. She listened with interest, especially when Druska described the mother in excruciating detail.
“She had the most prodigious bust I have ever seen.” Druska said, “She would have a place of honor in the Galactic Empire. She would be seen as a good prospect for breeding.”
“First day in town and we already have two quests,” she said turning to Braden with a big grin, “You’re lucky Master!”
“This Emma may be a candidate for Bonding master, fate seems to have pushed her in our path.” Leesha was nodding along.
The woman has a one-track mind , Braden thought.
“It happens that way with the greatest Bond Magi,” Leesha said, “or so the stories tell. The magic within wants to bond and can lead a Magi to their true Bonded. I’m not sure about this one though Master, she sounds like some country bumpkin without much natural talent. It’s common for a Bonded to train for four years at the Academy before they are thought to be ready for the power.” Leesha was frowning, and Braden thought it was jealousy at first, but the more he watched her he saw it was a kind of possessive protectiveness, wary of outsiders. Hoping that might balance Druska’s unrelenting desire to claim more women, he changed the subject to their quests.
They began planning then, none aware of the old innkeeper sitting on a stool just behind the cracked kitchen door. The woman was shaking. She had spent an entire life hunting down gossip and secrets, now she had the mother lode of all secrets. She waited until the man and two women got up and left the Inn, watching out a side window as they marched off down the road in the direction of the lumberyard. Villagers staring off after the tall, knightly man and his two gorgeous companions.
The First Quest Page 3
